Maple Burning Breaks Through, Cloud Mist's Blade! (Double Chapter)

BOOM!

Han Feng fell, his body and soul both devoured by the Blood Sea Domain, transformed into the purest energy to feed back into himself.

Lin Chen hovered in the air, the cluster of deep blue Sea Heart Flame in his hand—which had been leaping and struggling to break free—now appearing incomparably docile.

Under the natural suppression of the Red Lotus Karma Fire, it did not even dare to recklessly release its high temperature.

Lin Chen did not hesitate in the slightest; he opened his mouth and inhaled, swallowing the source of the Sea Heart Flame directly into his body!

"BOOM!!!"

As the Heavenly Flame entered his body, a violent, peerless energy instantly exploded within his meridians!

If it were anyone else, even a Dou Emperor, swallowing a Heavenly Flame so crudely would inevitably result in shattered meridians and death by incineration.

But was Lin Chen just anyone?

The Blood Scripture spun frantically, the blood-qi within his body surging like a rushing crimson river.

In an instant, it wrapped around that violent Heavenly Flame energy, pulling and refining it!

The Red Lotus Karma Fire emerged of its own accord, patrolling the newly annexed territory like a monarch.

Wherever it passed, the unruly nature of the Sea Heart Flame was thoroughly smoothed away, becoming incredibly tame.

The process of devouring was far smoother than imagined.

Blood Sea Dou Qi possessed an extremely strong capacity for tolerance and assimilation, and coupled with the suppression of the Red Lotus Karma Fire—the nemesis of all flames—the process was unstoppable.

The Sea Heart Flame was, in a manner of speaking, forcibly "dissolved," rapidly merging into Lin Chen's Dou Crystal.

His aura began to skyrocket at a speed visible to the naked eye!

The barrier of the peak Dou King realm was shattered as easily as if it were made of paper!

"BOOM!"

The aura did not stop; it continued to climb frantically!

The pure energy transformed from the Sea Heart Flame, combined with the accumulation from previously devouring Han Feng and the numerous powerhouses of the Black-Corner Region, acted like a volcanic eruption, pushing his cultivation to charge toward a higher level!

Above the sky, the winds and clouds shifted once more!

A vortex of heaven and earth energy, even more massive than when the three Dou Ancestors had broken through earlier, gathered frantically, shrouding the entire Black Seal City!

Lightning flashed and thunder rolled; the energy tide pressed down as if it were a physical weight.

It made all the survivors in the city tremble, nearly forcing them to their knees.

"The Master... is he breaking through to the Dou Emperor realm?!"

Su Qian and the others hovered not far away, feeling the terrifying momentum that stirred the heavens and the earth, their faces filled with incredulous shock.

The heaven and earth energy they had stirred when breaking through to the Dou Ancestor realm seemed to be no more than this, right?

And this speed of breakthrough was simply too fast!

Within Lin Chen, the Dou Crystal at his dantian vibrated violently.

The crimson light on its surface flared brilliantly, its volume and density growing and transforming at a terrifying speed!

Finally, accompanied by a crisp hum that seemed to resonate from the depths of his soul, the Dou Crystal completed its final evolution, becoming more radiant, more profound, and containing a power that had undergone a qualitative leap!

Dou Emperor!

One-star Dou Emperor!

His aura stabilized, and the heaven and earth energy slowly dissipated.

Lin Chen opened his eyes, a flash of blood-red light and blue flame flickering within them before vanishing.

A powerful pressure, far exceeding what he had possessed before, flowed out naturally.

He clenched his fist gently, feeling the vast power surging like an ocean within him—a power that felt as if it could shatter the void with a single punch—and nodded in satisfaction.

In the Dou Emperor realm, combined with the Blood Scripture, his Spirit Realm soul, and two Heavenly Flames, he now had the strength to fight even high-level Dou Ancestors!

"Congratulations to the Master for breaking through to the Dou Emperor realm!"

Su Qian and the others immediately stepped forward to offer respectful congratulations, their attitudes even more reverent than before.

They could feel that the Lin Chen who had broken through exerted a pressure on them that was even more terrifying than some veteran Dou Ancestors.

Lin Chen nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping toward the ruins of Han Feng's mansion below and the trembling remnants of the local factions.

"Clean it up. Take all the resources."

"Yes!"

The three Dou Ancestors accepted the order and immediately descended like tigers into a flock of sheep, beginning the final purge.

Those who resisted were killed!

Those who surrender, have their cultivation crippled!

The wealth, medicinal herbs, monster cores, and technique scrolls that Han Feng had accumulated over many years.

Were all scavenged and piled up like a mountain.

Lin Chen sat cross-legged in the air, continuing to consolidate his cultivation.

At the same time, he was distracted, refining the final sliver of the Sea Heart Flame's origin and familiarizing himself with this new power.

Half a day later, there was no trace left of Han Feng's influence in Black Seal City.

The massive haul of resources was organized by Su Qian and the other two, then handed over to Lin Chen.

Lin Chen only took the rare medicinal herbs and high-level monster cores.

The rest were distributed to Su Qian and the others as compensation for their hard work, which left the trio moved to tears.

With matters concluded, Lin Chen did not linger in the Black-Corner Region.

After bidding farewell to Su Qian and the others, and promising to send Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin to Jia Nan Academy in the future.

He transformed into a streak of blood-colored light, traveling toward the Jia Ma Empire at a speed several times faster than when he arrived.

Having broken through to the Dou Emperor realm, his heart was set on returning home.

He was somewhat concerned about the two little girls he had left with the Mite'er Family.

However, as he approached the Holy City of the Jia Ma Empire, he keenly sensed that the atmosphere was wrong.

Above the imperial city, the air was thick with tension!

Dozens of figures dressed in Misty Cloud Sect attire hovered in the sky, led by none other than the Misty Cloud Sect's Chief Elder, Yun Leng!

Behind him followed over a dozen Misty Cloud Sect Dou King experts; it was a formidable lineup.

They were currently in a standoff with another group on the imperial plaza below.

Down below, Jia Xingtian stood with his hands behind his back, his expression as gloomy as stagnant water.

Behind him stood Nalan Jie, Mite Tengshan, and a large number of imperial guards and family protectors.

Jia Xingtian's Dou Ancestor aura was released without reservation, pressing down on the Misty Cloud Sect Dou Kings until their faces turned pale.

Yet, Yun Leng seemed to have nothing to fear.

"Jia Xingtian! Hand over those two demonesses at once!"

"Otherwise, do not blame the Misty Cloud Sect for disregarding our past ties!"

"Demonesses?"

Jia Xingtian sneered, his voice like rolling thunder, "Yun Leng, you are overstepping!"

"Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin are people under Master Lin! How dare you slander them?"

"Take your people and get out of the imperial capital immediately! Otherwise, do not blame this old man for being impolite!"

He was truly not panicked at all; the strongest person on the other side, Yun Leng, was merely at the peak of the Dou King realm.

In front of a Dou Ancestor like him, they were simply not worth mentioning.

What he found suspicious was where the Misty Cloud Sect found the audacity to provoke them so openly.

To the point of targeting those Lin Chen intended to protect?

"Master Lin? Hmph, by the time he returns, everything will have already been settled!"

A strange smile appeared on Yun Leng's face, "Jia Xingtian, I advise you to be sensible."

"This is the order of the old Sect Master!"

"The Sect Master issued the order personally before entering seclusion: capture the demonesses who possess the Woe Poison Body and the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils."

"We are cleaning house to set things right!"

"Yun Shan?"

Jia Xingtian's brows furrowed tightly, his heart filled with doubt.

Yun Shan had been in seclusion for many years; how could he suddenly issue such an order?

And what of Sect Master Yun Yun?

Just as Jia Xingtian prepared to take forceful action to capture Yun Leng and the others for interrogation—

"I think the ones who need to be cleaned out are you."

A voice, bone-chilling and filled with boundless killing intent, as if from the depths of the Nine Nether Hell, suddenly resounded across the entire sky of the imperial city!

The voice was not loud, yet it rang clearly in everyone's ears.

It caused a sudden chill to strike every heart!

The strange smile on Yun Leng's face froze instantly.

Replacing it was boundless terror!

He looked up abruptly.

A figure in black appeared in the high air between the two sides, no one knowing when he had arrived.

Black hair and black eyes, his handsome face was as cold as frost.

An aura of terror that made souls tremble radiated from his entire body!

"Ma... Master Lin?!"

Jia Xingtian, Nalan Jie, and the others were stunned for a moment, then overcome with wild joy!

"Master!"

"Lord Lin Chen!"

In the Mite'er Family camp below, Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin were being tightly shielded behind Ya Fei.

Seeing that figure, they were instantly moved to tears, the fear in their hearts replaced in an instant by a sense of security.

Lin Chen's gaze was like two sharp swords, instantly locking onto Yun Leng.

Yun Leng felt a chill shoot from the soles of his feet straight to his crown; terrified out of his wits, he turned to flee!

"Did I give you permission to leave?"

Lin Chen's voice was indifferent. He did not even make a move, merely narrowing his eyes.

"Puchi! Puchi! Puchi!..."

The dozen or so Misty Cloud Sect Dou Kings in the air, including Yun Leng, had their bodies shredded as if by invisible blades.

In an instant, they exploded into clouds of blood mist!

They could not even let out a single scream!

Only Yun Leng had his life forcibly preserved by a mysterious force.

But his limbs had already been severed by invisible sword qi; he was suspended in mid-air like a human torso, letting out a wretched, piercing howl.

The scent of blood instantly permeated the air!

The entire scene fell into dead silence!

Jia Xingtian and the others gasped.

Although they knew Lin Chen was strong, killing over a dozen Dou Kings with a wave of his hand—including Yun Leng, who was at the peak of the Dou King realm—was still profoundly shocking!

Lin Chen reached out and grabbed, pulling the howling Yun Leng before him, his cold gaze piercing straight into the man's soul.

"Speak. What is going on?"

"Where is Yun Yun? And what is Yun Shan planning to do?"

His powerful Spirit Realm soul force invaded Yun Leng's consciousness violently, tearing through his mind to extract his memories!

Yun Leng's screams came to an abrupt halt, his body convulsing violently, his eyes filled with boundless pain and terror.

A moment later, Lin Chen tossed him aside like trash.

Yun Leng's body turned to ash while still in the air.

Through the soul search, Lin Chen now knew everything.

Naturally, the technique for soul searching came from the Blood Scripture!

Yun Shan had indeed been completely controlled by the Soul Hall and had become a puppet!

Yun Yun appeared to be under house arrest or control.

The capture of Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin was not Yun Shan's original intention, but an order from the Soul Hall!

The Soul Hall seemed to be extremely interested in these two special constitutions!

"A fine Misty Cloud Sect! A fine Soul Hall!"

Killing intent surged in Lin Chen's eyes, and the blood-red baleful aura around him shot into the sky, nearly staining the heavens red!

"Jia Xingtian!"

"Present!"

Jia Xingtian immediately stepped forward, bowing to receive his orders.

"Gather all the elites of the Imperial Family!"

"The Nalan Family, the Mite'er Family—mobilize every force that can be used!"

"Yes!"

"Hai Bodong!"

Lin Chen's gaze swept toward the Ice Emperor, who was speeding over from the distance.

"This old man is here!"

Feeling the terrifying killing intent radiating from Lin Chen, Hai Bodong felt a shiver run through him and answered immediately.

"Follow me to raze the Misty Cloud Sect to the ground!"

Lin Chen's voice rang out across the Imperial Capital like a final judgment!

The next moment, he tore through space itself.

A jade slip containing a soul-message shot off in the direction of the Black-Corner Region.

It was a request for reinforcements sent to Su Qian and the others, just in case they were needed.

In a mere two hours, the war machine of the Jia Ma Empire began to churn with unprecedented efficiency!

Led by the Dou Ancestor Jia Xingtian, the Dou Emperor Hai Bodong, and the peak Dou Kings Nalan Jie and Mite Tengshan.

An elite army composed of over a dozen Dou Kings, thousands of Dou Grandmasters, and Dou Lings.

They marched toward the Misty Cloud Sect in a vast, murderous tide!

Lin Chen flew at the very front of the army, his face icy, his eyes burning with nothing but the flames of destruction.

The army pressed forward, arriving at the foot of Misty Cloud Mountain!

The Misty Cloud Sect was currently shrouded in a thick, protective energy barrier.

This was the sect's grand defensive formation; when fully activated, it was enough to withstand the attacks of a Dou Ancestor.

Within the Misty Cloud Sect, alarm bells rang incessantly.

Countless disciples panicked, having no idea what was happening.

Why would the elite army of the Jia Ma Empire suddenly descend upon them?

Lin Chen hovered before the formation, looking at the Misty Cloud Sect cowering behind their defenses, and wasted no words.

He gripped the air with both hands, and the Yuantu and Abi Twin Swords whistled out from within his body!

The moment these two peerless, malevolent swords appeared, the world lost its color, and an aura of slaughter swept across the firmament, chilling hearts and shattering courage!

"Merge!"

Lin Chen let out a low shout, and the blood-red light of the Yuantu and Abi Twin Swords flared brilliantly.

In an instant, they fused into one, transforming into a massive, dark-red sword with an archaic design, radiating an aura of endless slaughter and ruin!

At the same time, Red Lotus Karma Fire surged from his palms.

Like a blood-red fire tornado, it coiled around the massive sword!

The Karma Fire's ability to incinerate all things and purge sin merged perfectly with the swords' power of slaughter and destruction!

Earth-tier Advanced Dou Skill—Void-Splitting Sword Art!

Energy poured into it frantically!

Lin Chen raised the massive sword, now fused with the Karma Fire, high above his head.

He brought it crashing down with a fierce slash toward the Misty Cloud Sect's protective formation below!

"Break for me!"

"Sshhh-la!!!"

A dark-red sword beam, indescribable in its intensity, tore through the heavens as if splitting the entire sky in two!

Wherever the sword beam passed, space was sliced open as easily as fragile fabric.

It left behind jagged, twisted, pitch-black spatial rifts!

The aura of destruction filled the Misty Cloud Sect disciples below with despair.

It left the Jia Ma Empire's army stunned and horrified!

This strike had truly reached the level of a Dou Ancestor, and perhaps even surpassed it!

Rumble, rumble, rumble!!!

The Misty Cloud Sect's protective formation, capable of withstanding the attacks of an ordinary Dou Ancestor, proved as fragile as an eggshell before this terrifying sword beam!

It held for only a fleeting moment before emitting a groan of unbearable strain and shattering with a thunderous explosion!

Endless shards of energy sprayed in all directions, and Misty Cloud Mountain shook violently, rocks tumbling down as if the apocalypse had arrived!

The formation, broken in a single strike!

"Kill!"

Lin Chen's icy voice served as the command.

The Jia Ma Empire's army surged like a tidal wave, roaring as they charged through the shattered mountain gate and into the Misty Cloud Sect!

However, in the midst of this chaos.

A terrifying aura, far surpassing that of Jia Xingtian, erupted suddenly from the depths of the Back Mountain!

An aged voice, filled with endless majesty and icy killing intent, resounded across the entire battlefield:

"What petty scoundrels dare to offend my Misty Cloud Sect?!"

Before the voice had even faded, a white figure appeared above the Misty Cloud Sect's plaza like a ghost.

The newcomer had white hair and a white beard, his expression indifferent and his eyes so cold they lacked a shred of human emotion.

The aura swirling around his body had reached the level of a three-star Dou Ancestor!

It was none other than the former sect leader of the Misty Cloud Sect, now controlled by the Soul Hall—Yun Shan!

He made his entrance with an air of immense arrogance, his gaze sweeping across the chaotic battlefield.

It finally landed on Lin Chen, who stood at the very front of the army wielding a massive dark red sword.

"So you are the one who destroyed My Sect Grand Array?"