Poisonous Scheme Appears, Finger Flick Breaks the Game

As Lin Chen's voice fell, the peaceful atmosphere of cultivation in the valley vanished in an instant.

Dai Mubai's White Tiger soul power surged, three soul rings—yellow, yellow, and purple—encircling him. He instantly activated his White Tiger Barrier, the golden soul power condensing into a thick suit of light armor. His eyes, sharp as a hawk's, remained locked on the direction of the dense forest. Ma Hongjun's chubby frame shuddered as he released his Phoenix martial soul; scorching flame soul power swirled around him. The once-unruly flames, refined under Lin Chen's guidance, were now more concentrated than ever, ready to unleash a lethal strike at any moment. Zhu Zhuqing instantly vanished into the shadows, the extreme speed of her Hell Spirit Cat fully revealed. With a light tap of her toes, she moved silently toward the flank, waiting for an opportunity to ambush. Ning Rongrong raised her hands, her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda hovering before her. Seven-colored light flowed as she prepared to bestow triple buffs—power, speed, and defense—upon her teammates. Oscar's fingertips flickered with light, and in a mere heartbeat, he finished crafting two Recovery Sausages, clutching them firmly in his hands to ensure comprehensive support. Xiao Wu leaned close to Lin Chen, her Soft Bone soul power restrained, her nimble eyes filled with vigilance; at the slightest sign of trouble, she would pounce.

Having undergone two days of precise guidance from Lin Chen, the group's strength and coordination were no longer what they once were. Entering combat mode, they showed not a hint of panic, their formation staggered and orderly, fully displaying the demeanor of an elite squad.

Lin Chen stood with his hands behind his back, his ink-colored eyes calm and unruffled. His spiritual sense spread out completely, taking in every movement within a hundred-meter radius. He could clearly perceive that the sinister presence was hiding behind a giant rock at the edge of the dense forest, his body wreathed in potent toxins. At the same time, beneath the ground and within the grass, fine poison needles and poison mist traps were hidden—every step was a lethal threat aimed directly at the Shrek members.

"Hiding your head and showing your tail—since you've come, why bother skulking about?" Lin Chen spoke lightly. His voice was not loud, yet it pierced through the dense forest like a thunderclap, clearly reaching Tang San's ears with an irresistible pressure.

Deep in the forest, Tang San gripped the poison-drenched needles in his hand, his knuckles turning white from the force, his heart jolting in shock.

He believed he had pushed his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to the limit, concealing his aura without a single flaw, yet he had still been easily detected by Lin Chen. This level of spiritual sense intensity only deepened the hatred and wariness in his heart.

Things had reached this point; there was no turning back!

A fierce glint flashed in Tang San's eyes. No longer hiding, he lunged out from behind the giant rock. His frame hunched, he darted toward the Shrek group like a phantom. Simultaneously, he flicked his wrists, and dozens of poison needles, as thin as ox hair, broke through the air. Carrying a ghostly green, icy light, they shot directly toward Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and the others, sealing off all their escape routes!

The poison needles were incredibly fast and coated with a deadly toxin that killed upon contact; to be pricked meant instant death. It was extremely insidious!

"Watch out for the needles!" Dai Mubai roared. Instead of retreating, he advanced. His White Tiger Intense Light Wave condensed instantly, a beam of golden soul power erupting to sweep toward the incoming needles, attempting to shatter them all.

Ma Hongjun struck at the same time, his Phoenix Fire Line gushing forth. The scorching flames swept through the air, aiming to incinerate the needles and neutralize the toxins. Zhu Zhuqing retreated suddenly, her Nether Slash cutting through the air; a sharp soul power strike swept horizontally, batting away the needles attacking from the side. Ning Rongrong instantly applied power and defense buffs to Dai Mubai, making his soul power attack even more formidable. Oscar immediately tossed the Recovery Sausages to the group, ready for emergencies.

The group coordinated with tacit understanding, their movements swift, yet the needles were too small and deliberately controlled by Tang San to avoid the soul power blasts. Several needles broke through the defensive line, heading straight for their vitals!

At this critical juncture, Lin Chen's gaze turned cold, and he lifted his hand slightly.

An invisible barrier of soul power instantly enveloped the entire area. All the incoming needles hit it as if striking a wall of solid copper and iron, freezing in mid-air, unable to advance even a fraction. Immediately following, Lin Chen flicked his fingers, and those needles instantly reversed direction, flying back toward Tang San with even greater speed!

Tang San's expression changed drastically. He never expected Lin Chen to neutralize his lethal move so nonchalantly, let alone counter it. He hurriedly employed his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, his figure flickering to dodge, but the needles were too fast. Even with all his might, one needle grazed his shoulder, piercing his skin.

A wisp of ghostly green toxin instantly spread from the wound. Tang San's face shifted, and he immediately channeled his Mysterious Jade Hand to suppress the poison, his heart filled with shock and rage.

The lethal hidden weapons he had painstakingly crafted were so fragile before Lin Chen!

"Is this all you have?" Lin Chen's tone was indifferent, carrying undisguised disdain. "Without soul power, daring to act wantonly before me with nothing but these crooked, side-door poison arts."

Before his voice had even faded, a flash of ruthlessness crossed Tang San's eyes. He slammed his palms into the ground and growled, "Poison Mist Formation, rise!"

In an instant, from beneath the ground and within the grass, plumes of thick, ink-green poison mist erupted, rapidly diffusing and covering more than half the valley. The mist emitted a pungent, fishy stench; wherever it passed, the grass and trees instantly withered and blackened. It was clearly laced with a potent neurotoxin—inhaling even a little would cause mental confusion and the rotting of meridians.

"Everyone, hold your breath! Don't touch the mist!" Ning Rongrong shouted a warning. Her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda bloomed with brilliant seven-colored light, attempting to use a soul power barrier to block the mist's spread. However, the mist was highly corrosive, and the seven-colored barrier was being eroded bit by bit.

Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and the others hurriedly channeled their soul power to protect their bodies and held their breath, but the mist spread with terrifying speed, threatening to surround them completely.

Tang San stood at the edge of the mist, a sinister smile curling his lips. He had already taken the antidote in advance and did not fear the mist's erosion. In his view, no matter how strong Lin Chen was, he would surely be restricted within this indiscriminate poison formation, giving him a chance to find a flaw and deliver a fatal blow.

"Lin Chen, aren't you all-powerful? Today, I will let you and this group of traitors be buried together in this poison mist!" Tang San laughed maniacally, his voice filled with spiteful, grating malice.

Xiao Wu looked at the distorted, murderous Tang San before her, her eyes filled with disappointment and coldness. The companion of their past was now, for the sake of revenge, willing to use such insidious and vicious means to send everyone to their deaths. This completely shattered the last shred of her attachment to Tang San.

"Tang San, you are too vicious! We never thought to kill you all, yet you press us at every step, wanting us all dead!" Xiao Wu rebuked him angrily, her Soft Bone soul power surging. She longed to rush forward and teach this deluded man a lesson.

Lin Chen raised a hand to stop Xiao Wu, his gaze calmly fixed on the swirling poison mist, showing not a hint of panic.

"A mere parlor trick, daring to show off before an expert."

Lin Chen's ink-colored soul power slowly surged around him. There was no massive explosion of momentum, yet he carried an inherent pressure that seemed to suppress all things. He lifted his hand slightly, palm facing downward, and clenched it in the air!

A bizarre scene unfolded. The ink-green poison mist, which had been spreading wildly, was suddenly pulled by an invisible force. It stopped expanding instantly, and then, at a speed visible to the naked eye, it began to converge frantically toward Lin Chen's palm. No matter how the mist struggled or corroded, it could not break free from that powerful force. In a mere heartbeat, the poison mist throughout the entire valley was gathered up, condensing into a tiny, ink-green Poison Bead that hovered at Lin Chen's fingertips.

The toxins churned within the bead, yet they could never break through the restraint of Lin Chen's soul power, their potency completely lost.

The entire scene fell into a deathly silence.

Dai Mubai and the others stared at this sight, dumbfounded, their hearts churning with massive waves of shock.

That lethal poison mist formation, capable of killing in an instant, had been easily gathered and neutralized by Lin Chen as if it were child's play. This level of control, this level of strength, had already surpassed their comprehension!

The manic smile on Tang San's face froze instantly. His pupils contracted, his face filled with disbelief, as if he had seen a ghost.

How is this possible!

The poison formation he had spent his life's blood to set up, condensing various rare toxins—even a Soul Elder level expert would be deeply harmed if caught within it—yet Lin Chen had neutralized the entire mist with a single hand, without even causing a ripple!

Despair instantly drowned Tang San.

His revenge plan, which he had painstakingly plotted and endured for days, was so fragile before Lin Chen's absolute strength, like a massive joke.

"I said it before: you are nothing but a clown. No matter what tricks you play, they are meaningless." Lin Chen's fingertips moved slightly, and the Poison Bead instantly turned into powder, dissipating into the air without leaving a trace.

He stepped toward Tang San. With every step he took, Tang San's heart trembled, and he couldn't help but retreat, his eyes filled with fear and unwillingness.

Lin Chen's figure, in his eyes, was like an insurmountable mountain, pressing down until he couldn't breathe.

"You... don't come over!" Tang San roared, wanting to activate his remaining poison needles and traps, but his dantian was sealed and his soul power was completely crippled. Relying only on his physical strength, he could no longer perform any Tang Sect poison arts and could only watch as Lin Chen approached step by step.

Dai Mubai and the others also gathered around. The way they looked at Tang San had shifted completely from the camaraderie of the past to cold disgust and vigilance.

They finally saw clearly that the Tang San before them had long been consumed by hatred, his heart filled with nothing but slaughter and revenge. He was no longer the companion they had once cultivated and fought alongside.

"Tang San, you are deluded and obsessed with revenge, willing to use such insidious means to harm your former companions. Today, you must pay the price for your actions." Dai Mubai spoke in a deep voice, his White Tiger soul power surging as he prepared to subdue Tang San.

Lin Chen raised a hand to stop Dai Mubai, his gaze falling on Tang San as he said lightly, "The hatred in your heart remains, and you are still unwilling to give up. Today, I will not kill you, nor will I destroy your final spark of life. But remember: if there is a next time, I will surely scatter your soul, leaving you no chance to ever rise again."

As his voice fell, a wisp of faint soul power shot from Lin Chen's fingertip, striking precisely at the wound on Tang San's shoulder. It instantly neutralized the residual poison in his body, and at the same time, a surge of soul power flowed in, sealing his meridians so that he could never easily touch poisonous substances or practice poison arts again.

Tang San collapsed to the ground, his body limp and his face twisted. The spite in his eyes did not fade; he stared fixedly at Lin Chen, gnashing his teeth. "Lin Chen, I will not admit defeat! I will surely remember the humiliation of today. One day, I will make you pay the price!"

"Wait and see." Lin Chen's tone was indifferent, as if he hadn't taken the threat to heart at all, before he waved his hand dismissively, "Get out of this valley and do not appear before us again."

Tang San struggled to his feet, cast a venomous glance at Lin Chen and the Shrek group, and dragged his broken body into the depths of the dense forest, limping away like a stray dog, yet still lurking in the shadows, waiting for a chance at revenge.

Watching Tang San's retreating back, the Shrek group felt a complex mix of emotions, yet they had completely let go of the last shred of their former camaraderie.

Dai Mubai looked at Lin Chen, his heart full of admiration: "Brother Chen, thanks to you, otherwise even if we had managed to neutralize that poisonous scheme today, we would surely have suffered losses."

After this crisis, the group's conviction and willingness to follow Lin Chen became even firmer.

Lin Chen looked at them, his eyes carrying a hint of approval: "Your responses just now were quite steady, and your coordination is becoming increasingly tacit; the improvement in your strength is visible to the naked eye."

"But you must remember, the Douluo Continent is not just about head-on spirit power duels; there are countless insidious, underhanded methods. Only by remaining vigilant at all times and constantly growing stronger can you remain invincible in the face of any crisis."

The group nodded one after another, taking Lin Chen's words to heart.

This sudden crisis of the poisonous scheme did not frustrate the Shrek group; instead, it helped them see reality more clearly, tempered their resolve, and further increased their team cohesion.

Sunlight spilled back into the valley, dispelling the lingering poisonous mist and murderous intent, restoring the tranquility of days past.

Lin Chen looked up toward the distance, a profound glint flashing in his eyes. The hidden danger of Tang San remained, and there would surely be more crises in the future; their path of tempering had only just begun.

"Rest for a moment. Afterward, we will continue our cultivation. Only by becoming stronger can we weather all the storms to come."

As Lin Chen's voice fell, the Shrek group once again threw themselves wholeheartedly into their cultivation. The fluctuations of spirit power in the valley grew increasingly dense, and a more powerful force was quietly coalescing.

Meanwhile, deep in the dense forest, Tang San, hiding in the shadows and feeling his sealed meridians, felt the paranoia and madness in his eyes grow more intense. A greater conspiracy was quietly brewing in his heart.