At that thought, Luo Chen looked around, his gaze quickly sweeping his surroundings.
Ancient trees towered into the sky, blotting out the sun. There was nowhere to hide.
Suddenly, he heard the burbling of flowing water. Luo Chen immediately climbed a large tree and looked toward the sound, spotting a lake not far ahead.
The lake was vast and dark blue; one glance told him it was bottomless.
In an instant, a path to survival appeared in Luo Chen's mind.
"I can dive to the bottom of the lake, dig a hole just big enough for me, and seal the entrance with a rock." The more Luo Chen thought about it, the more excited he grew. "Then I'll have the Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor keep watch. The moment it senses Di Tian's presence, it'll notify me."
"And I'll use the Soul Bone Skill 'Dark Concealment' to hide every trace of my presence."
"That way... Di Tian won't be able to find me!"
With that thought, Luo Chen hesitated no longer. He leaped down and sprinted toward the lake.
At the lakeshore.
Without another word, Luo Chen leaped into the water and dived toward the bottom.
The lake water was bone-chillingly cold, making Luo Chen shiver uncontrollably, but he could not worry about that now. Staying alive came first.
He quickly dug a tunnel into the side of the lake, just wide enough for him to pass through alone, then curled his scorpion tail around a large rock and blocked the entrance.
The tunnel was pitch-black; he could not see his fingers in front of his face. Just then, the Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor emerged, and in an instant, the dark tunnel became brilliantly illuminated.
After giving the Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor a grateful look, Luo Chen showed no intention of stopping his downward excavation.
The Nine Poison Scorpion Hook Sword transformed into nine shovels, piling the excavated
soil and rocks behind Luo Chen, while he used the Netherworld Scorpion Claw to compact the earth behind him, continuing deeper underground.
One meter, two meters, three meters...
When he had dug sixty meters down, the Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor's urgent voice sounded in his mind. "Di Tian is here!"
Luo Chen's heart immediately clenched at those words. He instantly activated the Netherworld Scorpion Claw's Soul Bone Skill-"Dark Concealment!"
In an instant, a transparent mist surged from the Netherworld Scorpion Claw and completely enveloped him.
At the same time, every trace of Luo Chen's presence vanished.
Above the lake.
Di Tian hovered in midair, his gaze sweeping the lake below.
"This human's presence disappeared right here." Di Tian swept his divine sense over the surroundings, searching for Luo Chen's presence. "Did he dive to the bottom?"
He frowned, immediately concentrating all his spiritual power into his divine sense before sweeping the lake again.
As far as Di Tian knew, no human of the present day could evade a demigod-level divine sense scan.
Yet after his scan, the lake water was clear and the bottom lay fully exposed to his sight. The answer Di Tian wanted was nowhere to be found.
"How strange..." A flicker of puzzlement crossed Di Tian's eyes. "His presence clearly disappeared here."
"Could it be...?" A possibility occurred to Di Tian. "Did the Douluo Continent's consciousness intervene to conceal him?"
"If the Douluo Continent's consciousness really intervened, then there's indeed nothing I can do," Di Tian murmured to himself. "The Douluo Continent's consciousness is the ruler of this world. Even the Silver Dragon King cannot contend with it."
At that thought, Di Tian snorted coldly and looked ahead.
"But even if the Douluo Continent's consciousness concealed him, that human couldn't have escaped far."
"I don't believe the Douluo Continent's consciousness would intervene to conceal him,
"If I keep pursuing him, I'll definitely find him!"
With that thought, Di Tian once again transformed into a streak of black light and continued flying forward.
Sixty meters underground, Luo Chen sat cross-legged, feeling his Soul Power draining rapidly.
Has Di Tian... left? he asked the Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor inwardly.
"He's gone." The Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor's voice sounded in his mind. "He went ahead to continue the pursuit."
Hearing this, Luo Chen let out a long breath, his taut nerves finally relaxing a little.
He gazed at his surroundings and murmured to himself, "I'd better stay underground for a while longer. If Di Tian doubles back, I'll be dead for certain."
And so, time passed, second by second, minute by minute.
One day, two days, three days...
Luo Chen remained hidden underground, not daring to venture out.
To keep himself from going mad, he passed the time meditating and cultivating "Twin Emperor Soul Guidance," keeping his mind as clear as possible.
But a problem soon arose from hiding underground. The Netherworld Scorpion Emperor could not breathe underground. Even as a top-tier Soul Beast that could hold its breath underground for more than ten days, it still needed air eventually.
And so, on the thirtieth day, Luo Chen suddenly felt light-headed, as though he were about to suffocate.
This is bad. I forgot scorpions can't stay buried deep underground. At this rate, I'll definitely suffocate! Luo Chen was inwardly horrified, but he still calmly considered a solution.
Suddenly, he remembered that the Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor had been formed from heavenly fire and earthly fire, among the four elements of creation. He was underground now; if he switched to Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor possession, would that solve his breathing problem?
At that thought, Luo Chen immediately recited inwardly, Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor, let me possess your Martial Soul.
The moment the thought sounded, a crimson glow rose from Luo Chen's body.
As the Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor's Martial Soul Possession took effect, a pattern of flaming carapace immediately appeared across his skin, and a crimson scorpion tail shot skyward from his sacrum.
At that very moment, the pitch-black underground became transparent in his eyes.
Looking up, he could clearly see the outside world.
The lake, ancient trees, the sky, clouds... everything was clearly visible!
"What... is going on?"
Luo Chen was utterly dumbfounded by the sight. Only after the Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor explained did he understand.
It turned out that the Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor had been formed from heavenly fire and earthly soil,
and the earth was naturally its eyes.
Seeing the outside world through one's eyes was perfectly normal. And since Luo Chen was now under Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor Martial Soul Possession, gaining its basic abilities was perfectly normal too, wasn't it?
Luo Chen did not care whether it was normal. Right now, he had only one thought: This feels amazing, amazing, amazing!
A smile curled his lips. "Now I can observe the outside world from underground. Even if Di Tian doubles back, I'll notice immediately."
But even so, Luo Chen still did not dare venture out, because he knew Di Tian's strength, and he knew his own weakness.
So he returned to his old trade, preparing to dig a tunnel out. When he jumped into the lake, he remembered that this place was not far from the Star Dou Great Forest's exit. Three months should be enough to dig his way out.
Three months later, a large hole was suddenly dug open on a hillside outside the Star Dou Great Forest.
Covered in mud, Luo Chen crawled out of the hole. He lay on the ground, feeling the sunlight he had not experienced in so long.
"Three months. I dug for three whole months, and I finally dared to come out." Luo Chen stood, gazed at the distant Star Dou Great Forest, and murmured, "The Star Dou Great Forest really is a dangerous place."
"But..." He lowered his head to look at the bracer formed by the Netherworld Scorpion Claw on his right wrist, a slight smile curling his lips. "This trip wasn't in vain."
"A thousand-year second Soul Skill, an External Soul Bone, and learning the Karmic Fire Scorpion Emperor's special function. The gains were already more than plentiful."
Luo Chen took a deep breath. His scorpion tail hooked a branch behind him, using it to launch himself into the air, and he flew into the distance.
He did not know where he was going, but he knew that only now had his path to dominating the world officially begun.