Night was as thick as ink; the stench of blood had not yet faded, and the inn had returned to dead silence.
Lin Chen sat cross‑legged, closing his eyes to rest. The residual pressure of the Transforming Sea realm still faintly trembled within his meridians. The poison veins on his neck flickered bright and dark, resonating faintly with the Shadow Prison Poison Core in his arms.
He was already at the True Martial Peak; his power was already complete. It was only that the strange poison often rebelled, preventing him from fully controlling his own combat strength.
Suddenly, a faint sweet‑and‑rank scent seeped silently through the window cracks.
It was not ordinary blood, but a bone‑corroding, soul‑devouring coldness, identical to the aura of the Ten Thousand Poison Cave's envoy Mo.
Lin Chen's eyes snapped open, cold light exploding within them.
They had come.
Rip—!
The sound of breaking air suddenly rose. Five purple figures burst through the window at the same time like ghosts, landing soundlessly yet instantly blocking all escape routes from the guest room.
All five wore purple robes and masks etched with poison patterns. Their fingertips glowed with an eerie blue‑black, and thick ink‑like poison fog swirled around them. Their auras were condensed and fierce—all True Martial Peak experts, and death warriors who specialized in the path of poison!
"Lin Chen! By order of Envoy Mo, we come for your poison body!"
The leading poison attendant's voice was hoarse, piercing with cold intent. The five stepped into formation at the same time, poison light flashing at their fingertips, faintly forming a ferocious and evil formation. As the poison fog churned, the air seemed to corrode and sizzle.
Five Directions Poison Evil Formation!
This formation took the five as its foundation, with interconnected poison power, integrating offense and defense. It specialized in suppressing physical bodies and true essence. Even a warrior of the same realm trapped within would be devoured by the poison and killed in an instant.
Lin Chen slowly stood up, gripping the Shadow Dagger tightly in his single arm. Poison veins stirred faintly beneath his skin, yet he did not erupt immediately.
He was observing.
These five were no weaklings. Their steps were steady, their auras connected—clearly death veterans who had fought countless battles, each capable of standing alone. Together, their power far surpassed ordinary True Martial Peak warriors.
"Kill!"
The leading poison attendant shouted low. All five struck at once!
Two poison claws lunged straight for Lin Chen's eyes, their poison wind sharp; two flanked from the sides, their poison blades slashing at the gap of his severed arm; the last stood at the formation's eye, forming seals with both hands, sending a storm of poison needles raining down!
Every move was fatal, leaving no room for mercy.
Lin Chen's gaze turned icy. He pushed Shadow Steps to the limit, his figure ghosting through the impenetrable offensive.
Clang!
The Shadow Dagger precisely blocked a poison blade, sparks flying. Yet the cold power traveling up the blade surged along his arm, stinging and numbing his meridians wherever it passed.
What domineering poison!
Lin Chen's heart tightened; he dared not be careless.
The five moved with perfect coordination. As the formation rotated, their poison power layered and amplified, far exceeding that of ordinary True Martial Peak experts. Though his movement was ghostly, he could only barely circle, unable to break through the blockade for a time.
Pfft!
A poison claw grazed his waist, tearing open a bloody gash. The strange poison invaded the wound instantly, blackening and rotting the flesh at visible speed, pain drilling into his bones.
Lin Chen grunted. His single arm swept wide, dagger shadows forcing back two men as he retreated sharply.
But the moment he landed, the other three were already on him—poison blades, claws, and needles striking together, sealing all space to dodge.
Pfft!
Poison needles sank into his flesh. More wounds opened on Lin Chen's shoulders. Blue‑black toxin spread wildly through his veins, blurring his vision and staggering his body.
Seeing this, the five poison attendants flashed cruelty in their eyes.
"Struggle in vain!"
"Poison Evil Strangle!"
The poison attendant at the formation's eye shouted sharply. All five unleashed their full power at once. The poison fog exploded, transforming into five ferocious poison beasts that lunged at Lin Chen with bared fangs and claws, intending to tear him to shreds in an instant.
A desperate situation!
Agony raged through Lin Chen's body, toxin eroding his organs. The severed arm sent tearing pain through him.
Yet his eyes grew colder, wilder.
He did not retreat.
Instead, he charged straight into the poison fog!
"If you want poison… then I'll give you poison!"
A low roar erupted. Lin Chen no longer suppressed the violent poison within him.
Boom—!
Blue‑black poison veins instantly covered his body, erupting wildly from his seven apertures and pores, forming a ferocious poison shadow that crashed head‑on into the Five Directions Poison Evil Formation!
Fight poison with poison!
The poison of the Ten Thousand Poison Cave was domineering and sinister. But the poison within Lin Chen was the origin poison born from his bloodline, fused with the Shadow Prison Poison Core!
Zzzzz—!
The poison fogs collided, emitting a sharp corrosive sound. Before Lin Chen's poison shadow, the Ten Thousand Poison Cave's power retreated like snow under scorching sun, frantically devoured and disintegrated!
"Impossible!"
The leading poison attendant was horrified. He could clearly feel his own poison arts being devoured in reverse, his meridians burning with agony.
The other four paled, their formation instantly thrown into chaos.
This was the moment!
Murderous intent exploded in Lin Chen's eyes. His single arm swung the dagger, holding nothing back.
Shadow Steps erupted, his figure turning into a black ray, charging straight for the formation's eye!
Pfft!
The Shadow Dagger pierced the heart of the poison attendant at the formation's eye without resistance. Poison surged along the blade. The man convulsed violently, his skin blackening and rotting instantly, collapsing without even a scream.
The formation broke!
The remaining four were shocked and enraged, throwing themselves into a frenzied attack.
Lin Chen fought a bloody battle, dagger shadows flashing like lightning. Every strike carried bone‑eating poison.
Though his severed arm throbbed, it only made him crueler; though toxin wracked his body, it only made him calmer.
Crack!
An elbow shattered bone; poison claws tore through a throat.
Pfft!
The blade pierced a chest, poison instantly devouring life.
The battle raged on. Blood mist filled the guest room, the stench of poison sharp.
Wounds covered Lin Chen's body, blue‑black and crimson intertwined. His breath rose and fell unsteadily, yet he fought more fiercely, his gaze cold as an Asura.
Fear seized the last two poison attendants. They turned to flee.
"You think you can escape?"
Lin Chen snorted coldly. Poison condensed at his fingertips; he pointed through the air.
Two poison rays sliced through the air, precisely piercing the backs of their skulls.
Their bodies collapsed, silent forever.
All fell still.
The guest room was in ruins. Five poison attendants' corpses lay sprawled, their flesh rotting, exuding a sickening stench.
Lin Chen leaned on the Shadow Dagger, his single arm trembling slightly. His wounds burned fiercely, toxin still raging within.
Yet his control over poison had grown far more skilled, more condensed.
Though he had not broken through to a new realm, his combat strength had risen to another level.
In the top‑floor private chamber, the black‑robed figure stood silently by the window, his gaze falling on the guest room below, a faint glint in his eyes—no one knew his thoughts.
In a distant street corner, a dark shadow quietly retreated, his gaze complex and unreadable.
The night remained deep.
Yet Lin Chen's path had only just been stained with deeper blood.