177: Break through the encirclement

Shouts, the clashing of blades, and muffled groans of pain echoed incessantly.

Fresh blood splashed onto the crimson rocky ground, quickly evaporated by the high heat, leaving behind dark brown stains.

In the chaos, someone tried to seize the opportunity to rush toward the stone gate, but was intercepted by several attacks simultaneously and died a tragic death on the spot.

Just as Chen Linsheng reached the edge of the platform, three gazes full of wildness locked onto him tightly.

They were three young warriors of the Northern Desert Wolf Clan!

They had clearly noticed that Chen Linsheng was alone and that his aura was steady despite his youth, making him a potential threat. The three exchanged glances and, without hesitation, abandoned their original targets to surround Chen Linsheng in a triangular formation.

"Central Plains kid, this is no place for you!" The warrior in the center, who had an indigo wolf-head tattoo on his face, gave a sinister laugh. His scimitar carved a strange arc through the air, slicing straight for Chen Linsheng's neck. Before the blade even arrived, a foul wind smelling of blood and wolf musk rushed at his face.

The warrior on the left held a javelin; with a flick of his wrist, the short spear turned into a streak of black light, shooting rapidly toward Chen Linsheng's lower abdomen! The unarmed warrior on the right lowered his body and pounced like a leopard, his pitch-black fingernails stabbing directly at the vital points of Chen Linsheng's knees!

The combined attack of the three sealed off all of Chen Linsheng's space to dodge. It was ruthless and decisive, clearly a hunting formation honed through long cooperation.

Chen Linsheng's eyes narrowed slightly, but instead of retreating, he advanced!

Facing the scimitar slashing from the front, he raised his left palm. A faint golden luster flowed in his palm as his five fingers curled slightly, and a heavy Concept as solid as a mountain suddenly erupted—Mountain Suppressing Seal!

But this time, he did not strictly adhere to the pure suppression of the "Suppressing the Mountain" form.

In a flash of thought, the force-exertion method of the Python Dragon Strength naturally merged into his palm strike. Within that faint golden palm print, the phantom of a Flood Dragon seemed to coil and move, perfectly combining the heaviness of "Suppressing" with the piercing spiral of the "Dragon"!

Clang—!!!

Palm and blade met, producing a massive sound like a great bell!

The warrior with the wolf-head tattoo felt an indescribable, massive force transmit from the blade. That force was not a simple, fierce impact, but carried a strange spiral vibration that advanced in layers, instantly penetrating his protective Qi and blood to strike his internal organs directly!

"Pfft!" His throat felt sweet as a mouthful of blood surged up. His body staggered backward, his eyes full of horror. The refined steel scimitar in his hand was actually bent and deformed by this single palm strike, his tiger's mouth burst open and dripping with blood!

While Chen Linsheng's left palm knocked away the scimitar, his right hand had already shot out like lightning. His index and middle fingers were pressed together like a sword, precisely tapping the side of the tip of the black short spear that had shot toward his abdomen!

Ding!

With a light sound, the short spear's trajectory was slightly deflected, brushing past Chen Linsheng's waist with a whistling sound.

At the same time, he deployed the Crane Ape Illusory Wind Steps beneath his feet. His body was like a willow catkin in the wind; with a light whirl, he evaded the black fingernails the Northern Desert Wolf Clan warrior on the right had aimed at his knees. That warrior's grab missed; his old strength was spent while his new strength had yet to arise, causing his body to pause involuntarily.

That pause was the opening!

Chen Linsheng did not stop his spin, and his right leg whipped out like a steel lash! The wind from his leg whistled, with the faint sound of a python dragon's low growl—Python Dragon Strength merged into his leg technique!

Crack!

The clear sound of bone snapping!

That Wolf Clan warrior let out a miserable scream as his left shin bone was snapped cleanly. He was sent flying horizontally, slamming into the rock wall before sliding to the ground, clutching his broken leg and wailing incessantly.

In a single exchange, the three-man combined attack was broken. One person's blade was destroyed and he was injured, and another's leg bone was broken!

The remaining Wolf Clan warrior holding the scimitar turned pale and dared not step forward again. He supported his injured companion as they retreated repeatedly, his gaze toward Chen Linsheng full of fear.

Chen Linsheng withdrew his stance and stood still, his breath steady as if he had just swatted away a few flies. He was quite satisfied with his palm strike just now—by preliminarily combining the "Momentum" of the Mountain Suppressing Seal with the "Force" of the Python Dragon Strength, the power had indeed reached a higher level, and the variations were more subtle.

However, the crisis had not been resolved.

Just as he repelled the Wolf Clan warriors and his mind relaxed slightly—

From the shadows of the rock wall behind him, a gray figure almost the same color as the red rock slid out noiselessly!

It was exactly that burly man with the curled left pinky finger whom Chen Linsheng had noticed earlier, the suspected White Lotus Cult Agent! He had snuck close at some unknown time and now launched a sudden attack with incredible speed!

Even more bizarrely, he did not attack directly. Instead, his hands formed a strange hand seal as he muttered obscure incantations. His eyes suddenly turned pitch black without any whites, staring straight at the back of Chen Linsheng's heart!

"Beguile the Heart and Seize the Soul, let the Spiritual Terrace be clouded!"

An invisible and intangible, yet cold and sinister mental wave drilled toward Chen Linsheng's mind like a venomous snake!

This was the Beguiling Evil Art secretly passed down by the White Lotus Sect. It specialized in attacking the mind and was impossible to guard against. Once hit, one would at best become dazed and at the mercy of others, or at worst suffer soul damage and become an idiot.

Chen Linsheng felt a chill at the back of his head as a cold and sinister power tried to invade his Sea of Consciousness. In his ears, he seemed to hear the shrill wails and whispered temptations of countless men, women, old and young. Illusions cropped up before his eyes, and his mind wavered.

However, at the very moment this evil art was about to succeed—

Inside his five viscera, those five slowly rotating vortices suddenly accelerated!

Heart-fire blazed, incinerating falsehoods; Liver-wood burgeoned, stabilizing the soul; Spleen-earth grew heavy, suppressing evil; Lung-gold became sharp, severing filth; Kidney-water flowed long, washing away impurities.

The Five Elements rotated, and Origin Qi was generated. A vast Qi that was upright, peaceful, and harmonized as one rose from his five viscera, rushing straight to his spiritual terrace!

Five Viscera Absorbing Essence Art (Minor Achievement)—dispelling illness, strengthening the body, and protecting the mind!

Sizzle!

Like a red-hot iron falling into ice water, the cold evil power that had invaded his mind was instantly scorched and dispersed by the Five Viscera Origin Qi! The auditory hallucinations in his ears and the illusions before his eyes shattered like bubbles in the sunlight!

Chen Linsheng's eyes regained their clarity, becoming even clearer and sharper than before.

Seeing his evil art fail, the White Lotus Cult Agent's expression changed drastically. Without a second thought, he turned and fled!

"Trying to leave?"

Chen Linsheng gave a cold shout. His body caught up like a ghost, and he struck out with his right palm. The wind from his palm whistled, enveloping the other's vital points on the back of his heart.

The agent gritted his teeth and threw a handful of poisoned caltrops behind him. Simultaneously, his left pinky finger strangely flicked out an almost invisible streak of black light, shooting straight for Chen Linsheng's brow—it was the sinister finger force he had painstakingly cultivated!

Chen Linsheng neither dodged nor avoided it. A faint golden light flashed across his body—the Qi membrane of the Golden Robe Skill vibrated slightly, bouncing away all of the black finger force and the caltrops. His palm's momentum remained unchanged as it printed solidly onto the agent's back.

Bang!

The agent was hit as if by a heavy hammer. He sprayed blood, fell forward, and after a few twitches, went silent.

Chen Linsheng stepped forward and leaned down to search him. From the man's bosom, he pulled out several bottles of poison, hidden weapons, and some loose silver. Finally, in a hidden inner pocket, he found a palm-sized Red Jade Token that was warm to the touch.

On the front of the token was a bas-relief of a blooming lotus flower, but at the heart of the lotus burned a small white flame. It was lifelike, as if it could leap out of the token and burn at any moment. On the back was an ancient character for "Shadow."

"Lotus Fire Token... White Lotus Sect Shadow Guard?" Chen Linsheng's gaze grew cold as he put the token away. The White Lotus Sect's wicked heart truly hadn't died; they had even infiltrated and interfered in a Secret Realm competition like this.

By now, the chaotic battle on the platform had reached a fever pitch.