Alert! The Dragon Lord has emerged from seclusion!

Several pale purple flowers bloomed simultaneously beside her, releasing a pungent, acrid purple smoke.

Climbing vines grew wildly on the ground, forming a vine network in an attempt to block the centipede.

However, the corrosive and malevolent energy in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage is too strong!

The purple smoke was swallowed whole by the centipede, and the vines that touched the centipede's body quickly turned black and died.

The centipede was unstoppable and was less than three zhang away from Shen Qingqiu!

"Watch out!" Lin Chen tried to help, but was desperately entangled by the ghost hand.

"Your opponent is me!" Ghost Hand, acting like a madman, completely abandoned his defense and lunged forward, trading injury for injury.

He knew that as long as he could hold off Lin Chen for even a moment, Shen Qingqiu would surely die!

At the critical moment, a resolute look flashed in Shen Qingqiu's eyes.

She bit her tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the jade pendant she wore on her chest—the very token of her engagement to Lin Chen!

The jade pendant absorbed the essence and blood, and suddenly burst forth with a warm white light.

A faint Tai Chi Yin-Yang pattern appeared in the white light, resonating with the Ice Heart Pendant in Lin Chen's arms!

hum-

Lin Chen felt the Ice Heart Pendant in his arms vibrate violently, and a cool aura surged out uncontrollably, merging with the white light of Shen Qingqiu's jade pendant.

Yin and Yang merged, transforming into a barrier that was half gold and half white, blocking Shen Qingqiu's way!

boom!

The pitch-black centipede slammed into the barrier, splattering venom everywhere, but it failed to break through!

"What?!" Master Kumu's pupils constricted sharply. "The Yin-Yang Twin Pendants? You...!"

He suddenly looked at Lin Chen, then at the jade pendant on Shen Qingqiu's chest, and exclaimed in shock, "You two are engaged?! You are one of the Nine Yin Physique chosen by the Free and Unfettered Valley for the Nine Yang Burning Heaven Physique!"

"No wonder...no wonder the Medicine Spirit Body appeared in the Shen family! This was all part of the Free and Unfettered Valley's plan!"

Taking advantage of the moment when Ghost Hand was distracted, Lin Chen unleashed his Nine Yang True Qi to its fullest extent and punched Ghost Hand in the chest!

"Pfft!" The ghost hand spat out blood, its sternum caved in, and it flew backward like a broken sack, crashing into the stone wall and sliding down, its fate unknown.

Without pausing, Lin Chen flashed in front of Shen Qingqiu, confronting the withered wood immortal.

"Now, it's one-on-one," he said slowly, his Nine Yang True Qi surging like magma within him.

Although the battle with the Ghost Hand had taken a toll, the cool aura from the resonance between the Ice Heart Pendant and Shen Qingqiu's jade pendant temporarily suppressed the backlash from the Burning Heaven Body.

Master Kumu's expression shifted, finally settling into a sinister grin: "Good, very good! Capturing both of you, one with the Nine Yang Burning Heaven Body and the other with the Medicine Spirit Body, the Sect Master will surely reward you handsomely!"

With a wave of his withered hand, the pitch-black centipede coiled back and wrapped around his body.

At the same time, he took out a palm-sized black gourd from his bosom and removed the stopper.

A thick, inky black smoke billowed from the gourd's mouth, within which countless contorted, pained faces could be vaguely seen, emitting silent wails.

"The Ten Thousand Souls Poisonous Mist!" the withered wood immortal roared. "This miasma is made from the vengeful spirits of three hundred and sixty people who died from poisoning, mixed with seventy-seven kinds of deadly poisons. Boy, no matter how powerful your Nine Yang True Qi is, it cannot withstand the pain of ten thousand souls devouring your heart!"

The black smoke spread rapidly, corroding even the rocks in its path.

The herbs inside the cave withered in large numbers, with only the Qingxin Liuli grass barely managing to stay alive thanks to Shen Qingqiu's all-out efforts.

Lin Chen's expression turned serious.

He could sense that this Soul Poisonous Mist was not only a physical poison, but also contained mental attacks.

The wails of those vengeful spirits directly assaulted the divine sense, causing dizziness and disorientation.

"Hold your breath and seal your pores!" Shen Qingqiu said urgently. "I can prepare the antidote, but it will take time!"

She quickly took out several herbs from her medicine pouch and processed them with her hands like a butterfly flitting among flowers—crushing them or squeezing out their juices, her movements so fast that they left afterimages.

The Medicine Spirit Body displayed astonishing talent at this moment.

She doesn't need to weigh anything; she can grasp the optimal ratio simply through intuition. She doesn't need any instruments; she can complete the extraction and mixing with just her hands.

In the blink of an eye, a vial of pale green liquid was prepared!

"Open your mouth!" Shen Qingqiu poured the medicine into Lin Chen's mouth.

The medicine felt cool upon entering the mouth and slid down the throat, greatly reducing the burning sensation wherever it went.

Even more miraculously, the medicinal power merged with the Nine Yang True Qi, forming a light green film on the body surface, which temporarily blocked the invasion of the poisonous miasma!

"This is... 'Lapis Lazuli Cleansing Elixir,' made primarily with the dew of the Pure Heart Lapis Lazuli Grass, combined with seven kinds of detoxifying herbs?" Master Kumu exclaimed in astonishment. "You actually managed to complete it in such a short time!"

Shen Qingqiu did not answer, but quickly prepared a second vial of medicine and drank it himself, and his pale face regained some color.

Lin Chen sensed the changes within his body, and a look of admiration flashed in his eyes: "Truly worthy of the Medicine Spirit Body."

He looked at the withered wood immortal, slowly raised his hands, and the Nine Yang True Qi condensed in his palms. However, it was no longer the previous golden-red color, but had a faint green luster—that was the blessing of the Glazed Cleansing Medicine.

"Now, it's my turn to fight back."

Lin Chen suddenly launched an attack.

This time, he was nearly 30% faster than before!

The Glazed Cleansing Barrier not only isolates poisonous miasma, but also creates a wonderful reaction with the Nine Yang True Qi, making the flow of True Qi smoother and its explosive power stronger.

The true energy, a blend of pale green and golden red, surged through the meridians like a river bursting its banks.

The withered wood immortal's pupils contracted, and with a series of waving of his withered hand, the myriad soul poison miasma condensed into three black arrows, which shot towards Lin Chen in a triangular formation.

At the same time, the black centipede opened its ferocious mouth and sprayed out a foul-smelling dark green venom!

Lin Chen neither dodged nor evaded, but instead formed hand seals as he charged forward, chanting softly:

"The Mysterious Origin of Heaven and Earth, the Root of All Qi—Golden Light Mantra, Blessed by Glazed Glass!"

hum!

A more solidified golden light burst forth from his body.

But unlike the pure gold of the past, this time the gold light is surrounded by a light green halo, like a glass coating.

The poisonous arrows struck the golden light, producing a piercing corrosive sound, but they could not penetrate the layer of glassy light.

The dark green venom splashed on it was quickly purified and evaporated by the pale green halo.

"What?!" Master Kumu exclaimed in horror, "The fusion of medicinal spirit power and Nine Yang True Qi? This is impossible! How can two extreme attributes be combined..."

Before he finished speaking, Lin Chen had already broken through the poisonous miasma and stood a foot away from the withered wood immortal!

"Nothing is impossible." Lin Chen's eyes shone with golden light as he threw out his right fist, the tip of his fist intertwined with gold, red and pale green, like a small sun smashing towards the face of the withered wood immortal.

"Hundred-legged Protection!" Master Kumu retreated hastily, simultaneously manipulating the jet-black centipede to coil into a shield in front of him.

boom--!

Fist and shield collided, unleashing a deafening roar.

The pitch-black centipede let out a mournful hiss, its body cracking inch by inch, and finally exploded into a cloud of black smoke with a "bang".

As if struck by a heavy blow, the withered and emaciated body flew backward, crashing into a stalagmite and spitting out black blood mixed with fragments of internal organs.

But he was in the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, and his vitality was strong.

The moment he landed, he slapped the ground with his withered hand, using the force to spring up and retreat rapidly into the depths of the cave.

"Trying to leave?" Lin Chen was about to give chase when his expression suddenly changed.