Chapter 952: Chapter 952

The six of them continued forward, passing through the jungle and arriving at the edge of a cliff.

Lan Xingyue glanced at the map, paused, and said, "Why is there a skull symbol near this cliff?"

"A skull?" Lin Chen took the map and examined it.

The skull probably signifies danger. Look at the spot we just passed with the venomous snakes—there it was marked with a red exclamation point. This skull suggests that this location is even more dangerous.

To cross the cliff, we have to descend using ropes. Could there be any danger during the descent?

"Forget it. We only know if we try. I'll go down first," Lin Chen said in a low voice.

The pursuing enemies were already drawing close behind them, so they had no time to waste.

"Lin Chen, let me go instead," Zhao Xiaohua said worriedly.

Lin Chen chuckled, "I'm the only man here. If I don't go, who will?"

With that, Lin Chen anchored the rope to a large tree and began preparing to descend the cliff.

"I'll go with you to watch your back," Zhao Xiaohua said as she secured her own rope and clipped the harness to the cord.

Lin Chen shook his head helplessly but ultimately agreed.

In terms of strength, Zhao Xiaohua was the strongest among them—stronger even than Lin Chen—so having her along was indeed the safer choice.

Stepping forward, Lin Chen gazed into the bottomless abyss below, took a deep breath, and leaped down.

Zhao Xiaohua followed closely behind, rappelling down the rope toward the base of the cliff.

The two descended line by line, and up until this point, they hadn't encountered any danger.

But suddenly, Zhao Xiaohua felt something lunging toward her.

Zhao Xiaohua's face paled, her grip loosened, and she plummeted downward.

Lin Chen quickly stretched out his arm and caught the falling Zhao Xiaohua in his embrace.

"Snap out of it! The python is coming!"

As Lin Chen got lost for a moment in the warmth of Zhao Xiaohua in his arms, her shy voice reminded him urgently.

Lin Chen snapped back to his senses, but at this moment, the python was already lunging at him with its bloody maw wide open.

A cold wind whistled past his ears. Lin Chen held Zhao Xiaohua tightly with one arm and gripped the sliding rope firmly with the other.

The python missed its target and grew visibly enraged, its triangular eyes flashing with a murderous glint as it lunged at them again.

As the python opened its jaws to strike, Lin Chen pushed off with his foot, swinging out of its path, causing it to miss once more.

Lin Chen and Zhao Xiaohua swung back again, but the python was waiting for them, mouth agape, ready to swallow them whole.

Before the python could act, Zhao Xiaohua suddenly moved. With a powerful kick off Lin Chen's torso, she propelled herself toward the python. Before the creature could react, her fist struck its head with a heavy thud.

The python clearly didn't anticipate such force and was momentarily stunned. It couldn't fathom how a mere human could possess such power.

Realizing these two were not easy prey, the python seemed to decide to retreat.

With other team members still above, Lin Chen couldn't allow it to escape.

Suspended midair, Lin Chen waved his hand, releasing streams of icy energy toward the cliff wall ahead of the python.

Instantly, a layer of ice formed across the surface of the cliff.

The python, about to crawl away, found the icy cliff impossibly slippery, unable to gain any hold.

In that moment, the unfortunate python slid off the cliff and plunged into the abyss below.

Given the depth of the chasm, no matter how tough the python's scales were, it would likely be smashed to bits.

Lin Chen and Zhao Xiaohua encountered no further obstacles and soon reached the bottom of the cliff.

At the base, they saw the python's mangled corpse, along with numerous white skeletons—evidence of its previous victims.

Fortunately, Lin Chen and Zhao Xiaohua had taken the lead. Anyone else might very well have ended up as the python's meal.

Lin Chen tugged the rope three times to signal that the area was safe, prompting the rest of the team to descend the cliff.

Looking at the python's remains on the ground, the group couldn't help but shudder inwardly. No wonder the map had the skull symbol—clearly, the mapmaker's companions had perished here.

Continuing through the valley, the group suddenly came upon a vast field of flowers stretching endlessly before them.

"It's so beautiful!" The five girls squealed in excitement and dashed toward the flower field.

"Hold on!" Lin Chen suddenly called out to them.

"Doesn't it strike you as odd how quiet it is around this flower field?" Lin Chen said seriously.

The girls froze, realizing he was right. The area surrounding the field was eerily silent.

No birds chirped, and there were no butterflies or bees.

"Master, the scent of these flowers contains something that causes 'that kind of feeling,'" Xiaoshuai said.

"'That kind of feeling?' What kind of feeling is that?" Lin Chen paused in confusion.

Xiaoshuai's expression turned strange as he said, "Look at them, and you'll understand."

"What the...!" Lin Chen exclaimed seeing the girls' alluring appearances, momentarily stunned.

At this moment, the five girls looked utterly captivating, and Lin Chen felt his hormones ignite instantaneously.

"Master, you must steady your mind. If you're further tempted by the Illusion Lust Flowers, the consequences could be disastrous."

"What are the consequences?" Lin Chen asked, struggling to suppress his rising desires.

"You'd feel incredible!" Xiaoshuai replied.

"Damn it! I already know it'd feel incredible. Get to the point—doing that with five beauties wouldn't feel bad at all!" Lin Chen snapped.

"And then all of you would die of overindulgence," Xiaoshuai said with an oddly amused expression.

"Damn it, that's brutal! So this is what they mean by 'dying in ecstasy,' huh?" Lin Chen grumbled.

Though Lin Chen used True Qi to suppress the toxins invading his body, he still felt feverish.

The intoxicating scent of the lust-inducing flowers combined with the alluring sight of the five girls made maintaining alertness incredibly tough.

Clenching his teeth, Lin Chen took out a silver needle and stabbed it into his Baihui acupuncture point.

Instantly, his mind cleared. He gritted his teeth and asked Xiaoshuai, "What do I do next?"

"First, put gas masks on them, then find a way to lead them to the riverbank," Xiaoshuai responded.

Following Xiaoshuai's instructions, Lin Chen hurriedly donned a gas mask himself, then outfitted the others with masks and dragged them to a nearby river.

"Xiaoshuai, there really isn't another solution?" Lin Chen said awkwardly, looking at the unconscious girls.

"Nope! This is the only way," Xiaoshuai said, his tone tinged with mockery.

"Alright, let's hope they don't kill me when they wake up," Lin Chen muttered, uneasy as he glanced at the girls.

Clenching his teeth, Lin Chen suppressed his discomfort and quickly pressed several acupuncture points on each of them.

Soon, black liquid began seeping out from the girls' pores.

Lin Chen flipped his wrist, conjuring five globes of water to encase each girl individually.

The water spheres burst, revealing five stunningly perfect and alluring figures before Lin Chen's eyes.