Chapter 976: Chapter 976

Lin Chen looked up and saw that the walls around him were crawling with creatures resembling lizards. Their bodies were blood-red, and their appearance was incredibly grotesque.

Jin Si had already lost all of his earlier composure and turned around to flee.

"Master, run quickly! These things are not something you can provoke," Xiao Shuai urgently warned.

"Xiao Shuai, have you found the poem we're looking for?" Lin Chen asked anxiously.

"Master, according to my scan, there's a secret chamber next door. The box should be inside," Xiao Shuai replied.

At that moment, the lizards were already beginning to stir. Lin Chen said to the others, "Now I'll count to three. Everyone, run together immediately. Remember, do not look back, just keep running forward."

"One, two, three—run!"

As Lin Chen charged toward the exit, the others bolted toward the temple's outer doors. However, Lin Chen, squinting slightly, observed the horde of lizards rushing toward him.

"Xiao Shuai, can your energy shield last five seconds for me?" Lin Chen asked in a deep voice.

"Master, the saliva of these things contains a corrosive liquid capable of dissolving anything. Five seconds is the absolute limit," Xiao Shuai responded seriously.

"Alright!" Instead of running outside, Lin Chen suddenly turned and charged straight toward the lizards.

The moment Lin Chen advanced, the horde of lizards lunged at the energy shield.

The entire energy shield emitted a harsh, grating sound.

Finally, under the relentless gnawing of the blood lizards, the energy shield shattered. The lizards, hissing and flicking their tongues, pounced toward Lin Chen.

Yet in the next instant, Lin Chen had disappeared from within the energy shield.

With a muffled thud, Lin Chen had darted through the stone door.

The stone door slammed shut, and Lin Chen leaned against it, exhaling deeply.

If Lin Chen had been just 0.01 seconds later, his body would have been corroded by those creatures.

As Lin Chen uttered the phrase, the lights in the secret chamber flickered on.

The empty room contained nothing but a single painting hanging on the wall.

The scene depicted the fierce battle between Chi You and the Yellow Emperor. In one corner of the painting was a line of small text: "This is a path paved with thorns. Bloodshed and slaughter will stain this land red, but light will one day illuminate the sky of an unknown tomorrow!"

It turned out that this was one of the four lines of the ancient poem they were searching for. Lin Chen reached out and took the painting down, hanging it in the room.

As Lin Chen removed the painting, the entire chamber began to shake violently.

Almost simultaneously, Lin Chen felt the ground beneath his feet give way and slid downward from where he was standing.

Lin Chen felt as if he was falling into chaos itself.

When he opened his eyes, he surprisingly found himself faced with a pearl emanating a strong Earth Spiritual Energy aura.

It turned out the coffin they had seen earlier was a fake. The real treasure was hidden within this secret chamber.

However, considering the blood lizards known as the Soul-Devouring Demons, who would dare take the risk to enter the chamber?

It could be said that Lin Chen had scored a major windfall this time.

Lin Chen extended his hand, allowing the Earth Energy Pearl to be absorbed into his palm.

At that moment, a surge of Earth Element power flowed into the Five Element Disc.

The Five Element Disc began rotating rapidly as streams of Spiritual Energy were drawn into it.

On the surface, everyone stared dumbfoundedly at the collapsing starfield beneath them.

Wang Zixuan, Ai Xiaoying, and Lan Xingling couldn't hold back their tears.

After they had escaped the temple, they realized that Lin Chen had not followed them out.

But with the entire starfield in ruins, it clearly indicated that Lin Chen must've perished.

"That bastard! What was he even doing?" Wang Zixuan yelled furiously.

Zhao Xiaohua looked at the crumbling starfield, her expression unreadable.

She appeared to be mulling something over, lost in thought.

Jin Si snorted coldly. "So he was just a nobody. I can't believe I considered working further with him. Dying just like that—how weak!"

At that moment, a massive vortex suddenly appeared in the distant desert.

"What's that!" Everyone was stunned by the sight of the swirling vortex.

The vortex resembled an infinite black hole, swallowing all the surrounding Spiritual Energy.

As she observed the energy vortex, a small smile appeared on Zhao Xiaohua's lips.

About half an hour later, as the energy storm subsided, a figure slowly emerged from the vortex.

"It's Lin Chen!" Wang Zixuan exclaimed in excitement, running toward him.

She threw her arms around Lin Chen's neck, pounding his chest with her fists.

"You scoundrel! You scared me to death; I thought you were dead!"

Jin Si's face darkened as he watched. He couldn't shake the feeling that the aura emanating from Lin Chen was much stronger than it had been earlier.

"What did this guy obtain back there?" Jin Si's expression grew icy as he walked over. "What exactly did you get in there?"

Lin Chen gave a faint smile. "Do I need to report to you about what I've obtained?"

"You're courting death!" Jin Si's face twisted as he swung his fist toward Lin Chen.

But before he could get close, he felt a hand clamp around his throat and lift him off the ground.

"I'm in a good mood right now, so I don't want to kill anyone. Get lost!" Lin Chen said, tossing Jin Si aside with a flick of his wrist.

"You've advanced to the Void God Realm!?" Jin Si's face went pale.

Lin Chen's gaze turned frigid. "I just told you to leave. Don't make me reconsider."

An immense aura of pressure surged forth, causing Jin Si's expression to change as he scrambled to his feet.

"You just wait!" Jin Si let out a cold snort before turning to leave.

Several kilometers away on a sand dune, Ashi held a multicolored, radiant crystal in her hand.

Looking at the imposing energy, a wry smile appeared on Ashi's lips. "It seems Lin Chen gained quite a haul, huh!"

"But unfortunately, this is just one of the Sky-Reaching Five Spirit Crystals. I guess I'll have to find a way to locate the others."

At this moment, it was as if Lin Chen could sense something. He raised his head and looked toward where Ashi stood.

"Ashi, I really have to thank you this time," Lin Chen murmured with a sigh.

It turned out that just as Lin Chen was preparing to escape, he noticed a mark left by Ashi on the wall. That's how he instructed Xiao Shuai to sense the presence of the secret chamber in the temple. Taking a huge risk, Lin Chen charged into the chamber to obtain the poem and the Earth Energy Pearl.

Ashi could have taken everything for herself but chose to leave it for Lin Chen instead.

After leaving the secret realm, Lin Chen discovered nearly a month had passed since they entered, and the martial arts tournament had already started the previous day.

Lin Chen left the secret realm, flew straight to the Pacific Martial Arts Tournament venue, and boarded a ship to the island.

As soon as he set foot on the shore, he saw Mu Yun and Long Yin approaching to greet him.

"Senior Mu Yun, Senior Long, why have you both come personally? Did something go wrong with the matches on the first day?" Lin Chen asked respectfully.

Upon hearing Lin Chen's words, the two seniors' faces stiffened, and they sighed heavily.

"Lin Chen, everything depends on you this time. If not, the pride of Chinese martial arts will truly fall," Long Yin said with a deep sigh.