Chapter 373: Chapter 89: Dividing the Spoils, Mist Heart Palace!

Lin Chen fell silent upon hearing the words, not answering.

Elder Taoyao saw this and showed a displeased expression, but still said:

"You’re going deep into the ruins to find Dragon Spirit Grass, aren’t you?"

"You audacious... truly greedy indeed."

He thought for a moment and said:

"Half a day, you can stay in the ruins for half a day more."

"I’ll send the other cultivators away first... If you’re still not out of the ruins after half a day, consider it using a second favor."

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen pursed his lips. Elder Taoyao was indeed a cunning old demon.

However, he didn’t refuse and nodded, saying:

"Alright, Elder... please wait a moment."

With that, Lin Chen approached Li Zhenqian and Zhou Tieshan and said:

"After you both leave the ruins, quickly find a place to hide... Once I’m out with Junior Sister Jiang, I’ll contact you."

Saying this, Lin Chen took out two hundred Spiritual Peaches and handed them to the two.

"You two keep these peaches for now, don’t follow the ruins exploration further."

Zhou Tieshan obediently listened to Lin Chen.

Although Li Zhenqian felt reluctant, upon seeing the peaches, his eyes nearly turned red.

The value of these Spiritual Peaches is evident from those cultivators who have died earlier.

A single Spiritual Peach is worth at least a hundred thousand Spirit Stones or even more!

Moreover, this item is practically unobtainable in the outside world!

Splitting them in half, Li Zhenqian would easily get millions of Spirit Stones.

This is much better than exploring the ruins!

Thinking of this, Li Zhenqian accepted the peaches and said:

"Cough, cough, since that’s the case... Junior Brother Zhou and I will go out and await you."

Li Zhenqian also realized that staying longer would be a hindrance.

Lin Chen nodded slightly toward Elder Taoyao.

Elder Taoyao waved his hand, enveloping them with two gusts of wind.

Li Zhenqian and Zhou Tieshan were sent out of the ruins.

While Lin Chen and Jiang Liqian were enveloped in another breeze, in an instant, the surroundings changed.

Moments later, the two landed in an unfamiliar location.

At the same time, Lin Chen heard Elder Taoyao’s voice:

"Remember, youngster, you have only half a day."

...

Jiang Liqian carefully observed the surroundings. In front of them stood a palace, covering over a hundred zhang.

The palace exuded an ancient aura.

Jiang Liqian took out a map, and after comparing, she exclaimed happily:

"Elder Taoyao directly sent us to the entrance of the Chaotic Heart Palace!"

"This is the final barrier on the outskirts of the ruins! Pass this and we can enter the inner scope of the ruins."

Lin Chen felt a little surprised upon hearing this, murmuring: "That Elder Taoyao isn’t too bad."

He directly transported them to the entrance of the Chaotic Heart Palace, saving them several two-hour periods.

Lin Chen didn’t rush into the palace immediately but instead handed over a storage bag.

"Junior Sister Jiang, you’ve contributed greatly this time... Here’s half of the remaining four thousand Spiritual Peaches."

Jiang Liqian was initially startled, Lin Chen was unexpectedly generous.

These four thousand Spiritual Peaches, if converted to Spirit Stones, would be astronomical.

But Jiang Liqian shook her head and said:

"That’s not right, the Spiritual Peaches were exchanged for your favor, you risked your life."

"Besides, too many Spiritual Peaches are useless to me... How about this, I’ll just take three hundred, that should be enough!"

Jiang Liqian thought for a moment, took three hundred Spiritual Peaches, and returned the rest to Lin Chen.

Lin Chen didn’t linger on it, took back the peaches, and looked at the palace before them, saying:

"What’s the origin of this Mist Heart Palace?"

Jiang Liqian had gathered a lot of information, and she said:

"Mist Heart Palace is a crucial sect location of the Dragon Spirit Sect. It’s filled with Illusion Realms throughout..."

"In the past, it was used to temper the disciples’ divine sense and mentality."

"Only those with strong divine sense or outstanding mentality can pass through the palace smoothly."

After pausing, Jiang Liqian added:

"According to reports, not many cultivators have successfully reached the Mist Heart Palace."

"Few have passed through this barrier; it’s said two Nascent Soul cultivators successfully made it inside and picked several Dragon Spirit Grass."

Lin Chen nodded upon hearing, "If that’s the case, let’s go in."

With that said, Lin Chen activated Protective True Essence, and headed toward the door of the Mist Heart Palace.

Since the test is on divine sense, Lin Chen naturally wasn’t afraid.

Jiang Liqian noticed Lin Chen’s light steps, becoming more curious about his confidence.

Lin Chen reached the entrance of the Mist Heart Palace and pushed open the door.

The hall was empty, with no objects placed.

Only the walls and floors were engraved with many mysterious patterns.

They seemed like an array, yet also resembled talismans...

Lin Chen looked ahead; about a hundred feet away was the other end of the hall.

A half-concealed small door, which seemed to be the exit of the Mist Heart Palace.

"Pass through this Mist Heart Palace, and exiting from that door means passing this barrier."

Jiang Liqian came beside Lin Chen, gently reminding him.

Lin Chen didn’t rush over, instead crouching by the hall’s entrance, examining the ground’s curious characters that seemed both like arrays and talismans.

Seeing Lin Chen’s curiosity, Jiang Liqian explained:

"These are array patterns, a method used by Ancient Times’ Array Pattern Masters. Nowadays, few can master them."

"Array patterns are a combination of array and talisman characters, hiding array power within these patterns..."

Lin Chen looked at Jiang Liqian with slight surprise.

He had read many ancient texts but had never heard of these array patterns.

It seemed that Jiang Liqian’s knowledge was remarkably profound, able to recognize even such obscure ancient techniques.

Just as Lin Chen was marveling, Jiang Liqian had already taken a step forward.

Upon entering the hall, Lin Chen clearly observed Jiang Liqian’s gaze go dull for a moment.

After a brief moment, she regained her clarity and took another step forward.

Within a short span of over ten breaths, Jiang Liqian had moved forward several steps.

But Lin Chen keenly noticed that Jiang Liqian’s pace was becoming increasingly slower.

"Interesting... Does each step lead to an illusion?"

"The closer to the exit, the stronger and more confusing the illusions become... This Mist Heart Palace, indeed has some tricks."

Lin Chen carefully examined the structure of the palace.

The distance between the two doors was a hundred feet, composed of different square tiles.

Walking to the exit, the shortest route involved crossing thirty-six tiles.

If each tile had to be stepped on, at least thirty-six illusions needed to be passed through.

The challenge... was not considered easy.

"However, is it possible to cross over directly?"

Just as Lin Chen was pondering, Jiang Liqian had already traversed through seven illusions, taking seven steps.

She turned back and said, "Senior Brother Lin, don’t daze out... There’s no shortcut in this trial, all thirty-six illusions must be passed. Otherwise, the exit won’t open."

After hearing this, Lin Chen blinked a few times and without any hesitation, took his first step.

Boom!

As Lin Chen took his first step, laughter softly echoed near his ears.

Lin Chen saw several attractive women surrounding him, wildly tempting him.

"Hah, painted skeletons," Lin Chen sneered gently, easily seeing through the illusion, and took the second step.

After taking the second step, the surrounding illusion transformed once more.

The women appeared more real, wearing even less clothing...

However, with Lin Chen’s Nascent Soul level of Divine Sense, he still easily saw through them.

Soon, within ten breaths, Lin Chen took over ten steps...

In one breath, he caught up with Jiang Liqian, arriving by her side.

Jiang Liqian, seeing this, showed a look of surprise and exclaimed,

"Senior Brother Lin’s Divine Sense... It seems to be comparable to that of a Nascent Soul Cultivator, right?"

Lin Chen smiled and nodded, saying,

"I had a fortunate encounter before, obtaining a remarkable Spiritual Sense Technique..."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Liqian did not delve deeper. Cultivators have their secrets, and sometimes maintaining an appropriate distance is more important.

With a faint smile, Jiang Liqian said,

"In that case, I won’t wait for Senior Brother Lin..."

"Senior Brother Lin, let’s see who reaches the exit first, shall we?"

With that, Jiang Liqian proceeded forward, taking another five or six steps within ten breaths.

Lin Chen chuckled, holding little back, following closely behind Jiang Liqian.

This Mist Heart Palace, as arduous as climbing to heaven for a Golden Core Cultivator, seemed to pose little difficulty for the two of them.

Within just a few dozen breaths, the two had already taken thirty or so steps.

Of the thirty-six illusions, the two had broken through thirty.

Only the last six remained...

Jiang Liqiain, looking at Lin Chen beside her, had a smile at the corner of her eyes.

"Senior Brother Lin seems to find this easy! But the last six illusions... don’t appear so simple!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen slightly furrowed his brows, looking at the array patterns on the floor.

On the final six tiles, the array patterns were clearly more complicated, which corresponded to potentially more difficult illusions.

However, Lin Chen did not mind, merely smiled and said:

"If that’s the case, let me lead the way first..."

After speaking, Lin Chen took a step forward first.

Then he stood motionlessly in place.

Beside him, Jiang Liqian silently counted.

"One, two, three..."

As she counted to seven, Lin Chen opened his eyes, breaking free from the illusion successfully.

"Senior Brother took seven breaths; now it’s my turn."

With that, Jiang Liqian also took a step forward, then stood motionless in place.

Lin Chen also silently counted.

Observing Jiang Liqian, completely immobile, with her brows slightly furrowed, Lin Chen sighed lightly:

"This Mist Heart Palace isn’t just about defending against illusions..."

"If unfamiliar cultivators are challenging together, what they must watch out for is likely each other as well."

Fortunately, at this moment, only Lin Chen and Jiang Liqian were left in the Dragon Spirit Sect ruins.

With enough trust between them, there were naturally no worries in this regard.

Meanwhile, Lin Chen softly counted in his heart: "One, two..."

When Lin Chen counted to the tenth breath, Jiang Liqian opened her eyes.

Cultivators trapped in illusions are often unaware of the passage of time, so Jiang Liqian asked with a hint of doubt:

"Senior Brother Lin, how long did I take?"

Lin Chen pressed his lips together, smiling: "Five breaths, Junior Sister Jiang is indeed remarkable."

Jiang Liqian smiled sweetly in response:

"Then Senior Brother Lin must work hard!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen nodded and took another step forward.

Ten breaths, fifteen breaths, twenty breaths, thirty breaths...

The further they went, the more vivid the illusions became, and the difficulty increased.

Lin Chen lingered longer and longer, but never more than fifty breaths.

Jiang Liqian’s time was always slightly longer than Lin Chen’s, but only by about twenty percent.

This made Lin Chen even more astonished.

"Junior Sister Jiang’s Divine Sense strength... seems to have reached Nascent Soul stage?"