Devouring Soul Emperor

"Ten thousand?! Are you insane? Where would I get ten thousand Top-Grade Primordial Stones!"

Cao Meng couldn’t help but shriek. Ten thousand Top-Grade Primordial Stones was the equivalent of one million Upper-Grade Primordial Stones. Forget a dandy young master like him—even for the entire Cao Family, producing that many Primordial Stones would be a devastating blow.

"One thousand! The most I can give you is one thousand Top-Grade Primordial Stones! I don’t have any more than that!"

"One thousand? One thousand might be enough to buy one of your arms. Eight thousand."

Chu Qingyun also knew that a price of ten thousand Top-Grade Primordial Stones was a bit ridiculous.

’However, this is how negotiation works,’ he thought. ’You start with an outrageous price, and they bargain you down. If I’d started too low, the final price wouldn’t have been high.’

"Two thousand!"

"Seven thousand!"

"Three thousand!"

"Six thousand!"

"Four thousand!"

"Five thousand!"

"Forty-five hundred!"

SHING! Chu Qingyun drew his Treasure Sword. "Eldest Young Master Cao, which part of your body do you think is worth five hundred Top-Grade Primordial Stones? I’ll just slice it off for you, and we can settle at forty-five hundred. How about... here?"

As he spoke, Chu Qingyun aimed the tip of his sword toward Cao Meng’s groin and wiggled it.

Cao Meng’s face instantly went pale. ’If that thing was gone, life wouldn’t be worth living. Forget five hundred—I’d have to pay even if it were a thousand!’

"Alright, five thousand it is! But... I only have a few hundred Upper-Grade Primordial Stones on me," Cao Meng said, his eyes shifting evasively.

"Write an IOU, then."

Chu Qingyun nicked Cao Meng’s finger and tossed him a piece of white cloth, telling him to write the IOU.

The IOU was written and marked with a Hand Seal. Chu Qingyun examined it carefully, and seeing no issues, put it away.

"Ahem, with this IOU, you can come to my Cao Family to collect the debt anytime. However, my father and the others aren’t home these days. For such a large sum, you’ll have to wait for them to return before any decision can be made."

As Cao Meng spoke, a sinister smile spread across his face.

’Heh heh, you little punk. I’ll let you be smug for a while. If you really dare to show up and collect, I’ll have you killed!’

Of course, Chu Qingyun could guess what little scheme Cao Meng was hatching.

But he was also sneering inwardly.

’Hmph, you think I’m as stupid as you? That I’d rashly go to your territory to collect a debt? Just wait until I’m strong enough to crush your entire Cao Family. Then we’ll see who ends up dead!’

Sheathing his Longsword, Chu Qingyun turned to leave.

He hadn’t gone far when two people approached them from the left.

"Little Meng, is that really you!? What are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be staying put in the city?"

One of the men, a bald, middle-aged man, shouted upon getting a clear look at Cao Meng.

"Second Uncle? Second Uncle, hurry, grab that punk! He was trying to kill me and even forced me to write an IOU!"

Seeing the two men, Cao Meng’s face lit up with wild joy as he pointed at Chu Qingyun and yelled.

The two men paused for a split second, then a powerful Qi erupted from their bodies as they lunged fiercely at Chu Qingyun.

’Damn it, Level Six Martial Artists!’

Chu Qingyun cursed inwardly, spun around, and ran to the right, plunging into the Mist Forest.

The path ahead, back to Flame City, was flat and open. At his Level Three Martial Artist speed, he was no match for a Level Six Martial Artist; he would definitely be caught.

It was too late to turn back and grab Cao Meng as a hostage. His only choice was to dive into the forest. He figured he could use the mist in the Mist Forest to shake off his two pursuers.

Once inside the forest, Chu Qingyun immediately activated his Hidden Qi Technique and the Soul Skill: Stealth.

The Martial Master Level Hidden Qi Technique was incredibly effective. His entire aura was instantly suppressed to the absolute limit, making it impossible for the two men behind him to sense even a trace of his presence.

Moreover, even though it was daytime, the fog in the Mist Forest was perennial. Combined with the fact that his Stealth Soul Technique had already reached Tier Three, this meant that even from just a few dozen meters away, Cao Jingbin, with his vision as a Level Six Martial Artist, could only make out a blurry figure fleeing ahead.

After making several sharp turns, Chu Qingyun vanished deep into the Mist Forest, completely shaking off his two pursuers.

’So unlucky. To think I’d run into that guy’s elders. Good thing I’m a fast runner, or that would’ve been another nasty fight. I might have even had to use the Puppet.’

「At the edge of the forest.」

Having lost Chu Qingyun, Cao Jingbin and his companion returned to the forest’s edge to find Cao Meng.

"Second Uncle, did you not catch him, or did you kill him?" Cao Meng asked, seeing that only the two of them had returned.

Cao Jingbin looked a bit embarrassed. A dignified Level Six Martial Artist failing to catch a mere Level Three Martial Artist was indeed shameful. "Ahem, the terrain in the forest is too complex, and the mist is too thick. The punk got away. By the way, Little Meng, what’s the history between you two?"

"Er, that punk was bullying me in the city, relying on his Treasure Sword that cuts through iron like mud..."

Cao Meng fabricated a story, twisting black and white, painting himself as the victim and Chu Qingyun as a villainous bully who robbed him and forced him to write an IOU.

Cao Jingbin didn’t believe a word of it. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

’How could I not know my own nephew’s character? He must have coveted the other guy’s Treasure Sword, failed to steal it, and ended up getting himself into trouble instead.’

But that wasn’t the main point. The point was, a member of their family had been bullied by a mere Level Three Martial Artist who also happened to possess a Treasure Sword that could cut through iron like mud.

As a martial practitioner, who wouldn’t desire a Divine Weapon?

Looking at the incredibly smooth break on the severed saber, Cao Jingbin’s heart burned with desire.

"That sword... is it really as incredible as you say?"

Cao Meng knew his second uncle’s character like the back of his hand. He chuckled slyly and said, "Of course! Second Uncle, you have no idea. He didn’t even use Primordial Power when he cut this saber. And when he lopped off Cao Jin’s arm with one strike, the arm had already hit the ground before Cao Jin even realized it. Just imagine how sharp it must be!"

"Second Uncle, in my opinion, how could a punk like that be worthy of such a Treasure Sword? I think a sword like that should belong to you."

After he finished speaking, the uncle and nephew exchanged a look and burst out laughing together.

’You little punk,’ Cao Meng thought, ’I’ve got a Level Six Martial Artist eyeing your sword now. Let’s see you survive this!’

"Oh right, Second Uncle, didn’t you go out with my father? What are you doing here?"

Cao Jingbin clapped Cao Meng on the shoulder, put an arm around him, and started walking into the forest. As they walked, he said, "Originally, I wasn’t going to tell you about this, but since you’ve stumbled into it, I might as well."

"Our Cao Family discovered a heavily injured Tier Three Demon Beast—a Thundercloud Lion—in the Mist Forest. For the past few days, all of our clan’s elites have been mobilized to hunt down that big fella in this very forest."

"A Tier Three Demon Beast! A Thundercloud Lion!"

Cao Meng was utterly stunned. That was a Demon Beast with power comparable to the Martial Spirit Level!

There were probably only a handful of Martial Spirit Level experts in all of Flame City; they were the absolute top-tier powerhouses. And yet, his Cao Family was actually trying to take down a Demon Beast of that caliber!

"Second Uncle, a Tier Three Demon Beast... can our family really handle it on our own?"

Cao Meng couldn’t help but worry; the power of a Martial Spirit Level expert was a deeply ingrained fear.