Devouring Soul Emperor

Wen Yanlie’s pause allowed the Great Xia Dragon Guards pursuing him to catch up.

The three Great Xia Dragon Guards had gazes as sharp as lightning and astonishing auras. One of them was even carrying an Examiner, a Seventh-level Martial Artist.

But from the Examiner’s expression, it was clear he had given up all resistance, letting them do as they pleased.

One Ninth-level Martial Artist and two Eighth-level Martial Artists. The three Great Xia Dragon Guards formed a triangular encirclement, trapping Chu Qingyun and Wen Yanlie in the center.

"Captain, that’s Chu Qingyun! He’s ranked fourth on the Military Merits leaderboard and has 660 points!" one of the Eighth-level Martial Artists said, pleasantly surprised upon recognizing him.

"Oh? An unexpected bonus. You’re Chu Qingyun, right? Hand over six hundred Military Merits, and we’ll let you go. The remaining sixty points are more than enough for you to pass the assessment. When you join the Great Xia Dragon Guards later, you can mention my name—Li Tianyou. I’ll have your back," the Ninth-level Martial Artist captain said with a grin.

Chu Qingyun couldn’t help but scoff at the offer.

’An empty promise in exchange for six hundred Military Merits? How ridiculous!’

’Besides, Li Tianyou is just a Ninth-level Martial Artist. I’ve already mortally offended his own superior, Liu Canghai. What use do I have for his protection?’

Still, he had one question. He leaned over and whispered to Wen Yanlie, "Wen, can Examiners’ Tokens be traded with those of the Great Xia Dragon Guards?"

Wen Yanlie didn’t say a word, just motioned with his chin toward the Examiner in Li Tianyou’s grasp. Chu Qingyun instantly understood.

That Examiner must have struck some kind of deal with Li Tianyou’s squad. They would transfer their plundered Military Merits to the Examiner for now. Once he passed the assessment and became an official Great Xia Dragon Guard, he would trade the merits back to them.

It was a clear loophole in the rules.

"I appreciate the kind offer, Captain Li, but I’ll have to pass on giving up my Military Merits," Chu Qingyun said dismissively, offering a cupped-fist salute.

He had known this battle was inevitable from the moment he agreed to help Wen Yanlie.

And deep down, he was eager to see for himself just how powerful these famous Great Xia Dragon Guards truly were.

"Good. Very good. Since when did a mere Fifth-level Martial Artist get to be so arrogant? Pei Liangcai, now!" Li Tianyou’s face twisted into a vicious sneer as he yelled.

The instant he spoke, one of the Eighth-level Great Xia Dragon Guards sprang into action. A yellow, insect-like Martial Soul flashed before him as he immediately unleashed a Soul Technique.

"Chu, get back!"

Wen Yanlie roared upon seeing this, leaping away to dodge.

Chu Qingyun was half a beat behind but still managed to dodge just in time.

In the instant he leaped away, Chu Qingyun saw the patch of hard mountain ground where he and Wen Yanlie had just been standing transform into a dark, churning mire.

If he had been even a fraction of a second slower, he would have been caught in it.

However, Li Tianyou’s trio was clearly well-coordinated.

The moment Wen Yanlie dodged, Li Tianyou drew the long saber at his waist and slashed toward him.

"Sky-Splitting Saber Technique—Sky-Cleaving Moon Slash!"

Li Tianyou unleashed the Spirit Level Saber Technique. A wave of saber light, as large as a door panel, emanated from his blade. It radiated a sharp, menacing aura as it sliced down through the air, threatening to cut Wen Yanlie in two.

Meanwhile, the other Eighth-level Martial Artist attacked Chu Qingyun.

The man directly used his Tier Two Soul Technique, summoning a massive fireball the size of a water cistern that plummeted from the sky toward Chu Qingyun.

The core of the fireball glowed with a faint purple hue, and its scorching heat could be felt from more than ten meters away.

"Chu, don’t hesitate! We have to break out of here!"

"Iron Wall!"

Wen Yanlie roared, slamming his hands together as he unleashed his Martial Soul Power.

Instantly, a black iron wall, over ten square meters in size, materialized just in front of and above both him and Chu Qingyun.

The steel wall, nearly twenty centimeters thick, glinted under the sun with a cold, metallic luster. Its very appearance gave off an impression of being indestructible.

A flash of jealousy and resentment crossed Li Tianyou’s eyes as he saw this Martial Soul.

He had always wanted to recruit Wen Yanlie. It wasn’t just because of that still-unknown secret, but more importantly, he coveted this Tier Three Defense-type Martial Soul.

Unfortunately for him, Wen Yanlie had no interest in joining them.

Their squad’s strength was mediocre, putting them in an awkward position. Their combination of Martial Souls wasn’t particularly impressive either; the only notable one was the Tier One Control-type Martial Soul used at the start.

Chu Qingyun had been about to draw his sword and charge, but since Wen Yanlie had made a move, it saved him the trouble. He simply focused on breaking through.

The Iron Wall in front of him moved at the same speed, maintaining a constant distance.

THWACK!

BOOM!

The saber light and the fireball struck the Iron Wall almost simultaneously. The sharp wave of light carved a gash more than ten centimeters deep, while the exploding fireball sent a violent tremor through the entire wall.

Wen Yanlie’s face paled. His forward momentum faltered, and his charge slowed considerably.

Clearly, even with the Iron Wall to buffer the blows, taking two attacks at once had taken a heavy toll on him.

Their charge was thwarted. As Chu Qingyun and Wen Yanlie slowed and landed back on the ground, their expressions turned grim. Both of their feet had sunk into the mire.

At first, the mire only covered the spot where they had been standing. But as Pei Liangcai continuously channeled his Martial Soul Power, its radius expanded.

Under the combined, full-force obstruction from Li Tianyou and the other attacker, Chu Qingyun and Wen Yanlie were unable to escape and landed in the mire.

But while they were all standing in the mire, a faint black light glowed beneath the feet of Li Tianyou and his other subordinate. Under its effect, they could move as if on solid ground, completely unaffected.

This was clearly also Pei Liangcai’s work.

"Now we’re in trouble," Wen Yanlie said, retreating to Chu Qingyun’s side with a deep frown. "Chu, we should try to break out separately and find a way to regroup later."

The mud was already up to their ankles, and a strong suction pulled at their feet, severely hampering their movement.

In a duel between experts, victory and defeat are often decided in a single moment. To fight a Captain Level expert from the Great Xia Dragon Guards under these conditions was a massive disadvantage.

Chu Qingyun, however, just smiled. "Don’t worry, Wen. They may have a Control Type Martial Soul, but don’t forget, we have one too."

"Wen Yanlie, I’ll ask you one last time. Are you joining us or not? If you don’t, you die here today!"

Li Tianyou wore a cold sneer, as if he already had the situation completely under control.

As for Chu Qingyun, a mere Fifth-level Martial Artist? Even though he had caused a bit of a stir during the first two stages of the assessment, as a captain of the Great Xia Dragon Guards, Li Tianyou paid him no mind.