Devouring Soul Emperor

"Chu?"

Wen Yanlie didn’t answer right away, instead looking toward Chu Qingyun.

Chu Qingyun grinned. "Captain Li, the fight has just begun. This is no time for idle chat!"

"Ten-Star Vine!"

Chu Qingyun let out a low growl and unleashed his Martial Soul.

SWISH!

A sharp, whistling sound tore through the air.

From the vast pool of mud at everyone’s feet, ten vines, each over a hundred meters long, shot out violently. Under Chu Qingyun’s control, two of them shot toward Pei Liangcai, who was continuously channeling his Martial Soul Power.

"Captain! It’s a Tier Three Control-type Soul!"

Seeing the two vines, Pei Liangcai’s face paled, and he couldn’t help but scream in terror.

He couldn’t be interrupted while using his Soul Technique; otherwise, the mud pit he had already formed would quickly shrink and lose its controlling effect.

"Damn it! Stop him!"

Li Tianyou’s expression changed as well. He froze for a moment before reacting.

’First a Tier Three Defense-type Martial Soul, and now a Tier Three Control-type Soul. Since when were Tier Three Martial Souls so worthless? And what the hell, they’re all non-offensive types!’

Li Tianyou and the other man weren’t slow to react; they immediately tried to go and support Pei Liangcai.

Otherwise, if the mud pit Soul Technique was broken, they would lose their advantage, and Chu Qingyun and Wen Yanlie would be able to escape again.

But Chu Qingyun just sneered. ’Support him? Not a chance!’

Of the remaining eight vines, five shot toward Li Tianyou, while the other three lashed out at the eighth-level Martial Artist, forcing both of them to stop and deal with the vines in front of them.

"Damn it, Captain! This Tier Three Martial Soul is too tough! I can’t cut through it!"

"Fuck, these vines are tough!"

Both Li Tianyou and his companion were burning with anxiety. But it was a Tier Three Martial Soul, further enhanced by the Passive Soul Technique, tenacity. Even a ninth-level Martial Artist using a Spirit Level Saber Technique couldn’t sever the vines in a single strike.

And with a constant supply of Chu Qingyun’s Primordial Power, the Ten-Star Vine’s tendrils also possessed considerable Recovery Power. For a moment, they had Li Tianyou and his companion firmly entangled.

Although the Ten-star Vine Martial Soul lacked powerful active Soul Techniques, this wasn’t an issue at all under Chu Qingyun’s perfect control of his Martial Soul.

The lack of rigid Soul Techniques, on the contrary, allowed him to think outside the box and use his Martial Soul with greater flexibility.

And as his Martial Soul’s tier increased, the Passive Soul Technique "tenacity" slowly began to reveal its true power, giving the vines the ability to trap enemies far beyond his level—even several levels higher!

"Wen, get ready to make your move," 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Chu Qingyun said, as the two vines had already bound Pei Liangcai and were rapidly dragging him toward them.

With his Soul Technique interrupted, the constantly expanding and deepening mud pit immediately stopped growing and began to shrink at a visible rate.

Bound by the two vines, Pei Liangcai was dragged across the ground, his face buried in the mud pit as he hurtled toward Chu Qingyun and Wen Yanlie.

Logically speaking, even with his Soul Technique interrupted, an eighth-level Martial Artist shouldn’t have been so fragile.

However, Pei Liangcai possessed a Control-type Soul. In battle, his role had always been to use his Soul Techniques to trap enemies, leaving his own protection to his captain and the others.

Having grown accustomed to this combat style, he had no idea how to react when suddenly faced with Chu Qingyun’s attack on his own.

It had to be said, this was one of the drawbacks of fighting in a team. Over time, it could forge a formidable squad, but it couldn’t create a true expert capable of standing alone!

Chu Qingyun dragged Pei Liangcai in front of him, then activated his Profound Celestial Divine Pattern. A fiery red Divine Pattern lit up on his right arm, and dazzling Primordial Power enveloped his fist and wrist as he smashed a vicious punch toward Pei Liangcai’s head.

HISS...

BANG!

Following the ear-piercing hiss of Primordial Power cutting through the air was a dull thud of impact.

Pei Liangcai didn’t even manage to form a defense by releasing his Primordial Power, taking a punch like that from Chu Qingyun with nothing but his physical body.

Empowered by the Profound Celestial Divine Pattern and Primordial Power, the force of this punch was terrifying. Pei Liangcai was instantly beaten until blood flowed from all seven of his orifices, and his skull, unable to bear the force, cracked open.

Seeing this, the corners of the other three’s eyes couldn’t help but twitch.

They never expected that Chu Qingyun, a Fifth-level Martial Artist who had always been low-key and overlooked, could be so ferocious.

That was an official eighth-level Martial Artist of the Great Xia Dragon Guard, one with a rare Control-type Soul, yet he was killed by a single, unhesitating punch!

Of course, Chu Qingyun wouldn’t have to take responsibility for killing Pei Liangcai.

For one, Li Tianyou and his men had no solid evidence that Chu Qingyun had killed Pei Liangcai. And for another, the fact that such rules were established meant the Great Xia Dragon Guard turned a blind eye to such things.

As long as there were no mass casualties, a few deaths during a mission were perfectly normal.

The mud pit rapidly shrank and disappeared, and Chu Qingyun’s vines were also completely torn apart by Li Tianyou and his companion. However, it would only take a couple of breaths for them to grow back.

At this moment, the expressions on the faces of Li Tianyou and his companion were terrifyingly grim. The way they looked at Chu Qingyun was so vicious it was as if they wanted to eat him alive.

Everything had been under their control. By forcing Wen Yanlie to cooperate with them, they would have been able to vie for greater benefits in the valley.

Unexpectedly, Chu Qingyun had ruined everything. A Fifth-level Martial Artist whom no one had paid any mind to had completely turned the tables and even killed the crucial Control-type Soul on their team.

"The wheel of fortune turns. Chu Qingyun, I’ll remember you. Don’t let me catch you alone next time. We’re leaving!"

Li Tianyou shot Chu Qingyun a glare, spat out the threat, and unwillingly turned to disappear into the mist.

Chu Qingyun had never cared for such threats. From Qingshan City to Flame City, he’d heard so many that his ears were growing calluses, but those who threatened him usually ended up regretting it.

Only after Li Tianyou and his companion had vanished did Wen Yanlie snap back to his senses.

Now, the way he looked at Chu Qingyun had also become somewhat complicated.

Initially, back at the City Lord’s Mansion, he had suggested teaming up with Chu Qingyun if they met, simply because he thought Chu Qingyun’s performance in the second stage was impressive and that he might have a few tricks up his sleeve.

In reality, he had approached many people, not just Chu Qingyun.

Later, when he saw that Chu Qingyun could conceal his aura in front of him, he began to feel that this guy was more than he seemed.

But after this battle, he finally realized that Chu Qingyun’s strength could not be measured by his Realm alone!

’He even had a faint feeling that if they were to fight all-out, even with my own Tier Three Martial Soul and my status as a ninth-level Martial Artist, I probably wouldn’t be able to defeat Chu Qingyun!’

"Heh, so it turns out you were the one truly hiding your strength, Chu. I was just a sidekick in this battle. You single-handedly drove off Li Tianyou and his two men."