Devouring Soul Emperor

Li hesitated for a moment before getting up and following him out.

"Heh heh, Li. Looks like Cyan Leopard has finally come to his senses. You’d better seize this opportunity."

"Li, for an ugly, dark, and fat woman like you, you should be thanking your lucky stars just to get married off. Remember to be a bit more forward, you hear?"

The remaining two men were still in the mood to tease Li.

"Shut up! With your ugly mugs, you dare make fun of me? Why don’t you go take a piss and look at your own sorry selves! Say one more word of nonsense, and see if I don’t climb into your beds tonight!"

Li was quite fierce herself. With one hand on her hip, she pointed at the two men and let loose a torrent of curses.

The two were instantly defeated and obediently shut their mouths. Though they weren’t much to look at themselves, their taste in women was still normal—at least, they weren’t like Cyan Leopard, who was actually interested in someone like Li.

When Li reached the cave entrance, she saw "Black Teeth" leaning against the wall, but there was no sign of Cyan Leopard.

"Black Teeth, where’s Cyan Leopard?" Li asked, looking at Chu Qingyun.

"Over there." Chu Qingyun pointed in a random direction.

The moment Li turned her back, Chu Qingyun launched a sudden attack. Using the same method he’d used to eliminate Black Teeth, he silently disposed of her.

After devouring Li’s Martial Soul Power, a smile touched Chu Qingyun’s lips. ’Three left...’

If he had charged straight in to fight all four of them, even with a surprise attack, Chu Qingyun would have had a difficult time. He might even have sustained serious injuries before managing to kill Iron Arrow and his men.

Although their skills weren’t exceptional, they were still ninth-level Martial Artists, and the power that came with that Realm was undeniable.

But by using the power of his Thousand-faced Martial Soul to lure them out one by one for a stealthy kill, the process was both safe and efficient. A few simple words were all it took to avoid a major battle. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

After waiting for another minute, Chu Qingyun assumed Li’s appearance and entered the cave.

"Old Liang, you’re in for it now. Black Teeth is looking for you," Chu Qingyun said to a tall, thin man, perfectly mimicking Li’s voice.

Without another word of explanation, Chu Qingyun turned and walked out.

’Black Teeth is looking for me?’ Old Liang wondered for a moment. ’Is it about that incident again? Damn it, that fat pig Black Teeth! I already compensated him, but he’s still looking for trouble. This time, I swear I’ll teach him a lesson!’

Apparently recalling the incident, Old Liang stood up in a huff and stalked outside.

Inside the cave, the black-robed, middle-aged man named Iron Arrow frowned and said to the last man remaining, "Niu Zhuang, I feel like something’s off. What do you think?"

The man, Niu Zhuang, scratched his head. "I don’t feel anything. Old Liang made off with a huge batch of Black Teeth’s Primordial Stones a few months back. They’ve had a grudge ever since."

Iron Arrow shook his head, his expression grim. "No, something is definitely wrong. Niu Zhuang, if someone comes for you later, don’t say a word. Just do as I say."

Niu Zhuang was confused, unsure of what Iron Arrow was planning, but he nodded anyway. "You’re the boss. I’ll do what you say."

About two minutes later, Chu Qingyun entered again, this time disguised as Old Liang.

"Niu Zhuang, did you bully Li? Cyan Leopard is outside, furious and looking for you," Chu Qingyun said to Niu Zhuang, a cold smile on his face.

Niu Zhuang shot to his feet. "Bullshit! Does he think everyone has the same depraved taste as him, lusting after a woman like Li? I’m going out there right now to set them straight!"

"Niu Zhuang, wait!"

Just as Niu Zhuang was about to storm out, Iron Arrow stood up and raised a hand to stop him. He then turned to scrutinize Chu Qingyun, looking him up and down meticulously.

He stared for a good half-minute, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper. No matter how he looked, he couldn’t find a single flaw. The man’s Qi was a bit weaker, but it was unmistakably Old Liang’s Qi.

"What is it, Boss Iron Arrow?"

Seeing that Iron Arrow hadn’t found anything amiss, Chu Qingyun felt greatly relieved and asked with a light chuckle.

"N-nothing."

Iron Arrow shook his head, thinking, ’Is there really nothing wrong? Am I just being paranoid?’

Iron Arrow lowered his hand, and Niu Zhuang once again started to head outside.

But before he could take more than a couple of steps, Iron Arrow stopped him again. "Wait. Old Liang, let me ask you something. What exactly is the grudge between you and Black Teeth?"

Chu Qingyun’s eyebrow twitched. ’As expected. So many people leaving, and only one person returning each time... It finally made Iron Arrow suspicious.’

Of course, Chu Qingyun had no idea what the grudge between Old Liang and Black Teeth was. But with only these two left, they posed little threat. He smiled and replied casually, "I’ve forgotten. It all happened a long time ago."

"Forgotten?" Iron Arrow sneered. "Then let me ask you another question. Besides the six of us, what are the names of Lord Zhao’s other four ninth-level Martial Artists?"

"What’s the meaning of this, Boss Iron Arrow? Are you actually suggesting you suspect me?" Chu Qingyun feigned anger, taking two subtle steps deeper into the cave, closing the distance to Niu Zhuang.

Niu Zhuang was completely baffled. He looked at his boss and said, "Boss Iron Arrow, what’s going on? That *is* Old Liang. His nose, his eyes, his eyebrows... they’re exactly the same."

"Niu Zhuang, watch out! Use your True Martial Soul!" Iron Arrow’s face suddenly contorted in alarm as he roared.

Niu Zhuang froze for a second, but trusting his boss completely, he didn’t hesitate to activate his True Martial Soul. His body swayed and twisted, rapidly transforming into a giant black bull with curved horns.

The giant black bull stood over two meters tall, its four hooves thick and powerful. Its two horns, which curved up toward the sky, gleamed with a faint black light and looked as sharp as blades.

The very instant Niu Zhuang completed his True Martial Soul transformation, a terrifying Sword Aura crackling with Thunder Power struck him.

Even with the significant power boost from his True Martial Soul, Niu Zhuang still shrieked in agony. A ghastly, bone-deep wound appeared on his flank, but instead of blood, only a black gas escaped from it.

"MOO...!"

Niu Zhuang’s fist-sized eyes instantly turned blood-red. Pawing the ground with one foreleg, he lowered his head and charged ferociously at Chu Qingyun, the black light on his horns flaring to life.

Chu Qingyun had seen this kind of technique from Qian Sanpang before, so he wasn’t particularly surprised.

It was just that the Martial Artists from the Martial Soul Hall he had killed previously had all been killed instantly, never getting the chance to use their True Martial Soul.

Seeing Niu Zhuang charge, Iron Arrow’s expression changed drastically. "Niu Zhuang, retreat!" he yelled.

However, Niu Zhuang had already gone berserk and completely ignored him. Gritting his teeth, Iron Arrow’s body contorted as he, too, activated his own True Martial Soul.

A cold smile played on Chu Qingyun’s lips as he watched the massive, menacing bull charge toward him.

’So what if it’s huge? It’s still just a Tier Two transformation. And now it’s mindless, to boot.’

"Ten-Star Vine!"

Chu Qingyun unleashed his Ten-Star Vine Martial Soul. Ten vines instantly twisted together, forming a barrier like a tripwire in front of the charging Niu Zhuang.