Devouring Soul Emperor

After chasing for a while longer in the same direction, Chu Qingyun came to a stop.

’If I keep chasing like this, I’ll never catch him, not even in a year,’ he thought. ’I need to find another way if I want to snatch those Military Merits. Besides, with nearly every Level Eight and Level Nine Martial Artist in the valley gathered here, snatching Xia He’s Token would be no simple task, even if I did manage to catch up. It would be a mad scramble.’

However, just as Chu Qingyun stopped, he saw someone cautiously approaching, glancing around nervously.

A smile touched Chu Qingyun’s lips when he saw who it was.

It was none other than Xia He—the very person who should have been far ahead of everyone else!

The moment he saw him, Chu Qingyun understood. ’The guy must have used some trick to shake his pursuers. Then he chose the path those Level Eight and Nine Martial Artists would least expect. He’s doubling back! There’s practically no one behind him. Even if there were, they’d just be some weaker Level Six or Seven Martial Artists. With Xia He’s power, he could dispatch them with a wave of his hand.’

What he never expected, however, was to run into Chu Qingyun here.

Furthermore, Chu Qingyun had made it a habit to use the Hidden Qi Technique in this valley. He had activated it the moment he started pursuing Xia He, but with everyone’s attention focused on their quarry, no one had noticed.

Upon seeing Xia He, Chu Qingyun sidestepped behind a tree, concealing himself.

"Hmph, a bunch of idiots trying to catch me. How ridiculous. First place is mine, no matter what!" Xia He muttered smugly, walking past the tree where Chu Qingyun was hidden.

WHOOSH!

A piercing sound suddenly split the air.

A dark green vine shot through the thick fog like a sharp arrow, aimed straight for Xia He.

Xia He’s expression changed. He sidestepped in an instant, dodging the vine. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

But before he could regain his footing...

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH...

Several more vines shot out, stabbing and coiling from all directions, closing in on Xia He like an inescapable net.

’It’s him!’

Xia He’s face instantly turned grim. Who else but Chu Qingyun could control a ten-vine Vine Martial Soul so perfectly?!

Frankly, Xia He looked down on every Martial Artist in the valley, whether they were Great Xia Dragon Guards or the other candidates.

The sole exception was Chu Qingyun. Having just witnessed his true strength, Xia He knew Chu Qingyun was the one opponent he wanted to avoid most.

And yet, here he was.

But with Xia He’s flamboyant and arrogant nature, he would never admit defeat so easily.

The pale cyan airflow once again appeared around his body.

Enveloped by the pale cyan airflow, Xia He’s body became instantly more agile. Weaving left and right and slipping through the smallest gaps, he somehow managed to evade every single attacking vine.

Chu Qingyun even saw him hang in the air for a moment. It only lasted for two or three breaths, but he was undeniably hovering in mid-air!

’This guy... His evasion and movement techniques alone make him one of the best among Level Nine Martial Artists. No wonder he’s so arrogant.’

Standing more than ten meters away, Chu Qingyun’s expression grew serious.

"Chu Qingyun, you really are something else. I fooled all those Level Eight and Nine idiots, but you saw right through my plan! You even got ahead of me without me sensing a single trace of your Qi!"

Xia He shouted to Chu Qingyun after dodging all the vines, his words carrying a surprising hint of... admiration.

Chu Qingyun paused, stunned for a moment, before he understood.

’He’s misunderstood. He must think I was originally with the other Level Eight and Nine Martial Artists and only broke away after seeing through his ruse, secretly following him back and circling around to get ahead.’

Chu Qingyun rubbed his nose. ’If I told him I only ended up here because I couldn’t keep up with the chase,’ he thought, ’he’d probably cough up blood from rage.’

"Xia He, hand over the Assessment Token. You can’t escape," Chu Qingyun said, taking a few steps closer, wary that Xia He might try to flee.

"Run? HAHA! Chu Qingyun, you’re getting ahead of yourself. What makes you think you’re qualified to make me run? Hmph, in all of Lianshan County City, there isn’t a single person qualified to make me run!"

Xia He laughed, his words dripping with a deep-seated, wild arrogance.

’No one in all of Lianshan County City is qualified?’

Chu Qingyun couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. ’That’s some baseless boasting.’

But then he grinned and said, "Then I suppose the person I just saw running for his life wasn’t you, but your long-lost cousin?"

"Er, that..." Xia He was at a loss for words, his face flushing with embarrassment. "That was an... unforeseen circumstance. A strategic retreat! You can’t call it running away!"

Chu Qingyun shook his head, speechless. The guy was shameless.

The banter over, the teasing smile vanished from Chu Qingyun’s face.

He drew his Thundercloud Sword and advanced slowly on Xia He. With each step, his aura grew sharper, more imposing.

Staring at the Treasure Sword wreathed in lightning, Xia He’s eyes filled with deep apprehension.

A Spirit Level Divine Weapon posed an immense threat to any Martial Master Level expert. And to make matters worse, Chu Qingyun had also cultivated a powerful Sword Technique!

"Chu Qingyun, let me tell you something," Xia He said softly, his eyes narrowing. "The truth is, I don’t give a damn about any of the candidates here, including the Great Xia Dragon Guards. Do you know why?"

"Why?"

Chu Qingyun asked with a faint smile, completely unaffected as he continued his slow, deliberate advance on Xia He.

This unhurried pace, combined with the Ten-Star Vines poised to strike at any moment, was enough to exert immense psychological pressure on an opponent and force an opening.

But Xia He seemed completely unaffected. Instead, a smile spread across his face. "Because I have a Tier Four Martial Soul!"

"The Wind Feather Crane!"

With a sharp cry from Xia He, a massive crane’s shadow materialized behind him!

It was the phantom of an Immortal Crane, wings spread and neck arched in a silent cry. It stood a full two meters tall, its body covered in pale cyan feathers that trembled constantly, as if stirred by an unseen breeze.

The moment the Tier Four Martial Soul appeared, a terrifyingly powerful aura surged forth like a tidal wave.

The momentum Chu Qingyun had built was instantly shattered. The pressure of the descending aura felt immense, as if a great weight had been placed upon him.

This pressure was even more unbearable than the Realm suppression he had felt when facing Jintai and Sun Daxiong!

Chu Qingyun could clearly feel it—not only was the flow of his Primordial Power suppressed, but even the Martial Souls within his Qi Sea were trembling faintly!

This had never happened before!

Not even when he had faced a Tier Three Martial Soul with his own Tier Two Martial Soul!

"Chu Qingyun, submit to me! I can grant you Military Merits!"