Devouring Soul Emperor

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

Xia He stood proudly before the Wind Feather Crane illusion, his presence overwhelming.

’Submit?’

’He’d grant them to me?’

Chu Qingyun grinned, laughing silently.

’So what if it’s a Tier Four Martial Soul?’

’So what about the oppressive aura?’

Thinking he could make him submit with just this was absurd. There was only one word for it.

’Impossible!’

Under the oppressive pressure of the High-Tier Martial Soul, Chu Qingyun slowly straightened his back and raised his head, his resolute face filled with unyielding spirit!

’Hm? He can still stand straight. Truly worthy of the one I’ve set my sights on.’

Seeing this, Xia He grew even more pleased. For Chu Qingyun to stand his ground despite being suppressed in both Realm and Martial Soul was proof of his tenacious will.

’A person like that is bound to achieve great things, no matter what they do!’

The more Xia He thought about it, the stronger his desire to subjugate Chu Qingyun became. He deliberately intensified his power, and an even greater pressure bore down on Chu Qingyun.

In his Qi Sea, the Ten-star Vine Martial Soul, Shadow Martial Soul, Thousand-faced Martial Soul, Swallowing Mud Worm Soul, and Black Arrow Martial Soul all trembled unceasingly, as if they had met their natural enemy.

The only one that didn’t stir was the Devouring Martial Soul in the very center of his Qi Sea, which remained a chaotic mass.

However, past experience told him that when the pressure became too great, his Devouring Martial Soul would spring into action to alleviate it.

So, Chu Qingyun gritted his teeth and forcefully circulated his Primordial Power to resist the feeling of oppression.

Cold sweat trickled down his cheeks, drop by drop.

Just as Chu Qingyun felt his Primordial Power was about to stagnate, the Devouring Martial Soul finally stirred. Waves of Devouring Power quietly radiated out, and in the blink of an eye, forced all the pressure out of his body.

As for his other Martial Souls, they stopped trembling the instant the Devouring Martial Soul made its move.

It felt like a bunch of lackeys who were being bullied suddenly seeing their boss show up...

Once the Devouring Martial Soul acted and the pressure rapidly faded, an indescribable sense of relief washed over Chu Qingyun. Even his breathing felt lighter.

His gaze, fixed on the Martial Soul Illusion behind Xia He, was stern and focused.

He had seen, possessed, and even personally used Tier One, Tier Two, and Tier Three Martial Souls.

When using those three tiers of Martial Souls, only a small shadow of the soul would flash before him. If its color wasn’t distinct, it would be difficult to even see.

But when Xia He unleashed his Tier Four Martial Soul, its form and presence far surpassed those of Tier One, Two, and Three Martial Souls!

The might of the Martial Soul had also taken a quantum leap. Just a single tier higher was enough to completely suppress Chu Qingyun’s Tier Three Martial Souls!

’It seems the jump from Tier Three to Tier Four is more than just a simple increase in rank...’ Chu Qingyun thought to himself.

"Chu Qingyun, have you made your decision? Will you submit to me?" Xia He asked after a moment’s pause.

"Submit? Hmph, impossible! But I am curious to see just how powerful a Tier Four Martial Soul really is!"

"Ten-Star Vine!"

"Thunder Sword Momentum!"

Chu Qingyun snorted coldly.

Ten vines from his Ten-star Vine Martial Soul snaked toward Xia He from every direction, erratic and unpredictable. At the same time, Chu Qingyun himself charged forward, sword in hand, and slashed down at his opponent.

All of Xia He’s escape routes were cut off by the vines. He wouldn’t be fast enough to dodge with a Body Technique; the sword strike would surely hit him.

So Xia He was left with only one option: a direct confrontation.

Chu Qingyun knew he couldn’t match Xia He’s Body Technique for evasion, but he was highly confident in a direct clash of power, even without a proper Attack-type Martial Soul.

"How is that possible!?" Xia He couldn’t help but exclaim, a horrified look on his face.

At this very moment, Chu Qingyun seemed completely normal. There wasn’t the slightest sign that he was being suppressed by the aura of a High-Tier Martial Soul!

However, Xia He was no weakling. He quickly snapped out of it. This was no time to be in a daze.

The Wind Feather Crane Soul behind him gave a slight shudder, and Xia He was instantly enveloped in a layer of cyan airflow. Empowered by this force, his body became both nimble and powerful.

"Wind-Splitting Finger!"

Xia He thrust a finger forward. An invisible vortex seemed to form at its tip, constantly drawing in his Primordial Power and the cyan Martial Soul Power around him.

"This Wind-Splitting Finger was originally a Spirit-Level Finger Technique. I improved it by infusing it with the power of my Tier Four Martial Soul. Its might is now on the cusp of the King Level!"

"Chu Qingyun, you’ve already lost!"

"But I won’t kill you. I will make you submit to me willingly!"

The moment Xia He finished speaking, a spinning vortex of light-cyan power formed at his fingertip. Carrying a terrifying aura that threatened to tear everything asunder, it shot out to meet Chu Qingyun’s ferocious Thunder Sword Momentum!

The cyan glow illuminated Xia He’s triumphant face. However, the instant his light-cyan power touched the surging thunder, his expression once again filled with shock.

Before the explosive force of the Thunder Sword Momentum, his Wind-Splitting Finger was shattered on contact, like an egg smashing against a stone!

"Impossible!" Xia He shrieked again, his eyes looking like they would pop out of his head.

His prized Finger Technique had been utterly powerless before Chu Qingyun’s sword strike!

’Even a strike that could instantly kill a ninth-level Martial Artist shouldn’t be this powerful!’

’To be this strong, it must be... a King-Level Sword Technique!’

’And a particularly powerful move from a King-Level Sword Technique!’

Xia He didn’t dare to even consider anything higher. In the entire Great Xia empire, Secret Manuals above the King Level were so rare you could count them on one hand.

Even a mere rumor of such a Secret Manual would be enough to shake the entire Great Xia to its core.

’Damn it, the kid is actually practicing a King-Level Sword Technique. What a freak!’

The Thunder Sword Momentum was already upon him. With a glint in his eye, Xia He gritted his teeth and brushed a finger across a ring on his left hand. A shield instantly appeared in his grasp.

The shield was shaped like an inverted trapezoid, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom. It was pitch-black, with sharp cones protruding from its four corners. The face of the shield was engraved with the head of a green-faced, fanged Exotic Beast. Its eyes, which seemed to be inlaid with some sort of gemstone, flashed faintly.

Xia He crouched down, tucking his body behind the shield.

Reacting to the fierce aura of the Thunder Sword Momentum, the Exotic Beast’s eyes on the shield began to emit an eerie black glow. The entire shield was enveloped in a layer of black light.

When the Thunder Power slammed into the shield, its ferocious energy was instantly unleashed upon the black radiance.

The two forces—one offensive, one defensive—clashed, frantically annihilating one another and emitting a series of scalp-tingling screeches.