Devouring Soul Emperor

If he transferred the Military Merits, his name would shoot to the top of the rankings, making him a prime target for everyone to hunt down.

As for Xia He, he could have chosen not to transfer the Military Merits. He could have just held onto the Assessment Tokens from the three Zhao Family members and waited until the third stage was almost over—or even until he was about to leave the valley—before making the transfer.

That way, while he couldn’t be one hundred percent certain he’d avoid being hunted, his situation would be dozens of times better than if he’d transferred the merits immediately.

Hearing this question, Xia He snorted. "Why wouldn’t I? Do I really need to resort to schemes to deal with these Examiners and low-level Great Xia Dragon Guards?"

At this point, Xia He’s eyes darted around as he said, "Chu Qingyun, do you dare to transfer my Military Merits right now?"

Chu Qingyun glanced at him. "I’m not as flashy as you. If I just carry your Token and make the transfer at the end, the Military Merits will be mine, and you’ll be the one taking the heat."

’The Military Merits would be his, and I’d take the heat...’

The corner of Xia He’s mouth twitched. ’Damn it, that would be a total loss.’

"Chu Qingyun, care to make a bet?" Xia He said. "If you transfer the Military Merits right now and still manage to get out of here safely with those ten thousand-plus merits, I’ll give you that Spirit Level shield from before. If you fail, you lose your Spirit Level Treasure Sword to me. What do you say?"

In his mind, even if Chu Qingyun was stronger than him, there was no way he could fight off several hundred people. They could wear him down and kill him through sheer attrition!

His own confidence stemmed from his Tier Four Flying Soul Technique. If he hadn’t been worried about exposing his identity—fearing some of the Great Xia Dragon Guards might recognize him—he would have simply flown away long ago.

"A shield... I’m not that interested," Chu Qingyun said, rubbing his chin with a smile. "However, you previously said you wanted me to submit to you. How about this instead? If you lose, you become my underling. If I lose, I’ll do the same. How’s that?"

’Become his underling!’

Xia He immediately shook his head. It was a joke! He was a magnificent Prince; how could he possibly become someone’s underling?

"Fine, forget it then. To be honest, Xia He, I guarantee that even the next time we meet, you still won’t be able to beat me. You’ll never win against me in this lifetime. You’re just fated to lose to me forever."

With that, Chu Qingyun turned as if to leave.

Xia He grew anxious. He was already extremely competitive and had just suffered a major defeat. Now, after being goaded by Chu Qingyun, he couldn’t hold back. "Fine! I’ll take that bet! Whoever loses becomes the other’s underling!"

"Alright! A gentleman’s word!"

"Is swift as a whip!"

The two slapped hands together, sealing their bet with an oath.

Once the deal was struck, Chu Qingyun transferred the Military Merits right in front of Xia He. Of course, to ensure Xia He could still rank in the top fifty, Chu Qingyun left him with 50 Military Merits.

Once the transfer was complete, Chu Qingyun’s Military Merits instantly skyrocketed to 12,830, pushing him up one more place to become number one.

Xia He, on the other hand, was left with only 50 Military Merits, dropping him into the thirties in the rankings.

However, since most of the people from the Martial Soul Hall were now dead, this amount was still enough to keep him in the top 50.

After tossing the Assessment Token back to Xia He, Chu Qingyun quickly departed, vanishing into the thick fog in the blink of an eye.

He hadn’t gotten far before he heard Xia He shouting at the top of his lungs, "Chu Qingyun is over here! Quick, after him!"

Anyone could guess what was happening now. Everyone in the valley was surely turning the place upside down looking for him.

Chu Qingyun, however, wasn’t the least bit worried.

He found a relatively hidden spot and carefully scanned his surroundings. After confirming no one was nearby, he immediately activated a Soul Technique from his Thousand-faced Martial Soul, the Thousand-Faced Illusion Body, and transformed into an Examiner he had seen earlier who was now dead.

He always chose to transform into an Examiner because most of them didn’t know each other. Disguising himself as a Great Xia Dragon Guard would be far more troublesome.

With his build, appearance, clothes, and even his aura completely transformed, Chu Qingyun smiled and casually strolled out from his hiding place.

Xia He had thought himself clever for proposing that bet. He probably would never guess, not even if he wracked his brain, that Chu Qingyun possessed such a miraculous Martial Soul.

Now, even if he stood right in front of Xia He, Xia He wouldn’t be able to recognize him!

Xia He’s shouts quickly gathered a group of people, who then chased in Chu Qingyun’s direction.

"Hey, you seen Chu Qingyun?" a Level Eight Martial Artist of the Great Xia Dragon Guards asked, looking at Chu Qingyun.

Feigning fear, Chu Qingyun flinched and pointed ahead. "He went that way! I didn’t dare try and stop him."

"After him!"

"Hurry, chase him!"

Without another word, the group gave chase. Xia He, who was among them, failed to notice anything amiss with Chu Qingyun’s disguise.

Watching the group whistle past, Chu Qingyun rubbed his nose and smiled. ’Go on, chase all you want. You could chase for a year and you’d never find Chu Qingyun...’

「Outside」

The repeated transfers of large amounts of Military Merits had captured everyone’s attention.

When Xia He’s Military Merits had jumped to over ten thousand, it instantly caused a series of gasps. Everyone was asking around, discussing where this incredible dark horse had come from.

Liu Canghai’s eyes were also glued to the Assessment Token in his hand.

However, before the excitement had died down, the light screen changed again. First place now belonged to Chu Qingyun, and his Military Merits were even higher than before, reaching a frightening 12,830!

Almost all the Military Merits were now concentrated in the hands of a single person!

The crowd erupted into an uproar once again.

The Zhao Family Ancestor’s eyes and ears naturally relayed this information to him swiftly.

Hearing that the struggle for Military Merits had begun, the Zhao Family Ancestor couldn’t help but roar with laughter. "Good, very good! It seems a chaotic battle has broken out inside. Just you wait. What comes next is sure to be a bloodbath, with the merits constantly changing hands!"

Seeing how happy he was, the other three men could only shake their heads in resignation.

The three of them had led a large contingent of the Martial Soul Hall’s elites to hunt for the Vermilion Bird, only to come up empty-handed. Not only did they have zero accomplishments to show for it, but they were also under immense pressure from their superiors, getting mercilessly chewed out at the slightest provocation.

And now, such a huge prize was right before their eyes, yet all they could do was watch helplessly...

However, five minutes passed with no report.

Ten minutes passed, and still, there was no report.

Half an hour... an hour... three hours.

After three hours, the Zhao Family Ancestor finally lost his patience and sent someone to investigate.

When he heard that Chu Qingyun was still number one, his expression finally changed. "How can this be? Surely that guy couldn’t have killed all the Great Xia Dragon Guards and Examiners inside!?"

Seeing that the Zhao Family Ancestor’s plan had gone awry, the three men at his side couldn’t help but gloat internally.

"It’s impossible for one person to kill that many people. I see two possibilities. First, he has an extremely powerful escape or hiding ability, making him impossible to catch. Second, his strength is so immense that he can suppress everyone!"

"The second scenario is impossible. Not even a Half-Step Martial Spirit could pull that off, unless he were a true Martial Spirit. It must be the first one."

"Heh heh, looks like someone’s plan is about to fail. He’s lost his men and gained nothing—a classic double loss. All his underlings dead, and no credit to show for it..."

Listening to the three of them, the Zhao Family Ancestor’s face grew grim. He let out a muffled grunt, unable to retort.

He had made an enormous wager this time. If he lost, the consequences would be... unimaginable!

"Zhao," one of them began, "there is actually another way. As long as we help you..."