Devouring Soul Emperor

You Yun had been continuously using the Martial Spirit Chapter of the Hidden Qi Technique, and her strength was also far greater than Liu Canghai’s.

Therefore, despite being only a hundred meters away, Liu Canghai had never noticed her at all.

After heavily injuring Liu Canghai with a single palm strike, You Yun said nothing more. She gave Chu Qingyun a look, then departed.

Chu Qingyun knew. ’She doesn’t want to interact with anyone else.’

With the two Martial Spirit Level experts gone, the atmosphere instantly became much more relaxed.

"Chu, you really hide your strength! To think you have a Martial Spirit Level expert protecting you from the sidelines. No wonder you dared to offend Liu Hujun. My respects, my respects," Sun Daxiong said with a laugh, feeling somewhat relieved.

’Thankfully, I’ve never offended Chu Qingyun.’

’A mere Martial Artist with a Martial Spirit Level expert as a secret bodyguard... He must have an incredible background!’

’And now that I think about it, everyone who has ever crossed Chu Qingyun—like Liu Lang, Zhao’s Three Heroes, Zhang Yunqiu, and Wen Yanlie... They all have one thing in common. They’re all dead...’

The thought was terrifying. In that instant, Sun Daxiong found Chu Qingyun even more mysterious.

Xia He also watched Chu Qingyun with a puzzled expression. He was sure he’d never seen Chu Qingyun in the Imperial City. ’And I don’t recall any particularly powerful Chu Family, either.’

’And protection from a Martial Spirit Level expert? Not even the young masters of the Four Great Clans of Lianshan County receive that kind of treatment.’

’Could he be from a sect...? No, that’s not right. Why would a sect disciple come to a small place like this?’

Xia He was completely stumped.

Chu Qingyun merely smiled at their speculation, offering no explanation.

As Chu Qingyun’s group headed back to the city, the Zhao Family Ancestor and the three men gathered once more in an extremely deep and well-hidden secret chamber beneath the Zhao Family’s estate.

The Zhao Family Ancestor’s face was wretched, looking as disgusted as if he had just eaten rat droppings.

The other three, however, were absolutely beaming, grinning from ear to ear. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Just moments before, they had received a report from their subordinates.

Aside from two captains, all of Liu Canghai’s Great Xia Dragon Guards had been wiped out. Of the more than three hundred candidates, only two had survived.

But that wasn’t what pleased them most.

The most exciting part was that they had detected the aura of the Vermilion Bird on one of the candidates!

Furthermore, based on their subordinates’ descriptions, they had confirmed that the candidate with the Vermilion Bird’s aura was none other than Chu Qingyun!

The very same person who had ruined the Zhao Family Ancestor’s plan!

The Zhao Family Ancestor had inquired about this person, and when he learned that Chu Qingyun had arrived in Flame City over a month ago and even clashed with Zhao’s Three Heroes, he was practically green with regret.

His mission had been merely to lie low in Flame City and build his power in secret, so he hadn’t informed his subordinates about the hunt for the Vermilion Bird.

’If I had known, I definitely would have told my subordinates about the Vermilion Bird’s aura.’

’That way, not only could I have dealt with Chu Qingyun earlier and executed my plan perfectly, but I would have also obtained a lead on the Vermilion Bird. It would have been a monumental achievement!’

’Unfortunately, there’s no cure for regret...’

"Gentlemen, that Chu Qingyun is heading to Flame City as we speak. Shouldn’t we go capture him now?"

One of the men was eager, wishing he could rush out, capture Chu Qingyun, and beat the Vermilion Bird’s location out of him.

Another man shook his head. "No. Don’t forget Liu Canghai is still in Flame City. If we cause a commotion, there’s no way we can hide it from him. It would be a disaster if we clashed with him."

"What’s there to fear? Are the four of us afraid of one man? If he dares to interfere, we’ll just kill him along with the boy!"

"Idiot! Did you forget the order from our superiors!? Did you forget what happened more than forty years ago!?"

At these words, all four men fell silent.

Forty-two years ago, right here in Lianshan County City, two Small Spirit Realm experts from the Martial Soul Hall publicly assassinated a Guard General of the Great Xia Dragon Guards in front of a large crowd.

In response, the Great Xia Dragon Guards launched a frenzied retaliation. The entire County City was scoured for members of the Martial Soul Hall. It was said that the Imperial City even dispatched reinforcements, and that Martial King Level experts made a move on several occasions.

The manhunt and suppression lasted for months, causing the Martial Soul Hall to suffer immense losses.

To provoke the Great Xia Dragon Guards is to provoke the Great Xia empire!

Since then, the higher-ups in the Martial Soul Hall issued a strict ban: it was forbidden to make a move against any of the Great Xia Dragon Guards’ Martial Spirit Level experts! They even ordered their own Martial Spirits to avoid any contact with the Great Xia Dragon Guards whenever possible.

"So... what do we do?"

"We’ll just keep an eye on him for now. It’s not like he can escape. He can’t follow Liu Canghai forever. We can make our move on the road to Lianshan County City, or even inside the city itself. As long as we don’t run into a Martial Spirit, capturing a mere Martial Artist will be child’s play."

"Alright, let’s do that. We’ll watch him. We absolutely can’t let him slip away."

The Zhao Family Ancestor’s expression was glum.

’Right now, I wish these three annoying bastards would just get lost and leave this monumental opportunity—my chance to make a comeback—all to me.’

’But I know that’s impossible.’

’Their mission is to hunt the Vermilion Bird. Now that they have a lead, they’ll swarm it like flies to a corpse and never let go.’

Upon returning to Flame City, the four of them were overcome with emotion.

When they had set out, they were full of vigor—a grand procession of several hundred people leaving the city.

But upon their return, only the four of them remained. The candidates who had slept on the ground in the courtyard with them just a few days ago, the Great Xia Dragon Guards who had stayed in the City Lord’s Mansion—all of them now lay dead in the Mist Forest.

"’This is the world of a Martial Artist... walking the line between life and death.’"

"’On the path of the Martial Dao, there is no retreat. To not advance is to die!’"

The experience had given all four of them a new level of understanding.

For the two younger members, Chu Qingyun and Xia He, it was a particularly tempering experience. It forced them to recognize the cruelty of the world and the path they had to walk. Only then could they clarify their hearts and minds, and forge ahead without hesitation.

"Gentlemen," Sun Daxiong said, looking at Chu Qingyun and Xia He, "it seems we won’t be leaving Flame City until this business is concluded. Where do you plan to stay?"

"I’ll stay at the City Lord’s Mansion. I can’t be bothered to find another place," Xia He replied casually. He had little interest in Flame City.

Chu Qingyun thought for a moment. "I think I’ll head back to the Golden Lion Martial Arts Hall. I’ve grown used to staying there."

"Alright, let’s part ways for now, then. We’ll head to Lianshan County City together once this is all settled. Ugh, I still have to arrange for people to handle the bodies in the valley. Such a hassle," Sun Daxiong grumbled. "Do you two have anything else to do? If not, you could come and help."

Speaking of which, Chu Qingyun couldn’t help but break into a grin. "Heh, actually, I do have something. I still have a few debts to collect."