Devouring Soul Emperor

"W-what happened? Did you see that clearly?"

"I think I saw something like a flash of lightning, and then they separated!"

"Unbelievable, this is truly unbelievable... An eighth-level Martial Artist actually killed a Half-Step Martial Spirit!"

"This is mind-blowing! Absolutely mind-blowing!"

The crowd instantly erupted.

Before this, they all thought Chu Qingyun was sure to lose.

But now, not only had Chu Qingyun won, he had even killed Zhao Xiaolong!

An eighth-level Martial Artist killed a Half-Step Martial Spirit!

And it was a genuine, head-on kill!

Among the crowd, Grand Commander Chu Yu’s eyes were shining as he stared at Chu Qingyun.

Of everyone present, he was likely the only one who had clearly seen Chu Qingyun’s true movements.

It was simple, really. With a single thrust and retraction of his Thundercloud Sword, he had pierced through Zhao Xiaolong’s head.

However, that single thrust and retraction was so blindingly fast it was impossible to dodge! And another benefit of such speed was immense power!

At that moment, Grand Commander Chu Yu made a decision.

He would tell no one about this except for the Celestial Wind Army Master—not even the two special envoys who had come with him.

Otherwise, they would surely spare no expense to snatch this person away from the Celestial Wind Army!

However, not a single person immersed in their shock noticed that Chu Qingyun’s right arm was now trembling uncontrollably.

The Thrusting Sword Technique he had just executed was not the complete version.

By Chu Qingyun’s estimation, it had only about fifty percent of the complete Thrusting Sword Technique’s power, yet that alone was enough to kill Zhao Xiaolong in a single strike!

However, it came at a price.

Even though his right arm had been strengthened by the Second Layer of the Profound Celestial Divine Pattern, it still couldn’t withstand the impact of the Thrusting Sword Technique at fifty percent power. A piercing, needle-like pain began to spread from within.

He probably wouldn’t be able to use this arm for the next two hours.

After Zhao Xiaolong died, his Tier Three Martial Soul, the Blood Gun, appeared. Chu Qingyun naturally wouldn’t let it go to waste and immediately collected it.

"Long... He’s actually dead!"

Zhao Family Patriarch Zhao Yongzhi swallowed hard, staring in disbelief at the motionless body of Zhao Xiaolong.

He had never even imagined that Zhao Xiaolong could die!

And now, it had actually happened!

Zhao Yongzhi gave Chu Qingyun a deep look, then turned and left.

Both Chu Qingyun and Grand Commander Chu Yu, who had been watching him, revealed cold smirks.

’Their Half-Step Martial Spirit is dead. What other tricks could the Zhao Family possibly have left?’

Neither of them believed the Zhao Family could produce another Half-Step Martial Spirit besides Zhao Xiaolong.

The step from Martial Artist to Martial Spirit was an incredibly difficult one; not even one in a hundred Martial Artists could make that leap.

Zhao Yongzhi’s mind was in turmoil. He walked like a zombie to the outside of the secret chamber.

"Ancestor, Long... He..."

"Have you captured that Chu Qingyun? Bring him here." An excited and pleased voice came from within the secret chamber.

In the eyes of the four of them, no matter how strong Chu Qingyun was, he was still just a Martial Artist.

For a Half-Step Martial Spirit Strong Person to take action, capturing him should have been a certainty!

"Ancestor! Long... he’s dead!" For the first time, a trace of resentment and dissatisfaction crept into Zhao Yongzhi’s voice.

He had been against making a move on Chu Qingyun and the Great Xia Dragon Guards from the start.

And look what happened. Not only did they fail to capture him, but their Zhao Family had suffered a disastrous loss. All of their ninth-level Martial Artists were dead, and even their trump card, the Half-Step Martial Spirit, was gone.

"What? Zhao Xiaolong is dead? Do the Great Xia Dragon Guards have a Guard General in the city?" the Zhao Family Ancestor asked in alarm.

Zhao Yongzhi slowly shook his head. "Ancestor, Long... he was killed by that Chu Qingyun. A head-on kill!"

Inside the secret chamber, there was silence.

The four Martial Spirit Strong Persons all looked at each other, their eyes filled with astonishment.

’An eighth-level Martial Artist killed a Half-Step Martial Spirit? And it was a head-on kill!’

’What kind of power is that?’

’What kind of talent is that!’

’If a genius like this is allowed to mature, the consequences...’

In an instant, intense killing intent rose in the hearts of the four Martial Spirits.

The Martial Soul Hall and human Martial Artists were natural-born mortal enemies—the kind where only one side could survive.

Although the Martial Soul Hall had always hidden in the shadows, whenever they discovered a genius among the human Martial Artists, they would do everything in their power to eliminate them, nipping the talent in the bud.

This was also the reason why Qian Sanpang had plotted against them back in the Martial King’s Tomb.

CREAK...

With a grating sound that set one’s teeth on edge, the door to the secret chamber slowly opened.

Zhao Yongzhi snapped his head up, his eyes wide as he peered inside.

He had been Patriarch for over twenty years and had spoken with the Ancestor outside this secret chamber thousands of times, but he had never seen the door open, nor had he ever seen the Ancestor’s true appearance!

A man who looked to be in his twenties, but whose eyes held a world-weary look, slowly walked out.

"Yongzhi, you’ve been the Patriarch of the Zhao Family for over twenty years now, haven’t you?" the man said softly, standing before Zhao Yongzhi.

Hearing the familiar voice, an excited expression appeared on Zhao Yongzhi’s face.

It was the first time he had ever seen the Ancestor in person!

"Replying to the Ancestor, it has been twenty-two years," Zhao Yongzhi said with the utmost respect, cupping his fists and bowing.

"Time flies, doesn’t it? Twenty-two years in the blink of an eye..." the Zhao Family Ancestor sighed, his tone filled with emotion. "Yongzhi, you’ve done very well all these years. It’s time for you to get some rest."

"Ancestor, what do you mean?" Zhao Yongzhi asked, looking up in confusion.

"Rest, Yongzhi."

As the Zhao Family Ancestor spoke, he raised his hand and gently pressed his palm against Zhao Yongzhi’s chest.

A sharp pain shot through Zhao Yongzhi’s chest. His eyes flew wide in disbelief as he stared at the man he had obeyed for over twenty years.

Then, the light in his eyes quickly faded.

The Zhao Family Ancestor’s gentle palm strike had directly shattered his heart.

"Heh, you’re ruthless. Even a vicious tiger won’t eat its own cubs, yet you won’t even spare your own descendant," a mocking voice sounded from behind.

The Zhao Family Ancestor smiled. "He is a descendant of Zhao Guang. What does he have to do with me?"

"You even killed Zhao Yongzhi. Are you planning to abandon the Zhao Family you’ve painstakingly managed for decades?" The other three also walked out of the secret chamber.

"Sigh. Abandoning the Zhao Family was always part of the plan we made. We’ve already drawn the attention of the Great Xia Dragon Guards. Even if we evade them this time, we won’t escape their repeated investigations. If I can trade this Zhao Family for news of the Vermilion Bird, I’ll have come out ahead. Haha, this time, I’ll take action personally and capture that Chu Qingyun!"

The Zhao Family Ancestor let out a loud laugh and, with a WHOOSH, shot out from the secret chamber’s entrance.

The remaining three looked at each other, then smiled and shook their heads.

’Trying to hog all the credit? Not a chance!’

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH.

Accompanied by three sounds of splitting air, the trio immediately followed and rushed out after him.