Devouring Soul Emperor

"Time to go? Where are you going?"

Chu Qingyun was stunned for a moment before he asked hurriedly.

You Yun pursed her lips and said, "I don’t know. But I’ve already been in Lianshan County for too long. I should have left ages ago. If I stay any longer, I’m afraid something bad will really happen..."

Hearing this, Chu Qingyun fell silent.

These past few days, he had truly come to understand just how determined the Martial Soul Hall was to hunt her down!

Just by carrying a trace of that so-called Vermilion Bird’s aura, he had drawn out four Small Spirit Realm experts from the Martial Soul Hall, all of them attacking him with crazed ferocity.

One could only imagine.

If You Yun stayed in one place for too long and her location was truly discovered, it wouldn’t just be Small Spirit Realm experts who would be drawn to her. Even Earth Spirit Realm and Celestial Spirit Realm powerhouses might come!

At this thought, Chu Qingyun’s heart filled with a sense of dejection. ’I’m still not strong enough, after all. If only I had the power to surpass the Martial Soul Hall...’

"Where are you going? I’ll go with you," Chu Qingyun said softly, looking at You Yun.

A blush appeared on You Yun’s fair face. "Then you’re not going to Lianshan County City? You’re not going to become a Dragon Guard of Great Xia?"

"I..."

"It’s alright. It’ll be very dangerous to follow me. Let me tell you a story instead."

You Yun cut Chu Qingyun off, pulling him to sit down beside her.

"In Central State, there was an incredibly ancient family. After millennia of decline and silence, its power had waned to an extreme. Whether it was the experts in the family or the common folk, no one could see any hope for the future."

"Then, one day, a pair of twin girls was born into the family."

"When it was time to test their Martial Souls, the sisters shocked the entire family. The younger sister awakened a Tier Nine Martial Soul, while the older sister awakened a legendary Tier Ten Martial Soul."

"Throughout history, the types of Tier Ten Martial Souls could be counted on one hand. There were only a few, and that particular Tier Ten Martial Soul was a legacy hidden within that family’s bloodline."

"Possessing the legendary Tier Ten Martial Soul, the older sister was destined to become a supreme expert if she continued to cultivate. Naturally, she became the hope in the hearts of everyone in the family."

"However, this news was leaked and discovered by an incredibly powerful rival faction."

"That faction was far too powerful. They would never allow a genius like the older sister to mature and would certainly use every means possible to deal with her."

"And that family was far too weak. They were completely incapable of handling the situation, incapable of protecting their own genius."

"So, they came up with a plan. They would have the younger sister leave Central State, carrying the aura of her older sister’s Martial Soul, to draw the enemy faction’s attention."

"That faction had many enemies of its own, so they couldn’t spare too much energy to hunt down the younger sister. As long as she left Central State, all she had to do was keep running."

"And so, a little six-year-old girl, carrying the aura of her sister’s Martial Soul, was sent out of Central State by her family, sent to the Northern Domain."

"But just hiding wasn’t enough. She had to deliberately reveal her tracks and her sister’s Martial Soul aura from time to time. Only then would the people from that faction believe that it was the older sister who was constantly on the run."

"And so, under the constant pursuit of that faction, the younger sister kept hiding, kept fleeing, day after day, month after month, year after year..."

By the time she reached this point, You Yun was sobbing uncontrollably. Her breathtakingly beautiful face was stained with tears, which streamed down like pearls from a broken string.

Chu Qingyun looked at the girl beside him with pity, feeling a sting in his nose.

He could, of course, tell that the story You Yun was telling was her own.

The Tier Ten Martial Soul had to be the so-called Vermilion Bird Martial Soul, and as for the rival faction, it was undoubtedly the Martial Soul Hall.

’Six years old...’

’When I was six, I was still in Chu Family Village, playing in the mud and raiding birds’ nests with other kids my age. But You Yun... she was already...’

Chu Qingyun sighed softly. After a moment’s hesitation, he reached out and gently pulled You Yun into his arms.

Resting in Chu Qingyun’s arms, You Yun seemed to have found an outlet for her grief, and her sobs grew even more intense.

"I want to grow up cherished by my father and mother, just like other girls... I want to play happily with kids my own age, just like other girls... I want to find someone I love and grow old with them, just like other girls..."

"But I can’t. For the sake of my family, I only have one choice: to keep running for my life, forever running..."

"Sometimes I really think that if I died, all this trouble would be over. But for my family’s sake, I don’t even have the right to die..."

"I hate them. I hate that family. I swear I will never go back, not unless I can surpass my sister’s strength, surpass all of their strength..."

You Yun continued to sob, her tears soaking a large patch on Chu Qingyun’s chest, until she slowly fell asleep in his arms.

Looking at the beautiful girl sleeping soundly in his arms, Chu Qingyun sighed once more. His heart felt complicated, a chaotic mess.

Scenes from the time after he first met You Yun flashed continuously through his mind.

Chu Qingyun had always felt that You Yun was mysterious and closed-off, as if she were constantly suppressing or hiding something. It was only with him that she could relax even a little.

He never would have imagined that she carried such an immense pressure and secret.

Time trickled by. Chu Qingyun just held You Yun, sitting quietly atop this nameless, solitary mountain, gazing absently at the distant horizon.

The sun gradually sank in the west, and the afterglow of sunset dyed the surroundings a dim yellow.

Chu Qingyun lowered his head and found that You Yun was awake, her eyes open and looking at him.

Their eyes met, and both of them blushed slightly. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

You Yun snuggled into Chu Qingyun’s embrace, holding on tighter. "The sunset is so beautiful. It’s just a shame it will be gone so soon..."

Hearing this, Chu Qingyun frowned and held her even tighter.

"Chu Qingyun, let me show you my Martial Soul."

With a light flick of You Yun’s slender, pale fingers, a palm-sized black phoenix Martial Soul appeared, fluttering gently by her hand.

The Tier Three Martial Soul Chu Qingyun used, and even the Tier Four Martial Soul used by Xia He, both looked somewhat transparent, giving them an illusory feel.

But this black phoenix Martial Soul, by contrast, looked incredibly solid.

The moment this Martial Soul appeared, Chu Qingyun felt a suffocating pressure. Under that pressure, he felt as if his body were about to be torn apart and crushed!

And this was with You Yun deliberately suppressing her Martial Soul’s aura!

With a gentle wave of her small hand, You Yun sent the phoenix Martial Soul flying further away. It expanded in front of the solitary mountain until its wingspan was five or six meters wide.

With the distance, and with his Devouring Martial Soul releasing its Devouring Power, Chu Qingyun finally felt much better.

"This is... a Tier Nine Martial Soul?" Chu Qingyun said, amazed.

You Yun nodded and gently stood up from his embrace. "A Tier Nine Martial Soul, the Nether Fire Phoenix."

Chu Qingyun was about to say something more when he suddenly saw You Yun reach out and cover his eyes. Then, he felt a soft touch on his lips, and the unique scent of a young woman filled his mouth and nose.

After a short kiss, You Yun moved close to Chu Qingyun’s ear. "Remember my name. I’m Huo Wu’Er."

When he opened his eyes again, Chu Qingyun saw that You Yun was already standing on the enlarged Nether Fire Phoenix Martial Soul, waving at him.

"Chu Qingyun, if you have time, go check in with the Assassin Alliance. Maybe I’ll write you a letter!"

The phoenix spread its wings, leaving a trail of scorching black energy in the sky as it vanished into the distant horizon.

Staring at the black dot that had disappeared, Chu Qingyun was lost in a daze.