Devouring Soul Emperor

"Chu Qingyun, you actually dared to fight us Captains Jin Xun without your Spirit Level Treasure Sword. I don’t know whether to call you brave or just plain stupid."

"I’ll show you the difference between a Captain Jin Xun and those trash-tier, level-nine Martial Artists you’re used to!"

Even before the fight began, Duan Feichen was already taunting him.

A sharp look finally appeared on Chu Qingyun’s face, and a slow, cold smirk spread across his lips.

Of course, he could easily guess what the people around the battle stage were saying, as well as what Duan Feichen and the others were thinking.

They all thought the same thing: that without his Spirit Level Treasure Sword, he was nothing.

Until now, Chu Qingyun had used the Thundercloud Sword in the vast majority of his fights.

And a Spirit Level Treasure Sword was, naturally, incredibly eye-catching.

This led them to the natural conclusion that the bulk of Chu Qingyun’s strength lay in his Thundercloud Sword.

The brilliance of the Thundercloud Sword had overshadowed the other aspects of Chu Qingyun’s power, such as his Thunder Sword Momentum, his perfectly controlled Ten-Star Vine, and even his Profound Celestial Divine Pattern.

But now, Chu Qingyun would show them that even without a Spirit Level Divine Weapon, he could still easily defeat a so-called Captain Jin Xun!

"Ten-Star Vine!"

Chu Qingyun couldn’t be bothered to waste words on him and attacked directly.

With a flash of the Ten-Star Vine’s spectral image, ten dark-green vines sprouted forth, lunging toward Duan Feichen in unison.

"Good! Giant Spirit Hammer!"

Duan Feichen let out a low shout and summoned his Martial Soul. A massive, black, long-handled hammer appeared between his hands, and he viciously smashed it down on the fastest-moving vine.

A black halo flared around the Giant Spirit Hammer. The moment it made contact, a terrifying force tore through the vine, shredding a large section of it from the tip downward.

However, before Duan Feichen could even celebrate, he heard an urgent shout from below the stage.

"Duan Feichen, watch your left, your right, above, behind, and below you!"

The reminder snapped Duan Feichen to his senses. He quickly glanced left, right, up, and down, and his eyes went wide with shock.

Aside from the vine he had just smashed, another one was attacking him from every other direction. A few more were even coiled on the periphery, waiting like predators to exploit any opening.

"How is this possible!"

Duan Feichen couldn’t help but exclaim in shock.

He hadn’t noticed it himself, a failing caused purely by his past experiences.

He had faced many opponents with Control-type Souls before, but most of them could only use their Soul Techniques in a stiff, mechanical way.

Even among the vine-types, like Chu Qingyun’s, the vines would all perform the same action; they were completely incapable of controlling each one individually.

Such opponents were far too easy to handle. All one had to do was use absolute power to break free and shatter their Soul Techniques.

But Duan Feichen had never seen anyone who could control ten vines independently at the same time, each one moving with such speed and flexibility!

However, Duan Feichen was, after all, a battle-hardened Captain Jin Xun. After a moment of shock, he quickly regained his composure.

"Eighteen Mountain-Opening Hammers!"

Duan Feichen roared and unleashed a Spirit Level Hammer Technique. He swung the Giant Spirit Hammer with such ferocious power that it whistled through the air, hammering down again and again on the surrounding vines.

Each blow was infused with immense Momentum!

Under his Giant Spirit Hammer, countless vines were smashed to pulp, their fragments flying everywhere.

Duan Feichen’s Hammer Technique was truly superb.

The Eighteen Mountain-Opening Hammers was a Hammer Technique renowned for its raw power and relentless, flowing strikes.

This Hammer Technique was clearly meant for offense, yet when Duan Feichen used it for defense, his guard was impenetrable. For a time, the ten vines were unable to touch him.

Even Chu Qingyun had to admit it: a Captain Jin Xun of the Great Xia Dragon Guard was indeed far stronger than the level-nine Martial Artists he had met in Flame City, stronger even than Zhang Yunqiu and his group.

But even in this situation, Chu Qingyun wasn’t the least bit anxious.

A prolonged defense is bound to fail. If one remains on the defensive, eventually they will reveal an opening or make a mistake.

So, while Chu Qingyun used six vines to relentlessly attack Duan Feichen from all angles, he kept the other four circling nearby, patiently waiting for an opportunity.

The result was just as he had predicted.

After more than thirty exchanges, Duan Feichen finally made a tiny mistake. He swung his hammer a fraction of a second too early, creating a gap in his rear defense.

Chu Qingyun, also a veteran of countless battles, keenly spotted the flaw.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

With a sharp whistle, the four waiting vines shot out like lightning. Two wrapped around Duan Feichen’s ankles from behind, restricting his movement.

The other two joined the frontal assault, widening the opening in his defense.

With his ankles bound and yanked backward by the vines, he now faced an even more ferocious frontal assault, while the annoying vines on his other sides continued their harassment.

Duan Feichen’s defensive rhythm was instantly thrown into chaos, and the openings in his guard grew more numerous and wider.

Soon, his legs, body, one of his arms, and even his neck were tightly bound, wrapped again and again by the vines until he was completely immobilized.

The only part of his body he could still move was his right arm.

"Bastard!"

"Giant Spirit Strike!"

Duan Feichen roared in humiliated fury, unleashing his Soul Technique.

His Martial Soul Giant Spirit Hammer abruptly doubled in size. A terrifying power erupted from it, instantly blasting all the nearby vines to smithereens!

But upon seeing this, everyone in the audience shook their heads.

They knew that Duan Feichen had lost. There was no chance for a comeback.

Unleashing a Soul Technique instantly consumed a vast amount of Primordial Power, and it took time to draw more from one’s Qi Sea after the technique was used.

Therefore, this final hammer strike was nothing more than a last-ditch struggle—or perhaps just a way to vent his frustration.

With Duan Feichen’s Martial Soul defense completely gone, the ten vines swarmed him, bending and folding over one another. In the blink of an eye, they had him wrapped up like a mummy, layer after layer.

Primordial Power surged through Duan Feichen’s body as he struggled violently.

But his Martial Soul Power had just been shattered. With his Primordial Power alone, he could at most tear through the innermost layer of vines; he had no hope of breaking free.

"Get off the stage!"

Chu Qingyun controlled the vines to swing Duan Feichen out over the edge of the battle stage before dropping him.

Falling off the stage naturally meant he had lost.

Chu Qingyun’s control over his Ten-star Vine Martial Soul had left everyone in the crowd utterly stunned. They had even forgotten about the outcome of the duel, still lost in the spectacle they had just witnessed.

Ten vines, all controlled separately, none interfering with the others... what kind of Control Power was that!

In their eyes, Chu Qingyun had defeated Captain Jin Xun Duan Feichen with ease, without even moving from his spot!

However, Chu Qingyun himself simply shook his head and thought, ’Fighting with only the Ten-star Vine Martial Soul really is tiring and troublesome...’

Compared to such a drawn-out battle, Chu Qingyun much preferred the feeling of obliterating an opponent with a single strike from his Thundercloud Sword!

If Duan Feichen knew what he was thinking, he’d probably cough up blood from sheer rage...