Devouring Soul Emperor

"Sigh... As the captain, I have to be responsible for my teammates’ lives..."

Chu Qingyun sighed softly and looked around at the other four members of his team.

"Everyone, we already know each other’s names. But since we’ll be fighting together from now on, let’s use the time we have today to familiarize ourselves with each other’s Martial Souls and Soul Techniques."

"I’ll start. My Martial Soul is the Ten-Star Vine, a Tier Three Control-type. My Soul Technique is a passive one called Tenacity."

As he spoke, Chu Qingyun summoned his Ten-star Vine Martial Soul. Ten vines danced through the air, performing a series of dazzlingly complex maneuvers that left Xiao Feng and the others completely stunned.

They finally understood how Chu Qingyun had managed to surpass so many other captains with Control-type Martial Souls to catch the eye of the Celestial Wind Army Master.

Forget everything else—that level of fluid control over his Martial Soul alone was enough to have an enormous impact in a team battle!

After Chu Qingyun, Xia He spoke up. "My Martial Soul is the Wind Feather Crane, a Tier Four soul. My Soul Technique is Wind-Soaring Wings. If I cast it on you all, the Martial Soul Power it contains should last for about ten minutes."

"Of course, since my Martial Soul is Tier Four, I can continuously supply you with Martial Soul Power to extend the duration of Wind-Soaring Wings, as long as you don’t stray too far from me."

After Xia He finished speaking, Huang Yinghao sidled up to him again and said with a shameless grin, "Xia, please let me fly just one more time..."

Xia He just rolled his eyes in exasperation and ignored him.

Huang Yinghao scratched his head in embarrassment, then continued, "My Martial Soul is the Tree Demon, a Tier Three soul. My Soul Technique is Tree Demon Guardian."

As he spoke, Huang Yinghao waved his hand, and a beam of jade-green light shot toward Chen Yu, enveloping him.

A layer of what looked like old tree bark instantly grew over Chen Yu’s entire body, encasing him completely, leaving only his eyes, nose, and ears exposed.

To demonstrate the prowess of this Soul Technique, Chen Yu quickly threw a pair of punches and a pair of kicks.

"Heh heh," Huang Yinghao said, a little smug. "Chu, my Soul Technique may look bulky, but it’s completely weightless and won’t hinder your movements at all. It even has some healing properties. Minor cuts and blade wounds will heal right up after being wrapped in it for a little while."

Huang Yinghao chuckled, looking rather pleased with himself.

Both Chu Qingyun and Xia He couldn’t help but nod in approval. To stand out from the countless Gold Medal Captains in the Celestial Wind Army, Huang Yinghao’s Soul Technique was certainly remarkable.

"My turn. My Martial Soul is the Saber-toothed Tiger, a Tier Three soul, and my Soul Technique is Bursting Strike!" Xiao Feng said, keeping his introduction brief.

Finally, it was the quiet Chen Yu’s turn. "My Martial Soul is the Overlord Spear, a Tier Three soul. My Soul Technique is Overlord’s Fury."

The two captains with Attack-type Martial Souls didn’t need to elaborate.

Having been chosen from a vast number of Gold Medal Captains with Attack-type Martial Souls, their strength was beyond question.

At least when it came to attack power, they were undoubtedly among the absolute best!

For the rest of the day, the five of them practiced their coordination. The other four, in particular, spent a great deal of time practicing how to control the Wind-Soaring Wings that Xia He cast on them.

The result was that everyone got to experience the thrill of flight to their heart’s content...

Later that night, long after the compound had fallen silent, a phantom-like figure drifted into Xia He’s room.

Seeing the person who had suddenly appeared before him, Xia He couldn’t help but smile bitterly as he quickly stood to salute.

The man returned the salute with a faint smile, then asked, "And to which Prince do I owe the honor of this visit?"

The Tier Four Wind Feather Crane Soul had always been a Martial Soul passed down through the bloodline of the Great Xia Royal Race.

This was a fact that most Grand Commanders, and even some Celestial Spirit Realm experts, were unaware of. But the King Realm Lord Chief Manager of the Great Xia Dragon Guard would certainly know.

’I knew I couldn’t hide it...’

Resigned, Xia He took a golden Jade Pendant from his Storage Ring and handed it to the King Realm Lord Chief Manager.

The man took the Jade Pendant, glanced at it, and said, "So, it is the Seventh Prince. Your Highness, since you’ve come to my Great Xia Dragon Guard of Lianshan County, why conceal your identity?"

Xia He hesitated for a moment, then steeled himself and said, "Lord Chief Manager, my mother’s side of the family has completely lost favor in the Imperial City. I barely managed to escape. If the Second Prince or the Ninth Prince were to discover my whereabouts, I’m afraid..."

The Lord Chief Manager nodded. "Your Highness, since you passed the assessment and joined the Great Xia Dragon Guard, you are now one of our own here in Lianshan County, and you must abide by our rules. As for your affairs with the other princes, we will not interfere. However, those princes can forget about trying to lay a hand on anyone from my Great Xia Dragon Guard."

Of course, Xia He understood the implication of his words.

They would not reveal his whereabouts, nor would they help him against the other princes, but they would grant him protection.

As the most powerful military force in the nation of Great Xia, the Lord Chief Managers in each county didn’t pay much mind to the princes.

There were over a dozen princes in Great Xia, but only one could ultimately become the Sovereign.

Besides, even if one of the princes became Sovereign, these managers were still King Realm Experts, and an expert always has their pride!

In the Martial World, where strength is respected above all, absolute power allowed one to stand above everything—including so-called imperial authority!

"Thank you, Sir!" Xia He said, his voice trembling with emotion.

The Lord Chief Manager smiled, said no more, returned the Jade Pendant to Xia He, and departed as silently as he had arrived...

「The next day」

The five of them arrived at the training grounds bright and early. They didn’t have to wait long before the Celestial Wind Army Master appeared, accompanied by Grand Commander Chu Yu and another Grand Commander Chu Qingyun didn’t recognize.

After greeting the Lord Military Commander, the group of eight headed deeper into the Great Xia Dragon Guard’s encampment.

Inside a large hall.

The Six Great Army Commanders of the Lianshan County Great Xia Dragon Guard were all gathered, each accompanied by two of their Grand Commanders and their respective five-person elite squad.

This was the first time Chu Qingyun had seen all six Military Lords together, and he couldn’t help but study them with curiosity.

The other Gold Medal Captains were doing much the same.

Once everyone had arrived, a man walked in carrying a tray of small, white tablets and distributed one to each of the Gold Medal Captains. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

The small tablet was slightly warm to the touch, and its material was impossible to identify.

"These are called Soul-Imbued Talismans. They are time-consuming and costly to create, so they are normally only issued to Dragon Guards of the Army Guardian Level and above. Since you are all undertaking a special mission, we’ve prepared one for each of you."

"All you have to do is channel a bit of your Primordial Power into it to activate the Soul-Imbued Talisman."

"The sole purpose of the Soul-Imbued Talisman is to determine if you are alive or dead. If one of you dies, the Primordial Power stored inside will erupt and shatter the talisman."

One of the Lord Military Commanders explained, then had each of the Gold Medal Captains activate the Soul-Imbued Talisman in their hand. The activated talismans were then collected by their respective Grand Commanders.