Devouring Soul Emperor

"Haha, Chu Qingyun, good! A job well done on this mission. From now on, you’re a friend of my Thunder Shock Army. If anyone gives you trouble out there, just come to the Thunder Shock Army for help. Tell them I sent you!"

"Chu Qingyun, nicely done. On behalf of the Liuyun Army, thank you."

"Chu Qingyun, the Beishuang Army and I thank you as well. By the way, if you’re ever looking for a girlfriend, I can introduce you to some. We have quite a few female captains in the Beishuang Army who are both talented and beautiful, you know..."

...

Aside from the Celestial Wind Army Master, the other five Military Lords were all smiles. After offering their thanks to Chu Qingyun, they departed with their Grand Commanders.

"Lord Military Commander, what... what’s going on?"

Even now, Chu Qingyun still couldn’t quite figure it out.

’All I did was lend a hand and finish the mission for them. Even if this mission was unusually difficult, it shouldn’t warrant this kind of reaction, right? These are five Lord Military Commanders, all Ninth-Level Martial Spirits!’

"What’s going on? Haha, come inside and you’ll see."

The Celestial Wind Army Master laughed heartily and led Chu Qingyun into the room.

When he saw the pile of shattered Soul-Imbued Talismans on the table, Chu Qingyun’s expression couldn’t help but change.

He had previously assumed that even if the elite squads from the other Five Armies were no match for those monsters, their losses wouldn’t be too severe. He’d thought they had all managed to escape.

He never expected them all to be dead!

"The members of the elite squads were all talented captains whom their respective Military Lords and Grand Commanders valued greatly. In the end, the squads from the other Five Armies were completely wiped out."

"Not only did you help them complete the mission, you also avenged them. Of course they would want to thank you properly."

The Celestial Wind Army Master added with a smile.

Chu Qingyun’s performance this time was a spectacular surprise. At the final moment, when all hope seemed lost, he had a sudden burst of power. He wiped out the Martial Soul Halls in all six towns and finished off all six monsters!

This was a great source of pride for the Celestial Wind Army Master, and he was inwardly delighted.

"Lord Military Commander, there’s one more thing..."

Chu Qingyun looked at the beaming, high-spirited Celestial Wind Army Master and hesitated, wanting to say something but holding back.

"Hm? Did you get into trouble? Don’t worry, just say it. I’ll help you sort it out."

The Celestial Wind Army Master said magnanimously.

"That’s not it. It’s just... about the Nascent Condensation Pills we agreed on before..."

Chu Qingyun laughed awkwardly, saying with some embarrassment. ’It always feels a bit weird to ask for your own reward.’

Hearing this, the Celestial Wind Army Master and the surrounding Grand Commanders of the Celestial Wind Army all laughed.

"Chu Qingyun, all five Nascent Condensation Pills were actually distributed to us Military Lords before you even set out. However... we can’t give them to you right now," the Celestial Wind Army Master said with a smile.

"You can’t give them to us? Why?"

Chu Qingyun was puzzled.

’I tried breaking through several times on the journey here and failed. I was counting on those Nascent Condensation Pills to reach the Half-Step Martial Spirit Realm.’

"Chu Qingyun, under normal circumstances, we would have given you the Nascent Condensation Pills immediately. But this time, the mission’s difficulty far exceeded expectations. Moreover, you practically completed six missions all by yourself. The reward, of course, can’t be based on the original agreement. Otherwise, the five of you, and my Celestial Wind Army, would be getting the short end of the stick," Grand Commander Chu Yu added with a smile.

"That’s right. Your performance this time far exceeded everyone’s expectations, and your contribution was immense. I’ll go to the Lord Chief Manager shortly to renegotiate your rewards."

"Alright, we’ll be leaving now. Your squad barely escaped with your lives this time, so you should all get together and relax."

After he finished speaking, the Celestial Wind Army Master left with the other Grand Commanders.

On their way out, they were still fervently discussing what kind of reward they should request from the Lord Chief Manager so they wouldn’t be short-changed...

"Captain, haha, I knew you wouldn’t die!"

"Captain, thank you for saving my life. If you need anything in the future, just give the word. I, Chen Yu, will go through a mountain of blades or a sea of fire without blinking an eye!"

"Me too! Count me in! You’ll always be my captain!"

Once the leaders of the Six Armies had gone, Xia He, Xiao Feng, and the other two could no longer contain their excitement and crowded around.

Ever since they returned, they had been waiting in this room, staring intently at Chu Qingyun’s Soul-Imbued Talisman.

Even the heavily injured Chen Yu was unwilling to leave to rest and heal. Fortunately, Huang Yinghao’s Soul Techniques had some minor healing effects. Thanks to him tirelessly casting his techniques, Chen Yu’s injuries had improved significantly.

After a bout of cheerful laughter and banter, night had fallen.

But this was the County City, and the most prosperous Dongcheng District at that. Even after dark, many places were still brightly lit.

The five of them left the garrison, found a restaurant, and had a big feast, partly to reward themselves and partly to celebrate surviving their ordeal.

By the time they returned to the garrison, it was late and all was quiet. The five of them went their separate ways.

From beginning to end, neither the Military Lords, the Grand Commanders, nor Xia He, Xiao Feng, and the others asked Chu Qingyun how he had killed those six monsters.

Every Martial Artist has their own secrets, their own trump cards or ultimate moves that they don’t want others to know about. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Even if they asked such a question, the other person likely wouldn’t answer, only making things awkward.

Therefore, this was practically an unwritten rule among Martial Artists. Generally, no one would press others on such matters.

The efficiency of the Great Xia Dragon Guard was quite high.

The next morning, their rewards were ready and delivered to their respective residences.

Xia He and the other three were each rewarded with one Nascent Condensation Pill, 10,000 Military Merits, 150 drops of Primordial Spirit Liquid, and one-time purchasing rights in the Military Guard District.

Chu Qingyun’s reward, however, was much more generous than theirs.

Just in Nascent Condensation Pills alone, Chu Qingyun received three. In addition, he received 30,000 Military Merits, 400 drops of Primordial Spirit Liquid, and one-time purchasing rights in the Grand Commander District!

The Small Spirit Realm Guard General who delivered the rewards, after giving everything to Chu Qingyun, cupped his hands and said with a smile, "Congratulations, Captain Chu. You’ve reaped great rewards this time. With a bit of time, you will definitely be able to advance to the Martial Spirit realm and become a Guard General in the future!"

"Haha, thank you for your kind words, sir," Chu Qingyun said with a laugh as he accepted the items.

"Ahem, Captain Chu, I have one more thing. You have three Nascent Condensation Pills. With your talent, Captain Chu, one should be enough to break through to the Half-Step Martial Spirit realm. Would it be possible to sell one to me? My cousin has been stuck at the Ninth-Level Martial Artist realm for over five years now."

"Of course, we absolutely won’t let you lose out on the price. If you sell this Nascent Condensation Pill to the Military Merits office, you can probably get about 15,000 Military Merits. We can give you 17,000 Military Merits!"

This Lord Guardian or his cousin obviously had a significant background, to directly offer a price of 17,000 Military Merits for a single Nascent Condensation Pill.

However, this also highlighted the value of the elixir.

Even a Guard General with such connections found it difficult to obtain one.