Devouring Soul Emperor

Chu Qingyun was the only one left in the vast, empty hall.

He stood before the statue and bowed deeply three times. ’I’ve trespassed in your tomb today,’ he thought. ’Please forgive me, Lord Canglang King.’

At that moment, another person burst in.

The man glanced at Chu Qingyun, curled his lip, cursed him for an idiot, and then rushed into the left-hand passage without a second glance.

However, just as Chu Qingyun straightened up from his last bow, he suddenly noticed that one of the statue’s hands, held behind its back, was actually wearing a black ring!

After confirming no one was around, Chu Qingyun went behind the statue and removed the ring.

Walking a circle around the statue, Chu Qingyun discovered that the ring’s placement was extremely deliberate.

It was impossible to see from any other angle. Only by bowing or kowtowing before the statue, from that low vantage point, could one spot the ring on its hand.

’Heh, who would’ve thought there’d be treasure in the main hall? I guess good deeds really are rewarded.’

Chu Qingyun bowed to the statue once more, then began to examine the ring carefully.

The ring was entirely black. It looked simple, even a bit crude, but it exuded an air of primitive grandeur, making it clear at a glance that this was no ordinary item.

After fiddling with it for a while, Chu Qingyun still couldn’t figure out how to use the ring.

’Could it be like in the legends... binding it with a drop of blood?’

Chu Qingyun decided to give it a try. He bit his finger and squeezed a drop of blood onto the ring.

The crimson droplet was slowly absorbed, and a feeling of connection, as if through blood, formed between him and the ring.

’This... This is the legendary Storage Ring!’

Chu Qingyun was instantly overjoyed, and his hands couldn’t help but tremble slightly.

A Storage Ring! In all of Qingshan City, he’d never heard of anyone possessing one.

To think that such a priceless treasure was hidden right here in the entrance hall!

Sinking his Heart and Mind into the ring, Chu Qingyun discovered that it contained a space roughly ten meters in length, width, and height—a total of one thousand cubic meters!

The vast space was completely empty, save for a single palm-sized piece of gray cloth.

If he weren’t the master of this space with absolute control over it, Chu Qingyun might not have even noticed the inconspicuous scrap of cloth.

With a thought, the cloth appeared in his hand.

The moment it appeared, an aura of immense age washed over him. Chu Qingyun was almost afraid that any sudden movement might cause it to disintegrate.

Fortunately, despite its great age, it still possessed considerable tenacity.

On the palm-sized cloth were some crookedly drawn lines and a few symbols, leaving Chu Qingyun completely baffled.

’This must be a map fragment... part of some map...’

After examining it from every angle for a while, Chu Qingyun guessed it was a map fragment.

He just didn’t know where it led or what it concealed. With such a small fragment, it was impossible to tell anything.

With a thought, the fragment vanished from his hand and reappeared inside the Storage Ring.

’Haha, a Storage Ring is truly as amazing as they say!’

Chu Qingyun’s interest in the Storage Ring clearly surpassed his interest in the map fragment.

Before him were three large passages. The people who had arrived earlier had already chosen their paths and gone inside. Now, Chu Qingyun faced the same choice.

Walking past the statue, he stood before the middle passage and suddenly felt the Storage Ring on his hand grow slightly warm.

This phenomenon caught Chu Qingyun’s attention.

He then walked over to the left passage, but the ring had no reaction at all.

When he moved to the right passage, the ring grew warm again, though it was not as hot as it had been for the middle passage.

’Whoever went to such lengths to leave the ring behind surely wouldn’t mean me any harm... I’ll take the middle path!’

Chu Qingyun quickly made his decision and entered the middle passage.

After walking for a while, he discovered that the sides of the passage were lined with identical rooms, and the sounds of fighting could be heard from many of them.

Some rooms were open, quiet, and empty inside.

Chu Qingyun glanced inside and saw that the rooms were in disarray, with signs of battle everywhere.

Just then, a Martial Artist happened to rush out of one of the rooms, clutching a sizable bundle.

This Martial Artist had clearly just been in a major fight. The Primordial Power fluctuations within his body were intense, and Chu Qingyun could tell at a glance that he was a Tier Two Martial Artist.

"Hey, brother, what’s going on in here?"

Chu Qingyun called out to him and asked.

"A Tier One Martial Artist? Kid, hand over everything you’ve got!"

The man sized up Chu Qingyun, his expression turning vicious as he threatened him.

’What a pain...’

Chu Qingyun muttered to himself, unleashed his Profound Celestial Divine Pattern, and reached for the Tier Two Martial Artist.

"Kid, you’re courting death!"

"Black Iron Hand!"

Seeing Chu Qingyun dare to strike first, the man flew into a rage. He directly used a Soul Technique, his hand appearing as if it were wrapped in an iron claw as he viciously chopped toward Chu Qingyun.

However, the instant their hands met, a flash of dark gold light erupted. His Black Iron Hand Soul Technique shattered instantly, his arm was broken by the immense force, and his entire body slammed heavily against the wall.

A Tier One Soul Technique was nothing before Chu Qingyun’s Profound Celestial Divine Pattern.

"Now, are you ready to talk?"

Chu Qingyun looked down at him and asked coolly.

Chu Qingyun had no good feelings whatsoever toward someone who would try to rob him on sight.

If the man didn’t know what was good for him, Chu Qingyun wouldn’t mind finishing the job and sending him on his way.

"I’ll talk! Sir, I’ll talk! There are tons and tons of rooms on both sides of this passage. Some rooms have treasure in them, and some have nothing at all."

"And some rooms have guardians like Puppets or sealed Demon Beasts, while others have no guardians. There’s no pattern at all; it’s completely random." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Sir, this is what I just found—three stalks of Tier Two Spiritual Medicine. I’ll give them all to you. Please, just don’t kill me, don’t kill me..."

After speaking, the man placed the bundle from his arms on the ground and began to beg incessantly.

Although his arm was broken, an injury like this was nothing to a Martial Artist. By nourishing it with Primordial Power, he could recover easily.

But if Chu Qingyun killed him, it would all be over.

After hearing his explanation, Chu Qingyun understood. The treasures of the Martial King’s Tomb were located in these rooms, and the rest came down to luck.

The lucky ones would find rooms that had both treasure and no guardians.

And the unlucky ones might choose a room with only guardians and no treasure.

"All right, you can go."

Three stalks of Tier Two Spiritual Medicine... Chu Qingyun really didn’t care for such a paltry sum. He turned and walked deeper into the passage.

’He didn’t kill me, and he didn’t even take my things...’ Watching Chu Qingyun’s retreating back, the Tier Two Martial Artist couldn’t help but feel a little ashamed.

"Sir! Sir! I have one more theory to tell you!"