Devouring Soul Emperor

"Village Head, this won’t do. In my opinion, you’re the most suitable person to use this."

"That’s right, Village Head. If it weren’t for you these past few decades, who knows how badly our Chu Family Village would have been bullied. We’ve all seen your contributions."

"If you don’t use it, then none of us will!"

The crowd all chimed in, trying to persuade him.

In the end, everyone turned to look at Chu Qingyun, waiting to see what he would say.

Chu Qingyun smiled and said, "Village Head, this Water Cloud Potion was prepared for you. And I promise, from now on in Chu Family Village, anyone who becomes a Ninth-Level Martial Artist will receive a Water Cloud Potion."

Chu Qingyun wasn’t just bragging. He had already inquired; besides the Assassin Alliance, the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower also had Water Cloud Potions for sale, though they were a bit more expensive.

"Really?"

Everyone was stunned, finding it hard to believe.

"It’s true. When have I ever lied to you? I’m a Tier Three Martial Artist, and recently... I came into a great fortune."

Chu Qingyun thought for a moment and decided against telling them the exact amount.

A single bottle of Water Cloud Potion had already caused such a stir. If he told them the number of Primordial Stones he had, they would probably faint from shock.

After receiving Chu Qingyun’s guarantee, the Village Head finally agreed to use the Water Cloud Potion.

Right then and there, with the crowd standing guard, he consumed the bottle of Water Cloud Potion.

Everyone waited anxiously outside the house, wondering if the Village Head would succeed.

Half an hour later, a powerful aura emanated from the house. A smile appeared on Chu Qingyun’s face. He could already sense it; the Village Head’s aura was that of a First-Level Martial Artist.

After breaking through the bottleneck that had held him back for over twenty years, the Village Head’s face was wreathed in smiles. He even looked quite a bit younger.

"Village Head, there’s one more thing I’d like to discuss with all of you. I was wondering, have you ever thought about developing in Qingshan City?" Chu Qingyun asked with a smile.

Everyone present had been to Qingshan City before. Chu Qingyun didn’t need to elaborate on the benefits of developing in the city.

"Qingyun, just tell us what you have in mind. We’ll definitely support you."

The Village Head glanced at the others, who were still stunned, and spoke. After advancing to a Martial Artist, his confidence had grown considerably.

Chu Qingyun nodded and said, "My plan is to select some people from Chu Family Village, form a family clan, and go to Qingshan City to develop. Holing up in Chu Family Village will ultimately lead us nowhere."

Chu Qingyun laid out his plan in detail, hiding nothing, including the threat from the Blood Wolf Gang and his own strength.

The group gathered and discussed for half the afternoon, greatly refining Chu Qingyun’s initial idea.

In the end, they reached a consensus: they would go to Qingshan City and develop!

They also decided to split the tasks. The Village Head and the others would be responsible for selecting people from the village, while Chu Qingyun would handle matters in Qingshan City.

After spending another night at home, Chu Qingyun hurried back to Qingshan City the next day.

Over the course of nearly a month, Chu Qingyun bought up numerous properties in Qingshan City—shops, inns, restaurants, and the like—to serve as the foundation for the future Chu Family.

During this time, after absorbing the power of fifteen Tier Two Martial Souls, his Devouring Martial Soul successfully advanced to become a Tier Three Martial Soul.

After advancing to Tier Three, the Devouring Martial Soul looked the same as ever—a chaotic mass floating in the very center of his Qi Sea. It had forced the Shadow Martial Soul and the Five-star Vine Martial Soul to shrink into the corners.

However, one thing remained the same: the Tier Three Devouring Martial Soul could instantly devour a Tier Two Martial Soul.

With fifteen Martial Souls remaining, Chu Qingyun first used ten of them to upgrade his Five-star Vine Martial Soul to Tier Three.

After advancing to Tier Three, the Five-star Vine Martial Soul changed again. It grew five more vines, becoming the Ten-star Vine Martial Soul.

This gave Chu Qingyun a bit of a headache. ’How am I going to explain this to others?’

He strengthened his Shadow Martial Soul to 50%, using up all the remaining Martial Souls.

By now, his plan was mostly in place. The news that Chu Qingyun’s family was coming to Qingshan City to develop had already spread throughout the city, and even the specific date had been leaked.

Furthermore, through intelligence from the Assassin Alliance, Chu Qingyun had learned that the Blood Wolf Gang had seized this perfect opportunity and was preparing to ambush and slaughter them outside the city, leaving no trace behind.

What they didn’t know, however, was that Chu Qingyun had intentionally leaked all of this information himself.

The relationship between predator and prey can be reversed at any moment.

One night several days later, at the entrance of Chu Family Village, a dozen tall horses pulled several large carriages, slowly driving out of the village.

Candles were lit inside the carriages, and the flickering shadows of figures could be faintly seen within.

In a nearby forest, a dark figure silently watched all of this unfold before turning and sprinting away, quickly disappearing into the dark, wooded mountains.

However, he failed to notice that just a moment after he left, another dark figure began to follow him, completely silent.

After following the man who had been surveilling Chu Family Village for about half an hour, Chu Qingyun arrived at a forest beside the main road into the city.

The trees here were dense, it wasn’t far from the main road, and the terrain offered a commanding view. It was indeed a perfect spot for an ambush.

"Gang Leader, the people from Chu Family Village are on their way!"

The man spoke, his face flush with excitement. ’I’m finally done with this miserable job,’ he thought to himself.

"Are you sure people have come out? It’s not a trap?" Qi Gang was still very cautious.

The man nodded emphatically. "I’m sure, I’m sure! Several large carriages, all full of people! I saw it with my own eyes!"

"Alright, you’re dismissed." Qi Gang waved his hand, sending the man away. He then continued, "Brothers, Chu Qingyun killed our Great Elder and gravely damaged the reputation of our Blood Wolf Gang! This time, we’ll slaughter all his people and wipe out that so-called Chu Family!"

"Gang Leader, that Chu Qingyun has deep ties with both the Great Xia Martial Palace and the City Lord’s Mansion. If we move against him like this, won’t there be..." someone worriedly trailed off.

Qi Gang frowned. "What’s there to be afraid of? The City Lord’s Mansion has no jurisdiction outside the city. Besides, out here in the wilderness, as long as we kill every last one of them, who’s going to know it was our Blood Wolf Gang? Afterward, we can just find some people to spread rumors and blame it on bandits."

Chu Qingyun heard every single word.

He had used the Hidden Qi Technique and the Soul Skill Stealth. Neither his body nor his Qi was exposed in the slightest, and the men from the Blood Wolf Gang hadn’t detected him at all.

"Gang Leader Qi, what a brilliant plan. But haven’t you ever heard the saying, ’Heaven is always watching’?" As he spoke, Chu Qingyun deactivated his Soul Skill Stealth and stepped out from the shadows.

"Who’s there!?"

The members of the Blood Wolf Gang were aghast. They scrambled to draw their weapons, staring warily at Chu Qingyun.

"Chu... Qing... Yun! It’s you!"

Qi Gang gritted his teeth. He would never forget this man, not even in his dreams—the one who had utterly humiliated him in front of everyone!