Devouring Soul Emperor

"So this is a Demon Core. It’s truly amazing."

This was Chu Qingyun’s first time seeing a Demon Core. He ignored the filth and examined it closely.

"Chu Qingyun, your control over your Martial Soul is as effortless as ever," You Yun said as she walked over, looking at the Ten-star Vine Martial Soul.

"Hehe, you flatter me, you flatter me." Chu Qingyun chuckled and quickly retracted his Martial Soul.

You Yun was speechless. "Don’t you have anything to explain to me?" she asked.

"Do I have anything I need to explain to you?" Chu Qingyun continued to play dumb.

"Cut the crap. Your Martial Soul was a Tier Two Five-Star Vine before. How did it become a Tier Three Ten-Star Vine now?"

Chu Qingyun was helpless. He knew that with You Yun around, the fact that his Martial Soul was continuously evolving would be discovered sooner or later.

"Uh, I don’t know either. After I broke through to become a level-three Martial Artist, my Martial Soul suddenly became a Tier Three Martial Soul. You Yun, do you think it could be because of my unique constitution? That my Martial Soul evolves along with my strength?"

Chu Qingyun offered the response he had prepared long ago, hoping to bluff his way through.

You Yun snorted disdainfully. "In your dreams. I’ve never heard of a Martial Soul that can evolve... In my opinion, you probably didn’t awaken it completely the first time. Your Martial Soul was always Tier Three; it’s just that you only awakened it to Tier Two initially."

"Yes, yes, that’s probably it. No wonder I always felt there was something strange about my Martial Soul..."

Chu Qingyun hastily agreed, secretly wiping away a bead of sweat.

’I finally fooled her. It’s a good thing she doesn’t know my Martial Soul started out as a Three-Star Vine...’

However, a trace of doubt lingered in You Yun’s eyes.

’Was his Martial Soul really not awakened completely?’

She couldn’t help but recall the fear her own Martial Soul had felt when she first met Chu Qingyun.

’This guy isn’t as simple as he seems...’ This was the first time You Yun had such a feeling.

"With this Demon Core, can we neutralize the Fire Poison on the Fiery Red Lotus?" Chu Qingyun asked, changing the subject.

You Yun shook her head. "It’s not enough. Not even close. The Fire Poison on that lotus is incredibly potent. By my estimation, if the full amount entered someone’s body, even a Martial Spirit expert would have a hard time dealing with it."

Chu Qingyun thought about it and agreed. Even a tiny bit of the diffused Fire Poison had afflicted several level-eight and level-nine Martial Artists.

The Fire Poison on the Fiery Red Lotus itself must be far more terrifying!

At this thought, Chu Qingyun couldn’t help but curse Qian Sanpang in his heart again. ’Where did that damn fatty get such a potent Fire Poison?’

Having lost their sense of direction, the two of them blundered through the Mist Forest like headless flies.

They startled countless Demon Beasts along the way. Some were beyond Chu Qingyun’s ability to handle, leaving him with no choice but to flee.

Although he could use his Puppet to deal with most of the Demon Beasts, Chu Qingyun didn’t want to do so unless it was a life-or-death situation of absolute necessity.

Doing so would defeat the purpose of training.

The Puppet was just a life-saving trump card. Chu Qingyun had thought it through long ago; he couldn’t become overly reliant on it, or it would seriously hinder the growth of his own strength.

Towards evening, they encountered their second Ice-type Demon Beast.

It was a Tier Two Ice Demon Ape.

This Ice Demon Ape stood a full two meters tall. Its long fur was matted with chunks of solid ice, and its finger-length tusks jutted out, glinting with a sharp, cold light.

The Ice Demon Ape had a violent temperament and immense strength. Upon seeing Chu Qingyun and You Yun, it immediately treated them as intruders, letting out a furious roar as it charged toward Chu Qingyun.

’Damn it, it’s me again!’

Chu Qingyun cursed inwardly, drew his sword to meet the charge, and slashed out with a Gale Sword technique.

Unlike the Ice-toothed Leopard, speed was not the Ice Demon Ape’s strong suit. Facing the sharp Sword Aura, it didn’t dodge or evade, instead meeting it head-on with its chest.

However, the Sword Aura, sharp enough to shatter mountains and split stone, merely broke the solid ice on its chest, leaving the beast completely unharmed.

The Ice Demon Ape roared in excitement and rumbled forward, rolling toward Chu Qingyun like a tank.

"Such powerful defense!"

Chu Qingyun sighed inwardly. Ten vines shot out. Eight of them, working in pairs, wrapped around the Ice Demon Ape’s four limbs.

The vines binding the Ice Demon Ape’s legs suddenly pulled taut. As if it had been tripped, the ape fell to the ground with a THUD.

With its limbs bound, the Ice Demon Ape was furious. Its two fist-sized eyes were filled with rage and shot with blood.

It struggled with all its might, pulling the eight vines taut, as if they would snap under the strain at any moment.

Chu Qingyun gritted his teeth, pouring a massive amount of Primordial Power into his Martial Soul, using the Ten-star Vine Martial Soul to engage in a contest of strength with the Ice Demon Ape.

"ROAR!"

The Ice Demon Ape roared furiously. Its arms suddenly came together, grabbing the vines binding them. It forcefully twisted its wrists, winding the vines around its hands and pulling Chu Qingyun toward it, bit by bit.

Human strength, in the end, was no match for a Demon Beast.

Chu Qingyun pushed his Profound Celestial Divine Pattern to its absolute limit, but he was still no match for the Ice Demon Ape in terms of raw strength. He was dragged forward inch by inch, his feet plowing a trench in the ground as he was slowly pulled closer to the ape.

Watching the detestable human get closer and closer, the vicious glint in the Ice Demon Ape’s eyes grew more intense.

’Damn human! As soon as I get my hands on him, I’ll tear him to shreds!’

Just then, Chu Qingyun suddenly directed the other two vines to stab viciously toward the Ice Demon Ape’s eyes.

Infused with Primordial Power, the vines shot forward like javelins. With a SQUELCH, they plunged deep into the Ice Demon Ape’s eyes.

The Ice Demon Ape had focused all its energy on its tug-of-war with Chu Qingyun. When the vines attacked, it didn’t have time to form an ice defense and was blinded.

Blinded, the Ice Demon Ape let out a bloodcurdling roar. The agonizing pain caused its strength to surge, and it shot up from the ground.

The balance of power was shattered in an instant. Chu Qingyun was yanked off the ground and sent flying toward the Ice Demon Ape.

"Damn it!"

Chu Qingyun gritted his teeth and severed his connection to the Ten-star Vine Martial Soul. He stabbed his sword into a nearby tree to steady himself, then retreated rapidly, putting distance between himself and the berserk Ice Demon Ape.

Blood streamed from the Ice Demon Ape’s eyes. The pain drove it mad. It pounded its chest repeatedly, tilting its head back to let out one agonized roar after another.

Just then, a similar roar echoed from not far away, seemingly in response to this Ice Demon Ape.

Hearing the similar roar, the blinded Ice Demon Ape’s own cries became more urgent.

Chu Qingyun could faintly hear the sound of trees being forcibly pushed over and crushed.

’This thing has a companion, and it’s rushing over at full speed!’

’And that one sounds even harder to deal with than the one in front of me!’

One Ice Demon Ape was already such a difficult fight. If another one arrived, Chu Qingyun would definitely be no match for them.

"You Yun, if you’re not going to make a move, then we have to run!"