Devouring Soul Emperor

"Hahaha, Chu Qingyun, you don’t even know how to control your Qi!?"

Seeing Chu Qingyun struggling to cope, Huo Yuchen couldn’t help but laugh heartily.

Chu Qingyun could only feel exasperated.

He had never seen, or even heard of, Sword Qi being controlled in size and length.

The length and size of Sword Qi could, to a degree, measure one’s strength, but only flexible control could truly unleash its power.

At that moment, Princess Qingyou, watching from the sidelines, suddenly looked at Yin Feiyang. "Yin Feiyang, you must know how to control Sword Qi, right? Quick, tell Chu Qingyun!"

Yin Feiyang shook his head, replying with a hint of helplessness, "I know the method, but telling him now would be useless."

"Ever since I broke through to Level Four Martial Spirit, I’ve been training hard, but I still haven’t reached the point where I can control it freely."

After a moment’s hesitation, Princess Qingyou said, "Just tell him anyway. What if he can actually do it...?"

She was clutching at straws. After all, Yu Chen had already been defeated. Chu Qingyun was their last hope.

However, the Ninth Prince, Yu Chen, stepped forward to stop Yin Feiyang. "Don’t you dare!"

"Ninth Prince, what is the meaning of this? Don’t forget, we’re all in the same boat. If Chu Qingyun is defeated, we’re all done for," Princess Qingyou said coldly.

The Ninth Prince sneered as he watched the two clashing in the center. "That’s not necessarily true. Chu Qingyun is at a disadvantage, but he’s not on the verge of defeat. What if he has another trick up his sleeve? If he and Huo Yuchen gravely injure each other, then..."

At his words, it wasn’t just Princess Qingyou who frowned; even Huo Yuchen and several of Yu Chen’s own subordinates furrowed their brows.

’Even now, that guy is still thinking about infighting and how to gain an advantage from the chaos.’

"Yin Feiyang, ignore him. Tell Chu Qingyun how to control Sword Qi," Princess Qingyou commanded.

"Don’t you dare! Yin Feiyang, I, the Ninth Prince of Great Xia, command you! Do not speak!" the Ninth Prince insisted, trying to stop him.

Yin Feiyang was caught in a dilemma, unsure of what to do.

However, after a moment of hesitation, he finally gritted his teeth and shouted out the method for controlling Sword Qi.

This method was hardly a secret in the imperial cities of the major dynasties. Even in the surrounding Blood-soaked Land, most of those who had reached the Qi Realm already knew it.

Upon hearing the method, Chu Qingyun immediately put it to the test.

As he tried, the three-meter-long stream of Sword Qi on his Strange Sword instantly began to tremble, showing a response.

Huo Yuchen, Yin Feiyang, and the others present who had reached the Qi Realm all stared with wide eyes. ’This guy... is he actually going to succeed on his first try?!’

The faint purple Sword Qi trembled for a moment but failed to shrink, quickly stabilizing again.

Clearly, Chu Qingyun’s first attempt had failed.

"Hmph, Chu Qingyun, do you think you’re some Unparalleled Genius? Did you really think you could learn to control Sword Qi in the middle of a fight?"

"It took me a whole year of hard practice to master this!"

"Now, die!"

Huo Yuchen steeled himself and once again swung his saber at Chu Qingyun, his attacks growing even more ferocious.

But Chu Qingyun was completely unfazed by his words. While fending off Huo Yuchen’s assault, he continued Multi-tasking, trying to get a feel for controlling his Thunder Light Sword Qi.

Chu Qingyun still had other tricks up his sleeve. If he used them, he could likely reverse his disadvantage and perhaps even gain the upper hand.

For instance, he could have secretly used his Devouring Power or restrained his opponent with the Iron Thread Ten-Star Vine.

But Chu Qingyun did neither. He needed the pressure.

Pressure created motivation.

Under the pressure of Huo Yuchen’s aggressive and lethal assault, Chu Qingyun could grasp the method of controlling Sword Qi much more quickly and efficiently.

Of course, this was something only an Alchemist like Chu Qingyun, with his powerful Soul Power and mastery of Multi-tasking, could possibly achieve.

Any other Martial Artist attempting this would have failed on both fronts—they would neither grasp the method of controlling Sword Qi nor avoid being beaten to a pulp.

After another thirty or forty exchanges, Chu Qingyun’s three-meter-long Sword Qi suddenly shrank, shortening to just over a meter.

The sudden retraction of the Sword Qi caught Huo Yuchen completely off guard. Seizing the opportunity, Chu Qingyun launched a fierce counterattack, forcing him back again and again and even slicing off a piece of his sleeve.

"He actually did it!"

"That’s incredible! How much time has even passed?"

"He hasn’t even known the method for three minutes... Those three minutes... are worth a year of my own bitter training..."

Those who had not yet reached the Qi Realm were merely impressed, but those who had were utterly astonished. ’That level of comprehension is terrifying!’ they thought.

Huo Yuchen was so furious he ground his teeth. His gaze on Chu Qingyun turned even colder, his killing intent flaring.

’This kid must not be allowed to live!’

Huo Yuchen’s resolve hardened. His Sword Qi began to shift more frequently as he used his full power, launching a furious assault on Chu Qingyun.

However, after that first success, everything else became much easier.

After another dozen exchanges, Chu Qingyun could already extend his Sword Qi to its full three-meter length at will or condense it to simply coat his Strange Sword, much like a Sword Qi Seed.

Moreover, Chu Qingyun discovered that the more he condensed the Sword Qi, the greater its power and the sharper its aura became.

After another ten or so exchanges, Chu Qingyun had achieved true mastery over the technique. He could now wield it with virtually no impediment.

His Sword Qi flickered between long and short. At times, just as he aimed the tip of his sword at Huo Yuchen, the Sword Qi would suddenly extend, startling a cold sweat out of his opponent.

In less than a hundred exchanges, Chu Qingyun’s control over his Sword Qi was already no weaker than Huo Yuchen’s. In some respects, it was even stronger.

Huo Yuchen may have been a Level Six Martial Spirit with formidable strength and a powerful Secret Technique like Reversed Scale Transformation, but Chu Qingyun had cultivated the Profound Celestial Divine Pattern to its final layer and had integrated three types of Martial Soul Power. The Senluo Iron Wall Soul Power, in particular, was of enormous help to him.

Even if his absolute power was still inferior to Huo Yuchen’s, the protection of the Senluo Iron Wall Soul Power gave him what it took to clash head-on.

’Damn it, why is he so strong... I can’t let this continue...’ Huo Yuchen had a sinking feeling that if this kept up, he was going to lose.

"Kid, take this! My final move!"

Huo Yuchen let out a sudden roar. The faint black scales that had covered only his arms instantly spread, enveloping his entire body. Black scales even appeared on his face.