Devouring Soul Emperor

As he looked at the faint purple Sword Qi, Zheng Baoshan’s expression grew much more serious.

He could faintly sense an exceptionally sharp aura.

’Could... could this kid really break my defense?’ Instead of anger or worry, a faint hint of anticipation sparked in Zheng Baoshan’s eyes.

"My blade!"

Chu Qingyun offered a warning before thrusting his sword straight for Zheng Baoshan’s shoulder.

"A fine strike!"

Zheng Baoshan’s eyes narrowed. He made no move to dodge or evade, preparing to take the strike head-on.

CLANG... SHINK!

Once empowered by the Thunder Light Power, the Sword Qi’s might was several times greater than before. In a single strike, it instantly broke through Zheng Baoshan’s Golden Net Body and Gilded Protection, leaving a bloody scratch on his shoulder.

He had actually broken through!

It wasn’t just Zheng Baoshan; even many of the Fifth-level Martial Spirits below the stage stared with wide, astonished eyes.

Zheng Baoshan had earned quite a reputation among the prodigies on the Flying Ship for his incredible defense. He had sparred with others before, and even many of his peers, fellow Fifth-level Martial Spirits, had been unable to break through it.

And now, his dual defense of the Golden Net Body and Gilded Protection had been broken by a mere Third-level Martial Spirit!

"Heh heh, so it wasn’t just any ordinary Sword Qi..."

"My palm!"

Once he snapped out of his daze, Zheng Baoshan also unleashed a palm strike at Chu Qingyun.

But he, too, gave a warning before he struck. Chu Qingyun hadn’t taken advantage of his momentary daze with a sneak attack, so he returned the courtesy.

It was less of a battle and more of a friendly spar.

Facing this palm, Chu Qingyun didn’t use his sword. Instead, he mobilized his Primordial Power and met the attack with a palm of his own.

BOOM!

The two palms met.

Chu Qingyun’s Primordial Power shattered instantly. He felt a tremendous force surge into his body, making his entire arm go numb. He was immediately forced back several steps before he could regain his footing.

Zheng Baoshan, on the other hand, was like a tree rooted to the ground, not budging an inch.

’The Fifth Layer of the Profound Celestial Divine Pattern alone isn’t enough to shake a Fifth-level Martial Spirit...’ Chu Qingyun sighed to himself. A stream of Martial Soul Power from his Iron Wire Ten-Star Vine Martial Soul surged into his arm, quickly neutralizing the numbness.

"Chu Qingyun, since you broke my defense, I will now treat you as a true opponent."

"Prepare yourself!"

Glancing at the bloody scratch on his shoulder, Zheng Baoshan’s expression grew much more serious.

This wasn’t out of anger, but because the strength Chu Qingyun displayed had finally earned his respect.

As soon as Zheng Baoshan finished speaking, all the gold covering his body—from both the Golden Net Body Secret Technique and the Gilded Protection Soul Technique—swiftly flowed and converged onto his hands.

The rest of his body returned to its normal appearance.

Only his hands became a brilliant, glittering gold, looking just like a pair of golden hands.

"Take this!"

"Heavenly Net Palm Technique!"

Zheng Baoshan executed his Palm Technique, his figure flashing as he lunged straight for Chu Qingyun.

This time, his Body Technique and Palm Technique were perfectly coordinated, completely free of the numerous openings he had shown before.

As expected of a top prodigy!

Chu Qingyun praised him internally, swinging his sword to meet the charge.

Amidst Zheng Baoshan’s erratic movements, Chu Qingyun swiftly located his true body and thrust his sword straight for Zheng Baoshan’s head.

His Body Technique had been seen through.

Zheng Baoshan halted in his tracks, immediately stopping his advance. He then slammed his palms together, catching Chu Qingyun’s Thunder Light Sword Qi between his two Golden Hands.

The Thunder Light Sword Qi was incomparably sharp.

Even without a direct hit, just getting close was enough to shred the body of an ordinary Martial Spirit Realm expert. And upon making contact, even Zheng Baoshan, in his previous state, had been unable to block it.

But this time, the Thunder Light Sword Qi advanced between his golden palms, only to be brought to a dead stop right in front of his face.

And his hands were completely unscathed!

Having blocked the deadly strike, Zheng Baoshan swatted the beam of Thunder Light Sword Qi aside and charged at Chu Qingyun once more.

Only after they truly began to exchange blows did Chu Qingyun realize just how formidable Zheng Baoshan’s Palm Technique was. He could find no openings, and the pair of Golden Hands mounted an impenetrable defense against his Thunder Light Sword Qi.

The two fought fiercely for dozens of exchanges, but they were evenly matched, with neither able to gain the upper hand.

After one more head-on clash, the two temporarily broke apart.

"Haha, incredible! Truly incredible! You’re the first Third-level Martial Spirit to ever fight me to a standstill, Chu Qingyun! What do you say we call it a draw?"

Zheng Baoshan said with a hearty laugh.

A draw?

Chu Qingyun shook his head. "You’ve used your Secret Technique, Martial Soul, and Palm Technique, but I have yet to use my Martial Soul."

Against an opponent like Yu Ren, whom he could defeat with ease, Chu Qingyun had chosen to hold back to allow him to save some face.

But against a powerful, evenly matched expert like Zheng Baoshan, holding back would be an insult.

Hearing this, Zheng Baoshan suddenly remembered that Chu Qingyun still hadn’t used his Tier Four Martial Soul. A fervent battle lust immediately blazed in his eyes.

"At our Martial Spirit Realm level, we can’t truly unleash the full power of a Middle Tier Martial Soul. Even if you have a Tier Four Martial Soul, it won’t be that useful!"

Zheng Baoshan did have a point.

Martial Souls and Soul Techniques were considered fundamental aspects of one’s strength. For the prodigies on the Flying Ship, however, battles were more often decided by Secret Techniques, Sword and Palm Techniques, or other special abilities.

Of course, with countless types of Martial Souls in existence, one couldn’t make a blanket statement.

For example, take the Devouring Martial Soul. While its Soul Techniques weren’t useful in combat, its Devouring Power was an incredibly formidable force. Or consider the Flame Martial Soul; even at Tier Three, its power was nothing to scoff at.

But now, Chu Qingyun just smiled. "You’re about to find out whether it’s useful or not."

Ten vines sprouted from the Martial Soul behind him and, together with Chu Qingyun, charged Zheng Baoshan once more. Zheng Baoshan met them head-on, waving his golden hands.

However, the moment they engaged this time, Zheng Baoshan realized something was wrong.

The ten vines were incredibly nimble. While Chu Qingyun’s Thunder Light Sword Qi kept him occupied from the front, the vines continuously attacked him from every other direction.

After a mere ten exchanges, Zheng Baoshan was already in disarray.

After twenty exchanges, Zheng Baoshan had lost all semblance of strategy.

After thirty exchanges, Zheng Baoshan turned and ran. "I’m done, I’m done! I surrender! I thought my control over my Martial Soul Power was good, but you... you’re a complete monster!"

Zheng Baoshan stared irritably at the ten vines whipping about behind Chu Qingyun, so exasperated he could have ground his teeth to dust.

To fight him to a standstill from the front while simultaneously controlling ten vines to attack from different directions, all without the slightest hint of chaos—Zheng Baoshan had never seen such incredible control!