Devouring Soul Emperor

"Sword Qi!"

Yu Ren’s pupils contracted, his heart filled with horror.

’He’s only a Level 3 Martial Spirit, yet he’s already grasped Sword Qi. I’m a Level 4 Martial Spirit, and I still haven’t reached the realm of Qi!’

The meter-long slash of Sword Qi fell as if it could tear open space itself. Its piercing aura made the hairs on Yu Ren’s arms stand on end.

The momentum of his Tiger Subduing Fist was instantly torn apart.

The Primordial Power coating his fist held for only a moment before the Sword Qi shattered it!

Now that Chu Qingyun had advanced to a Level 3 Martial Spirit, the growth of his Thunder Light Sword Qi was more than a simple increase in length!

"Damn it! Split Leopard Fist!"

Yu Ren gritted his teeth, his left hand clenching into a fist that whistled through the air as he smashed it against the Strange Sword.

BANG!

His Split Leopard Fist struck the Sword Qi, but it too disintegrated on contact.

However, Chu Qingyun’s Strange Sword was knocked off course, its blade grazing the back of Yu Ren’s hand as it fell.

The combined Fist Power of the Tiger Subduing Fist and Split Leopard Fist sent a jolt through Chu Qingyun’s entire body. ’Without using the Profound Celestial Divine Pattern, clashing head-on with a Level 4 Martial Spirit still puts me at a disadvantage.’

In the middle of the fight, Chu Qingyun secretly nodded. He was gaining a clearer understanding of his own limits.

"Take another!"

With a sharp cry, Chu Qingyun flicked his wrist in a flourish and thrust his sword toward Yu Ren’s chest.

Facing the meter-long, pale purple Sword Qi, Yu Ren’s heart pounded wildly. He unleashed his Fist Technique again, deflecting the Sword Qi with two punches.

This time, however, even though the Sword Qi hadn’t made contact with his fists, its piercing aura left two bloody gashes on his knuckles.

The Sword Qi was deflected again, but Chu Qingyun merely smiled. He took a step forward, and with a deft flick, redirected his blade, sending the Sword Qi sweeping toward Yu Ren’s neck.

"Demon Ape Earthquake Fist!"

Yu Ren’s scalp tingled, and beads of cold sweat broke out across his forehead. With a great roar, a black light shot out from the Martial Soul Illusion behind him. It formed a colossal black fist, over three meters tall, that descended from the sky and smashed down toward Chu Qingyun.

The colossal fist pulsed with black light, emitting waves of a heart-stopping aura. Its massive shadow completely enveloped both Chu Qingyun and his Sword Qi.

"A Tier Four Soul Technique..."

Chu Qingyun’s expression darkened. He turned his blade, abandoning his attack on Yu Ren to slash at the colossal black fist instead.

The Sword Qi instantly tore a massive gash in the black fist. A torrent of black energy spewed out from within, and the entire construct began to tremble violently.

But a Tier Four Soul Technique was still a Tier Four Soul Technique.

Even after taking a direct hit from the Thunder Light Sword Qi and suffering heavy damage, it wasn’t completely destroyed.

Like a punctured water balloon, the giant fist spewed black energy as it slammed into Chu Qingyun with a loud THUD.

The entire battle stage shook violently.

Chu Qingyun was completely engulfed by the power of the Demon Ape Earthquake Fist, absorbing wave after wave of impact.

Having retreated several meters, Yu Ren touched his neck with lingering fear. He stared at the large cloud of black energy on the stage, his expression uncertain.

’Did Chu Qingyun lose?’

A moment later, however, a sweep of pale purple Sword Qi tore through the surrounding black energy like a gale. Only then did the audience see that the Soul Technique had never actually struck Chu Qingyun.

Ten vines from his Iron Thread Ten-Star Vine had formed a wall in front of him, acting as a shield.

Normally, such a defense could never block a Tier Four Soul Technique.

However, since the colossal fist had already been struck by the Sword Qi and lost much of its power, it couldn’t even break through the vines’ defense.

Yu Ren seemed to sigh in relief. "Chu, you are truly formidable. I concede. I am utterly convinced of your superiority."

"The match isn’t over yet, and you’re already conceding?" Chu Qingyun asked.

Yu Ren gave a bitter smile. "Chu, there’s no need to spare my pride. You’ve been holding back since your very first strike. Otherwise, both of my hands would have been long gone."

Yu Ren was no fool. He could clearly see that Chu Qingyun had been holding back the entire time.

It wasn’t just in the earlier exchanges. When Chu Qingyun’s Sword Qi swept toward his neck, it forced him to use his Soul Technique. If Chu Qingyun had decided to endure that attack, with the defense of his Iron Thread Ten-Star Vine, he would have been injured at most. But as for him, Yu Ren, his head would probably have gone flying.

Furthermore, throughout their brief exchange, Chu Qingyun hadn’t used his Martial Soul or any other Soul Techniques besides that final defense. That was another way he had held back.

So, even though Yu Ren still had an unused Secret Technique, he no longer had any desire to continue the fight.

’I know I’m no match for him. It’s true that I have a Secret Technique, but Chu Qingyun has one he hasn’t used, too. And his seems even stronger than mine!’

After conceding, Yu Ren shook his head with a sigh and leaped off the battle stage.

Chu Qingyun felt a little helpless about this. ’I wanted to force him to use his Secret Technique and have a proper fight, but I didn’t expect him to just give up.’

Still, after these two battles, he had a much more accurate grasp of his own strength.

’Without the Mysterious Sky Divine Pattern Secret Technique, clashing head-on with a Level 4 Martial Spirit is still a bit difficult. But with the Fifth-Layer Ice Pattern, I can crush a Level 4 Martial Spirit, and I should be able to barely hold my own against a Level 5 Martial Spirit.’

And his Thunder Light Sword Qi, now infused with more Thunder Light Power, had improved by leaps and bounds.

Previously, his Thunder Light Sword Qi couldn’t even break a Level 4 Martial Spirit’s Tier Three Soul Technique. Now, however, it could easily shatter a Tier Four Soul Technique.

By just using his Thunder Light Sword Qi and his Tier Four Martial Soul, Chu Qingyun could easily defeat a genius-level Level 4 Martial Spirit. If he were to also use the Profound Celestial Divine Pattern, he would likely stand a fighting chance even against a Fifth-level Martial Spirit.

With Yu Ren’s concession, nearly every Level 4 Martial Spirit below the stage abandoned any thought of challenging Chu Qingyun.

He had defeated Yu Ren effortlessly, convincing him so thoroughly that he had conceded on his own.

With that kind of strength, if any of them, the other Level 4 Martial Spirits, went up on stage, they would only be humiliating themselves. There was simply no chance of victory.

Even some of the Fifth-level Martial Spirits wore grave expressions, their eyes filled with contemplation.

At this moment, even they weren’t certain they could defeat Chu Qingyun!

Far from the battle stage, in a secluded spot, the Ninth Prince and his followers had been watching the fight intently.

Yu Ren’s concession made the Ninth Prince’s expression turn even uglier. "Useless! Absolutely useless! Can’t even handle a mere Level 3 Martial Spirit!"

Beside him, Dai Linggang’s mouth twitched, and he lowered his head.

’If Yu Ren is useless, then what does that make me? I’m even worse than useless...’