Devouring Soul Emperor

"Young Master Tu."

"Greetings, Young Master Tu..."

Seeing this man, many in the crowd greeted him.

As it turned out, this was none other than Tu Qiang, the son of the Black Blood Gang’s Gang Leader.

Tu Qiang had received news that two groups from the Land of Hundred Dynasties were fighting here, so he had casually brought a couple of men over to take a look.

Following the crowd’s gaze, Tu Qiang’s eyes naturally fell upon the sword in Chu Qingyun’s hand.

Instantly, a glint of light flashed through his eyes.

The sword in Chu Qingyun’s hand gave him a very familiar feeling. Moreover, the sword at his own waist had actually begun to tremble slightly!

Chu Qingyun’s expression also changed slightly.

It seemed that ever since that Young Master Tu had arrived, the sword in his hand had been vibrating gently.

’This sword is clearly incomplete, just a fragment. For it to react now, could it be...?’ Chu Qingyun thought to himself, his gaze also shifting to the sword at Tu Qiang’s waist.

Their gazes met mid-air, both flickering with understanding as they saw through each other’s thoughts.

"Ahem. Little brother, I’ve taken quite a liking to that sword of yours. Why don’t you name a price? I’ll buy it," Tu Qiang said to Chu Qingyun with a smile.

From the crowd’s attitude toward Tu Qiang and what he had previously heard about Black Blood City, Chu Qingyun could guess that this man was definitely connected to the Black Blood Gang.

However, he didn’t care.

Black Blood City was merely his first stop on the journey through the Blood-soaked Land. He would have no dealings with the Black Blood Gang. Besides, once he entered a sect and became a Sect Disciple, the Black Blood Gang wouldn’t dare cause him any trouble.

"I’m also very interested in your sword. Why don’t you name a price? I’ll buy yours," Chu Qingyun said.

After probing each other, both were even more certain that the other knew their two Broken Swords were resonating with each other.

At that moment, Huo Yuchen, having recovered slightly and tended to his injuries, whispered to Red Clothes and the others beside him, "Let’s go. We’re leaving Black Blood City."

With that, he took the lead, turning with Red Clothes and the others to walk briskly toward the city exit.

Huo Yuchen was a very smart man. He could vaguely sense that something major was about to happen because of Chu Qingyun’s sword. Moreover, with the Young Gang Leader of the Black Blood Gang—the local overlord of Black Blood City—now involved, they were bound to be at a disadvantage.

That being the case, it was better to withdraw first.

Similarly, although Yu Chen, the Ninth Prince of Great Xia’s imperial city, was sinister and petty, he wasn’t a fool. He also gathered his people to leave, calling for Princess Qingyou and her two companions before he went.

Despite their minor conflict earlier, the strength of Princess Qingyou’s group was not to be underestimated, and Yu Chen didn’t want to abandon them.

Princess Qingyou seemed a bit hesitant and looked toward Chu Qingyun.

Chu Qingyun, however, nodded at her, signaling that they should go with Yu Chen. No matter what, staying with him right now was definitely not a good choice.

The people from the Blood-soaked Land in the crowd did not try to stop these two groups from leaving.

Their entire attention was captivated by the sword in Chu Qingyun’s hand.

The sect’s Golden Order was a good thing, a credential that could grant entry into a sect. But those sects wanted people under the age of twenty-five, and very few people present met that requirement.

Snatching a sect’s Golden Order would, at most, only earn them some money.

But obtaining a King-rank Divine Weapon... that was a different story entirely.

A King-rank Divine Weapon was over a hundred times more powerful than a Spirit Level Divine Weapon. With one in hand, one could probably even put up a fight against a Celestial Spirit Realm expert!

After Huo Yuchen and Yu Chen’s groups were some distance away, Chu Qingyun glanced at the surrounding crowd and said, "Since they’ve all left, I won’t linger either. Everyone, farewell."

"Wait, little brother. My Black Blood Gang has always been hospitable. Why don’t I invite you to our headquarters for a visit? What do you say?"

Tu Qiang spoke with a smile, but he secretly shot a meaningful look at a level-six Martial Spirit beside him. The Martial Spirit gave a subtle nod in return.

"There’s no need. I am in a hurry to get to Celestial Martial City, so I won’t impose," Chu Qingyun said, turning to walk away. Inwardly, however, he was on high alert.

"Young Master Tu."

"Young Master Tu, he’s leaving..."

The people in the crowd were all unwilling to just watch Chu Qingyun walk away, yet they didn’t dare to make a move. One by one, they all looked toward Tu Qiang.

Tu Qiang sneered inwardly. ’You want to use me as cannon fodder so you can reap the rewards? In your dreams!’

"Black Blood City is a city of freedom, and my Black Blood Gang would never interfere with anyone’s comings and goings. Safe travels, little brother. Forgive me for not seeing you off!"

Tu Qiang called out loudly from behind Chu Qingyun.

However, a secretive glint flashed in his eyes.

When Chu Qingyun had turned around earlier, a level-six Martial Spirit next to Tu Qiang had flicked something that stuck to Chu Qingyun’s clothes. This went completely unnoticed.

"This..."

The surrounding crowd was hesitant and conflicted.

In the end, they split into two groups. One group, aware of their lack of strength and remaining relatively level-headed, chose to give up.

The other group, however, either felt they were strong enough or had their heads turned by the words "King-rank Divine Sword," and chose to follow Chu Qingyun.

But they only followed, not daring to make a move rashly.

After watching Chu Qingyun leave, the smile on Tu Qiang’s face quickly vanished. "Let’s go. We’ll go back and get more men. That kid’s sword is as good as mine!"

"Young Master, why go through all this trouble? We could have just taken him down directly," said a level-six Martial Spirit next to him.

Tu Qiang shook his head and said, "You underestimate the allure of a King-rank Divine Sword. Once someone takes the lead, kills that kid, and snatches the Divine Sword, it would trigger a mad scramble. At that point, with just the two of you being level-six Martial Spirits, it would be impossible to control the situation. We’d even be in danger ourselves."

"Then, Young Master, should we go back and ask for the Celestial Spirit Realm masters?" the other level-six Martial Spirit asked.

Tu Qiang thought for a moment, then shook his head again and sighed. "Sigh... Under the sect’s ’Forbidden King Order,’ my father and two uncles have all entered death seclusion."

"There are quite a few people in Black Blood City who have their eyes on my Black Blood Gang right now. The Celestial Spirit Realm experts all need to defend important locations. I doubt I could get them to move. We’d better just find more level-six Martial Spirits."

With the sect’s "Forbidden King Order" in effect, the status of Celestial Spirit Realm experts from the major factions in the Blood-soaked Land—especially top-tier ones at the eighth or ninth level—had risen significantly.

Even someone like Tu Qiang couldn’t necessarily command a Celestial Spirit Realm expert.

They could easily make an excuse, claiming the Gang Leader had given strict orders for them to focus all their efforts on defending the Black Blood Gang.