Devouring Soul Emperor

Chu Qingyun cultivated deep into the night before withdrawing from the Illusion Realm. He immediately closed his eyes and fell asleep, still fully clothed.

By this point, his success rate with the Thunder Sword had improved dramatically.

On average, he could now successfully execute it once every seven or eight attempts.

Of course, he was still a long way from completely mastering the technique.

The next morning, Chu Qingyun got up and washed his face.

Just as he was about to enter the Illusion Realm to continue his sword practice, he heard the sound of an argument coming from the courtyard gate.

Soon after, someone came to tell him he had a visitor.

Chu Qingyun was puzzled. He’d only been in Blood Abyss City for two days. ’Other than the people in this courtyard, I don’t know anyone else. Who could be looking for me?’

When he reached the courtyard entrance, Chu Qingyun’s eyes narrowed. He saw the Level 6 Martial Spirit from the Dark Moon Dynasty—the same man he had injured with a kick at the city gate the day before.

Upon seeing Chu Qingyun, the man immediately turned and said respectfully to someone behind him, "Fourth Prince, that’s him! He’s the one who injured me yesterday!"

At the same time, someone next to Chu Qingyun whispered to him that the leader of the opposing group was Huo Yuguang, the Fourth Prince of the Dark Moon Dynasty. He was also the one leading the Celestial Sword Sect’s contingent for the expedition to the Blood Sect ruins.

Huo Yuguang stepped forward, staring at Chu Qingyun. "So, you’re Chu Qingyun? You’re the one who injured the man from my Dark Moon Dynasty recruiting for the Celestial Sword Sect?"

"Many people saw what happened yesterday with their own eyes," Chu Qingyun said. "Your man from the Dark Moon Dynasty made the first move. I was merely defending myself."

"Defending yourself?"

Huo Yuguang sneered. "Who gave you the right to defend yourself? A piece of trash from some unknown dynasty dares to lay a hand on one of my Dark Moon Dynasty’s men!"

"The Dark Moon Dynasty, acting on behalf of the Celestial Sword Sect, offered you a place, and you dared to refuse? Do you look down on the Celestial Sword Sect?"

Hearing this, many onlookers frowned to themselves.

It was clear from Huo Yuguang’s attitude that he hadn’t come to reason. He was being utterly tyrannical, immediately throwing out a heavy accusation about disrespecting the Celestial Sword Sect. He was clearly just looking for trouble.

"The Celestial Sword Sect is the greatest sect in the Northern Domain; I naturally wouldn’t dare to disrespect it. However, you’ve brought your men here to cause a scene. Are you the one who looks down on the Saint Extreme Sect?"

Chu Qingyun threw the accusation right back at him.

Although the Saint Extreme Sect was weaker than the Celestial Sword Sect, it was still one of the Three Major Sects of the Northern Domain. It wasn’t an organization that a mere Huo Yuguang could afford to disrespect.

"Hmph. You’ve got a sharp tongue, boy. This Prince has no desire to play word games with you today."

"Get on your knees and kowtow in apology to my man from the Dark Moon Dynasty right now, and we’ll consider this matter settled!"

Huo Yuguang said with a cold snort.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the members from various dynasties who had already joined the Saint Extreme Sect turned ugly.

Anyone with eyes could see that Huo Yuguang wasn’t just here to cause trouble for Chu Qingyun. He was here to flex his power and intimidate everyone who had joined the Saint Extreme Sect.

After all, the person who got hurt was just a subordinate in the Earth Spirit Realm; he wasn’t important enough to warrant a personal visit from the Prince.

The commotion had now attracted even more attention. One by one, cultivators at the Celestial Spirit Realm emerged from the courtyard.

Mu Xiaoxiao and Dai came out as well, moving to Chu Qingyun’s side to ask what was happening.

Zhou Wushang, the leader of the Saint Extreme Sect’s contingent, also came out shortly after.

When Huo Yuguang saw Zhou Wushang, a cold glint flashed in his eyes. He sneered, "Zhou Wushang, your Qianshui Dynasty is indeed more powerful than our Dark Moon Dynasty."

"However, we’ve all joined our respective sects now. Our former identities as princes of dynasties should be cast aside. Since we’re in the sects, the sects must come first."

"This Chu Qingyun under your command injured my man. How about you make him kneel, kowtow, and apologize?"

With his words laid bare, Huo Yuguang’s objective was now painfully obvious.

「In two days, it would be time to enter the Blood Sect ruins.」

There were three main factions entering the ruins, with the Celestial Sword Sect and the Saint Extreme Sect being two of them.

It was conceivable that once inside, the two sects would be in fierce competition.

And now, Huo Yuguang was using the Celestial Sword Sect’s name to suppress and intimidate the members of the Saint Extreme Sect, building momentum for the expedition in two days.

If he succeeded in coercing Chu Qingyun, it would be a huge boon, as it would completely crush the morale of the Saint Extreme Sect’s party.

Even if he failed, it would still make it seem like they held the initiative. For them, it was a no-lose situation.

The only way for Zhou Wushang to turn the tables and seize the initiative would be to defeat them all in the most dominant fashion possible and drive them away.

However, that was highly unlikely, as the two groups were very closely matched in strength.

All eyes fell on Zhou Wushang, wondering how he would respond to the Celestial Sword Sect’s provocation.

Would he fight back directly?

Or would he argue his case and try to win the moral high ground?

After briefly assessing the situation, Zhou Wushang glanced at Chu Qingyun, who was standing very close to Mu Xiaoxiao. A sinister glint quietly flashed in his eyes.

"Ahem. Huo Yuguang, I think you have a point. Regardless of the circumstances, he injured someone, so he is at fault. Fault must be punished. Kneeling and kowtowing in apology is only right."

Zhou Wushang said nonchalantly.

Instantly, not only the members of the Saint Extreme Sect, but even Huo Yuguang and his group from the Celestial Sword Sect were stunned.

They had considered many possible responses, but they had never imagined Zhou Wushang would do *this*.

’What was this? He was the leader of their group, yet instead of standing up for his own people, he was siding with their rivals’ unreasonable demands to oppress one of them.’

’It was utter treachery.’

"Fifth Brother, what are you saying? How can you..." Zhou Wuya whispered anxiously from the side.

Zhou Wushang shot him a look. "Wuya, stay out of this. I know what I’m doing."

As he spoke, Zhou Wushang looked toward Chu Qingyun and Mu Xiaoxiao, a malicious smile spreading across his face.

By now, some of the Celestial Spirit Realm experts on the Saint Extreme Sect’s side had figured it out. Zhou Wushang was clearly doing this to get back at Chu Qingyun and Mu Xiaoxiao.

Realizing this, many of them—including the Celestial Spirit Realm experts who were also from the Qianshui Dynasty—couldn’t help but shake their heads.

’Sacrificing the group’s interests for a personal grudge, helping an outsider bully one of his own... The very thought was disheartening...’