Devouring Soul Emperor

While Chu Qingyun was lost in thought, Dai charged forward again with his hammer.

This time, however, Chu Qingyun didn’t immediately try to dodge. Instead, he stared intently at Dai’s every move, trying to see just how he swung the hammer.

But from his perspective, Dai’s movements were no different from an ordinary person’s. In fact, his technique with the warhammer was even worse than a typical Martial Artist’s.

Dai attacked relentlessly, one hammer strike after another.

And Chu Qingyun kept his eyes fixed on him, trying to see through his technique.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t grasp it at all. The move seemed to be a kind of insight or intent—something internal, unrelated to the physical movements.

However, as he continued watching Dai swing his hammer, something seemed to stir within him.

He gained a deeper, indescribable understanding of the Sea of Thunder and Lightning he had previously unleashed, and of the final verses of the Thunder Sword Manual.

After more than a dozen swings, all of which Chu Qingyun dodged with his Thunder Light Sword Qi, Dai was panting and getting tired.

"Big Sis, Big Bro keeps dodging. I can’t hit him." Dai actually turned his head and said this to the girl, as if tattling on him.

The girl looked at Chu Qingyun and said, "Hey, kid! If you’ve got any guts, stop dodging. Do you dare face Dai head-on for one exchange?"

"Why should I face him head-on? Isn’t an advantage in speed still an advantage?" Chu Qingyun replied, though inwardly he was on high alert.

Just this one slow-witted guy was already so hard to deal with.

If the girl, who gave him a faint sense of danger, were to attack, things would be even more difficult.

’I might have to use my other Martial Souls. But if I do, I’ll have to kill them to silence them...’

Chu Qingyun thought silently to himself.

At the same time, he glanced around and saw that there was no one else nearby.

Just then, the girl said, "How about this? You face Dai for one exchange. If you can beat him, we’ll let you go. What do you say?"

"Really?" Chu Qingyun asked. A robber’s word wasn’t exactly trustworthy.

"Of course. This young lady’s word is her bond," the girl said.

Chu Qingyun thought for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. But if I happen to injure him with my sword, don’t blame me."

Normal robbers would just swarm their target; they wouldn’t bother with a one-on-one duel. From the looks of it, these two didn’t really seem like robbers.

So, Chu Qingyun decided to trust them, just this once.

"Hmph. Such big talk. As if you could hurt Dai."

"Dai, beat him up! Don’t hold back!" the girl said to Dai, her voice crisp and clear.

An excited look appeared on Dai’s face. "Big Bro, watch out! Here I come!" With that, Dai suddenly took several steps forward and brought his hammer down on Chu Qingyun.

"Thrusting Sword Technique!"

This time, however, Chu Qingyun didn’t dodge. He also took two steps forward and suddenly executed the Thrusting Sword Technique, stabbing his sword toward Dai.

The Earth Seal Sword, wreathed in Sword Qi, transformed into a streak of pale violet light. It instantly pierced through the force of Dai’s hammer blow. The binding power that had surged from the earth was also torn apart by the sharp fluctuations of the Thrusting Sword Technique combined with the Thunder Light Sword Qi.

As the Sword Qi closed in, ripples of earthy yellow light spread across the warhammer.

However, that earthy yellow power only held on for a moment before being pierced and torn asunder. The Sword Qi shot between Dai’s hands, severing the hammer’s handle in one strike. The sheer sharpness of the passing aura ripped through Dai’s Primordial Power, leaving several bloody gashes on his hands.

Although Dai’s move had reached a high realm, his understanding of it was still in its infancy. It was no match for an explosive technique like the Thrusting Sword Technique.

Staring at the Sword Qi hovering before his throat, beads of cold sweat broke out on Dai’s forehead. "Big Bro, you... you have to move it! I lost! I surrender!"

Though he was a bit slow, he could still tell that Chu Qingyun had shown mercy and spared his life.

Chu Qingyun, however, didn’t withdraw the Sword Qi. He looked at the girl and sneered, "Now, are you still going to rob me?"

Seeing Dai in Chu Qingyun’s hands, the girl’s face filled with anxiety. She said, "That’s the Thrusting Sword Technique from the Celestial Sword Three Techniques! Are you a disciple of the Celestial Sword Sect? Let Dai go, quick! We surrender. We’ll let you leave."

Chu Qingyun raised an eyebrow in surprise.

He hadn’t expected the girl to even recognize the Celestial Sword Three Techniques.

"How can I believe you? Since when do robbers keep their word?" Chu Qingyun said, moving the Sword Qi a little closer to Dai’s throat.

"You..."

The girl’s eyes were filled with desperation. Suddenly, a powerful aura erupted from her body and locked onto Chu Qingyun.

It was the aura of a seventh-level Martial Spirit, of the Celestial Spirit Realm!

"Kid, let Dai go, or you’re dead today!"

Chu Qingyun was shocked. This girl looked to be only seventeen or eighteen, about the same age as him, yet she was already a Celestial Spirit Realm expert.

No wonder he had felt a faint sense of danger from her earlier.

But this made it even more important for Chu Qingyun not to release Dai so easily. "How can I trust that you won’t attack me after I let him go?"

"I swear! If you let Dai go, we absolutely will not give you any more trouble! If I go back on my word, may my path on the Martial Dao be forever sealed, with no chance of a breakthrough!" the girl said, gritting her teeth and glaring fiercely at Chu Qingyun.

She had just been bored on the road and wanted to mess with Chu Qingyun for fun. She never thought it would turn into this.

"Alright. Remember your oath."

Chu Qingyun nodded and released Dai.

To be unable to advance on the path of the Martial Dao—for a Martial Artist, such an oath was simply too vicious. Whether one believed in fate or not, no one would dare joke about such a thing.

After letting Dai go, Chu Qingyun gritted his teeth, sheathed his sword, and subtly moved his right arm behind his back, out of their line of sight.

Even after reaching the fourth-level Martial Spirit and acquiring the fifth layer of the Profound Celestial Divine Pattern, executing the Thrusting Sword Technique still made Chu Qingyun’s arm ache.

However, the strain was much less severe than the last time he’d used it. He estimated that with the healing from his Iron Wire Ten-Star Vine Soul Power, it would probably recover in about ten minutes.

After letting Dai go, Chu Qingyun jumped onto his horse and continued on his way to Blood Abyss City.

However, the girl and Dai also got on their horses and started following him.

"Hm? Why are you two following me?" Chu Qingyun asked, turning his head.

"To watch you die!" the girl said, glaring at him fiercely.

’Unbelievable...’

Chu Qingyun shook his head.

"Hmph. A mere fourth-level Martial Spirit like you wants to go to the Blood Sect ruins? If that’s not asking for death, what is?" the girl snorted.