Devouring Soul Emperor

"Young Master, they’ve all escaped. What should we do?" a Level 6 Martial Spirit next to Tu Qiang asked.

"We... run too!" Tu Qiang said after a moment’s hesitation.

Then, the remaining fourteen Level 6 Martial Spirits surrounded Tu Qiang and rushed toward the edge of the forest.

’Hmph, so you’ve finally made your move...’

Chu Qingyun’s figure flickered. He gave up chasing the others and went after Tu Qiang and his men.

If Tu Qiang and his men had stubbornly held their ground until dawn, Chu Qingyun really would have been at a loss.

But since they were on the move, things became much simpler.

"Iron Thread Ten-Star Vine!"

Ten vines shot out from the darkness behind Tu Qiang’s group, emitting a hair-raising sound as they sliced through the air.

A Level 6 Martial Spirit was caught, instantly yanked to the ground, and dragged into the darkness behind them.

"Forget him! Keep moving forward!" Tu Qiang commanded, his eyes turning vicious.

Looks of conflict appeared on the faces of the remaining thirteen Level 6 Martial Spirits, but in the end, they sighed and continued to guard Tu Qiang as they fled for their lives.

The one who had been caught, paralyzed by terror, offered no resistance and was easily slain by Chu Qingyun with a single strike of his sword.

Without wasting much time, Chu Qingyun closed in on Tu Qiang’s group again, once more unleashing his Iron Wire Ten-Star Vine Martial Soul to grab another Level 6 Martial Spirit.

The reason he went after the Level 6 Martial Spirits every time was that Chu Qingyun had already figured out that Tu Qiang didn’t care about his subordinates’ lives at all. If a Level 6 Martial Spirit were caught, he would definitely choose to abandon him and save himself.

But if he had tried to grab Tu Qiang directly, all the Level 6 Martial Spirits would have surrounded and attacked him, which would have been counterproductive.

So, Chu Qingyun planned to slowly whittle down their numbers one by one.

The cat-and-mouse game continued. Chu Qingyun had been chasing them, a group of forty to fifty Earth Spirit Realm experts, for nearly twenty minutes.

During those twenty minutes, Chu Qingyun had killed a total of six of Tu Qiang’s men. Now, only eight remained to protect him.

However, after rushing forward two more steps, Chu Qingyun’s expression suddenly changed. He stopped in his tracks and concealed himself.

The Devouring Martial Soul in his Qi Sea had suddenly trembled slightly.

’There are people from the Martial Soul Hall up ahead!’

Because of Lord Ming’s appearance, Chu Qingyun was now extremely wary and cautious of the Martial Soul Hall.

Upon sensing the Martial Soul Hall’s presence, Chu Qingyun immediately slowed down and crept forward cautiously, wanting to see what was going on.

Up ahead, there were about twenty people. Each of them was gathering Primordial Power in their hands, illuminating the area.

When he got a clear look at the leader, Chu Qingyun couldn’t help but feel a tremor in his heart.

That person was none other than Lord Ming!

At this moment, Lord Ming seemed to have intercepted Tu Qiang and his men and was arguing with them.

"You started with fourteen Level 6 Martial Spirit subordinates, and now only eight are left. Chu Qingyun has obviously targeted you. Tell me why," Lord Ming said.

Tu Qiang’s expression was clearly ugly. "Get out of my way! This young master is returning to Black Blood City right now!"

Being blocked by a mere Level 6 Martial Spirit, on top of everything that had happened before, clearly infuriated Tu Qiang.

"Ahem, Young Master Tu, you should just tell him. This Lord Ming’s strength is extraordinary."

"That’s right, Young Master Tu. Whatever you do, don’t provoke Lord Ming."

A few of the twenty-some Earth Spirit Realm experts following Lord Ming spoke up.

Tu Qiang grew even more furious. "Extraordinary? I’d like to see just how extraordinary he is!"

"You two, get him! I’ll take responsibility if he’s killed!"

Two Level 6 Martial Spirits stepped out from Tu Qiang’s side. Primordial Power surged from their bodies as they ruthlessly struck out at Lord Ming with their palms.

But Lord Ming neither dodged nor evaded, allowing both palms to slam into him with two loud thuds.

After taking the two palm strikes, Lord Ming didn’t move an inch.

The two Level 6 Martial Spirits, however, each took a step back, their entire arms trembling so violently from the impact that they went numb.

Just then, Lord Ming suddenly raised his arms and pointed his index fingers at their foreheads. A burst of Primordial Power erupted from his fingertips. With two soft squelches, the terrifying Primordial Power pierced straight through their skulls!

*Hiss!*

Everyone present gasped, sucking in a cold breath.

To take two full-power palm strikes from Level 6 Martial Spirits without a scratch, then kill them with two casual fingers... that level of strength was just too terrifying!

Even Chu Qingyun, watching from a distance, couldn’t help but feel his heart tremble. He made up his mind, ’Until I’m strong enough, I absolutely cannot let Lord Ming get close to me!’

"Young Master Tu, are you ready to talk now?" Lord Ming said coolly, looking at Tu Qiang.

Tu Qiang’s face was filled with despair.

He had lost two more of his eight men, leaving only six.

However, he no longer dared to defy Lord Ming. He briefly explained how his Earth Seal Sword resonated with Chu Qingyun’s Strange Sword.

He also mentioned that his father was a Martial King Level expert who had once appraised the Earth Seal Sword and determined it was likely a fragment of a King-grade Divine Sword.

After speaking, Tu Qiang untied the longsword from his waist and reluctantly offered it to Lord Ming.

Lord Ming stared at the strangely shaped sword, pondered for a moment, and said, "Leave the sword with you for now. I’ll take it after we’ve killed Chu Qingyun."

Hearing this, Tu Qiang’s expression turned even uglier.

This Lord Ming was using him as bait.

If Lord Ming had taken the sword himself, Chu Qingyun would likely have given up and left immediately. But with it still on Tu Qiang’s person, it was a different story.

This was an open conspiracy.

Lord Ming had intentionally spoken loudly, as if he knew Chu Qingyun was nearby. It was as if he were saying, ’The sword is still with Tu Qiang. If you have the guts, come and get it!’

"With Lord Ming personally overseeing things here, if that kid dares to show up, he’ll die without a burial place."

"Haha, of course! Lord Ming’s strength is probably comparable to a Celestial Spirit Realm expert’s!"

The surrounding people all started showering him with flattery.

These people still hadn’t left.

On one hand, they were afraid of running into Chu Qingyun on the road and being killed by him. On the other hand, they hadn’t given up on the two swords. As long as the swords hadn’t fallen into the hands of someone with absolutely overwhelming power like Lord Ming, they still held onto the idea of fishing in troubled waters.

"Heh, Lord Ming. How majestic."

"You idiots, don’t you know who this Lord Ming is? He’s from the Martial Soul Hall!"

Just then, Chu Qingyun shouted from the darkness nearby.

Instantly, an uproar broke out among the crowd, and they even quietly took a few steps away from Lord Ming.

Everyone present was an Earth Spirit Realm expert and knew a great deal about the world. The Martial Soul Hall was the mortal enemy of all human Martial Artists!