Devouring Soul Emperor

The Qianshui Dynasty had purchased a sizable courtyard in Blood Abyss City to serve as the residence for those who would be entering the Blood Sect ruins.

When Zhou Wushang learned that Zhou Wuya had recruited a Celestial Spirit Realm expert, he was delighted. He and the other Celestial Spirit Realm experts at the residence all came out to welcome them.

When sects recruited disciples, they required them to be in the Martial Spirit Realm and under the age of twenty-five. Only then could they ensure the new disciples were worth training.

As a result, Celestial Spirit Realm experts were exceedingly rare among the candidates.

A seventh-grade Martial Spirit was already a rare sight. An eighth-grade Martial Spirit was practically unheard of.

For example, the Qianshui Dynasty, one of the Ten Great Dynasties among the Hundred Dynasties, only had four seventh-grade Martial Spirits.

Dressed in a cyan robe, Zhou Wushang cut a rather dashing figure. He strode over, leading the other Celestial Spirit Realm experts.

"Wuya, you’ve done well this time. Bringing back a Celestial Spirit Realm expert... I’ll be sure to credit you for this."

As Zhou Wushang spoke, his eyes landed on Mu Xiaoxiao, and a burning desire instantly filled them. He couldn’t tear his gaze away.

"Fifth Brother, allow me to introduce you. These three are..."

Zhou Wuya tried to introduce Chu Qingyun and his companions, but Zhou Wushang stopped him with a wave of his hand.

"Young lady, I am Zhou Wushang, the Fifth Prince of the Qianshui Dynasty. I will be leading our group from the Saint Extreme Sect on this expedition to the Blood Sect ruins."

"May I have the honor of knowing your name and which dynasty you hail from?"

Zhou Wushang completely ignored Zhou Wuya, Chu Qingyun, and Dai. He only had eyes for Mu Xiaoxiao.

At this, Zhou Wuya gave a wry smile and said to Chu Qingyun, "Please don’t mind him, Chu. That’s just the way my fifth brother is."

Chu Qingyun just smiled and nodded, saying nothing.

’After all, he and Mu Xiaoxiao had no real relationship. How other people treated her was none of his business.’

Faced with Zhou Wushang’s question, Mu Xiaoxiao’s eyes darted about for a moment before she replied, "My name is Mu Xiaoxiao, and I’m from the Great Xia Dynasty. These two are also from the Great Xia Dynasty!"

Chu Qingyun was rendered speechless and shot a look at Mu Xiaoxiao.

Mu Xiaoxiao, however, just glared back at Chu Qingyun, pouting slightly with a threatening glint in her eyes.

Noticing the subtle exchange between Mu Xiaoxiao and Chu Qingyun, a flicker of displeasure crossed Zhou Wushang’s eyes. However, after thinking it over, he couldn’t recall any "Great Xia Dynasty." He figured it must be some unknown, minor dynasty.

At this thought, the corners of Zhou Wushang’s mouth lifted into a smirk.

This reminded Chu Qingyun that he had asked Mu Xiaoxiao and Dai about their origins more than once over the past two days, but she had steadfastly refused to say. And now, she was lying about being from the Great Xia Dynasty.

’In that case, they’re probably not from the Hundred Dynasties at all, but from the Blood-soaked Land...’ Chu Qingyun speculated internally, but he didn’t expose her lie.

After everyone had gathered in a large hall, they took their seats.

"Xiaoxiao, how does your Great Xia Dynasty rank among the Hundred Dynasties? And what position does your family hold?" Zhou Wushang asked with a smile, his gaze fixed on Mu Xiaoxiao.

Mu Xiaoxiao was displeased by his overly familiar tone.

Nevertheless, she forced herself to answer, "The Great Xia Dynasty... is... fine... My family... we’re Generals. Just ordinary Generals..."

Mu Xiaoxiao was making it all up as she went, her eyes continuously darting toward Chu Qingyun, pleading for him to bail her out. Aside from its name, she knew absolutely nothing about the Great Xia Dynasty.

But Chu Qingyun wanted no part of it. He sat in his chair, feigning deep contemplation and pretending he hadn’t seen a thing.

"Heh, Xiaoxiao, you may already know that our Qianshui Dynasty is acclaimed as one of the Ten Great Dynasties. Within our Royal Race, we have two supreme experts of the Earth Emperor Realm..."

Zhou Wushang went on and on, boasting about the might of the Qianshui Dynasty and the number of powerful experts it possessed.

He failed to notice, however, the flicker of disdain in Mu Xiaoxiao’s eyes when he mentioned the so-called "supreme experts" of the Earth Emperor Realm.

After that, Zhou Wushang asked Mu Xiaoxiao more questions about the Great Xia Dynasty, and Mu Xiaoxiao had no choice but to continue spinning her web of lies.

Fortunately, no one else in the hall knew anything about the Great Xia Dynasty, so her lies weren’t exposed.

"Xiaoxiao, a place like the Great Xia Dynasty ultimately offers no opportunities for advancement. I wonder, would you be interested in moving your family to my Qianshui Dynasty?"

"Once I’m in the Saint Extreme Sect, all it would take is a single message from me to make your father a General in the Qianshui Dynasty. What do you think? The status of a General in our Qianshui Dynasty is in no way inferior to that of the royals and nobles of an ordinary dynasty."

Zhou Wushang stared at Mu Xiaoxiao with a burning gaze, the predatory desire in his eyes now completely undisguised.

Mu Xiaoxiao looked to be less than twenty years old, yet she was already a Celestial Spirit Realm expert. She was also young and stunningly beautiful, and apparently, she had no significant background. In Zhou Wushang’s eyes, she was the perfect target: once he grew tired of her or found someone better in the sect, she would be easy to cast aside.

At this point, Mu Xiaoxiao finally realized that something was wrong.

This Zhou Wushang had talked to her at length, but he only ever circled back to the Great Xia Dynasty or her fabricated family, never once mentioning the actual reason they were here: the Blood Sect ruins.

"Zhou Wushang, what are you getting at?" Mu Xiaoxiao finally met his gaze and asked.

"Ahem, Xiaoxiao, we’re all Martial Artists, so I won’t beat around the bush. Become my woman, and I guarantee your family a place to prosper in the Qianshui Dynasty."

"Furthermore, the geniuses of the Qianshui Dynasty have always joined the Saint Extreme Sect, where we are now deeply entrenched. If you’re with me, you’ll enjoy numerous benefits once you’re in the Saint Extreme Sect as well."

After speaking, a look of arrogant pride spread across Zhou Wushang’s face.

In his mind, Mu Xiaoxiao was just some genius from an insignificant little dynasty. As long as he promised her benefits for her family and for her future in the sect, getting her would be child’s play.

Hearing this, Mu Xiaoxiao’s eyes instantly filled with rage.

Then, she glanced over at Chu Qingyun, who sat there, unflappably calm, not saying a word or showing any reaction. This only made her even more furious.

’Hmph! So you want to be calm? Let’s see how long you can keep that up!’

A mischievous glint appeared in Mu Xiaoxiao’s eyes as an idea struck her.

She suddenly grabbed Chu Qingyun’s arm, hugging it tightly to her chest, and said with a bright smile, "I’m afraid that won’t be possible, Fifth Prince. You see, Chu Qingyun and I have been betrothed since birth."

At her words, Chu Qingyun’s eyes flew wide open. He had a sinking feeling that a disaster he’d done nothing to deserve was about to crash down upon him.

Mu Xiaoxiao, however, turned and shot Chu Qingyun a vicious glare that clearly said, ’If you dare try to explain, I’ll take you down with me!’