Devouring Soul Emperor

"Heh, you’re courting death!"

The Ninth Prince sneered. Not even bothering to use his Primordial Power, he shattered the Primordial Power on Xia He’s hands with a casual palm strike.

He followed up with another palm strike. BAM! Xia He was sent flying backward, coughing up blood nonstop after he hit the ground.

The Ninth Prince was a Level 5 Martial Spirit.

Meanwhile, Xia He had only just recently broken through to become a Level 1 Martial Spirit. The two of them weren’t even in the same league.

"Tsk, tsk. Truly pathetic. No wonder you can only scrape by in these lowly County Cities. Trash is trash!"

"I might as well just cripple you. It’ll save you from embarrassing yourself further!"

A vicious glint flashed in the Ninth Prince’s eyes as he lunged forward again. He aimed a palm strike at Xia He’s abdomen—at his Qi Sea. He was actually going to cripple him!

Chu Qingyun’s expression turned icy. He instantly released Dai Linggang and, in a flash, moved to block the Ninth Prince’s path.

BAM!

The Strange Sword, wreathed in Thunder Light Sword Qi, slammed into the Ninth Prince’s palm.

The Primordial Power on the Ninth Prince’s palm trembled, but he still managed to forcefully block the Thunder Light Sword Qi.

Chu Qingyun, on the other hand, let out a muffled grunt from the impact, a trickle of blood escaping the corner of his mouth.

Even by channeling three portions of his Martial Soul Power on top of his Thunder Light Sword Qi, he was still no match for the Ninth Prince’s casual strike. A Level 5 Martial Spirit was just so much stronger than a Level 4.

"Brat, you dare stand in my way? Do you still not know who I am?" the Ninth Prince snarled, his voice chilling as he stared at Chu Qingyun.

"Hmph. So what if I know? Ninth Prince!" Chu Qingyun retorted with a cold snort, remaining firmly in front of Xia He.

"Fine. You know who I am and you still dare to defy me? In that case, this Prince will be the one to send you to your grave!"

The Ninth Prince’s expression grew cold. He curled his fingers into a claw as streaks of cyan Martial Soul Power and Primordial Power gathered at his fingertips. The piercing aura that erupted from him made everyone nearby turn pale.

Chu Qingyun’s expression turned grim. He had already communicated with his Devouring Martial Soul, condensing a sliver of Devouring Power in his palm, ready to unleash it at a moment’s notice.

’Against a Level 5 Martial Spirit who wants me dead, I can’t afford to hold anything back.’

But just at that moment, a cold snort echoed from beyond the crowd.

The Ninth Prince shuddered, and the Martial Soul Power and Primordial Power gathered in his hand dissipated with a soft pop.

Chu Qingyun felt as if his very soul had been dealt a heavy blow. All the Primordial Power and Martial Soul Power he had mustered vanished completely in the wake of that single snort.

The crowd parted instinctively as Lord Lan and Prince Duan walked over, side by side.

At the sight of the two men, the Ninth Prince instantly shed his arrogance and chilling demeanor, bowing respectfully. "Imperial Uncle, Lord Lan..."

Xia He scrambled to his feet and bowed to them as well.

"Ninth Prince, what is the meaning of this? Did I not order all of you to remain on the Flying Ship?" Prince Duan’s expression was cold.

This escort mission was of utmost importance.

All eyes in the Great Xia Empire, from the highest echelons to the common folk, were on this Flying Ship. Even the Martial Soul Hall was lying in wait, ready to strike at the young geniuses on board at any moment.

That’s why Prince Duan had ordered everyone to stay inside the Flying Ship.

"Heh... Imperial Uncle, I just grew tired of being cooped up inside and came out for a stroll, to get some air," the Ninth Prince said with a nervous laugh.

He would never admit that he had come looking for Chu Qingyun specifically to vent his frustration after failing to recruit Jingtai and the others.

"Tired of being cooped up? Getting some air? Yu Chen! How about I send you back to the Royal Capital so you can get all the fresh air you want!"

"Attacking your own brother! Such infighting! Do you have any respect for me, your Imperial Uncle, at all!"

Prince Duan rebuked furiously, glaring at the Ninth Prince.

When the Ninth Prince had been rude before, not bothering to knock on doors aboard the Flying Ship, Prince Duan hadn’t cared.

When he’d played his little games, trying to win over Jingtai and the others, Prince Duan hadn’t cared either.

But this time, he had snuck off the Flying Ship with a whole entourage and even dared to try and cripple his own brother. This was something Prince Duan could not ignore.

It wasn’t just because his actions could jeopardize the safety of the entire Flying Ship. It was because the rule he broke was one Prince Duan himself had set!

"Im-Imperial Uncle... I..."

Facing Prince Duan’s anger, the Ninth Prince instantly cowered, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Throughout their journey, Prince Duan had rarely shown any anger, appearing so good-tempered that the Ninth Prince had almost forgotten: the man standing before him was a Celestial King Realm expert!

"Shut up! Get your ass back to the Flying Ship right now! If you dare to take even half a step off that ship before we reach the Blood-soaked Land, this King will not spare you!"

This time, Prince Duan was truly furious.

Infighting was the one thing he detested above all else!

"Yes, yes..."

Looking like a defeated rooster, the Ninth Prince had lost all his prior arrogance and smugness and was about to slink away in disgrace.

Just as he was about to leave, however, Lord Lan stopped him. "Ninth Prince, wait."

"Lord Lan, what are your orders?" the Ninth Prince asked, his voice strained as he swallowed hard.

The Ninth Prince was even more afraid to act arrogantly in front of Lord Lan.

Not only was the man’s power unfathomable, but he also held an extremely high position among the Great Xia Dragon Guard. Deep down, the Ninth Prince was actually more afraid of him than he was of Prince Duan.

After all, Prince Duan was his biological uncle and wouldn’t truly harm him. Lord Lan, however, was a different matter entirely.

"Assaulting a Great Xia Dragon Guard is a capital offense, tantamount to treason. Were you aware of that, Ninth Prince?" Lord Lan asked mildly.

At these words, the Ninth Prince’s heart plummeted, and his face turned ashen.

’Is this bigwig from the Great Xia Dragon Guard actually going to stand up for his subordinate?’

The young aristocrats in the Royal Capital had been throwing their weight around and showing contempt for the Great Xia Dragon Guard for years. The Ninth Prince was merely continuing that tradition. He never expected to walk right into the line of fire this time.

The Ninth Prince’s expression turned foul, as if he’d just swallowed a dead rat. He shot a pleading look at Prince Duan.

Prince Duan, in turn, looked at Lord Lan.

But before he could speak, Lord Lan spoke first. "Slap yourself three times, then get the hell back to the Flying Ship."

At once, the young men and women who followed the Ninth Prince were utterly stunned.

’Making a Prince slap his own face... that’s outrageous!’

The nearby Great Xia Dragon Guards, however, felt a passionate fire ignite within them. They could tell that this man must be one of their high-ranking commanders.

The Ninth Prince looked to Prince Duan for help, but Prince Duan just shook his head slightly, saying nothing more.

’Prince Duan understood. Lord Lan was establishing the authority of the Great Xia Dragon Guard.’

A Prince, forced to slap his own face. One could only imagine how quickly news of this incident would travel back to the Royal Capital.

And the other young nobles in the Royal Capital would certainly learn to be a lot more restrained!