Devouring Soul Emperor

The mummified corpse’s throat bobbed as it rapidly drank the blood.

As for the Level Six Martial Spirit, his body quickly turned pale and bloodless.

What was even more terrifying was that as the corpse fed, it seemed to regain a sliver of vitality. The suppressive aura in the area grew even stronger!

’Damn this thing...’

Sensing the slightly stronger suppression, Chu Qingyun cursed inwardly. He knew he couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

He turned his head and said to Dai, "Dai, I’m going to count to three. When I hit three, use Lifting Heavy as Light."

Dai nodded with difficulty and asked, "Who do I hit?"

"Anyone. Just strike forward."

"I’m starting. One... Two... Three!"

The moment the word "three" left his lips, Chu Qingyun and Dai both mustered every ounce of their strength. They painstakingly drew out Primordial Power from their meridians—one unleashing Thunder Sword, the other Lifting Heavy as Light.

Because their Primordial Power was suppressed, the amount they could call upon was pitifully small.

As a result, the power of their two techniques was pathetic. The Thunder that sparked from Chu Qingyun’s Earth Seal Sword couldn’t even fully envelop the blade.

But strangely, the moment they unleashed their techniques, the suppressive aura filling the main hall suddenly vanished. It had been broken!

’It worked!’

Chu Qingyun was ecstatic.

But he didn’t dare waste a second. With a flick of his wrist, he expertly tossed the Earth Seal Sword back into its sheath. Then, grabbing Mu Xiaoxiao and Dai, he leaped backward with all his might.

Free from the suppressive aura, Chu Qingyun’s full power erupted. The hard ground cracked under his feet as he vaulted out of the main hall, carrying Mu Xiaoxiao and Dai with him.

"Go! Now!"

He yelled, pulling the still-dazed Mu Xiaoxiao and Dai as he quickly turned to flee.

The others in the main hall were stunned.

It wasn’t until Chu Qingyun jumped out of the hall with his two companions that they snapped out of it. They all unleashed their full strength and scrambled to escape.

At this point, no one cared about using the doors. They charged blindly, many of them smashing directly through walls and windows, even leaping from the second or third floors.

The sealing Restriction protecting the main hall had already been broken, and after two thousand years of decay, the structure couldn’t withstand the impact of multiple Martial Spirit Level experts.

In an instant, thirty to forty people came pouring out from all over the main hall.

However, in less than five seconds, the awakened corpse reacted.

"ROAR!"

The mummified corpse opened its mouth and let out a furious roar.

The deep roar caused some of the people closest to it to bleed from their mouths and noses. In that same instant, the terrifying aura descended upon the main hall once again.

Everyone who hadn’t managed to escape was once again suppressed, unable to move.

Five seconds was simply not enough time for everyone to get away.

Only forty-some people successfully escaped the main hall. Among them were the strongest, the Level Seven Martial Spirits, as well as a few lucky ones who happened to be standing near a wall.

Including Chu Qingyun’s group of three, everyone who escaped the main hall fled frantically without a single glance back.

They all knew that after drinking so much blood, the terrifying corpse’s power would skyrocket. If they weren’t far away by then, death would be certain.

Besides, no one could be sure if there were other mummified corpses in the main hall.

"Chu Qingyun, how... how did you break the corpse’s suppressive aura just now?" Mu Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but ask curiously as they fled.

"That corpse has been dormant for nearly two thousand years. It barely has any of its original power left. The only thing formidable about it is that suppressive aura."

"A moment ago, Dai and I used attacks from the Intention Realm. We channeled the power of the world’s Thunder and Earth, taking advantage of the corpse’s weakest state right after it awakened to briefly shatter its suppressive aura."

Chu Qingyun explained simply.

Ever since meeting Mu Xiaoxiao, Chu Qingyun’s comprehension of Sword Intent had improved dramatically. After studying the insights on that Scroll, he had made a great leap forward.

He now understood that Sword Intent—or rather, the entire Intention Realm—was fundamentally different from Sword Momentum and Sword Qi.

Sword Momentum and Sword Qi both involved a Martial Artist channeling their own Primordial Power. They used Primordial Power to form Sword Momentum and to unleash Sword Qi to fight their enemies.

But Sword Intent was different.

To use Sword Intent, one used their own Primordial Power and comprehension to commune with the powers of heaven and earth.

Take Chu Qingyun, for example. When he used Thunder Sword, the Thunder he produced was no longer the simple, Primordial Power-formed lightning of before. Instead, it was Thunder born from communing with the world’s Thunder Power and infusing it into his Sword Dao.

And Dai’s hammer strike, Lifting Heavy as Light, also communed with Earth Power, containing the might of the earth itself.

The powers of heaven and earth were truly vast and boundless.

If one’s comprehension of Sword Intent reached a profound enough level, they could borrow the power of the world to fight against experts of a higher Realm, even if their own Realm was low.

Of course, both Chu Qingyun and Dai had only just touched the threshold of the Intention Realm. They were still a long way from mastering it.

If the corpse hadn’t been so weak, they would never have been able to temporarily break its suppressive aura.

The three of them fled outward. Not long after, they suddenly felt an extremely powerful aura erupt behind them.

Looking back, they saw a colossal, blood-red pillar of light shooting up from where the main hall had stood.

The pillar of light was thousands of meters tall, stretching all the way to the Six Imperial Demon-Sealing Array outside the ruins, forcing the transparent seal to become visible.

"Such a vast presence... Martial Emperor Level! That corpse is definitely a Martial Emperor Level expert!" Mu Xiaoxiao exclaimed, her face filled with shock.

Chu Qingyun’s expression was also grave. He stared silently at the blood-red pillar that seemed to pierce the heavens. The immense presence of a Martial Emperor Level being made him feel as insignificant as if he were facing a towering mountain.

However, this also ignited a yearning within him.

’A presence that stretches for thousands of meters... Now *this* is a true Martial Artist!’

’One day, I will become an expert like that!’

After the blood-red pillar of light clashed with the seal above the ruins for a moment, a blood-red shadow suddenly leaped up from it. It threw a punch at the seal in the sky, seemingly trying to break free.

Clearly, this Blood Shadow was the fully reawakened Emperor-level corpse.

Near the main hall, everyone who witnessed this scene felt their hearts tremble.

’Is this thing... actually going to break the seal and get out?’