Devouring Soul Emperor

Under the influence of the Devouring Power.

The Fire Cloud Lion roared in terror and fury a few times before it crashed to the ground.

After the Devouring Power had consumed 90% of the Primordial Power and flesh within the Fire Cloud Lion, Chu Qingyun pulled back, retracting his Devouring Power.

From the outside, the Fire Cloud Lion now looked just like any other dead Demon Beast.

But if one were to cut its body open, they would discover that most of its bones and flesh had already turned to dust.

He split open the Fire Cloud Lion’s head with a sword strike. His luck was pretty good; inside was a fiery red Demon Core emitting waves of scorching heat.

Chu Qingyun pried out the Demon Core, wiped it with a leaf from the ground, and handed it to Mu Xiaoxiao. "A Tier Three Demon Core. Want it?"

Mu Xiaoxiao looked at it with disgust. "You’re not even going to wash it? It’s filthy. I don’t want it."

She clearly couldn’t care less about a Tier Three Demon Core.

Chu Qingyun shrugged and put it away himself.

The Blood Sect ruins, protected by a seal, had not been disturbed by outside human Martial Artists for over a thousand years. As a result, the number of Demon Beasts in the Central Mountain Range was much higher than in the mountain ranges outside the ruins.

As they traveled upward, Chu Qingyun’s group encountered eight Tier Three Demon Beasts in just two or three short hours.

Most of them were Demon Beasts with the strength of the Earth Spirit Realm, which Chu Qingyun handled with ease. Only one, with power comparable to a level-eight Martial Spirit, required the three of them to work together to kill it.

Every time they took down a Demon Beast, Chu Qingyun would take the opportunity, while splitting open its head to look for a Demon Core, to press his hand against its body and devour its flesh and Primordial Power.

However, he only ever devoured 90% each time, so Mu Xiaoxiao and Dai never noticed.

A little over three hours later, it was almost noon.

The trio heard a commotion up ahead. When they went to investigate, they discovered a dilapidated pavilion among the mountains. Inside the pavilion lay a skeleton.

The skeleton was as white and lustrous as jade. Even from a great distance, one could clearly feel a heart-palpitating aura continuously emanating from it.

’Dead for over a thousand, nearly two thousand years, yet its remains can still exude such a powerful pressure. In life, this person must have been a supreme expert, an existence that absolutely surpassed the King and even Emperor levels!’

The pavilion was bare except for the skeleton lying on its side. In its hand was a partially opened Scroll, and next to it, a blood-red sphere had fallen to the ground.

At this moment, a large crowd had already gathered around the pavilion.

Besides a few scattered groups of Earth Spirit Realm cultivators, the people seemed to be divided into two factions. One was led by a level-seven Martial Spirit, with about a dozen people.

The other faction was an alliance of more than sixty Earth Spirit Realm cultivators.

Additionally, numerous Tier Three Demon Beasts, Iron Armor Apes, were gathered around the pavilion. They seemed to both enjoy and fear the pressure emanating from the skeleton. They didn’t dare approach the pavilion, but they were also unwilling to leave, creating a faint standoff with the humans outside.

When they saw Chu Qingyun’s group of three approaching, the hearts of everyone gathered around the pavilion sank.

’Another Celestial Spirit Realm expert!’

"I am Shen Lang of the Celestial Cool Sect," he said, clasping his hands in a salute. "May I ask which sect the three of you are from?"

The three of them looked much younger than him; they were clearly not from the No-Life Gang.

"The three of us are from the Saint Extreme Sect," Chu Qingyun said.

Although the three of them had not yet formally joined the sect, there were no true Sect Disciples in these ruins anyway, so the claim was reasonable enough.

Hearing "Saint Extreme Sect," everyone present was once again startled.

Their gazes toward Chu Qingyun’s group of three were filled with envy.

The reputation of the Northern Domain’s Three Major Sects was something every expert in the Martial Spirit Realm knew.

"Heh, so you’re a junior sister from the Saint Extreme Sect. I, Shen Lang, pay my respects..." A trace of apprehension flashed in Shen Lang’s eyes. The three words "Saint Extreme Sect" alone were enough to put him under immense pressure.

"Junior Sister, I think it would be best if we made our move quickly. Those two items in the pavilion are clearly extraordinary. If we delay any longer, it will be bad if more people notice."

Shen Lang looked at Mu Xiaoxiao, completely ignoring Chu Qingyun and Dai. He had clearly mistaken them for ordinary Earth Spirit Realm cultivators.

"Then make your move. What are you still waiting for?" Mu Xiaoxiao said.

"Well... Junior Sister, we were just discussing how to distribute the Treasures. But now that you and your companions are here, we could join forces..."

"Join forces? Why would we join forces? The Treasures are right there. They belong to whoever can grab them," Mu Xiaoxiao said, raising a delicate eyebrow. She clearly had no intention of teaming up with anyone.

"Hmph, you little girl, you’re too arrogant! Even that kid Shen Lang isn’t as arrogant as you!"

"So what if you’re in the Celestial Spirit Realm!? There are over a hundred of us Earth Spirit Realm cultivators here. You think you can take the Treasures all for yourself!?"

"Little bitch, if you piss us off, we’ll take care of you first!"

Hearing Mu Xiaoxiao’s words, the other Earth Spirit Realm cultivators all started clamoring.

However, Chu Qingyun and Mu Xiaoxiao paid them no mind. These people were from various imperial dynasties or the Blood-soaked Land near Blood Abyss City.

Most of them were unaffiliated Earth Spirit Realm cultivators who weren’t united in the slightest. They were making a lot of noise, but they were just a disorganized mob, nothing to be afraid of.

"Junior Sister, it would be best not to incur public anger. It’s better if we discuss the distribution of the Treasures first," Shen Lang said, his expression turning grim.

"To hell with discussing!" Mu Xiaoxiao was clearly out of patience.

’These idiots,’ she thought. ’They see treasure and instead of grabbing it, they’re standing around slowly discussing it. Don’t they know how many people have charged into these ruins?’

"Chu Qingyun, leave this guy to me. You and Dai go grab the Treasures. Any problem with that?" Mu Xiaoxiao said.

Chu Qingyun nodded. "Don’t worry."

Dai also nodded, gripping his warhammer, ready to strike at any moment.

"Alright, take this!"

With a sharp cry, Mu Xiaoxiao drew the Treasure Sword from her waist, unleashing a blast of Sword Qi that shot toward Shen Lang.

Sword Qi!

Shen Lang’s expression changed in alarm. He hastily retreated backward to dodge it. "Go get the Treasures! I’ll hold her back!"

Shen Lang ordered the dozen or so men under him, then immediately unleashed his Martial Soul, facing Mu Xiaoxiao as if she were a formidable enemy.

The chaotic battle was about to erupt.

Once the two powerhouses were occupied with each other, the remaining Earth Spirit Realm cultivators, especially the alliance of more than sixty, grew incredibly excited and swarmed toward the pavilion.

’The greatest threat, the Celestial Spirit Realm expert, is now occupied! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!’

In response, Chu Qingyun just gave a cold sneer and charged toward the pavilion as well.