Invincible Soul Emperor

The next second, Zheng Xiao fainted.

THUD!

With a dull thud, he collapsed stiffly onto the ground. Xiao Xiao looked with some surprise at the unconscious man.

"Heh, what a waste of space. Then let me give you the final blow!" As Xiao Xiao spoke, she was about to strike the unconscious Zheng Xiao, but she suddenly stopped.

"No, letting you die like this would be too easy! None of you from the Zheng Family are any good, so I’ll let you taste what it feels like to lose everything!"

With a cold laugh and a flash of red light in her eyes, Xiao Xiao sent a stream of dark energy into Zheng Xiao’s body. Having done this, she withdrew the barrier and hurried back.

"Young Master! Young Master! I bought you some food from the street. Come and try it!"

When she returned, Xiao Xiao saw that Ye Qingchen was already outside. She smiled and hurriedly handed over the items in her hands.

"Xiao Xiao, I was wondering what you were up to, going out so early," Ye Qingchen said with a smile, accepting the items from her.

"By the way, Young Master, are you planning to visit the Zheng Family again soon?" Xiao Xiao asked slowly after handing over the items.

Ye Qingchen shook his head. "Since things have turned out this way, there’s no need to visit them anymore. We just need to wait here for good news. Why do you ask so suddenly, Xiao Xiao?"

"It’s nothing, Young Master. Please, try the food I bought for you!"

***

Meanwhile, Zheng Ming was following Xue Feng to repair the barrier.

A long time passed before the barrier was finally somewhat repaired.

"Ugh, Lord Xue, repairing a barrier really consumes a lot of Energy!" Zheng Ming wiped the sweat from his forehead. Looking at the small section they had managed to repair, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of despair.

Just this small section had consumed most of his Energy; he was certain he couldn’t keep going for much longer.

But if this lord from the Xue Family sees how weak I am, he’ll surely look down on me. I have to keep going, even if I know I can’t hold on much longer! Zheng Ming thought to himself.

Xue Feng approached him. "Zheng Family Head, are you alright? We’re going to expend a great deal more Energy soon. If you can’t hold on, you should retreat in time."

Although they could only repair a small part of the barrier at a time, as the leader, Xue Feng couldn’t stop in the middle of the process. If he did, all their previous efforts would be wasted. Therefore, he couldn’t monitor everyone’s condition and could only give them a warning in advance.

Zheng Ming hurriedly responded, "Oh, Lord Xue, don’t underestimate me! How could I possibly not be able to handle it? You can rest assured!"

Xue Feng nodded. As soon as he turned away, Zheng Ming quickly swallowed an Elixir to restore his Energy.

Come on! I can’t lose face in front of the Xue Family! he thought, shaking out his arms with determined eyes.

Soon, the group began the next round of repairs. Just as they were halfway through, a dark shadow suddenly appeared behind Zheng Ming. He was so focused on outputting his Energy that he failed to notice someone appear behind him.

"Zheng Family Head, it’s been a long time, hasn’t it!"

The figure bent down and whispered in his ear. Zheng Ming was startled by the sudden voice.

"Who’s there!" He stopped what he was doing and spun around.

When he clearly saw the person behind him, he was shocked. "Elder Cui? It’s you! I didn’t expect you to have come out of seclusion! What a rare guest!"

Zheng Ming didn’t understand why Elder Cui had suddenly sought him out, so he was very wary of him.

Elder Cui looked at Zheng Ming with a sly grin. "Zheng Family Head, you’re well aware of the misdeeds you’ve committed, aren’t you?"

Elder Cui’s threatening words made the hair on Zheng Ming’s neck stand on end. "Elder Cui, what do you mean by that? Our Zheng Family has never done anything to wrong you, have we?"

Zheng Ming wasn’t foolish enough to oppose such a master from the Outer City. But why would he come here and say such things now?

Elder Cui said indifferently, "You haven’t offended me. However, someone asked me to teach you a lesson. What can I do? When I make a promise, it would be poor form to refuse."

Panic seized Zheng Ming’s heart. He glanced back, only to see everyone completely focused on repairing the barrier, paying him no mind. He pulled Elder Cui aside. "Elder Cui, promises can be broken! We don’t need to take some things so seriously. Just tell me who wants me dealt with. Whatever they offered you, I’m willing to double it!"

Zheng Ming’s Energy was already mostly depleted, making him no match for Elder Cui. Even at full strength, he couldn’t defeat an expert like him. Most importantly, everyone was busy repairing the barrier. There was no one to help him.

Having been in the Outer City for so many years, Elder Cui knew exactly what kind of person Zheng Ming was. His promises would be nothing but hot air once this was all over. Elder Cui paid him no mind.

"Zheng Ming, I’m not the kind of person who goes back on his word," Elder Cui scoffed. "Since I gave my promise, I intend to see it through—unlike certain people who are all talk."

Hearing this, Zheng Ming grew even more frantic. "Wait, Elder Cui, let’s talk this over! You must realize who is here with me repairing the barrier!"

Of course, Elder Cui heard the threat in his words. "Oh? Are you referring to the people of the Xue Family?"

"That’s right! The Xue Family!" Zheng Ming snarled. "You must know that if you move against me now, they won’t let you off the hook once they’re finished!"

Hearing his threat, Elder Cui burst into hearty laughter. "Zheng Family Head, your threats might scare children. But do you really think they’ll work on an old man like me? Aren’t you being a little naive?"

Elder Cui knew perfectly well that the Xue Family was here to help repair the barrier. After they finished, their Energy would be almost completely drained. Even if they wanted to help Zheng Ming, they wouldn’t be able to muster any strength for some time. And once he was gone, it was even more unlikely that the Xue Family would track him down over this incident. Elder Cui was not so easily fooled.

Seeing that Elder Cui was impervious to persuasion, Zheng Ming grew even more desperate.

"Fine, Elder Cui! If nothing I say will work, then at least let me die knowing why! Just tell me who holds a grudge against me!" Zheng Ming demanded grimly.

Just let me find out who it is! If I find out who’s behind this, I, Zheng Ming, will never let that person off once this is over!

After a moment of thought, Elder Cui said, "Since you’ve asked, there’s no harm in telling you. The person you tried to deal with yesterday asked me to deal with you today."

He had only promised Ye Qingchen that the Zheng Family would pay a price, not that he would conceal Ye Qingchen’s involvement from Zheng Ming. So, Elder Cui told him directly.

Upon hearing Elder Cui’s words, Zheng Ming’s face turned black.

"Good! Very good! So it was that bastard Ye Qingchen! That guy has some nerve! He doesn’t even know if he’ll live or die, yet he hired someone to come after me!"

"He’s courting death!"

"If I ever get my hands on him again, I will tear him to pieces!"