Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 152: Chapter 152: Fighting with One’s Back to the River

The sudden appearance of Li Zongrui startled Ye Qingchen. Li Zongrui’s strength was far greater than his own. With the giant ape leader closing in from behind and Li Zongrui blocking his path ahead, Ye Qingchen knew his life was in danger if he couldn’t find a way to escape quickly.

Thinking this, he decided to speak first. ”I have already become the Sect Master’s disciple. This Qingfeng Sword was naturally a gift from my master.”

Ye Qingchen knew Li Zongrui was arrogant and tyrannical. His only option was to use the Sect Master’s name to pressure him, hoping it would make him back down.

But what Ye Qingchen hadn’t anticipated was that his words only enraged Li Zongrui further.

Li Zongrui had long desired to become his own father’s Direct Disciple, but because he had only managed to ascend to the eighth floor of the Heart Demon Tower, he had failed to earn his father’s approval. That part, he could still stomach. What he truly couldn’t tolerate was the issue of the Qingfeng Sword. He had begged his father for the sword countless times, only to be rejected on every occasion.

And now, his father had actually given the Qingfeng Sword to this piece of trash, Ye Qingchen!

Li Zongrui couldn’t understand. Why does Father favor Ye Qingchen so much? Why was he completely unmoved even after I told him everything Ye Qingchen has done?

Still, Ye Qingchen’s words gave Li Zongrui pause. After all, Ye Qingchen was now his father’s Direct Disciple. If he were to kill him now, he did not dare to lightly face his father’s subsequent wrath.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

As the giant ape leader drew closer, the earth-shaking tremors grew more intense. Li Zongrui’s brow furrowed slightly as a new plan formed in his mind.

Since it would be inconvenient for me to kill Ye Qingchen myself, I’ll just let this giant ape leader do it for me. If Ye Qingchen dies at the hands of a Monster Beast, it can only be blamed on his own lack of skill. When Father looks for someone to hold responsible, I’ll have a way to deflect it.

At this thought, a sinister smile touched Li Zongrui’s lips. As long as I block his escape route, forcing him to face a third-realm Grand Martial Master, Ye Qingchen’s death is certain!

”Ye Qingchen, don’t say I’m not giving you a chance,” Li Zongrui said disdainfully, his words dripping with false righteousness. ”If you can kill this giant ape leader, I will spare your life today!”

Hearing this, Ye Qingchen knew Li Zongrui would not let him leave so easily; the battle with the giant ape leader was now unavoidable.

However, having skirmished with the giant ape leader for so long, Ye Qingchen had discovered one of its weaknesses: its speed!

Although the giant ape leader’s power was comparable to a human Grand Martial Master at the third realm, its speed was only slightly faster than that of a ninth-layer Martial Master.

And Ye Qingchen, who possessed the Dual Pupil Martial Soul and the Xuan-rank Movement Technique Martial Skill, Mystifying Steps, held the clear advantage in speed.

The giant ape leader was closing in fast. Ye Qingchen wasted no more breath arguing with Li Zongrui and simply said coldly, ”I hope you keep your word!”

With that, Ye Qingchen spun around and charged toward the giant ape leader.

Li Zongrui let out a cold laugh. Fool, he doesn’t know his own limits. Then, seeing the heavily injured Li Susu, he rushed to her side, took out a Spirit Pill, and gave it to her.

”Brother Zongrui, am I that useless?” Li Susu asked tearfully, her words tugging at Li Zongrui’s heart.

He comforted her, saying, ”Don’t worry, Sister Susu. Ye Qingchen is doomed to die today! His strength is only at the seventh layer of the Martial Master realm. Facing a giant ape leader comparable to a human Grand Martial Master at the third realm, he has no chance of survival.”

Still worried, Li Susu added, ”But there’s something strange about that Ye Qingchen. The grade of the Spiritual Artifact he’s using must be quite high. I’m afraid he’ll manage to escape again. If he does, we might not get another chance to kill him!”

Li Zongrui smiled faintly. ”Rest assured, Sister Susu. My strength is also that of a Grand Martial Master at the third realm. Even if Ye Qingchen somehow gets lucky and escapes the giant ape leader’s grasp, he’ll never escape the combined assault of two third-realm Grand Martial Masters!”

Only then did Li Susu finally relax and nod, sitting down to meditate and tend to her injuries.

Ye Qingchen, however, was not having an easy time. Although he had the advantage in speed, the giant ape leader’s strength was immense and its defense was shockingly tough. Every clash sent tremors through Ye Qingchen’s body, making his blood churn violently.

Even with his superior-grade spiritual weapon, the Qingfeng Sword, and his superior-grade Xuan-rank Martial Technique, Sword Dusting the Wind, he still couldn’t breach the giant ape leader’s defenses.

This predicament made Ye Qingchen anxious. Though he wasn’t in immediate mortal danger, if he kept depleting his reserves like this, his stamina would never outlast the giant ape leader. Once his strength was exhausted, it would be impossible to turn the situation around!

With a thought, Ye Qingchen activated his Dual Pupil Martial Soul, searching for the giant ape leader’s weakness. He continuously used his movement technique to weave and dodge its attacks.

Fortunately for Ye Qingchen, his Spiritual Energy had been tempered by the Fen Tian Earth Fire, making it exceptionally pure and dense. Any other warrior at the seventh layer of the Martial Master realm would have likely been exhausted long ago.

The giant ape leader was starting to get angry. Despite its low intelligence, the fact that this tiny pest had survived its onslaught for so long felt like a direct challenge to its authority.

The giant ape leader’s attacks grew more frequent. Its half-meter-wide fists swung relentlessly, creating a series of sonic booms that tore through the air.

Ye Qingchen forced himself to remain calm, carefully observing every one of the giant ape leader’s moves. After a moment, he noticed that no matter how fierce its attacks were, it always seemed to be unconsciously protecting its lower abdomen.

Could its weakness be there?

Growing excited, Ye Qingchen quickly activated his Double Pupils and focused on the giant ape leader’s abdomen. Sure enough, he could see a nexus of Spiritual Energy circulation there—it was the beast’s vital point.

However, his brief excitement quickly gave way to helplessness. The giant ape leader’s attacks were wild and open, but beneath the seemingly chaotic barrage, it kept its vital point perfectly guarded. Hitting it seemed nearly impossible.

Ye Qingchen took a deep breath. I have no way out. My only choice is to risk it all.

With this resolve, Ye Qingchen swiftly donned his Ice Armor.

The added defensive power of the Ice Armor gave him a small measure of reassurance. Now, he had to find a way to force the giant ape leader to expose a flaw. Then, he would have to seize that opportunity to strike its vital point. That’s my only chance to survive!

Ye Qingchen poured all his energy into his Dual Pupil Martial Soul and charged toward the giant ape leader!

A battle with his back against the wall