Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 230: Chapter 230: Breaking Through to the 3rd Level of the Great Martial Master

As Ye Qingchen had anticipated, the vines binding Elder Yang held for less than ten seconds before he broke through them. However, with his Mystifying Steps, Ye Qingchen had already run several miles away in that brief time.

Elder Yang snorted coldly. He was annoyed at himself for his momentary carelessness in falling for Ye Qingchen’s trick. However, with his years of experience, he was confident he could capture Ye Qingchen no matter how far he ran.

As Ye Qingchen fled, he used his Dual Pupil Martial Soul to keep track of his pursuer. To his alarm, he saw that Elder Yang was getting closer and closer, and his heart pounded with urgency.

He knew that if he simply kept running, he would eventually be caught. Since he had no chance of winning a direct fight, his only option was to find a place to hide, increase his strength, and find a slim chance of survival. With this in mind, Ye Qingchen used his Dual Pupil Martial Soul to search the surroundings for a suitable hiding place.

His hard work paid off when he eventually found a cave on a steep cliff that could shelter him. Without hesitation, Ye Qingchen leaped off the edge and toward the cliff face below. This very act was witnessed by Elder Yang, who had just arrived.

Elder Yang frowned and stopped at the edge of the cliff. As far as he could see, it was a thousand meters deep. With Ye Qingchen’s strength as a Second-Layer Martial Master, a fall would mean certain death. Even with his own Ninth-Layer Martial Master strength, Elder Yang wouldn’t dare claim he could survive the jump.

Did this kid get so scared that he committed suicide? Elder Yang wondered, but then shook his head. Someone who had reached the Second-Layer Martial Master Realm at such a young age was definitely not the type to commit suicide so easily.

No matter what, he had to be found, dead or alive. With this in mind, Elder Yang began gathering vines to descend the cliff and search for Ye Qingchen’s body.

After leaping, Ye Qingchen immediately drew his Qingfeng Sword and stabbed it into the cliff face. As a superior-grade spiritual weapon, the Qingfeng Sword easily pierced the rock. However, the immense inertia still caused him to plummet a good hundred meters before he could stabilize himself, leaving a deep gash in the cliffside. Guided by his Dual Pupil Martial Soul, Ye Qingchen repeatedly stabbed the Qingfeng Sword into the rock wall to maneuver himself.

An hour later, Ye Qingchen finally reached the cave he had spotted. Upon entering, he used the Qingfeng Sword to destroy the entrance, finally breathing a sigh of relief.

However, Ye Qingchen didn’t dare to be careless. He knew that while he was safe for the moment, his pursuer could still find him. Therefore, he understood he had to use this brief period of peace to rapidly increase his strength. Only then would he have the power to protect himself.

With that thought, Ye Qingchen took out the Fire Poison he had collected from his storage ring. He had acquired it while treating Qin Zhantian at the Rising Sun Pavilion. The Fire Poison contained a massive amount of essence from Qin Zhantian’s lifetime of cultivation. If Ye Qingchen could absorb the pure energy within it, he could swiftly advance his strength.

No sooner said than done. Ye Qingchen immediately began to circulate the Fen Tian Earth Fire and the Ancient Jade Spiritual Fire to begin the refinement of the Fire Poison. With the aid of the Ancient Jade Spiritual Fire, his refinement speed greatly increased, and he successfully refined the Fire Poison in a short time. The toxins within were once again absorbed by the Fen Tian Earth Fire, while Ye Qingchen held the remaining pure energy in his hand.

Time was of the essence. Without even resting, Ye Qingchen began to circulate the Divine Wood Technique to absorb the pure energy. Because the energy had been refined by both the Fen Tian Earth Fire and the Ancient Jade Spiritual Fire, it could be absorbed directly. Furthermore, the Divine Wood Technique had been continually perfected by his Dual Pupil Martial Soul and was already taking the rudimentary form of a Divine-Level Cultivation Technique. Its speed of absorbing Spiritual Energy had increased dramatically as a result.

About two hours later, more than half of the Fire Poison had been refined, and Ye Qingchen felt his cultivation realm loosening. He pressed on, preparing to break through to the Third-Layer Martial Master Realm in one fell swoop!

Another two hours passed. Ye Qingchen slowly opened his eyes. He had reached the Third-Layer Martial Master Realm.

However, there was still no sign of Elder Yang, and some pure energy remained in his hands. He continued to circulate the Divine Wood Technique to refine all of it and consolidate his cultivation.

What vexed Ye Qingchen, though, was that the Spiritual Energy in this cave was exceedingly thin. If he were to cultivate here, he had no idea how long it would take to make another breakthrough. If he stayed here indefinitely, not only would he miss the Sect’s promotion competition, but if Elder Yang found him, he would be trapped, with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

Moreover, more than six hours had passed since he fled. He could not stay here forever.

Ye Qingchen took out the Qingfeng Sword, broke open the sealed cave entrance, and used the sword to make his way to the base of the cliff. Choosing a random direction, he took off at high speed. All this time, Ye Qingchen was still unaware of his pursuer’s identity, but he suspected that the man was almost certainly sent by Qin Xi.

As luck would have it, just as Ye Qingchen reached the base of the cliff, Elder Yang had also returned to search the area. When Ye Qingchen began to sprint, the disturbance in the surrounding Spiritual Energy immediately alerted Elder Yang. Although he was puzzled as to how Ye Qingchen could move so fast after jumping off a cliff, he had no time to ponder it and immediately gave chase.

Sensing Elder Yang approaching from behind, Ye Qingchen cursed his bad luck and pushed himself to go faster, trying to shake his pursuer.

However, Elder Yang, at the Ninth-Layer Martial Master Realm, still had the upper hand in speed. In just over ten minutes, he caught up to Ye Qingchen and blocked his path.

”Kid, you should be proud for surviving this long against me,” Elder Yang said with a cold sneer.

Ye Qingchen sighed. It seemed escape was impossible. He would have to fight head-on.

Thinking this, Ye Qingchen took the initiative. With a wave of his hand, he channeled the power of his Willow Wood Martial Soul, unleashing the Leaf Blade Storm and blasting it toward Elder Yang.

Elder Yang was inwardly disdainful, but upon feeling the power of the Leaf Blade Storm, he couldn’t help but frown. He realized that the attack Ye Qingchen had deployed was now powerful enough to harm him. Not daring to be careless, he immediately used a martial technique, summoning a spear to meet the Leaf Blade Storm.

BOOM!

A loud explosion echoed as the Leaf Blade Storm was shattered. The blast forced Elder Yang back several steps.

Before Elder Yang could recover from his shock, Ye Qingchen had already drawn the Qingfeng Sword. With a flash of light, he executed Sword Dusting the Wind, thrusting it toward Elder Yang. The powerful Sword Qi carried a terrifying aura, felling the surrounding trees with its astonishing might.

Witnessing this, Elder Yang’s pupils contracted abruptly. Despite his surprise, he continued to execute his martial technique, and the spear in his hand whistled as it shot out to meet Ye Qingchen’s strike.