Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 359: Chapter 359: Deep in the Swamp

Ye Qingchen furrowed his brow, knowing full well that Huan Xinghe was no ordinary Martial Spirit Realm practitioner. Now possessing the strength of the Martial King Realm, his combat power had increased exponentially.

The might of an eight-star Martial Soul was undeniable. Coupled with Huan Xinghe’s Earth Level Martial Techniques, even Ye Qingchen lacked the confidence to defeat him.

”Chen Qingye, I bet you didn’t expect this! I have to say, I really underestimated you. I never thought you’d push me to use my sect’s secret technique.”

Huan Xinghe’s smile was cruel. As a favored son of heaven, he had always been the one to challenge experts of higher levels, never even sparing a glance for so-called prodigies at his own rank. Yet today, he had been pushed into a corner by Chen Qingye, a cultivator weaker than himself. In Huan Xinghe’s eyes, this was an utter humiliation. A humiliation that could only be washed away by defeating Chen Qingye and mercilessly slaughtering him.

Huan Xinghe immediately summoned his Galaxy Martial Soul. It was not only more solid than before but also several times larger. Stars flickered within it, making it seem like the vast universe itself.

Ye Qingchen didn’t dare to be careless. He fully activated his Dual Pupil Martial Soul, observing closely and searching for any opening. But Huan Xinghe’s Soul Power had also become incredibly formidable, and maintaining the Dual Pupil Martial Soul was a huge drain on Ye Qingchen.

I have to strike first!

Making his decision, Ye Qingchen immediately summoned the Willow Wood Martial Soul and unleashed its binding ability. Willow strands materialized once again, but they failed to achieve the desired effect.

Huan Xinghe activated his Galaxy Martial Soul. With a mere flow of its stars, he pulverized the surrounding willow strands into dust. This also prevented Ye Qingchen from using the strands to enhance the power of his Fen Tian Earth Fire.

Ye Qingchen gritted his teeth. His only option was to infuse the Fen Tian Earth Fire into his Qingfeng Sword and unleash the Wind Blade Sword Technique, slashing toward Huan Xinghe.

Huan Xinghe neither dodged nor retreated. A Galaxy Silver Chain materialized in his hand, and he swung it to meet the Wind Blade Sword Technique head-on.

CLANG!

A crisp metallic collision rang out, and Ye Qingchen was sent flying a great distance. If he hadn’t dragged his Qingfeng Sword along the ground to slow his momentum, that single blow would have thrown him straight into the Black Swamp Marsh.

Ye Qingchen had used an intermediate-grade Earth Rank Martial Technique, but colliding with the Galaxy Silver Chain felt like striking a mountain. The rebound force alone was almost too much for him to handle.

An eight-star Martial Soul at the Martial King Realm was simply too powerful!

Ye Qingchen sighed inwardly, understanding he was no match for Huan Xinghe at present. He could only temporarily avoid a direct confrontation and wait for a breakthrough before finding a way to defeat him. With this thought, Ye Qingchen didn’t hesitate. The spot where he had landed was not far from Liang Fei and Qin Yue. He shot them a meaningful look, and they understood immediately.

Ye Qingchen got to his feet, ignored the triumphant Huan Xinghe, and turned to flee into the distance. Liang Fei grabbed the girl in red while Qin Yue grabbed Liu Qinghan, and they followed Ye Qingchen’s retreat.

”Trying to run? Brothers, after them!” the disciples of the Huanyue Sect clamored, eager to give chase upon seeing Ye Qingchen flee.

But Huan Xinghe just shook his head dismissively. ”This Chen Qingye has just enough strength to be taken seriously, but his intelligence is sorely lacking. They’re fleeing deeper into the Black Swamp Marsh. That place is riddled with bogs. One careless step and they’ll become hopelessly mired. When that happens, we won’t even need to lift a finger. They’ll be trapped until they die!”

Huan Xinghe was in no hurry. He slowly deactivated his secret technique, swallowed a Spirit Pill to recover from the exertion, and only then did he leisurely lead the Huanyue Sect disciples in the direction Ye Qingchen’s group had fled.

Mindful of the others’ speed, Ye Qingchen didn’t use his Mystifying Steps. Noticing that Huan Xinghe wasn’t in pursuit, he fell to the back of the group, letting Liang Fei lead while he covered their rear.

Liang Fei still looked shaken. A moment ago, Ye Qingchen had clearly held the upper hand, but Huan Xinghe unexpectedly had another ace up his sleeve. If they didn’t flee now, Huan Xinghe would surely not let them off the hook.

The terror of the Black Swamp Marsh lay in its deceptive appearance. At a glance, the ground was a uniform expanse of black, making it impossible to distinguish solid earth from deadly mire without physically stepping on it. Even Divine Sense was useless, as the marsh naturally shielded itself from probing.

In his haste to escape, Liang Fei had temporarily forgotten the dangers of the Black Swamp Marsh. Ye Qingchen, meanwhile, was on his first visit to the Chaotic Secret Realm and only vaguely understood its perils. Compounding the problem, the previous battle had drained him significantly, making it impossible to continuously use his Dual Pupil Martial Soul to scout the path.

Damn it! It was only after his foot found nothing but air that Liang Fei remembered the terror of the Black Swamp Marsh, but it was too late.

His body began to sink. The girl in red frantically tried to pull him out, but Liang Fei was too heavy. The sudden disaster left him panicking and struggling, and the more she pulled, the deeper he sank.

”Bind! Now!” Seeing this, Ye Qingchen immediately used the innate ability of his Willow Wood Martial Soul. Several vines materialized from thin air, wrapping around Liang Fei. Circulating his Soul Power, Ye Qingchen forcibly hauled him out.

Although Liang Fei was free, the struggle had disturbed the ground. The once seemingly solid surface now slowly began to ooze with water.

”Nobody move!” Ye Qingchen warned, his voice tense. ”This is a sign the swamp is forming. If we move rashly now and fall in again, the swamp will only expand. Should we be completely engulfed, not even a Daluo Golden Immortal could save us.”

After Ye Qingchen’s warning, Liang Fei remained unsettled, clutching his chest. Meanwhile, Qin Yue, Liu Qinghan, and the girl in red all looked solemnly at Ye Qingchen. He had become the backbone of their group. In such a perilous situation, everyone depended on him to make the decisions.

”Well, well. Why did you stop running?” At that moment, a mocking voice sounded out. Huan Xinghe had caught up with his Huanyue Sect disciples. Since Ye Qingchen’s group had already tested the path ahead, they felt no fear of danger. Though they hadn’t been rushing, their pace was still swift.

Ye Qingchen ignored Huan Xinghe, instead quietly activating his Dual Pupil Martial Soul to search for an escape route.

With his Dual Pupil Martial Soul active, his perception of the surroundings changed. What had appeared to be a uniformly black surface was now crisscrossed by lines of white light, dividing the ground into a grid of black squares. He and his companions were currently trapped inside one of these black squares.

The lines of white light were only about a foot wide, but Ye Qingchen was certain that as long as they walked along these paths, they would be safe