Invincible Soul Emperor

The ground shook with increasing violence. Though anything could happen in the Chaotic Labyrinth, and an earthquake wasn’t entirely incomprehensible, this was the Black Swamp Marsh. It was surrounded by dense swampland—how could there possibly be an earthquake? Eventually, even Ye Qingchen’s body began to sway with the tremors. Huan Xinghe and the others had already retreated a great distance, as if to avoid something terrifying.

Liang Fei patted Ye Qingchen on the shoulder. ”Qingchen, I told you you’re too skinny. It makes you look unsteady.”

Ye Qingchen pursed his lips. You have the nerve to say that? With your weight of over two hundred pounds, of course you’re stable!

Before Ye Qingchen could retort, the trembling ground abruptly stopped. In his field of vision, four or five humanoid creatures, each over ten meters tall, appeared. These creatures were peculiar. Although they had human-like forms, their bodies were covered in viscous mud, with chunks of it falling off them from time to time.

”Mudhead Monsters?” Liang Fei blurted out in surprise, having also spotted the humanoid creatures.

Ye Qingchen looked at him with a questioning gaze, and Liang Fei explained, ”These monsters are called Mudhead Monsters. Each one possesses the strength of a peak Martial Spirit Realm expert and is unique to the Black Swamp Marsh. I was wondering why we hadn’t run into the legendary Mudhead Monsters on our way here. I never expected to encounter so many at once.”

Ye Qingchen shook his head. ”I’m afraid it’s not as simple as them just being at the peak of the Martial Spirit Realm.”

Liang Fei nodded gravely. ”You’ve gotten a lot smarter from hanging around me. These Mudhead Monsters are all Earth Attribute creatures. They not only possess astonishing defensive power but also have a disgusting innate ability. Their muddy shells can absorb attacks and convert the energy for their own use. This means that at the same combat level, a Martial Artist is no match for a Mudhead Monster. This has been a huge headache for generations of Martial Artists entering the Chaotic Labyrinth.”

Ye Qingchen glanced at Liang Fei. ”Are you saying you’re no match for them? Fine. You hold one off, and I’ll take the other three.”

Although Liang Fei was reluctant to admit it, he knew his own limits and could only nod in agreement.

Huan Xinghe roared with laughter. ”Chen Qingye, you must have heard how ferocious the Mudhead Monsters are, right? Go on, play with them for a while. Once your strength is depleted, this young master will personally step in and take your wretched life!”

As Huan Xinghe spoke, his Galaxy Martial Soul once again pulsed with energy, which converged on Ye Qingchen and Liang Fei. Upon smelling the energy, the dull-eyed Mudhead Monsters went into a frenzy, pouncing toward the two of them.

Ye Qingchen didn’t dare to be careless. He immediately summoned his Willow Wood Martial Soul to recover from his earlier exertion and then used Willow Curtain Drooping Green to envelop Liang Fei, protecting him from injury in the chaotic battle. After completing these preparations, he shouted, ”Wind Blade Sword Technique!” and drew his Qingfeng Sword, executing the Earth Rank martial technique and slashing at one of the Mudhead Monsters.

However, to his frustration, his usually invincible Qingfeng Sword felt like it was plunging into silt when it struck the Mudhead Monster. The moment it made contact, most of the attack’s force dissipated.

”This is outrageous! It’s immune to half the attack!” Ye Qingchen exclaimed in surprise. What shocked him even more was that a portion of the remaining Sword Qi actually clung to the monster. Not only did it fail to cause any harm, but it also imbued the creature’s swinging fists with a trace of Sword Qi!

To be able to negate half an attack and even use the enemy’s power to strengthen itself… what kind of heaven-defying ability is this? Even Ye Qingchen felt a pang of envy. If he possessed such an ability, he couldn’t even begin to imagine how much his combat prowess would increase.

But this was no time for envy. A Mudhead Monster’s fist was already swinging toward him, and he hurriedly blocked it with his Qingfeng Sword. The punch slammed into the blade, making him feel as if a mountain had crashed down on him. And it wasn’t over. As soon as that monster’s attack ended, another’s fist immediately followed, forcing Ye Qingchen to swing his sword to defend himself once more.

Facing three Mudhead Monsters, Ye Qingchen could only do his best to defend. But the creatures seemed tireless. Despite their huge bodies, their fists fell like rain. In the blink of an eye, Ye Qingchen had parried dozens of blows. He felt his blood surge and a sweet taste rise in his throat. In just a brief moment, he had already sustained minor injuries. If this continued, he really would be worn down to death, just as Huan Xinghe had predicted.

While using Mystifying Steps to dodge the monsters’ attacks, Ye Qingchen’s mind raced, searching for a countermeasure.

DRIP. DRIP.

As the Mudhead Monsters attacked, clumps of mud dripped from their bodies, which gave Ye Qingchen an idea. The monsters’ ability to so drastically reduce damage was closely linked to this mud. The mud acted like a swamp, both absorbing the force of blows and clinging to the attacks themselves. This was what made these peak Martial Spirit Realm monsters so troublesome. If he could get rid of the mud, Ye Qingchen was confident he could deal with them.

Anyone else would have been at a loss, but Ye Qingchen had an advantage other Martial Artists lacked: the Fen Tian Earth Fire.

To put it simply, mud was a mixture of earth and water. Although the mud on these monsters was imbued with more spiritual energy, its essence was still just earth and water. Removing the earth wouldn’t be easy, but the terrifying heat of the Fen Tian Earth Fire could certainly evaporate most of the water.

With this in mind, Ye Qingchen immediately deployed the Fen Tian Earth Fire, coating his Qingfeng Sword. He then executed Sword Dusting the Wind and slashed at one of the Mudhead Monsters.

SIZZLE!

With the sound of evaporating water, white steam billowed from the monster. The area he had struck instantly hardened into a solid chunk.

Seeing that it worked, Ye Qingchen was overjoyed. He relentlessly attacked the Mudhead Monsters with his fire-wreathed Qingfeng Sword. With each slash, more hard chunks formed on the monsters’ bodies, diminishing their defensive power. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before Ye Qingchen could completely harden them, reducing them to ordinary monsters at the peak of the Martial Spirit Realm.

Huan Xinghe saw all of this clearly, and he couldn’t help but frown.