Invincible Soul Emperor

Although Li Rui was now merely a watchdog by the Saint Heir’s side, even the slightest favor his master bestowed upon him granted him endless benefits—better even than the treatment he had received in the Nine-Star Sect. How could he not give his utmost effort?

”Chen Qingye, I admit you’re the strongest Martial Spirit Realm cultivator I have ever seen. You’re even stronger than the prodigies in my sect! It’s just a pity you ran into me. Today, you will die,” Li Rui said, panting heavily with a vicious tone.

Ye Qingchen curled his lip dismissively. ”You’ve said that I would die today many times already. Am I not still alive and well? Stop wasting your breath. If that was your strongest attack, you won’t be able to kill me.”

Li Rui laughed aloud. ”Chen Qingye, that last move could have instantly killed a third-tier Martial King Realm expert. But that wasn’t even my best accomplishment. Let me tell you, I’ve killed more than one fourth-tier Martial King Realm expert! Today, I’ll let you witness my true power. You should be proud for forcing my hand!”

After he finished speaking, Li Rui’s muscles bulged again, and his expression turned even more ferocious. A sound that was almost a roar escaped his lips as he slowly bent down. As his muscles expanded, his arms gradually lengthened until they touched the ground. His legs also grew incredibly thick from the muscular swelling. The cold, refined Li Rui from before was gone, replaced completely by a wild beast.

Ye Qingchen frowned. A wild beast? He noticed that Li Rui’s current form greatly resembled the appearance of the Suan Ni Martial Soul from before. He unconsciously took two steps back and summoned his Seven-Star Willow Wood Martial Soul, enveloping his entire body with the Willow Curtain Drooping Green. Just from intuition alone, he could tell that Li Rui’s current state was incredibly strong!

What new way of using a Martial Soul is this? My horizons have certainly been broadened today. I thought that after learning how to manifest my Martial Soul’s form, my skill in using its techniques was finally respectable. But compared to Li Rui, I’m still lacking in this area.

Ye Qingchen certainly wouldn’t miss this opportunity. He had already activated his Dual Pupil Martial Soul to observe Li Rui’s every move.

Li Rui’s body was now ablaze. With a powerful push from his limbs, he left a five-meter-deep crater in the ground. Using this force, he leaped into the air and pounced toward Ye Qingchen.

Ye Qingchen didn’t rush to counter. Instead, he used his Dual Pupil Martial Soul to find an escape route, pushing his Mystifying Steps to their absolute limit to barely avoid Li Rui’s pounce.

Li Rui’s body crashed heavily to the ground. The powerful shockwave caused all the nearby houses to collapse, turning a hundred-meter radius into ruins in a single strike. The people still asleep in their beds died without ever knowing they had been killed by the aftershocks of a battle.

Ye Qingchen frowned. If he let Li Rui continue like this, there was no telling how many more innocent people would suffer. Although Ye Qingchen wasn’t an overly sentimental person, he would absolutely not allow people to die because of him.

After his first attack missed, Li Rui pounced at Ye Qingchen again without pausing for a breath. This time, Ye Qingchen didn’t dodge.

”Bind! Wind Blade Sword Technique!”

Ye Qingchen used his Willow Wood Martial Soul’s ability in conjunction with the Earth Rank martial technique. Countless willow branches appeared, but they couldn’t hinder Li Rui in the slightest. The terrifying heat radiating from Li Rui’s body incinerated any branches that touched him.

Of course, Ye Qingchen knew his Willow Wood Martial Soul couldn’t block Li Rui in its current state. His real goal was to take advantage of the raging fire!

The Wind Blade Sword Technique was something Ye Qingchen comprehended from observing wind blades, making it incredibly fast. Now, he had infused it with the Fen Tian Earth Fire. Aided by the widespread flames, it was as if the wind fueled the fire, and the fire in turn strengthened the wind.

The Suan Ni was a Fire Attribute Spirit Beast, and now that it was merged with Li Rui, he naturally had a heightened resistance to fire. However, the Fen Tian Earth Fire was no ordinary element. The moment it appeared, the flames on Li Rui’s body dimmed significantly.

Li Rui was still in midair. Facing the Wind Blade Sword Technique, which moved as fast as teleportation, he had no time to dodge and could only choose to endure it head-on.

BOOM!

The Wind Blade Sword Technique struck Li Rui hard. The power that burst forth instantly began to sweep outward, and the brilliant flames illuminated the entirety of Illusory Moon City as if it were day.

Ye Qingchen didn’t stop moving. He used his Mystifying Steps to continuously reposition himself, blocking the aftershocks of the blast to prevent them from harming any innocents.

Meanwhile, Li Rui was sent flying several hundred meters by the Wind Blade Sword Technique before crashing into the ground. His body slowly began to revert to its original form, his aura growing extremely weak.

Disbelief filled Li Rui’s eyes. He had actually been defeated by a Martial Spirit Realm cultivator! Moreover, if Ye Qingchen hadn’t been busy containing the battle’s aftermath, Li Rui knew he would have died here today in his weakened state.

At this thought, Li Rui struggled to his feet. Seizing the opportunity while Ye Qingchen was preoccupied, he fled into the distance.

A quarter of an hour later, Ye Qingchen finally managed to dissipate all the aftershocks from the battle. He let out a deep breath, having managed to keep the casualties to a minimum. However, looking at the spot where Li Rui had disappeared, he still frowned.

Although he had defeated Li Rui, his intuition told him that Li Rui was merely following orders. This meant that there were even more terrifying forces behind him.

It seems I need to intensify my training.

After the battle, Ye Qingchen had lost the mood to relax and turned to head back toward Chen Yue Pavilion.

Lin Lanxin, who had been hiding in the shadows, watched Ye Qingchen walk away. She couldn’t help but place a hand on her impressive chest, saying with lingering shock, ”That Chen Qingye is truly formidable. But the people the Saint Heir sent are just too unreliable; they couldn’t even deal with a single Martial Spirit Realm cultivator. It seems I need to come up with a different plan.”

「In Qingyun Town of the Northern Desolate Country.」

Qin Yue quietly returned to the outskirts of Qingyun Town and arrived at the grave of Ye Qingchen’s mother.

Previously, although Qin Yue had been the successor to Rising Sun Pavilion, it was merely a two-star sect. As a result, her knowledge and experience were quite limited. Now that she had integrated the memories from her past life, her judgment and insight were on a completely different level.

I understand now. With the Ye Family’s foundation, even accounting for a genetic mutation, it would be absolutely impossible for a prodigy like Ye Qingchen to emerge. His exceptional talent must be related to his mother.

That was why Qin Yue had come here, wanting to uncover the truth.

It’s not that I intend to pry into his secrets. It’s just that only by understanding him better can I find the best way to help him!