Invincible Soul Emperor

After Ye Qingchen finished speaking, Huan Yuehua was shocked to discover that although he had crushed all the willow branches, the seemingly disordered vines had instantly entwined themselves completely around his body.

Meanwhile, Ye Qingchen lunged at him with tremendous speed.

Although the willow branches entangled him, they didn’t affect his punching speed at all. Seeing Ye Qingchen charge, Huan Yuehua was thrilled. He was confident that in his current state, a single punch would be enough to leave Ye Qingchen either dead or severely wounded!

However, just as Ye Qingchen entered Huan Yuehua’s attack range, he screeched to a sudden halt. At the same time, two flames—one in each hand—blazed to life.

In Ye Qingchen’s left hand was a bizarre green flame, while a crimson one danced on his right. Though different in color, both emitted a terrifying heat.

The Saint Heir, who had been languidly watching from the stands, straightened up with a flicker of interest. ”One is the Fen Tian Earth Fire, the other is the Ancient Jade Spiritual Fire. The lad’s luck isn’t bad,” he commented. ”And he’s not too dull, figuring out how to use flames to counter the Rock Armor.”

If Ye Qingchen had heard the Saint Heir, he would have been utterly shocked—not because the man had recognized his Exotic Flames, but because he had seen right through his attack strategy.

Although the five elements have a cycle of counters—with Huan Yuehua’s Earth Attribute suppressing Wood and, to a lesser extent, Fire—the Fen Tian Earth Fire and the Ancient Jade Spiritual Fire were the pinnacles of all flames. Huan Yuehua’s ordinary Earth Attribute stood no chance of suppressing these two Exotic Flames. And due to the cumbersome nature of his armored form, he had no way to dodge them.

This was the opportunity Ye Qingchen had been waiting for to launch his counterattack.

Seeing the flames in Ye Qingchen’s hands, Huan Yuehua finally understood why he had first used a Martial Soul skill to summon the willow branches. Wood fuels fire; Ye Qingchen intended to maximize the power of his flames.

Just as he expected, Ye Qingchen pushed both Exotic Flames forward, instantly engulfing the area around Huan Yuehua in a sea of fire. The willow branches wrapped around Huan Yuehua’s body ignited, making the inferno burn even more ferociously. Ye Qingchen circulated his Soul Power, carefully controlling the flames to concentrate them on Huan Yuehua and prevent them from spreading outward.

At first, Huan Yuehua was unconcerned, since earth is not afraid of fire. However, once the Exotic Flames ignited, his Rock Armor instantly became incredibly rigid, rooting him to the spot. As the flames scorched it, the armor’s internal temperature skyrocketed. Huan Yuehua felt as if he were being cooked in a steamer. While the Exotic Flames wouldn’t burn him to death, the heat building inside the armor would surely suffocate him.

Huan Yuehua never imagined that his greatest trump card would become such a liability.

But Huan Yuehua was a decisive man. He immediately shattered the Rock Armor from within and used his movement technique to escape the inferno. Though his life was no longer in danger, he was a miserable sight. The terrifying heat had incinerated his once-elegant beard and left his new brocade robes in tattered ruins. Fortunately, he was uninjured.

Ye Qingchen hadn’t expected to defeat him in one move. Seeing Huan Yuehua escape, he didn’t press the attack.

Huan Yuehua stole a glance at the Saint Heir. Relieved to see he wasn’t paying attention, he let out a quiet breath, though he knew he couldn’t delay any longer. He immediately summoned his New Moon Martial Soul, which materialized behind him. He then drew his superior-grade spiritual weapon, the Phantom Demon Ruler, and attacked Ye Qingchen once more.

Ye Qingchen didn’t dare to be complacent. As Huan Yuehua summoned his Martial Soul, he summoned his Willow Wood Martial Soul as well. But after it materialized, it dissolved into a stream of light and merged into Ye Qingchen’s body.

”That bastard!” Li Rui gritted his teeth.

The Saint Heir just smiled faintly. ”There’s nothing surprising about it. I told you long ago he was stealing your clumsy combat techniques.”

Indeed, Ye Qingchen was using Li Rui’s old technique of integrating the Willow Wood Martial Soul into his body. While it didn’t directly boost his attack power, the boundless life force of the Willow Wood Martial Soul drastically increased the speed at which he could channel and recover his Spiritual Energy. This allowed him to use his Martial Techniques faster and more frequently in battle.

Therefore, when Huan Yuehua charged at him with the Phantom Demon Ruler, Ye Qingchen countered almost instantly with the Wind Blade Sword Technique, deflecting the attack.

The Wind Blade Sword Technique was an Earth-Rank, medium-grade Martial Technique, and the Qingfeng Sword was a superior-grade spiritual weapon. Thus, even though Huan Yuehua was significantly stronger than Ye Qingchen, he failed to gain an advantage in the exchange. Instead, the force of the Wind Blade Sword Technique knocked him back several steps.

Huan Yuehua was aghast. He had just used a Mysterious Rank Martial Art but was still repelled. Worse, having expended so much energy to maintain the Earth-Rank Rock Armor earlier, he now lacked the reserves to use another high-level Martial Technique. Still, he was certain Ye Qingchen must have also used an Earth-Rank technique to produce such power.

A Martial Spirit Realm cultivator’s Spiritual Liquid reserves can’t possibly compare to a Martial King’s! I refuse to believe he can use an Earth-Rank Martial Technique many more times!

Gritting his teeth, Huan Yuehua charged at Ye Qingchen again with his Phantom Demon Ruler.

By now, Ye Qingchen had seen through his opponent’s gambit and no longer held back. He swung the Qingfeng Sword relentlessly, alternating between the Wind Blade Sword Technique and Sword Dusting the Wind, forcing Huan Yuehua into a stumbling retreat where he could do nothing but desperately defend.

Huan Yuehua felt a conflicting mix of humiliation and astonishment. He was humiliated that he, a dignified fifth-level Martial King Realm expert, was being completely suppressed by someone in the Martial Spirit Realm. He was astonished that Ye Qingchen, despite repeatedly using Earth-Rank Martial Techniques, seemed to do so effortlessly, as if he didn’t need to channel Spiritual Energy at all. He showed no signs of fatigue.

While Huan Yuehua couldn’t understand it, the Saint Heir saw the truth. He chuckled and said to Li Rui, ”That kid learned your fighting style, but he uses it more skillfully than you ever did. You might want to take some notes from him.”

Li Rui nodded reluctantly, knowing the Saint Heir was right.

BOOM!

Huan Yuehua could no longer withstand the onslaught. A heavy blow from the Qingfeng Sword sent him flying into the Formation barrier surrounding the arena. He bounced off it violently and slammed back down onto the diamond-hard ground, carving out a two-meter-deep crater.

Ye Qingchen let out a breath and, holding his Qingfeng Sword, walked toward Huan Yuehua to end the battle.