Invincible Soul Emperor

But no matter how hard Ye Qingchen tried, his Qingfeng Sword would always be deflected by the fan. Even when he activated his Dual Pupil Martial Soul, he couldn’t sense the Saint Heir using the slightest bit of Spiritual Energy.

Ye Qingchen looked at the Saint Heir in bewilderment. It was the most helpless he had felt since birth.

The Saint Heir gave a faint smile and spoke, ”Now you understand just how insignificant you are before me, don’t you? It’s not just that I am in the Martial King Realm while you are in the Martial Spirit Realm. Even if we were both Martial Kings, it would only take me a thought to kill you.”

Ye Qingchen took a deep breath and declared, ”Since you’re so confident, then I will fight you with the strength of a Martial King!”

After Ye Qingchen spoke, the surrounding Spiritual Energy began to gather toward him rapidly, forming a terrifying vortex over his head with a diameter of over ten meters.

”This… this is the sign of breaking through to the Martial King Realm! But is such a terrifying amount of Spiritual Energy really necessary?” Liang Xiong said in disbelief. The aura from Ye Qingchen already showed the distinct signs of the Martial King Realm, but Liang Xiong remembered that when he broke through, he hadn’t needed nearly this much Spiritual Energy. To put it in perspective, the amount now gathering over Ye Qingchen’s head was enough to make a Sixth-Layer Martial King powerhouse explode!

But Ye Qingchen still felt it wasn’t enough. A continuous stream of Low-grade Spirit Stones flew out from his storage ring, converting into pure Spiritual Energy and pouring into his body.

Qin Yue also frowned and said, ”Qingchen is capable of fighting above his level; the purity of his Spiritual Energy is unmatched by ordinary people. Moreover, he has two Exotic Flames in his body that continually purify his Spiritual Energy. Although the current amount is terrifying, what he truly absorbs is less than a tenth of it!”

After Qin Yue finished speaking, her hands moved to form Seal Formulas, activating the Formation around the arena. Back in the Chaotic Labyrinth, a terrifying Ninth-Layer Immortal Array had gathered Spiritual Energy. While Qin Yue’s strength wasn’t at that level yet, she could still draw more Spiritual Energy for Ye Qingchen’s breakthrough.

As the Formation activated, the Spiritual Energy within a ten-mile radius instantly gathered, while Spiritual Energy from even farther away continued to converge on their location.

The vortex above Ye Qingchen’s head had now reached a terrifying diameter of over a hundred meters. This fearsome energy was enough to annihilate even a peak Ninth-Layer Martial King. It was hard to imagine this was the amount of Spiritual Energy a Martial Spirit Realm martial artist needed just to break through.

The onlookers were all breathing heavily. Those who had previously thought Ye Qingchen won by a fluke now finally understood that for someone who required so much Spiritual Energy just to break through, slaying a Fifth-Layer Martial Spirit Realm warrior was perfectly logical.

On the stage, the Saint Heir and Huan Yuehua were closest to Ye Qingchen. The vortex had sucked the air around them into a vacuum, and Huan Yuehua’s already frail face turned a deathly purplish color from the lack of air.

The Saint Heir smiled, shook his head, and muttered, ”Huan Yuehua, I saved you out of curiosity. If the information you provide doesn’t satisfy me, I have ten thousand ways to make you wish you were dead.”

After he spoke, the Saint Heir waved his hand, forming a barrier in front of himself and Huan Yuehua. Their immediate surroundings returned to normal, and Huan Yuehua’s complexion improved a great deal. He spoke with difficulty, ”Rest assured, Saint Heir. My information will definitely satisfy you.”

The Saint Heir nodded without another word, turning to look at Ye Qingchen’s breakthrough. Breaking through in the midst of battle was something many dared not even imagine, but to the Saint Heir, it meant nothing. The only thing that gave him pause was the vortex currently above Ye Qingchen’s head. He remembered that even when he himself had broken through to the Martial King Realm, the vortex above his head had only spanned a few dozen meters, less than half the size of Ye Qingchen’s.

But the Saint Heir didn’t believe Ye Qingchen’s talent could compare to his own. He knew that the amount of Spiritual Energy absorbed didn’t necessarily correlate with combat strength or future accomplishments.

However, the talent Ye Qingchen was displaying still aroused a murderous intent within the Saint Heir. If this fellow were allowed to grow, although he might not become a threat in the future, he would still be a thorn in his side. Even though Ye Qingchen was defenseless during his breakthrough, providing the perfect opportunity to kill him, the Saint Heir did not make a move.

The pride in my very bones would never allow me to do such a thing. So what if you break through, Ye Qingchen? So what if your breakthrough summons such a terrifying aura? In my eyes, you are still just an ant—a slightly stronger ant than before, that’s all! The most devastating blow to your confidence will be when you break through to the Martial King Realm, only to discover you still can’t withstand a single blow from me!

Therefore, the Saint Heir did not stop Ye Qingchen’s breakthrough. Instead, he leisurely waved his fan, enjoying the sight of the transformation.

At the same time, a heaven-and-earth-shattering change was occurring within Ye Qingchen’s body. The Spiritual Energy absorbed into him rapidly transformed into a liquid. This Spiritual Liquid then continuously compressed into crystals. These Spirit Crystals, in turn, kept compressing and converging, transforming into a new form as they evolved toward their ultimate, star-shaped state.

Ye Qingchen understood that for experts of the Martial King Realm, their level was measured by the number of Star-shaped Spirit Crystals in their Dantian. A First-Layer Martial King possessed a single Star-shaped Spirit Crystal, and each advancement added one more. Of course, this increase wasn’t as simple as one plus one. With every promotion, the Star-shaped Spirit Crystal’s structure and energy would undergo a qualitative change. This was why it was often said that each new level in the Martial King Realm was a world unto itself!

It was only after Ye Qingchen had absorbed the entire hundred-meter vortex above his head that he barely managed to form a rather small Star-shaped Spirit Crystal within his body. He knew the crystal was so small because he had just entered the Martial King Realm. By the time he reached the peak of the First-Layer Martial King Realm, this crystal would occupy his entire Dantian, and upon breaking through again, it would compress further to make way for a new one.

Even though he had just stepped into the Martial King Realm, Ye Qingchen could feel its immense power. He felt his strength had increased by more than a hundredfold. As his Realm improved, his Soul Power had also grown substantially, and he could now mobilize his Martial Soul and the Spiritual Energy in his body with even greater ease. He could even faintly sense a connection between himself and nature’s spiritual energy.

However, Ye Qingchen knew now was not the time to explore these new feelings. His priority was to kill his enemy, Huan Yuehua, with his own hands.

But to do that, he first had to get past the Saint Heir