Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 452: Chapter 452: The Change of the Willow Wood Martial Soul

After fighting the human for so long, the Willow Soul Tree Demon was about to land the final blow when another human suddenly appeared and blocked its path. The Tree Demon grew furious. It could tell that this new human was only a low-level Martial King Realm warrior. In its prime, it could have killed this opponent with a single strike. Even now, exhausted as it was, killing him shouldn’t be too difficult.

Ye Qingchen’s expression was grave. After all, a Willow Soul Tree Demon in its prime could face a Peak of Martial King Realm existence. Although the girl had already drained most of its life force, the creature was not to be underestimated.

Ye Qingchen tightly gripped his Flowing Cloud Sword, infusing it with the Willow Soul’s Brilliance he had just comprehended. He could clearly sense the sword’s amplification of his Spiritual Energy had increased severalfold. While this didn’t grant the tenfold boost to attack and defensive power that directly applying it to his body would, the effect was actually superior. A superior-grade spiritual weapon already amplified his strength, and when combined with the Willow Soul’s Brilliance, the result was far greater than any direct physical enhancement.

The Willow Soul Tree Demon froze in shock when it saw Ye Qingchen use the Willow Soul’s Brilliance. Ye Qingchen did not miss this opening. He immediately unleashed his Wind Blade Sword Technique, enhanced with the Fen Tian Earth Fire, striking the stunned demon.

Sensing the power of the attack, the Willow Soul Tree Demon hurriedly whipped its willow branches to block the Sword Qi. The branches were tough and remained intact after resisting the impact. However, the imbued Fen Tian Earth Fire was the natural nemesis of Wood Attribute creatures. The fire’s temperature soared instantly, causing the willow branches to smolder. Alarmed, the Willow Soul Tree Demon quickly consumed some of its life force to extinguish the flames.

Before the Willow Soul Tree Demon could even catch its breath, Ye Qingchen struck again. He used the same method, landing four more strikes imbued with Fen Tian Earth Fire on the exact same spot on the branch. This incredible precision was possible because the restoration of his Dual Pupil Martial Soul had greatly improved his control. Furthermore, after the Holy Light Initiation, his Spiritual Energy flowed much more smoothly when using Martial Techniques, enabling such a seamless sequence.

Even so, the demon’s tough branches could not withstand the assault. Four consecutive strikes—delivered with a superior-grade spiritual weapon enhanced by the Willow Soul’s Brilliance and the mid-level Earth Rank Wind Blade Sword Technique—were too much. The branches finally gave way and were severed by Ye Qingchen’s sword. More terrifyingly, the Fen Tian Earth Fire from all four strikes erupted almost simultaneously. The Willow Soul Tree Demon desperately consumed its life force, but it struggled to extinguish the raging flames.

That branch was the Willow Soul Tree Demon’s core life branch. Regenerating it after being severed would require an immense amount of life force. In its current condition, the creature was already overwhelmed just resisting the Fen Tian Earth Fire, let alone regenerating its branch. At this, the Willow Soul Tree Demon began to consider retreating. It had failed to kill the human who was trying to steal the Spiritual Medicine it guarded, but its own survival was far more important.

Ye Qingchen saw its intention to flee and had no intention of letting it escape. While the Willow Soul Tree Demon was battling the Fen Tian Earth Fire, Ye Qingchen summoned his Willow Wood Martial Soul. Fusing with it, he instantly activated a binding skill.

When the Willow Soul Tree Demon saw Ye Qingchen’s Willow Wood Martial Soul, its eyes suddenly went slack. It even ignored the searing pain of the Fen Tian Earth Fire, overwhelmed by an irresistible urge to worship. What Ye Qingchen didn’t know was that his Willow Wood Martial Soul, despite being only a seven-star Martial Soul, was the progenitor of all willow-type entities. For a Spirit Beast like the Willow Soul Tree Demon, seeing the Willow Wood Martial Soul was like seeing its king.

Therefore, the branches summoned by Ye Qingchen’s binding skill easily ensnared the Willow Soul Tree Demon. At the same time, Ye Qingchen discovered that the creature’s dwindling life force was continuously flowing through those summoned branches and into his Willow Wood Martial Soul.

My Willow Wood Martial Soul can actually absorb the Willow Soul Tree Demon’s life force?

Ye Qingchen was stunned. He had expected a bitter fight but never anticipated his Willow Wood Martial Soul would display such dominance at this crucial moment.

Could the Holy Light Initiation have caused my Willow Wood Martial Soul to evolve?

Ye Qingchen shook his head. Now wasn’t the time to investigate. Since his Willow Wood Martial Soul could absorb the Tree Demon’s life force, it was obviously a great supplement for it. The Willow Soul Tree Demon’s primary advantage had been its vigorous life force, which allowed it to constantly regenerate and push the young girl to the brink of defeat. Without its immense life force and with its core life branch severed, the Willow Soul Tree Demon was no longer a threat.

And that was exactly what happened. As its life force was continuously siphoned away by the Willow Wood Martial Soul, the creature, once over two meters tall, began to shrink until it was only about a meter in height. Its bark, once as hard as armor, now looked withered and shriveled. Yet, the Willow Soul Tree Demon still stared vacantly, seemingly oblivious to its own transformation. Ye Qingchen could feel his Willow Wood Martial Soul absorbing less and less life force until the flow became almost imperceptible.

Ye Qingchen recalled his Willow Wood Martial Soul and walked toward the Tree Demon, Flowing Cloud Sword in hand. He remained cautious. The previous turn of events had been too sudden, and he didn’t know if the Tree Demon had any tricks left up its sleeve. However, even though the creature had regained its senses, its life force was so depleted that it was completely immobile. All of the Willow Soul Tree Demon’s movements were powered by its life force. Without it, the creature could not even think.

The Willow Soul Tree Demon offered no resistance, not even when Ye Qingchen cleaved it in two with a single strike.

It’s over... just like that? Even Ye Qingchen found it hard to believe he had defeated the powerful Willow Soul Tree Demon so easily.

When I get the chance, I need to study my Willow Wood Martial Soul more. It seems there’s still a lot about it I haven’t discovered. Ye Qingchen thought to himself as he walked over to the young girl.

The girl was sound asleep, her clothes torn to shreds from the preceding battle. Large patches of her pale skin were exposed, a sight that could stir the imagination. However, while such a sight was nothing new to Ye Qingchen, he couldn’t bear to leave the girl exposed like this.

He searched his storage ring, but he hadn’t restocked on daily necessities in a while. After so many days in the Training Mountain Range, he had already used up all of his spare clothes. Still, he couldn’t let the girl leave the Training Mountain Range in this state. After some consideration, Ye Qingchen took off his own outer robe, intending to wrap it around her to at least preserve her modesty.