Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 733: Chapter 733: Trade

A moment ago, he had only thought of the boy as weak and hadn’t paid him much attention. Now, it was clear the young man had some skill.

Ye Qingchen’s attacks were swift and fierce. Filled with a palpable killing intent, they came at Old Cui like a volley of sharp swords, slashing violently at his body.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Ye Qingchen and Old Cui exchanged a flurry of blows, both moving with incredible speed. Their figures were almost indiscernible, blurring into two shifting shadows. Ye Qingchen moved like lightning, weaving back and forth in front of Old Cui with remarkable speed. Old Cui was not to be outdone. His cane whirled frantically, unleashing waves of Earth Element power that formed shield after shield to crash toward Ye Qingchen.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The clash between them made the very ground shake. Their figures intertwined rapidly, colliding time and again. Each impact sent a violent tremor through the earth, which seemed ready to collapse at any moment.

Old Cui was indeed formidable. His mastery of the Earth Element had reached an inconceivable realm. His cane contained the purest and most potent energy of Earth Magic, and when unleashed, it caused the very air to ripple. No matter how fast Ye Qingchen was, he could not outpace Old Cui’s attacks. He had to use the power of the Wood Element to barely block each collision.

The fierce duel continued relentlessly. The wind rustled the surrounding foliage, and falling leaves danced in the air, as if adding a mysterious tint to the battle.

Old Cui moved like lightning. The movement of his cane raised a whirlwind of Earth Element power that stormed toward Ye Qingchen. With nimble footwork, Ye Qingchen agilely dodged each incoming attack. A resolute glint shone in his eyes as he fiercely countered with the power of the Wood Element.

Old Cui’s strength was truly immense. A tremendous Energy was contained within him, and each swing of his cane brought intense Energy Fluctuations. Ye Qingchen felt this massive force and couldn’t help but feel a sliver of apprehension.

As expected of an expert at the Eighth Layer of the Martial Emperor Realm. His strength is nothing to scoff at!

Their confrontation lasted for more than ten minutes, the open space echoing with the glint of blades, the blur of shadows, and booming clashes. Old Cui’s attacks were like Mount Tai bearing down, forcing Ye Qingchen to use his full strength to respond. Meanwhile, Ye Qingchen’s speed and agility gave Old Cui a considerable headache. He wanted to crush his opponent in a single blow, but he consistently failed to land a decisive hit. Ye Qingchen’s figure flickered in and out of sight, neutralizing every one of Old Cui’s attacks and leaving the old man frustrated.

”Kid, I advise you to stop this! You gain nothing by fighting me,” Old Cui said coldly.

Ye Qingchen let out a cold chuckle without replying, his movements becoming even more elusive. He was faster than before, and Old Cui was completely unable to keep up. Ye Qingchen pressed his advantage relentlessly, closing in on Old Cui. His speed kept increasing until, in the blink of an eye, he was within arm’s reach.

Old Cui’s heart tightened, and he quickly retreated.

BOOM!

Ye Qingchen slammed his feet into the ground. A powerful wave of Energy spread out in all directions, instantly shattering the earth and sending rubble flying. His speed more than doubled as his ghostly figure shot in front of Old Cui, and he hammered a fist toward the old man’s chest.

Seeing this, Old Cui’s face darkened. ”Damn you! I won’t let you go!”

With that, Old Cui thrust his palms forward. An earthen-yellow energy barrier instantly formed to protect him as his palms met Ye Qingchen’s fist.

Ye Qingchen’s fist slammed hard against the earthen-yellow energy barrier, emitting a muffled thud. The powerful impact forced Old Cui back several steps, his feet gouging deep tracks in the ground. Under the assault from Ye Qingchen’s fist, the earthen-yellow energy barrier trembled violently. It looked precarious, as if about to shatter, but it held firm. Fine beads of sweat appeared on Old Cui’s forehead.

A look of disbelief flickered in his eyes. He never expected Ye Qingchen to be capable of unleashing such power. He had assumed his own Cultivation would be more than enough to handle the young man. Now, it was clear he had gravely underestimated him.

The onlookers who hadn’t fled stared from a distance with wide-eyed disbelief, shocked to see Old Cui at a disadvantage.

”What’s going on? Since when does Old Cui get pushed back? I heard he never lost to anyone back in the day!”

”Yeah! What level of power does that guy have? How can he be so strong?”

”We sensed he had some strength, but to think he could actually force Old Cui to retreat!”

”Shit! It’s a good thing we ran when we did, or who knows what our fate would have been!”

A chill of lingering fear ran through them.

Old Cui wiped the sweat from his brow.

”Kid, I have to admit, you have some skill.” Old Cui stopped his attacks, just watching Ye Qingchen. ”But even if you give it your all and defeat me, what then? Only a fifth of the night is gone. By now, word of the treasure you carry has spread throughout the entire Outer City—and likely even beyond. If you deplete your Energy now, I’m afraid you won’t survive until morning.”

Old Cui was speaking the truth. In such a short time, two groups had already come to rob him of his treasure. If more people came, they could wear Ye Qingchen down and kill him through sheer attrition, even if they weren’t strong.

Ye Qingchen also realized this. He narrowed his eyes at Old Cui. ”Even if you take what I have, you’ll face the same fate!”

Old Cui couldn’t help but laugh. ”Kid, you’re still too naive. I’ve made my way in the Outer City for many years; do you think I don’t have my own people? And you? You’re just a foreigner with no backing. What can you possibly do, even with a bit of strength?”

Ye Qingchen seriously considered his words, feeling the old man had a point.

”Old man, what is it you want from me?” Ye Qingchen asked slowly.

Old Cui walked slowly toward him. ”What I want... is that incomplete Divine-level cultivation technique!”

Ye Qingchen was surprised. He had expected the old man to be after the armor he had given Xiao Xiao, not this. That incomplete Divine-level cultivation technique was far too incomplete. Even Ye Qingchen couldn’t piece its contents together after studying it.

Exchanging the incomplete technique with Old Cui seemed like a good option. After all, he still had to stay in the Outer City for a few more days until Xue Feng finished his business.