Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 996: Chapter 996: The Elder’s Underhanded Tactics

This cold fog is extremely covert, almost imperceptible in the air, but it can silently erode the opponent’s spiritual power, causing their movements to become sluggish.

Meanwhile, his gaze remained fixed on Ye Qingchen, waiting for the right moment to strike.

The third individual deliberately revealed a flaw, pretending to be forced back by Ye Qingchen’s attack, leaving several deep cracks on the ground.

He utilized these cracks, subtly infusing earth-type spiritual power into them, preparing to unleash the earth-collapse technique at a critical moment, trapping Ye Qingchen in place.

His actions were extremely secretive, even someone as vigilant as Ye Qingchen found it difficult to detect anything unusual.

When the three were ready simultaneously, the first elder deliberately exposed a flaw, raised his hand, and condensed a flame giant blade again, slashing towards Ye Qingchen. Ye Qingchen attacked without hesitation, the wind blade instantly dispersed the flames, but at this moment.

The cold fog concealed by the second had already enveloped Ye Qingchen silently.

Ye Qingchen immediately felt his body grow heavy, his movement speed suddenly slowed, and the circulation of spiritual power was somewhat affected.

This sudden change caused Ye Qingchen to be taken aback, he looked down to inspect his surroundings, only to find himself surrounded by a thin layer of cold fog.

Before he could react, the third party’s earth-collapse technique was already activated, the ground suddenly cracked open, countless sharp stone spikes surged from beneath, rushing straight towards Ye Qingchen’s feet.

Although Ye Qingchen quickly realized and tried to avoid these stone spikes, his speed was considerably slower than usual due to the cold fog.

Despite his efforts to dodge, one of the stone spikes still grazed his arm, blood instantly seeped out, staining his sleeve red.

The first elder saw this, immediately seized the opportunity to launch the final attack. He suddenly condensed all the flame spiritual power in his body, compressing it into a scorching fireball, and hurled it fiercely towards Ye Qingchen.

The fireball spun rapidly in the air, carrying a scorching aura as it charged at Ye Qingchen.

Although Ye Qingchen barely dodged the direct attack of the fireball, he was still affected by the aftermath of the flames, burning a patch of his sleeve and scalding his skin.

Seeing their sinister moves succeed, the three elders were overjoyed, seeing hope to turn the situation around.

Elder Number Two let out a cold laugh, continued to urge the cold fog, making it thicker, intending to completely block Ye Qingchen’s movements.

Meanwhile, Elder Number Three took the opportunity to increase the power of the earth-collapse technique, the stone spikes on the ground became more dense, forming an inescapable stone spike cage.

Ye Qingchen realized he had fallen for the opponent’s scheme, his expression darkened.

He felt the erosion of the surrounding cold fog and the pressure of the stone spikes beneath his feet, understanding that the situation was extremely unfavorable for him.

However, his eyes showed no hint of panic, but rather calmly analyzed the current situation.

Ye Qingchen secretly mobilized the spiritual power within his body, attempting to disperse the cold fog surrounding him, but the fog seemed to have a life of its own, constantly entangling him, restricting his movements. Meanwhile, the stone spike cage beneath him was gradually tightening, trying to completely trap him.

Seeing Ye Qingchen being tricked by the three elders with sinister moves, Xiao Xiao was furious, her eyes almost spitting fire.

Although she was usually gentle in nature, she extremely disliked such underhanded behavior.

At this moment, seeing her most respected young master being tricked by such despicable means, Xiao Xiao could no longer suppress her inner anger.

”You old beasts!” Xiao Xiao cursed angrily, her voice filled with rage and disdain. The spiritual power in her hands began to surge, as if she was about to rush out the next moment to seek justice for Ye Qingchen.

Xiao Xiao’s gaze was like a knife, staring intensely at the three elders, wishing she could immediately take action to drive them away. Her fists were clenched, her joints whitened from the force.

She knew she might not be a match for these three, but for Ye Qingchen, she would never back down.

However, just as she was about to make a move, Ye Qingchen smiled slightly and gestured for her not to act impulsively.

”Xiao Xiao, don’t worry,” Ye Qingchen’s voice carried a hint of ease and confidence, ”Dealing with these despicable people, I can handle it myself.”

Ye Qingchen’s expression remained unchanged, showing no panic due to the previous underhanded trick.

On the contrary, his eyes revealed a trace of calm and firm light, as if everything was under control.

Though injured by the sinister move, he did not lose his calm because of it. He was very clear, the current situation was challenging but far from desperate.

Hearing Ye Qingchen’s confident words, although Xiao Xiao was still angry, her trust in Ye Qingchen overcame her worries.

”Young master...” Xiao Xiao gritted her teeth, though feeling unwilling, she ultimately stepped aside, retracting her surging spiritual power.

She understood that Ye Qingchen had his own plans, and she shouldn’t act rashly at this moment.

Ye Qingchen nodded slightly, the faint smile still hanging at the corner of his mouth.

”Watch closely, Xiao Xiao,” Ye Qingchen whispered, ”I will make them pay for their actions.”

As Ye Qingchen finished speaking, the spiritual power within him suddenly exploded, instantly dispersing the cold fog surrounding him, while his feet exerted force, the whole person shot towards the three elders like an arrow leaving the string.

Ye Qingchen’s gaze was sharp as an eagle, filled with absolute confidence.

He knew, to deal with these enemies using underhanded moves, the best way was to crush them with absolute force.

Xiao Xiao took a deep breath, trying hard to calm herself.

She couldn’t let herself lose control of emotions like she did earlier, especially at the critical moment when Ye Qingchen was still fighting the enemy.

She closed her eyes, concentrated, and turned her focus inward, carefully probing the flow of spiritual power within her.

However, as her awareness delved into her body, she felt an unsettling surge.

It came from the demonic qi within her. It seemed to have become active during her earlier emotional upheaval, even somewhat beyond her control.

This caused Xiao Xiao’s heart to leap.

”Oh no...” Xiao Xiao exclaimed inwardly. She had been trying hard to suppress the demonic qi within her, and although she could barely control it usually, once emotional agitation occurred, this demonic qi could break free like a wild beast at any moment.

She felt a wave of panic, this uncontrollable sensation was utterly foreign to her and extremely dangerous.

Demonic qi was inherently a ominous existence, if she completely lost control, not only would she endanger herself, but she might also affect Ye Qingchen.

Thinking of this, Xiao Xiao’s mood grew increasingly heavy.

”Xiao Xiao, calm down... you must calm down...” she told herself inwardly, forcing herself to break free from the turmoil.

Xiao Xiao tried to adjust her breathing, focusing her attention on her chest, beginning to slowly guide the demonic qi within her back to its suppressed position.

With each breath, she did her best to calm her mind, allowing the restless demonic qi to gradually settle.

She knew, the more chaotic her inner state, the harder it would be to control the demonic qi.