Devouring Soul Emperor

Chapter 352: Chapter 352: The Thundercloud Sword is Ruined

CLANG!

The Thundercloud Sword and Mu’s strangely shaped longsword clashed for the first time, not through a screen of Sword Qi, but in a true collision of steel!

The instant they collided, a soft CRACK sounded from the Thundercloud Sword. A dazzling bolt of thunder erupted from the point of contact, only to be instantly shredded into nothingness by the surrounding Sword Qi.

After the flash of lightning, Chu Qingyun focused his gaze and his eyes shot wide in shock.

A small crack had actually appeared on the Thundercloud Sword!

Although the crack was minuscule, as fine as a strand of hair, as a First-level Martial Spirit and the master of the Thundercloud Sword, Chu Qingyun could naturally see it with perfect clarity!

The Spirit Level Divine Weapon, the Thundercloud Sword, had always been Chu Qingyun’s greatest reliance—something he believed to be indestructible. And now, it had been cracked!

Back in Flame City, Chu Qingyun hadn’t realized just how rare a Spirit Level Divine Weapon was. But after arriving in the County City, he learned just how unbelievably lucky he had been to have Master Jin—who had never forged a Spirit Level Divine Weapon in Flame City before—craft his sword, and then to have successfully performed the Spirit Awakening himself to create the Thundercloud Sword.

And now, this very Thundercloud Sword had proven inferior to Mu’s blade, cracking the moment they made contact!

Mu naturally noticed this as well, and his heart instantly filled with wild joy.

"Haha, Chu Qingyun, your sword is absolute trash! Let’s see what you’ll use to fight me now!"

Mu laughed heartily and abruptly applied even greater force, pressing down on Chu Qingyun.

In response, Chu Qingyun pushed his Profound Celestial Divine Pattern to its absolute limit, gripping the Thundercloud Sword with both hands and resisting for dear life.

But the Thundercloud Sword couldn’t withstand the strain of clashing with that strange longsword. Dazzling bolts of thunder continuously erupted from the point of contact, and the crack grew wider and wider!

’Damn it, that sword...’

Chu Qingyun’s brow furrowed as his eyes fixed on Mu’s sword.

The sword looked very strange. It didn’t resemble a complete blade at all; rather, it looked as if a sword had been split vertically, leaving only a small portion behind. It even had an edge on only one side, while the other was a smooth, clean break. The hilt also looked jarringly out of place, as if it had been added on later.

"Chu Qingyun, you’re dead! Your broken piece of junk can’t possibly stand against my Treasure Sword! Break for me!"

Mu’s eyes glinted as he mustered every last ounce of strength in his body, putting all his power into crushing Chu Qingyun.

The situation had reached a critical point. Both were using their full strength, and neither could back down. If one of them retreated, their body would have to withstand the other’s Sword Qi directly.

And neither Chu Qingyun nor Mu dared to face that incomparably sharp Sword Qi with their own flesh and blood!

It could be said that victory or defeat for both of them hinged on this single moment.

In such a fierce confrontation, Chu Qingyun didn’t even have time to take an Elixir!

And at this crucial moment, the Thundercloud Sword emitted a groaning, creaking sound as if unable to bear the load. More thunder spewed from the fracture, and the crack had now spread across nearly half the blade.

If this continued, the Thundercloud Sword would probably truly break!

And when that happened, Chu Qingyun would be left with only his bare fists to face Mu’s incredibly sharp Treasure Sword!

’Can’t wait any longer. I have no choice but to use that move...’

A glint flashed in Chu Qingyun’s eyes. He connected with his Devouring Martial Soul, and streams of Devouring Power quietly gathered in his hands.

His original plan had been to clash head-on with Mu for a while, drain some of his Primordial Power and stamina, and then use his Devouring Power to take him down by surprise.

But it now seemed that if he dragged this out any longer, he would be the one forced onto the defensive.

Chu Qingyun controlled the Devouring Power, splitting it into two streams that shot out from his palms and lunged toward Mu.

However, as the two streams of Devouring Power passed through the area between them—the epicenter where their swords clashed, teeming with Thunder Power and two types of Sword Qi—they were suddenly shredded and annihilated, unable to pass through at all!

With Chu Qingyun’s current strength, the Devouring Power he could manifest was still weaker than Sword Qi—to say nothing of two clashing torrents of it, along with the innate thunder constantly erupting from the Thundercloud Sword.

’If I can’t go through the middle, I’ll go around!’

Chu Qingyun snorted coldly as another mass of Devouring Power gathered in his hands.

Then, this deep, dark Devouring Power suddenly split apart, bursting from Chu Qingyun’s hands like dozens of fine black threads that bypassed the intense clash of Sword Qi in the center.

The dozens of black threads wound themselves around and around, up and down Mu’s projected Primordial Power, encasing him like a large black net.

"Wh-what is that stuff?"

Seeing this Devouring Power, Mu’s heart suddenly filled with a deep sense of unease, and he couldn’t help but ask in alarm.

But Chu Qingyun just grinned and said softly, "Something fun. Devour!"

The Devouring Power erupted. Immediately, an expression of absolute terror appeared on Mu’s face.

He discovered that his projected Primordial Power was being continuously consumed by those black threads! In just a moment, the sphere of his projected power had already shrunk by a large margin!

Moreover, the ten vines he had been defending against so tenaciously seized the opportunity to attack ferociously, hammering against his Protective Primordial Power again and again, causing it to tremble violently as if it were about to collapse!

Mu was terrified.

Chu Qingyun, however, looked as if he were enjoying himself. ’The Primordial Power of a Third-level Martial Spirit really is pure...’

Stream after stream of pure Primordial Power flowed along the threads of Devouring Power, constantly pouring into Chu Qingyun’s body. It entered his Devouring Martial Soul, where it was refined into Primordial Liquid appropriate for Chu Qingyun’s Realm and used to replenish his Qi Sea.

The Thundercloud Sword was already half-cracked, the fissure extending to its spine. The massive loss of its innate thunder was also causing the sword to grow weaker and weaker.

This sword, which had been with Chu Qingyun since he was a Fifth-level Martial Artist, was now more than half-ruined!

Because of this, devouring Mu’s Primordial Power now gave Chu Qingyun a sense of vengeful satisfaction.

Faced with his shrinking Protective Primordial Power, Mu’s expression grew increasingly panicked. He was forced to divert more of his Heart and Mind to mobilize more Primordial Power, trying to resist the Devouring Power’s consumption and the bombardment from the Iron Thread Ten-Star Vine.

However, it was utterly futile.

The Devouring Power consumed an opponent’s Primordial Power to replenish one’s own—a classic case of one side’s loss being the other’s gain.

Furthermore, as Chu Qingyun channeled more and more Devouring Power, the rate at which Mu could project his Primordial Power simply couldn’t keep up with the rate at which the Devouring Power consumed it!

"Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT! ..."

The Primordial Power around his body grew thinner and weaker. Watching the Devouring Power draw ever closer, Mu finally panicked. His former composure was gone, and he couldn’t help but roar in frustration.

But this, too, was futile.