Devouring Soul Emperor

Chapter 355: Chapter 355: Level 2 Martial Spirit

Liu Canghai and the two others knelt on the ground, begging pitifully.

However, Chu Qingyun paid them no mind at all.

’Forced? You won’t do anything evil again?’

’How ridiculous!’

They were the ones who arranged for a second-level Martial Spirit to ambush Chu Qingyun when he was just a Half-Step Martial Spirit. They were the ones who caused the deaths of over a hundred Small Spirit Realm Guard Generals from the Celestial Wind Army. And they were the ones who got Xia He and the other four captured alive by the Martial Soul Hall.

And they thought they could just brush all that aside with a flimsy "we were forced"?

"How you’re dealt with is a matter for the Grand Commanders and Military Lords. My only job is to hand you over."

"Cripple their Qi Seas. Take them back!" Chu Qingyun said, his eyes cold.

Hearing Chu Qingyun order their Qi Seas crippled, a vicious glint flashed in Liu Canghai’s eyes.

"You want to cripple my Qi Sea? I’ll cripple you first!"

Liu Canghai suddenly exploded into action, his hand forming a claw as he lunged for Chu Qingyun’s abdomen, right where his Qi Sea was located.

"You’re courting death!"

Chu Qingyun snorted coldly, instantly activating the Profound Celestial Divine Pattern. He lashed out with a kick. CRACK! He snapped Liu Canghai’s arm.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he followed up with two quick steps and kicked again, slamming his foot viciously into Liu Canghai’s abdomen.

A powerful surge of Power passed through his body, piercing straight through Liu Canghai’s Qi Sea. Liu Canghai spat out a mouthful of blood, and his entire aura instantly withered away.

With his Qi Sea destroyed, he was now a cripple, weaker than even a Martial Artist!

Meanwhile, Xia He also took action. With two swift kicks, BANG, BANG, he shattered the Qi Seas of Liu Cangyi and Zhao Jing, crippling them both.

The horses Chu Qingyun and Liu Canghai had ridden had died long ago during the great battle in the valley.

Fortunately, the many members of the Martial Soul Hall had also mostly come on horseback, and a large herd of horses remained on the slope behind them.

Chu Qingyun and his five companions each chose a horse. They then tied Liu Canghai and the other two onto three separate horses and returned to Lianshan County City with them.

Entering the County City with three half-dead men proved to be troublesome.

However, once they presented their Great Xia Dragon Guard Tokens, the soldiers guarding the city gates didn’t dare say another word.

Hauling the three cripples, Chu Qingyun’s group of six returned straight to the Great Xia Dragon Guard’s encampment. The matter was too important for them to delay, so they went directly to find Grand Commander Chu Yu, who then led them to meet the Celestial Wind Army Master.

When the Celestial Wind Army Master heard what had happened, he flew into a rage on the spot. The terrifying aura of a ninth-level Martial Spirit locked onto Liu Canghai and the other two, striking fear deep into their hearts. They didn’t dare hide anything and confessed everything honestly.

"All of you... deserve to die!"

The Celestial Wind Army Master was absolutely livid.

His own distinguished Martial Spirit Realm Guard Generals had actually colluded with the Martial Soul Hall over a personal grudge, causing the deaths of over a hundred Small Spirit Realm Guard Generals and inflicting a huge loss on the Celestial Wind Army!

In his fury, the Celestial Wind Army Master even struck out directly. With a single palm strike, he obliterated Liu Canghai and the other two, turning them to dust!

After calming his anger slightly, the Celestial Wind Army Master turned to Chu Qingyun and his companions. "Faults must be punished, and merits must be rewarded. The six of you have rooted out traitors from my Celestial Wind Army, which is a great service. Tell me, what kind of reward do you want?"

A reward...

Xia He and the other four looked at one another and then nodded in unison.

"Lord Military Commander, the credit for exposing Liu Canghai this time belongs entirely to Chu Qingyun. We were merely captured; we dare not ask for any reward!"

"That’s right, Lord Military Commander. If Chu Qingyun hadn’t saved us, we would have all fallen into the hands of the Martial Soul Hall. We really can’t accept any reward."

"Mm, that’s correct."

All five of them pushed the entire credit onto Chu Qingyun.

The total merit for an achievement was fixed. If the five of them took a share, the reward Chu Qingyun could receive would certainly be smaller.

Chu Qingyun had already risked his life to save the five of them, even using five Giant Elephant Frenzy Pills in the process. Of course, they were too embarrassed to ask for any reward now.

"Mm, very well. Chu Qingyun, what reward do you want?"

The Celestial Wind Army Master nodded, thinking that what they said made sense. He then looked at Chu Qingyun and asked him what he wanted.

"Well..."

Chu Qingyun looked at Xia He and the others, then at Grand Commander Chu Yu and the Celestial Wind Army Master. He hadn’t expected to receive a reward, let alone be able to choose it himself.

After a moment’s thought, it suddenly occurred to him that he was about to break through to the second-level Martial Spirit. When that happened, his Sword Qi would definitely experience another huge increase, which meant he would need Thunderlight Stones again.

Regarding Thunderlight Stones, Chu Qingyun was almost certain that the Great Xia Dragon Guard was likely the only place in all of Lianshan County that had them.

Therefore, choosing Thunderlight Stones would definitely not be a losing proposition.

"Lord Military Commander, I would like Thunderlight Stones. The more, the better," Chu Qingyun said, cupping his hands in respect to the Celestial Wind Army Master.

"Thunderlight Stones..."

A thoughtful expression appeared on the Celestial Wind Army Master’s face as he seemed to consider how many would be an appropriate reward.

"Alright, then you are awarded fifty Thunderlight Stones!" After a moment of deliberation, the Celestial Wind Army Master made his decision.

With the matter of the reward settled, the Celestial Wind Army Master and Grand Commander Chu Yu quickly departed.

Now that it was confirmed there were indeed traitors within, they needed to find the other Military Lords and conduct a thorough investigation throughout the Six Armies.

Chu Qingyun and the others also went their separate ways.

Although they had survived a great disaster and escaped with their lives, being captured alive by the Martial Soul Hall was ultimately nothing to be happy about. No one was in the mood to celebrate.

After returning to his residence, Chu Qingyun locked the door and windows, sat down cross-legged, and prepared to begin his cultivation.

He still had over 15,000 drops of Primordial Spirit Liquid left from the last auction. Such a large amount was definitely enough for him to cultivate to the second-level Martial Spirit.

Taking out a large box of Primordial Spirit Liquid, Chu Qingyun couldn’t be bothered to count it. He directly sent a sliver of his Devouring Power into the jade box and began to devour and refine the Primordial Power within the Primordial Spirit Liquid.

After nearly half of the large box of Primordial Spirit Liquid was consumed, Chu Qingyun’s Qi Sea was once again filled with Primordial Liquid. His entire Qi Sea felt slightly swollen.

’It’s coming!’

Chu Qingyun withdrew his Devouring Power, casually closed the lid of the jade box, and then calmed his heart and concentrated his spirit. He began to compress and refine the Primordial Liquid in his Qi Sea, aiming for the second-level Martial Spirit.

Compressing Primordial Liquid was more than ten times harder than compressing the Primordial Qi of a Martial Master Level cultivator.

Fortunately, Chu Qingyun had already awakened his Soul Power, and it had even been enhanced once by that mysterious azure power.

Supported by his sufficiently powerful Soul Power, Chu Qingyun’s breakthrough process went rather smoothly.

After about five minutes, a BOOM seemed to resound within his Qi Sea. The amount of Primordial Liquid in his Qi Sea instantly decreased, but its purity had increased immensely.

Chu Qingyun had successfully advanced to the second-level Martial Spirit!