Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: 10-Star Vermilion Bird Holy Soul Appears

Du Pengcheng usually wouldn’t have paid any attention to changes in the lowest scores. However, the scores of Ye Qingchen and Xiao Xiao were so low and had remained unchanged for so long that the sudden increase immediately piqued his interest.

”Twenty becomes seventy-four! Seventy-four becomes one hundred and thirty!” Noticing the detailed changes in Ye Qingchen’s score, Du Pengcheng’s eyebrows shot up, his interest growing even more.

”Deacon Cui, take a look!” Du Pengcheng even shared his discovery with Cui Wei.

”Twenty points turned into seventy-four! Then, just as quickly, seventy-four points turned into one hundred and thirty! He’s slain two second-order Monster Beasts in a row!” Cui Wei couldn’t help but gasp.

Earning fifty to sixty points at once could only be achieved by killing a second-order Monster Beast.

If the top-ranked Huang Xiaoshuai had demonstrated such skill, he could have accepted it. But this was the second-to-last ranked contestant, someone who had been hiding in the Qingyun Mountains for more than twenty days.

Would a truly formidable young contestant hide for so long?

In the subconscious of Du Pengcheng and Cui Wei, Ye Qingchen was definitely a complete waste of talent. Yet, at this moment, the person they considered a waste had just slain two second-order Monster Beasts consecutively. If it were only one, it could be chalked up to good luck—perhaps he had stumbled upon a dying Monster Beast and finished it off. But killing two in a row couldn’t be explained by good fortune alone.

Could it be that this kid’s luck is simply heaven-defying? Did he happen upon two second-order Monster Beasts that had grievously injured each other, allowing him to play the fisherman and land the final blows? Du Pengcheng still found it hard to believe that the boy who had been ranked last for over twenty days had the ability to slay two Monster Beasts in such a short time. He suspected that perhaps Ye Qingchen’s luck was just too heaven-defying.

However, the moment the words left his lips, Ye Qingchen’s score changed again. It shot up from one hundred and thirty to one hundred and eighty-five points in an instant.

Just three seconds later, it went from one hundred and eighty-five to two hundred and thirty-nine points.

Du Pengcheng and Cui Wei couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath simultaneously. In such a short time, he had slain another two second-order Monster Beasts in succession. This meant Ye Qingchen must have been ambushed by a pack of second-order Monster Beasts.

Having slain four second-order Monster Beasts in a row, Ye Qingchen’s cultivation must have reached the Martial Warrior Realm, and not a low rank at that.

Du Pengcheng and Cui Wei were somewhat puzzled. If Ye Qingchen was so powerful, why had he been hiding all this time instead of striving for a higher rank?

But now, their primary concern was his safety. Being surrounded by a pack of second-order Monster Beasts was dangerous. Never mind a Martial Artist—even martial masters like themselves could perish if they were the slightest bit careless.

BOOM!

Just then, a deafening explosion echoed from deep within the Qingyun Mountains. An abnormally dazzling red flame shot into the sky, bursting high above and transforming into a magnificent pyre.

”It’s the Qin Family’s Roaring Heaven Thunder!” Du Pengcheng and Cui Wei cried out in shock.

Behind them, Qin Yue could no longer sit still. With a swift movement, she shot towards the Qingyun Mountains.

She knew it was Ye Qingchen calling for help! She had to get there as soon as possible!

「On a mountaintop within the Qingyun Mountains.」

Li Zhe, who was frantically searching for Ye Qingchen, was momentarily stunned by the sight of the Roaring Heaven Thunder. Then, remembering Ye Qingchen’s connection to the Rising Sun Pavilion, his eyes lit up and he quickly headed in that direction.

「Inside a dense forest within the Qingyun Mountains.」

At Ye Qingchen’s feet lay the corpses of seven or eight second-order Gray Wolves, along with the used bamboo tube of a Roaring Heaven Thunder. His body was covered in several deep gashes, with fresh blood seeping from the wounds and staining his tattered clothes.

”Xiao Xiao, stay behind me; I’ll protect you! I’ve released the Roaring Heaven Thunder. We just need to hold on until the Qin Family’s experts arrive, and we’ll be safe!” Ye Qingchen tore a strip of cloth from his lapel to bandage a bleeding wound on the back of his hand, speaking solemnly to Xiao Xiao behind him.

”Young Master, I’m a Martial Artist now, too! Let me fight alongside you!” Seeing the injured Ye Qingchen, Xiao Xiao’s beautiful eyes filled with tears.

To keep Xiao Xiao’s Vermilion Bird Holy Soul a secret, Ye Qingchen had not allowed her to act, choosing to battle the Gray Wolf pack alone.

”Don’t worry! Just use the dense forest to evade them. I can handle a mere dozen or so Gray Wolves!” As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Qingchen tightened his grip on the blood-soaked cloth and charged toward the first second-order Gray Wolf.

BANG!

With one punch, another second-order Gray Wolf was blasted to death. At the same time, another charged forward.

Executing the Mystifying Steps, Ye Qingchen dodged to the side and threw another punch.

BANG!

His fist slammed into the belly of the second-order Gray Wolf, killing it, but another long scratch appeared on his arm.

To conserve energy, Ye Qingchen didn’t use the Through-Back Binding Fist, relying only on the clever footwork of the Mystifying Steps to forcefully kill the second-order Gray Wolves. Even so, he was already gasping for breath. The continuous, frantic combat was far too draining.

Ye Qingchen had no time to rest. Two second-order Gray Wolves pounced from behind, completely sealing off his escape routes. With his back to them, he had no time to dodge.

”Willow Wood Martial Soul!”

Just as the two second-order Gray Wolves thought their attack would succeed, two willow branches sprang from the ground, entwining their bodies and halting their charge. Startled, the wolves struggled fiercely and instantly tore free.

But just as they broke loose, Ye Qingchen’s fists landed squarely upon them.

BANG! BANG!

Two punches fell, and the two second-order Gray Wolves collapsed to the ground. By now, half of the second-order Gray Wolves had perished under his fists.

Realizing Ye Qingchen’s ferocity, the remaining dozen or so second-order Gray Wolves abandoned their pursuit of Xiao Xiao. Instead, they closed in and launched a coordinated siege against him. The combined attack of over a dozen second-order Gray Wolves was no less powerful than an expert at the peak of the Ninth Layer of the Martial Warrior Realm.

”Double Pupils!”

Ye Qingchen activated his Dual Pupil Martial Soul. Instantly, the movements of the swift second-order Gray Wolves seemed to slow to a crawl in his vision. What had seemed like a perfectly coordinated siege now revealed a flaw.

Executing the Mystifying Steps, Ye Qingchen’s figure flickered as he shot through the gap, unleashing a vicious series of punches.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

A dozen punches landed, and every last one of the attacking second-order Gray Wolves was killed. Unsurprisingly, his body was now covered in a dozen new wounds of varying depths.

Worse, he was now utterly exhausted, his body swaying as if he would collapse at any moment.

”Young Master, you annihilated the Gray Wolf pack! You’re amazing!” Xiao Xiao hurriedly rushed forward to support him.

”Quick... let’s go,” Ye Qingchen said weakly, his body leaning its entire weight against Xiao Xiao.

”Okay!” Xiao Xiao agreed. However, they had taken no more than ten steps when her body trembled, and she stopped dead in her tracks. In front of them, dozens more second-order Gray Wolves had appeared.

And at the very front of this pack stood an even larger Gray Wolf King. Its strength was at least third-order, perhaps even higher.

Ye Qingchen fell into utter despair. He was completely drained and had no strength left to fight. Any one of these dozens of second-order Gray Wolves could take his life, not to mention the third-order Gray Wolf King at the front—a beast comparable to a human martial master!

”Young Master, stay behind me. This time, it’s Xiao Xiao’s turn to protect you!” A look of determination flashed in Xiao Xiao’s beautiful eyes. She carefully helped Ye Qingchen down and stepped forward, her small frame shielding him from the third-order Gray Wolf King.

The next moment, a Vermilion Bird wreathed in flames roared forth from above her head.

The Ten-Star Vermilion Bird Holy Soul manifested