Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 86: Chapter 86: Martial Spirit Expert, Elder Fen Tian

Seeing Ye Qingchen’s actions, both Wang Qiang’s and Hong Yan’s hearts leaped into their throats.

Hong Yan hurriedly took a step forward, pulling Ye Qingchen behind her to her right.

Wang Qiang’s eyes were fixed vigilantly on the Stone Gate. His hand, instinctively gripping his broadsword, tightened, exerting more strength.

Hong Yan also dared not relax, holding her long whip as she stood to Ye Qingchen’s front right.

Wang Qiang and Hong Yan stood to the left and right in front of Ye Qingchen, completely shielding him.

Seeing how they were protecting him, Ye Qingchen was stunned. His eyes moistened and his nose tingled as a wave of emotion washed over him.

For so many years, not even my own Ye Family has ever protected me like this...

BUZZ!

With a low RUMBLE, the heavy Stone Gate opened inward on both sides, kicking up clouds of dust.

”Huh? The door actually opened?”

Wang Qiang blinked and looked at Hong Yan in confusion.

She returned his puzzled gaze, and then the two of them, in perfect sync, turned to look at Ye Qingchen.

Ye Qingchen’s lips curled into a slight smile. ”What’s the matter? Can’t you have a little faith in me?”

”You little rascal, why didn’t you say so sooner? You had us worried for nothing!” Wang Qiang said, nudging Ye Qingchen with his elbow to show he had forgiven his seemingly reckless behavior.

My heart is still pounding, though. We were right next to those door studs. If those arrows had shot out, I’m not sure I could have blocked them all! I was ready to sacrifice myself, to die protecting Ye Qingchen! After all, I’m the one who pulled him into this Secret Realm mission, and he’s saved my life twice. If something had happened to him, I would never have been able to live with myself! Thank God we’re okay.

Only at that moment did Wang Qiang finally breathe a sigh of relief, the tension draining from his face.

Seeing the confident smile on Ye Qingchen’s face, Hong Yan understood that he was not an impulsive person. He would not have acted unless he was absolutely sure.

She smiled in admiration.

This little brother isn’t just handsome; he’s also so composed. He’s exactly my type!

Thinking this, Hong Yan’s beautiful eyes blinked. She placed a hand on Ye Qingchen’s shoulder, rested her chin on her hand, and brought her lips close to his ear.

She whispered, ”You sly little brother, you really had this sister worried just now. So, tell me, how are you going to make it up to me?”

The sweet voice lingered in Ye Qingchen’s ear, and he could feel her warm breath against his skin. The sudden proximity made his cheeks burn and his ears turn red. His body went rigid, and he dared not move.

”Hong Yan, stop teasing Junior Brother Qingchen. We need to focus on the task at hand,” Wang Qiang said with a hint of concern. ”It’ll be bad if Zhuo Bufan and his group catch up.”

”Alright, little brother. You can make it up to this sister when we get back to the Qingyun Sect,” Hong Yan said, withdrawing her hand and stepping back to the right.

Ye Qingchen exhaled, the heat on his face quickly subsiding.

”Let’s go! Let’s get inside,” Wang Qiang said, taking the lead and walking through the Stone Gate.

Ye Qingchen and Hong Yan followed closely. With Wang Qiang in the lead and the other two side-by-side behind him, they smoothly entered the cave dwelling.

They had not walked more than a few steps inside when Ye Qingchen stopped. As if remembering something, he turned back. Under the puzzled gazes of Wang Qiang and Hong Yan, he locked the Stone Gate from the inside.

Seeing this, Wang Qiang and Hong Yan exchanged an understanding smile, admiring Ye Qingchen’s meticulousness. With their minds at ease, the three of them continued deeper into the cave.

A moment later, a battered and exhausted Zhuo Bufan arrived outside the Stone Gate with Hong Ye, Chen Hui, and Liu Wenzhuang.

Zhuo Bufan looked around but saw no trace of Ye Qingchen’s group. His eyes fell on the arrows scattered across the ground, and a bad feeling washed over him.

”Damn it, they’re already inside.”

”What do we do now?” Hong Ye asked, her voice filled with urgency.

Chen Hui clenched his fists, his eyes wide with rage. He was overcome with jealousy for Ye Qingchen’s good fortune and talent in alchemy.

Liu Wenzhuang was seething. His entire purpose in entering this Secret Realm was to seize treasures, boost his strength, and avenge his elder brother, Liu Wenqiang. Now, to his dismay, Ye Qingchen was not only unscathed but was also a step ahead of him at every turn, getting closer and closer to the treasure.

When will I ever get to kill him and avenge my brother’s spirit?!

Zhuo Bufan lowered his head and paced back and forth, a strategy already forming in his mind. ”Judging by all these arrows, the Stone Gate must be riddled with traps. In that case, we don’t need to risk it. We’ll heal here, lie in wait, and catch them all in one fell swoop. Then we’ll take whatever treasures they find!”

The cave dwelling was utterly dark, but thankfully, the central passage was flat. To the right of the path, recesses containing Fire Stones were set every two meters, and Ye Qingchen lit them one by one as he walked.

Soon, the group reached the end of the cave dwelling.

At the far end stood a White Jade Stone Bed that gave off a faint light, illuminating the otherwise dark chamber.

Wang Qiang picked up a Fire Stone and approached it. Seeing no danger, he waved Ye Qingchen and Hong Yan over.

As they drew closer to the White Jade Stone Bed, they could gradually make out two corpses standing to its left. Their faces were decayed beyond recognition, but from their tattered clothing, it was easy to infer that the corpse on the left was male and the one on the right was female.

The male corpse held a saber that pierced the female’s abdomen. However, a long whip was coiled tightly around his neck, its end clutched in the female corpse’s hand. It was a clear scene of mutual slaughter.

Wang Qiang’s eyes were drawn to the saber, and he stepped forward to examine it closely.

At the same time, Hong Yan’s gaze was captured by the long whip, and she too walked over.

Wang Qiang’s expression changed dramatically. Pointing at the engraving on the saber, he exclaimed, ”Burning Heaven! This is the Burning Heaven Tyrant Blade! It’s the personal blade of the Burning Heaven Elder!”

Upon hearing this, Hong Yan’s beautiful eyes lit up. ”What? It’s really him? Rumor has it that the Burning Heaven Elder’s cultivation reached the peak of the Ninth Layer of the Martial Spirit realm, making him as strong as our Sect Master. And on top of that, he was also a fifth-grade Pill King!” Her gaze shifted to the other corpse. ”And this woman’s weapon is a long whip... Could it be her?”

Seeing Hong Yan’s astonishment, Ye Qingchen played along. ”Who?”

”Su Linggu!” Hong Yan exclaimed, her beautiful eyes gleaming with excitement.

With that, she grabbed the long whip.

The whip immediately emitted a blue light, illuminating the entire cave dwelling.

Not to be outdone, Wang Qiang simultaneously drew the Burning Heaven Tyrant Blade.

BUZZ! ROAR!

The Burning Heaven Tyrant Blade let out a deafening sound, emitting a dazzling red light that competed with the whip’s blue glow. The two were evenly matched in splendor.

”Haha, what a fine blade!” Wang Qiang laughed heartily.

Ye Qingchen’s lips twitched.

Those are two priceless mid-grade Spiritual Artifacts! A single one is valuable enough to buy the entire Qingyun Town!

”Sorry, Junior Brother Qingchen. I got a little carried away,” Wang Qiang said sheepishly.

As he finished speaking, Wang Qiang took the Storage Ring from the Burning Heaven Elder’s hand. ”You pick first this time.”

”In that case, I won’t be polite!”

Ye Qingchen looked at Hong Yan and Wang Qiang, who both nodded in agreement.

Seeing their approval, Ye Qingchen activated his Martial Soul Force, instantly erasing the previous owner’s Martial Soul imprint from the Storage Ring and emptying its contents.

There were two Earth-rank Technique Scrolls, a suit of Spirit-level Armor, five bottles of fourth-grade Spirit Pills, two bottles of fifth-grade Spirit Pills, and a map showing the location of the Burning Heaven Earth Fire. The rest were Spirit Stones—roughly a hundred of them.

The three of them stared at each other, their faces etched with shock. Any one of these treasures was a priceless item, unavailable on the open market.

Ye Qingchen immediately put on the suit of Spirit-level Armor. A light-green glow surged forth as the armor automatically transformed into blackish-gray, fingernail-sized scales that covered his body.

Next, Ye Qingchen picked up the map. The cultivation of the Pill Emperor’s Heart Sutra required the Burning Heaven Earth Fire. With this map, his progress would be twice as fast for half the effort.

He nodded in satisfaction. ”I’ve made my choice!”

”I’m in need of a blade cultivation technique. I’ll take this Earth-rank technique—the Tyrant Blade Art!” Wang Qiang declared.

”Then I’ll take this Whip Technique!” As Hong Yan spoke, she was already holding the Serpent Spirit Whip Technique scroll.

While Wang Qiang and Hong Yan were overjoyed, Ye Qingchen’s Dual Pupil Martial Soul activated on its own, its gaze locking onto a spot not far behind Wang Qiang.

The space behind Wang Qiang began to fluctuate subtly, the movement almost imperceptible.

Ye Qingchen frowned, trying to get a better look. But the fluctuation, as if sensing it had been exposed, quickly receded into the distance.

It... escaped!