Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 361: Chapter 361: Chaos Labyrinth Owner’s Thatched Cottage

Ye Qingchen and his group traveled about three hundred meters along the path of white light before stopping. This spot was not too deep into the Black Swamp Marsh, but it put a safe enough distance between them and Huan Xinghe’s group. If they cultivated here, Huan Xinghe and his men definitely could not disturb them, even if they happened to venture a few steps deeper.

Ye Qingchen took the green dragon fruits out of his storage ring. There were twenty-five in total. Not being a stingy person, he divided them evenly, giving five to each of the five people present.

This left Liu Qinghan and the woman in red feeling both flattered and surprised. The woman in red was a disciple of Thunder Valley; since she had not been teleported with Ye Qingchen, she had not been able to help him at all, yet he was still sharing the green dragon fruits with her. Liu Qinghan had been following Ye Qingchen, but she knew she would not have made it this far without him. Moreover, she had contributed nothing to picking the green dragon fruits.

Seeing the two of them hesitate, Liang Fei said to the woman in red, ”Mr. Chen isn’t an outsider. If he’s giving them to you, just take them. We’re all good friends.”

Upon hearing her Young Sect Master speak, the woman in red finally accepted the green dragon fruits and thanked Ye Qingchen profusely.

Qin Yue took Liu Qinghan’s hand and said, ”Just take them. That’s just how he is. After all, we’re comrades who have gone through life and death together.”

Deeply moved, Liu Qinghan accepted the green dragon fruits. Though she did not speak her thanks aloud, her eyes brimmed with gratitude that was plain to see.

”Green dragon fruits?”

With his keen eyesight, Huan Xinghe naturally spotted the green dragon fruits Ye Qingchen had produced, and he was startled. Over twenty green dragon fruits were enough for him to break through to the Martial King Realm. He never expected Chen Qingye to willingly give such precious treasures away. Honestly, at that moment, Huan Xinghe was truly envious.

Liang Fei also noticed Huan Xinghe’s covetous stare. He raised a green dragon fruit high in the air and shouted, ”Huan Xinghe, see what this is? Green dragon fruits! A heavenly treasure that can boost a Martial Artist’s Cultivation! How about it? Envious? Call me Grandpa Liang, and maybe I’ll toss one over to you. What do you say?”

Watching the boastful Liang Fei, Ye Qingchen just smiled wryly and shook his head. He ignored him and began to consume the green dragon fruits to start his refinement.

Huan Xinghe was furious, but the Black Swamp Marsh blocked his way. Helpless, he could only snort coldly and instruct his disciples, ”I don’t think they’ll be coming out anytime soon. The Chaotic Labyrinth is only open for a limited time. We can’t miss our own opportunities because of them.”

The other Huanyue Sect disciples nodded. ”The Young Sect Master is right. The next time we see them will be the day they die!”

After hurling a few more threats, they sullenly departed.

Seeing Huan Xinghe’s group leave, Liang Fei found it all rather dull and also sat down cross-legged to begin refining the green dragon fruits.

The pure energy contained within the green dragon fruits, along with their Wood Attribute, was an excellent match for Ye Qingchen. After refining just two of the fruits, he faintly felt the bottleneck of his Realm beginning to loosen. Overjoyed, he quickened his pace, continuing to refine the green dragon fruits.

Approximately a day and a night passed, and everyone had fully refined their share. Ye Qingchen’s strength rose to the Seventh Layer of the Martial Spirit Realm. Thanks to the Wood Attribute of the fruits, his Willow Wood Martial Soul had also become much more substantial.

”HAHAHA! This young master has made a breakthrough!”

Liang Fei could not contain his excitement and shouted for joy. He had broken through from the Eighth Layer to the Ninth Layer of the Martial Spirit Realm. While it was just a single step, with his level of talent, it would have normally taken him several years of Cultivation to achieve.

Qin Yue also stood up, looking at Ye Qingchen with excitement. Ye Qingchen assessed her strength and saw she had advanced as well, reaching the Sixth Layer of the Martial Spirit Realm—an increase of two full layers. The woman in red and Liu Qinghan had also made progress, and everyone was overjoyed.

”Qingchen, what’s our next move?” Liang Fei asked, draping his arm over Ye Qingchen’s shoulder. ”Now that our strength has increased, I say we go find those bastards from Huan Xinghe’s group and get our revenge!”

Ye Qingchen pushed Liang Fei’s arm away in distaste. ”We’re not that close. It would be best if you showed some self-respect.”

His words prompted the women to giggle. Liang Fei, however, was unfazed and immediately went back to plotting how he would humiliate Huan Xinghe’s group to vent his pent-up resentment once they caught them.

Ye Qingchen, however, shook his head. ”The Black Swamp Marsh is rarely explored; it’s likely filled with all sorts of undiscovered heavenly treasures. Since we’ve found a path leading deeper, we should naturally explore it first to make this trip worthwhile. As for Huan Xinghe and his people, as long as they’re still in the Chaotic Labyrinth, we’ll run into them sooner or later.”

His words resonated with the group. The Chaotic Labyrinth had existed for over a thousand years, yet no one had ever been heard of reaching the depths of the Black Swamp Marsh. If they could find a great opportunity deep within the marsh, it would be far more beneficial than hunting down Huan Xinghe now.

At this thought, they all nodded in agreement. Ye Qingchen once again activated his Dual Pupil Martial Soul and continued to lead the way.

The most terrifying thing about the Black Swamp Marsh was its treacherous, hidden swamps. They were impossible to guard against and could swallow a person whole in a moment of carelessness, rendering even the highest levels of strength useless. However, besides the swamps, Ye Qingchen also used his Dual Pupil Martial Soul to discover numerous traps located on the path of white light itself. If one were accidentally triggered, the light underfoot would instantly vanish or change direction, and the once-safe path would transform into a swamp, ready to devour them all.

But under the guidance of his Dual Pupil Martial Soul and with extreme caution, Ye Qingchen led Qin Yue and the others safely past one trap after another.

The group advanced steadily but not quickly. After about a day of travel, a thatched cottage suddenly appeared before them. Observing with his Dual Pupil Martial Soul, Ye Qingchen saw that the surrounding area was almost entirely bathed in white light; there were no more marshes. The cottage itself looked very dilapidated, standing alone in an otherwise empty clearing.

The group exchanged glances, all sensing how strange the cottage was. No one had ever reached the depths of the Black Swamp Marsh, so the cottage certainly had not been built by outsiders. It must have been left by the master of the Chaotic Labyrinth!

At this thought, their breathing grew heavy. They recalled the magnificent spectacle of the Chaotic Labyrinth’s opening and could not help but wonder: Who could the master of this labyrinth be? And what kind of inheritance might lie within the cottage the master had left behind?

Ye Qingchen nodded to Qin Yue and the others, then took the lead and walked toward the thatched cottage.