Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 504: Chapter 504 Demon Clan Invasion

No one knew how much longer this white-hot battle could last. Even Xiao Xiao and Ye Qingchen, standing on the arena stage, had no idea how much longer their opponent could hold on.

However, Xiao Xiao understood that the only reason she could compete with Ye Qingchen in a battle of attrition was her utilization of nature’s spiritual energy and the Vermilion Bird True Fire left behind when the Vermilion Bird phantom dissipated. Ye Qingchen, on the other hand, was relying on his Willow Wood Martial Soul and its seemingly inexhaustible vitality. Pitting the two against each other, the Vermilion Bird True Fire would undoubtedly be depleted first, and her defeat would be inevitable.

But Xiao Xiao didn’t feel upset. Being able to fight her Young Master for this long was already deeply satisfying.

While fighting Xiao Xiao, Ye Qingchen was also using his Dual Pupil Martial Soul to observe the circulation paths of her internal energy. This wasn’t to copy her Martial Techniques. If Ye Qingchen needed them, Xiao Xiao would have given them to him without hesitation, so there was no point in copying them. What Ye Qingchen was actually doing was identifying Xiao Xiao’s weaknesses to help her perfect her combat prowess, ensuring she could perform even better in future matches. He fought her while using sound transmission to point out the various deficiencies and flaws in how she was circulating her internal energy.

Xiao Xiao completely trusted Ye Qingchen’s words. Following his guidance, she immediately found that her moves flowed more smoothly and her consumption of spiritual energy had decreased slightly.

It was only now that Xiao Xiao realized her Young Master hadn’t been using his full strength at all. Otherwise, how could he have the spare attention to guide her? She knew she would undoubtedly lose this battle in the end, but she had already showcased her strength and was more than satisfied. Knowing just how powerful her Young Master was, she was simply happy for him.

Just as their fierce battle raged on, the ground suddenly began to tremble violently—a tremor clearly not caused by the battles on the other stages.

Ye Qingchen also noticed something was wrong and signaled for Xiao Xiao to stop her attack. They stood together, observing the changes in their surroundings as the trembling grew more intense, alerting everyone present.

”Young Master, what’s happening?” Xiao Xiao asked, looking around perplexed. Aside from the shaking, she didn’t notice anything else out of the ordinary.

Ye Qingchen frowned deeply as the Dual Pupil Martial Soul in his mind sent him a warning: a very powerful enemy was approaching. He naturally wouldn’t hide this from Xiao Xiao. ”I can’t say for sure,” he began, ”but I’m afraid some very powerful experts are approaching. The killing intent radiating from them is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before.”

His words reminded Xiao Xiao of something. She recalled that during the preliminary competition, an informant had returned to report detecting a mysterious force moving toward Eternal City. At the time, Xiao Xiao figured it was Eternal City’s own business, so she hadn’t paid it much mind or passed the information on to anyone else. Now it seemed the powerful beings Ye Qingchen mentioned were very likely the same mysterious force the informant had spoken of.

Thinking of this, Xiao Xiao quickly said, ”Young Master, I remember now! The informant said a few days ago that a mysterious force was approaching Eternal City. This force wasn’t human, nor was it like that of the Demon Race. Young Master, do you think this is related?”

Ye Qingchen nodded. ”It must be. The informant has his own unique abilities, and his sensitivity to news is far beyond ours. If he said it, there must be a reason. But if it’s neither human nor Demon Race, what could it be?”

As Ye Qingchen and Xiao Xiao puzzled over this, the vibrations in the ground reached their peak, forcibly halting all battles on the stages. The person in charge of the tournament seemed to have discovered something, an expression of immense gravity appearing on his face as he continuously ordered his subordinates to take swift action.

In Ye Qingchen’s mind, the warnings from his Dual Pupil Martial Soul grew increasingly intense. He turned to Xiao Xiao and asked, ”Xiao Xiao, do you trust me?”

Xiao Xiao nodded resolutely. ”Young Master, I’ve always followed your instructions.”

Ye Qingchen sighed and continued, ”Good. Then forfeit the match and leave Eternal City immediately!”

Xiao Xiao was taken aback for a moment, understanding that Ye Qingchen must have sensed something terrifying. However, she didn’t agree. Instead, she shook her head and said, ”Young Master, I can’t leave. I’m representing Wuji Immortal Palace this time. If I leave without permission, it would be difficult to answer to the sect. Besides, Young Master, please don’t worry. Wuji Immortal Palace won’t let anything happen to us.”

Ye Qingchen considered her words and eventually relented. He then sent a sound transmission to Xue Zhao and Zi Xing: ”Sister Zi Xing, Miss Xue Zhao, both of you leave the venue at once. Something terrible is about to happen.”

Startled by the sudden message, the two women saw the determination in Ye Qingchen’s eyes and understood the gravity of the situation.

He added, ”Miss Xue Zhao, could you please ask Seniors Qi Sheng and Qi Tian to help look after Sister Zi Xing?”

”Don’t worry, big brother,” Xue Zhao nodded. ”I won’t let anything happen to Sister Zi Xing.”

Neither she nor Zi Xing knew why they obeyed Ye Qingchen so readily, but at that moment, they surprisingly chose to comply.

Ye Qingchen also believed that the brothers Qi Tian and Qi Sheng must be Martial Emperor Realm experts. Since Central Celestial Academy hadn’t sent any elders this time, having two Martial Emperor Realm experts to look after Zi Xing should prevent any problems. Although the rewards for the sect newcomer tournament were substantial, the tournament was no longer important in the current situation.

At that exact moment, the earthquake reached its crescendo. Not only did the tournament grounds shake violently, but the entirety of Eternal City began to tremble, as if on the verge of collapse.

CRACK. CRACK. CRACK...

Finally, from the very center of Eternal City, a massive chasm spanning the entire city ripped open, and a giant cave, a full kilometer in size, slowly rose from within. The tournament venue, located at the city’s heart, was the first to bear the brunt.

The brothers Qi Sheng and Qi Tian had been initially hesitant to leave, but when they saw the immense cave, a flicker of terror appeared in their eyes. Without a moment’s hesitation, they grabbed Zi Xing and Xue Zhao and fled the venue. The rest of the crowd, however, remained oblivious, still busy discussing the origin of the mysterious cave that had suddenly appeared.

Ye Qingchen watched the grand cave with a solemn gaze. His Dual Pupil Martial Soul told him that the enormous cavern before him functioned like a Teleportation Array, and powerful beings would likely fly out from it at any moment. At the very front of the cave was a carved head of a colossal demon king, hundreds of meters in size, its cavernous maw agape as if to devour everything in its path.

Before long, the cave had fully emerged. The ground’s trembling came to an abrupt halt, and every eye was fixed upon it!

When the tournament organizer’s gaze fell upon the great cave, his pupils constricted in shock. ”This is bad! It’s the Devil’s Cave!”

The Demon Clan, silent for countless years, had invaded