Devouring Soul Emperor

Chapter 323: Chapter 323: The Death-Seeking Fool

After his outburst, Dong Jingshan felt a profound sense of helplessness.

The Dong Family’s direct lineage was small, and Yang Zhibai was his younger sister’s only son. She had sent him to the County City, entrusting him to Dong Jingshan’s care. He couldn’t just stand by and watch the boy die.

At this thought, Dong Jingshan sighed. He hurried to the foot of the battle stage, looked up, and roared at Yang Zhibai, "You idiot! Who told you to go up there? Get down here this instant!"

"Uncle, don’t you worry! Just you wait and see how I crush this Chu Qingyun!" Yang Zhibai had no intention of coming down, instead shouting back loudly.

Dong Jingshan’s expression immediately turned even darker.

It was already humiliating enough for him to have run over here under the crowd’s watchful gaze. Yang Zhibai’s retort was like grinding another heel into his face.

"You little menace, get the hell down here!" Dong Jingshan pointed at Yang Zhibai and roared again.

Just then, Chu Qingyun walked to the edge of the stage. He looked at Dong Jingshan with a cold smirk and said, "Dong Jingshan. Elder Dong... What’s this little act all about?"

Seeing Chu Qingyun get involved, Dong Jingshan’s heart clenched. ’This is going to be trouble.’

"Yang Zhibai isn’t the one I arranged to fight. I’ll have him come down and send someone else up!" Dong Jingshan said, forcing himself to speak.

Chu Qingyun glanced at Yang Zhibai, who was still preening like an idiot. ’Just as I expected,’ he thought, then sneered, "Not the one you arranged? Then let me ask you, is Yang Zhibai not a member of your Dong Family?"

"...He is."

Dong Jingshan’s face was grim as he answered through gritted teeth.

"And is this not a battle stage? A place for a life-and-death challenge?" Chu Qingyun continued, his sneer deepening.

"...It is."

Dong Jingshan gritted his teeth again.

"Then what more is there to say!?"

"Yang Zhibai meets the conditions you announced perfectly: a member of the Dong Family at the Small Spirit Realm. And yet now you want him to step down? What is the meaning of this? Are you making a fool of me, Chu Qingyun? Are you making a fool of everyone here?"

"By your logic, does that mean I can just turn around, walk away, say I’ve had a change of heart, and this life-and-death challenge will be over?"

Chu Qingyun’s cold smile widened. His words were sharp and logical, instantly turning the entire crowd against Dong Jingshan.

Everyone here had come expecting a fierce battle, eager to see Martial Spirit Realm experts fight to the death. But now the Dong Family was trying to swap out their fighter, and Chu Qingyun was threatening to call the whole thing off. What kind of farce was this?

If it were just ordinary people, it might not have mattered.

But among the audience were powerful experts of the Celestial Spirit Realm, not to mention influential figures from the major powers who had placed bets at the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower. frёewebηovel.cѳm

Amid a chorus of boos, Dong Jingshan’s expression grew even more unsightly.

And just then, the oblivious Yang Zhibai piped up again, "Uncle, look, you’re making everyone angry! You should go back and let me deal with Chu Qingyun!"

Dong Jingshan was so furious his chest constricted, and he almost coughed up blood.

Below the stage, however, the crowd erupted into peals of laughter that seemed impossible to stop.

Dong Jingshan’s face was contorted with rage. He snorted coldly and turned to leave in a huff. ’Hmph, you ungrateful idiot. If you’re so determined to die, then go right ahead!’

With the farce concluded, the life-and-death challenge officially began.

The crowd below gradually fell silent. All eyes were fixed on the stage. A life-and-death battle in the Martial Spirit Realm, even one between those at the Small Spirit Realm, was a rare sight.

"Heh heh, Chu Qingyun, now we can finally settle our score. There’s no one left to protect you now, is there...?" Yang Zhibai stared at Chu Qingyun, sneering.

He actually believed that Chu Qingyun had only survived this long thanks to the protection of others—first Xiao Feng’s group, and then Elder Qin’s.

But Chu Qingyun just shot him an impatient glance. "Enough talk. Let’s do this."

’Now that we’re on the stage, I have no desire to waste another breath on this idiot.’

Yang Zhibai’s expression faltered.

’Damn it, he’s looking down on me.’

"Fine! You’re asking for death, so don’t blame me for giving it to you!"

"Violent Iron Claw!"

Yang Zhibai roared, immediately unleashing a Soul Technique. His right hand was suddenly encased in what looked like a massive iron claw. It glinted with a dark light, imbued with the piercing power of Momentum, as he swiped at Chu Qingyun’s head.

A Soul Technique combined with a Claw Technique. The move wasn’t completely worthless; for an ordinary Martial Artist, it would have been a decent attack.

But against someone of Chu Qingyun’s caliber, it was... laughably inadequate.

’Profound Celestial Divine Pattern!’

’Martial Soul Power!’

Chu Qingyun activated his techniques internally, unleashing the Third-Layer Profound Celestial Divine Pattern.

He then connected with his Iron Thread Ten-Star Vine Martial Soul, channeling a stream of its Martial Soul Power into his fist as he smashed it toward Yang Zhibai’s iron claw.

BOOM!

With a single punch.

Yang Zhibai’s iron claw didn’t last even a second before it was instantly shattered. The terrifying force of the Third-Layer Profound Celestial Divine Pattern, combined with the power of his Tier Four Martial Soul, then surged wildly into Yang Zhibai’s arm.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

Accompanied by a series of sickening cracks, Yang Zhibai’s right arm went as limp as a noodle. Every bone and meridian within it had been shattered!

The power of a Tier Four Martial Soul, augmented by the Profound Celestial Divine Pattern, had completely overwhelmed Yang Zhibai’s Tier Two Soul Technique!

Against an opponent of this caliber, Chu Qingyun couldn’t even be bothered to draw his sword.

After shattering Yang Zhibai’s arm, Chu Qingyun grabbed his wrist, then viciously kicked him in the stomach, forcing the pained scream right back down his throat.

This time, Chu Qingyun didn’t hold on.

The force of the kick sent Yang Zhibai flying backward with a muffled cry. He tumbled through the air until he slammed into something in mid-flight with a loud THUD.

Just as Yang Zhibai was about to be flung from the battle stage, his body came to an abrupt halt, as if he had slammed into an invisible wall.

Ripples spread out from the point of impact, revealing to everyone the presence of a transparent barrier enclosing the entire battle stage.

The barrier’s hazy outline was only visible where the ripples passed over it.

The aftershocks from a battle between Martial Spirit Realm experts could be dangerous to spectators, so the barrier served as a form of protection. In this instance, however, it was also a constraint.

No one on the stage could escape, even if they wanted to!

THWAP!

Yang Zhibai fell back onto the stage, collapsing like a dead dog. He wailed in agony, his entire body twitching uncontrollably from the pain.

They were both Level One Martial Spirits, yet the moment they clashed, the victor was already decided.

Yang Zhibai couldn’t even withstand a single one of Chu Qingyun’s attacks!