Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 632 Interception and Encirclement

The Great Demon was still clutching a pile of Energy Baryte. As he surveyed the surrounding wreckage and the lesser demons—once whole but now grievously injured—his malevolent aura surged. His dark eyes locked onto Ye Qingchen and his party. Following his long howl to the sky, several more Great Demons flew in through the cave entrance. Their wings were already shrunken, glinting with a faint, black, scale-like light, and each of them reeked of blood. It was obvious they had just rushed over from a fierce battle. At the command of several Great Demons, the True Demons behind them flapped their wings and extended their claws, poised to pounce at any moment.

Ye Qingchen staggered behind his senior brother and sisters, his body swaying unsteadily. From the moment he entered the Devil’s Cave, the thing inside him had been wreaking havoc, like a Taotie relentlessly devouring the surrounding Demonic Qi without a moment’s rest. The most violent reaction had occurred when he slew the heavenly demon avatar. The stone within his body seemed to sense something and had stirred faintly. Now, emerging from the depths of the Devil’s Cave, the stone began absorbing at a much faster rate. Wave after wave of foreign Demonic Qi assaulted him from within. Ye Qingchen could clearly feel the anomaly but was powerless to stop it.

Seeing her young master’s face grow deathly pale, Xiao Xiao became panic-stricken and rushed to support him. "Young Master... you... what’s wrong with you?"

In her panic, she ignored the present crisis and hastily pulled out all the prepared elixirs from her pockets, ready to give them to Ye Qingchen. Li Nian’er and the others were also fraught with worry for him. How could they let their little junior brother suffer? But what was going on? He was fine inside the Devil’s Cave just a moment ago, so why is he like this now?! Zhu Liang and the others exchanged glances, their eyes filled with deep confusion. They truly didn’t understand why their junior brother had suddenly become so weak.

The Great Demons were about to attack, but their anger flared when they saw that these ’lowly humans’ were completely ignoring them. After a brief, silent exchange, they raised their sharp claws in unison and swiped at Ye Qingchen. Everyone’s attention was on him, so they were completely oblivious to the coordinated attack. While the other Great Demons acted as decoys, one of them shot its claws forward, snatching the pale-faced Ye Qingchen and preparing to tear him apart in the next instant.

Xiao Xiao panicked and was about to unleash her Vermilion Bird Holy Soul. Before she could act, however, she saw that the once-pale Ye Qingchen was now gripping his Double Pupil Sword with a ferocious expression. A tremendous amount of Wood Attribute Energy surged from his arm into the blade. In a swift counter-slash, he severed the Great Demon’s claw.

The Great Demon had clearly not expected Ye Qingchen to possess such explosive power. Before it could react, it lost its balance and crashed heavily to the ground. After unleashing this attack, the color returned to Ye Qingchen’s pale face, and he looked much better.

Zhu Liang and the others, who had been observing Ye Qingchen, seemed to realize something. They consciously eased up on the force they used to dispatch the other Great Demons.

"Junior Brother, there are still a few left. We’ll leave them to you!" Li Nian’er said, spreading her hands. She actually sat down to the side and started playing with her little snake.

Xiao Xiao was still worried about Ye Qingchen, and this sudden change in her seniors’ behavior baffled her. She started to step forward to help her young master but was held back by the little gray rat nestled in her robes.

After venting his energy in that first clash, Ye Qingchen could clearly feel the foreign Demonic Qi within him, which he had initially struggled with, begin to subside. This discovery filled him with joy. Looking over at his senior brother and sisters, he instantly understood their intentions. How could I not cherish such an opportunity? With that thought, he immediately used Fire Spirit Charm Shadow to close the distance with the remaining Great Demons, brandishing his Double Pupil Sword to fight them.

Ordinarily, a high-level Great Demon’s strength was comparable to the Ninth Level of the Martial Emperor Realm. Fortunately, these few Great Demons in the cave had only recently transformed. Still, their strength was not to be underestimated, already equivalent to the Eighth Layer of the Martial Emperor Realm. Combined with their tough outer armor and the True Demons backing them, their combat prowess was formidable. Ye Qingchen couldn’t help but recall the gruesome fate of the cultivators he had seen upon entering; at the hands of these demons, not even a single complete corpse remained.

Although it was a struggle, the ceaseless flow of Demonic Qi in his body needed a powerful outlet. Coupled with his Willow Wood Martial Soul and Dual Pupil Martial Soul, each surprising sword strike he delivered was powerful enough to severely injure a Great Demon.

"Junior Brother, think about the laws of Five Elements Mutual Restraint that you comprehended! If you can use them in this battle, you’ll definitely raise your strength to a new level!" Cheng Lu, never one to shy away from a good show, offered a helpful reminder. He knew these Great Demons were no pushovers, but with him and the others around, nothing truly disastrous could happen. It was better to use this opportunity to help their little junior brother achieve a breakthrough.

Ye Qingchen was incredibly excited. Thinking of the Five Elements Mutual Restraint and his own hidden injuries, he channeled the Wood Attribute Energy in his body into the Double Pupil Sword, rapidly coating the blade in a green luminescence. After doing so, a new idea struck him. He began to draw upon his body’s Fire Attribute Energy, applying extremely subtle control as he infused it into the sword as well.

The Wood and Fire attributes naturally conflict with each other. If a practitioner isn’t careful while channeling them, they risk suffering a cultivation deviation. As he channeled the energy, the two attributes warred with each other on his blade, neither able to gain dominance. The Double Pupil Sword, held tightly in his grip, began to tremble violently as if trying to tear itself free from his palm.

"Ignorant child! To think you’d be foolish enough to combine the Fire and Wood attributes! The two naturally conflict with one another; you will only bring about your own destruction!" a Great Demon shrieked as it soared into the air. Observing Ye Qingchen’s actions, it couldn’t help but mock him. Having lived for so long, I’ve never seen such a suicidal cultivator—crippling himself before even attacking others! The Great Demon was not about to be courteous. Since someone is courting death, I don’t mind making that death a more thorough one! Its Attribute Power surged, enhanced by the unique abilities of the Demon Clan, and it dove towards Ye Qingchen, intending to grind him to dust.

Ye Qingchen, however, remained calm and composed, not the least bit flustered. Seeing his unconcerned expression, Xiao Xiao’s heart leaped into her throat. On the Double Pupil Sword, the green and red glows intertwined, neither one willing to concede to the other.