Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 576: Besieged

Qin Yue naturally knew the perilous situation Ye Qingchen was facing, perhaps even more clearly than Ye Qingchen himself understood what he was about to face. However, she never expected that in such a dangerous situation, the first thing he would think of was her safety.

The Saint Heir heard Ye Qingchen’s threat and simply laughed it off. He turned to Qin Yue and said, "This boy probably still hasn’t figured out the situation. What do you see in someone so foolish?"

Qin Yue looked at the Saint Heir coldly and said, "If anything truly happens to Ye Qingchen, I will make you regret it. Don’t doubt my words. I have the power to do so!"

The Saint Heir’s gaze hardened for a moment, but he quickly recovered, shaking his head with a smile and saying no more.

「Meanwhile, in the Secret Realm, the siege against Ye Qingchen had already begun.」

Sixteen Martial Emperor Realm experts were mobilizing the surrounding nature’s spiritual energy. Even with his current mastery over it, Ye Qingchen could not contend with all sixteen of them. Therefore, trying to use the combat techniques taught by his second senior brother to launch a surprise attack was clearly no longer possible.

Furthermore, their attacks were not synchronized. Often, as soon as Ye Qingchen defended against one strike, several more would follow in its wake. The attacks from the Martial Emperor Realm Fourth Layer expert and the one at the peak of the Third Layer were especially potent; each required Ye Qingchen to defend with all his might.

A quarter of an hour passed, and Ye Qingchen had not managed to attack even once. He was completely on the defensive.

Seeing Ye Qingchen being bombarded and forced to retreat again and again, a disciple from Dengtian Academy finally thought he had found an opportunity. He rushed toward Ye Qingchen, hoping to end his life with a single sword strike.

But the very reason Ye Qingchen was struggling was that he was trapped in the center, unable to get close enough to his enemies to counter-attack. When that disciple charged forward, he played right into Ye Qingchen’s hands.

Ye Qingchen instantly used the Fire Spirit Charm Shadow to leave an afterimage. In the blink of an eye, he not only dodged the disciple’s sneak attack but also landed a heavy sword strike on him. However, because time was too short, Ye Qingchen had not managed to use a Martial Technique.

The disciple reacted quickly and blocked Ye Qingchen’s attack. However, that single block caused him to pause for just a moment. In that instant, it became impossible for him to escape the center of the battlefield.

The attacks from the dozen or so Martial Emperors came one after another. The strikes originally meant for Ye Qingchen now fell entirely upon this unfortunate disciple. In a mere moment, the Third-Layer Martial Emperor was blown to bits, so quickly that the Secret Realm didn’t even have time to teleport him out.

Clearly, the Saint Heir had disabled the function that automatically teleported anyone in mortal danger out of this space!

His reasoning was that if Ye Qingchen could hold out for so long at the Martial King Realm, a disciple at the Third Layer of the Martial Emperor Realm, however incompetent, should have been able to endure for at least a moment. Since the Saint Heir was observing from outside the Secret Realm, he couldn’t clearly perceive the true power behind the attacks, which led to this miscalculation.

However, the Saint Heir did not dwell on the disciple’s death; instead, he was astonished by Ye Qingchen’s strength. The Saint Heir himself had killed quite a few Martial Emperors while he was in the Martial King Realm. So, when Ye Qingchen had wiped out Li Kai’s squad, the Saint Heir had merely attributed his formidable power to the combat techniques taught by Elder Yang.

But in this siege, Ye Qingchen had no opportunity to use those techniques. He was relying solely on his own strength, withstanding the attacks of sixteen Martial Emperor Realm experts head-on. Moreover, he had still managed to seize an opportunity to eliminate an expert at the Third Layer of the Martial Emperor Realm.

The Saint Heir admitted to himself that this was an achievement he could not replicate. Ye Qingchen was only at the Seventh Layer of the Martial King Realm. Even when the Saint Heir himself had been at the peak of the Martial King Realm, he could not have accomplished such a feat while besieged by sixteen Martial Emperor Realm experts. What’s more, one of the attackers was a Martial Emperor Realm Fourth Layer master!

It was at this very moment that, for the first time, the Saint Heir felt inferior to Ye Qingchen.

This feeling was foreign to him. Previously, whether it was Qin Yue’s affection for Ye Qingchen or Elder Yang’s protectiveness of him, the Saint Heir had always managed to find excuses for his own shortcomings.

But now, the Saint Heir was truly afraid. If Ye Qingchen is this formidable now, what will happen when he breaks through to the Martial Emperor Realm, or even higher? Will I still be his match?

As he thought of this, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in the Saint Heir’s eyes.

Li Rui was constantly monitoring the Saint Heir’s expression. He hastily transmitted a message to those besieging Ye Qingchen in the Secret Realm: "Don’t panic! Just keep him surrounded. No matter what, he’s only a Martial King Realm cultivator; his Spiritual Energy reserves won’t last long. More people are on their way. This time, Ye Qingchen will surely die!"

The Saint Heir also heard Li Rui’s message and nodded in satisfaction.

Although Ye Qingchen had just managed to kill a Martial Emperor, his current predicament had not changed. The relentless attacks from all sides left him no room to maneuver; he could only continue to swing his Double Pupil Sword to fend them off. The toll this took on him was immense. If it weren’t for the Spirit Gathering Array inscribed within his body and his Wood Attribute’s regenerative abilities, his Spiritual Energy would have been depleted long ago.

Even so, Ye Qingchen knew he couldn’t hold out for much longer.

In contrast, his besiegers were taking turns attacking. Even when they consumed energy, they could simply rotate out and recover with Spirit Pills, allowing them to maintain their peak condition indefinitely. As long as they didn’t get reckless, Ye Qingchen was helpless against them! Even if he could somehow endure, once more enemies arrived, his fate would be sealed.

I have to risk it all!

Ye Qingchen gritted his teeth. If he didn’t find a way out now, he would face a dead end later. He gave up resisting the immediate onslaught and activated his Willow Curtain Drooping Green. Taking a direct hit, he was sent flying far into the distance. The Willow Curtain Drooping Green was instantly shattered, but Ye Qingchen used the momentum to close in on a Martial Emperor Realm Second Layer expert.

He would not let this chance slip by. His Double Pupil Sword instantly pierced the expert’s defenses. Then, by continuously using his Fire Spirit Charm, he broke free from the encirclement and fled into the distance!

"Damn it! He’s trying to escape!"

"Useless fools! After him!"

Seeing Ye Qingchen get away, Li Rui transmitted the command in a fury.