Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 594 Welcome Ye Qingchen’s Return

As the Wind Blade Sword Technique flew through the air, energy from the orb rapidly fused with it. With a single thought from Ye Qingchen, the surrounding nature’s spiritual energy converted into pure Wood Attribute Energy, greatly enhancing the technique’s inherent power.

Faced with Ye Qingchen’s Wind Blade Sword Technique, Shui Changkun and Huo Ziyang felt a sense of despair. Although the Sword Qi was only about ten meters in size, it was composed entirely of pure Wood Attribute Energy. Its power was in no way inferior to an Earth Rank Martial Technique wielded by a high-level Martial Emperor.

Shui Changkun and Huo Ziyang exchanged a glance and attacked together to resist the Sword Qi. Huo Ziyang used everything he had, hurling a hundred-meter-wide fireball imbued with Fire Attribute Energy toward the attack. Meanwhile, Shui Changkun continuously channeled his energy, erecting a series of Water System Barriers in front of them.

The fireball Huo Ziyang unleashed was terrifyingly powerful, but it was instantly pierced the moment it made contact with the Wind Blade Sword Technique. Most of the massive fireball’s energy was consumed after just a brief touch. In contrast, the Wind Blade Sword Technique remained undiminished as it continued its assault on the two men.

By this time, Shui Changkun had set up no fewer than ten Water System Barriers. Each barrier was strong enough to withstand several attacks at the fifth layer of the Martial Emperor Realm, yet they were as fragile as paper before the Wind Blade Sword Technique. With irresistible force, the technique tore through all ten barriers. Although it lost a third of its energy in the process, its power was still astonishing.

Watching the Wind Blade Sword Technique bear down on them, Shui Changkun and Huo Ziyang turned pale. Any further defensive measures were futile. They could only pull out their low-grade treasures to block the attack, desperately hoping the items’ sturdiness would be enough to withstand it.

BOOM!

The Wind Blade Sword Technique finally struck Shui Changkun and Huo Ziyang. The low-grade treasures in their hands were instantly sent flying. Within a hundred-meter radius around the two men, the solid ground completely collapsed from the explosion, forming a crater nearly a hundred meters deep.

Ye Qingchen fiercely thrust his Double Pupil Sword forward, shattering the fireball Huo Ziyang had conjured, and then appeared before the two men in a flash.

By now, they were at death’s door. Had their low-grade treasures not blocked most of the attack, they would have perished on the spot. But their current situation was hardly any better. Looking at Ye Qingchen, who was still brimming with vigor, their eyes filled with despair.

Ye Qingchen naturally felt no pity for those who wanted him dead. Showing mercy to an enemy was cruelty to oneself. Facing the two, who were now powerless to fight back, Ye Qingchen did not hesitate. With a single swing of his Double Pupil Sword, their bodies were obliterated.

BUZZ!

The moment Ye Qingchen eliminated the pair, the many students of Central Celestial Academy watching on the light screen erupted into a frenzy.

"We’ve finally won!"

Many students raised their arms and cheered jubilantly. For many years, Central Celestial Academy had always finished last in the assessments, a fact that had left them feeling incredibly stifled. Today, with Ye Qingchen taking the crown, they felt a cathartic sense of pride that swept away the gloom of the past.

In the crowd, tears welled up in Zi Xing’s beautiful eyes. Through her blurred vision, Ye Qingchen’s figure seemed to grow tall and majestic...

「In the Secret Realm」

Ye Qingchen gazed at the now-devastated Secret Realm and took a deep breath. It felt as if a lifetime had passed.

If it hadn’t been for the sudden evolution of the Divine Wood Technique, I would have surely perished here. Not only would I have failed to rescue Qin Yue with my own hands, but my father would have been left without anyone to care for him, and then there’s Xiao Xiao...

"I’m lucky to have survived. Otherwise, even if I were to descend to the netherworld, my heart would be full of regrets," Ye Qingchen said with a bitter, self-mocking smile before turning his gaze to the orb of light.

After the energy consumed in the battle, the orb had shrunk to a mere five meters in size. Faced with such pure energy, Ye Qingchen was somewhat unsure of how to handle it.

At that moment, the Dual Pupil Martial Soul in Ye Qingchen’s sea of consciousness suddenly began to rotate. The remaining energy from the light orb, as if finding its home, rapidly flooded into his sea of consciousness and was completely and unreservedly absorbed by the Dual Pupil Martial Soul.

Ye Qingchen hurriedly checked his sea of consciousness, wondering if absorbing so much energy would cause the Dual Pupil Martial Soul to mutate. If his Martial Soul could advance again, his combat power would double. However, to his disappointment, the massive amount of energy, which was enough to make him explode, vanished into the Dual Pupil Martial Soul like a stone sinking into the sea, without causing the slightest ripple.

Ye Qingchen shook his head with a wry smile. He had already reaped bountiful rewards from this assessment; he shouldn’t get greedy. Not only had he advanced directly from the seventh layer of the Martial King Realm to the first layer of the Martial Emperor Realm, but he had also advanced the Unnamed Divine Technique by one level and mastered a new type of Attribute Energy.

Most importantly, his Divine Level cultivation technique, the Divine Wood Technique, was now completely perfected. This was a qualitative leap that would benefit both his current combat power and his future cultivation.

Another point that especially excited Ye Qingchen was that he had finally won the championship of the four academies’ joint assessment. With this victory, Elder Yang could no longer refuse his request to go to the Demon Clan battlefield. As long as he could enter the Demon Clan battlefield, he would be one step closer to finding Qin Yue.

What Ye Qingchen did not know was that he had already become a hero to the entire Central Celestial Academy. Never mind entering the Demon Clan battlefield; if he made any request to Mu Changfeng now, Mu would agree without hesitation.

Back at Central Celestial Academy, the light screen displayed the image of Ye Qingchen slaying Shui Changkun and Huo Ziyang with a single sword strike, throwing the entire academy into an uproar once again. Mu Changfeng laughed heartily, personally activating the Teleportation Array to await Ye Qingchen’s return.

When Ye Qingchen stepped out of the Teleportation Array, he was slightly startled by the sea of Central Celestial Academy disciples before him. He himself could not understand how his battle could have had such a profound impact. Even many years later, the tale of this battle was still being retold by the academy’s junior disciples.

Seeing Ye Qingchen appear, the disciples of Central Celestial Academy burst into thunderous applause, and soon the entire crowd began chanting his name. His former teammates also ran over to offer their heartfelt congratulations.

Zi Xing looked at the perplexed Ye Qingchen and couldn’t help but chuckle. Then, as she kept laughing, tears of emotion began to stream down her face. As far as she was concerned, Ye Qingchen would have gotten the chance to enter the Demon Clan battlefield regardless of his results. He could have chosen to give up when faced with such a crisis. But he did not. Instead, he fought through numerous dangers to win the championship.

Zi Xing couldn’t help but recall telling him that she hoped Central Celestial Academy could achieve a good ranking this time, or else she might not qualify for the Demon Clan battlefield.

Could it be... that he did all this for me?