Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 580: Breaking Through to the 8th Layer of the Martial King Realm

Ye Qingchen was on the verge of collapse when a brilliant white light flared up beside him, teleporting him away.

"Huh? How did that kid suddenly get teleported away?"

"Was he eliminated?"

"That can’t be right. The Saint Heir wanted to kill him here, not just send him away, right?"

The students besieging Ye Qingchen were stunned by the sudden turn of events. Many who were not privy to the real plan were completely dumbfounded. Even Ye Qingchen himself was bewildered by the abrupt change. At first, he thought the Saint Heir was playing tricks, teleporting him out of the Secret Realm to revoke his competition qualifications. But when he felt that the surrounding space was identical to the one he had just left, he realized he was still within the Secret Realm.

Then, Li Rui’s voice sounded in Ye Qingchen’s ear, "Ye Qingchen, congratulations on advancing. Let me tell you, you’re the only one from Central Celestial Academy who made it to the finals! In the next round, just prepare to die!"

Ye Qingchen instantly recognized Li Rui’s voice. No matter what he said after that, he received no response. He sighed softly, not having expected such an outcome.

However, he quickly figured it out. The Saint Heir was already determined to kill him, so of course he wouldn’t allow him to have any allies. Eliminating all the other disciples from Central Celestial Academy must have been part of his plan.

At that moment, however, Ye Qingchen’s body was so weak that he couldn’t muster the strength to ponder it further. Using his last ounce of energy, he took out a Spirit Pill and swallowed it before collapsing into unconsciousness.

「In the Jiang Ancient Clan」

Li Rui was carefully reporting to the Saint Heir via voice transmission.

"Reporting to the Saint Heir, Ye Qingchen has been teleported to the advancement area. What are our next steps?"

The Saint Heir watched the light screen, where the students from the four great academies were still standing around Ye Qingchen’s last position, completely oblivious. A flicker of irritation crossed his face, and he spoke with a cold snort, "Make it clear to these wastes. For now, they are to stop fighting amongst themselves and focus all their efforts on finding opportunities. In the end, only the strongest thirty will be selected to advance to the finals."

Li Rui nodded and went to make the arrangements.

The Saint Heir, however, switched the view on the light screen to Ye Qingchen. Gazing at the seriously injured young man on the ground, he muttered to himself, "Since Elder Yang insists on doing things by the book, then This Holy Son will play by the rules. The finals will be a free-for-all, with countless casualties. Ye Qingchen, let’s see how you survive against the thirty most elite combatants!"

In truth, the Saint Heir had made up his mind the moment Elder Yang arrived at the Jiang Ancient Clan. The fact that Elder Yang, who never meddles in worldly affairs, would personally come to the Jiang Ancient Clan for Ye Qingchen was proof of how much he valued the boy. Regardless of the outcome, he had already offended Elder Yang. Since that was the case, he might as well kill Ye Qingchen now and remove this thorn from his side. Besides, Elder Yang’s instructions had a massive loophole. He only said not to break the rules; he never said not to make a move on Ye Qingchen. He even said that as long as the rules were followed, Ye Qingchen’s death in the Secret Realm would be his own fault for being unskilled. He knew Elder Yang’s character. His word was his bond, and he never went back on it. When he used this loophole to kill Ye Qingchen, Elder Yang would be unable to complain and have no choice but to swallow his grievance.

Thinking of this, the Saint Heir gave another order to Li Rui.

"Li Rui, tell those in the Secret Realm the locations of the various opportunities. Allocate them according to strength. I want the power of every one of those wastes maximized. Understand?"

Li Rui nodded hurriedly. "Rest assured, Saint Heir. I will see to it at once."

After settling everything, the Saint Heir’s gaze once again fell upon the unconscious Ye Qingchen on the screen.

Spiritual Energy swirled around him, continuously surging into his body. The protracted battle against so many opponents, while leaving his body riddled with wounds, had also shattered the barrier between the Seventh and Eighth Layers of the Martial King Realm, granting him the opportunity for a breakthrough.

It is said that there can be no creation without destruction. It was precisely because of that desperate battle that Ye Qingchen found an opportunity for another breakthrough so soon after advancing to the Seventh Layer of the Martial King Realm.

However, he was now completely unconscious, with only his Divine Wood Art operating spontaneously. At the same time, the Spirit Gathering Array within his body, the mysterious energy in his Dual Pupil Martial Soul, and the Fen Tian Earth Fire in his sea of qi all began to circulate on their own, helping him complete the breakthrough.

The Saint Heir watched this with a cold smirk and muttered to himself, "Daring to attempt a breakthrough while unconscious... this kid is practically seeking death. Without Soul Power to coordinate the Spiritual Energy, one misstep could cause his body to explode. But it doesn’t matter how he dies. The result is all that matters to me!"

To the Saint Heir’s surprise, however, Ye Qingchen’s aura was steadily increasing despite his unconscious state. In a short time, he reached the peak of the Seventh Layer of the Martial King Realm, and his power was still climbing.

The Saint Heir furrowed his brows, inwardly marveling at Ye Qingchen’s heaven-defying luck for navigating such a dangerous breakthrough unscathed.

But even with this breakthrough, he only reaches the Eighth Layer of the Martial King Realm. Meanwhile, with my guidance, the disciples from the other three great academies will find opportunities and advance at least one stage. Those will be breakthroughs into the Martial Emperor Realm. The challenge Ye Qingchen will face then will be far more difficult than when he was besieged earlier.

About an hour passed, and Ye Qingchen finally broke through to the Eighth Layer of the Martial King Realm. With the breakthrough, his battered body also fully recovered.

Ye Qingchen opened his eyes and sensed the power within his body. However, despite having broken through to the Eighth Layer of the Martial King Realm, he showed no joy. Instead, his brows remained tightly furrowed.

Although he has broken through another layer, his actual combat strength hasn’t increased by much. And if the Saint Heir could plan to have everyone besiege him in the finals, he can certainly anticipate it as well. When that time comes, the danger he’ll face will be even more severe. He still doesn’t know why the Saint Heir suddenly had a change of heart and let him advance to the finals, but abnormal events always signify trouble. Knowing the Saint Heir, that man would never do something without a reason. There must be a bigger scheme waiting for him! To survive this crisis, he has to break through again. But he has only just reached the Eighth Layer of the Martial King Realm, and the finals are about to begin. Another breakthrough is easier said than done!