Invincible Soul Emperor-Chapter 42: Diverting Trouble Eastward

"Xiao Xiao, run!"

The moment he saw Li Zhe, Ye Qingchen didn’t hesitate for a second. He immediately grabbed Xiao Xiao and fled toward the outskirts of the Qingyun Mountain Range.

He was only a Third-Layer Martial Artist, while Li Zhe was an Eighth-Layer Martial Artist. Although he had killed Li Mingjun, Ye Qingchen was not arrogant enough to believe he could take on Li Zhe.

Ye Qingchen pulled Xiao Xiao by the hand and sprinted with all his might, with a bloodshot Li Zhe in furious pursuit behind him.

Xiao Xiao was only a Fifth-Layer Martial Apprentice and couldn’t run fast, so the distance between them closed rapidly. Desperate, Ye Qingchen scooped her up into his arms and used Mystifying Steps to dash forward, which finally slowed the rate at which Li Zhe was gaining on them.

Without Xiao Xiao, Ye Qingchen was confident he could have shaken off Li Zhe using Mystifying Steps. But carrying her greatly impacted his speed, and after a mad dash of several miles, he was still unable to lose him.

"Young Master, didn’t the Supreme Elder say he would protect you? Why hasn’t he arrived?" Xiao Xiao asked anxiously, seeing Ye Qingchen drenched in sweat.

"The Supreme Elder must have been delayed," Ye Qingchen said in a deep voice as he ran. "We can’t count on anyone else now. Whether we live or die is up to us!"

He had tried several times to escape toward the outer regions of the Qingyun Mountain Range but was forced back by Li Zhe each time, driving him deeper into the mountains instead. Here, not only did he face the relentless pursuit of Li Zhe, but he also had to dodge ambushes from powerful Monster Beasts lurking in the shadows. The danger had intensified.

Several times, Ye Qingchen was nearly sent flying by the massive claws of a Monster Beast. If not for his keen reflexes and the elusive footwork of Mystifying Steps that allowed him to narrowly evade danger, he would have been torn to shreds by the Monster Beasts long before Li Zhe could kill him.

After running for tens of miles, Ye Qingchen was gasping for breath, and his speed had noticeably slowed.

Li Zhe, still in hot pursuit, was overjoyed. His cultivation was higher than Ye Qingchen’s, and since Ye Qingchen was also carrying a burden, Li Zhe was confident he could catch up.

"Young Master, put me down! Save yourself!" Xiao Xiao cried out, growing frantic as she felt Ye Qingchen’s exhaustion. She didn’t want to be a burden.

"No!" Ye Qingchen refused without a moment’s hesitation.

Setting aside whether Li Zhe would even spare her, she was only a Fifth-Layer Martial Apprentice. Left alone in the depths of the Qingyun Mountain Range, she would be devoured by Monster Beasts until not even a scrap remained.

Seeing Ye Qingchen soaked in sweat, Xiao Xiao’s beautiful eyes began to fill with a misty haze. She resolved that when the fighting started, she would do whatever it took to help her Young Master.

I can’t keep running! Ye Qingchen’s thoughts raced. If he kept fleeing until his stamina gave out, Li Zhe would catch up, and he wouldn’t even have the strength to defend himself.

Holding Xiao Xiao tightly with one arm, Ye Qingchen’s other hand slowly slipped out from his sleeve, revealing an inch-long cylinder. It was the Roaring Heaven Thunder that Qin Yue had given him.

Once he activated the Roaring Heaven Thunder, experts from the Qin Family within a hundred-mile radius would rush to their aid. All Ye Qingchen had to do was hold out until they arrived.

However, doing so would mean he would definitely be disqualified from the Qingyun Mountain Range Trial, and the opportunity to join one of the Six Great Sects would slip through his fingers. That was the last thing he wanted. But in a life-or-death situation, he couldn’t afford to worry about that anymore.

Just as Ye Qingchen was about to activate the Roaring Heaven Thunder—

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Two swift figures shot out from ahead, blocking Ye Qingchen’s path and forcing him to a halt. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

They were two Third-Order Monster Leopards. One had what looked like a problem with its leg, while the other seemed to have lost an eye.

This is bad! Ye Qingchen was horrified. The two Monster Leopards had a formidable aura and had completely sealed off his escape route.

At the same time, Li Zhe caught up, a cold sneer on his face, now less than ten meters away from Ye Qingchen and Xiao Xiao.

Fierce beasts ahead. A pursuer behind.

It was a hopeless situation. At this point, even activating the Roaring Heaven Thunder would be too late.

"Huh?" Ye Qingchen suddenly grunted in surprise.

These two Third-Order Monster Leopards... they seem familiar!

The next moment, he recognized them. They were the very same two leopards that had grievously injured each other fighting over the Ironwood Soul Flower. And from their furious glares, Ye Qingchen figured they recognized him too.

With his mind whirling, Ye Qingchen immediately threw the tough, inedible Ironwood Soul Flower root he had kept toward Li Zhe.

"Family Head Li, the Ironwood Soul Flower is yours! You’d better run. Leave these Monster Beasts to me!"

Li Zhe could only stare, completely baffled.

Sensing the aroma of the Ironwood Soul Flower, the two Third-Order Monster Leopards grew excited and charged right past Ye Qingchen toward the bewildered Li Zhe. Getting the Ironwood Soul Flower was far more important to them than killing Ye Qingchen.

"Good luck, Family Head Li!"

Ye Qingchen didn’t stop for a second. Carrying Xiao Xiao, he quickly vanished from sight. Two Third-Order Monster Leopards, as strong as human martial masters, would be more than enough to keep Li Zhe busy.

"Ye Qingchen, you dare set me up?! I’ll kill you—"

The sounds of Li Zhe’s furious roars and intense fighting echoed from behind.

***

Deep within the Qingyun Mountain Range, Ye Qingchen and Xiao Xiao hid inside a concealed cave, its entrance obscured by dense weeds.

"Young Master, what do we do now?" Xiao Xiao asked, her heart still pounding with fear as she wiped the sweat from Ye Qingchen’s forehead. That was too close. If Ye Qingchen hadn’t diverted the danger, they both would have met a grim end.

Ye Qingchen took off his soaked shirt, retrieved a new one from his Storage Ring, and put it on. "If Li Zhe wants to escape, two injured Third-Order Monster Leopards won’t be able to kill him," he mused. "He’s probably searching for us frantically right now, so it’s extremely dangerous outside. The best plan is to hide here for the time being. We’ll recover our strength and cultivate."

"Okay, I’ll listen to you, Young Master!" Xiao Xiao nodded. She always obeyed Ye Qingchen’s decisions without question.

The two quickly ate some food to replenish their energy, then took out their Cultivation Resources and began cultivating right there in the cave. As for their points in the Qingyun Mountain Range Youth Trial, they had no time to worry about it.

Soon, more than twenty days passed.

During that time, Li Zhe frantically scoured the Qingyun Mountain Range for any sign of Ye Qingchen and Xiao Xiao, but it was as if they had vanished into thin air, leaving no trace. He had previously been able to locate them using the Li Family’s talisman on Li Mingjun, but now, finding the two of them hiding in the vast mountain range was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

But Li Zhe refused to give up until the very last moment.

「At the VIP seats near the entrance to the Qingyun Mountain Range.」

Today, it was Du Pengcheng and Cui Wei’s turn on duty. As they flipped through the participant score rankings, they froze when they saw the bottom two names.

Ye Qingchen: Twenty points!

Xiao Xiao: Ten points!

If a participant in the trial died, their points would disappear. The fact that these two still had scores meant they were clearly still alive. But their points hadn’t changed at all. They had over two hundred points fewer than the person ranked third from last.

"Did those two just dig a hole somewhere in the Qingyun Mountain Range and go to sleep?"

"How can such cowards call themselves Martial Artists? It’s a good thing they aren’t disciples of our Six Great Sects, or it would be a huge embarrassment!" Du Pengcheng and Cui Wei chuckled.

Behind them, Li Susu, who was sitting in Li Zhe’s place, leaned forward. When she saw the names of Ye Qingchen and Xiao Xiao, her brows furrowed. Father has been in the Qingyun Mountain Range for almost a month and still hasn’t killed Ye Qingchen? No wonder he hasn’t returned.

No, I have to go in and help Father kill Ye Qingchen! I won’t be at peace until I see him dead with my own eyes!

With her mind made up, Li Susu quickly left the VIP seats, called over two Li Family experts, and whispered to them. Although they looked hesitant, the experts nodded and quietly escorted Li Susu into the Qingyun Mountain Range through another entrance.