Invincible Soul Emperor-Chapter 97 Assassination of Ye Qingchen

Li Zongrui was still cautious and had brought a Spirit Pill with him that could help Li Susu improve her strength. However, he told her that he needed to go back and ask his father for it, his true aim being to test her intentions. Li Susu’s response satisfied Li Zongrui, so after departing, he simply wandered aimlessly at the foot of the mountain before returning to her residence.

After receiving the Spirit Pill, Li Susu coyly thanked Li Zongrui profusely before she began her cultivation. With his help, she believed she would soon reach the third level of the martial master stage and began to fantasize about Ye Qingchen crying and begging piteously at her feet.

Meanwhile, after returning to his own residence, Ye Qingchen quickly greeted Xiao Xiao before retreating to his room to begin his closed-door cultivation.

To obtain Fen Tian’s Earth Fire, Ye Qingchen first had to become an Inner Sect Disciple of the Qingyun Sect. However, with Li Zongrui blocking his way, advancing by defeating an existing Inner Sect Disciple had become impossible. Now, Ye Qingchen’s only choice was to place in the top three of the Alchemist Apprentice Competition in a month’s time. The Sect Leader and the other senior figures of the Qingyun Sect would be present, making it utterly impossible for Li Zongrui to interfere.

After obtaining the Pill Emperor’s Heart Sutra, Ye Qingchen had not yet had the chance to cultivate it seriously. Later, in the secret realm, he had reversed a possession attempt by the soul of Fen Tian Elder and, in doing so, gained his heritage. Fen Tian Elder had been a Pill King in his lifetime, and although he could not be compared to a Pill Emperor, his understanding of the Alchemy Dao still greatly benefited Ye Qingchen.

With the heritage from Fen Tian Elder and the Pill Emperor’s Heart Sutra corroborating each other, Ye Qingchen’s understanding of the Alchemy Dao advanced by leaps and bounds. The herbal Chapter in the Pill Emperor’s Heart Sutra enriched his knowledge, listing various herbs, their locations, and times of appearance, and even clearly describing the ferocious beasts that guarded them.

Even more thrilling for Ye Qingchen was that as he comprehended Fen Tian Elder’s heritage in the Alchemy Dao, his own understanding of cultivation also deepened, causing a slight stirring in his recently advanced realm. Ye Qingchen was overjoyed. He began to comprehend the Alchemy Dao and practice his cultivation technique simultaneously. This was not because he was being greedy or overreaching; rather, as he grasped the Alchemy Dao, his cultivation would naturally improve alongside it. Why would he not seize such an opportunity?

During Ye Qingchen’s period of closed-door cultivation, he saw almost no one, aside from Xiao Xiao who brought him food daily. Even the Venerable, who visited several times, only received a few cooking lessons from Xiao Xiao before having to leave sullenly. However, when the Venerable smelled the occasional fragrance of herbs emanating from Ye Qingchen’s room, he pondered for a moment and decided not to disturb him further.

Five days passed quickly. Ye Qingchen could now clearly feel that he was only a hair’s breadth from breaking through to the second level of the martial master stage. He temporarily set aside his comprehension of the Alchemy Dao to focus entirely on his breakthrough. Ye Qingchen’s foundation was already quite solid, and with Fen Tian Elder’s heritage, the breakthrough proceeded smoothly and without risk. After several hours, he successfully broke through as expected, reaching the second level of the martial master stage.

Feeling the greater power within his body, Ye Qingchen was in high spirits. He stretched lazily, and a series of cracks echoed from his joints. Nodding in satisfaction, he opened the door and stepped out. Night was already falling. The young girl, Xiao Xiao, had gone off somewhere to catch chickens again, leaving the small courtyard empty save for Ye Qingchen himself.

The Divine Wood Decision I am currently cultivating is progressing faster and faster with the enhancement from my Double Pupils, and my understanding of the Alchemy Dao is also improving steadily. Everything is heading in a positive direction.

Ye Qingchen sighed to himself and began walking out of the small courtyard. Since arriving at the Qingyun Sect, he had not yet had the chance to properly explore the grounds. Having just made a breakthrough, there was no need to keep pushing himself. Balancing exertion and rest would allow him to progress even more swiftly. The activity area for the Qingyun Sect’s outer sect disciples was quite large. Although the conditions were slightly inferior to the inner disciples’ cultivation area, the scenery was exceptionally beautiful.

Ye Qingchen wandered aimlessly, pondering how he could better grasp the Alchemy Dao. With his current understanding, he was confident that securing a spot in the top three of the Alchemist Apprentice Competition was a virtual certainty. However, he feared that Li Zongrui might pull another trick. Therefore, only by winning the championship could he be absolutely sure of obtaining the status of an Inner Sect Disciple. Then, he could attempt to acquire Fen Tian’s Earth Fire. By cultivating it with the Pill Emperor’s Heart Sutra, his efficiency would improve several times over.

"Hm?"

As Ye Qingchen walked, he suddenly frowned. Although young, he had already experienced many life-and-death crises and possessed an unusually keen sense for danger. He quietly activated his Dual Pupil Martial Soul and, sure enough, discovered a figure in black about a hundred meters away, stealthily following him.

You shunned the path to Heaven and instead came knocking at the gateless door of Hell. Ye Qingchen, if you had just stayed hidden in your little courtyard, it would have been quite troublesome for me, Li Susu, to kill you because of the sect’s rules. But by coming to this desolate place, you are simply seeking your own death!

The black-clad person’s intentions were laid bare under Ye Qingchen’s Double Pupils.

Li Susu? 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Ye Qingchen’s brow creased slightly, but his pace remained unchanged; he continued to walk as leisurely as if strolling through his own garden.

Li Susu was convinced that Ye Qingchen could not have detected her. Li Zongrui had already determined that Ye Qingchen’s cultivation was merely at the first level of the martial master stage. Now that she had broken through to the third level, how could he possibly sense her presence?

With Li Zongrui’s help, Li Susu had successfully broken through to the third level of the martial master stage and was now eager for revenge. However, Ye Qingchen was still an outer sect disciple of the Qingyun Sect, and killing him without reason would be difficult to explain. So, Li Susu came dressed in black with her face covered, hiding in the shadows and waiting for an opportune moment to catch Ye Qingchen off guard and strike him down with a single blow.

And just as Li Susu expected, Ye Qingchen appeared completely oblivious. Not only was he defenseless, but he was also heading toward an even more remote area. Li Susu smirked inwardly and quickened her pace.

At this moment, Ye Qingchen stood before a lake with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing out over the water with his thoughts unreadable. Li Susu certainly did not care what he was planning. She pulled a gleaming dagger from her robes and lunged at him