C9 He Killed Four People in a Row!

At that moment, his gaze was predatory, reminiscent of a Devil Beast eyeing its quarry.

"His Soul Power is truly formidable. Had I not received the Devil Sovereign's legacy, I wouldn't stand a chance against him," Lei Yan thought to himself, inwardly alarmed as he felt the relentless surge of Chen Qiang's Soul Power.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Taking advantage of Lei Yan's momentary disorientation and sluggish reaction, Chen Qiang furiously swung his long blade, striking Lei Yan's body.

Yet Lei Yan's flesh was as resilient as iron; the blade merely sliced through his clothing, leaving only superficial traces on his skin.

"Die!" Chen Qiang, seeing the minimal effect, swung his blade down with even greater force towards Lei Yan.

In a flash, the blade's light swelled, casting multiple shadows and exuding a deadly aura.

Suddenly, a streak of light aimed straight for Lei Yan's forehead.

Clang!

Without a weapon, Lei Yan quickly dodged. He wanted to reach for his Fierce Soul Bloodthirsty Needle glove but found no opportunity amidst the chaos.

The blade relentlessly aimed for his vital points, but Lei Yan's intricate footwork allowed him to narrowly evade Chen Qiang's lethal strikes time after time.

"This kid's evasion skills are impressive. It looks like it won't be easy to take him down quickly," Chen Qiang thought, after hacking at Lei Yan for several minutes. His own reserves of Soul Power and Spiritual Power had significantly diminished, and he began to feel concerned.

In the next instant, he produced a Common Soul Pill and swallowed it.

Though a mere Rank 1 Soul Pill, the Common Soul Pill could swiftly replenish a Soul Cultivator's Spiritual Power and Soul Power. Chen Qiang, an Outer Disciple of the Divine Plant Pill Sect, was equipped with over thirty such pills—mostly acquired through coercion from his fellow disciples.

On the Soul Weeping Continent, the Common Soul Pill was an essential Medicine Pill for the cultivation practices of ordinary Soul Cultivators.

"Kid, you're done for now," Chen Qiang declared with renewed confidence after ingesting the Common Soul Pill. His face twisted into an even more ferocious snarl, as he longed to cleave Lei Yan in two with a single strike.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Lei Yan had swiftly taken refuge in a dense forest, nimbly navigating through the thick foliage with his intricate footwork. This technique was known as the Nine Profound Steps, a formidable movement skill divided into nine levels, which he had recalled from the memories of the Devil Sovereign.

Even at his zenith, the Devil Sovereign had only managed to master the Nine Profound Steps to the Second Level. Achieving the First Level would allow one to cover a hundred meters in a single step and shrink their body by half at will. Having reached the Second Level, the Devil Sovereign could span three hundred meters with one step and reduce his size to a mere quarter of his original form. The full extent of the Third Level's power, however, remained a mystery even to the Devil Sovereign himself.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Chen Qiang was furiously swinging his long blade, slashing through the obstructing trees. Branches snapped off cleanly and leaves scattered across the forest floor. The precision of the cuts, as clean as if made by a bowl's edge, attested to Chen Qiang's exceptional swordsmanship.

"Meteor Blade Technique!" Chen Qiang relentlessly pursued, his blade's glow suddenly bursting forth like a meteor, doubling its speed in an instant.

Lei Yan's face paled as he pushed the Nine Profound Steps to their limits, darting through the forest with the agility of a monkey.

Clang!

A minute later, a streak of light akin to a shooting star struck Chen Qiang's right arm, carving a three-inch gash. Despite having cultivated the Devil Ape Body Refining Arts to the First Level, which rendered his skin as tough as steel, the slash's ferocity was such that it tore through his defenses. Had he not reached the First Level of the Devil Ape Body Refining Arts, that blow might have severed his arm entirely.

"Hahaha... Die!" Chen Qiang, elated by his success, burst into a triumphant laugh.

Yet, the effort had drained a significant amount of his Spiritual Power and Soul Power, compelling him to decelerate.

As Chen Qiang consumed another Common Soul Pill to replenish himself, Lei Yan seized the moment to draw the Fierce Soul Bloodthirsty Needle glove with lightning speed and slipped it onto his hand.

Swoosh!

With a flick of his finger, he triggered the switch, and in a flash, a blood needle was propelled forward.

The blood-red needle, swift as lightning, streaked towards Chen Qiang.

The speed was so fast that Chen Qiang, who was in the midst of refining a Common Soul Pill, was caught off guard.

Puff!

Half a second later, a streak of blood pierced Chen Qiang's forehead, leaving behind a wound the size of an eyeball from which blood gushed forth.

Simultaneously, Chen Qiang's eyes bulged, and the long blade in his right hand dropped. He and the blade both collapsed to the ground.

The Fierce Soul Bloodthirsty Needle was exceedingly lethal, capable of killing an ordinary Soul Cultivator in a single blow.

"Huff... Huff..." Lei Yan gasped for air, his gaze sweeping cautiously around him.

He had depleted over half his Spiritual Power and Soul Power. Without a Common Soul Pill on hand, his only option was to rest and slowly recuperate.

He hadn't intended to kill anyone today, but Chen Qiang had forced his hand. He had been left with no choice.

Within the Divine Plant Pill Sect, it was forbidden for disciples to slay one another, as such acts would incur severe punishment under the sect's rules.

This entire episode unfolded in the blink of an eye. Chen Qiang had been the one pressing Lei Yan, but with a swift use of the Fierce Soul Bloodthirsty Needle, Lei Yan had easily taken his life.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Lei Yan remained at the scene for a minute before employing the Nine Profound Steps to swiftly vanish into the vicinity.

"Boss Chen!" More than ten minutes later, the Outer Disciple who had lost an arm finally arrived.

Upon discovering Chen Qiang's body, he was shell-shocked, his face draining of color as he stared in disbelief at the corpse.

Their revered Boss Chen had been slain by a newcomer, an Outer Disciple.

"Lei Yan, you're finished. You killed Boss Chen, and by the Divine Plant Pill Sect's rules, you're sure to face execution!" he exclaimed with a quiver after a long, stunned silence.

Little did he know, his words had just sealed his own grim fate.

Swoosh!

Lei Yan swiftly activated the Fierce Soul Bloodthirsty Needle, sending a streak of crimson light piercing into the skull of an Outer Disciple from the Divine Plant Pill Sect.

"I guess I'll have to eliminate the other two as well," Lei Yan mused, feeling the surge of murderous intent within him.

He then hastily rifled through the belongings of Chen Qiang and another Outer Disciple, subsequently retrieving a long saber.

As it happened, one of the remaining Outer Disciples was in the vicinity, gravely wounded, while the other was still unconscious.

From them, Lei Yan acquired over thirty Common Soul Pills and a tome on the Meteor Sword Technique.

The tome appeared ancient, seemingly crafted from Devil Beast Skin.

Despite the bounty of valuable items he had gathered, Lei Yan experienced no joy. His priority was to swiftly dispatch the remaining two Outer Disciples.

Just three minutes later, Lei Yan found himself before the severely injured Outer Disciple, who was gazing intently in a particular direction.

Chapter 32 - The Secrets of the Divine Plant Pill Sect