Chapter 709 - 709: The Traitor's Fate

The men from the Martial Soul Hall herded the poisoned disciples from the various sects, forcing them to search the valley for Chu Qingyun, who had concealed his presence.

What they didn't know, however, was that Chu Qingyun was already a great distance away.

Naturally, a search like this yielded no results.

Unable to find him no matter where they looked, the men from the Martial Soul Hall grew increasingly impatient.

Zhou Yongyang, on the other hand, was terrified out of his wits. He frantically darted about, searching everywhere and leaving no potential hiding spot unchecked.

He knew full well that if he couldn't find Chu Qingyun, he was completely finished.

Even if the men from the Martial Soul Hall spared him, the moment Chu Qingyun returned to his sect and exposed what had happened, not only would the Saint Extreme Sect hunt him down, but the other sects, and even the people of the Blood-soaked Land, would never forgive him.

To dare collude with the Martial Soul Hall was to make an enemy of all humankind.

There would be no place left for him in the entire Northern Domain!

The search area continued to expand, and the men from the Martial Soul Hall were gradually losing their patience.

Just then, however, many of them suddenly sensed a distinct presence rapidly approaching.

'Could it be Chu Qingyun?'

Everyone looked up, tense and expectant.

Soon, a figure burst from the forest. It was none other than Chu Qingyun, the very person they had been searching for.

"Lord Special Envoy, that's him! He's Chu Qingyun!" Upon seeing Chu Qingyun, Zhou Yongyang was beside himself with excitement and shrieked.

Hearing Zhou Yongyang's shriek, the other Martial Soul Hall members stationed around the valley quickly rushed over.

As for the disciples from the other sects, they hesitated for a moment before following at a brisk pace.

They were afflicted with Gu Poison. Without an antidote, in their weakened state and unable to circulate their Primordial Power, it would be impossible for them to leave the Blood Sect ruins.

A single encounter with a Martial King Realm Blood Corpse or Blood Beast would be enough to finish them off with ease.

Therefore, even though the men from the Martial Soul Hall were no longer restricting their freedom, they had to follow along. For now, at least, they could not leave.

The Martial Soul Hall's special envoy sized up Chu Qingyun. It was the first time he had ever seen him.

Chu Qingyun looked back at him. For Chu Qingyun, however, this was the third time he had seen the envoy, though the man himself had no idea...

"Chu Qingyun, you have the audacity to show yourself? You're courting death!"

"You had me on edge all this time. I'd like to see how you're going to die today!"

After his initial excitement, a surge of anger welled up inside Zhou Yongyang.

He abruptly pushed off the ground, his figure a blur as he rushed in front of Chu Qingyun. He raised his hand and swung a heavy slap toward Chu Qingyun's face.

He still believed that Chu Qingyun had succumbed to his Gu Poison and was only showing himself now because he could no longer bear to hide.

The reality of the situation, however, left Zhou Yongyang utterly astonished.

Chu Qingyun had effortlessly caught his descending arm.

"Zhou Yongyang, you traitor. You really are arrogant..."

As he spoke, Chu Qingyun suddenly wrenched Zhou Yongyang's wrist backward. With a sickening CRACK, Zhou Yongyang's entire arm was snapped at the shoulder.

Overwhelmed by pain, Zhou Yongyang reflexively followed the motion, dropping to his knees with his back to Chu Qingyun.

"Chu Qingyun, you—you're courting death!"

Zhou Yongyang's heart filled with terror. He couldn't understand why Chu Qingyun hadn't been poisoned.

But this was no time to dwell on that. He let out a furious roar as a massive amount of Primordial Power erupted from his body in an attempt to counterattack.

'Blood Flame!'

Sensing the surge of Primordial Power, Chu Qingyun activated the Ten Thousand Spirits Saint Body Secret Technique and stomped on Zhou Yongyang's back.

THUD!

The Primordial Power surrounding Zhou Yongyang's body instantly shattered. He was slammed flat onto the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Chu Qingyun's Realm had already reached Second-Tier Martial King, and he was further enhanced by his Blood Flame Power. Against him, Zhou Yongyang was completely powerless to resist!

By now, the men from the Martial Soul Hall and the disciples from the various sects had all arrived.

Seeing Zhou Yongyang pinned under Chu Qingyun's foot, continuously spitting up blood, brought a sense of vindication not only to the dozen or so disciples from the Saint Extreme Sect, but to those from the Celestial Sword Sect, Purple Cloud Sect, and Tianya Sect as well.

'This is the fate all traitors deserve!'

The Martial Soul Hall's special envoy, however, showed no reaction to Zhou Yongyang's beating. Not even his gaze wavered; he seemed completely unconcerned.

"Lord Special Envoy, save me! Save me...!"

Only then did Zhou Yongyang notice that Chu Qingyun had already broken through to the Second-Tier Martial King Realm. He began to cry out to the men from the Martial Soul Hall for help.

But the men from the Martial Soul Hall paid him no mind.

They wouldn't make a move unless the Lord Special Envoy gave the order.

The special envoy had no intention of intervening on Zhou Yongyang's behalf. Instead, he looked at Chu Qingyun and asked, "So you're Chu Qingyun? Are you aware that we've been looking for you?"

"I not only know you've been looking for me, I also know exactly why," Chu Qingyun said with a cold smirk.

The envoy raised an eyebrow, saying with a hint of disbelief, "You know our objective?"

"Your objective is the blood-colored sphere I obtained in the Blood Sect ruins, isn't it?" Chu Qingyun replied.

Hearing this, all the men from the Martial Soul Hall were visibly shocked.

'They hadn't even told Zhou Yongyang about the blood-colored sphere. How could Chu Qingyun possibly know?'

'Could he really have learned that much from the incident with Jiang Gaofeng?'

"You knew our objective, yet you still dared to return. Don't tell me you're playing some childish game of hiding the blood-colored sphere to try and negotiate with us."

"If that's the case, I wouldn't mind killing a few of your Saint Extreme Sect disciples right in front of you. And I certainly wouldn't mind letting you have a taste of the Martial Soul Hall's... special brand of torture."

As the Martial Soul Hall's envoy spoke, a seven-colored light flashed in his eyes.

"Hmph. Don't forget, you have one of your own in my hands!"

As Chu Qingyun spoke, he stomped down hard. Zhou Yongyang coughed up another mouthful of blood, this time too weak to even struggle.

"Zhou Yongyang?"

The Martial Soul Hall's envoy couldn't help but laugh. "Hahaha, and he's supposed to be one of us? At this stage, what use do you think he is? If you want to kill him, be my guest."

Hearing these words, Zhou Yongyang's vision went black, and he nearly fainted.

Having fallen into Chu Qingyun's hands, the men from the Martial Soul Hall were, in his eyes, his last hope.

He never imagined the Martial Soul Hall's envoy would say such a thing.

Zhou Yongyang understood the principle of being discarded after outliving one's usefulness, but the sheer speed at which the Martial Soul Hall had abandoned him was beyond anything he could have imagined.