Invincible Soul Emperor-Chapter 28: Discovery of the Ironwood Soul Flower

Qin Yue’s face was a picture of embarrassment. "I forgot," she said, her voice growing softer as she spoke, her pretty face blushing crimson. "My Storage Ring only has women’s clothing, no men’s..." After all, she was the one who had just told Ye Qingchen to take off his clothes.

Ye Qingchen glanced at the garments she handed him, and his face darkened. Women’s clothing is one thing, but why did you have to pull out a skirt? And with lace, no less...

Forget it! Ye Qingchen took a deep breath, tore the skirt into a long strip of cloth, and tied it around his waist to cover what was necessary. As for my upper body, I’ll just have to go bare for now. My appearance doesn’t matter. Staying alive and finding the Ironwood Soul Flower are the real priorities!

To break the awkward silence, Qin Yue took the lead and changed the subject. "By the way, you mentioned you entered Qingyun Mountain to look for a natural treasure. Can you tell me what it is now? Perhaps I can help you!"

Ye Qingchen nodded. "I’m here to find the Ironwood Soul Flower."

Having survived a life-or-death situation together, their trust in one another had grown, so Ye Qingchen no longer felt the need to hide anything.

"A fourth-grade natural treasure, the Ironwood Soul Flower?" Qin Yue’s eyes lit up. "Is there a problem with a relative’s Martial Soul?"

As the master of the Rising Sun Pavilion, Qin Yue was worldly and well-informed, so she naturally knew what the Ironwood Soul Flower was used for.

Ye Qingchen nodded. "My younger sister, who I’ve depended on my whole life, awakened her Martial Soul, but it’s incomplete! I must find an Ironwood Soul Flower within a month to save her life." He looked at her earnestly. "Pavilion Master Qin, with your vast experience, could you help me search for it?"

Qin Yue’s eyes sparkled, her face beaming with excitement and confidence. "You’ve come to the right person! Did you know I have an Innate Medicinal Soul Physique? I’m extremely sensitive to natural treasures. I can clearly sense all Spirit Grass and treasures within a radius of about a mile!"

Ye Qingchen was overjoyed. "Really? That’s wonderful!"

Qin Yue added, "However, a powerful Monster Beast usually guards an Ironwood Soul Flower. To be safe, I’ll heal my injuries first. Then, I will break through to the Martial Master Realm before we go search for it."

Ye Qingchen immediately nodded. "Agreed! I’ll stand guard."

Their current location behind the waterfall was relatively safe; Old Du would probably never think to look for them there. Even if he did, Ye Qingchen could grab Qin Yue and leap from the waterfall to escape in an instant.

Qin Yue sat down cross-legged. With a brush of her fair hand over her Storage Ring, two elixirs Ye Qingchen had never seen before appeared in her palm, instantly filling the cramped space with a rich fragrance.

She quickly swallowed the elixirs and began to circulate her cultivation technique, healing her wounds and preparing for her breakthrough. Meanwhile, Ye Qingchen stood guard nearby, his senses on high alert.

Several hours later, Qin Yue’s aura suddenly surged, intensifying several times over. The very air in the small cave seemed to tremble. The next moment, her eyes snapped open, filled with boundless excitement. "I’ve broken through to the Martial Master Realm!"

Ye Qingchen looked stunned. "You broke through so quickly?"

Advancing from the peak of the Ninth Layer of the Martial Artist Realm to the Martial Master Realm was a major leap. Had she really done it in just a few hours? That speed is simply inconceivable!

Seeing Ye Qingchen’s astonished expression, Qin Yue smiled proudly. "I could have broken through to the Martial Master Realm long ago. I was deliberately suppressing my cultivation so Old Du wouldn’t find out. In fact, if he hadn’t injured me, breaking through would have only taken an hour!" She stood up, dusting herself off. "Thank you for standing guard! Now, we can set off to find that Ironwood Soul Flower for you!"

As she spoke, Qin Yue retrieved a black iron grappling crossbow from her Storage Ring and fired it at a towering tree on the far side of the waterfall.

PFFT!

The bolt pierced straight through the trunk. On the other side, the iron chain snapped open into an iron claw, hooking firmly onto the tree. Qin Yue tested the line to make sure it was secure, then turned to Ye Qingchen and gestured to her waist. "Hold on tight! I’ll take you up!"

Ye Qingchen didn’t hesitate, wrapping his arms around her slender waist. He felt the softness of her body against his fingertips as her unique, feminine fragrance washed over him.

With one hand gripping the iron chain and the other holding Ye Qingchen, Qin Yue pulled the trigger mechanism.

CLICK!

The iron chain rapidly retracted, pulling them both straight up toward the top of the waterfall. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

WHOOSH!

In a flash, they landed on a branch next to the massive tree.

"Let’s go. We’ll head back to the valley and rendezvous with the caravan!" Qin Yue said as she quickly stowed the grappling crossbow.

"Alright!" Ye Qingchen nodded, and they sped back toward the valley.

When they arrived, however, the place was empty. The caravan was gone.

"It seems Old Du was afraid I would regroup with them, so he sent them away ahead of time," Qin Yue mused. "It’s better this way. Just the two of us makes for a smaller target. We can move faster, making it easier to go deeper into Qingyun Mountain to find the Ironwood Soul Flower."

"Great!" Ye Qingchen’s eyes lit up, and the two swiftly ventured into the depths of the mountain range.

They had already wasted four days in Qingyun Mountain with nothing to show for it. They had to speed up their search.

As they traveled, Qin Yue explained the characteristics of the Ironwood Soul Flower in detail. "The Ironwood Soul Flower possesses a potent, natural Divine Soul power, making it an excellent treasure for repairing a cultivator’s Martial Soul.

"However, it takes sixty years to root, sixty years to sprout, sixty years to grow leaves, and sixty years to bloom. Its growth cycle is a full two hundred and forty years—an extremely long time. Plus, its gentle yet powerful Divine Soul power is incredibly alluring to Monster Beasts, which typically devour it the moment it matures.

"Therefore, finding an Ironwood Soul Flower is exceedingly difficult. Finding a mature one is even harder."

With Qin Yue in the lead, they journeyed deep into the interior of Qingyun Mountain. They moved with extreme caution, avoiding Monster Beasts whenever possible to save time while meticulously searching for their prize. The beasts in the mountain’s interior were far stronger and more cunning than those on the outskirts, adept at hiding and launching ambushes. For the two of them, delving this deep was fraught with danger at every turn.

Despite their caution, they were still attacked by Monster Beasts ten times in a single day. Fortunately, with Qin Yue by his side, the battles were resolved with ease. While Qin Yue collected the beast corpses in her Storage Ring, Ye Qingchen seized the opportunity to skin a Demon Tiger and fashion its pelt into a wrap for himself, finally freeing himself from the predicament of wearing women’s clothing.

About twenty days passed in the blink of an eye, but even with Qin Yue and her Innate Medicinal Soul Physique, they had found nothing. The harsh reality forced Ye Qingchen to realize he had been far too naive. His father, with his cultivation as a Martial Artist, had been unable to find the Ironwood Soul Flower. The thought that he, through sheer passion alone, could succeed in finding it was next to impossible.

Another three days passed. The one-month deadline was fast approaching, and just as Ye Qingchen was sinking into despair, Qin Yue, who was walking ahead, let out a soft cry of surprise and joy.

"I sense the aura of the Ironwood Soul Flower! It’s right ahead!"

Hearing her words, Ye Qingchen’s eyes lit up, and his heart pounded in his chest.