Chapter 528: Magic Vines, Demonic Melody

"Of course not! I have another way. Brother Mu, go ahead!" Ye Liuyun thought Mu Qinghe was a decent person, so he added an explanation to avoid a misunderstanding.

"Well... then fine!" Mu Qinghe was puzzled about what means he had, but he could not refrain from acting.

At that moment he raised his hand, tossed a few dark‑brown seeds toward Ye Liuyun; they landed and rooted before him, sprouting thorns as thick as arms that coiled around Ye Liuyun.

Ye Liuyun lightly tapped in front of him, hurling a black seed forward. The seed then grew wildly at an even faster speed.

Magic Vine seed!

Only Magic Vine seeds can be described as growing madly. They root almost instantly; within a breath the Magic Vine erupts, claws out, shielding Ye Liuyun within.

Then, on the arena, a lingering melody rang out again. The music sounded like the fated notes of the underworld, wrenching hearts. In an instant the whole arena seemed shrouded by a dark hell, turning grim and terrifying.

Nine Nether Prelude.

Ye Liuyun released this Nine Nether Prelude to synchronize with the Magic Vine, achieving a strengthening‑attack effect.

Stimulated by the Nine Nether Prelude, the Magic Vine went even crazier, domineeringly pulling all the thorns Mu Qinghe had planted, draining all their energy completely.

"Spiritual Soul Attack!"

Mu Qinghe listened to this death‑calling sound as if from hell, his mind drifting. If he, as a Martial Cultivator of this realm, had not also practiced Soul cultivation, he might have been instantly corrupted. Yet even so, he had to marshal all his Divine Soul Power to resist the demonic force of the Nine Nether Prelude.

He was even more amazed by the Magic Vine Ye Liuyun unleashed. He had not expected Ye Liuyun to use plants against him.

At this moment the Magic Vine had completely enveloped Ye Liuyun; outsiders could not see how he launched his attack. Only the nearby prodigies showed fearful eyes, scrambling backward.

"Ah!" Some slower prodigies clutched their heads, endured the pain, and turned to flee. One slow prodigy instantly had a flash of black in his eyes, standing frozen.

His Soul realm was low, so he fell into the trap instantly. The longer he stayed still, the more the Nine Nether Prelude affected him, the more black filled his eyes.

Soon he drew a long sword, intending to slit his own throat. Fortunately, some Elders guarding the arena noticed in time, rescued him, and tossed him far away to prevent further exposure to the demon sound.

"Terrifying! What kind of music is this? It can demonize people, driving them to suicide!"

"This is a Demon Race attack method; how could Ye Liuyun have such a vicious technique?"

For a moment, everyone below the stage anxiously retreated again, fearing the demon sound would demonize them.

Only the Demon Race's black horse stayed on the arena. Instead, it knelt devoutly, receiving the Nine Nether Prelude's baptism. As long as Ye Liuyun does not deliberately attack it, this demon sound benefits it, strengthening its Soul.

The Demon Race's Bull‑Head Clan Chief, at this moment seeing Ye Liuyun's Nine Nether Prelude emitted by his Soul, trembled with excitement.

"This kid really has a fate with our Demon Race! Not only did he return the Thunder Dragon to us, but he also knows the Nine Nether Prelude! I wonder if we can have him teach us this Prelude."

He furrowed his brows, still unable to grasp Ye Liuyun's identity! Yet since Ye Liuyun shows no hostility toward the Demon Race, this is a tremendous boon for them.

He racked his brain but still dared not forcefully demand the Nine Nether Prelude from Ye Liuyun; he can only wait for a chance to ask for instruction.

Not to mention Ye Liuyun's strength, the fact that he possesses this Nine Nether Prelude and Magic Vine surely links him to some great Demon Race figure. He dares not rashly offend Ye Liuyun.

Likewise, Lei Ming and several other Demon Race disciples, upon hearing the demon sound, moved as close to the arena as possible to listen to its baptism.

Except for the Bull‑Head Clan Chief, no one in the arena knew what piece it was.

At this moment Mu Qinghe was giving his all. On one hand he had to summon Divine Soul Power to repel the demon sound; on the other, he had to command various plants to attack Ye Liuyun.

The plant seeds Mu Qinghe tossed—green, red, blue, and so on—met the Magic Vine and all suffered the same fate: their energy was completely absorbed, leaving them withered and dead.

Ye Liuyun sat within the protective shield formed by the Magic Vine, easily using his Soul power to play the Nine Nether Prelude. Now that his two Souls are merged, he is overwhelmingly strong and has not yet exerted his full strength.

He vaguely sensed that after the Magic Vine absorbed the seeds' energy, a portion would be fed back to him. Thus, he also communicated with the Magic Vine using his Divine Sense.

As a result of this communication, the Magic Vine gladly agreed, sharing a portion of its energy with him.

Mu Qinghe, to trigger those tossed seeds to attack, must infuse them with True Essence, bloodline, and Divine Sense. Therefore the power the Magic Vine absorbs is actually Mu Qinghe's own power.

Ye Liuyun thus, while attacking with the Nine Nether Prelude, also under the Magic Vine's protection, absorbs the power the vine transmits to him and begins cultivating True Essence.

Opposite him, Mu Qinghe could not have imagined that Ye Liuyun would use the Magic Vine to siphon his True Essence power. He had thought the energy was simply taken by the vine. Now he only ponders how to defeat Ye Liuyun.

The seeds in his hand are no match for the Magic Vine. So he intends to lure the vine close, then seize it. He is already interested in plants, and such a powerful plant he naturally wishes to claim as his own.

One must admit his idea is very bold. He believes his plant‑controlling ability surpasses Ye Liuyun's, so he dares to risk a try.

Thus, he gradually shifted from offense to defense, planting some defensive seeds around himself, waiting for the Magic Vine to strike.

The Magic Vine showed no fear; seeing his attack weaken, it instantly extended its vines and coiled around him.

This Magic Vine's demonic nature is extremely strong; Mu Qinghe's meager strength is of no concern to it. (Note: the last characters are garbled and have no meaning.)

The defensive plants Mu Qinghe had pre‑placed were directly pierced by the Magic Vine's vines, uprooted, and instantly withered to death.

At that moment, Mu Qinghe directly grabbed a vine of the Magic Vine, attempting with his Divine Sense to wrest control of the vine from Ye Liuyun.