Soul Emperor Awakening

A heaven-piercing Killing Intent erupted from Lin Xuan’s body. His pupils turned crimson, making him look like a living God of Slaughter. The Elemental Power in his body began to boil as his all-around abilities surged several times over. He could now perceive the most subtle changes in his surroundings—he could even clearly count the number of ants crawling on the ground!

This was the effect of the double top-tier Soul Possession. Both souls belonged to super experts on the verge of breaking through to the Core Formation Stage, so the effect was naturally extraordinary—especially with the Godslaying Soul, which contained an immeasurable amount of Killing Intent. The immense Killing Intent blanketed the entire arena, far surpassing the Godslaying Domain that Lin Xuan could deploy relying on his own strength!

For a moment, everyone was left speechless. It was utterly shocking. With one explosive display after another, how many more trump cards did Lin Xuan have yet to reveal? Judging by the Godslaying Domain alone, they all believed he must have climbed out of a mountain of corpses. Otherwise, how could he possibly release such a dense Killing Intent?

Qing Piaoyun was shocked yet again. ’Such a powerful Godslaying Domain... Is this the one from the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion? It’s only been a short while, and he’s already returned, having mastered it.’

They were all well aware of the special Cultivation Site at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. Many knew it functioned as a battlefield. Aside from that location, it was nearly impossible to cultivate such a potent Killing Intent, unless one had personally slaughtered tens of millions of people.

But if he had done that, Lin Xuan would be ancient. So, there was no doubt he had trained on that battlefield and returned.

"Such a powerful Killing Intent! You truly haven’t disappointed me," Ling Tian laughed, feeling no fear, only excitement. "But let’s see how strong it really is!"

"I won’t let you down!"

Lin Xuan exhaled, his vision awash in scarlet. Executing the Cyan Cloud Fire-Treading Step, he charged straight for Ling Tian. He was no longer on the defensive—it was his turn to take the offensive.

As he lunged, the Godslaying Domain activated simultaneously. Bloody Illusions instantly flooded Ling Tian’s vision. In the blink of an eye, countless soldiers wielding red spears materialized before him and charged.

"Illusions! They’re useless against me!" Ling Tian laughed, thrusting his Black Abyss Sword forward. Countless Wind Blades erupted, leaving devastation in their wake. The charging soldiers were caught in the gale and torn to shreds, and in the blink of an eye, a huge portion of the army dissolved into a red mist and vanished.

But more soldiers immediately rushed forward to take their place, thrusting their red spears and sinking them deep into his body. The moment they pierced him, Ling Tian felt his blood begin to boil. A wave of Killing Intent surged from the depths of his heart, and for a second, he felt he was about to lose control of his mind!

The soldiers were Illusions, but not entirely. They couldn’t inflict physical damage, but they could assault the mind. It wasn’t enough to make Ling Tian lose his reason, nor would it be easy to do so, but even a momentary distraction in a battle between masters is absolutely fatal!

In that instant, a white rod tore through the crimson sky. Tinged with a scarlet glow, the White Pupil Rod smashed down heavily upon Ling Tian.

"Godslaying Void Shattering!"

Lin Xuan roared and swung down hard. The attack, infused with the Power of the Killing God, smashed toward Ling Tian’s chest. As the White Pupil Rod descended, waves of Killing Intent emanated from it, accompanied by the demonic wails of countless Vengeful Spirits—enough to shatter the Heart Spirit of anyone with Low Cultivation!

Ling Tian’s lapse was brief, but by the time he regained his senses, Lin Xuan’s rod was already crashing down on him. He had no time for a proper response and could only raise his Black Abyss Sword in a backhanded block. Wind Blades followed the sword’s path; even a reflexive strike from him packed power that could not be underestimated.

However, against Lin Xuan’s explosive, all-out attack, it all seemed futile.

CLANG!

Lin Xuan’s strike smashed down. The Killing Intent instantly devoured the incoming Wind Blades, and a force of well over a hundred thousand pounds crashed down, bending the Black Abyss Sword.

BANG!

Ling Tian, still clutching his sword, was sent flying backward. He skidded a great distance before managing to stop, his face flushed. He had clearly suffered significant damage. Shaking his head, he tried to expel the lingering Killing Intent that had seeped into his mind. The force of the blow had caused his Heart Spirit to waver once again.

That an attack of such magnitude only managed to inflict moderate damage—failing to kill him in one blow—was yet another testament to Ling Tian’s formidable power. His reaction speed and even his casual strikes were astonishingly powerful. It was a perfect fusion of offense and defense.

’Ling Tian truly is the strongest opponent I’ve faced. He’s so powerful that I’m struggling to do anything to him, even with a double Soul Possession. Crucially, he still isn’t using his full strength. This feels like little more than half his real power; he has yet to unleash his true abilities.’

For instance, he had yet to use any Celestial Level Martial Arts! From the very start of the fight, Ling Tian had relied solely on ordinary attacks augmented by his Wind Realm. Combined with his Essence Pill Stage Cultivation, the power of these attacks already far exceeded Lin Xuan’s.

If he couldn’t even suppress Lin Xuan with this much, his breakthrough to the Essence Pill Stage would have been pointless. Even with the Soul Pearl allowing for Soul Possession, it didn’t mean Lin Xuan could just leap over a Great Realm and completely dominate Ling Tian.

"It seems you are worthy of seeing my Celestial Level Martial Arts. Watch closely!" Without even pausing to catch his breath, Ling Tian swung his Black Abyss Sword. Lin Xuan instantly saw the soul within the blade fuse with Ling Tian, achieving the Realm of Human and Martial Unity!

He didn’t draw on the Power of Heaven and Earth, relying entirely on his own strength for this explosive move. After all, trying to compete with Lin Xuan in controlling the Power of Heaven and Earth would only make him lose faster.

Lin Xuan’s heart tightened. ’Ling Tian’s strength is truly beyond my imagination. If my own Cultivation hadn’t recently improved, I would have already lost, even with the Soul Pearl’s help. The Soul Pearl only amplifies my power; the foundation is still my own strength! It contains vast resources, but I can only utilize them by diligently raising my Cultivation.’

’Without a strong Cultivation base, I can’t unleash any real power. It was just like when I first got the Soul Pearl; using Soul Possession for even a moment completely drained my Elemental Power. In the end, it all depends on me.’

"Wind-Scorched Sword!"

A black light glinted in Ling Tian’s eyes as he gently swung and thrust his sword toward Lin Xuan. A line of black light shone from the blade, but there was no dazzling flash, no astonishing aura. All its power was completely contained, making the attack seem deceptively ordinary.

Simultaneously, Lin Xuan had already spread his Godslaying Domain, and countless soldiers once again charged with their spears to interfere with Ling Tian. However, before the soldiers could even get close, a line of black light as thin as a hair shot toward Lin Xuan. As it flew, it rapidly expanded, transforming into a black hurricane that swept everything before it!

BOOM!

With just a light flick of his sword, a terrifying black hurricane formed and expanded rapidly. Vast swathes of soldiers were instantly ground to dust. The attack’s range was immense, and crucially, the hurricane was filled with countless Wind Blades. It was like a primordial beast surging forward to devour Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan’s pupils constricted. It was all too fast. In the blink of an eye, the hurricane was upon him, leaving no path for escape. Its speed and scope had him completely pinned down! Ling Tian was dozens of meters away, yet with a single swing of his sword, the attack had crossed the distance in less than an instant.

This was the ultimate attack, created by combining the Wind Realm with Celestial Level Martial Arts. It far surpassed any of his previous moves, plunging Lin Xuan into a state of mortal peril.