Soul Emperor Awakening

Over the next few days, Lin Xuan carved continuously. He didn’t absorb any Primordial Stones, relying solely on the regenerative properties of the Phoenix Essence Blood in his body. His recovery was slow, but it was better than nothing.

Since there weren’t many Primordial Stones, he finished carving them quickly. He could carve any Primordial Stone, no matter how small. However, the size and material would affect the final result. The material of the carving determined its Cultivation, while the size determined its Elemental Power capacity.

Even if he carved a mountain-sized Primordial Stone, the resulting Cultivation would never reach the Essence Pill Stage. At most, it would just last longer. He had tested this before. When he used a giant boulder for a carving, the summoned figure was the same size and had the same level of Cultivation; the only benefit was increased endurance.

The true factor determining the summoned figure’s size was the soul itself. For instance, if the soul belonged to a Giant Beast, it would manifest at its full size even if the carving was only as large as a finger. This was the essence of the Soul Pearl, but ultimately, it was still tied to the soul’s own Cultivation.

With so few Primordial Stones, he did his best not to waste any, using them to their maximum potential. These weren’t made of Five-Colored Spirit Wood, so their duration would be significantly shorter, which could become a major problem.

’If I could just find those things, it would be a huge help to my recovery.’ Lin Xuan was still thinking about his Identity Tokens and the Five-Colored Spirit Wood carvings stored within them.

Carvings at the Essence Pill Stage Level were nothing special to him, but here, they were enough to reign supreme!

From his observations during his idle time, he had determined there were no truly powerful experts here. The strongest were at the Sixth or Seventh Layer of the Spirit Refining Stage, at best. Therefore, an expert at the Essence Pill Stage could easily crush everyone in this place.

As for why no one had come to deal with these people, they must have powerful backing. Anyone who tried to cause trouble would end up dead!

With nothing left to carve, Lin Xuan sat down to meditate and heal his injuries. He focused on recovering as much as he could, hoping to at least regain his mobility.

Soon, it was time for a break. Tuo Yunhai returned from outside and furtively pulled two fist-sized Primordial Stones from his shirt. Placing them nearby, he said, "I swiped two bigger ones today. If I get caught, I’m in for a serious beating." He stuck out his tongue, feeling quite bold about his actions.

Then, he noticed the finished carvings nearby. He picked one up and examined it closely. "Wow, this is beautiful. Brother Lin, I thought you wanted to heal your injuries. Why did you use the stones for carving instead?"

"Yunhai, why do you trust me so much?" Lin Xuan asked, ignoring the boy’s question.

"I just know Brother Lin isn’t an ordinary person. You flew here on a Firebird, after all. I was just thinking... if you recover, could you maybe help me escape this place?" Tuo Yunhai gave a sheepish smile, which then faded into sadness. "I really miss my family. I wonder if I’ll ever get to go home."

"You will," Lin Xuan said with a smile. It was the only answer he could give. ’He’s right,’ he thought. ’If I saw someone arrive on the back of a Phoenix, I wouldn’t think they were ordinary either.’

Anyone would cling to a sliver of hope for survival! But no one else here thought that way. To them, with injuries so severe, anyone who couldn’t work was just useless trash.

"Enough talk, let’s eat!" Tuo Yunhai pulled out two steamed buns. It was his entire ration for the day.

He handed one of the buns to Lin Xuan, who broke it in half and tried to give a piece back. "I’m not working, so I only need half of this."

Tuo Yunhai opened his mouth to protest but said nothing. He silently tucked the half-bun back into his shirt. He was just too hungry.

After Tuo Yunhai left for work, Lin Xuan began carving again. The more carvings he had, the greater his chances. He currently had five top-level Fifth Layer souls within him, all waiting to be unleashed. The Phoenix soul, in particular, was their key to escape. As long as they didn’t run into a monstrously powerful expert, they could easily get away thanks to the Phoenix’s speed.

He now had exactly five carvings, but that was still too few. It was always better to be over-prepared.

The next day, Tuo Yunhai brought two more Primordial Stones, giving Lin Xuan a total of seven carvings. The day after that, he brought another two, bringing the count to nine. Three of them were Phoenix Statues. ’This should be enough, for the most part,’ Lin Xuan thought. ’The best-case scenario would be for me to recover some of my own Elemental Power so I can fight as well.’

’Huh? Why is Yunhai so late today?’

Lin Xuan woke from his meditation, realizing Tuo Yunhai hadn’t returned. He was usually back by this time. Just as Lin Xuan stood up, he heard a voice from outside. "Brother Lin, run... run!" The desperate, ragged shout made Lin Xuan’s heart clench.

’Damn it, they found us!’ Lin Xuan swept up the nearby carvings and rushed toward the mouth of the cave. His body had healed significantly, making movement much easier.

Sure enough, when he emerged, he saw a guard dragging Tuo Yunhai toward him by the hair. The boy’s face was swollen and bruised, his body covered in fresh whip marks. And worst of all, standing right beside them was Long Ba.

"Sir, I never thought this kid would be bold enough to hide Primordial Stones and secretly bring someone back here. It’s unforgivable!" Long Ba said coldly. It was obvious he was the informant.

"Damn it, I didn’t realize you had such a death wish, kid. You even dare to hide Primordial Stones? Looks like you’re tired of living!" the guard snarled as he dragged Tuo Yunhai forward. But when his eyes met Lin Xuan’s piercing gaze, he shuddered, feeling an overwhelming killing intent.

But when the guard saw that Lin Xuan was just a man covered in soot and burns, with no discernible powerful aura, his fear vanished. He sneered, "Well, well. So you really were hiding someone here. Long Ba, you’ve done well. Come with me later, and I’ll get you some extra food."

"Thank you, Sir!" Long Ba shot Lin Xuan a cold smirk. He hadn’t planned on reporting them, but when he saw Tuo Yunhai smuggling Primordial Stones back, he couldn’t resist. In his mind, those stones should have been his, and seeing them go to Lin Xuan filled him with rage.

Tuo Yunhai struggled, tears streaming down his face, and screamed, "Brother Lin, run! Get out of here before it’s too late!" Blood trickled from the corners of his mouth, a clear sign of how badly he had been beaten.

A wave of fury so intense it almost made him cough up blood washed over Lin Xuan. He had never, ever been this angry in his entire life.

"Summon!"

The Soul Pearl in his body hummed. Without hesitation, he threw out four of the carvings. Four top-tier souls fused with the Primordial Stones, and in the blink of an eye, four expressionless figures stood inside the cave. A terrifying aura radiated outwards.

Fifth Layer of Spirit Refining Stage Cultivation! It wasn’t a high level of Cultivation, but considering the power of the souls themselves, it was more than enough to deal with this scum.

"You are courting death!" Lin Xuan roared.

"Hah! Courting death? We’ll see who’s courting death in a minute!" the guard sneered, unfazed by Lin Xuan’s fury.

"That’s right! The guy’s about to die and he’s still spouting nonsense. When the Sir makes his move, he won’t even know what hit him!" Long Ba added, fawning over the guard.

The words had barely left his mouth when the four figures emerged from the cave. They stood behind Lin Xuan like four stoic War Gods.

"Let the slaughter begin." Lin Xuan’s voice was bone-chillingly cold, his gaze like that of a Death God emerging from the Hell Abyss, filled with a killing intent that could pierce through anything.