Soul Emperor Awakening

Lin Xuan’s sudden appearance caught many people off guard, but Deng Sen was the most shocked of all. ’My own strike was caught by a teenager? That’s impossible!’

’My full-force strike didn’t even hurt him—he caught it easily. But on closer inspection... it doesn’t look like he’s holding it. Is it just hovering in the air?’

But it no longer mattered. Lin Xuan snatched the blade, tossed it aside, and watched as it floated on the sea’s surface instead of sinking. With a simultaneous palm strike, he sent Deng Sen flying. SPLASH! He landed in the sea.

The palm strike hadn’t been a heavy one; it had only been meant to send him flying. The moment he hit the water, Deng Sen began to struggle, swimming away as fast as he could.

"Who the hell are you, kid? Showing up here out of nowhere, you looking to die?!" one of the Pirates roared. Without another word, he grabbed his cutlass, leaped toward Lin Xuan’s boat, and swung down viciously.

"Don’t go!" Li Wei had just snapped out of his shock when he saw one of his men leaping toward Lin Xuan’s boat. It was too late to stop him.

The Chi Dragon Heavens Rod appeared in Lin Xuan’s hand. He gave the staff a light flick and, with a gentle tap of his foot on the boat, thrust forward. The tip of the rod became a blur of red light, lancing toward the Pirate’s body.

It was so fast the Pirate couldn’t even react before the thrust sent him flying. BANG! While he was still in mid-air, his back exploded.

Lin Xuan tapped his foot in mid-air, spun a few times, and landed gracefully back on his boat. The Pirate he had struck sank into the sea, dyeing a small patch of the water red before disappearing into the depths.

The Demon Cloud Sea was a strange place. Weapons weighing hundreds, even thousands of pounds, could float on its surface with ease, but people would sink.

To kill a Cultivator at the Third Layer of the Essence Pill Stage so effortlessly, without a shred of mercy... ’I can’t show these people any mercy. I won’t. Thinking back to that scene from before, they’ve definitely done this sort of thing countless times. How could I ever let scum like them live!’

Everyone who witnessed this was stunned. To fight so effortlessly on this sea, with a level of skill that completely dwarfed their own... He made it look easy.

"So strong..." Huang Hu was dumbfounded. He quickly snapped out of it, his heart swelling with excitement. ’I don’t know who this young man is, but he’s definitely here to help us!’

With just a single move, he had made the other Pirates too afraid to attack rashly. This level of power was far beyond what they had anticipated.

"You’re not dead. And your Cultivation has gotten stronger!" Li Wei’s face was grim. His subordinate had been killed in the blink of an eye. He never expected that after half a year, he would once again come face-to-face with the person who’d made a fool of him.

"The same could be said for you. You’re not dead, and your Cultivation is the same as ever," Lin Xuan said with a faint smile. "It’s time to settle this for good. You’ve run rampant on these seas for far too long. I think I’ll deliver some justice and take care of scum like you!"

"You think you can do it alone?!" Li Wei’s face flushed with anger. "Even if your Cultivation has improved, do you really think you can beat me? You’re unbelievably arrogant!"

His aura surged as the full power of his Cultivation at the Peak of Essence Pill Stage erupted forth. This time, he absolutely would not let Lin Xuan escape. He would use his full strength!

"Of course, I’m not alone. I have my partner, whom you’ve already met." Lin Xuan clapped his hands. The Phoenix that had been soaring high in the sky descended, circling above his head. Its eyes weren’t particularly sharp, and one might have mistaken it for a mere statue, but the aura it radiated made the Pirates’ faces drain of color.

"He... he’s the one with the highest bounty from the Lan Family!" one of the Pirates exclaimed upon seeing the Phoenix, immediately recalling the wanted poster they had issued.

’A Phoenix at the Peak of Essence Pill Stage...’ Li Wei’s expression turned ugly. A Phoenix’s speed was astonishing. Against an opponent with the same level of Cultivation, his defeat was all but guaranteed.

In the world of martial arts, speed reigns supreme. Especially when their Cultivation levels were so close, he was sure to lose.

"Die!"

Li Wei roared and swung his greatsaber, cleaving down at Lin Xuan. In mid-air, he became a blur of saber light, an overwhelming torrent that slashed forward. But the Phoenix was even faster. A wave of all-consuming Flame swept out, colliding with the saber light and effortlessly swallowing it whole.

’I have no chance of winning!’

The moment Li Wei saw his strongest attack get snuffed out so easily, he dove into the sea and fled into the distance at top speed, not giving a single thought to whether his companions could escape. There was no hesitation, just as there had been none when Deng Sen cut down his own ally. If you can’t win, run—that was his key to survival.

"Trying to run? Did you really think you could get away?"

Lin Xuan snorted. He directed the Phoenix to give chase while he stomped hard on his boat, making the whole vessel shudder. He then leaped into the crowd of Pirates, his Martial Intent flaring around his body. Since it was just an aura clinging to him, they couldn’t see its true form.

"Eight Extremes Staff Technique!"

Lin Xuan roared, spinning in a high-speed circle. Bolstered by his Staff Martial Intent, the range of his attack expanded severalfold, easily reaching even the other boat some distance away.

THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!

Several Pirates were sent flying before they could even react, spitting up blood in mid-air before splashing into the sea. Those who survived were still grievously injured. Leaving the rest for Huang Hu and the others to handle shouldn’t be a problem.

After taking care of them, he leaped onto the Phoenix’s back and shot forward in pursuit. If he let Li Wei escape now, he would never live it down.

In a flash, Lin Xuan had not only forced Li Wei to retreat but had also taken care of the remaining thugs. All that was left was for the survivors to handle the cleanup.

"T-too strong... His mount is a Phoenix... Just who in the heavens is this young man?!" Huang Hu and the others still hadn’t recovered from their shock. It was all too staggering. He had been toying with these Pirates as if they were puppets.

Huang Mei and the others exchanged glances, each seeing the profound shock mirrored in the others’ eyes. At the same time, a greater realization dawned on them: they were saved. They weren’t going to be captured by those Pirates.

"H-help me! I was wrong! Please, pull me up!" A cry for help came from the surface of the sea. It was Deng Sen, on the verge of being swallowed by the waves. Due to his nature as a Cultivator, the strange water was constantly draining his Elemental Power. More than that, the sheer weight of the sea was pressing down on him, making it impossible to surface.

His cries pulled everyone back to their senses. They all watched coldly as Deng Sen slowly sank, but not a single person moved to save him.

It wasn’t that they were being cruel. Rather, Deng Sen had been cruel first. He’d killed his own men and had even been willing to push his own woman into the abyss. This was the fate of a traitor: to be abandoned by all.