Soul Emperor Awakening

Lin Xuan rode the Phoenix in swift pursuit. Li Wei swam forward frantically, pushing his speed to the limit—just as fast as when he’d been chased before. But now, with the Phoenix’s improved Cultivation, it caught up to him effortlessly.

"Where do you think you’re going to run? You think you can get away?" Lin Xuan maneuvered the Phoenix to fly low over the water’s surface, rapidly closing in, looking for the right moment to deliver a fatal blow.

FWOOSH!

The Phoenix shot a gout of flame at Li Wei, who quickly dove under. But when the Phoenix Flame struck the sea’s surface, it vanished instantly, completely unable to penetrate the Demon Sea. It looked as if the seawater had extinguished it.

In reality, the Demon Sea had absorbed it. Ordinary water could never extinguish the Phoenix Fire. This just went to show how truly strange the Demon Sea was—it even absorbed the Elemental Power contained within attacks.

"This is our domain down here! If you’ve got the guts, come and get me! Haha!" Li Wei burst out laughing as he resurfaced, looking at Lin Xuan with a mocking gaze, endlessly provoking him.

’This isn’t a sustainable solution, with him just hiding in the sea,’ Lin Xuan thought. ’The Demon Sea is unfathomably deep. If Li Wei dives down and hides, I’ll really have no way of finding him. If I could force him to keep swimming, he wouldn’t last long, but if he hides in the water, I’ll lose him.’

Lin Xuan couldn’t possibly follow him into the water. He didn’t have the physique of the Demon Sea People. While he could probably survive if he went in, moving with the same freedom they possessed would be another matter entirely.

This was the unique advantage the Demon Sea People had here, far beyond what an outsider like him could compare to. It was a survival skill born from adapting to this environment.

"Is that so? Then let’s see how you handle this. Staff Martial Intent!"

A cold glint flashed in Lin Xuan’s eyes. An immense projection of his Staff Martial Intent materialized from his body and plunged into the sea without a second thought. BOOM! The Staff Martial Intent sank to the seabed, and from above, it looked as if a giant crater had opened on the water’s surface.

The Staff Martial Intent extended its giant staff and viciously flung Li Wei up out of the water. But the instant he was airborne, the Martial Intent was compressed and shattered—not because its Elemental Power was absorbed, but because it was crushed by the terrifying ambient gravity!

The greater the surface area of the Staff Martial Intent’s massive body covered by the Demon Sea, the greater the gravitational force became, crushing it with ease. Lin Xuan had already anticipated this. All he needed was to get Li Wei out of the water so he could attack.

This move caught Li Wei completely by surprise; he never expected Lin Xuan to have such a technique.

"You... You’re from the Tuo Family!" Li Wei’s face went deathly pale. He couldn’t believe Lin Xuan possessed this technique, especially since it was the unique Martial Intent of the Tuo Family!

"Sorry to disappoint, but I’m not from the Tuo Family... Now, die!"

Lin Xuan sneered and commanded the Phoenix to engulf Li Wei in a terrifying torrent of Flame. Li Wei hastily tried to block, but how could his attacks possibly compare to the Phoenix’s Flame? The inferno easily swallowed him, and he let out a bloodcurdling scream.

"You bastard, you’ll die a dog’s death!" Li Wei writhed in mid-air, trying to plunge back into the sea to extinguish the flames covering his body.

"You think you can still get away?" Lin Xuan sneered. "Staff Martial Intent!"

Once again, the phantom projection shot from his body, appearing below Li Wei just before he hit the water and swinging its giant staff up at him.

Engulfed in flames, Li Wei roared. He slapped his palm down on the giant staff, bellowing, "Break!" The force of a Peak Essence Pill Stage palm strike swept out, accompanied by howling, sharp Wind Blades.

BANG! The Staff Martial Intent was easily shredded by the domineering attack. This was within Lin Xuan’s expectations. He was facing an expert at the Peak of Essence Pill Stage, while he was only at the Second Layer Essence Pill Stage. That was a gap of eight layers. No matter how strong he was, he could hardly fight across such a massive disparity in cultivation.

’If it weren’t for my Peak Essence Pill Stage Phoenix, I never would have dared to pursue him; I wouldn’t even have known what hit me. Fighting opponents above my level is one thing, but this gap is just too terrifying. I’m not that powerful yet.’

But all he needed was to knock Li Wei back into the air again—that was enough!

"Go to hell!"

Lin Xuan sneered and commanded the Phoenix to once again send a terrifying wave of fire surging forward. Li Wei threw out another palm strike to defend himself, but in his state, how could he possibly block such an offensive? He was quickly swallowed by the flames again, his shrieks filling the air. Faintly, the smell of burnt meat drifted to Lin Xuan’s nostrils.

"AHHH... If you’ve got any pride, fight me one-on-one! What kind of hero are you, relying on your Phoenix for help!" Li Wei screamed from within the inferno. He was filled with rage, but rage was all he had left.

"Fight you one-on-one? Do you take me for an idiot?" Lin Xuan retorted with a sneer. "If you’ve got so much pride, then stop trying to dive into the sea. You want to lecture me about fighting fair? Knowing how to use your own advantages—that’s true strength, you fool!"

’To not use such a powerful asset would make me the real fool, an absolute idiot. Besides, with such a massive power gap between us, I’d lose a one-on-one fight for sure. My opponent is a pirate who’s committed every evil imaginable—only a moron would try to reason with him.’

Toyed with by Lin Xuan, Li Wei was brutally burned to death. Only when he could no longer sense the slightest trace of Li Wei’s aura did Lin Xuan wipe the sweat from his brow and mutter, "I hope you’ll be a better person in your next life."

Only then did he cease his assault. Li Wei’s corpse fell from the sky and plunged into the sea, where it was quickly swarmed and devoured by Tiger Fish.

"Finally took care of that. Time to head back." Lin Xuan had the Phoenix turn around and flew back toward Huang Hu and his group.

When he arrived, he found they had just finished dealing with the other Pirates. Every single one had been slain, shown no mercy. The traitor had long since sunk into the sea and vanished. No one had gone to rescue him; he was left to his fate, likely having already become a meal for the Tiger Fish.

He descended from the sky. Upon seeing him, Huang Hu scrambled to his feet. "Thank you for your help, Senior! If not for your rescue, we would have all been killed by those Pirates."

Huang Mei and the others looked him over, their beautiful eyes filled with a peculiar light. They assumed Lin Xuan was returning after killing that pirate, and his display of strength truly made their hearts flutter.

"It was nothing, a small matter," Lin Xuan said, glancing at them. "Where are you all from? Didn’t you know this area is dangerous?"

"We’re from the Hualong Empire... This has been a harsh lesson for us, especially having to deal with a traitor! Senior, if you wouldn’t mind, should you ever visit the Hualong Empire, we will be sure to host you with the greatest hospitality!" Huang Hu said gratefully.

Lin Xuan waved a hand. "The Hualong Empire, you say. You should head back now. There’s no immediate danger anymore. I trust you can take it from here."

He gave them one last look, then mounted the Phoenix and flew off toward the Soaring Dragon Empire, paying them no more mind. He had already helped as much as he was going to.

"Stop staring," Huang Hu sighed, motioning to his sister. "We’re not on the same level as him."

"Oh..." Huang Mei responded, knowing she could only ever dream.