Soul Emperor Awakening

Lin Xuan’s heaven-defying slash turned the tables once again, brutally dragging the advantage back to his side. His unparalleled, domineering power left everyone deeply shocked.

They had never seen such an attack—in fact, it was the very first time. Its heaven-defying might easily shattered Tong Yulong’s own attack. Forget the surrounding spectators; even Tong Yulong, who could use Martial Intent—or rather, the Demon Evil Monarch—was stunned.

Using Martial Intent in front of the Martial God was like a novice showing off before a grandmaster!

"That Martial Intent is so powerful... truly incredible!" Just when Qing Piaoyun thought Lin Xuan was about to lose, Lin Xuan surprised him yet again.

"Is this the result of his training these past six months? It’s simply heaven-defying. He’s so much stronger than before... If his Cultivation were any higher, even I would be sliced in two." Qing Piaoxue’s beautiful eyes were also filled with shock; compared to his previous challenge, he was like a completely different person.

Cyan Cloud Peak remained silent, but internally, his mind was a tempest that refused to calm. Lin Xuan’s assault had forcefully halted the Demon Evil Monarch’s own. How was that even possible?

As for everyone else, they were simply dumbfounded by Lin Xuan’s abilities. How much more potential had he yet to reveal? How many more powers had he yet to unleash? Lin Xuan seemed like a bottomless pit—truly unfathomable.

"You... How do you know that move of the Martial God?!" Tong Yulong demanded, pointing his spear at Lin Xuan with a trembling voice. "Have you inherited the Martial God’s legacy?!"

The Martial God. A name that once shook the world. Some knew it, others did not. But the older generation certainly knew it, and to them, that name was legendary.

No matter how legendary the name, Lin Xuan only knew one thing: the Martial God was strong. Unbelievably strong. ’Just a small fragment of his soul reached the Core Formation Stage Level,’ he thought. ’What about after I clear the Seventh Layer? Or the Eighth? If I could fuse it all, the soul’s Cultivation would surely reach a supreme Realm.’

Unfortunately, he couldn’t continue the challenges right now; he simply wasn’t strong enough. He would have to wait. ’If I could obtain the Martial God’s complete soul,’ he mused, ’I would become a truly heaven-defying existence. Once I fuse all the parts of the soul, I will become the true Martial God!’

"You don’t need to know the answer to that," Lin Xuan said. There was no need to answer. "It’s time to end this battle. Let’s see if you can withstand my final attack!"

The light in his eyes grew more and more brilliant. As he continued to merge with the Martial God’s Spirit, his battle intent soared to its apex.

"First Layer Soul, merge!"

Lin Xuan let out a low roar. The Soul Pearl buzzed as a soul merged with his body, intensifying his aura. He was rapidly approaching his physical limit. If his body hadn’t been so significantly fortified, he would have been unable to continue. The Martial God’s Spirit alone was enough to threaten to tear his body apart.

But this wasn’t his true limit!

"Second Layer Soul, merge!"

With another low roar, Lin Xuan began to walk slowly toward Tong Yulong. As the soul fused with him, his aura swelled to become even more immense.

’His aura is growing again,’ Tong Yulong thought. ’I can’t let him continue to power up! I have to use my final move. This body is almost at its limit, too.’

A red light flared in Tong Yulong’s eyes, and the crimson glow within his body intensified until it completely enveloped him. A sky-rending wave of Evil Qi erupted from his form, manifesting a churning sea of blood in the surrounding area. This was a Domain. Clearly, the Demon Evil Monarch possessing him was about to unleash his full power.

His Soul Possession wasn’t infinite; the mortal body had its limits. If Tong Yulong’s body gave out and he died, the Monarch’s soul would be scattered and destroyed along with it.

"Third Layer Soul, merge!"

With another low roar, Lin Xuan fused a new soul into his being. The Elemental Power and blood within him began to circulate wildly, reaching an incredible speed as he stacked layer upon layer of power. His body started to swell slightly. If he kept this up, he might explode!

"Fourth Layer Soul, merge!"

Lin Xuan bellowed, feeling his body draw even closer to its limits—or rather, he had already reached them. He now held five layers of souls within his body. The Martial God’s Spirit alone had already pushed him to the breaking point.

With the addition of four layers of souls, the Elemental Power circulating in his body reached its absolute peak, and his rate of consumption multiplied with each addition. With his Elemental Power running low, he knew he had to unleash his strongest attack to finish Tong Yulong.

If this final attack failed to defeat his opponent, he would have truly lost and would have no choice but to concede.

But had he truly reached his limit? Of course not. He could still handle more.

"Fifth Layer Soul, merge!"

This final soul, however, did not merge with his body. Instead, it was infused into the Chi Dragon Heavens Rod, where the souls of the Golden Dragon King and the Phoenix already resided.

FWOOM!

Flame erupted from the rod’s shaft, and within the blaze, the image of a soaring Phoenix could be seen. A Golden Dragon appeared alongside it, the two intertwining in the auspicious image of dragon and phoenix in harmony. The entire Divine Artifact began to hum, as if announcing that it had reached its absolute limit.

But more than that, it hummed with a ravenous hunger, desperate to be unleashed. The two Divine Beasts writhed within the Divine Artifact, their forms visible on the rod’s surface as a true fusion of red and gold—more brilliant in its gold, more vibrant in its crimson!

All told, it was the ultimate seven-fold soul fusion! An unprecedented explosion of power had finally been perfectly layered together, reaching the absolute limit of what he could currently withstand.

This ultimate, peak state washed over his soul, and it felt as if the entire world had gone silent. In fact, his surroundings *had* gone silent. Everyone was utterly stupefied by the power the two combatants were displaying.

’Is this really a battle at the Essence Pill Stage Level? It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a Spirit Pill Stage Level fight.’ In truth, this was a genuine clash at the Core Formation Stage Realm. The unprecedented level of power they displayed completely overshadowed everyone present.

Yes, everyone present. That included the Mansion Master of Qingcheng Mansion and Xu Qianlong. The realm of power being displayed utterly eclipsed them, though that didn’t necessarily mean the raw destructive force of the attacks had reached their level.

Even so, this alone was enough to leave everyone speechless. How could they not be shocked when cultivators at the Essence Pill Stage were demonstrating such power?

The shock in Cyan Cloud Peak’s mind was even greater. ’Tong Yulong is this powerful because of the Demon Evil Monarch’s Soul Possession,’ he thought. ’So what about Lin Xuan? Does he also have a powerful soul possessing him? If so, his good fortune is simply terrifying.’

"It’s time to end this," Lin Xuan declared. "With this final move, either you fall, or I do!"

Lin Xuan gripped the Chi Dragon Heavens Rod, his steps steady. Yet with each one, it was as if a giant walked the earth. Heaven and Earth itself seemed to tremble before him!

This was the ultimate seven-fold soul fusion.