Soul Emperor Awakening

Qing Piaoxue managed to escape successfully, leaving Cyan Cloud Peak far behind. As a more experienced figure, getting away wasn’t a major problem for her.

’I hope the boy can get away. He’s made it through so much already; this time should be no different... Xue’Er will be fine, I shouldn’t worry so much...’ Qing Piaoxue sighed deeply. Carrying the two of them, she vanished deep into the forest, following a predetermined route and escaping far away.

A long time later, an enraged roar echoed through the forest. Swathes of trees were blasted into the air; it was Cyan Cloud Peak, who had flown into a rage after failing to find Qing Piaoxue. Letting the two of them escape would mean leaving a grave threat behind. More importantly, Xu Qianlong would hold him accountable, which would put him in a very difficult position.

Meanwhile, Lin Xuan was flying toward the Bone Dragon Ruins with Liu Yue’Er at top speed. He was pushing his velocity to its absolute limit and could feel someone in hot pursuit. He ignored anyone who might have spotted them along the way; at this point, he had no intention of hiding anymore.

Quite a few people did see them along the way. They were dumbfounded at the sight of someone riding a Phoenix—it was simply incredible. The news spread like wildfire. Some even recognized the rider as Lin Xuan, which only fueled the rumors further.

The legendary Lin Yunlong actually possessed a Phoenix! What a shocking revelation. Everyone speculated that Qingcheng Mansion must have rewarded Lin Xuan with the Divine Beast mount after he became the number one disciple of the Core Hall. If so, his treatment was simply incredible—it was practically Heaven-Defying.

Not even the Elders had Divine Beast mounts. For Lin Xuan to have one—how was that not Heaven-Defying? It was as if he ranked above many of the Elders.

Not long after Lin Xuan had taken flight, Xu Qianlong gave chase at extreme speed. His velocity far surpassed Lin Xuan’s; at this rate, he would catch up soon.

To conceal his trail, Lin Xuan changed his route frequently, weaving back and forth and even dropping statues to attack his pursuer. However, Xu Qianlong was still able to follow the most direct path, as he could track Lin Xuan by his aura. Catching him was only a matter of time.

While chasing Lin Xuan, Xu Qianlong didn’t dare to be so conspicuous. He circulated his Elemental Power to obscure his face, ensuring that the Cultivators on the ground couldn’t see him clearly. If anyone discovered a Great Emperor was giving chase, it would cause a major incident.

’Are we finally almost there...?’ Lin Xuan saw the entrance to the Bone Dragon Ruins in the distance, and his heart began to race. This was their only hope. If the Teleportation Array failed to activate, they were doomed.

They quickly descended from the sky. The restrictions on the Bone Dragon Ruins had disappeared long ago, so there were still people milling about inside. However, the Dragon Power within had also dissipated, making it useless to linger there.

"These are the remains of the Golden Dragon Race..." Liu Yue’Er’s eyes instantly turned red as she saw the ground covered in Dragon Bone Powder, and she couldn’t stop tears from welling up.

But this was no time for grief. If they failed to escape, they would end up buried here as well.

"Hey, isn’t that Lin Yunlong? And he’s riding a Phoenix! Heavens, was that a reward from Qingcheng Mansion?"

"What are you spacing out for? Let’s hurry over and greet him! If we can build a connection with him, we’ll be set for life!"

"But what’s he doing here? I thought this place was picked clean. Could there be something left?"

...

The people gathered there went wild when they saw Lin Xuan descend on the Phoenix, all of them eager to rush forward and curry favor with him. Little did they know that Lin Xuan was being hunted. If they didn’t leave, they would undoubtedly be caught in the crossfire.

"Get lost! If you don’t want to die, you’d better get out of here now!" Lin Xuan snorted, unleashing a powerful aura that forced back the crowd just as they were about to surround him.

The crowd exchanged confused glances, unsure of what Lin Xuan meant. The more astute among them, however, left immediately. They didn’t understand his words, but they sensed immense danger. With their level of Cultivation, they had no business getting involved, so they chose to leave.

Others, however, didn’t believe him. They were convinced that Lin Xuan had come here prepared, searching for something valuable. How could they walk away when such a great opportunity presented itself? They immediately followed after him. Even if they didn’t get any treasures, they could at least watch the excitement unfold. Who knows, they might even get some scraps.

Lin Xuan couldn’t be bothered to care what they thought. He had given his warning; whether they chose to believe him was their problem.

"Where is the Teleportation Array?" Lin Xuan asked.

"The Teleportation Array is over there!" Liu Yue’Er immediately pointed the way. They broke into a frantic sprint, not even walking for a second. In fact, they had been running at full tilt from the moment they landed.

Just as they entered the chamber containing the Teleportation Array, a terrifying aura flooded in from outside. Lin Xuan’s face paled; he could feel the chilling presence of death itself.

"Activate!" Liu Yue’Er bit her finger, and a drop of golden blood fell to the floor. In an instant, a golden Teleportation Array materialized beneath them.

’No wonder Liu Yue’Er said only she could activate it,’ he thought. ’It requires the purest blood of the Golden Dragon Race to power this Teleportation Array.’

"Heavens, that’s a Teleportation Array! There’s a Teleportation Array here? Where are they going?"

"I told you we’d get something out of this! It probably leads to some other ruins. There could be treasure there!"

"Let’s follow them inside! We might really find some treasure. This time, we’ll definitely get our share. Those cowards who didn’t dare to follow will be kicking themselves later!"

...

The crowd rubbed their hands in glee, preparing to follow them through the portal. If they actually made it across, however, they would find themselves on the Demon Race Continent—a place where humans were almost non-existent, their numbers pitifully small.

It was the reverse of their own continent, which, despite having a considerable number of Demon Beasts, was still overwhelmingly populated by humans. If these people actually teleported over, they would just be waiting to die; their Cultivation was nowhere near high enough to survive there.

"If you don’t want to die, stay away from here!" Lin Xuan warned coldly.

"It can only be used once, so we don’t have to worry about anyone else using it," Liu Yue’Er reminded him.

Her words had barely faded when Xu Qianlong’s nightmarish figure appeared in the doorway. He charged toward them at blinding speed, his aura flaring! But it was too late. Lin Xuan and Liu Yue’Er had already activated the Teleportation Array. "Don’t even think about escaping!" he roared.

With a fierce wave of his hand, he blasted a ball of red Elemental Power forward. Before the onlookers could even react, it exploded right on top of the Teleportation Array.

BOOM!

A massive explosion erupted, sending the nearby onlookers flying. Due to their low Cultivation, most were killed instantly. The lucky few who survived were all gravely injured.

When the dust from the explosion settled, the Teleportation Array was destroyed. But there was no sign of Lin Xuan or Liu Yue’Er—they had already escaped.