Soul Emperor Awakening

’My injuries have recovered. Time to get going.’ Lin Xuan stretched his body. He had still been clipped by Xu Qianlong’s attack as they passed through the Teleportation Array.

Fortunately, he wasn’t seriously injured—just lightly wounded—but the blast had damaged the Teleportation Array. It sent them to different locations. By the time Lin Xuan could get a clear look at his surroundings, Liu Yue’Er was long gone, teleported to who-knows-where.

He had searched for her briefly at first, but after finding no trace, he immediately went into hiding to recover. Wandering around while injured would have made him an easy target. He believed that with Liu Yue’Er’s strength, she was undoubtedly faring better than him. After all, the bodies of the Golden Dragon Race were incredibly tough. Especially with her innate draconic aura, she would be like a fish in water on the Demon Race Continent.

Lin Xuan walked out of the mountain cave. The environment outside was nothing special, mostly filled with towering ancient trees that completely blocked his line of sight. Of course, this wasn’t much of a problem for him; with the power of the Phoenix, he could easily fly high into the sky for a clear view.

However, he didn’t dare to fly about recklessly. This was the Demon Race Continent, not a place where humans lived. If he encountered a flying Demon Beast, the result could be devastating!

"SKREEE~!"

Suddenly, the cry of an eagle echoed. Lin Xuan looked up and saw an enormous eagle soaring through the sky. A terrifying aura pressed down from above, blanketing the area. It was a giant eagle at the Peak of the Essence Pill Stage, and its presence sent all the Demon Beasts in the vicinity scrambling for cover.

Lin Xuan quickly took cover as well, not wanting to be spotted by the giant eagle. If it locked onto him, it would undoubtedly dive down to eat him. While he could unleash his full power to rival someone at the Peak of the Essence Pill Stage, or even the Half-step Spirit Pill Stage, that power was concentrated in a single strike.

In other words, every single one of this Peak Essence Pill Stage Demon Beast’s attacks was at the Peak of the Essence Pill Stage. In contrast, he had to risk everything just to unleash a single blow with that level of power. If the Demon Beast weathered that attack, he probably wouldn’t even have enough Elemental Power left to flee.

Therefore, his trump card was best used for killing opponents three or four, or perhaps even five, Layers above him. Facing a true master with high Cultivation was simply courting death. It would also attract the attention of the surrounding Demon Beasts. In their eyes, humans were an anomaly, and they would surely prioritize attacking him if they saw him.

Besides, Demon Beasts had incredibly tough bodies. Without an attack of immense power, they were extremely difficult to kill—this was their innate advantage.

’Staying on the ground was definitely the right choice. If one of those flying Demon Beasts were to spot me, I can’t imagine what kind of death I’d face.’ Frowning, Lin Xuan concealed his aura and cautiously made his way into the forest, heading north.

His objective now was to find Liu Yue’Er. If he wanted to return to the human world on the Chenyuan Continent, he had to find her. She was the one most familiar with this continent. While he possessed the souls of the Golden Dragon King and the Phoenix, their memories were ancient and far too vague. How could he possibly use them to get his bearings?

If he found Liu Yue’Er and helped her reunite with the Golden Dragon Race, he could borrow their power to fight their way back. With the combined might of so many from the Golden Dragon Race, Qingcheng Mansion would surely be unable to withstand their assault.

Of course, that was just his hope. ’Who knows if they’ll even help me? I’m an outsider, after all.’ Ultimately, the most practical solution was to grow stronger himself. It was better to rely on oneself than on others.

"THUD! THUD! THUD!"

Suddenly, the sound of running came from deep within the forest. Lin Xuan quickly hid behind a nearby tree trunk, peering from the side to see what was happening. A moment later, a fiery red figure appeared in his line of sight. When he got a clear look, he realized it was a Demon Fox Girl.

She possessed the distinct features of a fox, with red fur and a crimson tail as thick as a thigh wrapped around her waist to keep it steady as she ran. Her side profile was beautiful, and she exuded a subtle, foxy charm. If she were among humans, she would certainly have been captured to be kept as a pet.

Dressed in red, she was running barefoot in his direction, her face filled with terror. It seemed she was being hunted.

Her Cultivation wasn’t high, but she was at the Second or Third Layer of the Essence Pill Stage. On the Demon Race Continent, this was a relatively normal level, not considered high. Thanks to their innate advantages, the general Cultivation level of the Demon Race started at the Essence Pill Stage. Experts at the Peak of the Essence Pill Stage were everywhere, while Spirit Pill Stage experts were comparatively scarce.

Spirit Pill Stage experts were rare among any race. While the Golden Dragon Race had plenty of them, their overall population was so small that having everyone at the Spirit Pill Stage Level or above wasn’t considered particularly Heaven-Defying.

’What’s going on here?’ Lin Xuan concealed his aura and followed, wanting to see what was happening. At the same time, an idea sprouted in his mind—he actually wanted to capture her.

He knew nothing about this place. If he had a Demon Beast with him, they would make the best guide, and he could finally figure out his whereabouts. If he just blindly headed north, who knew what corner of the north the Golden Dragon Race was in? At the very least, he needed to find out his current position.

However, just as this thought occurred to him, a booming voice came from behind a large tree ahead. A Minotaur stepped out, blocking the Demon Fox Girl’s path. He snorted through his large nostrils, his enormous, bell-like eyes raking over her body with a lecherous gaze. "Heh, little Demon Fox, let’s see where you run to this time. It’s impossible for you to escape from me. Be a good girl and come back to my clan, otherwise don’t blame me for being impolite!"

"Go back with you?! Many of my sisters have been captured by your Minotaur Race, and not a single one has ever come back! You brutes!" Without another word, the Demon Fox Girl threw a punch. Faint red Elemental Power coated her small fist as she smashed it heavily against him.

She didn’t use any Martial Arts; it seemed she had none to use. She was simply relying on a wild smash of Elemental Power and raw strength, which was how most Demon Beasts fought. With the exception of the very top tier, only those with sufficiently high Cultivation could practice Martial Arts.

As for human techniques, they were fundamentally incompatible. Demon Beasts couldn’t learn them. Even if they somehow managed to, they couldn’t unleash their true power. This was mainly because the meridian structures in their bodies were different, meaning the way they circulated energy was different, so they couldn’t produce much force with human Martial Arts.

"BAM!"

The punch smashed into the Minotaur’s sturdy body but caused him no harm whatsoever. Instead, he said nonchalantly, "We were born brutes. Did you think you were human or something? Now come here obediently!"

He grabbed the Demon Fox Girl’s arm and lifted her directly off the ground, as if she were a toy.

"Let me go! Let me go! I don’t want to be your slave!" The Demon Fox Girl’s eyes reddened as she struggled relentlessly, but no matter how much she thrashed, she couldn’t hurt the Minotaur in the slightest. The gap in their strength was simply too vast.

One was at the Second Layer Essence Pill Stage, the other at the Third Layer. It might not seem like a huge difference, but with his race’s innate advantages, that single-Layer gap was enormous.

"She told you to let her go. Didn’t you hear?" Lin Xuan stepped out from the trees, his gaze fixed coldly on the Minotaur.