Soul Emperor Awakening

In the face of Hu Hong’s desperate pleas, Lin Xuan didn’t think she was lying—but he only believed the first half of her story. He couldn’t trust that she would obediently return to him after going back to report what had happened.

The Demon Fox Race was known for its cunning. It wasn’t that they were inherently untrustworthy, but they offered no such courtesy to most other races. After all, nearly every other race wanted to capture them. If they were to naively obey an outsider, they would just be asking for trouble.

Likewise, if Lin Xuan actually let her go, she would almost certainly never return. It wasn’t that she lacked integrity, but that she believed humans were untrustworthy. ’They’ve captured so many of my people, why should I choose to trust one of them now?’

After a moment of contemplation, Lin Xuan asked, "How strong is the most powerful cultivator in the Minotaur Race?"

Hu Hong was taken aback, unsure why Lin Xuan was asking such a question, but she answered nonetheless. "He has a Spirit Pill Stage Cultivation, but he isn’t with the Minotaur Tribe at the moment. Among those who are left, the highest Cultivation is only the Fifth or Sixth Layer of the Essence Pill Stage. Why do you ask?"

"No particular reason. By the time you get back and ask for help, it will be too late. I might as well handle it myself," Lin Xuan said nonchalantly, as if discussing some trivial matter.

He wasn’t moved by Hu Hong’s tears; if he were, he’d be far too easy to deceive. His primary motivation was her connection to the Golden Dragon Race. Furthermore, the Demon Fox Race was exceptionally skilled at gathering intelligence. If he helped one of them, they would certainly repay the favor.

Information was precisely what he lacked. If she felt threatened by him, she might provide false intelligence. But if he helped her, the information she gave would undoubtedly be accurate.

The Demon Fox Race may be cunning, but they were fiercely loyal to their benefactors. In fact, most of the Demon Race was like that. They always repaid their debts of gratitude and would never go back on their word.

It wasn’t that he was being manipulative; he just wanted to increase his strength as quickly as possible, not wander around aimlessly. His responsibilities were growing, and he had no time to waste. Every moment he wasted was another moment of danger for Lin Xue and the others.

He had to seize every second, which meant constantly pursuing his Cultivation and searching for opportunities!

"What?!" Hu Hong started, asking in disbelief, "You’re going to charge in there yourself? B-but there are so many Minotaurs there!"

"So, are you going to lead the way or not?" Lin Xuan said flatly, not wanting to waste any more breath.

"Yes, yes! Of course I’ll go! If you can really save them, that would be wonderful! Let’s go right now!" Hu Hong snapped back to reality, overjoyed. Rescuing them immediately was the best-case scenario; running back for help would have taken far too much time.

"Then lead the way," Lin Xuan’s reply was short and to the point.

Fearing Lin Xuan would change his mind, Hu Hong hastily led the way toward the Minotaur Tribe, surreptitiously glancing at his expression as they went. After they had traveled a good distance, her face suddenly changed. "You... you’re planning to capture my sisters for yourself, aren’t you!" she exclaimed in shock.

The thought had only just occurred to her after all this time on the road, leaving Lin Xuan at a loss for whether to laugh or cry. ’Am I really that untrustworthy?’

"So, do you think your sisters would be safer with me, or with the Minotaurs?" Lin Xuan asked in a low voice.

"It’s about the same either way. Not much difference," Hu Hong replied after a moment’s thought.

"Fine, then. We won’t go. I’ll just take you captive. One is enough, anyway." With that, Lin Xuan turned to walk away. His sudden change of heart left Hu Hong completely stunned.

"Wait, no!" Hu Hong was on the verge of tears at her own foolishness. She grabbed Lin Xuan’s arm, crying, "Please, I’m begging you, save my sisters! If you really rescue them and let them go free, I’ll willingly go with you!"

"Then what’s with all the nonsense? Waste my time with another word, and I’m not going," Lin Xuan said coldly.

Hu Hong immediately snapped her mouth shut and started running toward the Minotaur Tribe, leading Lin Xuan. Along the way, she didn’t dare utter another word. Aside from giving the most basic directions, she remained completely silent.

Watching her fiery red figure from behind, Lin Xuan was reminded of the Ice and Fire Phoenix, Bingxin. ’She must be somewhere on this Demon Race Continent,’ he thought. ’I wonder how she’s doing.’ He had many questions, but for now, he had to set them aside and focus on the task at hand.

Under Hu Hong’s guidance, they reached the outskirts of the Minotaur Tribe, which wasn’t far from where they had been before. It seemed Hu Hong really had just escaped from this place, only to be chased down by the Minotaurs.

"This is it. There are twenty-six Minotaurs in total. Two are at the Sixth Layer of the Essence Pill Stage, four are at the Fifth Layer, and there are several at the Fourth Layer... The one with the highest Cultivation is in the northernmost tent. My sisters are being held there. The ones with lower Cultivation are scattered around, patrolling the area. The strongest Minotaur is incredibly powerful. His name is Zamuka, he wields a Great Axe, and his favorite direction to attack from is..."

The level of detail in Hu Hong’s information was staggering—terrifyingly so. She had a complete profile on this small Minotaur outpost, knowing everything from their names to whether they were left- or right-handed. It was simply Heaven-Defying. She probably even knew where they went to the bathroom. Her intelligence-gathering skills were truly frightening.

Clearly, she had come here specifically to gather intelligence; otherwise, it would have been impossible for her to know so much, unless she had scouted them out previously.

"When did you gather all this information?" Lin Xuan asked, astonished.

"I gathered it just now while I was scouting the area. I didn’t expect to be discovered before I could finish. If you hadn’t saved me, I would’ve been captured long ago..." Hu Hong stared intently at the Minotaur tents ahead, her voice turning cold. "They captured my sisters. I will absolutely not let them get away with it. If my information is inaccurate, it could bring danger to my people..."

She had a point. The Demon Fox Race used intelligence to its fullest potential. Since they weren’t powerful fighters, inaccurate information could lead them into a crisis, or even an ambush. Her attention to detail was terrifying. ’It couldn’t have taken her long to gather all this,’ Lin Xuan mused, ’yet her observations were so thorough.’

"I don’t need to know all that. Just tell me where your sisters are," Lin Xuan said. Despite his surprise, he chose to disregard the detailed intel.

It wasn’t that the information was useless, just that it was of little use to him. He only needed to know one thing: the location of his targets. In the face of absolute strength, all schemes and plots were meaningless.

Besides, he only needed to know the enemy’s highest Cultivation level. If there were several experts at the Peak of the Essence Pill Stage, then going there would be pointless!

"They’re right up ahead. We can just sneak around from that direction. But I still want to point out a few things. Zamuka’s Weapon is extremely powerful; it can shatter most other Weapons..."

Before she could continue, Lin Xuan rapped her on the head. He glared at her and said, "I told you, I don’t need it! You’re such a chatterbox! I said I don’t need it!"

Detailed information was a good thing, but he had already said he didn’t need it. He was truly exasperated. ’It’s like a disease,’ he thought. ’It needs to be cured!’