Soul Emperor Awakening

"Why? Isn’t more accurate information better?" Hu Hong clutched her head, glaring at Lin Xuan in frustration. She felt it was incredibly unfair to be hit after providing such detailed information.

"That may be so, but you’ll understand why in a moment." After a moment of thought, Lin Xuan asked, "Why are they here? And where are their leaders?"

"Didn’t you tell me to stop talking? This is what I was about to say..." Seeing Lin Xuan shoot her a glare, Hu Hong quickly covered her head again. "This is their mobile stronghold. They’re leaving after today. The leaders are out looking for the Demon Fox Race’s settlement. They haven’t found it, but they did capture a few of our sisters who were out foraging for food..."

"Alright. We’ll circle around, deal with them quickly, and rescue your sisters. It’ll be a problem if their leaders get back." Lin Xuan asked no more questions and led her around to the side. At last, he got a clear view of the captured members of the Demon Fox Race.

They were locked in a massive cage. There were only four of them. Their Cultivation was all around the Essence Pill Stage. Each one was breathtakingly beautiful; if you were to sell one in the human world, she would fetch a fantastic price. A Demon Fox of this type was said to be worth at least a million Primordial Stones, perhaps even tens of millions.

That was equivalent to the price of a Top Level Spiritual Artifact, or even a Divine Artifact. It just went to show how decadent the wealthy were. They would certainly buy such a beautiful Demon Fox, full of Charm, just for their own amusement.

Lin Xuan, however, had no interest in them. He only needed them to provide accurate information; that was enough. He was particularly impressed by the ability Hu Hong had displayed earlier. Her information-gathering skills could only be described as monstrous. The Golden Dragon Race had likely made the Demon Foxes their vassals in large part due to this Heaven-Defying talent.

It was a shame they were ultimately defeated. No matter how detailed their information was, without sufficient strength to act on it, they were still incredibly vulnerable.

"Heh heh... Look at these Demon Fox girls. Every one of ’em is so juicy. I really want to ’take good care’ of them." A Minotaur at the Sixth Layer of the Essence Pill Stage—the Zamuka that Hu Hong had mentioned—was leering at the Demon Foxes in the cage, drool dripping from his mouth as if he’d spotted a delicious meal.

The faces of the Demon Fox Girls in the cage turned deathly pale. If they were really ’taken care of’ by beings with such enormous bodies, they’d be half-dead. Their bodies weren’t that fragile, however; with their high Cultivation, they could withstand a lot of physical force. But being violated by these Minotaurs was a fate worse than death.

"Zamuka, if you dare touch us, our Clan Leader will never let you get away with it! He will send people to rescue us soon!" one of the Demon Fox Girls shouted angrily. In truth, she was just trying to protect herself by scaring him.

"Ooh, feisty. We’d love for your Clan Leader to show up with his people so we can wipe them all out in one go! Why don’t you just obediently hand over the Demon Fox Race’s treasure? Or become vassals of us Minotaurs. It would be much better for you than living on your own," Zamuka sneered.

"Impossible! You’d better give up that idea right now! We would rather die than become your vassals!" the Demon Fox Girl raged. Becoming vassals to the Minotaur Race would be a complete disgrace, especially since they weren’t particularly strong and were known to be opportunistic turncoats.

Vassals could be transferred at will. If a more powerful race were to threaten the Minotaur Race, they would surely hand the Demon Foxes over like common goods.

"You dare look down on us Minotaurs? Then I’ll deal with you first today!" Zamuka sneered, reaching into the cage. The girls seemed to have been drugged; they could only watch helplessly as their sister was dragged out.

"Hu Qing!" the remaining Demon Fox Girls cried out in terror.

"L-let me go!" The captured Demon Fox Girl struggled, but she couldn’t muster any strength. As she was dragged out, the thought of the violation to come made her wish for death. But she was too weak to even take her own life.

Hiding nearby, Hu Hong’s eyes turned red. She gripped a tree trunk so tightly her nails dug deep into the bark. "I have to go save them!" she whispered angrily.

"Go on," Lin Xuan said calmly. "I’ll back you up."

His answer stunned Hu Hong for a moment. Then, her eyes fixed on Zamuka, and she charged forward without a second thought. Her small figure looked so brave, so resolute.

"Let go of Hu Qing!"

Hu Hong charged in and swiped her claws at Zamuka. The attack was so sudden that she managed to rake his bull-like face, leaving several deep gashes. The sharp pain made him release the Demon Fox Girl, who fell into Hu Hong’s arms.

"AAAAH! You bitch!" Zamuka clutched his face. The gash was deep enough to show bone and had nearly taken out his eye.

"Hu Hong! Y-you’re here?" The other Demon Fox Girls were frantic. They never expected Hu Hong to show up. Coming here alone was suicide.

Sure enough, Zamuka’s pained screams drew the attention of the surrounding Minotaurs. They quickly gathered and surrounded Hu Hong, cutting off any chance of escape.

Hu Hong’s face went pale. ’If Lin Xuan doesn’t come save us, I’m going to be captured. Then it’ll truly be a fate worse than death.’

"Hu Hong, you idiot! Why did you come back? Don’t you know you shouldn’t have done that!?" one of the other Demon Fox Girls cried, her vision blurred with tears as she cursed.

"That’s right, even your sisters are calling you an idiot. You managed to escape, yet you came back. Did you take a liking to me?" Zamuka laughed, his voice thick with fury. "Since you’ve served yourself up on a platter, I’ll start with you!"

The other Minotaurs roared with laughter. One of them taunted, "Zamuka, show us how fierce you are! Tame this Demon Fox and let her see your might!"

Just as their eyes filled with utter despair, a figure descended from the sky. He landed steadily in front of Hu Hong, his back to her. Golden light radiated from his body as the incomparably tyrannical aura of the Golden Dragon Race swept outward. His skin was covered in a dense layer of Golden Dragon Scales.

"G-Golden Dragon Race!" Zamuka’s eyes widened, stunned by the familiar aura.

"Ultimate Soul Martial Intent!"

Lin Xuan roared as the Soul Pearl in his body spun frantically. A Martial Intent equivalent to the Fifth Layer of the Spirit Pill Stage erupted from him, and he unleashed it the very instant it appeared.

A colossal figure formed of Martial Intent charged forward and, while the Minotaurs were still dumbfounded, smashed down upon them with immense force.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Five Minotaurs were sent flying with ease, either critically injured or killed on the spot. The display of overwhelming power left Hu Hong completely stunned. ’He’s too strong... unbelievably strong.’

’Is he really human?’