Soul Emperor Awakening

"Get lost, all of you!"

Lin Xuan roared again, unleashing his Soul Martial Intent once more. A massive wave of it erupted as he threw a punch, releasing multicolored bursts of Soul Martial Intent, each manifesting its strongest effect.

Its power was Heaven-Defying, felling an enemy with practically every blow. There was no difficulty at all. With his Third Layer Essence Pill Stage Cultivation, killing them instantly was no issue. This scattered Martial Intent was useless against experts or even those at his own level, but it was extremely effective against foes with Low Cultivation.

With just a few volleys, most of the weaker Minotaurs were cleared out with ease. At the same time, the attack was a heavy drain on his Spiritual Power, but he was more than satisfied with the results.

"You of the Golden Dragon Race, don’t underestimate us!" Zamuka roared as he came to his senses. He drew his Giant Axe and swung it upward in a vicious chop, a golden light glinting off the blade.

"BANG!"

A terrifying, domineering force shattered the Soul Martial Intent, which broke into fragments and dissipated. The axe carried at least six to seven hundred thousand pounds of force. The Soul Martial Intent simply couldn’t withstand such terrifying power and was easily cleaved in two by Zamuka’s strike.

But this didn’t surprise Lin Xuan. He hadn’t used his full strength, and the scattered attack was inherently weaker to begin with. A powerful strike from a high-cultivation member of the Demon Race could easily break through it.

"Extreme Point Inch Light!"

A red gleam flashed in Lin Xuan’s eyes. A pinpoint of red light flickered at the tip of his Chi Dragon Heavens Rod before shooting forward in a blindingly fast thrust. The attack was so fast that Zamuka was sent flying before he could even react. His chest was deeply caved in as he slammed into a massive tree. His eyes rolled back in his head, and he went still. He had clearly been knocked unconscious.

He wasn’t dead, but he was close enough. Lin Xuan then turned to the other, stronger Minotaurs, sending them flying with his tyrannical close-quarters power and killing them instantly.

In a matter of moments, all twenty-odd Minotaurs were lying on the ground, taken down by his hand. Not a single one could get back up. Most were dead, but a small number were still alive.

He had left a few survivors on purpose, so they could report to their leaders that someone from the Golden Dragon Race had ambushed them. This was precisely why he had chosen to use the Golden Dragon King’s Soul Possession from the very beginning. The plan was to let Hu Hong draw their fire, then he would emerge and use his Soul Martial Intent to mow down these Minotaurs in droves.

"S-So strong... He took down Zamuka in a single move..." Hu Hong was utterly stunned. The image of Lin Xuan’s heroic figure was seared into their minds, filling their hearts.

The other Fox Girls were also stunned, too shocked to utter a single word. They had already fallen into despair, but who would have thought that someone would suddenly appear to save them—and a member of the Golden Dragon Race, no less!

For a moment, tears blurred their vision as the overwhelming feeling of having survived a great disaster washed over them.

"This is no time for tears. You carry two, I’ll carry two. Let’s go!" Without another word, Lin Xuan swept up two of the Fox Girls, slinging one over each shoulder, and took the lead, running into the forest.

Hu Hong snapped out of it, hoisted two Fox Girls onto her shoulders, and quickly followed. Despite their petite frames, they weren’t weak. After all, they all had an Essence Pill Stage Cultivation. At worst, they could still exert one to two hundred thousand pounds of force; it was just that this was insignificant compared to the Minotaurs.

Especially with the Minotaurs’ thick hides and tough muscles, their attacks would have been useless.

Lin Xuan was different. His own strength, combined with a Divine Artifact and Celestial Level Martial Arts—the triple threat of power—was enough to kill them instantly. This was how humans could overpower the Demon Race: by combining these elements to suppress them.

Of course, this only applied to those at lower cultivation levels. High-level members of the Demon Race were far more intelligent, and many even knew their own Martial Arts, making them much harder to deal with. Coupled with their innate strength and toughness, they could still hold an edge over humans.

Long after they had left, a few of the Minotaurs staggered to their feet. "I can’t believe someone from the Golden Dragon Race is still alive," one said in terror. "And hiding among the Demon Fox Race! We have to report this!"

This was precisely the message Lin Xuan wanted them to carry. His goal was to deceive them into thinking the Golden Dragon Race had returned and was now allied with the Demon Fox Race. That way, they would have to reconsider their own strength and whether they could afford to win such a fight.

After running for some distance, Lin Xuan found a safe place to hide. He gently set the Fox Girls down and finally let out a sigh of relief. Taking on so many Minotaurs with Essence Pill Stage Cultivation all at once had been taxing even for him. If not for his Soul Martial Intent, it would have been a much tougher fight.

"Th-Thank you for your help, my lord from the Golden Dragon Race..." one of the Fox Girls said, her voice filled with gratitude. The way she looked at Lin Xuan had completely changed, her eyes now brimming with adoration.

"I-I can’t believe you’re from the Golden Dragon Race, not a human..." Hu Hong’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing, but the truth was right in front of her, impossible to deny.

However, after sensing his aura more carefully, her expression hardened. "You... you’re not from the Golden Dragon Race," she stated, her tone sharp. "You just have their aura! You must have absorbed a Dragon Bone! You... you’re a fraud!"

At her accusation, the other Fox Girls finally realized what was happening. Having spent time with members of the Dragon Race before, they were better able to distinguish not just the aura, but also the scent. They could smell a human, but the aura was that of the Golden Dragon King.

"So what if I’m human? Am I not the one who saved your lives? Is this how you treat your savior?" Lin Xuan withdrew the Golden Dragon King’s soul. ’As I thought,’ he reflected, ’the aura alone wasn’t enough to fool them.’

His words left them speechless. After all, what did it matter if he wasn’t from the Golden Dragon Race? He had still saved their lives.

The Fox Girls exchanged glances. The hostility in their eyes toward Lin Xuan lessened considerably, but a hint of wariness remained. He had saved them, yes, but who was to say they hadn’t just jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire? He was a human, after all.

"Rest and recover your strength, then you can return to your people," Lin Xuan said, sitting down to the side. "I won’t harm you, nor do I have any designs on you. I just need to ask a few questions. As long as you answer me truthfully, I’ll let you go on your way." He watched them, unconcerned about whether they might try to flee.

"You’ll let us go if we just answer a few questions?" one of the Fox Girls asked, her tone laced with disbelief.

"Yes. Whichever one of you knows the most about the Demon Race Continent can stay and talk to me. The rest of you who don’t know much are free to leave now. I won’t keep you. Or, you can all leave together after I’m done with my questions. If you don’t believe me, some of you can go right now. I won’t stop you."

Lin Xuan’s expression was calm. All he wanted was for them to tell him the truth; it was that simple. ’Otherwise, why would I have gone to all this trouble? Just out of the kindness of my heart?’ The problem was, they didn’t trust him, even after he’d saved their lives.

It wasn’t that they were ungrateful; there were simply too many deceivers in the world. How could they dare to trust anyone so easily?