Soul Emperor Awakening

"Well, well, if it isn’t the Liao Brothers. I didn’t expect to see you here. Come for some treasure hunting, have you? I wonder how many people you’ve killed this time, and how much you’ve plundered?" the speaker sneered, his gaze filled with hostility.

"We didn’t expect to see you here either. What a coincidence, meeting your little treasure-hunting party," Liao Yuan sneered. "It seems the rumors were true after all—the Secret Treasure of the Demon Fox Ruins was never taken."

"We don’t know if it’s true or not, but you’ve always had a keen nose for treasure. You must have learned something, or you wouldn’t have come!" The speaker, Zhang Bin, was the leader of their treasure-hunting party.

"The Liao Brothers... They’re actually the Liao Brothers!" Wei Song was stunned. A look of apprehension flashed in his eyes. "We were lucky we didn’t trust them. Otherwise, we would’ve been stabbed in the back for sure."

"The Liao Brothers?" Lin Xuan asked, confused. "Who are they?"

"They’re a pair of treasure-hunting brothers who value treasure over lives. If anyone tries to compete with them for a prize, or is simply in the same place with a lower Cultivation, they’ll be killed!" Wei Song said grimly. "I can’t believe we ran into them here. They’re utterly ruthless. We have to be careful."

Lin Xuan nodded. ’Just as I suspected. I can sense an extremely dangerous aura from them. They’ve hidden it well, but with the vast experience from so many experts’ memories, I saw right through them at a glance.’

"The man next to them is Zhang Bin. Fundamentally, they’re all cut from the same cloth, but the Liao Brothers are far more vicious. Looks like it’s a dog-eat-dog situation. I hope they tear each other apart... We shouldn’t get involved, or we’ll die without a grave." A hint of worry crept into Wei Song’s eyes. Both groups were ruthless. If they were to turn on them, they would be dead for sure.

However, since the two groups were rivals, they were completely focused on each other, likely paying no attention to Lin Xuan and Wei Song.

And that was indeed the case. No one from either team even glanced their way. One at the Third Layer of the Essence Pill Stage, the other at the Seventh Layer—such ordinary Cultivation posed no threat to them whatsoever. Since they weren’t a threat, the two groups ignored them, focusing only on each other.

"Are you scared?" Lin Xuan asked with a faint smile. ’These people certainly present a challenge, but it’s not overwhelming,’ he thought. ’With my current strength, I can still put up a fight, though it would be a tough one. A Cultivation gap of three or four Layers is no small hurdle.’

’Since I can hold my own, I’m not that worried. With Wei Song’s help, we might even be evenly matched. Of course, the other parties wouldn’t see it that way. What’s there to fear from an extra burden at the Third Layer of the Essence Pill Stage?’

"Scared? I’m not scared. Let them try if they have the guts!" Wei Song snorted. He’d faced plenty of danger before and wasn’t easily intimidated by such ruthless men.

At first, they paid no mind to Lin Xuan and Wei Song, but then Zhang Bin’s eyes fell on Wei Song. He smiled and said, "Isn’t this Uncle Wei’s son? What, is Brother Wei interested in these Demon Fox Ruins as well?"

Zhang Bin’s attitude was decent enough, and his reputation was much better than that of the Liao Brothers. One would be more inclined to trust him over them.

"I was a bit interested, but it looks like there’s nothing here. It’s completely empty, probably picked clean long ago." Wei Song was acquainted with Zhang Bin; it was only the Liao Brothers whom he had never seen in person.

Although they knew each other, they weren’t close—little more than acquaintances who would exchange greetings. In the end, he couldn’t be trusted either.

"Yeah, there’s nothing here. But I have a feeling the Secret Treasure of the Demon Fox Race is really here; we just haven’t found it," Zhang Bin said, squinting as he sized them up. "Speaking of which, you two have a lot of nerve coming here. I’m surprised Uncle Wei let you."

"My old man is pretty open-minded. He let me come take a look around and is sending some men to help me out in a bit." Wei Song was telling a bald-faced lie to intimidate them, wanting them to believe he wasn’t alone and that his father was aware of his venture.

It might not be enough to deter the Liao Brothers, but it should be enough to keep Zhang Bin in check.

"Is that so? But since we haven’t found any Secret Treasure of the Demon Fox Race, sending people over would be pointless. When you get back, you’re definitely going to get a lecture from Uncle Wei," Zhang Bin chuckled. "By the way, what’s your friend’s name? He looks unfamiliar. I haven’t seen him in Unity City before."

"I’m new here," Lin Xuan said. "By the way, Brother Zhang, since you were able to find this place, you must have a map. I wonder if we could take a look at it?"

"Oh, you figured that out? I do, in fact, have a map right here." Zhang Bin took out a map, and attached to it was also a cluster of a soul!

Lin Xuan’s eyes narrowed. "I wonder if we could borrow it for a look? Of course, we won’t ask to see it for nothing. We have another map here that we could trade for a look."

Zhang Bin was taken aback for a moment, then his face lit up with pleasant surprise. "That’s perfect! Exchanging a look would be for the best." With that, he walked over and readily handed over his map, seemingly without any ill intent.

He chose to believe Wei Song. Better safe than sorry. If he really did something to Wei Song and Wei Jun found out, things would get ugly. He’d be barred from entering Unity City, and the resources inside were crucial to his group. On top of that, he’d be hunted down. It was a terrible deal.

Lin Xuan, in turn, swapped his map without hesitation. He quickly absorbed the soul within it, and a refreshing sensation washed over him. Memories once again flooded his mind, making the Fox King’s memories clearer, yet still incomplete.

As he absorbed this new piece of memory, something clicked in his mind, and a glint of delighted surprise appeared in his eyes.

"Well, I’ve seen the maps, but I still can’t make heads or tails of any of it. Other than the initial passage, we haven’t been able to find the locations shown on the other two maps at all!" Zhang Bin shook his head, completely baffled.

The Liao Brothers made no move to come over, and Zhang Bin’s group certainly wasn’t going to approach them. Now that identities were exposed, getting too close would be asking for trouble.

"I wonder if you gentlemen would be willing to sell your maps to me? Since you can’t find the location anyway, why not let me try and study them?" Lin Xuan said with a faint smile. "I’ll pay a fair price. I won’t ask for them for free."

Everyone exchanged glances. The maps were useless, yet he was willing to pay money to study them? They all stared at Lin Xuan as if he were a complete idiot.