Soul Emperor Awakening

"Brother Lin, you can’t be serious about taking that Yulan Pearl, can you? We know it’s impossible just by getting this close. There’s no point in being reckless. As long as we’re alive, there will be other chances! This isn’t our only opportunity, and besides, we don’t have the strength to seize this one." Wei Song urged, noticing Lin Xuan’s unwavering gaze.

Sometimes, an opportunity presents itself, but you lack the power to seize it. That’s not a question of luck, but of strength. Having the good fortune to find something without the corresponding power to claim it is just a waste.

It’s like someone happens to offer to sell you a top-tier Celestial Level Martial Arts manual. The opportunity is there, but they’re asking for ten million Primordial Stones. That’s when you need power...

The situation before them was just like that. Without even trying, Wei Song knew it was practically impossible. If it were so easy to obtain, the current Fox King would have taken it long ago. Why would they leave it here as a mere ornament?

"I’ve decided to go through with this. I hope you won’t try to stop me, Brother Wei... If something happens to me, just get yourself out of here." Lin Xuan had made his final decision. He was going to take the Yulan Pearl. He was putting his faith in the Fox King’s soul!

’The key is that the Yulan Pearl’s previous owner was Yulan. So if I use the Fox King’s soul, the pearl will surely acknowledge a new master. That means it’s possible.’ He estimated his chances at fifty percent, at most. The other half he would have to leave to fate.

Wei Song glanced at him and finally sighed. "All right, then. Everyone has their own path to follow. Besides, Brother Lin, since you knew how to get here, you must have a plan. If you actually succeed, you’ll have my admiration for the rest of my life!"

’Someone whose Cultivation is only at the Essence Pill Stage Level dares to try and control the Yulan Pearl.’ This was tantamount to absorbing the Yulan Sacred Fire, a simply suicidal act.

"Don’t worry. I will succeed!" Lin Xuan bolstered his own morale. He had to have faith in himself to increase his chances of success. If he didn’t even have that, what hope was there?

He couldn’t let this opportunity pass him by. It was a chance to drastically increase his power, and he desperately needed power right now. Without it, he might never return to the Chenyuan Continent. He wouldn’t be able to get his revenge, nor could he protect the people he cared about!

Then, Lin Xuan took a deep breath and strode toward the Yulan Pearl. As he drew nearer, a layer of frost immediately coated his body.

"Martial Intent!"

With a low growl, Lin Xuan’s Martial Intent instantly enveloped him, adding a layer of Armor to his body. Now, the frost made contact with his Martial Intent instead of his skin. However, as he continued to draw closer, his Martial Intent began to rapidly dissolve. The cold was destroying it without any sort of direct attack.

The cold was terrifyingly intense. It was as if it were constantly whittling away at the surface of his Martial Intent, shaving it thinner and thinner. Lin Xuan gritted his teeth, frantically channeling his Spiritual Power to maintain the thick layer of Martial Intent, causing his consumption of Spiritual Power to skyrocket.

Wei Song’s eyes widened as he watched, unwilling to miss a single detail. ’What if Lin Xuan actually succeeds?’

Lin Xuan advanced swiftly, reaching the Yulan Pearl in the blink of an eye. The drain on his Martial Intent was even more terrifying now. He hadn’t even touched the Flame, yet more than half of his defense had been shaved away, as if being constantly scooped out with a spoon.

Fortunately, his Spiritual Power was strong, or the frigid energy would have already invaded his body. This was only the beginning, however. The truly deadly moment would be when he reached out to touch it.

"Let’s do this!"

A red light flashed in Lin Xuan’s eyes. He furiously circulated the Cloud Return Technique, channeling his Bloodline Power to reinforce the Martial Intent covering his body.

In that instant, he grabbed it without hesitation, clenching his fist tightly around the Yulan Pearl! Immediately, the Yulan Sacred Fire covering the pearl tore through his layer of Martial Intent as easily as piercing through paper and surged directly into his body.

In the blink of an eye, half of his arm was frozen solid, encased in a thick layer of frost! It was completely immobilized. He couldn’t retract his hand; unless he severed his arm right now, he would never be able to let go.

"Absorb!"

The moment Lin Xuan gripped the Yulan Pearl, he activated the Soul Pearl within him, pulling the Fox King’s soul from the pearl into his own body. Instantly, the Fox King’s memories surged forth, flooding his mind. The process was swift, but by the time it was done, his entire arm had been frozen solid.

"Fox King Soul Possession!"

Lin Xuan roared. The Soul Pearl in his body spun frantically, and the Fox King’s soul possessed him. Instantly, his entire aura changed. The bewitching and demonic presence of a Demon Fox radiated from him, sweeping toward Wei Song who stood nearby.

The moment it washed over him, Wei Song, caught off guard, felt his mind fall into a daze. His body moved forward half a step, completely out of his control! He snapped out of it almost immediately, focusing his Heart Spirit to resist the bewitching presence.

"Isn’t that the Charm of a Demon Fox? How can he...!" Wei Song’s eyes were wide as he stammered in a daze, "Is it coming from the Yulan Pearl?"

Lin Xuan was clearly human; that much was obvious at a glance. Therefore, Wei Song assumed the power was emanating from the Yulan Pearl. In truth, it was radiating from Lin Xuan himself. Possessed by the soul of a Fox King, an aura of innate Charm swept out in all directions, capable of bewitching all of creation!

The previous Fox King was born with an innate Charm and possessed her own Domain from the moment she came into being—a truly terrifying existence. Unfortunately, she eventually fell at the hands of a human male. She who had charmed countless souls could not charm that one man.

’The memories are faint and unclear... But that’s not what matters right now. What matters is that even after channeling the Fox King’s soul, I can’t control this Yulan Pearl!’

’My Control Realm isn’t high enough...’ A pained expression flashed in Lin Xuan’s eyes. It was just as he had feared. The Fox King was from an era too long past; her consciousness had long since faded, and her power had diminished in every respect. All that remained of her soul was at the level of the Core Formation Stage.

With a soul of this level trying to control it, the Yulan Pearl immediately began to resist, refusing to acknowledge Lin Xuan.

"If this Realm isn’t enough, then I’ll bet it all!"

Lin Xuan roared. Just before the ice could completely encase him, he activated his Soul Pearl again, calling upon the souls of both the Martial God and the Demon Evil Monarch for a dual Soul Possession. Now, he held the power of a Triple Core Formation Stage soul.

With three Core Formation Stage souls possessing him simultaneously, Lin Xuan felt himself instantly ascend to an unprecedented Realm. His surroundings didn’t grow clearer; instead, they became more ethereal, a blur of the real and the illusory.

At that moment, Lin Xuan found he was beginning to gain control over the Yulan Pearl, able to slowly draw it into his body!