Soul Emperor Awakening

Far from the Demon Fox Ruins, a place had been concealed exceptionally well by various Illusion Arrays. At its entrance, several fiery red figures crouched on guard, monitoring their surroundings.

Within the Illusion Array was a hidden paradise. The environment inside was exceptionally beautiful, like a fairyland. This place was inhabited entirely by Demon Foxes, the vast majority of whom were female. It wasn’t that male Demon Foxes didn’t exist, but they were comparatively few in number; the race was predominantly female.

Each one was exquisitely beautiful, as if it were a gift bestowed upon them by the heavens. Every Demon Fox was born with a potent Charm Technique—an innate talent. However, they also had significant weaknesses. Their Cultivation was not as fast as other races, and their bodies were exceedingly frail.

At the same Cultivation level, the Demon Fox Race was much weaker than other races, comparable to humans.

Within this paradise on earth, several figures stood before a small cabin. Inside, an exquisitely beautiful woman sat on a chair. Her fiery red fur looked lush and full, and the nine tails behind her proved that she was the current Fox King!

Becoming the Fox King was simple: one just had to possess nine tails, which signified a Nine-tailed Demon Fox. Nearly every Demon Fox could become a Nine-tailed Demon Fox, provided their Cultivation was high enough. The transformation was directly tied to one’s Cultivation, and generally, one only needed to cultivate to the Void Spirit Stage to achieve it.

This meant that the Demon Fox before them, despite her youthful appearance, was a Void Spirit Stage expert! A cultivator at the Core Formation Stage was absolute trash before her. Even someone like Xu Qianlong would be reduced to ashes in an instant, utterly unable to resist.

Although she was powerful, her race’s overall strength was not. Thus, they were considered relatively weak. Her strength alone was not enough, and it wasn’t as if she was so Heaven-Defyingly strong that no one could match her. Other powerful races also had Void Spirit Stage experts, so it wasn’t an absolute advantage.

A leader’s strength represented the entire race. If a leader wasn’t powerful, it meant the race was truly in decline and heading for extinction.

"You’re saying a human absorbed the Yulan Pearl?" The Fox King’s delicate red brows furrowed. Even her frown was devastatingly beautiful. A casual movement sent out an invisible Charm Technique, but it dissipated as soon as it was released.

"Yes, Fox King. I saw a human who carried the aura of the Yulan Pearl. He must have used the Yulan Pearl to possess such an aura..." the Demon Fox scout reported.

"It’s also possible he merely touched the Yulan Pearl and wasn’t frozen... What is that human’s Cultivation level?" the Fox King asked.

"The Fourth Layer of the Essence Pill Stage. It’s not very high," the Demon Fox scout answered truthfully.

"The Fourth Layer of the Essence Pill Stage? Then it’s even more impossible for him to have absorbed the Yulan Pearl. He must have just touched it and somehow survived..." the Fox King said nonchalantly. "After all, even I have difficulty controlling the Yulan Pearl. How could a mere human possibly absorb it? It seems I’ll have to find time to retrieve it myself. ’But with my current injuries, if I run into any other experts, things could get difficult...’"

She desperately wanted to go back and retrieve it, but she was injured. If she encountered an expert of the same level, she wouldn’t gain any advantage and might even be captured.

"Speaking of which, some humans have been rather kind to you all recently. Not only did they rescue you, but they also released our people. Are they genuinely kind, or is it a pretense?" the Fox King said in a low voice.

"I believe they were genuinely kind!" Hu Hong stepped forward and reported, "That human said he was a friend of the Golden Dragon Race. I believe he truly meant to save us. He just asked a few questions and then let us go, without following us. The other sisters who were rescued said the same. Based on the description, it should be the same person!"

"What did that human look like? What kind of weapon was he carrying?" Hu Hong asked the Demon Fox scout.

"The human was quite handsome, and he was holding a long red staff..."

"What? A long red staff!" Hu Hong’s expression changed.

"Yes. There were no other distinguishing features, just that his weapon was a long red staff with some marks on it..." said the Demon Fox scout.

"Fox King, I’m certain that the human who rescued us is the same one who touched the Yulan Pearl. He also used a long red staff," Hu Hong said.

’So it’s the same person...’ The Fox King thought for a moment, then waved her hand. "Never mind. Don’t overthink it. Just report any new intelligence. The Elders have already been dispatched. We’ll discuss the latest news when they return."

After bowing respectfully, the other Demon Foxes departed, leaving only Hu Hong in the room.

"Hong’Er, you were so reckless this time. If someone hadn’t helped you, you would have been captured. It was utter nonsense!" the Fox King said with a hint of anger, her delicate brows shooting up after the others had left.

"Mother, our sisters were captured! I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing!" Hu Hong hastily defended herself.

"I know, but you mustn’t act on impulse. The future hope of the Demon Fox Race rests on your shoulders!" The Fox King stared at Hu Hong. She wasn’t suppressing her with the aura of a ruler; instead, her gaze was filled with hope, which only made Hu Hong feel immense pressure.

"I know, Mother..."

「...」

Lin Xuan and Wei Song returned to Unity City safely. Before coming back, they had hunted a Gray Blood Bear to use as a cover. They didn’t want to attract attention; they just wanted to lay low and profit.

As they returned, they had just entered the city gates when Wei Jun stopped them for questioning. "Finished your mission?"

"Yep, we hunted a few Gray Blood Bears and came back. Just a simple mission. See, old man? I wasn’t lying to you!" Wei Song said with a chuckle, tossing out the corpse of a Gray Blood Bear to prove he wasn’t lying.

Seeing Wei Song’s triumphant expression, the people nearby couldn’t help but shake their heads. ’To get this happy over such a simple mission, he’s really a lost cause.’

In Wei Jun’s eyes, however, it was a different story. He nodded in satisfaction. "It’s good not to be too ambitious. Just take it slow and steady. Everything will come in time."

To him, it was a good thing that Wei Song was finally taking things slowly, unlike before when he would specifically seek out the most difficult missions, which was practically courting death.

Having easily deceived the crowd, the two exchanged a look; everything was understood without a word. ’Let others laugh all they want. What matters is our safety.’ They could talk about other treasures, but the Secret Treasure of the Demon Fox Race was not something to be mentioned casually.

’Now that I’m back, I’ll carve the Five-Colored Spirit Wood first and make some preparations for self-defense.’ This was Lin Xuan’s plan. He would start by carving a few guards. Having more helpers would give him more peace of mind. Now that he finally had the rare material, he certainly couldn’t let it sit idle. ’Everything else can wait until this is done!’

Little did they know, this was only the beginning.