Soul Emperor Awakening

Lin Xuan, carrying the Demon Fox, rode the Phoenix at top speed. He flew in a random direction; all that mattered was getting away. He sped onward, never daring to look back. Fortunately, his newly created Phoenix was powerful. Otherwise, they would have been intercepted by other Demon Beasts on the way.

After all, with the Phoenix’s speed, most Demon Beasts could hardly catch up. Had he been riding his previous, lower-level Phoenix, he would have been easily intercepted. A Phoenix at the Peak of Essence Pill Stage could fly with relative freedom here. What’s more, given how dangerous things were, he was actually hoping a few more Demon Beasts would show up to run interference.

He didn’t want them to intercept him, of course, but Vice City Lord Ye Feng, who was trailing behind.

’He isn’t catching up?’ After flying for what felt like a great distance, Lin Xuan glanced back. He couldn’t see any sign of Ye Feng, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Thinking about what had just transpired filled him with disgust. They were no better than robbers, forcefully seizing his belongings. In any case, he could never go back now; he’d be a wanted man. It was true what they said: the greatest danger isn’t the Demon Race, but the humans by your side!

The wickedness of the human heart—it was another harsh reminder of the rule that one should not flaunt their wealth. He had never wanted to show off his riches; he’d always been clear on that. But who would have thought he’d still be played by Zhang Bin? He’d had a premonition, but he couldn’t just wait for them to emerge from that place, so his only choice had been to flee.

In the end, it was just as he’d expected: Zhang Bin had ratted him out. ’If I can’t have it, then no one else can have it in peace!’ That must have been his thinking.

’I’m done dwelling on it. If I see that man again, I will kill him!’ Lin Xuan snorted coldly. At his cold snort, the body of the Demon Fox held in his arms trembled, as if she could feel the chill in his tone.

Only then did he turn his attention to the Fox Girl in his arms. She still hadn’t recovered from her shock; after all, she was riding a Phoenix, and Lin Xuan had somehow, unbelievably, obtained the Yulan Pearl. Now, his sharp tone had startled her.

Although she had escaped from the hands of one human, she had now fallen into the clutches of another who seemed even more ruthless, causing her to tremble in fear. She had no idea what Lin Xuan planned to do to her.

He glanced at the Fox Girl and sighed. ’This situation is partly her fault for pointing me out,’ he thought. ’If she hadn’t, none of this would have happened.’ But then again, the blame wasn’t really on her. They were strangers, and she hated humans—why should she be kind to one?

So he didn’t blame her, much less mistreat her. There was no point. The real fault lay with Ye Feng and his men. If they hadn’t been so greedy, it wouldn’t have mattered who identified him.

CLANK!

Lin Xuan gripped the iron chains on the Fox Girl and shattered them. Before she could even react, he said, "I’ll let you go when we’re in the clear. Just tell me where you want me to drop you off. Try not to get caught again. There won’t always be someone there to help you."

He didn’t know if the Fox Girl understood him, but he had said what he needed to.

"You... you’ll really let me go?" The Fox Girl was stunned. It was something she had never imagined. She had been on the verge of despair, never believing a human would willingly release her.

"Yes. There’s no point in me keeping you," Lin Xuan said calmly.

The Fox Girl fell silent. After a moment, she looked ahead and said, "J-Just let me down up ahead!" She was desperate to leave. Whether Lin Xuan was telling the truth or not, she didn’t dare to trust him.

Lin Xuan guided the Phoenix to the ground. The moment they landed, the Fox Girl leaped off its back. She shot him a hesitant glance, then bolted deep into the forest without looking back, terrified he would go back on his word and seize her again.

Watching her disappearing back, Lin Xuan sighed. He had hoped to gather information in Unity City, but who could have known he’d end up being hunted? Now he was isolated and helpless once more, cut off from all news and completely lost. ’If only I had a guide,’ he thought.

He dismounted from the Phoenix, deciding it was safer to travel on foot. Flying over the territory of a powerful Demon Beast would be asking for trouble.

He had just landed when a familiar voice reached his ears. "Sister Hong, th-that human who let me go is right ahead. Are you sure you want to go over there? If we get caught, we’re doomed!"

"Yes, I have to see. If it’s him, he probably won’t harm us at all!"

Immediately after, two fiery red figures appeared before Lin Xuan. One was none other than Hu Hong, whom he recognized. When she saw him, she froze. Though she had her suspicions, she was still stunned to see that it was really Lin Xuan.

’So many of our Demon Fox Race sisters... all rescued by Lin Xuan!’

"We meet again," Lin Xuan said with a faint smile. "It seems you still haven’t learned your lesson. You’ll be in great danger if humans catch you." He paid them no further mind and prepared to leave.

"So it was you who saved our sister... I can sense the aura of the Yulan Pearl on you. You actually absorbed the Yulan Pearl? How did you possibly manage that?" Hu Hong instantly confirmed that Lin Xuan had acquired the Yulan Pearl. Their race was born with extreme sensitivity to the Yulan Sacred Fire, yet, ironically, they were completely unable to absorb it.

"I’m not sure myself. I just absorbed it, and it worked," Lin Xuan said with a slight smile. "I heard that in your race, whoever absorbs the Yulan Pearl becomes the next Fox King. Now that I’ve absorbed it, I wonder... does that mean I can be your Fox King?" The Demon Fox Race did indeed have such a rule: anyone who could successfully absorb the Yulan Pearl would become the next Fox King. There were no exceptions.

After all, back when the Nine-tailed Demon Fox were in their prime, there were often several who reached a level of Cultivation sufficient to do so. Among them, the one who succeeded in controlling the Yulan Pearl would become the next Fox King!

Lin Xuan posed the question, curious to see how she would respond. ’Could I really become the next Fox King now that I’ve absorbed it?’ he wondered.

Hu Hong didn’t argue. Instead, she said, "That’s not something we can decide. Besides, every Fox King in history has been a Demon Fox. There has never been a human Fox King! If it’s alright... would you be willing to come back to our clan with us? We swear we will not harm you."

"Sister Hong, are you sure you want to invite this human to our clan? If word gets out, we’ll be in so much trouble..." the other Fox Girl warned.

Before Hu Hong could answer, Lin Xuan smiled casually. "Alright. Since you’re inviting me, I’ll pay a visit to your clan."

He agreed without the slightest hesitation. As it happened, he wanted to visit the Demon Fox Race anyway to see what was going on.