Soul Emperor Awakening

The Demon Fox Race’s current sanctuary was safe only because the Fox King was using all her power to maintain the Grand Array. Her ability was the sole reason such a vast space could remain hidden.

If her cultivation hadn’t reached the Void Spirit Stage, she would have found it impossible to maintain the array for so long. More importantly, she was seriously injured, which explained her pale complexion. Injuries sustained by experts are often harder to heal. It’s not that they recover slowly, but that the wounds they receive are typically far more severe.

With such grievous wounds, her injuries were naturally severe, making recovery difficult. The fact that she was also maintaining the Grand Array certainly slowed her healing even further. While the array could function without her, its effects would be greatly diminished, and they would be discovered easily.

That was clearly an unacceptable risk. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, the Fox King could not leave. The saying "to be high and mighty" didn’t apply to her; her high station only brought a heavier burden of responsibility.

Most of the Demon Fox Race were still unaware of her condition. If they found out how grave her injuries were, they would surely panic.

’I hope his arrival can change the situation for the Demon Fox Race... The fated one who can control the Yulan Pearl must be a person of great destiny. The change he can bring is far beyond what any single expert could achieve.’ The Fox King steadied herself, glanced toward the entrance, and then turned to walk back into her room.

「Outside the forest.」

Under Hu Hong’s guidance, Lin Xuan sped toward the Minotaur Tribe. The group of Demon Foxes on the mission wasn’t large, but it wasn’t small either. Including Lin Xuan, there were eight of them in total: two Elders at the Spirit Pill Stage, one Demon Fox at the Core Formation Stage, and the rest at the Essence Pill Stage.

This was a formidable lineup, especially with a Core Formation Stage Demon Fox among them. Back in the Soaring Dragon Empire, a cultivator at the Core Formation Stage was considered a top-tier expert, but here it wasn’t especially uncommon. It wasn’t that Core Formation Stage experts were not valued; rather, a race that couldn’t even field a few such individuals was simply awaiting its own extinction.

This was an entire race, not just a small group of people! The human population was immense, making the total number of their experts terrifying. The entire Demon Fox Race only had two Core Formation Stage experts. If they were to die, the Demon Fox Race as a whole would be gone.

Of course, that was a slight exaggeration, as some members were scattered outside. But their foundation was already more than halfway to ruin. Restoring their former glory would be exceedingly difficult, a struggle that couldn’t even be compared to the situation of the human race.

If the cultivation of the Demon Race was universally low, the Demon Race Continent would have been conquered long ago. After all, there were many humans at the Void Spirit Stage, especially within the Super Races! This was why Lin Hua and the others had made it a rule: to even think about revenge, one had to at least reach the Core Formation Stage.

Reaching that stage was a long journey, but at least he wasn’t there yet, so he was safe for now. ’So what if the world outside is teeming with experts? As long as I don’t provoke them, I’ll be fine.’

"We’re almost there. The Minotaur Tribe is just ahead," the Guardian Elder said, their face grim. "Our scouts have confirmed one Core Formation Stage expert and two at the Spirit Pill Stage. Once we draw them away, it’ll be up to the rest of you!" Even those with lower cultivation could have a decisive impact on a battle, and this mission was a perfect example.

Once the enemy’s experts were lured away, the mid-tier forces were needed to strike. The Demon Fox Race had very few experts to spare; they could only send just enough for the task and were powerless to send more. A key consideration was that a smaller, focused group would be easier to support if anything went wrong.

So, being able to dispatch even this suitable number of combatants was already an achievement; sending any more would have been impossible.

Soon, the Guardian Elder took the lead and charged in, leaving behind the five at the Essence Pill Stage. The remaining group crouched in wait, monitoring the situation ahead while completely concealing their auras to avoid detection. Every face was grim. On a rescue mission like this, one wrong move meant every subsequent move would also be wrong.

They had to be both extremely careful and extremely fast. If they were too slow, and the enemy realized they’d been lured away, their return would spell disaster.

"BOOM!"

Suddenly, the sound of an explosion echoed from afar. A shockwave of air swept out from the distant forest, its terrifying force rushing toward them. Although the Demon Race’s achievements in Martial Arts were considered minor, a cultivator who reached a certain level was still a terrifying force to behold, capable of unleashing astonishing amounts of energy.

Of course, that only applied to the lower-level members of the Demon Race. Higher-level demons possessed a rich heritage of Martial Arts and were experts at utilizing their innate abilities to their absolute fullest.

Moments later, the furious roars of Minotaurs echoed from the distance. The group could feel the Minotaur experts giving chase as the ground itself trembled under their heavy footfalls. Even they could feel the vibrations. ’If one of them stomped on us,’ they thought, ’we’d be nothing but meat paste.’

"We can move out now. Follow my lead!" Lin Xuan’s eyes flashed as he took charge and dashed forward.

He wasn’t supposed to be leading this operation, merely assisting. But he had already shot forward before Hu Hong, leaving her no time to react. She had been about to explain the plan, but Lin Xuan had already taken the initiative. After a moment’s thought, she decided to trust his judgment.

After all, Lin Xuan had demonstrated his considerable abilities when he rescued them before. She chose to trust him.

As they crept closer, but before they reached the Minotaur Tribe proper, Lin Xuan heard a familiar voice from within. Peeking inside, he was stunned to find that the owner of that voice was none other than Zhang Bin!

"Damn it, how unlucky. Why would the Demon Fox Race show up for a rescue? They almost got them out," Zhang Bin said. "This whole deal almost fell through. You would have lost out too, missing out on all these resources." He scanned the surroundings worriedly. "I hope they don’t try to fight their way back. It would be a real hassle if they got intercepted."

"We didn’t know they were coming either," the Minotaur said with a simple-minded laugh. "But don’t you worry. There’s only a handful of them. Aren’t our Elders chasing them off right now? If we catch that bunch, they’ll be worth even more! But let’s make the trade now. There are six Demon Foxes here. We worked hard to catch ’em, so the price is as we agreed."

"No problem. I checked them earlier, the goods are high quality," Zhang Bin said, taking out a Storage Ring and handing it over. "Here are the weapons you wanted, plus some Elixir Pills. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied!"

The Minotaur took the ring, gave its contents a quick check, and looked up with satisfaction. "You’re a good human to work with. The things you provide are excellent. Our collaboration has been a pleasure! We hope you can provide even better items next time. We’ll be sure to catch more Demon Foxes for you."

Hidden in the forest, Lin Xuan’s gaze turned icy. He never would have expected that Zhang Bin and his group were the masterminds behind the Demon Fox trafficking. And they weren’t even the ones catching them; they were cooperating with the Minotaurs. ’They accused me of colluding with the Demon Fox Race,’ Lin Xuan thought, ’but it’s clear they’ve been in league with the Minotaur Race all along!’