Soul Emperor Awakening

Lin Xuan’s heart went cold at the sight. He hadn’t expected Zhang Bin to be colluding with the Minotaur Race to traffic Demon Foxes. No wonder these Minotaurs were capturing Demon Foxes—it was to sell them to Zhang Bin, who would then trade them among humans for resources.

Instead of attacking human cities to seize resources, it was far better to capture some Demon Foxes and sell them off. The price wasn’t low, either. For the Minotaurs, at least, it was a pretty good deal. Humans had many things they lacked, such as Weapons or Elixir Pills.

These were things they couldn’t craft themselves. Of course, not all Demon Races were incapable of it. The Golden Dragon Race and the Phoenix Race, for instance, were both proficient, and their skills were even more profound than those of humans. In some areas of Martial Arts, they could utterly crush humans. This was a racial advantage.

Divine Beasts possessed extremely high intelligence, and their comprehension abilities were naturally far superior to those of humans. But humanity’s reproductive rate was simply too high, allowing them to outnumber the Demon Races. As the saying goes, there is strength in numbers. With a larger population, more peerless geniuses were bound to emerge. These geniuses were the hope for the future, the very reason humanity could grow so strong so quickly.

Otherwise, they would have long been swallowed by the Demon Race, instead of reaching the current stalemate. Just as humans had their own hierarchies, so too did the Demon Race. The Minotaur Race was clearly not among the most intelligent, which was why forging Weapons or refining Elixir Pills was beyond their capabilities.

To become stronger, they needed more Weapons and more Elixir Pills. To obtain these Elixir Pills, they decided to cooperate with humans. They wouldn’t just trade Demon Foxes for resources; they could also trade other Spirit Medicines. Once refined into Elixir Pills, the effects would be better and the quantity greater.

"The Minotaur Race has been cooperating with these humans for a long time?" Lin Xuan’s voice was cold. He wasn’t opposed to cooperation in principle, but if it was to capture the Demon Fox Race, he couldn’t stand for it.

The most crucial point was that Zhang Bin had accused him of colluding with an outside race. And what was Zhang Bin doing now? Lin Xuan could at least say with confidence that if the Demon Fox Race were to invade a human city, he would choose to stand with humanity, not the Demon Fox Race.

As for Zhang Bin, Lin Xuan was certain he was the kind of person who would bend with the wind. If things went south, he would definitely flock to whichever side held the advantage.

"Yes. And what are your thoughts on the matter...?" Hu Hong saw that he was human and wasn’t sure what he was thinking. Her beautiful eyes flickered, uncertain of how Lin Xuan would respond.

"Kill them," Lin Xuan said indifferently. "Let me add to what I said before. If you act against my friends, I will treat you as an enemy. Likewise, if my friends act against you, you have no reason to be polite! The people before us are not my friends, so you don’t need to consider my feelings... In fact, I should be the one to clean up this scum. There’s no need for you to get involved!"

Lin Xuan decided to personally eliminate these three. It wasn’t just because they were his enemies; it was because they had pushed him into an abyss for their own selfish gain. If he hadn’t had the Phoenix to escape, he really would have been captured. Then, the Yulan Pearl would have been forcibly snatched away, and his resistance would have surely earned him an extremely severe punishment.

A punishment that was essentially no different from death. How could he possibly go easy on people like that?

Hu Hong nodded. She didn’t say anything more, simply showing that she understood his words.

"I’ll charge out first. You circle around and rescue your people. Leave everyone here to me!" Lin Xuan’s gaze swept coldly over the area. There were quite a few Minotaurs before them, at least a dozen or so, but they posed no real challenge for him.

"Isn’t that a bit too many? Can you really handle them all?" another Fox Girl asked doubtfully. She had never witnessed Lin Xuan’s strength. Wasn’t he being a little too arrogant?

"Follow his instructions!" Hu Hong said, her burning gaze fixed on Lin Xuan. "This is a test for him. If he can’t even accomplish this, how can he possibly become our Guardian God?"

At her words, the others obediently fell silent. Since Hu Hong had spoken, Lin Xuan must have some extraordinary abilities. Moreover, he possessed the Yulan Pearl. They would just have to witness this moment for themselves.

After signaling to them, Lin Xuan didn’t charge out immediately. Instead, he slowly walked out from the forest. Seeing this, Hu Hong and the others immediately began to move. Lin Xuan’s goal was to draw their attention. The moment everyone was focused on him would be the best time for the rescue.

"Who’s there?!" Zhang Bin sensed a disturbance, his gaze snapping toward the direction Lin Xuan was emerging from.

Lin Xuan walked out slowly, looking coldly at Zhang Bin. "And you said I was the one colluding with the Demon Fox Race. Look at you now, colluding with the Minotaur Race! When it comes down to it, you’re the filthy ones, not me!"

When Zhang Bin saw clearly that it was Lin Xuan, he was stunned. Then, seeing that Lin Xuan was all alone, he stared at him as if he were an idiot. "So what if I am? I don’t even want to waste my breath saying how stupid you are. You dare to come here alone? Are you here to deliver treasure to us?"

With a single look from him, his companions moved quickly to surround Lin Xuan. But Lin Xuan remained unfazed, continuing to walk forward slowly, showing not the slightest fear of being encircled.

"A human? Is he one of yours?" a Minotaur asked, looking at Zhang Bin.

"Of course not. He’s with the Demon Fox Race, not on our side. Leave this to us; we’ll clean him up ourselves. We don’t need your help." Zhang Bin sneered at Lin Xuan. "Hand over the treasure, and I’ll spare your life!"

"The treasure you speak of... is it the Yulan Pearl? Not even the City Lord could catch me. What makes you think you can?" Lin Xuan said indifferently.

Zhang Bin faltered. ’Lin Xuan actually has a point,’ he thought. Recalling the Phoenix, he knew they had absolutely no confidence in being able to catch him.

"The Yulan Pearl! You have the Demon Fox Race’s treasure!" a Minotaur suddenly yelled, catching the attention of the surrounding Minotaurs, who quickly began to close in.

"That’s right. If you want the Yulan Pearl, come and get it—if you have the skill!" Lin Xuan took out his Chi Dragon Heavens Rod. With a light swing to the side, the Yulan Sacred Fire instantly blazed to life on its surface, drawing shrieks from the Minotaurs.

"It really is the Yulan Pearl! Quick, grab him! This will be a great achievement!" one Minotaur panted, convinced that with their numbers, they could definitely capture Lin Xuan. He completely forgot what Zhang Bin had said.

Zhang Bin immediately shot a look at his companions, signaling them to wait for the right moment to strike. They were wary of Lin Xuan’s ability to summon the Phoenix. If he managed to escape, it would be a huge problem.

"AHH!"

Suddenly, the young man who had been circling behind Lin Xuan was struck in the back by a blood-red Palm Seal. He was sent flying through the air before crashing violently to the ground. After skidding a long distance, he lay motionless on the floor.

A blood-red palm print was seared onto his back. At that moment, a middle-aged man dressed entirely in crimson walked out, his eyes glowing red. It was the Demon Evil Monarch!

"Who said I came alone?" A smile filled with killing intent touched the corner of Lin Xuan’s lips.

It was the smile of the Death God, and it meant that it was time for the harvest.