Soul Emperor Awakening

Lin Xuan had only been on the stage for a moment, standing perfectly still, yet he had already trapped his opponent in an Illusion Technique. Hei Qing’s gaze turned vacant, and he looked completely stupefied. To put it bluntly, Lin Xuan had already won. If he were to deliver a fatal blow now, his opponent would have no way to resist.

"The Black Dragon Race? You’re no different from dogs. Bark for me!" Lin Xuan sneered, issuing the command.

"WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!" Hei Qing actually obeyed Lin Xuan, starting to bark like a dog. He even got down on all fours and began to run around. It was an utterly ridiculous sight, and an absolute, immense humiliation for the Black Dragon Race!

The members of the Black Dragon Race were ashen-faced. One of their own was actually barking like a dog—how could they possibly tolerate this? If not for the protective barrier, they would have charged forward to gang up on Lin Xuan. But the rules were the rules; only one-on-one duels were allowed, not group brawls.

The surrounding audience was dumbfounded. It was common knowledge that the Demon Fox Race could use Illusion Techniques, but no one had ever seen one so terrifying. Generally, only those with weak Willpower could be so easily controlled. A slightly stronger individual would, at most, be bewildered.

But it was impossible for Hei Qing’s Willpower to be weak. The Black Dragon Race’s Spiritual Power was known to be quite formidable; in fact, no Divine Beast possessed weak Spiritual Power. Yet here he was, trapped in an Illusion Technique and effortlessly controlled by Lin Xuan. This could only mean that Lin Xuan’s Illusion Technique was overwhelmingly powerful, not that Hei Qing’s Spiritual Power was lacking.

Watching from the sidelines, Liu Yue’Er clapped her hands and laughed. "Brother, you’re amazing! Quick, make him run around!"

"No problem!" Lin Xuan immediately directed Hei Qing to start running. He scurried about just like a dog, completing a lap around the arena before returning to Lin Xuan, panting with his tongue hanging out. He was truly a peerless dog.

Or rather, a peerless dragon—and a pet one at that. He was incredibly obedient, doing whatever he was told.

"Enough!" Hei Qing’s companion roared. "This is a grave insult to all of us! We concede this match! I’ll be your next opponent. Do you dare to accept?"

"The fight isn’t over. Your companion hasn’t conceded, so who are you to declare his loss?" Lin Xuan sneered before suddenly kicking Hei Qing, sending him flying. After tumbling across the ground a few times, he once again scrambled back to Lin Xuan like a dog.

Humiliation. This was absolute humiliation! The members of the Black Dragon Race were utterly enraged, wishing they could tear Lin Xuan to shreds. But on her side, did Liu Yue’Er not feel the exact same way about the Black Dragon Race?

’Barking like a dog? So what? Their entire race had been pushed to the brink of extinction. What did barking like a dog matter in comparison!’

"If you have any guts, don’t you dare leave Ice and Snow City! The day you step outside will be the day you die for real!" The Black Dragon Race was truly enraged now. Their strongest experts couldn’t enter the city, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t wait outside.

"You think your threats will scare us? Even if the Dragon King of the Black Dragon Race himself were to come, I still wouldn’t be afraid!" Liu Yue’Er said coldly.

The enmity between them was already set in stone. They had long since lost all fear, as a confrontation was inevitable. Besides, the Golden Dragon Race had its own powerful experts for protection. Even if they suffered a crushing defeat, they still had their own protectors. Strictly speaking, it wouldn’t lead to extinction, merely a grievous blow to their Vitality.

"Alright, I’m bored of this game. There’s no point in dragging it out," Lin Xuan said, suddenly withdrawing the Chi Dragon Heavens Rod. He looked at them and sneered, "The hides of the Black Dragon Race are supposed to be tough, aren’t they? I wonder if it can take a single strike from this rod?"

The next moment, Lin Xuan powerfully thrust the long rod in his hand, aiming straight for Hei Qing’s chest. The full force of his aura, combined with the Yulan Sacred Fire, surged forward in a piercing strike.

"Fifth Form, Dragon-like Stick!"

The thrust shot forward with a dragon’s roar, slamming into Hei Qing’s chest. The aura manifested as a colossal, Yulan-blue Giant Dragon and poured into his body. The first thing the assembled demons saw was a layer of frost instantly covering Hei Qing, followed by an explosive burst of power from within him.

"BOOM!"

A Qi Dragon detonated inside Hei Qing, violently blowing his body apart. Black blood spurted out as his frame cracked and shattered inch by inch. The inherently tough body of a Black Dragon had been rendered fragile by the Yulan Sacred Fire, allowing Lin Xuan to break through it with ease.

Right up to the moment of his death, Hei Qing never awoke from the Illusion Technique. This meant he passed on without feeling any pain, which, in a way, was a great mercy.

"THUD!"

Hei Qing’s body fell backward as black blood gushed out uncontrollably. His body was visibly shattered in numerous places; there was absolutely no way he could have survived. The attack was so brutal it was terrifying to even think about, especially since it had pierced straight through his chest. He was deader than dead.

A stomp. An absolute stomp! The fight had indeed ended quickly. If he hadn’t wasted time making Hei Qing bark like a dog, Lin Xuan would have won this match long ago.

After Hei Qing died, the Energy of an Ice and Snow Badge flowed into Lin Xuan’s body. An additional one-fifth of a badge materialized next to his original four. This meant he had to defeat five opponents of the same Level to obtain a complete fifth badge!

"Is that really the power of a Demon Fox? I feel so many different powers mixed in... there even seems to be the presence of a human."

"No, that’s not right. It’s still the aura of a Demon Fox. Could he have used some kind of Forbidden Technique to gain this level of power?"

"Burning his Essence Blood? No, that’s not it... But that Illusion Technique is just too terrifying. Even a member of the Black Dragon Race had no resistance. If it were me up there, I’d have been instantly killed as well!"

...

The assembled demons gasped. This was a true eye-opener. A member of the Black Dragon Race had been easily and instantly killed. Crucially, the one who killed him wasn’t from the Golden Dragon Race, but the Demon Fox Race. The Demon Fox Race, vassals of the Golden Dragon Race, had not appeared in Ice and Snow City for many years. Now, they returned only to dominate the battlefield and utterly crush the Black Dragon Race!

"Hei Qing!" his companion cried out in anguish. But none of them dared to step forward and challenge Lin Xuan. He was simply too Heaven-Defying. Rage burned in their hearts, but they knew that if they went up there, they would be dead for sure. Their fate would be exactly the same as Hei Qing’s.

"What’s the matter? Weren’t you just saying you wanted a turn? The stage is free for the next one," Lin Xuan sneered at them.

He held the Chi Dragon Heavens Rod, standing perfectly still. His aura was completely retracted, making him seem even more unfathomable. He gave off an air of such superiority that they felt crushed, as if the pressure was suffocating them.

His words left the members of the Black Dragon Race speechless. It was clear that however many went up, that’s how many would die. They weren’t brainless like the Giant Bear Race. The Black Dragon Race’s population was not large; every loss was significant. It wasn’t worth dying here in the slightest.

They couldn’t afford a war of attrition. If they fell for the Illusion Technique, they wouldn’t even have a chance to surrender. How could they possibly fight that? Under normal circumstances, most contestants wouldn’t reveal such an overwhelming level of strength, as it would scare off all challengers. If stepping onto the stage meant certain death, who would dare to do it?

Lin Xuan just stood there, yet no one dared to meet his challenge. That was true presence.