Soul Emperor Awakening

The Youlan Emperor was decisive. Anyone who provoked him was dealt with immediately, without a single wasted word. The Demon Fox Race didn’t have much to do with him, but Hu Bai did, and that was what mattered. She was, after all, his woman.

’I wonder if he’ll still be struck by Celestial Punishment if I attack him later?’ Lin Xuan was eager to know the answer. If he could attack Hei Zhenxuan without consequence while Hei Zhenxuan would be punished for striking back, then he could just hunt him down relentlessly.

"No, there will be no more Celestial Punishment in this area. You must defeat him with your own strength," the Youlan Emperor replied. "Since I said this is a test for you, it is a test for you, albeit with a slight change. I won’t just hand things over to you; you still need to earn it yourself. I have already injured his soul, so he has at most half of his strength. If you can’t even defeat him in this state, how can you even speak of becoming my successor!"

Although the answer was a bit disappointing, he was still quite satisfied with the outcome. Even if Hei Zhenxuan’s soul were undamaged, he was still confident in his ability to defeat him!

"In that case, I’ll do as you ask. I’ll go finish him off now!" Lin Xuan’s eyes glinted. This was the perfect chance to strike an enemy while he was down.

There was no point talking about fairness. Hei Zhenxuan had brought this on himself. Lin Xuan certainly wasn’t going to wait for Hei Zhenxuan to recover before fighting him. That would be a joke; he wasn’t that stupid. Since there was an easy opportunity to finish him off, he was more than happy to take it.

He immediately emerged from the Mysterious Blue Holy Stele and returned to his body. A comfortable sensation washed over him. ’Nothing feels as real as being in my own body.’

When Lin Xuan began to move again, the members of the Demon Race watching on the screen were stunned. He was moving without any issues, not rolling on the ground in agony like Hei Zhenxuan had been.

Lin Xuan then took out the Chi Dragon Heavens Rod and slowly walked toward the meditating Hei Zhenxuan, ready for battle.

"Is he crazy? If he actually attacks, he’ll be hit by Celestial Punishment!"

"He must be. Daring to attack like this... what is he, if not a fool?"

"Looks like he’s in worse shape than Hei Zhenxuan. His mind is a mess. He must have been caught in some Illusion Technique, right?"

...

All the demons wore expressions as if they were watching a good show. They could all foresee Lin Xuan being struck by Celestial Punishment and suffering grievous injuries. If it weren’t for the Celestial Punishment, Hei Zhenxuan wouldn’t be meditating here so peacefully to recover, nor would he ever expect an attack from Lin Xuan.

"Extreme Point Inch Light!"

Lin Xuan swung his crimson-glowing Chi Dragon Heavens Rod and thrust it forward. Hei Zhenxuan, who was meditating and recovering, sensed the danger and his eyes snapped open. Upon seeing Lin Xuan’s attack, a trace of shock appeared in his eyes, but it quickly turned into a cold sneer.

He believed that if the attack landed, Lin Xuan would be struck by Celestial Punishment. Therefore, he wasn’t worried in the slightest. He merely raised a hand to block the attack, not even bothering to dodge.

"Idiot!" Hei Zhenxuan sneered, watching Lin Xuan’s thrust.

The scene that followed stunned every member of the Demon Race. Hei Zhenxuan was sent flying by the vicious thrust. The incredibly violent attack slammed into him, shattering many of the Dragon Scales on his arm.

Caught unprepared, Hei Zhenxuan was sent flying and spat up a mouthful of blood in mid-air. He quickly stabilized himself, however, drifting down from the sky and barely managing to stay on his feet.

"Th-this is impossible!" Hei Zhenxuan stared at Lin Xuan, dumbfounded. He asked in astonishment, "Why weren’t you struck by the Celestial Punishment? Don’t tell me you’ve become the City Lord!"

"You’re the idiot! That’s right, I’ve become the City Lord. I can attack you without any problem, but if you attack me, you’ll be the one to face the Celestial Punishment!"

Lin Xuan swung his long rod. ’Hei Zhenxuan is really tough. Such a powerful strike didn’t even pierce him, only leaving a mark on his hard Dragon Scales.’ Not that he had expected to kill Hei Zhenxuan in a single move.

His words caused an uproar among the members of the Demon Race. Had Lin Xuan really become the City Lord? But he hadn’t even defeated Hei Zhenxuan, so how was that possible?

Of course, this was just a bluff to scare Hei Zhenxuan. Lin Xuan wasn’t so honorable as to pass up a chance to mess with the bastard; it just wouldn’t feel right.

"You’ve comprehended the Youlan Emperor’s Ultimate Skill?!" Hei Zhenxuan exclaimed in horror.

"You talk too much!"

Without hesitation, Lin Xuan lashed out with his rod again. It transformed into a sharp ray of light shooting forward. A faint aura emanated from the rod’s tip, but otherwise, it didn’t look special—its only remarkable quality was its speed.

Hei Zhenxuan hurriedly raised his arm to block, not even daring to draw his Weapon. He could only use his own body to parry the incoming thrust. But the moment his arm touched the rod, a surging wave of Spiritual Power crashed into him, tearing into his mind as if something had taken a huge bite!

"Soul-Devouring Break!"

He attacked with the Ultimate Skill he had just comprehended. The moment it hit Hei Zhenxuan, his vision was replaced by a graveyard full of vicious ghosts, all swarming toward him. His soul was already damaged, and with the addition of this Soul Devouring assault, an even more intense pain exploded inside his head.

"AHHHH!"

The intense pain made Hei Zhenxuan scream as he flailed his arms, clawing at the air. His Cultivation was high, but his Spiritual Power was no match for Lin Xuan’s. It would take him some time to break free from this Illusion.

Seizing the opportunity, Lin Xuan fiercely swung his rod once more. Martial Intent enveloped him again, raising his aura by several levels. At the same time, the surrounding scene darkened into a pitch-black expanse, where countless stars twinkled in the sky.

"Rod Turning Starry Sky!"

He unleashed the most tyrannical Martial Art of the Lin’s Staff Technique, bringing it crashing down on the defenseless Hei Zhenxuan. With a loud BANG, Hei Zhenxuan was slammed into the ground. If not for the protective patterns covering the Ice Jade floor, the blow would have shattered it to pieces.

Hei Zhenxuan spat out another mouthful of blood. His body was heavily injured, but he quickly slapped the ground and sprang back up. Many of his Dragon Scales were now shattered, but he remained incredibly resilient.

"I... I’m going to kill you!"

Hei Zhenxuan roared as black energy surged from his body. The Yulan Sacred Fire within him flared to its absolute limit. In addition, he began to burn his Essence Blood. After burning his Essence Blood, his aura rapidly spiked, and his shattered Dragon Scales actually began to heal.

The Dragon Race’s healing abilities were formidable, and they were even more potent when their power was fully unleashed.

His aura showed no sign of weakening. An injured soul didn’t mean he was completely powerless. By burning his Essence Blood, he could still unleash his greatest strength!

It would just take a very long time to recover after the battle. But with rage burning in his heart, there was no way he would let Lin Xuan go. Even if it meant being struck by Celestial Punishment, he would risk his life to kill Lin Xuan. The humiliation he had just suffered was something he had never experienced in his entire life.

"Tough, just as you’d expect from the Black Dragon Race," Lin Xuan said with a faint smile, gripping his Chi Dragon Heavens Rod tightly. "But that’s what makes this interesting."