Soul Emperor Awakening

Although a barrier was said to be in place, it was invisible to the naked eye and looked completely ordinary. After Jin Wei set them down, Jin Feng and Jin Shi were the first to charge forward. As they rushed toward the river, they immediately collided with what seemed to be a barrier and began to inch their way across.

Their progress was incredibly slow. At the same time, the Yulan Sacred Fire surged relentlessly from the barrier, pouring into their bodies. It wasn’t just meant to obstruct them, but also to make them suffer the freezing torment of the Yulan Sacred Fire!

However, Jin Feng and Jin Shi’s expressions remained unchanged as they pushed forward frantically. Though they only advanced inch by inch, their pace was still respectable. It was just impossible to know how long it would take to get through.

’If one’s Cultivation were too low, they’d probably turn into an ice sculpture and fall into the river long before reaching the other side.’

"Give them a hand!"

The two Void Spirit Stage experts unleashed their Golden Elemental Power, enveloping the pair and giving them a powerful shove forward. Their speed increased somewhat, but it was still slow overall. Since they were transferring power from a distance, the consumption was astounding. Yet their expressions remained unchanged; for the vast reserves of Elemental Power within their bodies, this was practically nothing.

Lin Xuan watched from the side. The entire process was incredibly long, taking a full Hour to get them across. The barrier isolating the Demon Race Continent was extremely thick; the width of the river itself was the barrier’s thickness, spanning at least a hundred meters.

With their Cultivation, a hundred-meter distance would normally take them only a single breath to cross, not nearly this long. But this barrier was like a swamp, making every step a struggle. It took a tremendous amount of effort just to force their way through.

Once they made it through, the two of them collapsed to their knees, panting heavily. A golden light radiated from their bodies, resisting the chill as they expelled the Yulan Sacred Fire within. Thankfully, they had help from Jin Wei and the others; otherwise, it would have been far more arduous.

Witnessing this, Lin Xuan sucked in a cold breath. ’Even Spirit Pill Stage experts have to use so much energy to force their way through. If someone were to launch a sneak attack from the other side, that would be incredibly dangerous. After all, humans are almost always hostile when they see the Demon Race crossing from here!’

"Your turn. The three of us will work together to send you across," Jin Wei said, forcefully throwing Lin Xuan forward. Simultaneously, the three experts unleashed their Elemental Power, enveloping him and pushing him onward.

Lin Xuan felt himself enveloped by an immense Elemental Power. Wrapped in the power of three Void Spirit Stage experts, he felt incredibly secure, as if this protective shield were impenetrable.

Finally, he was pushed into the great barrier. The moment he entered, he felt a powerful resistance surge against him, and the aura of the Yulan Sacred Fire tried to seep in. But everything was firmly blocked by the protective shield around him, leaving him completely unharmed.

Under their protection, it was impossible for him to be injured; they would not allow him to suffer even the slightest harm. This wasn’t out of fear that he would get hurt, but out of respect. He had allowed them to stay in the Ice and Snow Tower, where they were safe and could even continue their Cultivation, as long as they did not venture outside.

How could they ever forget such a profound kindness? They would never forget the debt of gratitude they owed Lin Xuan!

’So, it really is easier to send someone with a lower Cultivation across...’ Lin Xuan realized his journey was much easier than that of Jin Feng and the others. The speed was considerably faster, and he was pushed smoothly through in less than half an Hour.

He hadn’t expended a single ounce of energy throughout the process; he was simply pushed across. Jin Wei and the others, however, had consumed a great deal of power. The drain from pushing three people across in succession was immense. The main reason for bringing the Fox King along was for the return journey, where he would be most useful. The Fox King’s Charm ability was extremely potent and could create a powerful diversion.

This would allow them to return more safely. In short, it was best to take every possible precaution. In any case, there was no need to worry about anything going wrong at the Ice and Snow Tower. Even a Spirit King Stage expert couldn’t get inside, let alone anyone with a Cultivation below the Spirit King Stage.

If powerful experts could enter, it would have been occupied by the Black Dragon Race long ago. How would Lin Xuan have ever had the chance to go inside?

"This is as far as we go. We wish you the best of luck!" After one last look, Jin Wei and his men departed without delay. Word of their presence had already gotten out, so experts from the Black Dragon Race would soon arrive. They needed to leave quickly and recover their Elemental Power.

"Young Master, which way should we go now?" Jin Feng asked respectfully.

They would not disobey him just because their Cultivation levels far surpassed his. They were following Jin Wei’s command to unconditionally help him with anything he needed. Whoever he wanted dead, they would kill—even a child, without hesitation. The only thing they wouldn’t do is follow an order to commit suicide.

"Which way to go... First, we’ll find someone and ask the way back to the Soaring Dragon Empire!" Lin Xuan had no idea where he was, but as long as he could find the direction of the Soaring Dragon Empire, the rest would be simple.

’Soaring Dragon Empire, I’m back!’ Lin Xuan’s thoughts were chillingly cold. He would make Xu Qianlong and his cronies pay their debt in blood!

...

「Inside the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.」

"Here are some rations for the week. I’ll bring you something tastier next time. You absolutely cannot come out."

In a dim woodshed, two women were conversing inside a small cellar. If Lin Xuan had been there, he would have been utterly astonished, for the two women were none other than Zi Yi and Liu Xin!

Zi Yi had lost all of her former bearing as the Pavilion Master. Her fine robes had been replaced with the uniform of a common attendant, and her face was gaunt. Liu Xin beside her was in no better state. Her face was also drawn, not from a lack of nutrition, but from sheer emotional exhaustion.

"Zi Pavilion Master, I told you not to bring me things anymore. A few Grain Avoidance Pills are all I need. My Cultivation is not low anymore; I don’t need to eat very much," Liu Xin said, deeply moved. In the years since Lin Xuan’s departure, her Cultivation had rapidly advanced to the Fourth and Fifth Layers of the Spirit Refining Stage. For a village girl with no foundation to have broken through to the Spirit Refining Stage was already an impressive feat.

Although this level of Cultivation seemed trivial in the grand scheme of things, it was a testament to her diligence.

"Don’t call me Pavilion Master anymore. I’m just an ordinary person now..." Zi Yi sighed. "I wonder how Young Master Lin is. With his luck, I’m sure he’s perfectly fine! It must have been so difficult for you, having to hide here all this time."

"It’s not difficult at all. If you hadn’t let me hide here, Zi Pavilion Master, I would’ve been captured long ago..."

Liu Xin clutched the rations, tears uncontrollably streaming down her face. She wasn’t crying because of her own hardship, but from the heartbreak of believing Lin Xuan was dead, and from sorrow over the miserable fate that had befallen Zi Yi.

For years, the entire Soaring Dragon Empire had been hunting for anyone connected to Lin Xuan. Those with even the slightest relationship were rounded up. If Liu Xin were discovered, her capture would be certain.

"That’s enough. I have to go back now, or someone will find me." After a few more words of warning, Zi Yi quickly climbed out of the cellar and concealed the entrance with firewood.

Just as she emerged from the shed, Zhao Fei’s voice reached her ears. "Zi Yi, do you have any idea what the consequences are for harboring someone connected to that brat, Lin Xuan?"

"Zhao Fei!" Zi Yi’s heart sank. She knew this was bad. ’I can’t believe it... they found me after all!’