Soul Emperor Awakening

All of Zhao Fei's painstakingly acquired Cultivation was no match for a single slap from Lin Xuan. He couldn't block it, nor could he outspeed him. Lin Xuan's aura was completely restrained, making him seem like an ordinary person. It wasn't that he was ordinary, but that they could no longer gauge his true strength.

"Young... Young Master Lin..." Tears streamed from Zi Yi's eyes. She could no longer bear the anguish in her heart. She didn't ask for anything; all she had ever wanted was for Lin Xuan to be alive.

"You've suffered." Lin Xuan offered a faint smile. "I'll take you away from here now, to somewhere safer."

"You... How dare you come back!" Zhao Fei scrambled to his feet, staring at Lin Xuan in terror. He never expected Lin Xuan to still be alive; he'd assumed he was dead.

With no news for over half a year, everyone had assumed Lin Xuan was dead. Or, if he was alive, he was just hiding somewhere like a tortoise in its shell. The moment he appeared, he would be a wanted man, hunted by both Qingcheng Mansion and the entire Royal Family.

But Lin Xuan had returned. He had actually dared to come back, and his Cultivation had clearly improved significantly, allowing him to completely overwhelm Zhao Fei. He could knock him to the ground with a casual wave of his hand. This level of power stunned them. Zhao Fei knew he stood no chance of fighting back—that single slap had made it perfectly clear.

Lin Xuan was far too fast for him. His speed was astonishing; he could have killed Zhao Fei in an instant. Continuing the fight would be pointless.

"And why wouldn't I dare come back?" Lin Xuan advanced slowly on Zhao Fei, his gaze chilling. "Such clever scheming. Such a fine little plan. You thought you could use them as leverage to threaten me? If I had returned any later, you would have gotten your way, wouldn't you?"

"Quick, someone! Help!" Zhao Fei began to scream, his shouts immediately alerting the entire Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. Yet Lin Xuan continued his unhurried approach, not quickening his pace in the slightest.

"Young Master Lin, you have to go! There are Spirit Pill Stage experts here! If you don't leave now, it'll be too late!"

Zi Yi's heart seized with anxiety. 'Even though this is just a branch of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, it still has two Spirit Pill Stage experts and numerous Essence Pill Stage experts stationed here!'

In moments, people came rushing out. When they saw Zhao Fei on the ground, his face bruised and swollen, they were horrified. 'This is the Vice Pavilion Master's son! How could he have been beaten so badly?'

"Who are you people?! How dare you harm our Young Master!" The auras of two Spirit Pill Stage experts erupted, pressing down on Lin Xuan's group. But Lin Xuan, Jin Feng, and the others seemed completely unaffected, as if it were nothing more than a faint tickle.

"That's Lin Xuan! The man Qingcheng Mansion is after! Capture him, and you'll be greatly rewarded by the Mansion!"

Clutching his face, Zhao Fei tried to shuffle toward the Spirit Pill Stage experts, a sneer plastered on his lips. 'So what if Lin Xuan got stronger?' he thought. 'Can he really be stronger than a Spirit Pill Stage expert?'

"Trying to leave?" With a single step, Lin Xuan appeared before Zhao Fei in the blink of an eye. He slapped him again, sending him flying back into the wall. This time, the blow knocked his teeth out, leaving his mouth a bloody mess.

So what if he had slapped him right in front of the Spirit Pill Stage experts? He was utterly fearless.

The guards who had gathered to watch were all stunned by Lin Xuan's audacity. The Spirit Pill Stage experts, in particular, failed to react in time. Lin Xuan might not have been faster than them, but they had completely misjudged the situation, allowing their Young Master to be slapped a second time!

"Get him!"

Snapping back to their senses, the Spirit Pill Stage experts lunged for Lin Xuan. But before they could reach him, two tall, black-robed figures stepped in their way, striking out at them with open palms.

The experts quickly retaliated with strikes of their own. BANG! They were sent staggering backward by the impact, while the two black-robed figures didn't so much as sway.

They were horrified. 'Even if we didn't use our full strength,' they thought, 'we used at least half our power, yet we couldn't push them back even half a step! It can only mean one thing: the Cultivation of these two mysterious men is far higher than ours.'

Their Cultivation was only at the First or Second Layer of the Spirit Pill Stage. While not particularly high, it was still Spirit Pill Stage Cultivation, after all.

"Whoever moves, dies!" Lin Xuan turned to glare at the guards, his voice bone-chilling.

BOOM!

Two immense and tyrannical auras surged forth, blanketing the area before them. The legs of the guards with lower Cultivation trembled uncontrollably, and they nearly collapsed to their knees. Even the Spirit Pill Stage experts felt an immense pressure, sensing that if they dared to move, they would be killed without a doubt.

Jin Feng and Jin Shi remained silent, simply letting their full auras press down on the crowd. From within their dark hoods, their golden eyes stared intently, promising instant death to anyone who dared to step forward.

"My conflict isn't with the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. It's with him! Don't worry, I won't kill him. That would be letting him off too easily. If your Pavilion Master wants to avenge his son, he can come find me. I'll be waiting!" Lin Xuan snorted, then turned his gaze back to Zhao Fei.

By now, Zhao Fei's mouth was a mangled ruin—the price for his insolence. He looked at Lin Xuan, his face a mask of terror. "Wh-what else are you going to do? If you do anything to me... my father won't let you go..." His words were slurred and filled with terror as he kept glancing toward the guards.

All he saw were guards frozen in place, cold sweat beading on their foreheads, not daring to move an inch. They admitted their Young Master was important, but their own lives were important, too. This was especially true for the Spirit Pill Stage Level experts; they knew they couldn't win, so what was the point in resisting?

"You... All of you, save me!" Zhao Fei screamed in terror.

"They don't dare to move. This is what absolute power looks like." Lin Xuan slapped him again. The heavy blow knocked him unconscious. Then, he aimed a vicious kick at his Dantian.

Zhao Fei let out a muffled grunt and his body twitched as a stream of Elemental Power dissipated from within him. Without a doubt, his Dantian had been shattered. Recovering from such an injury would be incredibly difficult, requiring a vast amount of precious Elixir Pills. It was safe to say his future in Cultivation was hopeless.

He wouldn't kill Zhao Fei. He would leave him to suffer for the rest of his life.

The guards could only watch, dumbfounded. They never imagined they would stand by and see their Young Master's Dantian be shattered, unable to lift a finger to help.

"Go get Liu Xin. We're leaving now," Lin Xuan said, turning to Zi Yi.

"O-Okay!" Zi Yi snapped out of her stupor and quickly turned to head for the cellar. But before she could even enter, Liu Xin was already walking out.

With all the commotion outside, she had to come out and see what was happening, especially after hearing Lin Xuan's voice.

"Lin... Brother Lin!"

The moment Liu Xin saw Lin Xuan, she threw herself into his arms and began to cry. No matter how strong she acted, she still had a vulnerable side; she was, after all, still just a girl.

"It's okay now. Everything's going to be okay. We're leaving this place... and going to Qingcheng Mansion!" His gaze turned icy. It was time to settle old scores. The only truly powerful expert in Qingcheng Mansion was Cyan Cloud Peak. What else did he have to fear?