Soul Emperor Awakening

Lin Xuan led Liu Xin and Zi Yi out, and no one on the path dared to move. Faced with such an overwhelming aura, no one truly dared to block their way. The Spirit Pill Stage experts were not direct disciples of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. They could act as guards on a normal day, but they wouldn't lay down their lives for the Pavilion, especially not in a situation of certain death.

In full view of the crowd, they boarded a carriage and set off for Qingcheng Mansion. Since neither Jin Feng nor Gold Stone had reached the Core Formation Stage, they couldn't manifest Elemental Power Wings. If they could have flown, their journey would have been much faster.

But there was no rush. He would give Qingcheng Mansion ample time to prepare, to welcome his grand arrival!

Soon, they arrived at Qingcheng Mansion. News of the disturbance at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion had quickly reached them. Qingcheng Mansion immediately gathered its strongest experts. As for mobilizing reinforcements from the Royal Family, that would still take some time.

"I can't believe Lin Xuan actually dared to return. I heard he brought two experts with him, but who knows what that's about?" Qing Yunfeng frowned, his expression turning cold. "No matter. Since he's come, he shouldn't think about leaving!"

He looked up. Standing before him were five Spirit Pill Stage experts, all reinforcements from the Royal Family. To be more precise, they had been stationed here for a while.

It was precisely because these five Spirit Pill Stage experts were holding down the fort that the dissenting voices in Qingcheng Mansion had been silenced. After all, of the four Elders, three had already fled, leaving only Qing Yunfeng. If he didn't have some people to back him up, he'd truly be a general without an army.

"Mansion Master, Lin Xuan is headed this way!" a disciple reported, rushing in.

Hearing himself addressed as Mansion Master filled him with immense satisfaction. This was the feeling he craved. The Mansion Master could decide anything and everything in Qingcheng Mansion, doing as he pleased. However, not much had changed in the Mansion. The disciples continued their Cultivation as usual; it wasn't as if things would grind to a halt just because the other Elders were gone.

"Good!" Qing Yunfeng stood up and sneered, "He must have a death wish. Does he really think bringing two more helpers will be enough to defeat us? Does he honestly think he brought Core Formation Stage experts?"

He refused to believe Lin Xuan could have brought Core Formation Stage experts. In truth, they had some on their side as well, though they were still on their way as reinforcements.

Outside the Core Hall, Lin Xuan's carriage rolled forward at a leisurely pace—not too fast, not too slow. As they drew near, he lifted the curtain and glanced at the sky. 'Clan Leader Lin and the others must know I've returned. I wonder how long it'll be before they send people.'

He was making such a grand entrance, rather than launching a sneak attack, precisely to attract the attention of Qing Piaoyun and his followers. His own power wasn't enough; the true Mansion Master had to return in person. Otherwise, he would really have to fight Qing Yunfeng and his men to the death.

"Young Master Lin, will they really show up?" Zi Yi asked, her voice laced with worry.

"I believe they will. They've been in hiding for so long. My return should be the signal for all of them to mobilize!" Lin Xuan wasn't being overconfident. He was certain they had been making their own preparations. Half a year was a long time; they had to be ready by now.

With Lin Xuan's return, they would surely mobilize as one. But even if he hadn't come back, they likely would have proceeded with their plans regardless.

By now, a crowd of experts had emerged from the Core Hall. There were six Spirit Pill Stage experts of varying strengths. Including Qing Yunfeng, that made a total of six Spirit Pill Stage experts on their side.

Compared to Lin Xuan's mere two Spirit Pill Stage experts, the difference was simply too great. In their eyes, there was no suspense in this battle. Unless Lin Xuan had brought back two Core Formation Stage experts—in which case, forget six Spirit Pill Stage experts, even if they doubled the number to twelve, their only option would be to flee!

The difference in Cultivation was too vast; they would have no choice but to run. Numbers wouldn't matter.

"Lin Xuan, I didn't think you'd have the gall to return. Haven't you done enough harm to our Qingcheng Mansion!?" Qing Yunfeng's gaze was icy as he stared at Lin Xuan. His son had been half-crippled and was still bedridden, unable to recover. The last time, his injuries had been far too severe. At least he was still alive, which was the greatest comfort he had.

"Harm Qingcheng Mansion?" Lin Xuan stepped down from the carriage and sneered at Qing Yunfeng. "Qing Yunfeng, your schemes are truly vicious. What's the point of spouting such nonsense now? Do you think you can hide your betrayal like this? You traitor! You're nothing but a dog of the Royal Family!"

"Get him!" Qing Yunfeng commanded coldly. "Capture him, and make sure he's alive!"

Xu Qianlong's orders were to take him alive, not dead. A corpse couldn't provide a continuous supply of blood, and that would be a poor return on investment.

"Yes, sir!" The five Spirit Pill Stage experts immediately charged. Four of them split up and went for Jin Feng and Gold Stone, two against one, which they thought should be no problem. The remaining one, who had the weakest Spirit Pill Stage Cultivation, was assigned specifically to capture Lin Xuan.

They believed that a single Spirit Pill Stage expert was more than enough to capture Lin Xuan. No matter how strong an Essence Pill Stage cultivator was, they could never defeat a Spirit Pill Stage expert. This was their mindset; cultivators who could fight across entire realms were far too rare, especially when the gap was so large.

With their Cultivation, they could clearly see Lin Xuan's level—Seventh Layer Essence Pill Stage. For someone his age, this Cultivation was astonishing, but to them, it was utterly laughable. They could crush him with a single swat. Therefore, they sent a First Layer Spirit Pill Stage expert to capture him.

"I'll take the one in the middle. You two handle the other four!" Lin Xuan tossed out the command, leaving Zi Yi and Liu Xin, who were standing behind him, dumbfounded. 'The one in the middle might not have as high a Cultivation as the others, but he's still a Spirit Pill Stage expert!'

Jin Feng and Gold Stone obeyed Lin Xuan's command without question. They immediately flew up to meet the two Spirit Pill Stage experts assigned to each of them, leaving Lin Xuan completely isolated.

"Haha, what an idiot! Does he really think that after cultivating for half a year, he's strong enough to fight a Spirit Pill Stage expert, a whole realm above him?" Upon seeing this, Qing Yunfeng was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter, as if he had just witnessed the most ridiculous thing in the world.

The Spirit Pill Stage expert rushing toward Lin Xuan had a gleam of delight in his eyes. If he really managed to capture Lin Xuan, it would be a huge accomplishment. Xu Qianlong's reward would be generous; he could get any Elixir Pills he wanted!

He immediately sped up, swiping a hand out to grab Lin Xuan. He didn't use too much force, afraid of injuring him. In his eyes, an Essence Pill Stage Cultivation was like an ant that would be crushed with the slightest pressure. How could he dare to use his full strength? At most, he would only use half his power.

"Come here, kid!" the Spirit Pill Stage expert chuckled, waving his hand to envelop Lin Xuan in Elemental Power. Lin Xuan didn't even try to dodge, which made the expert even happier.

Just then, Lin Xuan finally moved. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he suddenly charged forward, easily shattering the Elemental Power that enveloped him. Before his opponent could even react, Lin Xuan had already swung a fist shimmering with golden light. There was no fancy technique, just a simple punch.

"It's useless, kid!" the Spirit Pill Stage expert sneered, raising a protective barrier to block the punch.

BOOM!

The fist, shimmering with golden light and backed by over a million catties of force, smashed through the barrier and slammed heavily into the Spirit Pill Stage expert's chest.

The Spirit Pill Stage expert was sent flying, his chest completely caved in. He was breathing out more than he was breathing in—gravely injured!