Soul Emperor Awakening

"Yes, I can prove that what Lin Xuan said is true!"

A familiar voice came from behind. Emerging from the Illusionary Mist Array were Qing Piaoyun and his group. Both Qing Deyun and Qing Piaoyun were there. After hiding for a full six months, they had finally made their triumphant return. The moment they heard Lin Xuan was heading to the Core Hall, they rushed over.

They arrived just in the nick of time, and fortunately, no conflict had erupted. Of course, Lin Xuan wasn't one to start a fight. Within Qingcheng Mansion, only those from Cyan Cloud Peak bore him any ill will. He had no feud with anyone else, so there was no need for him to kill on sight.

When Qing Yunfeng saw Qing Deyun appear, his expression changed instantly. Without a second word, he turned and fled into the Core Hall. He knew all hope was lost; if he didn't escape now, he'd have no other chance.

'I can't believe it. In the end, I've lost everything!' Qing Yunfeng gritted his teeth. The plan had been proceeding perfectly. All he had to do was capture Lin Xuan alive and kill Qing Deyun and his group, and this situation would never have happened.

Who knew that Qing Piaoxue would rescue them, forcing him into this desperate situation? The Royal Family had sent so many reinforcements specifically to prevent Qing Piaoyun from showing up at their door. Now, Lin Xuan had killed them all. What did he have left to stop them with?

"Just as I suspected!" The Supreme Elder immediately gave chase without another word. Qing Piaoyun followed right after him. As he passed Lin Xuan, he simply gave him a nod. That was enough. There was no need for master and disciple to exchange any more words.

The guards looked at each other, still reeling from the shock. Qing Yunfeng had publicly declared that the Mansion Master was long dead, but now he was standing right there, alive and well. And beside him was Qing Piaoxue.

The other Elders were fine. Only Qing Deyun had not yet fully recovered, but his condition was much better. At the very least, he wouldn't have any major problems in a fight.

"Man-Mansion Master!" the guards called out, their voices hoarse and choked with emotion. They had all believed the Mansion Master was dead and had been lost in grief.

Qing Deyun's prestige in Qingcheng Mansion was extremely high, so when they heard the news of his death, everyone had been plunged into sorrow. Now that Qing Deyun had returned, the grief in their hearts vanished without a trace, replaced by sheer joy.

"We are all right. It is just as Lin Xuan said earlier. The Royal Family colluded with Qing Yunfeng to try and annex our Qingcheng Mansion and expand their own power!" Qing Deyun said as he walked in and began to explain the situation to them.

Lin Xuan glanced behind him and, finding that Lin Xue wasn't there, felt a bit puzzled. "Third Elder, where's Lin Xue?"

Qing Piaoxue had been watching Lin Xuan from the moment she entered. She hadn't seen him in over six months. In that time, his power had grown immensely, and his aura had become remarkably composed. Although her senses told her his Cultivation was only at the Seventh Layer of the Essence Pill Stage, she got the feeling he was incredibly solid—that even an ordinary Spirit Pill Stage expert would be no match for him.

"Lin Xue is with Clan Leader Lin. They're fine. I'll tell you their location so you can find her. Tell her what's happened here, and that the Lin Family is permitted to take refuge in Qingcheng Mansion!" Qing Piaoxue's face was frosty as she said in a heavy voice, "We will resist the Royal Family together!"

That was right, their true enemy now was the Royal Family. The Royal Family was the cause of all this. Without a doubt, they would fight the Royal Family to the bitter end, until they were completely eradicated! Xu Qianlong was so insidious, trying to swallow up Qingcheng Mansion. If they could swallow their anger and endure something like this, they would truly have no face left to remain in the Soaring Dragon Empire.

"Alright!"

Once Lin Xuan learned the general location, he left Liu Xin and Zi Yi behind and departed with Jin Feng and Gold Stone, heading for the place where the Lin Family was hiding—the Imperial Capital!

Yes, they were hiding in a cave near the Imperial Capital. "The most dangerous place is the safest place"—sometimes, that saying held true. At least, it had so far; they had managed to remain hidden without being discovered.

He was heading there with two Spirit Pill Stage experts, so they could handle any emergencies they might encounter. He was the most important target right now. If he were to be captured, it would be a death sentence. He wasn't a lone wolf. While it would be best to rely on his own strength, he wasn't capable of that at the moment.

"Patriarch, we've found traces of the Lin Family disciples!" a guard ran over excitedly and said to Fang Feng, "Lin Xuan recently reappeared, and just as expected, the Lin Family disciples are getting restless. I was just on patrol outside and happened to catch a Lin Family disciple. After using a Soul Search on him, I know where they're hiding!"

"Oh? Where are they hiding!" Fang Feng said, pleasantly surprised. "If we're the first to find them, this will be a great achievement."

"They're hiding in that dormant volcano nearby!" the guard said.

"A dormant volcano? Is that the one next to the Imperial Capital? That area seems to have been searched already, and nothing was found," Fang Feng said, a bit doubtful.

"They dug a cave underneath the dormant volcano. It's extremely safe and hidden. And it was dug in advance—they really had foresight. They probably expected they'd be hunted, so they prepared it ahead of time," the guard said.

'I imagine they dug it in advance in case the Third Prince lost!' Fang Feng snorted coldly. 'Lin Family, oh, Lin Family, I've finally got you. Let's see you escape this time! Gather the Elders! We'll charge over there right now, capture every last one of them, and hand them all over to Qingcheng Mansion!'

The wanted order was issued only by Qingcheng Mansion, so it wasn't an official Royal Family warrant. On the surface, it came from Qingcheng Mansion, but in reality, the Royal Family had also dispatched a considerable number of forces.

Fang Feng hated Lin Xuan to the bone. He was more and more certain that Lin Xuan had killed his son. Now that a rare opportunity for revenge had presented itself, he certainly wasn't going to miss it.

He immediately summoned all the Elders, and together they headed for the dormant volcano near the Imperial Capital.

"That's strange. How come Lord Lin and the others aren't back yet?"

"Could they have been captured?"

...

The Lin Family disciples noticed that some of their members were missing and hadn't returned for a long time, and they suspected they might have been captured. When this was quickly reported to Lin Feng, his expression changed, and he said coldly, "Who gave you permission to go out!"

The disciples who had been yelled at trembled, exchanged glances, and said in low voices, "They... they wanted to go out and scout for information, so they left without permission!"

"Scout for information?" Lin Feng said coldly. "Scouting for information isn't a job for you, it's for the Elders to handle personally! You just couldn't stand being cooped up here anymore and wanted to sneak out! You're truly more trouble than you're worth. If we're discovered because of this, there'll be no escape for any of us!"

Some of the Lin Family disciples had been occasionally sneaking out to buy some food. Staying in the cave and gnawing on dry rations all the time was simply unbearable. The disciples with weaker willpower really couldn't stand it and had been complaining endlessly.

BOOM!

Suddenly, a large hole was blasted through the wall, and Fang Feng's laughter echoed from outside. "That's right, you really can't escape now. Clan Leader Lin, the quality of your disciples truly leaves something to be desired! With such poor willpower, how can you ever expect your clan to prosper?"

Fang Feng and his host of Elders blocked the exit, trapping everyone inside. This was truly a case of being more trouble than they were worth. No matter where you go, when you have a large group of people, there's bound to be a black sheep! Not getting caught a few times was just luck. The moment they were actually caught, it meant certain death.