Soul Emperor Awakening

Fang Feng led a group of people and charged in, blocking the entrance. The sudden development stunned the Lin Family disciples hiding inside. They never expected to have actually attracted a group of enemies, and from the Fang Family, no less!

The Fang Family and the Lin Family had always been rivals. Now that their enemies had come knocking, the disciples' faces paled.

"The quality of my clan's disciples is not for you to comment on!" Lin Feng sneered. "Enough with the nonsense. If you want a fight, then let's fight!" At the same time, he repeatedly waved his hand, signaling the other disciples to leave quickly. This wasn't the only exit; they just needed to escape through the other one.

They had always faced the risk of being discovered, so of course they had prepared multiple escape routes. Otherwise, if they were blockaded from the outside, no one would be able to get out.

At this point, words were useless. All they could do was face Fang Feng together!

"Did you think we wouldn't anticipate another exit?" Fang Feng sneered. "We've already surrounded this entire dormant volcano. You can't escape. If I let you get away, it would be a testament to my own incompetence!"

An entire family was staying in the dormant volcano, so their numbers were surely considerable. To capture everyone, a large force would be needed to surround the area, not just this small group blocking the entrance. A net had already been cast far and wide outside; there was no escape.

Lin Feng's face turned ashen. The expressions of the other disciples changed drastically as well. It seemed the intelligence they'd gathered was quite accurate; they must have completely figured out their situation. Now, they were truly trapped with no way out. In terms of strength, they were no match for the Fang Family. Whether it was momentum or raw power, they were far inferior.

The Fang Family members were well-rested and waiting in peak condition, unlike the Lin Family disciples who had been hiding here for a long time, their morale completely gone.

"Father, what do we do now?" Lin Xue, who was beside him, leaned closer. As a disciple of the Lin Family, she would naturally stay by her father's side.

"In a moment, take the other disciples and fight your way out through the lower passage. It's the only way!" Lin Feng knew that charging out from here was hopeless. In fact, this was the most dangerous path. Outside, they would still need to climb a long way to reach the volcano's peak, so it was clearly not the best escape route.

"Are you done chatting?" Fang Feng said with a faint smile. "I'll give you two choices. One, surrender. We only need to take a few of you to Qingcheng Mansion, and the other disciples can leave freely. Two, resist. If you choose that, we will kill every last one of you we see!" As he spoke, his tone turned chillingly cold, his hatred for the Lin Family on full display.

Resist and be killed, or don't resist and be taken to Qingcheng Mansion. The second option seemed better, but the outcome would be nearly the same. Only a fool wouldn't resist.

"Patriarch Fang, it seems the older you get, the more senile you become. Do you really think we would choose to surrender?" Lin Feng gave a slight wave of his hand, signaling for Lin Xue to take the others and flee immediately, not to linger here.

Lin Xue bit her lip, then turned and led the disciples deeper into the cave. It was pointless for them to stay; their Cultivation wasn't high enough, and this was not a battle they could fight. Lin Xue, however, could still put up a fight. In the past six months, thanks to her Ice Yin Body, her Cultivation had skyrocketed, reaching the Fifth Layer of the Essence Pill Stage!

With her in the lead, they quickly rushed toward the exit, gradually disappearing into the depths of the cave. The sounds of battle soon followed as the Elders and the Patriarch blocked the enemy outside, preventing them from charging in.

"This way, quickly!"

Lin Xue anxiously led the many Lin Family disciples outward. After passing through a long, narrow tunnel, they finally reached the exit. She slammed her palm against the wall, and with a BANG, the Stone Gate rumbled to life.

The gate opened slowly. As soon as a gap appeared, Lin Xue charged out first to see what the situation was outside. But as she burst through, the first thing that greeted her eyes wasn't a forest, but a group of Fang Family Elders sneering at her! Besides the Elders, there was also a group of Fang Family disciples with formidable Cultivation. They had the exit completely surrounded, inside and out.

This didn't surprise Lin Xue. When they had started to run, Fang Feng and his men hadn't tried to intercept them immediately. Besides, he had already said a group was waiting for them outside. They still ran, hoping to carve a bloody path to freedom. They would save as many as they could; anything was better than being wiped out completely.

'Whoever actually believed Fang Feng would spare the Lin Family disciples was a complete idiot. How could he let them go after such a long-standing feud?'

"Miss Lin, you should stop struggling. Your Elders are busy dealing with our Patriarch. Do you really think you can defeat old-timers like us on your own?" one of the Elders said with a sinister smile. There were three Elders on their side, all with Cultivation around the Sixth or Seventh Layer of the Essence Pill Stage—incredibly high levels.

Perhaps Lin Xue could handle one of them on her own, but what about the other two? The remaining two Elders could run rampant among the Lin Family disciples, capturing them one by one, or simply killing them outright!

"Run!"

Lin Xue let out a sharp cry. The Floating Snow Sword appeared from her Storage Ring, transforming into a streak of cold light as it thrust toward them. A flurry of snow swirled in its wake as the power of her Ice Yin Body was fully unleashed, conjuring a blizzard in the area!

"It's useless! Just a desperate final struggle!"

Two of the Elders ganged up on her. Lin Xue may be a Core Hall disciple, and her Cultivation might be lower than theirs, but her overall combat strength was higher, so they had to be cautious. The remaining Elder gave a cold, cruel smile and charged into the group of Lin Family disciples. Screams immediately followed as the disciples were sent flying, vomiting blood from a single palm strike.

The Fang Family Elder showed no mercy. He would capture anyone who survived and leave the dead behind. In that moment, agonizing cries filled the air, making Lin Xue, who was still fighting, frantic with anxiety. She desperately wanted to repel the two Elders and go help, but they stuck to her like glue, with no intention of letting her go.

"Miss Lin, it's not good to get distracted!"

A Fang Family Elder chuckled sinisterly and swiftly landed a palm strike on Lin Xue. Having been momentarily distracted, she couldn't react in time and took a blow to her shoulder.

Lin Xue grunted and was sent flying backward. After taking two quick steps in mid-air, she landed steadily, but a trickle of blood was already seeping from the corner of her mouth, staining her pink lips red.

"Just give up and surrender quietly!"

The two Fang Family Elders smiled grimly and closed in on Lin Xue again, intending to subdue her with their next attack.

"Brother Lin..." An image of Lin Xuan seemed to appear in Lin Xue's beautiful eyes. A bitter, sorrowful smile touched her lips. 'Perhaps I'll never see Lin Xuan again.'

In that instant, a golden beam of light shot forth from the distance, moving so fast that no one could react. By the time the two Elders sensed a crisis approaching from behind, it was already too late.

THUD! THUD!

Two streaks of golden light flashed out, striking them squarely in the back. The two Fang Family Elders were sent flying, slamming heavily against the rock wall. Their bodies were nearly crushed, leaving them on the verge of death.

"B-Brother Lin!" Lin Xue saw that the person standing before her was, in fact, Lin Xuan!