Soul Emperor Awakening

Fang Feng was undoubtedly doomed by Jin Feng’s heavy blow. Jin Feng’s violent punch was far stronger than Lin Xuan’s; if Fang Feng wasn’t dead after a hit like that, it would simply defy all reason.

There was no need to even look. Fang Feng’s entire body had been smashed into the rock, obscuring him from view, but it was undoubtedly a gruesome end. The death of the Fang Family’s Patriarch signified the family’s destruction. A hundred-year legacy had been obliterated at the hands of Fang Feng.

"Spirit Pill Stage experts are no joke. If my body wasn’t so tough, I really would have been cleaved in two." Lin Xuan’s arm, which had taken the hit, trembled slightly. That slash had been incredibly powerful. Fortunately, his body was resilient enough to barely withstand the blow.

’After throwing that counter-punch, I have no intention of pressing the attack. There’s still a considerable gap between my cultivation and Fang Feng’s. My only advantage was that he underestimated me. In the eyes of these arrogant experts, they don’t need to use their full strength to deal with someone at the Essence Pill Stage Level. If he had gone all out, I never would have dared to take that blow.’

’I really wanted to kill Fang Feng with my own hands, but it’s a shame I don’t have the strength to do so yet. If Fang Feng had launched a desperate, last-ditch attack before dying, I might have been taken down with him.’

With Fang Feng dead, the rest were easy to handle. They were dispatched with ease, eliminating a potential future threat.

"To think your strength has grown to this extent in just half a year. I wonder how much of your bloodline has been activated?" Lin Feng was deeply gratified. He knew he hadn’t misjudged him. Indeed, the Young Master of their main family was bound to be strong. As long as he wasn’t a coward, his future achievements were sure to be extraordinary.

"I’m not too sure about that. I haven’t had my talent tested in a long time," Lin Xuan replied with a calm smile. He hadn’t gone to have it checked. ’The last time I was tested, I had a Seventh-class Talent. After so long, it’s probably soared to an Eighth-class Talent by now.’

’In fact, I can already feel the difference. The benefit of high talent is a strong affinity for Elemental Power, and my ability to absorb and control it is far beyond what it used to be. So, I don’t even need a test to know my talent has definitely improved. Reaching Ninth-class Talent is probably a bit of a stretch, but an Eighth-class Talent shouldn’t be a problem.’

"Regardless of your talent, it’s just good to have you back!" Lin Feng sighed and said with great concern, "I was worried you’d been captured by Xu Qianlong. It seems I was worrying for nothing."

"Xu Qianlong..." Lin Xuan’s eyes narrowed. "That’s a debt that will be settled sooner or later. And I believe that day will come very soon!"

Indeed, that day of reckoning would come soon. As soon as Qingcheng Mansion finished reorganizing, they would declare war on the Royal Family and reveal the true story to the world.

As for the matter of Lin Xuan’s bloodline, however, that would not be made public. There was no need. Simply revealing the Royal Family’s plot to annex Qingcheng Mansion would be enough.

"That’s easy for you to say, but Xu Qianlong has grown more and more unhinged recently. According to information from the Imperial Palace, he has completely transformed into a bloodthirsty maniac, constantly absorbing and refining blood... In addition to Demon Beast Blood, many women with Yin Bodies have been captured. I’m afraid they’re as good as dead."

The topic Lin Feng raised was a heavy one. Xu Qianlong’s time was running out, which meant he was capable of anything. Forget hunting for Demon Beast Blood; he was also capturing women for his cultivation. This was clearly a type of Demon Technique that harvested female ’yin’ to supplement male ’yang’. More than likely, he was trying to absorb the blood of virgins to enhance his own cultivation.

Demon Techniques were called as such precisely because they involved so much killing. Such methods, which so flagrantly defied the natural order, were condemned by the vast majority of people.

"Has Xu Qianlong really become that depraved...?" Lin Xuan’s eyes narrowed tightly. ’A man this desperate... his cultivation must have skyrocketed in the last six months. He might have even recovered to his former peak state. If that happens, he’ll be incredibly difficult to deal with.’

’We don’t have many Core Formation Stage experts on our side—in fact, only two. But whether that’s enough to match the power of the Royal Family is another matter entirely. The Royal Family has ruled for so long for a reason; their foundation is undoubtedly immense. They only had to send out Xu Gao, who had a Core Formation Stage Cultivation. If it weren’t for Jin Feng and Jin Shi, I really would have been captured.’

"Yes. Everyone in the Imperial Palace is living in terror right now. The slightest misstep can get you beheaded! And behind the scenes, Xu Qianlong is forcing the major families to send him their talented female disciples. The alternative is a dead end!" Lin Feng gritted his teeth. If they were to be captured, Lin Xue would be like a lamb thrown to the wolves.

"That ruthless? So does this mean all the major families are in trouble?" Lin Xuan had long anticipated that Xu Qianlong would make a major move, and now it was happening. ’Xu Qianlong is finally going berserk. With the Royal Family’s power, he can crush any of the great families. Their choice is to either offer up a talented female disciple or capture a Divine Beast and bring it back.’

’They might be able to find a woman with decent talent, but a Divine Beast is a near-mythical encounter, not something you can just seek out and find. Not unless you go to the Demon Race Continent. Xu Qianlong would never go there, though. With his level of cultivation, if he dared to provoke a Divine Beast, it would have slapped him into oblivion long ago.’

’Besides, with that decrepit body of his, how could he possibly pass through that protective barrier? He’d probably freeze to death before he even got halfway.’

"So, what’s the situation now?" Lin Xuan had been traveling in such a hurry that he hadn’t heard any of the recent news, and what he was hearing now was shocking.

"The families who are on good terms with us are planning to band together and resist him," Lin Feng said in a grim tone.

"Does that mean the Shang Family and the Liu Family will be joining us? What about the Divine Seal Sect?" Lin Xuan asked, his eyes lighting up. ’Our forces are still too weak right now, but if we could rally everyone, it would be a different story.’

"The Divine Seal Sect?" Lin Feng snorted coldly. "The Divine Seal Sect has always been the Royal Family’s lapdog. It wasn’t obvious on the surface, but we’ve now discovered they are completely loyal to them. The Shang Family’s Five-Colored Spirit Wood was dug up, and the family itself was half-destroyed! Sigh... as soon as the news of the Qingcheng Mansion Master’s death spread, the Divine Seal Sect mobilized, attacking the Shang Family with lightning speed... In truth, we don’t have many people on our side."

Lin Feng sighed and added, "The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion isn’t with us, either; they’re completely independent. But given the way things are going, they won’t be spared for long. Xu Qianlong has long since gone mad in his pursuit of a breakthrough. He’s thrown all caution to the wind."

Xu Qianlong’s strength would be considered pathetic on the Demon Race Continent, but in the Soaring Dragon Empire, he is a peerless, top-tier expert. That’s why he is able to suppress all the other families.

"So, what’s the plan now?" Lin Xuan didn’t know what they had in mind, but he was certain they hadn’t just been hiding here for half a year. They had to have another plan.

"Our initial plan was just to gather all our forces. That way, we’d be able to resist, but it would only be resistance. To truly overwhelm the Royal Family, we must call for reinforcements..." Lin Feng sighed. "There are only a handful of families in the Soaring Dragon Empire with any real power. If we’re serious about finding reinforcements, we’ll have to look for them externally."

"Look for them externally?" Lin Xuan’s eyes lit up. If they were to seek outside reinforcements, he thought of one place in particular—the Demon Cloud Sea!