Soul Emperor Awakening

When it came to external reinforcements, asking nearby empires for help was out of the question. Not only was there the risk of being annexed, but more importantly, he didn’t know anyone there to ask.

The only other option he could think of was the Tu Family from the Demon Cloud Sea. His relationship with them was mediocre—not good, but not bad either. At least they were from the Demon Cloud Sea and not some other empire, which would make asking for help less awkward.

However, he had no idea what the Tu Family’s current situation was. If they were still powerful, they might be willing to help for the right price. But if they were in a weakened state, there was nothing he could do.

He couldn’t think of any other external reinforcements besides the Tu Family. There was one other possibility: he could get stronger and break through to the Core Formation Stage himself! Of course, that was just wishful thinking. Breaking through to the Core Formation Stage was no easy feat. If it were, the streets would be teeming with Core Formation Stage experts.

Lin Xuan’s bloodline talent was Heaven-Defying, but that didn’t mean his Cultivation would just skyrocket. It simply meant he could break through faster than others. Reaching Cole Formation Stage Cultivation in the blink of an eye would be terrifyingly fast—and completely impossible.

’Perhaps the Tu Family can send people to help, and I can also enter the Martial God Tower again!’ A glint flashed in Lin Xuan’s eyes as he remembered the tower. He had passed the Sixth Layer last time, which meant he could challenge the Seventh Layer now.

The Martial God Tower had eight layers in total. If he could clear all of them, he would obtain the Martial God’s complete inheritance, and his power would surely leap to a new level. This was exactly what he needed. He had to break through quickly—if not to the Cole Formation Stage, then at least to the Spirit Pill Stage!

Only after reaching the Spirit Pill Stage could he truly unleash most of the Soul Pearl’s power. That’s right—he had never been able to fully utilize the Soul Pearl’s might. Its soul power was equivalent to the Late Stage of the Spirit Pill Stage, and only by reaching a corresponding level himself could he unleash its full potential!

This was why he was so eager to break through. It was just that breaking through was never simple.

"I’ve thought of a place where I can seek reinforcements, but how long can we hold out here?" Lin Xuan asked. ’A round trip to the Demon Cloud Sea would take a long time, and challenging the Martial God Tower would take time as well. Of course, the most important thing is whether I can even get them to help. That’s the real key.’

"Lord Qing has already discussed this with us. The moment they show themselves, we can easily retake Qingcheng Mansion. He wants us all to gather in the Core Hall. If we’re all together, we can defend it for a long time; it will be nearly impenetrable!" Lin Feng sighed. "But it also means we’ll have a hard time breaking out. In terms of overall strength, the Royal Family still has the upper hand. That Demon Technique they cultivate allows them to create many experts!"

In the end, Qingcheng Mansion only had two Core Formation Stage experts, and no more. The other families had, at best, experts at the Spirit Pill Stage. Just because one had seen the Demon Race Continent, which was swarming with powerful cultivators, it didn’t mean experts were a common sight everywhere.

Most families had a pitifully small number of Spirit Pill Stage experts—one or two at most. Take the Lin Family, for example. Lin Feng was their only expert at the Spirit Pill Stage right now; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been in such a pathetic state earlier.

"I see. Then let me be the one to go seek reinforcements," Lin Xuan said with a faint smile. "I know a place with many powerful experts, but I don’t know if I can persuade them to help. If I can’t, then we’ll just have to defend Qingcheng Mansion... and hold out until we achieve our own breakthroughs!"

’I’m just afraid we won’t be able to hold out. I’m not worried about a lack of time; these things can’t be rushed. If we had a Void Spirit Stage expert, crushing the Royal Family would be child’s play. The problem is, the Golden Dragon Race can’t come here. We can only cultivate patiently and wait for the right opportunity to strike them down.’

"Ah, in that case, all the better. Let’s head back and discuss our strategy!"

They didn’t linger. After gathering all the Lin Family disciples, they hurried toward the Core Hall. With two powerful experts from the Golden Dragon Race providing protection, there were naturally no major issues.

Once everyone had arrived safely, Lin Xuan immediately discussed the matter with Qing Deyun and the others. They fell silent for a moment before agreeing to Lin Xuan’s request. Normally, such a task wouldn’t fall to a junior like him, but they couldn’t think of any better options. They knew all the major powers within the Soaring Dragon Empire and could call upon them, but the problem was that even their combined strength couldn’t match that of the Royal Family.

They had no connections outside their own Empire. Conflicts between empires were common, so people rarely traveled to other empires unless it was absolutely necessary.

"We old-timers feel quite ashamed, sending you to find reinforcements," Qing Deyun sighed. "But so be it. This is a world for you young people now. It would be wonderful if you can find help, but don’t feel pressured if you can’t. As for their compensation, you can tell them that everything is negotiable! As long as their demands aren’t too outrageous, we can agree to them!"

If the demands were too outrageous, they would rather face a stalemate, a prolonged war of attrition to see who would fall first. Although Xu Qianlong’s forces were strong, the Demon Technique they cultivated was exceedingly cruel; it would surely lead to their own downfall eventually!

However, as their enemies grew stronger, if they couldn’t find allies or become more powerful themselves, they would likely be the first to be wiped out.

"Understood! If I can’t find reinforcements, we will defend Qingcheng Mansion to the death!"

Lin Xuan’s gaze was filled with resolve. After saying his farewells, he decided not to take Jin Shi and Jin Feng with him. It wasn’t because the Demon Cloud Sea was safe—quite the opposite. The Demon Cloud Sea was extremely dangerous, which was precisely why he couldn’t bring them: they couldn’t fly.

Lin Xuan couldn’t fly either, but he could ride his Phoenix. With the Phoenix as his mount, he was confident he could escape pursuit even from a Core Formation Stage expert. Therefore, he decided to leave the two of them behind to help guard the place. Jin Shi and Jin Feng followed Lin Xuan’s orders without the slightest objection.

As Lin Xuan departed on his Phoenix, the others sighed and turned to go back inside. ’This truly is a world for the young now.’

"Master, I want to break through to the next level," Lin Xue declared, her beautiful eyes glinting with determination as she watched Lin Xuan’s figure disappear into the distance.

"Are you sure you want to take that next step?" Qing Piaoxue asked after a moment of silence. "That path of Cultivation is exceedingly dangerous. Are you certain this is what you want?"

"Yes. I have been preparing for the last six months. The only thing missing was our return to Qingcheng Mansion..." Lin Xue had never once let up on her training. Even though Lin Xuan was strong enough to protect her, she was determined to keep cultivating and grow more powerful herself.

’In her heart, she didn’t necessarily need to stand in front of Lin Xuan and fight his battles for him, but she at least wanted to be strong enough to fight by his side!’

"Demon Cloud Sea, here I come again!"

Lin Xuan pushed all other thoughts aside. His only goal was to become stronger—strong enough to protect the people he cared about!