Soul Emperor Awakening

A few days later, the sky over the Qingcheng Mansion region grew heavy. Dark clouds gathered, and a suffocating pressure, like a storm about to break, swept over the land, making everyone in the area feel extremely oppressed.

Word had already gotten out. The Royal Family and the Divine Seal Sect had joined forces. This time, even the Sect Leader of the Divine Seal Sect had come in person. It was a full-scale mobilization! Only Xu Qianlong was absent, seemingly preoccupied with something else and had not yet appeared.

The overall force they dispatched was formidable, with at least eight Core Formation Stage experts! This was several more than before, but with the Divine Seal Sect's Sect Leader present, the situation was completely different. Besides, eight was already a substantial number. Core Formation Stage experts weren't a dime a dozen; mustering even a few was quite an achievement.

In addition to them, there were eight Spirit Pill Stage experts, and as for those with Essence Pill Stage Cultivation, there were dozens! This truly was a full-scale mobilization. At this rate, Qingcheng Mansion was doomed.

This was the combined strength of the Royal Family and the Divine Seal Sect. Even the families affiliated with the Royal Family had sent out numerous Spirit Pill Stage experts. This could be said to be the limit of their power.

However, they were all afraid of dying. Lin Xuan had many ferocious Spirit Pill Stage experts on his side, so they felt like cannon fodder. Getting too close would be suicide.

Under pressure, they were forced to participate. Otherwise, the Royal Family would send a Core Formation Stage expert to annihilate their families. Qingcheng Mansion could still resist, but those smaller families would just be waiting for death.

"So, they've all been deployed? Then let's go out and give them a warm welcome!" Qing Deyun led the others out of the Core Hall to the very front.

Just as they emerged, they saw numerous Core Formation Stage experts flying toward them at high speed. Leading the group, besides the familiar face of Hai Qingdong, was a relative stranger: the Sect Leader of the Divine Seal Sect, Hai Tiansheng!

His expression was frigid as he flew over, face set like stone. He was fully aware of what had happened to the Divine Seal Sect, and it went without saying how furious he was; he was undoubtedly on the verge of exploding. He wished he could make Lin Xuan die a thousand deaths, but crucially, he couldn't. He could only vent his rage on Qingcheng Mansion.

"Sea Pig Head, long time no see! It's been a while. Put on a few more pounds, have we?" Qing Deyun sneered.

He had always called Hai Tiansheng "Sea Pig Head," mainly because Hai Tiansheng was rather fat and looked plump. No one else dared to call him that; they wouldn't even dare to call him "fatty." If anyone actually did, they'd be lucky to escape with their life, but their tongue would likely be cut out.

Hai Tiansheng descended from the sky. He didn't rush into battle but landed with an ashen face, looking at them coldly. "I never would have guessed Qingcheng Mansion still had this much strength... I'll give you a chance to surrender. If you submit to us, we won't pursue matters further. But you must hand over Lin Xuan!"

His gaze locked onto Lin Xuan, his eyes filled with killing intent, but also a hint of yearning. "Boy, I didn't expect you to be so capable. No wonder the Great Emperor wants to get his hands on you so badly!"

"Could you try not to sound so disgusting?" Lin Xuan retorted with a cold smile. "If you want to capture me, let's see if you have what it takes!"

Even if Qingcheng Mansion were to fall, with his Phoenix, he could escape with ease. Who could possibly catch him then? From the very beginning, he hadn't been worried for himself. His only fear was that his friends and family would be captured in retaliation.

If he were alone, he truly wouldn't be afraid of anyone. Of course, that was only for the time being.

"Surrender? That's just nonsense. If we were going to surrender, we would have done it long ago. Why waste our breath talking to you here?" Qing Deyun said coldly. "You have many experts, but so do we!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two Core Formation Stage experts walked out from within. Both were of the Supreme Elder Level, their aged bodies the best testament to their years. Though old, they were still Core Formation Stage experts, their eyes brimming with the will to fight!

In addition, seven or eight elderly Spirit Pill Stage experts appeared. This was their oldest generation of power. Despite their age, they were still eager for a great battle. They had chosen seclusion not because their passion had died, but simply to make way for the younger generation!

With this, Qingcheng Mansion now had six Core Formation Stage experts. As for the Spirit Pill Stage Level, there were too many to count—over a dozen. And when adding the ones Lin Xuan could summon, the number became truly astonishing.

Watching the number of experts gradually increase, Hai Tiansheng sneered mockingly, "Is this all you have? I thought you'd have some real power. They all have one foot in the grave. Are you sure they should be joining the fight? Besides, do you really think this is all the men we have?"

The words had barely left his mouth when two more Core Formation Stage experts flew over from the distance. These two were reinforcements from the Royal Family! Now, the Divine Seal Sect's side had a total of ten Core Formation Stage experts. At this sight, the expression on Qing Deyun's side changed slightly.

This meant they were outnumbered by four Core Formation Stage experts. The pressure was immense! It was safe to say their chances of victory were practically zero. At best, they could fight to a bloody, bitter end; winning would be nearly impossible.

Lin Xuan's expression was just as grim. They were dead set on devouring Qingcheng Mansion. This time, they would show absolutely no mercy.

"How does it feel?" Hai Tiansheng roared with laughter at their grim faces. "A bunch of decrepit Elders who can't even match one of our Core Formation Stage experts. Is this your great power?"

He laughed derisively, feeling that Qingcheng Mansion was so ignorant, so powerless.

And it was true. Qingcheng Mansion was just that powerless. Even after awakening their hidden forces, they still couldn't compare to the combined might of the Divine Seal Sect and the Royal Family. Qingcheng Mansion had always been a single power. The Royal Family and the Divine Seal Sect were two superpowers. Perhaps they could handle a one-on-one fight, but against their combined forces, Qingcheng Mansion was truly outmatched.

If not for the two Core Formation Stage experts Lin Xuan had brought, the gap would have been even wider—an absolute curbstomp.

The outcome of a battle was determined mainly by the number of top-tier experts, not the overall headcount. Right now, their opponents had a full four more Core Formation Stage experts than Qingcheng Mansion. Even Lin Xuan couldn't influence the outcome in the slightest. The Level of this battle was just too high.

"Lin Xuan, aren't you supposed to be Qingcheng Mansion's lucky star?" Hai Tiansheng boomed with laughter. "Well? Hurry up and do something! Go on, work a miracle for me! As it stands, Qingcheng Mansion is dying because of you! If you hadn't appeared, I imagine our plans wouldn't have advanced so quickly. Instead of their lucky star, you're more like their harbinger of doom!"

The people from the Divine Seal Sect burst out laughing. Their laughter was so unbridled, so insolent, so confident.

"I'll give you one last chance. Hand over Lin Xuan and become our slaves. Otherwise, the only outcome for you today is death!" Hai Tiansheng pointed at them, his smiling face turning frigid.

Not only did they have to hand over Lin Xuan, but they also had to become slaves. They'd rather die!

"A harbinger of doom? To us, he's a lucky star! Now, what about when you add us to the mix?"

Just then, three beams of light flew over, coming to a steady halt in the air nearby. The three arrivals were none other than Tuo Shengfeng and Tuo Zhanhong, and they had brought Tuo Yunhai with them!