Soul Emperor Awakening

Lin Xuan completely disregarded the concerns of Qing Deyun and the others. All he wanted was to absorb power frantically, to raise his strength to its limits and end this battle.

He could feel his body gradually approaching its limit. If not for the years he had spent intensely training his body and absorbing countless treasures to temper his physique, he would have collapsed long ago. He never would have been able to withstand such a terrifying eruption of power. But even so, he was once again nearing his breaking point.

In addition to the physical toll, the drain on his Soul Power was also staggering. All these Soul Possessions came at a steep price. His Soul Power was depleting rapidly, and he knew he couldn’t last much longer. If his Soul Power weakened, it would be even easier for him to lose his sanity!

"Stop! Stop it!"

Xu Qianlong never expected Lin Xuan to be so maniacal. Far from slowing down, his absorption speed had accelerated dramatically. He could feel the power of the pool slipping away, and even the power within his own body was being drained!

At the same time, he charged forward in a rage, attacking with all his strength. With a wave of his hands, two red whips shot out, morphing into massive crimson lashes that struck forward. But the attack was visibly weaker than before. This was only natural, as he needed to draw upon the power of the Blood Pool to unleash his full might.

With Lin Xuan frantically siphoning its power, the pool’s strength had naturally dropped significantly. A red glint flashed in Lin Xuan’s eyes as he swung out a palm. It seemed like a casual strike, yet it commandeered the power of the surrounding Blood Pool, instantly forming a gigantic palm of blood that crashed down.

It effortlessly devoured Xu Qianlong’s attack and continued bearing down on him, making his face drain of color. In just a moment, Lin Xuan’s power had surged once more, as if it would never stop rising!

BOOM!

The colossal blood palm slammed down like a great vat of blood being dumped out and detonated. When the mist of blood cleared, Xu Qianlong struggled back to his feet, having visibly aged. The loss of power from his body had caused him to age rapidly!

His youth was only temporary. Unless he broke through to the Void Spirit Stage or if he left this place for too long, he would age rapidly. He hadn’t left, but with Lin Xuan siphoning away most of the power, rapid aging was his only fate.

"I... I will kill you!" Xu Qianlong roared. Casting aside all restraint, he began to frantically draw the surrounding blood, forcing it into his own body.

For a moment, he actually gained the upper hand, rapidly drawing the Essence Blood from the Blood Pool to heal his wounds and forcibly raise his Cultivation. While the Essence Blood could provide a temporary boost, it wasn’t powerful enough to trigger a major breakthrough if one’s Cultivation was already too high.

The pool contained no Essence Blood from a Void Spirit Stage expert, so how could it possibly allow an absorber to skyrocket to the Void Spirit Stage? Perhaps a much greater quantity could force it, but Xu Qianlong wouldn’t resort to such a measure unless it was a life-or-death crisis.

After all, such a move would cost him his sanity, something he wouldn’t risk unless absolutely forced. Now, he was desperate enough to try, but it was too late. Lin Xuan had already absorbed most of the pool’s power. No matter how much he tried to absorb now, he could no longer manage even a temporary breakthrough.

"I’ll use every last drop of Essence Blood! We’ll see who the true Sovereign is!" Xu Qianlong’s eyes flashed with the same red light as he frantically absorbed the Essence Blood. His youth returned, and with it, his former strength.

Lin Xuan hadn’t expected that even with the soul of a Martial God and the soul of the Demon Evil Monarch, his absorption speed still couldn’t surpass Xu Qianlong’s. He was so close to overtaking him completely. If he allowed Xu Qianlong to keep absorbing and return to his Peak state, he would be finished.

After all, he was currently under assault from two fronts: the drain on his Soul Power and the toll on his body. The chaotic Essence Blood rampaging through him was wreaking havoc, and he could feel his meridians beginning to tear apart.

Therefore, he had to end this quickly. There could be no more delays!

"All souls, fuse!" Lin Xuan bellowed, unleashing his most powerful fusion yet. In an instant, every soul possessed his body—over twenty of them at once.

With a thunderous boom, his aura soared to the heavens once more. The erupting power blew the surrounding blood back. This new, more terrifying Realm allowed him to violently wrench Xu Qianlong’s stream of power away. Xu Qianlong felt his connection snap, as if it had been forcibly severed by an irresistible force!

Now, all the Essence Blood surged into Lin Xuan’s body. He had even seized control of the Blood Demon Array. The onlookers then witnessed a shocking scene: Lin Xuan’s entire body began to swell, and the aura that erupted from him announced that his power had reached the Peak of the Core Formation Stage!

The crucial part was that he was able to withstand this power without his body immediately exploding. He had even managed to maintain his sanity. ’What terrifying Willpower! What a terrifying physique!’

The Dragon Scales covering his body had long since turned crimson, making him look like a red dragon.

"Th-this is impossible... How could he be faster than me? How could he be faster than me!" Xu Qianlong shrieked in terror. Even at full tilt, his absorption couldn’t match Lin Xuan’s. Was this man even human?!

An increase in one’s Realm is meaningless if their Cultivation doesn’t rise to match it. Now that Lin Xuan’s Cultivation had reached the Core Formation Stage, the souls possessing him could finally unleash their full power. They were no longer holding anything back!

A mist of blood appeared on Lin Xuan’s back, and with a powerful flap of his crimson wings, he shot forward at an incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, he was before Xu Qianlong.

He drove his fist straight into Xu Qianlong’s chest, roaring, "Die!"

"Blood Killing Bursting Fist!"

His fist carried the power of the blood, enveloping it in a layer of crimson Armor. But more than that, it carried a devouring force capable of consuming everything!

Xu Qianlong quickly threw up an arm to block, but it was useless. The tyrannical fist easily shattered his arm before continuing on to pierce straight through his chest.

BANG!

With a muffled bang, Xu Qianlong’s eyes went wide. He couldn’t even utter a sound before his body exploded—truly burst apart—disintegrating into a cloud of blood mist.

With a single punch, he had killed the once-unbeatable Xu Qianlong. Such raw violence was enough to chill everyone present to the bone. This power was simply Heaven-Defying! Especially in their current, heavily injured state, they too would be obliterated by a single punch, completely powerless to resist.

And that speed... it was absolutely terrifying. He could kill them in an instant, with no chance of escape.

THUD!

Lin Xuan collapsed to his knees, his hands planted on the ground as he gasped for air. Sweat poured from his body, but it wasn’t transparent. It was a sweat of blood!

The side effects were finally kicking in. His greatest challenges now were to dispel the volatile Essence Blood from his system and deal with the souls rampaging in his mind. The corrupting blood had already permeated his body, and a tyrannical bloodlust surged into his brain. A palpable killing intent began to radiate from him.

If his enemy before had been Xu Qianlong, then his enemy now... was himself.