Soul Emperor Awakening

The sudden turn of events stunned both Fang Qingyu and Fang Shi. Spurred by the pain, Fang Shi quickly came to his senses and extinguished the flames on his body. Even though he reacted swiftly, most of his clothes were burned away, and his skin was scorched red. If not for his strong constitution, a part of him would have been charred to a crisp.

Lin Xuan was also shocked. He wasn’t shocked by the Phoenix itself, but by its astonishing Cultivation. The statues he had summoned in the past had always been at the same level as his own Cultivation. He never expected to summon a Phoenix at the First Layer of the Essence Pill Stage this time. If not for some slight discrepancies in the Elemental Power emanating from its flickering flames, he would have truly believed it was a Phoenix reborn.

’This Five-Colored Spirit Wood is truly miraculous!’ Lin Xuan was astounded. He had decided to risk it all. Even if it meant exposing his secret, he had to act. ’What’s the point of keeping a secret if you lose your life?’

The current situation exceeded his wildest expectations. ’This astonishing level of Cultivation can definitely stop Fang Shi, maybe even kill him! If I keep carving frantically, I can summon a few more to surround him. We can trap and kill him right here, and my secret will remain safe.’

He quickly snapped back to reality and resumed carving the figure in his hands. ’One might not be enough,’ he thought. To be on the safe side, he decided he would carve another one.

"A... a Divine Phoenix!" Fang Shi exclaimed in horror. "You... how do you possess a Divine Beast?" He hadn’t realized that the Phoenix had transformed from a carving, assuming it had been summoned from some alternate space.

"That’s something you don’t need to know!" Lin Xuan said coldly, directing the Phoenix to attack Fang Shi.

The Phoenix was incredibly fast, reaching Fang Shi in the blink of an eye. It charged forward, whipping up all-consuming flames. The spinning fire resembled a magnificent fiery lotus, its petals unfolding layer by layer to lock firmly onto Fang Shi.

"Phoenix Dance Lotus!"

The seemingly beautiful lotus concealed a terrifying killing intent as it swept towards Fang Shi.

Fang Shi’s expression changed drastically. He thrust out a palm and roared, "Back!"

He unleashed the Earth Level Martial Technique, Water Cloud Palm. An astonishing amount of Water Attribute Power coalesced into a giant palm to meet the attack. When an Earth Level Martial Technique was unleashed by an Essence Pill Stage expert, it possessed world-destroying power.

The entire area was enveloped in waves of water that crashed against the flames. As the two collided, a loud SIZZLE filled the air and steam billowed up endlessly. The absolute incompatibility of water and fire was on full display.

For a moment, the man and the Phoenix were evenly matched!

Fang Qingyu watched, dumbstruck from the sidelines. He only snapped out of it after a moment and quickly reined his horse to a halt, lest he be caught in the aftershocks of the terrifying attacks. He glared at Lin Xuan with jealousy and ground his teeth. "I can’t believe he even has a Phoenix. What kind of insane luck is that? A Divine Beast actually chose to follow him!"

The sight of the magnificent Phoenix only fueled his jealousy, and he couldn’t help but shout, "Hurry up and kill him! Snatch that Phoenix for me!" He had changed his mind; he now wanted Fang Shi to kill Lin Xuan so that he could take the Phoenix for himself.

The bond with a contracted Demon Beast could not be severed unless its master was killed. Generally speaking, acquiring a contracted Demon Beast was difficult and required a complex ritual. Moreover, few would bother with the process unless the Demon Beast was exceptionally rare.

That was why Fang Qingyu wanted Fang Shi to kill Lin Xuan; only then could the Phoenix’s contract with him be broken.

In the midst of battle, Fang Shi’s face turned ashen. He nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood from sheer rage. ’If this kid wasn’t the future heir, I’d slap him to death right now! I can barely handle this Phoenix, and he expects me to divide my attention to kill Lin Xuan? What a foolish daydream!’

’Killing Lin Xuan should have been a simple, trivial matter. Sending an Elder was already overestimating him. But now... it’s clear we didn’t overestimate him; we completely underestimated him! A contracted Divine Beast... I dare say no one in the entire Soaring Dragon Empire has one, aside from Lin Xuan.’

"Kill me?" Lin Xuan couldn’t even be bothered to call out Fang Qingyu’s stupidity. "If you’ve got the guts, come and try it yourself!" He stood his ground, directing the Phoenix to attack Fang Shi relentlessly while he continued to rapidly carve the figure of Lin Hua. Judging by his progress, he was just a few strokes away from finishing.

’I don’t know how long a Wood Carving made from Five-Colored Spirit Wood can last, but it’s definitely not permanent. A swift victory is the only way.’

’In this situation, I could easily circle around and kill Fang Qingyu,’ he thought. ’But once I’ve dealt with Fang Shi, what threat could Fang Qingyu possibly be?’

Fang Qingyu only dared to run his mouth; he wouldn’t dare to actually charge forward. He could only hope that Fang Shi would quickly dispose of Lin Xuan.

’It’s done!’

With one final stroke, Lin Xuan finished the Wood Carving. He shoved it into his robes and commanded the Phoenix to fly over to him.

KREEE~

The Phoenix let out a sharp cry, shooting high into the sky. After circling once, it dove back towards Lin Xuan at incredible speed. The Phoenix was renowned not only for its flames, but also for its speed, which far surpassed Fang Shi’s. If not for Fang Shi’s deeper foundation and higher Cultivation, he would have been defeated long ago.

As the Phoenix dove down, Lin Xuan leaped high into the air and landed squarely on its back, shooting forward at extreme speed. The flames covering its body couldn’t harm him in the slightest, as they were under his deliberate control.

"Trying to escape!" Fang Shi’s expression changed. How could he possibly catch a Phoenix at his speed? Especially since the Phoenix could fly, and he could not.

’If Lin Xuan escapes and exposes our plan, the Fang Family will face the full wrath of Qingcheng Mansion! And a disciple who possesses a Divine Beast... his words would carry immense weight.’

However, his fears were not realized. Lin Xuan merely made a wide circle before charging right back at him. But now, a Dragon Cloud Rod was in his hand.

The sight that greeted them was Lin Xuan, standing atop the soaring Phoenix, looking utterly majestic—like a Celestial God descending upon the mortal world!

"You dare to come back? Are you that overconfident?" Fang Shi’s face was grim as he retrieved a Great Sword, a High-class Treasure Artifact, from his Storage Ring. He hadn’t even had a moment to draw it earlier. The instant he brandished the Treasure Sword, his entire aura changed. A palpable killing intent radiated from him as he growled, "Even if it’s a Divine Beast, I can still cut it down!"

The greatest difference between humans and Demon Beasts was the ability to use weapons. This top-tier Great Sword was inscribed with High Grade patterns that would allow him to exert his strength to its absolute limit! With this, he would truly have the power to slay a Divine Beast.

Lin Xuan naturally sensed that the Great Sword was no ordinary item, but he wasn’t worried in the slightest. ’So what if the Phoenix is slain? It’s just a block of wood. It’s no real loss to me.’

"Go!"

Lin Xuan leaped off the Phoenix’s back, sending it to charge forward and attack.

"It’s useless!"

Fang Shi roared and brought his Great Sword down heavily toward the charging Phoenix. A blade of sword wind, powerful enough to split the heavens and crack the earth, slashed downward, carving a deep trench in the ground wherever it passed.

Boosted by the Great Sword, the attack’s power soared. Lin Xuan quickly directed the Phoenix to dodge, knowing that a direct hit from that slash would cleave it in two.

But the attack was simply too fast; even the Phoenix couldn’t quite keep up. It swerved sharply, but the edge of the blade light still caught it. With a mournful cry, a small section of its wing was sliced clean off. The Phoenix lost its balance and tumbled to the side, though it wasn’t critically damaged.

Lin Xuan’s eyes turned cold. Qing Liuyun’s Soul Possession! The power of the Spirit Pill Stage Realm flooded his body. The Dragon Cloud Rod he gripped erupted with a brilliant light, the domineering dragon pattern upon it flaring to life as a vast amount of Elemental Power gathered around it.

"Fifth Form, Dragon-like Stick!"

Lin Xuan let out a low roar and thrust the rod forward. A powerful Qi Force transformed into a roaring Qi Dragon that shot forth. This attack contained almost all of his strength.

"Hmph. An egg trying to smash a stone. You overestimate your own strength!" Fang Shi snorted, swinging his sword back toward Lin Xuan. "You could have run, but instead you came back to attack. So this is all a genius amounts to!"

The blade light from his casual swing easily extinguished Lin Xuan’s powerful Qi Dragon, effortlessly crushing the attack that had contained all of Lin Xuan’s strength.

But a triumphant smirk spread across Lin Xuan’s lips. "Idiot!"

Fang Shi froze. Before he could process what was happening, a terrifying sense of crisis washed over him from behind. He instinctively tried to dodge, but it was too late. A massive Qi Dragon erupted from his back, piercing straight through his body and soaring into the clouds.

As he turned his head in disbelief, he saw a figure standing not far behind him. It was the Lin Hua that Lin Xuan had summoned, holding a simple wooden stick and wearing an expression of absolute contempt for the world.

Now *that* was a true Dragon-like Stick!

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