Chapter 596: Infiltrate

Lin Xuan followed them into Phoenix Island without a hitch. There was no protective barrier, but as they passed, Lin Xuan felt a terrifying Spiritual Sense sweep over them. It seemed to let them go without a second thought after identifying that they were not from the Mutant Sect.

‘It seems they’re only targeting the Mutant Sect.’ In fact, that was exactly the case. Bingxin’s faction was composed entirely of the Mutant Sect; one could say there wasn’t a single normal Phoenix among them. They were predominantly Mutants.

The Phoenix that Lin Xuan had acquired was, in fact, a Mutated Phoenix. Its soul had become so weak that only a single Attribute remained. As for whether a Mutated Phoenix leaned more toward ice or fire, that varied from case to case.

Clearly, the Phoenix Soul he had absorbed possessed a stronger fire bloodline. The ice-attribute part of its soul had dissipated, leaving only the fire.

Generally, the Phoenix Race’s attitude toward the Mutant Sect was divided. Some were extremely opposed, some were not, and others remained neutral.

The Mutant Sect was admittedly a bit strange, but they still carried the bloodline of the Phoenix Race. The others couldn’t be so cruel as to kill them on sight; at most, they would only capture them.

However, this was an order from the Fire Phoenix King, so they had no choice but to carry it out, lest they be reprimanded.

After they landed, someone immediately walked over, looked Lin Xuan up and down, and asked doubtfully, “A new face?”

The newcomer was a Steward of the Phoenix Race. His gaze, sharpened by his Core Formation Stage Cultivation, swept up and down Lin Xuan. The Phoenix Race’s population wasn’t particularly large, so they were able to remember most faces. With their level of cultivation, memorizing faces was a simple task; they could remember hundreds of thousands of people, never forgetting a face they had seen even once.

“I am Mu Shuang, a junior who has been living outside and only just returned. It’s normal that you haven’t seen me before, Senior.” Lin Xuan used an alias. The incident at the Ice and Snow Tower was tied to his real name, and the name “Lin Xuan” was infamous. He had no choice but to use a pseudonym.

“Mu Shuang, been living outside…” The Steward observed him for a moment before nodding. “Mm, it’s good that you’ve returned. Many of our kin have been wandering outside these past years. Things aren’t safe lately, so don’t go out recklessly. Especially with the situation at the Phoenix Ruins—more and more other Demon Races are showing up. This is all the Mutant Sect’s doing! To think they’d leak the keys to the Phoenix Ruins… Isn’t that just squandering our Phoenix Race’s treasures!”

They were furious. The Phoenix Ruins were filled with treasures! Every key leaked meant another door could be opened, and the treasures within would be further depleted. How could they not be enraged by this?

But because of this, Phoenix Island had to dispatch more people to guard the Phoenix Ruins, eventually forcing the Fire Phoenix King to stand guard there himself! This resulted in a significant reduction of personnel on Phoenix Island, which was why the island seemed so sparsely populated.

‘Good, I wasn’t discovered. It seems this Soul Possession is really useful…’

Lin Xuan breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the Steward leave, the tension finally draining from him. Even though a portion of their forces had been dispatched elsewhere, there were still many experts here. If he were to be discovered, escaping would be extremely difficult.

He had taken an enormous risk by coming here. He never would have dared to try if he hadn’t heard that members of the Mutant Sect were imprisoned within. For now, he had successfully deceived everyone. As long as no one inspected his bloodline, he was indistinguishable from an ordinary Phoenix in both appearance and abilities.

After they left, Xie Ling arranged for Lin Xuan’s lodging, telling him to rest there for the time being. All other matters would be decided after the Elders returned. Where Lin Xuan would ultimately be assigned would depend entirely on their decision.

Late in the night, Lin Xuan quietly slipped out of his room, intending to sneak to the cells where the Mutated Phoenixes were imprisoned. Possessing the Phoenix’s memories, he knew every corner of Phoenix Island and wasn’t worried about getting lost.

But just as he stepped outside, Yan Cheng’s voice reached his ears. “And where might you be going?”

Lin Xuan’s expression remained impassive. ‘So Yan Cheng is guarding right outside. As expected of a newcomer, they won’t let me off the hook so easily.’

This was within his expectations. He had known Yan Cheng was waiting outside before he even left the room. ‘But I can’t just stay in here forever, can I?’

“I just wanted to take a walk. Is there a problem?” Lin Xuan asked with a smile.

“You may not. Until the Elders return, you are not to leave this room. Please understand, Brother Mu.” Yan Cheng’s expression was stern; this was clearly not up for negotiation.

“Fine, I’ll stay here then. But there’s a problem with the room. Could I trouble you to take a look, brother?” Lin Xuan gave a helpless shrug, motioning for Yan Cheng to come over.

Yan Cheng frowned but, suspecting nothing, walked over and peered into the room. “What’s the problem in here—”

“THUD!”

A hand suddenly chopped down hard on the back of his head, creating a dull thud. A surging wave of Spiritual Power flooded his mind, detonating directly within his soul.

“BOOM!”

Yan Cheng felt his soul detonate. His eyes rolled back into his head, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious. He wasn’t seriously injured, merely stunned by the Soul Attack. He wouldn’t be waking up anytime soon.

“Have a nice nap.” Lin Xuan dragged Yan Cheng back into the room. He hadn’t killed him. In his view, there was no real difference between the Mutated Phoenixes and these ones; not every member of the Phoenix Race was so xenophobic.

Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn’t kill members of the Phoenix Race. If it had been a human, he would have disposed of them long ago. This was a Divine Beast, after all. He might look like a person, but he was actually a Phoenix, brimming with Phoenix Essence Blood. The effects of absorbing it would be significant.

This held little appeal for Lin Xuan. Not only was Yan Cheng’s Grade too low, but more importantly, he was a member of the Phoenix Race. They might become allies in the future, so he couldn’t just kill them indiscriminately.

After dealing with Yan Cheng, he moved quickly toward the prison, which wasn’t far. Luckily, with so many of the clan members away, security wasn’t especially tight.

Using his advanced concealment arts, he silently made his way to the prison—an underground dungeon on Phoenix Island.

‘A Core Formation Stage Guard…’

Lin Xuan’s brow furrowed slightly when he saw a Core Formation Stage expert guarding the entrance to the underground dungeon, but this was not outside his expectations.

‘It would be stranger if this place didn’t have a single guard. Or perhaps the Phoenix Race would just be stupid.’

‘In that case, I’ll just use the statues to lure him away…’ Lin Xuan casually tossed out two statues. As long as he could draw the Guard away temporarily, he would have the opening he needed to slip inside.