Chapter 597 - 595: Luring the Tiger Away from the Mountain

Lin Xuan swiftly summoned two statues, commanding them to charge forward without hesitation. The Steward guarding the entrance had just registered what was happening when he saw two figures rushing toward him. Both were unleashing terrifying, lethal attacks!

BOOM!

The Steward snorted and swiftly counter-attacked. A blast of Phoenix Fire detonated instantly, sending the two statues flying. A Core Formation Stage expert was truly in a league of their own, especially one from the Phoenix Race, who were exceptionally fast.

’How did someone sneak in? Could the outer Guards have been breached?’ The Steward stared coldly at the two figures he had blasted away. "Humans, of all things," he sneered. "You greedy humans can go and die!"

The Steward gave chase without hesitation, intent on capturing the two intruders. But Lin Xuan had no intention of letting them be caught. The moment they were sent flying, he was already commanding them to flee.

The Steward of the Phoenix Race certainly wasn’t going to let these intruders go. He immediately gave chase, unfurling his Phoenix Wings to pursue them.

With the Steward successfully lured away, Lin Xuan quickly slipped past and charged down into the underground prison. He didn’t have much time. If those statues were captured, his diversion would be easily discovered.

He entered the underground prison without a hitch. The temperature underground skyrocketed, but it meant little to him. This amount of heat wasn’t enough to cause him any discomfort.

He hadn’t gone far inside before he spotted the imprisoned Mutated Phoenix through the bars of a cell. Superficially, she looked no different from an ordinary person; only when she unleashed her power would anyone know she was a Mutated Phoenix.

Now, she lay quietly inside, her body bound in chains. These were no ordinary restraints; they were specially forged chains capable of completely cutting off the flow of Elemental Power within one’s body. Thus, while shackled, she was no different from an ordinary person and had no hope of breaking free.

CREAK...

Lin Xuan quickly pulled the cell door open. The woman inside slowly lifted her head, her resentful gaze landing on him. In a strained voice, she said, "Come to torture me again? I won’t tell you anything. Even if you use your Soul Searching Technique, you won’t find a single thing..."

Her body was covered in wounds; she had obviously been brutally tortured. Yet, she hadn’t revealed a single secret, her will remaining incredibly firm.

She had mistaken Lin Xuan for one of the Phoenix Race, repeating those lines without even getting a clear look at him.

"I’m not from the Phoenix Race. I’m here to save you!" Lin Xuan quickly walked over and began examining the chains, trying to figure out how to break them.

"Save me..." Si Yun raised her head. When she got a clear look at the young man before her, she realized he was a human. "A... a human!? How did you get in here..."

"How I got in doesn’t matter. What matters is I’m here to rescue you. Now, I’m going to break these chains!" Lin Xuan had no time for pleasantries. He reached out, gave a powerful yank, and the chains snapped under his immense strength.

Si Yun’s cultivation was by no means low, but with her power sealed, she was left without a shred of strength. Breaking the chains was impossible for her. Lin Xuan, however, wasn’t bound, so he could destroy them with ease. Since his Elemental Power wasn’t suppressed, the chains posed no threat to him.

"Let’s go!" Without another word, Lin Xuan pulled Si Yun up and started to flee.

"I... I’m not going with you!" Si Yun suddenly yanked her hand out of Lin Xuan’s grasp. Having little strength left, she immediately collapsed to the ground. She glared at him furiously. "Humans... Humans are the least trustworthy! What... what’s your scheme? What are you planning to do to us!"

At this, Lin Xuan felt like his head was about to explode. ’The statues can’t hold out much longer,’ he thought. ’If we don’t go now and the entrance gets blocked, how the hell are we supposed to get out?!’

"Are you an idiot?" Lin Xuan grabbed Si Yun and swept her up into his arms. "Even if humans can’t be trusted, think about it! I made it onto Phoenix Island. If I weren’t here to save you, I’d have to be a complete moron! Do you really think humans can just stroll onto Phoenix Island whenever they please?" he said coldly. "Besides, I know your Princess, Bingxin. She’s my savior, in a way. And I’m hers. I don’t know if she ever mentioned it to you, but my name is Lin Xuan!"

"You... You’re Lin Xuan?!" Si Yun’s eyes widened. She stopped struggling, seeming to have heard of him before.

"Of course! Why else would I be here saving you? We need to get out of here first. We can talk later. If we don’t go now, it’ll be too late!" Holding her tightly, Lin Xuan bolted outside. As long as Si Yun cooperated, things would be much simpler.

「Outside the underground prison.」

"You’re not getting away!"

The Phoenix Race Steward caught up swiftly, blocking their path with incredible speed. He thrust out his palm, bringing it down viciously with the power of the Phoenix Fire.

BOOM!

Moving with terrifying speed, the Steward landed several heavy palm strikes, instantly sending the statues flying. The Phoenix Fire swiftly seeped into their bodies.

FWOOSH! In the blink of an eye, they were reduced to a pile of ash!

Lin Xuan, controlling them from a distance, gasped. He could perceive everything that was happening outside. ’Those flames are the perfect counter for wood.’ Normally, it would take a Core Formation Stage expert at least a few attacks to destroy his statues.

But under the Phoenix Fire, they were incinerated in an instant. If he didn’t have a large supply of Five-Colored Spirit Wood, he would have truly felt the sting of this loss.

’Hm, Puppets?’

The Steward frowned. His Flame had incinerated them far too easily. If they were human, there would have been bodies left behind. Since only a pile of ash remained, he could conclude they were Puppets.

’Damn it! It’s a diversion!’

Once he came to his senses, the Steward immediately understood what was happening. Using Puppets as decoys could only mean one thing: it was a deliberate ploy to lure him away.

Just as Lin Xuan emerged from the underground prison, he saw the furious Steward charging in his direction. He had already sensed the Steward rushing back.

"A human!?" The Steward recognized Lin Xuan as a human with a single glance. Since Lin Xuan wasn’t using Soul Possession, his identity was obvious.

’Not that I intended to hide it,’ Lin Xuan thought. ’They’d find out once I burst out of here anyway, so there was no point in concealing it.’

"Go!"

Lin Xuan snorted, unfurled his Phoenix Wings, and shot away, pushing his speed to the absolute limit. The sight stunned the Steward. A human who could manifest Phoenix Wings!

Even Si Yun, cradled in his arms, was stunned. ’A human who can use Phoenix Wings? Doesn’t that mean he’s absorbed a great deal of Phoenix Essence Blood?’

’In other words... he’s killed many members of the Phoenix Race?’

"You... how can you use the Phoenix Wings? Did you... murder many of my people?" Killing Intent flashed in Si Yun’s eyes, but she was too weak to do anything.

"Killed them? My ass! Your Princess gave it to me!" Lin Xuan cried out in exasperation. ’So much suspicion for a simple rescue... what a pain.’ If Si Yun weren’t powerless, she probably would have attacked him already.

’And now I’m being chased. How am I supposed to get away?’