Gazing at the dense forest before him, Lin Dong subtly clenched his fists. He raised his head and glanced around, seeing a constant stream of figures bustling in and out of the woods, a sight that was almost dizzying. The clamor gradually spread.
By this time, quite a few people had already begun rushing into the forest. Witnessing this, everyone became slightly more vigilant.
The hunt had begun, and Lin Dong no longer delayed, walking into the forest at a steady pace. As more figures successively entered the woods, the clamor was gradually swallowed by the forest's silence. For a moment, the atmosphere became tranquil.
Just as Lin Dong entered the forest, several figures not far away glanced at him, then watched him warily. Judging by their demeanor, these people knew that Lin Dong's identity token would not be easy to seize.
Lin Dong paid little attention to their wariness. After discerning the direction, he quickly headed towards a tall mountain. After all, all the participants would eventually go there, saving him the trouble of searching around.
This forest was originally very quiet, but after many people entered, it began to stir. The sounds of fierce beasts continuously rang out, and among them, there seemed to be a few cries of alarm. It appeared some unlucky fellows had already encountered fierce beasts.
But Lin Dong's footsteps did not falter because of these reasons. He maintained his previous speed and quickly advanced deep into the dense forest. After walking for a few minutes, people finally appeared before him. Seeing this, he paused for a moment, then looked at the three figures ahead.
The three people who appeared ahead were not much older or younger than Lin Dong. They had sturdy bodies and dark skin, looking very robust. What surprised Lin Dong was that most people entering this forest were hostile towards each other, but judging by their appearance, these three seemed to be working together.
"Hand over your identity token."
The dark-skinned youth in the middle of the three stared at Lin Dong and spoke. As soon as he spoke, his two companions, with great coordination, spread out on either side, forming a semicircle to surround Lin Dong.
Seeing the three of them act this way, Lin Dong couldn't help but shake his head with a smile. He slowly walked forward, but showed no intention of taking out his identity token.
"Attack!"
Seeing Lin Dong's movements, all three of them darkened their expressions. At this moment, a halo of light appeared on their bodies; it seemed all three had reached the sixth level of Body Tempering.
As their Yuan Power began to activate, the three also threw their fists. The fist winds they unleashed carried a fierce momentum as they struck towards Lin Dong.
In terms of numbers, these three had a complete advantage, but for Lin Dong, this posed no threat at all. With his current strength, dealing with three people was merely a matter of moments. Therefore, in just a short while, the three who had just been like fierce devils were now lying on the ground, crying out miserably.
Lin Dong smiled, then took out the identity tokens from the chests of the three, spread his hands, and said:
"Thanks."
Having said that, he leisurely stepped over the three and continued deeper into the forest. Meanwhile, the three lying on the ground were in extreme pain, their faces filled with agony. They hadn't expected that the moment they made a move, they would hit such an iron plate.
After encountering three people who tried to block his way, Lin Dong walked for a while before running into two more unfortunate individuals who wanted to attack him. These two were a bit stronger, having reached the seventh layer of Body Tempering, but to Lin Dong, who had already reached the Earth Yuan Stage, they were nothing more than easy prey.
Proceeding at a relaxed pace, Lin Dong had successfully collected five identity tokens. Adding his own, he now had six. He only needed four more to be able to climb onto that platform.
Lin Dong wasn't in a hurry regarding this. Frankly speaking, with his current Earth Yuan Stage strength, successfully passing through this forest was an easy task; there was fundamentally nothing to worry about.
As he delved deeper into the forest, besides the fellows blocking his way to snatch identity tokens, Lin Dong also encountered some fierce beasts. However, these fierce beasts clearly posed no threat to him; it only took a little time to slay them all.
After a while longer, Lin Dong gradually made his way deeper into the forest. The people he encountered by then were not weak in strength; after all, to be able to reach this far, one would need to possess some strength, otherwise it would be very difficult.
After advancing a bit further, Lin Dong collected two more identity tokens, bringing his total to eight, only two short of the required ten. However, as he advanced, what surprised Lin Dong a little was that he still hadn't encountered Lei Li and Xie Yingying.
At this moment, Lin Dong was sitting cross-legged under a large tree, taking out a biscuit to eat. After finishing his meal, he closed his eyes, as if resting.
Whoosh!
Just as Lin Dong closed his eyes, an arrow suddenly shot out from deep within the forest, aimed directly at him.
The arrow flew with extreme speed and power. But when it was about a *zhang* away from Lin Dong, he suddenly extended his hand, flicked out a grab, caught it, and then shot it back towards the direction it had come from, deep in the forest.
As soon as the arrow was shot back, a figure darted out, then landed on a dead tree, cautiously staring at Lin Dong.
Lin Dong slightly raised his head to look. After a quick glance, a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes. "It's a woman?"
The figure on the branch was indeed a young woman clad in light attire. Her supple body, tightly bound by leather clothing, revealed alluring curves. Her skin was not fair, but rather had a bronze hue, making her appear full of sensuality at first glance. Moreover, she gave off the impression of a small leopard, her body brimming with power.
At this moment, the young woman was looking at Lin Dong. In her hand was a wooden bow, and an arrow had been nocked onto it without him noticing.
Of course, what surprised Lin Dong wasn't that his opponent was a woman, but rather her skill. According to his estimation, this young woman had probably reached the eighth layer of Body Tempering; her strength was not weak.
"Do you want to take my identity token? I'm afraid you've picked the wrong target." Lin Dong put the remaining biscuit in his hand into his mouth, then said with a smile.
"You're Lin Dong, right?"
The young woman dressed in leather stared at Lin Dong, then suddenly spoke. Her voice was incredibly clear, yet had a slight hoarseness to it. The husky voice, combined with her well-developed physique, made her even more alluring.
– Oh?
Lin Dong was slightly startled, not expecting this young woman to know his name.
“Heh heh, I told her.”
Just as Lin Dong was surprised, a burst of laughter suddenly rang out not far away. Then, the leaves rustled slightly, and a figure appeared before Lin Dong’s eyes. It was Wu Yun.
Seeing Wu Yun appear, Lin Dong frowned and said:
“What are you two…?”
“Don’t misunderstand, there are so many identity tokens here, I wouldn’t think of targeting you. I came to find you because I want to cooperate on something.” Wu Yun waved his hands repeatedly, saying.
“Cooperate on what? With your strength, getting ten identity tokens should be the simplest thing.”
Lin Dong said.
“We discovered a demonic beast.”
Wu Yun took two steps forward and whispered.
“Huh? A demonic beast?”
Lin Dong frowned slightly. Are there really demonic beasts in this forest?
“A Fire Python Tiger.”
Wu Yun’s voice suddenly dropped.
“A Fire Python Tiger? How could a demonic beast of that kind appear here?”
Hearing that name, Lin Dong’s hand couldn’t help but tremble. He then looked at Wu Yun strangely:
“Are you trying to die? An adult Fire Python Tiger can rival a Sky Origin Stage master! We can’t deal with that demonic beast.”
The Fire Python Tiger. Some time ago, Lin Dong had read about it in a Demonic Beast Compendium at the Lin family’s Martial Arts Hall. This demonic beast had a fearsome reputation; when fully grown, it possessed the combat power to contend with a Sky Origin Stage master. However, such demonic beasts usually resided deep within the mountains. Why would one appear here today?
“Don’t worry, this Fire Python Tiger is severely injured. From its appearance, it must have escaped from deep within the mountains. Most importantly, this Fire Python Tiger has just given birth.” Wu Yun leaned close to Lin Dong’s ear and whispered.
“Given birth?”
These two words made Lin Dong once again draw a sharp breath, his expression constantly shifting. Adult Fire Python Tigers were extremely ferocious, and because of their violent nature, they were very difficult to tame. Therefore, if someone could obtain a juvenile Fire Python Tiger and tame it, they would later possess a pet capable of rivaling a Sky Origin Stage master!
If this news were to spread outside Qingyang Town, all the major powers would surely turn green with envy and begin searching for it. After all, even the Lin family, after so many years of development, only had four Sky Origin Stage experts within their ranks.
“Lei Li and Xie Yingying have already rushed there, and they even have helpers. That’s why I could only come to you. You should know, if the Lei and Xie families get their hands on the Fire Python Tiger cub… it won’t be good for the Lin family and the Mad Blade Martial Arts Hall!” Wu Yun’s expression turned slightly solemn as he spoke.
Lin Dong furrowed his brow. He hadn’t expected such a development to arise from a mere hunt. If the Lei and Xie families learned of the Fire Python Tiger cub’s appearance, Lei Bao and his group would likely no longer preside over the hunt, but directly take action to seize it themselves. Fortunately, this news had clearly not yet spread.
“So, what do you say?”
Wu Yun also looked at Lin Dong, who was deep in thought, with a hint of nervousness. Lei Li’s forces were formidable; if Lin Dong didn’t make a move and they only relied on Wu Yun, success would clearly be out of reach.
Lin Dong slightly pursed his lips, remained silent for a moment, then looked straight into Wu Wen's eyes and suddenly nodded:
"Alright, let's move!"