“Swish… swish!”
Lei Li’s body finally stabilized after a brief struggle. He suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with terror as he stared at Lin Dong, crying out in a choked voice: “You’ve also stepped into the Earth Yuan Stage? How is that possible?!”
Lei Li’s terrified, choked cry was like a clap of thunder, echoing in the ears of everyone in the clearing. Immediately after, sharp intakes of breath could be heard from the surrounding forest.
“If you can step into the Earth Yuan Stage, why can’t I?” Lin Dong smiled, looking at Lei Li’s ghost-like expression.
“You!”
Lei Li’s face suddenly stiffened, and his body couldn’t help but tremble slightly. He had started cultivating three years ago, and with the abundant resources of the Lei family, he had only managed to successfully enter the Earth Yuan Stage two months before the hunting season. But what about Lin Dong? As far as he knew, this person’s cultivation time seemed to be only about a year!
One year, yet he had surpassed Lei Li’s three years of cultivation!
What kind of speed was this? Lei Li had never even heard of such speed!
“Impossible!”
At this moment, Lei Li’s expression constantly shifted, finally twisting slightly as he took two steps forward. He refused to believe that Lin Dong had truly reached the Earth Yuan Stage!
“Brother Lei Li, they want to snatch the Fire Python Tiger cub!” While Lei Li’s heart was in turmoil, Xie Yingying’s eyes suddenly caught sight of a scene unfolding on the rock face of the mountain slope, and her face immediately changed color as she urgently cried out.
“Damn it!”
Hearing this, Lei Li suddenly snapped back to his senses. Seeing Wu Yun already climbing the rock face, he was instantly enraged. Dense Yuan Power erupted from his body. Faintly, a trace of cold energy drifted about. From his appearance, it seemed he had also absorbed and fused Yin Sha Qi with his Yuan Power, but judging by the level of coldness, it was probably just ordinary Yin Sha Qi from the natural world.
“Lin Dong, no matter how you managed to increase your strength, you’re not qualified to step all over me!”
As the Yuan Power within his body surged, feeling its abundant strength, Lei Li’s confidence also surged again. When he had attacked earlier, he had simply not expected Lin Dong’s strength to have increased so drastically, which was why he had been caught off guard and suffered a disadvantage. But now that he was prepared, even if Lin Dong had stepped into the Earth Yuan Stage, he wouldn’t be able to put Lei Li in such a difficult position again.
With a roar, Lei Li’s body shot forward like an arrow. His palms curved slightly, forming a hawk-like claw, and sharp, powerful winds enveloped Lin Dong.
“Yingying, stop Wu Yun!”
As he attacked Lin Dong, Lei Li shouted loudly again.
Hearing Lei Li’s shout, Xie Yingying nodded, but before she could take more than a few steps, Lin Dong had already broken free from Lei Li’s entanglement, appearing before her. He swept out with a palm, forcing Xie Yingying to retreat awkwardly.
“You all attack too!”
Seeing that Lin Dong wasn’t engaging him directly but was instead deliberately tying up Xie Yingying, Lei Li’s face turned livid with rage. He could only shout again at the others he had called for help.
Hearing Lei Li's shout, the others hesitated for a moment, recalling Lei Li's earlier promise of remuneration. Thus, they could only grit their teeth. However, just as they made a move, the sound of something cutting through the air echoed once more from the forest. Arrows shot out violently, forcing them to dodge clumsily.
While Lin Dong and Mu Langsha held back Lei Li's group, Wu Yun had already crawled to the rock face. He pulled a piece of cloth from his robes, bundled the three Fire Python Tiger cubs, then swiftly leaped down. He let out a whistle, finally darting into the dense forest and quickly disappearing from sight.
"Go!"
Upon hearing the whistle, Lin Dong's heart swelled with joy. He glanced at Mu Langsha and shouted.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
From within the forest, Mu Langsha nodded slightly, swiftly firing the last few arrows from the Green Wood Bow in her hand before turning and running.
"Haha, Lei Li, when we get to the platform later, I'll naturally have a good 'exchange' with you. But for now, it's time to divide the spoils..."
Seeing Mu Langsha's smooth retreat, and Lei Li's face turning green, Lin Dong's heart was filled with satisfaction as he burst into laughter. He stomped his foot hard on the ground, his figure shooting back. Simultaneously, he swung his arm. A shower of sharp, jagged stones erupted from his sleeve, momentarily hindering Lei Li's attempt to pursue.
When Lei Li finally fended off the barrage of stones, he could only see Lin Dong's back as he plunged into the dense forest. He was instantly furious, letting out furious roars and shouts. His deep resentment echoed through the dense forest.
"Lin Dong, I will definitely kill you!"
As he fled through the thick forest, Lin Dong heard the furious roars from behind and merely smiled faintly. He no longer held any apprehension towards Lei Li. Furthermore, he wasn't afraid of offending the Lei and Xie families; they had long been hostile towards the Lin family anyway. If that was the case, what was there to worry about?
Lin Dong moved like a nimble monkey, weaving through the thick pine forest. After more than ten minutes, he finally landed, scanning his surroundings before sitting down cross-legged beneath a large tree.
A short while after Lin Dong arrived, the rustling of leaves could be heard from afar. Soon after, Wu Yun and Mu Langsha appeared before Lin Dong.
"Haha, that went smoothly!"
The moment Wu Yun landed, he couldn't help but burst into laughter. Then, with a hint of admiration, he looked at Lin Dong and chuckled, saying, "It seems we picked the right person this time! Brother Lin Dong, your cultivation speed is truly monstrous. In just four months, you've jumped from Eighth Layer Body Tempering to the Earth Yuan Stage!"
"Mere luck," Lin Dong chuckled, without saying anything further.
"How about we divide the spoils first?"
Wu Yun smiled as he unfastened the cloth from his back and carefully set it aside on a rock. Inside the cloth were the three Fire Python Tiger cubs, still stained with a little blood, crawling around. Their tiny, adorable appearance was endearing. Even Mu Langsha's eyes lit up. Though still a young girl, maternal instincts seemed to be innate within her.
"Brother Lin Dong had the greatest contribution this time, you pick first," Wu Yun said, smiling. Mu Langsha, standing nearby, also nodded slightly, clearly having no objections.
Hearing this, Lin Dong didn't refuse. He extended his right hand and gently touched the three little beasts. As if sensing a touch, the three little beasts all huddled up slightly.
Lin Dong's hand lingered over the three little beasts for a moment, finally stopping abruptly on the leftmost one. He gazed intently at this little beast, a light flashing in his eyes, then scooped it up and said with a smile, "I want this one."
"W-wait... Brother Lin Dong! This little beast, it looks like the weakest of the three. I'm afraid it might be hard to keep alive. Maybe you should choose a different one?" Seeing Lin Dong's choice, Wu Yun and Mu Lingsha were both taken aback and said.
"It's alright, I'll take this one."
Lin Dong smiled and shook his head. He wasn't doing it on purpose, of course. But as his hand sequentially touched the three little beasts, when he reached this particular one, the mysterious Stone Talisman in his palm vibrated ever so slightly.
Normally, the Stone Talisman was incredibly still, seldom ever actively stirring. And every time it did stir, it indicated that it had surely encountered something out of the ordinary.
Lin Dong lowered his head to look at the infant Fire Python Tiger in his arms; its eyes hadn't even opened yet. Even with his keen perception, he truly couldn't discern anything special about this little beast, but he still chose to put his faith in the Stone Talisman.
Holding the little beast, Lin Dong mumbled to himself, a little unsure, "This little fellow, is it perhaps a bit different from its kin?"