"Spare you? It's too late." Granting an enemy a way out is digging oneself an unknown grave, Li Lin knew this well, his gaze turning cold in his eyes.
"Chi…"
The burly man took a step back, and in that instant, despite his injuries, he quickly got up and ran away, his desire to survive erupting at that moment.
"Die." Li Lin said indifferently, his true energy trembling under his feet, with a tap of his feet, the ground cracked open, and his figure swooped down like an eagle preying, bringing up a whistling wind, heading straight for the burly man.
"I'll fight you." Feeling the whistling wind behind him, the burly man had no choice but to fight back, turning around suddenly, a faint protective aura forming around him, and a punch was thrown out, but its power seemed not very strong. Given his severe injuries, being able to muster a punch was already difficult.
Li Lin's expression darkened, he too threw a punch, flames flickering above his fist, carrying a formidable energy that shook open the spatial ripples, it was the Star-level beginner martial technique, Fury Flame Punch.
"Bang Bang!"
The two punches collided, the burly man screamed immediately, a severe pain spreading up his fist, his body stumbling back once more.
At this moment, Li Lin turned his punch into a palm, just as his figure landed on the ground, he leveraged his momentum to soar up again, his palm imprint easily penetrated the burly man's protective aura, and then landed on the burly man's forehead.
"Devour."
Under the palm imprint, a huge force devoured, the burly man tried to struggle, but in an instant, he screamed, his body convulsing, the true energy inside him uncontrollably flowing out, his soul being stripped away from his mind, this extreme pain was beyond imagination.
Half an hour later, the burly man had turned into a dried corpse, while Li Lin smiled satisfactorily. The true energy of this burly man was much stronger than that of Zhao Da, and after refining it, the benefits he obtained were definitely not few. To break through to the sixth level warrior was effortless, as for how much the true energy increased in the end, it was unknown.
While devouring the true energy of this burly man with the Yin Yang Spirit Martial Art, Li Lin also tried out the Soul Searching Art from the Heavenly Spirit Record. Although there was some difficulty in using the Soul Searching Art, and it was his first time, Li Lin obtained a lot of information from the burly man's mind. Both were from the Violent Wolf Mercenary Group, having entered the Wudu City Mountain Range for a month. As for the rest, being the first time using the Soul Searching Art, Li Lin did not discover much, but the miraculous method of the Soul Searching Art made Li Lin very pleased.
"Little dragon, someone is coming, let's go." From his mind probing, Li Lin felt people approaching, and not a few. He quickly searched the two men, only finding a spatial bag on the body of the burly man who had the stick, the other was empty, nothing at all.
"Chi Chi."
Little dragon, flicking its tongue, jumped onto Li Lin's shoulder, and the two quickly disappeared from the spot, not even having time to deal with the bodies on the ground.
Less than ten seconds after Li Lin left, six figures appeared from behind the hill, six men dressed exactly like the deceased burly man.
"Third brother, look." A burly man in a vigorous outfit exclaimed, seeing the two dried corpses lying on the ground.
These two corpses, one shriveled all over, as if it had shrunk in size, with pupils sunken into the eye sockets, and the other, with a bloody hole in the neck and eyeballs protruding out of the sockets. From their faces, however, it was not hard to recognize the appearance of the two.
"It's Mazi and Tieqiu, how could this happen." The six people leaned down to inspect the bodies, each of them incredibly shocked, even starting to feel fear. This way of dying was too terrifying.
"Could it have been a sneak attack? But who would do it?" one of the burly men said angrily.
"Mazi must have been killed by a monster beast, his blood devoured by the beast, but Tieqiu's death is somewhat strange, there's no blood hole on his body, but it must also be the work of a monster beast. Both of their strengths were at the fifth level of warrior, to kill them so quickly, it must have been two second-tier monster beasts or one third-tier monster beast." The leading burly man, who was lean and had a somewhat sly look, but sharp eyes, said while looking at the two bodies and then hurriedly searched them for something.
Suddenly, the expression of the leading burly man changed drastically, "Where is it? Where are the things that were on Mazi?"
"It wasn't the work of a monster beast; it was done by a person. This is bad, Zhang Wu, go and notify big brother and second brother, tell them something has happened to Mazi. The rest of you, follow me; the person who did this should still be nearby," the lean leading man said.
"Yes, third brother." One of the burly men quickly went to the left, while the burly man with the rest of the four spread out to search for the monster beasts around.
After these men disappeared, not far away, on a towering tree, Li Lin jumped down, his expression slightly darkened, deciding it was safer to leave this place, his figure quickly moving towards the southeast direction.
Having killed these two men, it was fortunate that the lean man thought it was the work of a monster beast. Li Lin was worried about exposing the Yin Yang Spirit Martial Technique, so he quickly left the scene.
However, Li Lin did not know that not long after he left, several more people from the Violent Wolf Mercenary Group came again and continued to inspect the two bodies.
"Damn, Tieqiu was killed by a person. There are injuries on his body; this is not the work of a monster beast. Mazi was the one killed by a monster beast. This must have been the work of at least one person and one monster beast, possibly a small team with a monster beast in it," a bulky fat man said loudly. This fat man weighed about three hundred pounds and was about 1.9 meters tall, standing like a giant, but his expression was not good at this moment.
"Big brother, could it be a spiritual practitioner?" one of the burly men asked.
"Probably not. Tieqiu died from a heavy blow, but the bodies are strange. Besides the neck, Mazi's body has no other wounds. The monster beast that killed him must be very fast and not large in size. This strength, perhaps, is at the level of a third-tier monster beast," the fat man said, squatting down to carefully inspect the two bodies.
"Big brother, what should we do now?"
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"Notify second brother and third brother, search for everyone nearby, don't let anyone go. I want to see who dares to mess with the Violent Wolf Mercenary Group. We must take back the treasure map," the fat man said, his eyes shining with a fierce light, emitting a sharp killing intent.
The mountain range undulated, its width unknown. Li Lin, within the mountain range, saw only the undulating forest sea, standing at a high point, the entire range appeared like clusters of islands floating among the clouds. The mountain waves and peaks layered upon each other.
In the distance, there were several mountain peaks, looking dark and endless from afar, cliffs standing tall and imposing like the tumultuous waves of a great flood.
Carefully making his way, as night fell, the mountain range emitted a secluded aura, eerily quiet and cold.
After nightfall, Young Master Li found a valley and, after ensuring there were no dangers around, sat down to cultivate. After swallowing the true energy of the burly man, he needed to refine it before it could be used.
Moments later, Li Lin's body was enveloped in a faint yellow glow, appearing quite eerie in the dim night.
Li Lin, cautious, instructed Little dragon to stay alert around him, so he could be immediately aware of any danger. In this Wudu City Mountain Range, Li Lin dared not be careless.
The true qi devoured within transformed into energy and was finally refined into pure true qi, entering the Dantian Qi Sea. Under the infusion of this true qi, Li Lin could feel his Dantian Qi Sea expanding.
It didn't take long for the Dantian Qi Sea to become fully expanded to a certain extent, and the meridians within his body were also filled with true qi, causing some slight pain as they swelled.
"Suppress." Li Lin's heart sank as he pushed this true qi down into his Dantian Qi Sea, tightly condensing it together. With the continuous infusion of refined true qi, the Dantian Qi Sea finally could not withstand the vast amount of true qi and exploded within.
A muffled sound spread through Li Lin's body, a bright light shone from him, and a powerful aura filled the small valley, rapidly climbing.
With the continued infusion of true qi, in one effort, Li Lin's Dantian Qi Sea expanded again, and his body's meridians were subjected to a huge impact, thickening slightly once more.
At this moment, Li Lin finally broke through to the sixth level of warrior. His cultivation had long been at the peak of the fifth level warrior. This breakthrough was just a matter of course, and Li Lin was not surprised at all. This was all within his expectations. Breaking through to the sixth level warrior, his strength advanced once more, which pleased Li Lin. Currently, his strength was still too low, and gaining strength was his most desired.
"Woo..."
Outside the valley, a low roar of a beast echoed. In the darkness, two red light points lit up, a ferocious aura slowly approaching.
"Sss..."
Little dragon, coiled on a tree above Li Lin, made a low hissing sound.
"Whew..." Li Lin exhaled a breath of stale air, the light on his body receded, and he quickly opened his eyes. In the darkness, a sharp light flashed in his eyes.
"There's a monster beast." Li Lin focused his gaze around him. Although it was dark, his current cultivation allowed him to vaguely see things within a dozen meters.
"Second-tier earth-elemental monster beast, the Earth Howl Wolf." Li Lin watched the entrance of the valley in front of him, a giant wolf one meter tall and two meters long. He couldn't help but feel solemn. This was his first encounter with a monster beast. It was said that monster beasts were not easy to deal with, each with formidable defensive power. A second-tier monster beast, even a ninth level warrior would find it difficult to handle.
"Ao..." The Earth Howl Wolf, with red light shining from its eyes, paced back and forth outside the valley, glancing at Little dragon behind Li Lin, seeming somewhat fearful, not daring to approach.
"Sss..."
Little dragon leaped from the tree to Li Lin's shoulder, staring intently at the Earth Howl Wolf in front, its round eyes full of fighting spirit, not afraid at all. A strange aura spread, making the Earth Howl Wolf somewhat afraid.
"Little dragon is really powerful, even the Earth Howl Wolf is suppressed." Li Lin could see that under Little dragon's aura, the Earth Howl Wolf did not dare to approach. The Spirit Emperor Beast is indeed powerful. Li Lin became even more curious about Little dragon's identity, but unfortunately, there was no information about Spirit Emperor Beasts in the jade slips from Uncle Jiang and the Saint Hand Spirit Sovereign.
"Ao..."
The Earth Howl Wolf growled lowly, then began to retreat.
"Here it is, the Earth Howl Wolf. Let's take it down together." Just then, several figures appeared, a delicate voice commanded: "Don't let this Earth Howl Wolf escape."
Li Lin's heart sank. He originally wanted to spar with the Earth Howl Wolf to see how strong a second-tier monster beast really was, but he didn't expect others were also hunting the Earth Howl Wolf.
"Little dragon." Li Lin gave a light command, and Little dragon, understanding, quickly climbed into Li Lin's sleeve.
"Ao Ao..."
The Earth Howl Wolf roared, its huge body leaping, its ferocious aura surged, and it instantly clashed with the several figures.
Li Lin watched the battle between the Earth Howl Wolf outside the valley and the four figures, three men and one woman, each enveloped in true qi, wielding weapons and fiercely fighting the Earth Howl Wolf.
The aura of all four was strong, with one man and one woman having an aura just slightly weaker than Li Wushuang, indicating they were likely at the first level warrior's cultivation.
The man, dressed in fine clothes, had an extraordinary demeanor, around twenty-three or twenty-four years old, with long hair draped over his shoulders, wielding a silver-white long sword that whistled through the air, trapping the Earth Howl Wolf within its sword shadows.
The woman, in a light blue outfit that exuded a heroic spirit, with a well-proportioned figure, appeared to be only about twenty years old, her beauty shining even in the darkness, her eyes sparkling. Besides wielding a blue long sword, she also had a dagger at her waist.
The other two, also in their early twenties, had slightly weaker cultivation - one at the eighth level warrior and the other at the ninth level warrior, which was considered good.
These four seemed to be a small team gathered together to seek fortune in the Wudu City Mountain Range, where such small teams were not uncommon. Having two martial artists among them was quite commendable.
"Ao…"
In the battle outside the valley, the Earth Howl Wolf roared, its huge body suddenly swinging its tail, its sharp claws reaching instantly towards the eighth level warrior.
"Move aside." The eighth level warrior shouted, wielding what seemed to be a hooked weapon about a meter long, with several sharp barbs, cutting through the air towards the Earth Howl Wolf.
The Earth Howl Wolf was enveloped in a pale yellow light, dodging the eighth level warrior's attack with a swift body twist and a sweeping tail that brought a sharp whistling sound.
"This beast is quite formidable, everyone be careful." The woman shouted, her body covered in a qi aura that radiated intense red heat. Her blue long sword carried flames in its sword qi, casting a shadow of sword images towards the Earth Howl Wolf.
"Ao ao…"
The Earth Howl Wolf roared, dodging the eighth level warrior's attack but unable to evade the woman's, a shallow sword mark appearing on its back, bleeding slightly.
"Such strong defense." Li Lin was amazed watching the Earth Howl Wolf take the hit, surprised at the light injury it sustained from the powerful strike of a first level martial artist, highlighting the monster's formidable defense.
"Bang…"
Moments later, the Earth Howl Wolf was hit by a seventh level warrior's palm, stumbling and retreating.
"Boom!" At that moment, the finely dressed young man appeared beside the Earth Howl Wolf lightning-fast, sheathing his sword and forming hand seals, delivering a fierce palm strike that hit the Earth Howl Wolf hard.
"Bang!"
With a muffled sound, the Earth Howl Wolf was sent flying by the first level warrior's palm, significantly more powerful than the seventh level warrior's attack, crashing heavily to the ground.
"Ao ao"
The Earth Howl Wolf roared, glaring fiercely at the four people, its eyes filled with rage, its body surrounded by a trembling pale yellow light, its sharp teeth gleaming coldly.
"Ao…"
The Earth Howl Wolf roared again, its limbs pressing against the ground, unleashing a massive force that cracked the earth, leaping into the air, its front limbs tearing towards the finely dressed young man like an eagle preying.
"Back off." The young man shouted, forming hand seals, his body's qi vibrating, seemingly distorting the space in front of him, launching a punch that tore through the air, attacking the Earth Howl Wolf.
Being a second-tier monster beast, the Earth Howl Wolf possessed some intelligence, not daring to take the hit head-on, its huge body eerily twisting in the air to change direction and retreat.
"Beast, come here." At that moment, the woman in the combat outfit shouted, casting a series of strange hand seals, creating a peculiar light seal in her hand, resembling runes or scriptures.
The appearance of the light seal emitted a strange aura, causing Little dragon on Li Lin's arm to become restless.
Li Lin soothed Little dragon, which calmed down shortly after, watching as the woman in combat attire suddenly appeared in front of the Earth Howl Wolf, raising the peculiar and eerie light seal high before smashing it down hard on the Earth Howl Wolf's body.