The Earth Howl Wolf was about to violently retreat but was attracted by the peculiar seal of light, appearing somewhat dazed for a moment.
In that instant, from the strange seal of light, a bizarre and fierce power burst forth, eventually shooting into the brain of the Earth Howl Wolf.
Suddenly, the unprepared Earth Howl Wolf's body softened, and it fainted on the ground.
"Junior sister's control over beasts has improved again, congratulations." Watching the woman in tight clothing take down the Earth Howl Wolf, the young man in splendid attire immediately said.
"This Earth Howl Wolf is famously tough in defense, really difficult to deal with." The woman in tight clothing said, taking out some unknown treasure from her hand. With a flash of light, she actually collected the Earth Howl Wolf into it.
Li Lin, watching all this from a distance, was full of doubts. Normally, space bags and storage rings can't store living things, yet the item this woman took out could actually collect the Earth Howl Wolf, it seemed to also be a treasure.
"Who are you, and what are you doing here?"
At this moment, one of the four, an eight-level warrior, said to Li Lin at the valley entrance. Subsequently, the other three also turned their attention to Li Lin, who had been observed by them during the encounter with the Earth Howl Wolf.
"We encountered a large mercenary group, my teammates are all dead, I escaped. If it weren't for the four of you, I would have become the food for that Earth Howl Wolf." Li Lin said, there are many small teams here, making up one wouldn't make people too suspicious.
"Is that so? How many of you were there, and which mercenary group attacked you?" The young man in splendid attire looked at Li Lin and asked, glancing at him indifferently.
"There were six of us, we encountered the Savage Wolf Mercenary Group." Li Lin said, knowing only of this one mercenary group.
"Savage Wolf Mercenary Group, your strength doesn't seem strong, and those who came with you probably weren't much better. Normally, given the notorious reputation of the Savage Wolf Mercenary Group, it's lucky you managed to escape." The nine-level warrior youth said.
"little brother, what's your name, and where are you from?" At this time, the woman in tight clothing walked up to Li Lin, looked him over, smiled slightly, and asked.
As the distance closed, a faint fragrance wafted over. Li Lin looked at the woman; she was about twenty years old. Although the night was dark, the visibility was not affected at close range. The woman's face was quite delicate, and her skin was wheat-colored, not fair.
But this only added a wild aura to the woman, like a wolf in the forest. Her tight clothing was somewhat unique, tightly covering the chest and upper stomach, revealing her wheat-colored slender waist, which was extremely soft and delicate, as if it would break with a slight twist.
On the lower body, she wore tight pants that wrapped around her long legs, and her round buttocks were prominently outlined, making her appear hot and tempting.
Li Lin couldn't help but take a few more looks. From the aura of this woman, she was not easy to provoke, full of wildness, probably prickly all over.
"My name is Li Lin, from the Wudu City." Li Lin replied. These four were not easy to mess with; it was best to avoid any disputes. The girl actually called him "little brother," which made Li Lin inwardly wryly smile.
"What are you looking at? Look again, and I'll gouge out your eyeballs." Seeing Li Lin staring at the woman in tight clothing for a moment, the young man in splendid attire immediately stepped forward and scolded, his eyes sharply focusing on Li Lin.
"Senior brother, don't scare him. Seeing his strength is not strong, let's rest here tonight and set out early tomorrow." The woman in tight clothing looked at the valley and said.
"Alright, kid, you can leave. We're taking this valley." The young man in splendid attire glared at Li Lin.
Li Lin felt disheartened. It was just a small matter, better to endure for now. His strength was not as great as these four; it was best to play it safe for now.
Subsequently, Li Lin planned to leave. Being in the Misty Mountain Range with some strangers was not a very safe thing.
"Senior brother, letting him leave is dangerous. There are many beasts here and some notorious mercenary groups. Let him stay with us. Anyway, we're also about to leave the Misty Mountain Range." The woman in tight clothing said to the man in splendid attire, then called out to Li Lin, "Little brother, we're resting in this valley for the night. Stay with us. We're about to leave the Misty Mountain Range too. It's very dangerous for you to be alone here in the Misty Mountain Range."
"No problem, I'm afraid of disturbing you," Li Lin said, turning around.
"If my junior sister tells you to stay, you stay. Stop the nonsense, or I'll kill you, kid," the young man in splendid attire immediately snapped.
"Little brother, you should stay with us. By our side, you can safely leave the Misty Mountain Range," the woman in tight clothing said.
"Alright then," Li Lin hesitated before responding, having noticed the cold look the young man in splendid attire had given him. He knew he needed to be cautious.
Then, the five of them returned to the valley, each finding a clean spot to sit cross-legged. For those practicing cultivation, resting in meditation for two hours could be far more beneficial than sleeping through the night.
Li Lin discreetly observed the four people. The young man in splendid attire was always sticking close to the woman in tight clothing, apparently pursuing her, but her attitude seemed warm with a hint of indifference.
Staying by these four, Li Lin had his reasons. The peculiar seal used by the woman in tight clothing and her ability to collect the beast were intriguing. What treasure could that be? In the records of Heavenly Spirit, Li Lin knew only the Beast Bag from the Myriad Beasts Sect could contain beasts.
The Myriad Beasts Sect, one of the three sects and four schools on the Lingwu Continent, as famous as the Yunyang Sect, is renowned for its demonic and spiritual beasts. The sect is powerful, with various beasts within, and possesses a secret Beast Bag that can carry these beasts.
Li Lin speculated whether these four were from the Myriad Beasts Sect, known for their unparalleled skill in controlling beasts, a closely guarded secret of the sect.
"Little brother, how long have you been in the Misty Mountain Range?" the woman in tight clothing, sitting in front of Li Lin, looked at him and asked.
"About eight days," Li Lin fibbed, and then the woman in tight clothing asked him quite a few questions, indirectly probing his identity.
Li Lin fabricated lies seamlessly, also subtly inquiring about the identities of the four. Eventually, he discovered they indeed were disciples of the Myriad Beasts Sect, just out for training. They were siblings in the sect: the woman in tight clothing named Lan Ling, the young man in splendid attire named Zhao Qing, the eight-level warrior named Liu Peng, and the seven-level warrior named Yan Baiqing.
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Watching Li Lin and Lan Ling talk, Zhao Qing's expression turned gloomy.
Overnight, as dawn broke, a light mist appeared in the mountains, like a shy maiden, partially hidden and visible, freshening the air significantly.
"Alright, let's go. Let's leave the Misty Mountain Range early," Lan Ling exhaled a breath of air and stretched, revealing her flat stomach and slender waist, seductively flexible as if it could break at any moment.
Li Lin stood up, having been on guard all night, wary of danger. It's better to be cautious.
The group left the valley, heading southeast. From Lan Ling, Li Lin learned that the four from the Myriad Beasts Sect had been in the Misty Mountain Range for almost a month, planning to visit the Wudu City before returning to the sect.
In the vast mountains, where the dense forests often required clearing paths with swords.
After three days with the four, they encountered no significant issues, except for ambushes by second-tier beasts the previous two days, which Lan Ling and her group captured in a space bag-like pouch. Additionally, Zhao Qing's hostility towards Li Lin seemed to grow.
On a hillside, Lan Ling looked around, her brow slightly furrowed, then said, "I feel there are beasts nearby, everyone be careful."
In the past few days, Li Lin also inadvertently learned that Lan Ling is a direct disciple of the Myriad Beasts Sect, and the cultivation technique she practices has a special sensitivity to demonic beasts. She can sense their presence in advance, which has made everyone much safer in the Wudu Mountain Range.
Hearing Lan Ling's words, the others immediately became alert and each drew their weapons.
The surroundings were silent, but no one doubted Lan Ling's perception. They cautiously moved forward, no one daring to be careless, and silently gathered their true energy.
Li Lin was on guard but did not reveal his strength. It was better to keep it hidden. In front of the four members of the Myriad Beasts Sect, Li Lin always maintained the appearance of a second-generation heir, not even reaching the level of a martial disciple, completely like someone oblivious to the dangers of the Wudu Mountain Range.
Because the four of them could not sense Li Lin's strength, they hardly had any doubts.
At that moment, Lan Ling's expression suddenly changed, her palm abruptly concentrated true energy, forming a hand seal, and then she fiercely drew her blue long sword, embedding it into the ground in front of her with a hot breath.
"Wuu...!"
As the blue long sword was thrust into the ground, a miserable beastly howl immediately sounded. When Lan Ling pulled the sword out of the ground, it was covered with blood, and traces of blood emerged from the soil. Subsequently, a giant rat about twenty centimeters in size convulsed and flipped over on the ground.
"A first-rank earth-element demonic rat. Let's continue on," Lan Ling said as she wiped her long sword on a pile of leaves. This rat was only a first-rank demonic beast, not fetching much price on the market, so killing it was of little significance.
Li Lin glanced at the rat. Following the disciples of the Myriad Beasts Sect these days, he had gained a lot of knowledge and learned many methods to deal with demonic beasts. Every demonic beast has weaknesses, and knowing them makes them much easier to deal with. Of course, this is only feasible when one's strength is not much different from the demonic beast's. If the gap in strength is too large, knowing the weaknesses is useless.
The corpse of the rat was not of much use, and the four from the Myriad Beasts Sect had no intention of collecting it. Being disciples from major sects, they did not care about the body of a single rat, and naturally, Li Lin did not either. The group of five continued forward.
The scorching sun shone through the gaps in the forest, bringing up a mist in the woods, and occasionally, the sound of dry branches snapping underfoot could be heard.
"Bang!"
About half an hour later, a muffled sound came from the forest ahead, seemingly indicating a fierce battle was taking place.
"Let's go take a look," Zhao Qing said.
They were not far when they found five bodies lying on a hillside ahead, with fifteen or sixteen people around them, some of whom were searching the bodies.
"The Savage Wolf Mercenary Group."
Seeing these people, Li Lin's expression changed subtly. Judging by their attire, these were members of the Savage Wolf Mercenary Group, the same as the two men he and Little dragon had killed.
"It's the Savage Wolf Mercenary Group. Let's leave; these people are not to be trifled with," Zhao Qing said, observing the scene ahead, then suggested. The Savage Wolf Mercenary Group had a certain notoriety in the entire Wudu Mountain Range, though it was a bad one.
"What are you guys doing here? Thinking of leaving after you've seen us? Since you've seen us, you might as well stay," the group from the Savage Wolf Mercenary Group noticed them and shouted, immediately forming an encirclement and advancing towards the five.
The leader, a burly figure holding a yellow big axe, had a sharp and slightly cold look in his eyes, clearly not someone easy to provoke. From his aura, he seemed to be an earth-element martial artist.
"Savage Wolf Mercenary Group, what do you think you're doing? Who we are is not something you can afford to provoke," Lan Ling stepped forward and lightly scolded. In front of the Myriad Beasts Sect, the Savage Wolf Mercenary Group was naturally nothing.
"The girl is not bad, knowing us, we definitely can't let you go now." At this moment, these dozen or so people were leering at Lan Ling's slender waist and attractive legs, drooling, as the leader continued, "Kill the men, keep the women."
"How dare you, we are from the Myriad Beasts Sect, do you want to die?" Lan Ling exclaimed, and immediately the true energy of the Myriad Beasts Sect members vibrated, forming a layer of true energy barrier around them, their aura instantly spreading out.
"Two martial artists." Feeling the aura from Lan Ling and Zhao Qing, the lead brute's expression sank slightly. Hearing they were disciples of the Myriad Beasts Sect, everyone exchanged glances, knowing the Myriad Beasts Sect was an entity they dared not provoke.
"Girl, we'll let you go." The leader shouted lightly, realizing the opponents were two martial artists and disciples of the Myriad Beasts Sect, he did not want to start a fight. After greedily scanning Lan Ling, he could only reluctantly give up.
"Let's go," Lan Ling said, slightly retreating and speaking to the others, who naturally did not want to provoke the Savage Wolf Mercenary Group.
Li Lin silently sighed in his heart, feeling much safer beside these four disciples of the Myriad Beasts Sect.
"Damn Savage Wolf Mercenary Group, I will eradicate them someday," Zhao Qing muttered in a low voice after they had walked for about a quarter of an hour.
"Brother, let's not bother with it. It's just a small Savage Wolf Mercenary Group. Let's head to Wudu City first," Lan Ling said.
The group continued cautiously, navigating through the mountain range without any room for negligence.
On a hillside, there were over twenty figures, and then about a dozen figures arrived, the same people from the Savage Wolf Mercenary Group that Li Lin and the others had encountered not long ago.
"Big brother, third, we just made a good haul, how about you?" the big man holding a yellow axe asked a huge man and a skinny man with a pointy chin and monkey cheeks.
"Second brother, we have a problem, we lost the treasure map we found," the huge man said.
"What, lost?" the big man's face changed dramatically, angrily saying, "Who did it? I'll chop him up."
"Don't know who did it. Mazzi and Tieball are dead, Mazzi likely killed by a demonic beast, and the spatial bag is missing, probably taken by a mercenary group or a small team with a demonic beast," the skinny man said.
"Damn it, that was the White Wolf Mercenary Group's treasure map, the loot in there would have been enough for us to live lavishly forever. We must find out who did it," the big man angrily said, then frowned, "A team with a demonic beast... I encountered five disciples from the Myriad Beasts Sect on the way, could it be them? The Myriad Beasts Sect members always have demonic beasts with them."
"Five disciples from the Myriad Beasts Sect, when did this happen? Tell me quickly," the huge man immediately asked with raised eyebrows.
"Just a while ago, four men and one woman, two of them first-level martial artists," the big man said.
"It's very likely them, we need to stop them," the skinny man said with a cunning look.
"But they are disciples of the Myriad Beasts Sect, not easy to deal with," the big man said.
"For the treasure map, even if they are disciples of the Myriad Beasts Sect, what does it matter? Once we get the treasure, we won't appear in the Wudu Mountain Range again, and the Myriad Beasts Sect can't do anything to us. Let's go, we must chase them quickly, don't let them get away," the giant man said.
Fifty or so figures then hurriedly moved towards the southeast direction.
"I wonder how long it will take to reach Wudu City," Li Lin thought to himself.
The Wudu Mountain Range seemed endless, crossing one forest after another, with ancient trees that seemed to have grown for hundreds or even thousands of years, covering the sky and earth.
The ground was covered with various weeds and thorns, along with decayed leaves, naturally making noise when stepped on. This environment was very conducive for demonic beasts to hide, with old vines and dense undergrowth everywhere, like a spider's web.
Li Lin felt somewhat fortunate to be with the four from the Myriad Beasts Sect. If he were alone, without any experience in these mountains, he might have encountered fatal dangers. Thinking of all this, Li Lin felt a chill in his heart.