Battle At The Vagrant Woods (Six)

Ming Ren, Lin Qiang, and Lin Dong circulated the joint Qi inside the formation, but it was clearly weaker than before. The repeated battles exhausted their body and mind, and low-grade pills were not enough to replenish Qi completely. Lin Qiang re-summoned the lioness while Lin Dong led the charge. The spider welcomed him with a tail attack which he promptly blocked. The enemy became more active in the ground, and its many legs combined with the sting for deadly attacks.

While Lin Dong jumped back to avoid the flurry of blows, the curlew slashed from the air, keeping the tail busy. The ape king advanced in front of Lin Dong, using its natural armor to tank the blows. Lin Dong struck fiercely with the spine, and the spider got pushed back.

"What a fierce formation, how in the world did the Forest Clan get it?" The white elder daydreamed in front of the formation's prowess until the lioness jumped at him. The flame commander struck before it could tear the elder apart with its claws.

"Focus on the enemy, elder!" The Forest Clan also surprised the flame commander, but he didn't dare to underestimate the enemy anymore. The lioness kept its calm even after the spider fell, but it became more daring, each attack carrying unprecedented aggressiveness. And yet four powerful cultivators surrounded it.

The forest patriarch hacked at it with [Woodland Fury] while the second elder struck with [Branch]. They worked well together, and Ming Ren directed them even while fighting the chimera-spider. The flame commander fought at full power, wounding the lioness with the flaming weapon. When the white elder focused on the fight, his [One Hundred Fist] art carried deadly power. The lioness could only struggle.

Ming Ren's group pressed on the attack. The youth stayed behind sending commands, his movements slower than before. Lin Qiang had a worried look, but the battle didn't stop. The spider-chimera shot hundreds of Qi threads out of its mouth in a wide area, trapping Lin Dong, Lin Qiang, and the summons.

"Ugh!" Lin Dong struggled to free himself while his inner Qi dissipated and the summons looked about to disappear. Ming Ren's sword shined once more, weaving in and out of the way, cutting every thread to release the others. Pushing himself, he vanished with [Flash], appearing in front of the enemy's eyes. With his current cultivation, there weren't many weak points to exploit.

[Dance Of The Clear Sword]

Each slash aimed at an eye, and the creature shrieked in fury and pain, randomly swinging its sharp legs in response. Ming Ren blocked a random strike with the sword, but the impact threw him to the ground in pain. Lin Dong didn't waste the opportunity and stabbed with the spine, while Lin Qiang thrust, the feather-bladed curlew slashed, the ape king smashed with its fists, and the summoned lioness pierced with the tail.

The chimera-spider took great damage, and before it could react, Lin Dong attacked ferociously with [Woodland Fury], smashing it to death. The three-headed lioness also received a fury of blows, succumbing to the might of the four cultivators. The flame commander was especially vicious and vengeful, delivering the final blow by severing its head. The cultivators cheered, and the other spirit beasts fled in defeat.

"We won!"

"That person from the Forest Clan is too strong! He is only at the peak of the third layer!"

"When did the Forest Clan get such talent? There's even someone with summoning energy!"

Lin Qiang rushed to Ming Ren as he had trouble getting up from the ground. He could only resist such a powerful strike because his body was already far tougher than anyone at the Body Tempering Realm, and he also directed the earth Qi in the formation to him before taking the blow.

"Benefactor!" Lin Dong also looked worried and approached the youth. Ming Ren got up with difficulty, no broken bones but a lot of internal damage. His bruised body ached everywhere, veins tingling with pain, 'My body can't handle much more of this physique...'

Lin Qiang helped him up, "You should rest!"

Ming Ren scanned the area with spiritual sense, noticing the spirit beasts ran away. The attack ended when the chimera-spider died, which meant it led the charge. Its behavior, strategy, and even the way it chose Lin Qiang to attack first showed great intelligence, 'It was probably bred by someone very talented…'

The youth smiled, thanking Lin Qiang, "I have to go, I shouldn't stay."

"We thank the Forest Clan for their assistance!" The white elder clasped hands and bowed. The flame commander only nodded, switching his attention to Lin Dong and the others, "Your Forest Clan hid some good things!"

He spoke with superiority, as if belittling the Clan. The forest patriarch and second elder shivered, getting the attention of such a vicious character could only bring disaster.

The white elder frowned and asked Lin Huangfu, "Is that boy also from the Forest Clan?"

How could Ming Ren go unnoticed with such a flashy display? A boy, looking no more than fifteen, fought a spirit beast at the peak of the sixth layer of the Spirit Sea Realm, wounded it, and even survived a strike. His speed far surpassed what most Spirit Sea cultivators were capable of, and he was only at the peak of the sixth layer of the Body Tempering Realm. Such prowess was only possible by those Heaven's Chosen talents of the biggest clans.

Lin Huangfu was about to answer when a cultivator from the White Clan spoke, "You… aren't you the Ming boy from the Bright Clan?! How are you here?!"

Ming boy from the Bright Clan?

Lin Dong and Lin Qiang knew Ming Ren's background and were taken by surprise. Ming Ren frowned. How did this person know him? It wasn't a random guess.

"You, what are you saying? From the Bright Clan?" The white elder asked. The flame commander seemed interested.

"Reporting to the elder, this fellow is Ming Ren from the Bright Clan, the young master's friend!"

The forest patriarch and second elder frowned, "Ming Ren from the Bright Clan…?"

"Aren't you mistaken?" The white elder was familiar with Ming Ren's story and how he was at the Cloud Clan. He also knew he was only in the fourth layer but should be at the same age as the young master. The current Ming Ren looked more mature due to his powerful body tempering but still looked like a boy in his fifteens.

"I've seen him many times while guarding the young master, I am sure! He… He hasn't aged at all."

Ming Ren felt dizzy, this person guarded Bai Xun in the past!

"Are you Ming Ren?" The white elder asked, seeing as Lin Huangfu and the second elder were also taken by surprise.

Ming Ren sighed as there was no point in denying, "I am Ming Ren from the Bright Clan."

"Lin Huangfu, what is the meaning of this? The royal family expelled the Bright Clan, are you defying them by sheltering this boy?" The flame commander suddenly stepped forward with a menacing presence.

"This…" Lin Huangfu frowned. The commander was clearly threatening them not to protect the boy using the royal family as an excuse.

"The Forest Clan has nothing to do with me, we met by chance," Ming Ren said.

"Met by chance? Snort, you think you can lie to me? Met by chance, but used a battle formation together? And such a difficult formation! Boy, you will come with me to the City Lord's Mansion," the flame commander roared.

The white elder quickly understood the intentions of the flame commander. He worked for the city lord, and the city lord worked for the Brave Clan and the royal family. All parties had an interest in the treasure of the Bright Clan, and this boy was the only one to experience it. He woke up and even displayed amazing prowess in front of them. Bringing him back would be great merit, yet the same was true for the white elder!

The white elder took a step forward, smiling amicably, "Commander, this boy is a friend of my young master. Therefore, I will bring him as a guest to the White Clan. Do not worry, young man, we will protect you."

"You! You dare?" The flame commander frowned. Tension spread everywhere, and the surviving cultivators on both sides tightly gripped their weapons. They had just gotten out of a terrible situation but things escalated quickly. Ming Ren looked young but because of his time in the Bright Scripture, he had more experience than any of them. How could he not discern their intentions?

"I have no business with any of you. I'm going away from the Soaring Country, there's no need for you to care about me," Ming Ren said.

Lin Huangfu looked lost. He wanted to say something since Ming Ren helped them but couldn't go against either party.

"You think you can get away with words alone? You better come quietly!" The flame commander raised his spear and took a step forward…

… but then huge killing intent exploded. A surge of green Qi spread in the air, and the weaponized spine slammed the ground!

"True Element of Wood!" The white elder and flame commander gasped in shock.

"How dare you!" Lin Dong put himself in front of Ming Ren, his wood spiritual energy rippling like nature's wrath, "Back off now, or die!"

Lin Huangfu, the second elder, and the cultivators from the Forest Clan felt their legs sway like jelly.