Chapter 531: Letter of Challenge

The people of the valley were extremely well prepared for this attack, forming three teams: one led by Ouyang Hua, one by Thirteen, and the remaining group consisting of clansmen in the third stage.

Half a month later, except for Thirteen's team, the other two groups returned victorious. Although there were casualties, the results of the battle were extremely fruitful.

However, the failure of Thirteen's team to return hung over everyone's hearts like a dark cloud.

Only Wang Lin remained outwardly calm, showing no ripples of emotion. Three more days passed. Early that morning, a black mist rapidly flew over the horizon outside the valley. If one looked closely at the mist, they could clearly see that it was a winged lion.

Although the lion had no physical injuries, it was extremely sluggish. Its body sometimes dispersed into black mist and sometimes reformed, clearly indicating it was very weak and on the verge of collapse.

Lying motionless on its back was a person, covered in bloodstains. Furthermore, a red line was wriggling inside his body, seeming to parasitize him, making the sight quite bizarre.

The lion's main soul swiftly rushed toward the valley. Before it even arrived, several people emerged from the valley and unfurled their Soul Banners, releasing souls to merge into the lion's main soul. This immediately revitalized the lion's main soul.

The moment they saw the lion, almost everyone recognized it instantly as Thirteen's main soul. And the person on its back was clearly Thirteen!

After entering the valley, the lion's main soul immediately let out a whimper, and its entire body dissolved into specks of black light, on the verge of collapsing.

Just then, a calm voice suddenly echoed throughout the valley.

“Soul Condensation!”

At the sound of that single word, the specks of black light that formed the lion's main soul immediately shone with dazzling brilliance, rapidly condensing at a visible speed, and in the blink of an eye, it returned to normal.

The surrounding clansmen showed expressions of respect and parted to form a path. Wang Lin walked forward step by step, his hands clasped behind his back.

Upon seeing Wang Lin, the lion's main soul immediately whimpered, as if it felt extremely wronged. Wang Lin reached out and pointed into the Void Realm. The lion's main soul instantly cheered and transformed into a black light, rushing straight toward Wang Lin's finger.

It finally vanished upon his finger, transforming into a black lion mark that appeared on the pad of his finger.

Everyone around had long grown accustomed to Wang Lin's absolute control over souls, and they dared not harbor any ripples of emotion, bowing their heads respectfully.

Wang Lin walked step by step until he stopped where Thirteen lay. He looked down, a trace of gloom appearing on his face.

He saw the Red Thread Parasite wriggling inside Thirteen's body like a swimming Dragon. Thirteen's face was pale, devoid of color, and he had no breath.

Wang Lin squatted down and lightly tapped Thirteen's chest with his right hand. At this touch, a sharp shriek immediately erupted from Thirteen's body. Simultaneously, a Red Thread Parasite violently burst out of the body where Wang Lin had pointed, rushing toward him like lightning.

A cold light flashed in Wang Lin's eyes, and an invisible force immediately radiated from his body. The rapidly approaching Red Thread Parasite hit it as if striking an iron plate, letting out a loud boom and being forcibly repelled.

In that instant, Wang Lin flicked his index and middle fingers, immediately grasping the Red Thread Parasite. With a pull, a frantic shriek was heard as Wang Lin forcibly extracted the Red Thread Parasite from Thirteen's body.

The Red Thread Parasite was about ten feet long. After being pulled out, it immediately twisted and writhed like a long snake. Its other end quickly lunged toward Wang Lin but was once again blocked.

The cold light in Wang Lin's eyes intensified. He squeezed it directly, and the Immortal power within his body surged out, immediately impacting the Red Thread Parasite. After hearing crackling sounds echoing, three breaths later, the Red Thread Parasite burst into ashes and dissipated between heaven and earth.

After losing the Red Thread Parasite, Thirteen's complexion gradually became rosy. Although he had not yet awakened, he was no longer in danger of death. However, Wang Lin's expression grew even gloomier.

He saw at a glance that Thirteen was crippled!

The Demonic Power he had cultivated through the Soul Refining technique, which had reached the three-star standard, was now completely lost. If that were all, it might have been acceptable, but all the Meridians in his body had also been forcibly shattered, and all the Soul Banners on his person were gone, clearly having been taken.

The opponent had acted so viciously, yet they hadn't completely killed Thirteen, instead allowing his lion main soul to carry him away. Clearly, they had another motive.

Wang Lin's eyes flashed. He formed a sword with his right index and middle fingers and suddenly tapped Thirteen's glabella. Simultaneously, the Demon Crystal within his body vibrated, releasing a burst of Demonic Power that flowed through his Meridians, passing directly from his fingers into Thirteen's forehead.

Thirteen's body trembled, and he abruptly opened his eyes. He saw Wang Lin instantly and struggled to get up and pay his respects, but found that his entire body was immobilized, and waves of pain surged over him.

“Master…” Thirteen struggled to speak. Under the emotional turmoil he was experiencing, the title he usually reserved for Wang Lin in his heart slipped out involuntarily.

Wang Lin's eyes flashed, but he remained silent.

“On the way back, we encountered a large tribe. We tried to detour, but they still attacked us. There was a white-robed elder who took my Soul Banners, planted a demonic creature inside me, and instructed me to pass on a message: if I wanted the Soul Banners back, I should go straight to him.”

Wang Lin nodded slightly, raising his right index and middle fingers. As his fingers lifted, Thirteen's body trembled, and he fell unconscious again.

“Take him to rest!” Wang Lin instructed. He stomped his foot in the Void Realm, and his entire being immediately transformed into a puff of green smoke, vanishing from the spot.

The surrounding clansmen immediately obeyed, carrying Thirteen back to the dwelling, with others assigned to care for him.

Wang Lin left the valley, his figure streaking into the distance like lightning. His expression was grim, and cold light flashed in his eyes.

Thirteen had led people to attack the opposing tribe; even if they failed, Wang Lin would not have intervened. The matters of this world inherently involve life and death, and Wang Lin, who Cultivated the Dao of Life and Death Reincarnation, saw this very clearly.

But the current situation was different. Thirteen was attacked while passing through another tribe on his way back with captives. Moreover, the opponent didn't kill Thirteen but instead planted a demonic creature inside him. If that were all, it would merely be a lesson, but the opponent also took his Soul Banners and left a message, demanding that Wang Lin seek him out directly if he wanted the banners back.

This changed everything. This was clearly a provocation, or rather, this was a letter of challenge!

Thirteen was the opponent's living letter of challenge!

Since the opponent had issued a letter of challenge, Wang Lin decided he must see what kind of person was in the tribe that attacked Thirteen, daring to challenge him!

Wang Lin was shrewd. He had already decided that if the opponent's cultivation was much higher than his own, he would simply ignore the matter, find a way to heal Thirteen, and avoid that tribe.

However, although this possibility existed, it was slim. Wang Lin could tell just by looking at Thirteen that the cultivation of the person who cast the spell was, at most, equivalent to a Soul Transformation Cultivator!

Thinking this, he let out a cold snort and accelerated, tearing across the sky like a meteor, speeding away.

The Heavenly Water Tribe is located in the northwest of the Demon Spirit Land, situated on a plain. The area is open on all four sides and was not originally an ideal dwelling spot, but an Ancient Formation exists here.

This Formation is very powerful. When activated, it protects an area spanning ten li. Even when the Night of Demon Spirits arrives, absolute safety is guaranteed inside the Formation.

In the Demon Spirit Land, the key to a tribe's survival is whether they can find a protective Formation. Formations like this are relatively common in the Demon Spirit Land, but those that can cover a range of ten li are rare.

The larger the coverage area, the stronger the Formation. Crucially, it also signifies a greater potential for growth for the tribe residing there.

For instance, the valley has a limited area; once the number of residents exceeds a certain limit, it cannot accept new members. Since the Formation on this plain covers ten li, the number of residents is naturally higher.

Right now, inside the Heavenly Water Tribe, in a rather simple dwelling, sat two elderly men.

One of the elders wore gray clothes, and the other wore white clothes. They sat facing each other, and between them was a set of purple tea ware.

The white-robed elder picked up his teacup, took a light sip, and said, “Among the things brought here by those outsiders, only this tea truly suits my taste.”

The gray-robed elder also picked up his teacup, took a sip, and asked, “When are you returning?”

The white-robed elder pondered for a moment and said, “Tomorrow. I cannot stay away from Ancient Demon City for too long. I have been here for a month visiting relatives. If I don't go back soon, it will be difficult to report to the Left Wing General.”

The gray-robed elder nodded and said, “You injured their Disciple and took those strange small banners. If you leave now and the other party comes looking, what should be done?”

The white-robed elder's eyes flashed, and he said, “What of it? We'll just kill them using the Formation!”

The gray-robed elder frowned and said in a deep voice, “That group is not simple. Almost all of them have reached one-star Demonic Power or higher, and they actually possess Cultivation Techniques and Divine Abilities. Especially the leader—those few Small Banners in his hands can actually summon Demon Souls to attack. They didn't provoke us, but you coveted their Small Banners, committed murder and theft, and then let their leader leave, indirectly issuing a letter of challenge to draw out the person behind him. You have gone too far with this!”

The white-robed elder laughed heartily and said, “I am an Attendant under the Ancient Demon City's Left Wing General. Killing a few savages—how is that going too far? Furthermore, I assert that the strength of the person behind him won't be too high. Otherwise, if he truly had ability, how could he be confined to this barbarian tribe? He would have long since gone to Ancient Demon City to seek a position. I lured him here precisely to obtain the true method for using these Small Banners from his mouth. If he comes, fine. If he doesn't, tomorrow morning I will simply follow the mark I left on that youth and go directly to his tribe to seize them by force!”

“Is the Incantation in that youth's mind false?” the gray-robed elder asked.

“It's not false, but it's incomplete. There should be a continuation!” The white-robed elder's eyes flashed as he spoke sinisterly.

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