People of the Inner Clan

At the entrance to the reception hall, Xiao Yan bared his fangs as he stared at everyone inside. Forget Wu Tao and the others from the Lin Clan—even Lin Zhentian and the rest, who were familiar with him, felt their hearts leap into their throats.

After all, two or three months ago, Xiao Yan had not been this large, nor had he possessed such a terrifying aura.

As for the members of the Lin Clan, they were all so frightened that cold sweat broke out over them. Though they came from the Lin Clan, they could not be considered core clan members, and their status was not particularly high.

Not to mention that among them, the strongest were the woman and the young man, whose strength was only that of a Three Symbol Talisman Master and the Lesser Perfection of the Yuan Dan Realm. When had they ever seen a demonic beast at the Primal Core Realm Great Perfection so up close?

Moreover, Xiao Yan was different from ordinary demonic beasts at the Primal Core Realm Great Perfection. Not only did he have a mutated bloodline, but he also possessed traces of some high-grade bloodlines within him.

As everyone knew, among demonic beasts, dragons and phoenixes both possessed top-tier bloodlines. Any demonic beast tainted with even a trace of dragon or phoenix bloodline would be among the best of its level.

In addition, the combat strength of tiger-type demonic beasts was likewise extremely formidable among those of the same level.

As luck would have it, Xiao Yan himself belonged to the Tiger Clan, and within him were also faint traces of both Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan bloodlines. His strength was enough to rival an ordinary demonic beast at the Lesser Success of the Form Creation Realm.

Before Xiao Yan, among this group from the Lin Clan, only the white-clothed woman and Wu Tao had even a slight ability to resist. As for the others, Xiao Yan could practically take them down one with each claw.

Seeing that Xiao Yan had cowed this group of high-and-mighty inner clan members from the Lin Clan, Lin Dong immediately said to Xiao Yan, "Xiao Yan, if you can't come in, wait outside for now."

"Wuu!"

Hearing this, Xiao Yan let out a low whine, then had no choice but to slowly retreat. Immediately afterward, he simply lay down on the spot, sprawling on the ground outside the hall.

"Whew!"

Only after seeing Xiao Yan quietly lie down did Wu Tao and the others let out a long breath of relief.

Seeing this, Lin Feng and the others also exhaled deeply. Right after that, lingering fear appeared on their faces, and once they came back to themselves, they were even more shocked to realize that their backs were already completely soaked.

"As expected, heroes really do come from the young. With such an outstanding grandson, old friend, it shouldn't be long before your wish can be fulfilled."

After Wu Tao recovered, he could not help but speak with a smile. As he spoke, he sized up Lin Dong with a face full of surprise.

At first glance, he had not noticed anything—but once he looked carefully, he was startled.

From Lin Dong, Wu Tao actually sensed an extremely dangerous aura, as if the one sitting before him were not a young man at all, but the fierce tiger outside.

As expected of a genius capable of raising such a powerful demonic beast. Even if his own strength can't compare to that fierce tiger, I'm afraid he isn't much weaker than me!

Wu Tao was secretly shocked, and equally shocked was the white-clothed woman.

The white-clothed woman was named Lin Ke'er. Among this group of young people, she held both the highest status and the greatest strength.

In Lin Ke'er's perception, Lin Dong was like a mysterious black hole. After her Spiritual Power spread toward him, it actually vanished in a strange manner.

"You must be Lin Dong, right? My name is Lin Ke'er. Your strength is quite impressive. I look forward to your performance at the clan gathering two years from now."

Lin Ke'er took the initiative to greet him, causing Lin Dong to pause for a moment before he smiled and replied, "Thank you. You're very strong too."

As Wu Tao and Lin Ke'er spoke, everyone in the hall gradually came back to their senses. The way the young people from the Lin Clan looked at Lin Dong also clearly changed.

Seeing this, Lin Zhentian could not help but chuckle. Pointing to the empty seat closest to him, he said with a beaming smile, "Dong'er, come, sit down. I'll introduce you. This is an old friend of Grandpa's from back when I was in the clan. His name is Wu Tao. You can just call him Old Mister Tao."

"Old Mister Tao!"

Lin Dong called out rather politely, and an innocent, harmless expression appeared on his face. But how could Wu Tao dare to be negligent? He hurriedly replied, "No need to be so polite. If you don't mind, just call me Elder Tao."

As he spoke, Wu Tao could not help turning to look at Lin Zhentian and said with a smile, "Old friend, I understand what you're thinking. You want Lin Dong to accompany us to the Tianyan Mountain Range for training. However, this matter isn't up to me. It depends on Lin Dong's wishes."

Lin Chen, who was seated there, along with Lin Feng and the others standing nearby, moved their lips, but in the end, none of them said a word.

Going to the Ancient Tomb Mansion was a matter for inner clan members like them. Wu Tao, as a steward, was essentially the guard and leader of their group.

Logically speaking, this sort of matter should not allow an outer clan member to interfere, slip into their team, and take the chance to gain benefits.

Yet unfortunately, Lin Dong's strength far surpassed theirs. If he joined their team, not only would he not be a burden—rather, they would become burdens to him.

After all, with Lin Dong's strength, even if he entered the mountains alone, his safety would be greatly assured. A demonic beast at the Primal Core Realm Great Perfection could play a far greater role in the mountains than a human expert at the Primal Core Realm Great Perfection.

"Dong'er, what do you think?"

Lin Zhentian did not make the decision for Lin Dong, but instead handed the choice to him.

Upon hearing this, Lin Dong did not hesitate in the slightest and replied, "Grandpa, if we're going to the Ancient Tomb Mansion, then there may need to be one more person."

"You really are stupid, kid. It's not like you're the one begging them right now, so why are you acting so timid? Bring the people from the Wanjin Merchant Association along too!"

As soon as Lin Dong finished speaking, Little Marten's voice rang out in his mind, reminding him.

Lin Dong, however, looked completely puzzled, making Little Marten so angry that he immediately rolled his eyes and explained, "Kid, Lord Marten will teach you something. Remember this: when you're out in the world, don't trust others easily, even if they're from the same clan. Especially since you've already made enemies of these arrogant bastards. If they stab you in the back while you're fighting over treasures, you'll be finished!"

A chill ran down Lin Dong's back when he heard this, and his expression grew a little more serious. He hurriedly said, "Of course, if possible, it would be best if we could go together with the people from the Wanjin Merchant Association."

Lin Zhentian was an old hand as well, and he instantly understood what Lin Dong meant. He hurriedly chimed in.

"Old friend, my Lin family was able to rise thanks in large part to the Wanjin Merchant Association's help. Dong'er is also on very good terms with them. What do you think?"

Wu Tao naturally understood what Lin Zhentian was thinking, but he did not refuse. Instead, he agreed with a smile.

"That works too. With more people traveling together, it'll be a bit safer."

As far as Wu Tao was concerned, it naturally made no difference. Having to protect this group of young masters on his own was quite a tiring task, and if there were others traveling with them, it would naturally be even safer.

Moreover, Wu Tao had also looked into the Wanjin Merchant Association's strength, and he was fairly reassured about this merchant association.