Hunting Hall

"Two brothers, you're coming from West Cloud Mountain, right? Your haul looks pretty good this time. I wonder if you could do us a favor and lend us a little something?" Seeing that Sanbao and his companion were outnumbered, the leader of the group blocking the path—a five-star Spirit General—spoke in a mocking, sarcastic tone.

"Get lost! Are you blind? You dare to set your sights on us?"

Lin Hai was furious, and at the same time, he unleashed the imposing aura of a Spirit Commander.

Lin Hai had been to West Cloud Mountain more than once or twice, and this small town was a mandatory stop every time. This was the first time he had been shaken down by a bunch of petty thugs. In the past, whether he was with his master or traveling with his junior brothers and sisters, no one dared to block his path. Now that his master and his juniors were gone, these thugs had truly grown bold. Thinking of this, Lin Hai was overcome with grief, and the murderous intent on his face became increasingly apparent.

"Heh, don't think being a Spirit Commander is such a big deal. Let me tell you, we've set our hearts on this haul today. If you're smart, you'll hand over half your prey and we'll turn around and leave. If you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit, I'm afraid you'll both be leaving your lives here..." The lead Spirit General didn't seem the least bit intimidated by Lin Hai's strength, simply saying this with a chuckle.

Seeing that the other party wasn't scared by his strength, Lin Hai's expression turned grave.

The other party wasn't stupid; there was only one reason for them to be this arrogant: they had something to rely on.

His gaze shifted slightly, scanning the surrounding dozens of meters before finally settling on a middle-aged man with a detached expression not far away.

The man was dressed in white and held an iron fan, looking exceptionally dashing. Seeing Lin Hai look his way, his aura rose accordingly; he was actually also a three-star Spirit Commander.

"Well? Will it be your wealth or your lives? Choose for yourselves," the lead Spirit General pressed.

"Fine, I choose..."

Lin Hai made a move to untie the pack on his back, and the men blocking the path laughed. Just then, Lin Hai sneered, and the heavy sword in his hand transformed into a streak of black light, piercing through the air's resistance and thrusting straight at the lead Spirit General.

Sanbao struck at the same time, channeling his spirit power throughout his body as five golden rays of light slashed fiercely toward the careless Spirit General.

The lead Spirit General gave a start, quickly raising his long sword horizontally to block Lin Hai's heavy sword. Just as he was congratulating himself on his luck, a golden light appeared eerily in front of his chest and pierced deep into his heart.

The lead Spirit General let out a miserable scream and immediately collapsed to the ground.

The Nine-Fold Claw was indeed worthy of being an Earth-grade Spirit Skill; it achieved success the moment it was used.

The two worked together with perfect tacit understanding. It was this exquisite coordination that had helped them resolve crises in West Cloud Mountain several times. Let alone a mere Spirit General, even a Spirit Commander would be caught off guard if they weren't careful.

"Watch out!"

Although the man with the fan not far away shouted a warning and rushed over, it was clearly too late. The peak Spirit General leader had been killed instantly by the two. This sudden, unexpected move startled the rest of the group, who retreated several meters, waiting for their true leader, the man with the fan, to arrive.

"I underestimated you. So you two were hiding your true strength? You won't be leaving Meiling Town alive today," the man in white said, feigning calm while speaking viciously.

At the same time, the group blocking the path slowly gathered, surrounding the two in the middle.

Since their big boss had stepped in, what else did they have to fear? Besides one Spirit Commander, the other was just a one-star Spirit General who only knew how to sneak attack.

"Then let's see who can leave here alive today," Lin Hai sneered, forming a back-to-back formation with Sanbao and exchanging a few words.

"Kill!"

The conflict between the two sides erupted instantly. The two Spirit Commanders didn't face each other directly; instead, with a tacit understanding, they charged toward the others.

Seeing Lin Hai abandon the confrontation with him, the man with the fan secretly rejoiced and swung his iron fan as he charged at Sanbao.

His plan was simple: even at the cost of two lives, he would kill Sanbao first, then deal with Lin Hai together.

Lin Hai's plan was exactly the same: kill the other Spirit Generals first, then use their combined strength to confront the man with the fan, who would then be unable to escape death.

Although their plans were identical, their estimates of Sanbao's strength were vastly different, which was directly reflected in the outcome of the battle.

Lin Hai was like a tiger descending from the mountain; with a few gusts of sword wind, he left the small-fry Spirit Scholars missing limbs. The remaining Spirit Scholars didn't dare to fight anymore and fled in terror, leaving only a few Spirit Generals defending together. They had only one goal: wait for their leader to kill the other Spirit Commander, then join forces to finish off Lin Hai.

However, the result was a great disappointment to them. Relying on the speed of the Nine-Turn Golden Body, Sanbao darted and shifted in the small space like a phantom. The leader with the fan could barely find an opening, while Sanbao's counter-attacks left him feeling extremely uncomfortable.

The Spirit Generals facing Lin Hai were not so lucky. Under the assault of his heavy sword, they were constantly in danger. One lapse in concentration, and one of them had his arm grazed by the blade, causing blood to flow instantly. His strength dropped by more than half, and the pressure on the remaining two increased simultaneously.

"Big brother, save me! Ah..."

With a scream, the injured man finally couldn't hold on and was kicked several meters away by Lin Hai. The remaining two turned pale and, seizing this opening, both retreated.

If they didn't retreat now, they wouldn't even be able to keep their lives.

Lin Hai let out a long whistle, feigning a pursuit with his sword, but instead turned and charged into Sanbao's battle.

With a clack, the man in white was pushed back half a meter by Lin Hai's heavy sword, and Sanbao seized the opportunity to break free and stand side-by-side with Lin Hai.

The two looked at each other, laughed out loud, and then walked away with effortless grace...

The man with the fan took a step forward, wanting to pursue, but ultimately held back due to his reservations. He just let out a low, livid growl: "Damn it, I really misjudged them this time. What a massive loss."

The battle between the two sides had long since attracted the attention of countless people in the town. As they left, the crowd showed looks of admiration; the two's powerful aura left everyone in awe.

This was a world of the strong, and the strong were always respected.

After this scare, the two decided not to linger. They bought two Unicorns at the post station outside the town and headed straight for Willow Forest City.

Willow Forest City was an ancient border fortress in the Yunli Kingdom, said to have a history of several thousand years. In addition to its towering giant stone walls, the wide moat outside the city had also witnessed its ups and downs.

The dozens-of-meters-high black stone wall was like a natural chasm, separating the inside and outside of the city into two worlds. Except for powerful beasts that could fly and Spirit Profound experts, everyone else had only one way to enter Willow Forest City easily: the drawbridge over the moat.

When night fell and the lights were first lit, Sanbao and Lin Hai finally arrived at the foot of Willow Forest City, but unfortunately, the drawbridge over the moat had just been raised by the guards.

"Guards, please let us pass. We have urgent business to enter the city," Lin Hai didn't want to spend the night outside the city and immediately shouted loudly.

"The drawbridge is up and the gates are closed for the day. Come back tomorrow," the guard on duty replied indifferently from across the moat.

"Gentlemen, we are working for the Lei Family. If we miss the time, it will be hard to explain. Here is some silver for you all to have a drink," as a small pouch of silver coins flew across the moat, there was a series of loud clanking sounds, and the drawbridge was actually lowered.

"You two, hurry across the bridge!" Hearing that the two were working for the Lei Family, and coupled with their "etiquette," the guards didn't dare to be negligent and quickly lowered the bridge. After Lin Hai showed the Lei Family's bounty order, the two were quickly granted passage.

Along the wide bluestone street, towering buildings rose one after another, ranging from stone towers to wooden houses, encompassing both shops and residences. By nightfall, most of the shops along the street were closed, and the sparse pedestrians were mostly hurrying along.

After winding through nine turns and eighteen bends, the two arrived in front of a gate on a medium-sized street.

"We're here, brother!"

Upon seeing the three large characters "Hunting Hall" hanging above the entrance, Lin Hai's eyes grew slightly moist, and he struck the door heavily with his large hand several times.

Clang, clang, clang.

The gate was slowly opened, and when the gatekeeper recognized Lin Hai, he immediately shouted with joy.

"The Chief is back! The Chief is back..."

Following this, the sound of footsteps erupted from all directions. Before long, more than a dozen Spirit Cultivators of various types, mostly low-level Spirit Generals, had gathered inside the courtyard.

Lin Hai nodded to each of them in turn and led Sanbao inside.

Not long after, the sound of low moans and soft weeping drifted out from the meeting hall of the Hunting Hall...

The Hunting Hall was originally a weak faction of Spirit Cultivators in Willow Forest City. This trip to West Cloud Mountain had resulted in the deaths of three of the hall's four chiefs, dealing a devastating blow to their strength.

"Alright, everyone, stop crying. We live lives of licking blood off the blade; only by constantly improving our own strength can we find a way to survive. This time, it is thanks to little brother Sanbao that I was able to return safely..."

Lin Hai comforted everyone while introducing Sanbao to the group.

The only consolation was that they had finally retrieved the Crystal Monkey Heart from the bounty order.

That night, white lanterns were hung inside and outside the Hunting Hall to mourn the fallen chiefs.