WOOSH!
"Oh no, you don't!" Mei Lin's expression turned fierce. Six arrows tore through the air and flew straight toward them. Condensing her spiritual energy into her hand, she unleashed a palm strike toward the arrows, shattering them to pieces with sheer spiritual pressure alone.
Right after, twenty more arrows drew arcs through the air, all aiming at them.
"Ziyun!"
Hearing Xue Hui's call, Ye Ziyun immediately transformed into her demon spirit form and created a dome of ice above them, shielding everyone from the barrage.
Xue Hui's nose twitched. A peculiar scent pricked his nostrils, and a serious expression appeared on his face the moment he recognized it.
"Those arrows are laced with enhanced Blood Pungent Butterfly Larvae blood. Be careful. You'll immediately lose control of your body once those arrows graze you."
Everyone became more alert. They transformed into their demon spirit forms, not giving the enemy's attacks any chance to penetrate their formation.
Suddenly, a group of men emerged from the shadows, facing their group.
Upon seeing them, all the girls wore troubled expressions. Some were even tempted to look away but couldn't, as the arrows continued raining down on them.
This was because none of their enemies wore any clothing on their bodies, aside from a few bone accessories and the weapons in their hands. Every man standing before them was as naked as a newborn.
"Man-eaters," Xue Hui muttered coldly.
Their purple-dyed skin and the blood-colored symbols painted all over their bodies were definitive proof of their identity.
"Don't hold back. Eliminate them. These people are cannibals. They have a method of strengthening their bodies by consuming other people. They're more like demon beasts than actual humans."
Summoning his Origin Spheres, Xue Hui changed their shape and turned them into flying swords. Moving at blinding speed, the Origin Spheres cleaved through the group of man-eaters, killing them instantly.
As they fell, another group of man-eaters emerged from the shadows, but this time they were holding five women, using them as human shields.
The sight made everyone's blood boil. They could clearly see that these women belonged to different tribes, as they wore proper clothing.
In an instant, Chen Linlin, equipped with her Golden Scale Gauntlets, blurred and moved at blinding speed. She appeared above one of the man-eaters and, with a dangerous glint in her eyes, threw a punch at the side of his head, exploding it into pieces.
It didn't end there.
Moving with lightning-like speed, the four other man-eaters holding the women exploded into minced meat.
At the same time, Xue Hui used his Origin Spheres to retrieve the women and bring them to safety.
"They've all been poisoned. None of them can move a muscle."
Yu Yan assessed the situation. Her Soul Puppet displayed a frowning expression as she used her Law of Fire to carefully guide and control heat through their bodies, eliminating the poison within them.
"Hui-Hui, go check if there are any other hostages left."
Following Chen Linlin's words, Xue Hui turned his Origin Spheres into smoke and spread them throughout the area. In an instant, he grasped the number of people hiding nearby.
"There are thirty-eight of them hiding not far from us. They don't have any hostages left."
Xue Hui's words were all Chen Linlin needed to hear.
Cracking her knuckles, she bent her knees. With explosive strength in her legs, she leaped into the air like an arrow released from a bowstring. The ground beneath her feet cracked apart.
Suspended in the air, she converted her soul force into vitality, enhancing her strength by leaps and bounds.
Cocking her arm back, the condensed energy gathered in her fist released a thunderous crack, causing the space around it to distort from the sheer force it contained.
"Hui-Hui, protect everyone!" Chen Linlin shouted heroically, her eyes shining with power.
As soon as Xue Hui heard those words, he used the Origin of Space and brought everyone into the Garden.
The moment they disappeared, a mountain-like force crashed into the ground, annihilating the entire area along with the group of man-eaters.
—
"What the heck was that!? Linlin was like, 'Woosh! Woosh! Crackam! Protect everyone!' and then this!"
Mei Lin spread her arms wide to emphasize the devastation surrounding them.
All the plants and trees had been uprooted. The area that had once been shrouded in shadows was now a vast open field.
"I can't believe this. I never expected you to be this strong, Linlin," Xiao Ning'er said in disbelief.
Everything around her had been erased by Chen Linlin's attack. In fact, they were standing at the bottom of a fifteen-foot-deep crater left behind by her punch.
Xiao Ning'er's entire body trembled slightly as she remembered how boldly she had challenged her friend to a fight not long ago.
"I-isn't this strength not far from my grandfather's?" Ye Ziyun muttered absentmindedly. Her small lips opened and closed repeatedly, unable to find the proper words to describe what she was seeing.
"You overdid it. I could have just used my Origin Spheres to eliminate them," Xue Hui sighed tiredly while scanning the surroundings.
"I hate them. They anger me. I don't have the patience to deal with them one by one."
Standing straight as a sword, Chen Linlin crossed her arms over her chest, her beautiful face displaying obvious annoyance toward their fallen enemies.
"Not only did those bastards force me to see their unsightly bodies, they even had the audacity to poison those women."
Remembering the captives, her furious expression softened into concern.
"Oh, how are they? Is everyone going to be okay?"
"Yeah. Big Sis Yu Yan did an amazing job eliminating all the poison in their bodies. They should wake up at any moment."
Chen Linlin breathed a sigh of relief.
She knew exactly how brutal poison made from Blood Pungent Butterfly Larvae blood could be, so she was glad the women had all been saved.
Time passed, and eventually the women regained consciousness.
The first thing they did was thank the group profusely.
Apparently, it was the breeding season of the man-eater tribe, and those people had been hunting for women they could force to become their mates.
Moi Ca, the youngest among them, had been captured first and used as bait to lure the others. The men from their tribes had all been killed by the man-eaters, while the women had been kept captive as the man-eaters continued their hunt.
A cold sweat ran down the backs of all the girls in the group.
They had never felt more relieved that Chen Linlin had erased those people from the face of the planet.
"Please, we want to properly express our gratitude. Please follow us to our territory. Moi Ca here is the chief's daughter. I'm sure our tribe would be happy to welcome all of you."
After the older woman spoke, the girls' gazes immediately shifted toward Xue Hui, waiting for his decision.
"Yeah, sure. Why not? It's about to get dark anyway. I wouldn't say no to a proper place to rest."
Xue Hui smiled and readily agreed.
The group was led to a territory quite far from where they had fought the man-eaters. It was already dark when they arrived.
It didn't take long before the people of the tribe noticed their arrival, causing quite a commotion as everyone crowded around them.
Then suddenly, a deep voice roared out Moi Ca's name, silencing everyone.
Sensing his approach, the crowd quickly parted, creating a path for a burly man covered in tattoos from head to toe. Wearing a robe made from demon beast hide, he exuded the aura of a seasoned warrior.
He would have been an intimidating sight if not for the fact that he was bawling his eyes out like a child and crawling in an utterly undignified manner toward a now awkward-looking Moi Ca.
It didn't take long before he reached her and pulled her into a crushing embrace.
"Hmm. I would like to thank all of you for saving not only my daughter but also the people of my tribe from the hands of the man-eaters. I, Moi Bailu, will be eternally grateful for the kindness you have shown us."
Xue Hui, Chen Linlin, and the others exchanged awkward glances as beads of sweat formed on their foreheads.
They were all astonished by how quickly Moi Bailu had changed his demeanor.
Their eyes shifted toward Moi Ca, who stood beside him looking utterly defeated after her father had hugged and kissed her in front of everyone.
"Ah! What am I doing, letting the esteemed guests of the Ancient Furnace Tribe stay outside? Come, come! Let's continue this conversation inside my house. Moi Lu, go prepare a feast for our benefactors. I want everyone to feel welcome in my tribe."
After saying this, Moi Bailu led Xue Hui and his group to a well-built cottage. Despite being made from lightweight materials, it appeared remarkably sturdy.
The place had no chairs. Instead, everyone sat on woven straw mats, which proved surprisingly comfortable.
After everyone settled down, Moi Bailu took out a worn-looking clay pot and placed several dried leaves and fruit peels inside. He then grabbed a piece of charcoal from a nearby furnace and added it to the pot.
As the charcoal burned the contents, a fragrant smoke filled the room.
Not only did it dispel the extreme yin energy lingering in the air, but it also made everyone feel as though their soul force was being revitalized.
"Huh? Ninefold Herbal Essence Incense? I'm surprised you know how to make this."
Xue Hui exclaimed in surprise.
Ninefold Herbal Essence Incense wasn't particularly difficult to produce. All one needed to do was gather the required materials and soak them in water mixed with powdered demon beast crystals for four months before drying them under the sun.
What surprised Xue Hui was that this method had been lost long before the Age of Darkness.
For Moi Bailu and his people to know about it meant that their tribe possessed an incredibly long history.
"Boy! You know about this?" Moi Bailu said in astonishment. "You're quite knowledgeable. Even in my Ancient Furnace Tribe, not everyone knows its real name. Most of us just call it dried incense."
"I just love reading. That's why I know a little about everything."
Xue Hui replied nonchalantly as he accepted the cup of tea Moi Ca handed him.
"I'm more surprised that your tribe managed to survive this long after the Age of Darkness."
As soon as he said those words, everyone noticed the confused expressions that appeared on Moi Bailu's and Moi Ca's faces.
The father and daughter looked at each other before turning back to Xue Hui.
"What do you mean by the Age of Darkness?"
End of Chapter 83
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