Lin Jin struggled to stand up and this was after the Thunderfire Needle sapped away the lightning energy from his body. Had it remained in his body, Lin Jin wouldn’t have been able to get up at all.
At the moment, his injuries were the heaviest.
Had it been any other pet beast, Lin Jin would be able to provide treatment to it, even if its condition was worse than his current state. However, given that he was a human being, Lin Jin’s ability and the Museum of Deadly Beasts came of no use.
Out of the blue, he noticed the silhouette of a man pacing back and forth on the edge of the crater. Lin Jin looked up and asked, “Lord Chen, why are you still here?”
The silhouette belonged to none other than Chen Ruyuan. He was so frightened by what happened that he stayed up the entire night. After witnessing the massive flaming bird soaring into the sky, he dared not even move away from his current position.
Chen Ruyuan wasn’t much of a coward and his fear was mostly due to how he had never seen such a phenomenon before. He had only dared to come out from underneath the structure where he was hiding after it was bright outside. At first, he wanted to flee the scene, but after giving it some thought, Chen Ruyuan decided to go back and check on Appraiser Lin. He figured that he would render assistance if the situation called for it.
As for what Appraiser Lin did inside the cave and why a thunderstorm was suddenly attracted over, pelting down lightning bolts and heavy rain on the crater, Chen Ruyuan had no idea. He was curious too so he braced himself and came over in search of an answer.
Upon hearing Lin Jin’s voice, Chen Ruyuan poked his head over the edge and asked, “Appraiser Lin, I was worried about you, so I stayed nearby the entire night. A-Are you alright sir?”
Lin Jin was definitely not alright.
He was thankful that Chen Ruyan was still here.
“Lord Chen, can I get your help down here?”
Chen Ruyuan immediately hopped down the crater upon hearing the request. Paranoia was still fresh on his face as he looked around cautiously, scanning the area for any threats that might come his way.
Chen Ruyuan wasn’t trying to be dense, but the experience last night made him fear what awaited him in the crater.
Many rocks around the area were charred by divine lightning and some even melted into strange shapes. Where Lin Jin was standing, the huge rock above him was already gone and the cave now had the shape of a soup bowl. Judging by the damage, this spot appeared to be ground zero of the consecutive lightning strikes.
Chen Ruyuan jumped down to salute Lin Jin but before he could do that, he heard Lin Jin say to him, “Can you hold me up, Lord Chen?”
Upon closer observation, Chen Ruyuan noticed the battered state Lin Jin was in. He had pretty severe burns all over his body, but now wasn’t the time to ask about his injuries. This had nothing to do with their identities or social status. The damage Lin Jin sustained was just that bad.
From the spectacular display last night, if Chen Ruyuan had been in Lin Jin’s place, the former would have experienced instant death. For Appraiser Lin to survive proved just how stronger the younger man was compared to him.
Respecting the strong was a basic rule that humans could not escape from.
After Lin Jin steadied himself on his own two feet, he said, “Lord Chen, can you help me deliver a message to Maple City?”
Chen Ruyuan nodded at once.
Lin Jin told him his request. He had come here in a hurry, and he arrived just in time to save Shang’er. However, he had no idea whether White Ape was still alive or not, or where he was currently. It was natural that tracking the ape down was his next objective.
Since that was the case, Lin Jin would have to make arrangements over at Maple City.
Apart from those who remained at home, Lin Jin also had to inform the Beast Appraisal Association about his situation. After all, Lin Jin was their chief, and he couldn’t just disappear as he pleased. There was no saying how long the search for White Ape would last, so preparations were absolutely necessary.
Chen Ruyuan memorized it all. “Don’t worry, Appraiser Lin. I will set forth for Maple City at once. I can meet my old friend while I’m there too.”
Lin Jin nodded without asking who Chen Ruyuan’s friend was.
“I’ll be troubling you then, Lord Chen.”
Lin Jin saluted the man before sending him off. Chen Ruyuan wasted no time and bid his counterpart farewell before disappearing into the horizon.
Lin Jin stood still in an effort to regulate his breath. The time when the clock struck noon was when the sun was at its highest point in the sky, and it was also at this point that Lin Jin finally felt better.
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Lin Jin could at least get up and walk now.
Xiao Huo was alright now, and Goldy was as pompous as ever. Shang’er was still in her fox form, curled up into a ball as she snored away.
Lin Jin carried her up and ran his fingers through her delicate fur. He was aware that Shang’er was still unconscious because she had just undergone a huge transformation. This transformation was pretty important, and if all goes well, Shang’er might reach new heights in her cultivation.
Glancing around the cave, Lin Jin summoned Xiao Huo. Understanding what his master intended, Xiao Huo morphed into a huge wolf immediately. Lin Jin grabbed a tuft of Xiao Huo’s fire-red fur and pulled himself onto his back. Then, Xiao Huo leaped up and brought them out of the cave.
Although Lin Jin had never met the exorcist abbot of Daluo Temple, he had a pretty good idea of the man’s strength based on the cave formation and what remained of the Thunder Seal Curse.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to conclude that his enemy was incredibly strong. If Lin Jin hadn’t made it in time, the Thunder Seal Curse would have killed Shang’er through the divine lightning.
This abbot must have a Rank 5 pet beast or equivalent strength.
Though, it didn’t matter how powerful he was. Lin Jin would never let him off the hook, especially after what he had done.
One day later, at the break of dawn.
In Cloud Tower City on the Grassy Continent.
This was the point where the Grassy Continent met the South Continent. Although the city was within the territory of the Grassy Continent, most of the city’s occupants were from the central plains. Of course, the city was also populated with the Grassy Continent natives, who were known for their tall stature, so the city’s marketplace was beyond lively.
Cloud Tower City wasn’t under the dominion of any nation on the Grassy Continent precisely because it was situated beside Daluo Temple. This was the reason why no one in the past thousand years was able to expand their influence over Cloud Tower City.
Aside from Cloud Tower City, the other cities around Daluo Temple were also self-governing entities. In fact, it was virtually known to everybody that they were under the protection of Daluo Temple. That was how they managed to avoid annexation for all these years.
No one dared to occupy territory within a thousand-mile radius from Daluo Temple too. It was proof of how formidable the thousand-year-old sect was. In addition, most of the folks in this area were Buddhists. Hence, it wouldn’t be wrong to label Daluo Temple as the de facto leader of a Buddhist country.
At that moment, inside one of Cloud Tower City’s inns, Lin Jin carried the sleeping Shang’er in his arms and looked out the window to a distant mountain.
According to a local, the mountain was named Daluo Peak, and Daluo Temple was situated at the summit.
Since White Ape’s whereabouts were unknown, Lin Jin figured he must have been captured by the temple’s monk. Hence, coming straight to Daluo Temple was surely the right decision.
His problem now was how to retrieve White Ape.
For the whole of yesterday, as he recuperated, Lin Jin was also gathering information on Daluo Temple. The peoples’ impression of Daluo Temple was rather positive as they help the weak, uphold justice by slaying monsters and demons. It made sense that the sect had won their hearts and minds. Many of them had deliberately relocated here just to live under Daluo Temple’s sphere of influence.
They had prestige, and such prestige couldn’t be established overnight. In the case of Daluo Temple, it took them a thousand years to accumulate the prosperity they were experiencing today.
For Lin Jin, this was a troublesome fact.
The opponent was too strong. Together, they were at least a hundred or a thousand times stronger than the foes Lin Jin had faced thus far. Although he was furious, Lin Jin wouldn’t actually rush up the mountain and go looking for a fight immediately.
If he were to do that, Lin Jin had to at least possess a Rank 6 pet beast or he could forget about walking away with his life.
Time waits for no man. Justice for Shang’er could wait, but White Ape might not have that leisure. According to Lin Jin’s information-gathering, Daluo Temple regarded themselves as the pinnacle of justice. They usually took it upon themselves the responsibility to slay monsters and beasts. If any such creatures fell into their hands, they would never walk away with their lives.
Considering the fact that three days had already passed since White Ape’s presumable capture, how could Lin Jin not worry?
Of course, Lin Jin did have another choice, which was to give up, admit defeat, and leave. He could just assume that nothing happened and it was unnecessary to take this risk. That way, he wouldn’t have had to go against this thousand-year-old temple.
But Lin Jin couldn’t do it.
Humans of the world had boundaries, and unfortunately, this was Lin Jin’s. He would never back down even half a step.
Hence, this was where strategy and combat skills came into play.