As Lei Li and the others rushed out, Lin Dong let out a low shout, stamped his foot on the ground, and shot out, directly blocking Lei Li. Lin Changqiang also rushed towards Xie Yingying and the others without hesitation.
"Lin Dong, Lin Changqiang!"
The sudden change startled Lei Li, and when he saw the person blocking his way, his expression turned grim.
Lei Li sneered, stomped his foot hard, and his body rose up. From above, he punched Lin Dong, bringing with it a burst of wind-breaking sound.
"You bumped into me, so don't blame me!"
Lin Dong raised his head and looked at the rapidly approaching figure. From the power of the punch alone, he knew that Lei Li had indeed advanced to the Earthly Origin Realm. Even someone at the ninth level of the Body Tempering Realm would vomit blood and be seriously injured if hit by this punch. But Lin Dong didn't flinch. He stared at Lei Li expressionlessly, clenching his five fingers into fists. Instantly, he launched a powerful punch, colliding heavily with Lei Li's fist!
Meanwhile, Lin Changqiang had already unleashed his Five Fireball Technique, showering Xie Yingying and the others with basketball-sized fireballs.
Of course, he also intentionally reduced his Yuanli output, controlling the fireballs' power. He didn't want Lei Li to be deterred from challenging the Lin family due to his perceived superiority. That would mean the Lin family would lose a Yang Yuan Stone mine, significantly slowing both his and Lin Dong's cultivation.
Furthermore, Lin Changqiang didn't even bother aiming, merely bombarding the open space in front of Xie Yingying and the others with fireballs, driving them away and preventing them from getting close. This gave them the impression that his fireball technique had decent range, but only average accuracy.
Meanwhile, Wu Yun and Mu Lingsha had already scaled the rock face, heading straight for the cub.
With a thud, Lin Dong and Lei Li's fists clashed and separated. Surprisingly, Lin Dong remained motionless, while Lei Li stumbled back to the ground, stumbling several steps back and nearly falling.
It was Lei Li who was repelled!
Xie Yingying paused in disbelief as she watched the scene unfold. Lei Li, having entered the Earth Origin Realm, was repelled by a single punch from Lin Dong! Having
just regained his composure, Lei Li suddenly looked up, gazing in horror at Lin Dong before him. "You've also entered the Earth Origin Realm? How is that even possible?!"
Lei Li's words resonated like thunder in the ears of everyone present, even causing Lin Changqiang to believe he was using a system-generated speaker.
"If you can do it, so can I." Lin Dong simply smiled at Lei Li's horrified expression. Fortunately, Lin Changqiang had only revealed his ninth level of the Body Tempering Realm, otherwise Lei Li would have doubted his life.
"You!"
Lei Li's face twitched, his body trembling uncontrollably. He had begun cultivation three years ago, and with the Lei family's abundant resources, he had barely reached the Earthly Yuan Realm two months ago. And what about Lin Dong? From what he knew, the latter seemed to have been cultivating for only about a year!
"Impossible!"
Lei Li's expression shifted continuously, and finally, he summoned his Yuan Energy once more and walked towards Lin Dong with a ferocious expression.
"Brother Lei Li, they want to seize the Fire Python Tiger cub!" As Lei Li's heart churned with turmoil, Xie Yingying suddenly spotted Wu Yun and Mu Lingsha on the rock face. Her expression immediately changed. She wanted to rush over to stop them, but fearing Lin Changqiang's fireballs, she hesitated and could only shout a warning to Lei Li.
Upon hearing this, Lei Li suddenly regained his composure. Seeing the two men already climbing the rock face, he was instantly enraged. A rich Yuan Energy erupted from his body, a faint chill lingering in the air. It seemed that he had also absorbed the Yin Sha Qi and merged it with his Yuan Energy.
Judging by the intensity of the chill, it might just be the most common, naturally sinister aura in the universe.
"Lin Dong, no matter how you've risen to power, you're not qualified to step on me!"
The Yuan Energy surged within Lei Li, and feeling the surge of strength, his confidence surged again. Indeed, his previous attack had simply failed to anticipate Lin Dong's arrival at the Earth Yuan Realm. He was caught off guard and suffered a loss!
With a sharp shout, Lei Li shot out again like an arrow from a bowstring. His palms curled slightly, and he lunged at Lin Dong with the swiftness of an eagle's claws.
At that moment, Wu Yun and Mu Lingsha had already reached the three cubs. They quickly produced a piece of cloth, wrapped the three Fire Python Tiger cubs, and then quickly leaped off the rock face.
Wu Yun whistled to alert Lin Changqiang and the others, then he and Mu Lingsha dashed into the jungle, disappearing.
Seeing this, Lin Dong abandoned his confrontation with Lei Li. After exchanging palm strikes, he used the force to launch himself backwards. Lin Changqiang unleashed five more fireballs, briefly holding off Lei Li and his companions before dashing back into the jungle with Lin Dong.
Seeing this, Lei Li flew into a rage, roaring fiercely, "Lin Dong, Lin Changqiang, I will kill you!"
Running through the dense jungle, Lin Changqiang heard the roars from behind and curled his lips in frustration. "Lei Li doesn't really think he can defeat us, does he?"
Lin Dong couldn't help but smile. "It's because neither of us is using our full strength."
The two men, like nimble monkeys, darted through the dense jungle. After several minutes, they finally landed under a large tree.
Not long after, the sound of leaves shaking could be heard from a distance, and then the figures of Wu Yun and Mu Lingsha appeared before them.
"Haha, that went really smoothly!" Wu Yun burst into laughter the moment he appeared. He then looked at the two with envy, "I've really found the right people this time. But, you two, your cultivation speed is insane. You've already reached the Earth Origin Realm in just about a year."
"Just a fluke," Lin Dong smiled, but didn't say much. This made Lin Changqiang's mouth twitch slightly, and he remembered those top students in his past life who always liked to claim they were just lucky.
"Let's divide the spoils first." Wu Yun smiled as he untied the clothes on his back and carefully spread them on the rocks nearby.
Within the clothes, three cubs, still stained with blood, were squirming occasionally. Their tiny appearance was quite endearing.
"Then let's do as we agreed. You guys choose first." Wu Yun smiled and made way for them. Mu Lingsha beside him nodded seriously.
"Lin Dong, you go and choose. I'm not really interested in a tiger with a snake tail." Lin Changqiang made up a random excuse and pushed Lin Dong over.
Hearing this, Lin Dong didn't refuse. He extended his right palm and gently touched the three cubs. Sensing the touch, the three cubs curled up slightly and babbled.
Lin Dong's palm passed over the three cubs in turn, finally stopping at the one on the far left. He stared at it, his eyes flashing, and picked it up: "Let's take this one."
"This... Brother Lin Dong, this one looks the weakest of the three cubs. I'm afraid it might be difficult to keep it alive. Are you sure you want this one?"
Wu Yun and Mu Lingsha were both stunned by Lin Dong's choice.
"It's okay, this one is it." Lin Dong smiled and shook his head. He wasn't being charitable, of course. Rather, when he touched the three cubs in turn with his right palm, only the leftmost one had caused the mysterious stone talisman in his palm to tremble slightly.
His stone talisman was usually extremely quiet, rarely making any noise, but whenever it did, it was a sign of something extraordinary.
Lin Dong lowered his head and glanced at the cub in his arms, whose eyes hadn't even opened yet. Although his eyesight couldn't discern anything special about the little beast, he still chose to trust the stone talisman. After all, it was the foundation of his existence.
Lin Changqiang, standing nearby, also smiled with relief. At this point, the brothers were finally all together, though one was still unconscious and the other was still immature.
"Dong, congratulations to the host. You've completed half of Main Mission One, and you'll be rewarded with three chances in the lottery."