Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Lin Zhuang's Spring (3)_1
He felt both relieved and helpless towards his eldest son.
He was relieved because his eldest son followed him, and even managed to excel beyond his expectations. His strength was formidable to the point of absurdity, allowing him to hunt ferocious beasts like lions, tigers, and wolves without any weapons, making him far stronger than he himself was in his youth.
His prowess was such that he was even a match for those tribal prodigies who have bathed in the blood of ferocious beasts to temper their bodies.
His helplessness, however, lay in the fact that this impetuous youngster could be recklessly headstrong at times, particularly since he boasts formidable physical strength; he even dared to defy his father. This often left him blowing his top, yet powerless to hold him in check.
Although he could usually let go of the past, this time, the matter was of significant importance, and he suspected that the recently-discovered human traces might have been left by people from the Fire Tribe.
"Second Brother, you must remind your elder brother about this," Lin Meng advised, his voice tinged with concern as he addressed the young man standing beside Lin Zhuang.
This young man was Lin Zhuang's second brother, Lin Chen, who had a robust figure just like Lin Zhuang's, albeit not as exaggerated. He had been born nearly at the same time as Lin Zhuang, so he always wanted to compete with his elder brother to see who was better.
However, he had grown afraid of Lin Zhuang over the past few years.
He simply couldn't defeat him at all. The slightest touch from Lin Zhuang could leave his skin bruised and swollen for at least several days.
"Father..."
Lin Chen gave Lin Meng a somewhat resentful glance. How could his father be so unreasonable? How did he expect him to remind his eldest brother, who was as fierce as a bear? Why didn't he do it himself?
However, these were words he could only keep to himself. He couldn't afford to offend either his father or his older brother.
"Alright everyone, let's move out. Regardless of whether we find anything of note, we must gather at this location by noon. Remember, stay safe," Lin Meng instructed as he waved his hand.
With one last reminder, he immediately began walking briskly in one direction, quickly disappearing into the heavy fog...
The thick fog rolled about, like a surging river in constant flux. As soon as Lin Zhuang and the others walked into it, they were instantly swallowed up within.
Luckily, as permanent residents of this mountain range, they had experienced such situations many times before, and they had already marked the surrounding paths well in advance to prevent getting lost.
Atop a hill.
Lin Meng was the first one to spot the scar-faced man and his group.
Although his physical abilities had been declining with age, his decades of experience were invaluable. He knew the most concealment-friendly spots, which were the least likely to be discovered.
"It's actually Huo Long!!"
However, once he managed to get a clear look at the scar-faced man, Lin Meng's face immediately paled in fright and he lost all his composure. He had suspected that it was highly likely that people from the Fire Tribe had caught up to them, but he never expected to see their leader, Huo Long, the man who had almost annihilated his entire tribe with his own hands, leading the team.
They needed to leave immediately, right this minute!
Lin Meng did not dare to stay any longer. He was well aware of how terrifying the scar-faced man was and planned to take advantage of the dense fog to leave and warn the others.
However, just as he planned to get up, a massive hand suddenly came down on him. Fast as lightning and with the force of a thunderbolt, it grabbed hold of Lin Meng.
"The remnant of the Lin Family Tribe, you came here and now you want to leave?" Huo Long's face was dark as he said this. He had sensed Lin Meng's presence the moment he had approached them.
He had already stepped half into the Cave Heaven Realm. The strength of someone at this level was something these ants couldn't even begin to fathom? A minuscule ant thought it was flawlessly concealed? He thought that he could take advantage of the foggy weather? Ridiculous!
With a wave of his hand, Huo Long threw Lin Meng to the side. Immediately, armed Fire Tribe tribesmen surrounded him.
"It wasn't easy to find you. I've been hunting for traces of you for over 20 years. If it weren't for the fact that my beloved younger brother specifically requested to kill you himself, I would have just snapped your neck right there and then," Huo Long sneered menacingly, the antagonism clearly visible on his face.
The Fire Tribe and the Lin Family Tribe were originally at odds. There were frequent battles between them, but the balance was broken when Huo Long's prowess surged exponentially.
He had almost massacred the entire Lin Family Tribe. What was infuriating was that a few survivors refused to accept their fate. Even worse, during their escape, they blinded the eyes of his beloved younger brother, a warrior only second to him. From then on, his previously brave and strong brother had been left in an irreparable state.
This deep hatred and grudge, he always kept in mind, and for decades, he had never given up his pursuit.
This time, he personally ventured out of his tribe for the sole purpose of capturing Lin Meng, the last scion of the Lin Family Tribe.
He hadn't expected that as soon as he discovered some traces of them, his quarry delivered himself right to his doorstep. It was effortless, making the scar-faced man quite pleased.
"You bunch of villains, release my father at once!"
At this moment, a roar of rage suddenly sounded.
It was Lin Zhuang and Lin Chen, who were nearby and had rushed over upon hearing the noise.
"You're no match for them. Hurry and leave! Go back and lead your mother and siblings away from here!" Lin Meng's eyes bulged as he yelled out in desperation.
While the time is yet right, there's nothing to fear. His death would not matter, as long as his wife and children could survive.
Naturally, Lin Zhuang couldn't heed these words. Roaring, he hefted a huge rock taller than two men and hurled it forcefully at Huo Long.
"Nice kid!"
Despite his surprise at the young man's impressive strength, Huo Long, with a great shout of his own, did not rest idle. He promptly swung his massive iron hammer upwards and smashed it directly at the incoming rock.
"Bang..."
Stones flew everywhere, some landing on the tribesmen of the Fire Tribe.
Devoid of Huo Long's abilities, how could these people possibly withstand the impact of the flying shards with mere flesh and blood? Immediately, the area echoed with screams of pain.
Many of the Fire Tribe people were left bloodied and bruised by the flying debris, and a few unlucky ones even tragically lost their lives on the spot.
"Indeed! I see you're begging for death."
The sudden developments around him incensed Huo Long to the point of fury. All those that accompanied him were the elite members of his tribe. Losing even one was a loss, and he hadn't even started fighting but had already lost several. How could he possibly not be furious?!!
Huo Long discarded his iron hammer and lunged forward, rushing towards Lin Zhuang in a frenzy.
In the dense woods, any weapon would be limited by space. Only hand-to-hand combat was the most terrifying weapon.
"Bang bang bang…"
Huo Long's punches rained down at a fast speed and confident accuracy. Every punch weighed tens of thousands of pounds, and after only taking a few hits, Lin Zhuang began to falter.
The Body Refining Scripture was a purely physical tempering technique after all. It did not contain any combat techniques.
In contrast, Huo Long was not only stronger, he also had more combat experience. Lin Zhuang's fighting experience to date only came from his daily experience hunting wild beasts.
Against anyone else, he could have easily handled them. But he was simply too naive when pitted against Huo Long, the battle-hardened chieftain of the Fire Tribe.
The disparity between them only grew.
However, Lin Zhuang proved his toughness by continuing to hold on despite the circumstances.
"Go away," Huo Long snarled, impatient. He no longer concealed his power, and the strength of the one in the Cave Heaven realm poured out.
A punch came striking down upon him, heavy as tens of thousands of pounds.
Such incredible force could not be resisted head-on. Lin Zhuang was sent flying, unable to rise for quite some time. His chest had even begun to cave in.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone