The Legend of the Netherworld

The man looked a little hesitant and asked in a low voice, "I wonder what kind of treasure you plan to offer?"

Lin Xiao smiled, his eyes revealing a hint of disdain, and his tone was filled with contempt: "Why should I tell you what I am offering? You just need to take me to introduce me to the Wolf King, and I will take care of the rest. If the Wolf King is pleased, maybe you can even get some rewards."

The man nodded repeatedly after hearing this, his nervous expression relaxing slightly as he agreed, "Your words are absolutely right, benefactor."

After a pause, he added, "But benefactor, before we present the treasure, we must first go to the Wolf Vanguard to inform him. At night, the Wolf Vanguard will lead the way, and then we will go to meet the Wolf King."

"Okay, then you lead the way now." Lin Xiao didn't waste any words, his voice was calm and decisive.

Seeing this, the man immediately stood up and helped up his three companions who had just been injured in the fight. He carefully instructed them, "You and your benefactor should rest well here. I will go to see the Wolf Vanguard alone."

Lin Xiao looked at the four men, a flicker of alarm in his eyes. He was worried the man might collude with Wolf Vanguard outside, so he said, "I'll go with you. The three of you stay here and practice."

Hearing this, the man's expression froze for a moment, then he smiled ingratiatingly: "You are very considerate, benefactor."

Lin Xiao ignored the man's reaction, stepped out of the tree hole, and quickly sealed the bark back together by pressing his palm against the tree's surface. He took a deep breath, his eyes stern, and suddenly began to pretend to form seals and chant an incantation, saying in a mysterious tone, "I've placed a barrier around this tree. No one can enter or leave without my permission."

The three people in the tree hole changed their expressions when they heard this, and they couldn't help but feel fear towards Lin Xiao. Although they hadn't seen the actual process of Lin Xiao casting the spell, they didn't dare to take the risk and could only stay in the tree hole.

Seeing Lin Xiao's decisiveness, the man dared not object and led him through the dense forest. The two of them walked in silence, the air filled with the scent of moist earth, and occasionally a few birdsongs sounded in the distance, breaking the silence of the forest.

When passing the stream, the water was so clear that you could see the bottom. Lin Xiao's footsteps caused ripples on the shallows. His eyes were always fixed on the front, thinking about his next plan in his heart.

Before they knew it, they had reached the towering cliff where Lin Xiao had heard the wolf howling that night. The man looked a little nervous, but he remained determined to lead the way. He glanced around, as if trying to confirm the presence of the wolf vanguard.

Suddenly, two wolf demons appeared from the bushes ahead. They were tall, with fierce eyes and a dangerous aura like wild beasts. Lin Xiao tensed instantly, secretly gathering all his strength, ready to strike at any moment.

However, the man immediately reached out to block Lin Xiao and whispered urgently, "Don't panic, benefactor. These two are the Wolf Vanguards."

Lin Xiao relaxed slightly, but remained alert. He remained expressionless as he followed the man forward and saluted. The two Wolf Vanguards looked indifferent, their eyes gleaming with brilliance as they gazed down at them with a hint of scrutiny and contempt.

The man said respectfully, "Two Vanguards, this is my benefactor. He has obtained a treasure and wants to offer it to the Wolf King in exchange for protection. Please inform him."

Wolf Vanguard didn't reply immediately, merely staring coldly at Lin Xiao and the man. The silence was oppressive, and the man's face paled slightly, appearing extremely uncomfortable. Seeing this, he quietly tugged at Lin Xiao's sleeve.

Although Lin Xiao was unhappy, in order to avoid unnecessary trouble, he took out two green lotus roots from his pocket and handed them to the man. The man understood and quickly offered the green lotus roots to the two wolf pioneers.

The Wolf Vanguard took the green lotus root, a trace of greed flashing in his eyes, and finally spoke: "Not bad, you are quite sensible. Go back. When you hear the wolf howling tonight, bring the treasure here. We will wait here and take you to see the Wolf King."

The man breathed a sigh of relief and quickly bowed his head to express his gratitude: "Thank you, two pioneers."

After saying that, the man pulled Lin Xiao away. Along the way, Lin Xiao couldn't help but snort coldly and complained in a low voice, "Two little demons, actually put on airs. Who allowed these bad habits to come to you?"

After hearing this, the man carefully advised, "Please calm down, benefactor. The demon tribe outside this ancient forest is very powerful. Although the Wolf Vanguard's status is not high, they are the Wolf King's subordinates after all. It is understandable that they acted this way."

Lin Xiao was silent for a moment. Although he felt disdainful in his heart, he did not want to cause any more trouble, so he said no more.

The two returned to the tree. Lin Xiao quickly scanned the surroundings, keenly noticing something unusual. There were clear footprints on the ground, and fallen leaves on the branches had been trampled, clearly signs that someone had left.

Lin Xiao slowly pulled away the weeds and carefully removed the bark. The three people who were supposed to be resting in the tree hollow were nowhere to be seen. Silence reigned all around him. Lin Xiao's eyes instantly turned cold, and he instantly unleashed his hidden weapon. A sword appeared in his hand, its cold light pointed directly at the throat of the man beside him.

"Where are your good brothers?" Lin Xiao's voice was as sharp as a sword.

The man turned pale with fright at the sudden threat. He raised his hands hurriedly, shook his head, and explained quickly: "I...I don't know! They have nowhere else to go except here! Really, I swear!" Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

At this moment, a few faint footsteps were heard in the distance, followed by a voice: "You're back! The three of us just heard birds singing and went to shoot birds!"

Lin Xiao heard the voice and turned his head slightly. Sure enough, he saw the three men in the distance, each holding a few birds in their hands, waving as they walked. His eyes slightly relaxed, and he immediately withdrew his hidden weapon, and the sword disappeared from his hand in an instant.

The leading gunman stepped forward quickly, proudly shaking the prey in his hand, and said in a relaxed tone: "Seeing that you have been away for a while, we heard birds singing, so we thought of hunting some prey so that we can have something to eat when you come back." His face was full of smiles, as if all the tension just now had disappeared.

The man nodded in agreement. "That's right. This way, after a full meal, we'll have enough energy to meet the Wolf King tonight. If we can get some benefits, that would be perfect."

Lin Xiao smiled lightly, appearing nonchalant, but he remained vigilant. The five of them quickly built a fire in front of the tree hole, briefly prepared the birds, and roasted them over the fire. As the sky gradually darkened, the firelight illuminated their faces, and the aroma of bird meat filled the air.

Sitting by the fire, the man smiled and said to Lin Xiao, "Benefactor, let me introduce you. This man in black is Li Tie; the one holding the knife over there is Wu Qianzi; and the one holding the gun is Liu Xiang. As for me, my name is Zhang Wentian." He paused, his expression suddenly becoming serious. Then he knelt down with the other three, his tone full of guilt: "The four of us deceived you before, and now we have come to apologize and ask for your forgiveness."

Lin Xiao looked at them, waved his hand and said, "Get up quickly, there is no need to talk about the past. You are all doing this for your family, so I can barely understand." Seeing this, the four of them quickly got up, looked at each other, and the stone in their hearts fell to the ground.

Wu Qianzi asked, "My benefactor, I wonder what treasure you plan to offer tonight?"

Lin Xiao smiled slightly, his eyes filled with mystery: "You will know in a moment. Don't worry, I won't let you down. If the Wolf King is satisfied, he may not ask you for treasures again in the future."

Hearing this, Wu Qianzi's eyes lit up and his face was filled with excitement: "That's great! If the Wolf King lets us go, we can devote all our energy to finding the treasure and redeem our wives and children as soon as possible."

Lin Xiao nodded, but secretly pondered in his heart, and asked tentatively: "Have you ever thought about secretly taking your wives and children away from the Murong family?"

Zhang Wentian's face darkened upon hearing this. He shook his head and sighed, "My benefactor, you don't know. The Murong family is a huge force in the Lingxiao Dynasty, and they have spies all over the world. We have nowhere to escape. Sooner or later, we will be caught and brought back. Then the outcome will be even more tragic."

Lin Xiao frowned, feeling somewhat helpless. He wanted to help, but he knew full well that with such a family background, if he intervened rashly, he would probably cause unnecessary trouble. After a moment's silence, he said calmly, "After you've presented the treasure, I'll do my best to help you find some opportunities so that you can reunite with your wives and children sooner."

Liu Xiang's eyes lit up after hearing this, and he quickly expressed his gratitude: "Benefactor, you are truly our savior! We will definitely remember your kindness!"

However, Li Tie, who was sitting next to him, just laughed quietly with a hint of sneer on the corner of his mouth.

Lin Xiao still had some questions in his mind, so he asked, "What kind of strength does the Murong family have?"

A trace of awe flashed across Zhang Wentian's face as he whispered, "It's said that the ancestor of the Murong family has already entered the Jiashen realm, and there are countless other masters in the Jiawu and Dingwei realms. In the entire dynasty, there are only a handful of forces that can compete with them."

Lin Xiao nodded slightly, pondering the weight of this information. He said thoughtfully, "It seems they are indeed very powerful."

Zhang Wentian suddenly asked tentatively, "Benefactor, may I know your name and who your master is?"

Lin Xiao smiled and said casually, "My name is Zhang Lin. As for my sect... it's just a small, unknown sect. When I was young, an old man took a liking to me and led me on the path of cultivation. However, when I reached the Jiazi realm, he left me. After that, I practiced on my own."

After saying this, he sneered in his heart: "There's no need to tell them the truth. None of them have any truth to tell."

Just as everyone was talking, a long wolf howl suddenly came from a distance, breaking the silence of the night.