Without even the need to guess, Lin Jin knew that overbearing aura must belong to Dark Wind Cave’s cave master.
Even from his aura alone, Lin Jin was able to deduce that he was a full-fledged Rank 5 monster, so he had to take his opponent seriously. At such a crucial timing, he couldn’t afford to make even the slightest mistake.
Of the banner masters who were threatened by Lin Jin, some hesitated before swallowing the pills, while some looked conflicted and doubtful. Perhaps they too sensed their cave master’s aura so they looked excited and were trying to stall for time.
But Lin Jin wouldn’t indulge them.
While he was lenient toward monsters most of the time, it depended on the circumstance.
In this situation, since Lin Jin had stated his conditions but they refused to listen, they could only face the consequences of their choice.
To those who had yet to swallow the pill, Lin Jin wouldn’t show mercy. As he said, all was well if they ate it. But if they didn’t, he would kill them.
Lin Jin took action.
He launched the Thunderfire Needle, which shot forward like a bolt of lightning. Before one of the monsters could react, the needle pierced through its skull, killing it instantly.
Lin Jin would never hesitate when making the first move.
These monsters were only Rank 4 so when they saw Lin Jin attacking, they scattered at once. Some escaped back into the cave shouting, “Cave Master, help us!”
Lin Jin immediately released Xiao Huo to help him finish the job. In just a few moments, the monsters who had been reluctant to surrender were all eliminated.
After all, they were still far too weak compared to a Rank 5 fire wolf.
Meanwhile, after seeing this horrifying fire wolf, the monsters who chose to swallow the pill earlier were glad they did so.
This minor issue was now resolved. Lin Jin waited for the cave master to come out. He would try to seize the creature if he could, but if he couldn’t, he would just kill it.
The ground began to quake, but the epicenter of the tremors was within the cave itself.
“Cave Master has come,” said Huang Qi as he braced himself.
Even Ominous Wind was looked fearful. Clear Wind, who had been subdued by Lin Jin, was also trembling slightly at Lin Jin’s waist.
Since the cave master could command so many monsters, Lin Jin knew he must be an extraordinary figure himself.
Regardless, Lin Jin would take him down today.
He had to.
Even if Lin Jin was willing to take a rain check, the cave master would probably refuse.
Rumble!
A savage gust rose from the cave’s entrance and Lin Jin frowned.
He had to admit, this wind controlling skill was impeccable and it proved how formidable the cave master was. Hence, Lin Jin stayed alert.
Whoosh!
Dark wind whistled out of the cave, forming a tornado that gradually grew wider. Despite its rapid expansion, the velocity of the wind remained constant. From a distance, they could see dust and sand being swept up by the gale.
A tall silhouette gradually emerged from the cave.
“Cave Master is here!” Huang Qi suppressed his voice into a tiny whisper. Lin Jin could tell that he was frightened by his former leader.
Lin Jin wanted to take a closer look and see just how incredible this cave master was.
The next instant, the silhouette spoke.
“My good man, you have extraordinary skills but I do not know you. That means we have no grudge against each other. Even if we do, we should talk it out first. For you to ruthlessly kill my men and force them into submission, I’d like to know why is that?”
Spoken in a rich baritone voice, he didn’t sound exasperated. In fact, he sounded as if he was holding back his anger while maintaining his ability to reason.
This was different from the monsters Lin Jin recognized.
Most monsters were rash and lashed out immediately at the slightest disagreement.
Had the cave master lashed out at him or simply attacked, Lin Jin could easily deal with him. Lin Jin was caught off guard when he realized that he was being interrogated about his actions.
After all, it was Lin Jin who provoked them first.
However, it wasn’t a tough question to answer.
“Humanity has declined in Arid Continent and your Dark Wind Cave has seized the opportunity to rise above the rest. Yet, you rear humans like livestock, and I heard from Bull Village fifty miles from here, that their population of a hundred people has now been reduced to less than half. Each month, a hundred villages around here had to sacrifice one human to sustain your colony. This means that ten thousand innocent human lives have been lost to you. As a friar of the human tribe, how can I possibly overlook this issue?”
Lin Jin gave him a reason.
This reason made sense because he was trying to uphold justice. It was an excuse that worked in any situation.
The cave master scoffed before revealing himself.
He was a tall and strong man with a short beard and long hair to complete his masculine appearance. Although he looked no different from a human, upon closer observation, one could see the semblance of a tiger from his face. Unsurprisingly, his eyes carried hints of rage and hostility.
“What a joke! Across every continent, every human country slaughters livestock for meat, and does the total come up only to ten thousand? Those creatures have spirituality too, so why have you chosen to ignore that fact?” asked the cave master.
Lin Jin did have an answer for this retort.
“Humans are at the top when it comes to spirituality, and that is all!”
Although it was a short answer, he made his stance clear.
Flaring up in anger, black wind surged around the cave master as he grew larger in size. He morphed into his half-human half-beast form and now stood thirty feet tall. His fingers were like tiger claws with curving sharp nails that could easily tear apart the sky.
His aura exceeded Lin Jin’s expectations. He didn’t seem inferior to Xiao Huo and was perhaps even stronger.
As the cave master was about to take action, Lin Jin continued to observe him and then a thought came to mind. He suddenly spoke up, “Lu Shoufeng, Daojun says that you may be a little wild but you know your manners. You’ve also been most respectful and was his most favored disciple among the Six Beast Taoists. I didn’t imagine you would become so unsightly, gathering monsters to commit crimes and harm humans. Was this how Daojun taught you?”
The last few sentences sounded like a lecture.
The cave master, who was ready to pounce at Lin Jin, was suddenly struck by a bolt from the blue. His body shuddered and in his eyes was a look of disbelief.
“Yo-you… How do you know my actual name? Just who are you?” The cave master’s voice trembled as he asked. He was also eyeing Lin Jin up and down, trying to see just who he was.
Lin Jin mused, ‘Perfect!’
Ever since the cave master revealed himself, Lin Jin noticed the physical resemblance with Daojun’s description in the hieroglyphic.
Together with his fearsome aura and cultivation level, Lin Jin arrived at this suspicion. It was merely a shot taken in the dark but looks like it hit the mark.
Now, besides Crane Taoist, Lin Jin knew what happened to the other five.
Insect Taoist died in Lin Jin’s hands. Corpse Taoist and Ghost Taoist became his biggest enemies. Dragon Taoist had passed away and his six-clawed golden dragon was cultivated into a horrifying zombie dragon by Corpse Taoist.
Then, he met Tiger Taoist here in Arid Continent.
Lin Jin couldn’t help but be surprised by how tightly bound his fate was to Daojun.
