In truth, it was indeed so. After the three spirit beasts injured the four sixth-grade spirit tamers, Lin Xiao saw the situation turning dire and prepared to act covertly.
As the spirit wolf charged, he immediately used mind control on it. With his spiritual force, controlling a high sixth-tier spirit beast was not difficult.
When the spirit lion prepared to attack, he infused spiritual force into its head, controlling it to strike the spirit boar instead.
However, spiritual force is intangible, and amidst the battle, no one noticed his actions.
Moreover, with so many spirit tamers present, it was easy to muddy the waters.
Roar!
At this moment, the high sixth-tier spirit wolf, though injured and flung back, roared as if disregarding its life, attacking the spirit lion.
“You’re mad!”
The spirit lion’s expression changed, letting out a roar. A rolling sonic blast collided with the spirit wolf’s attack, blocking it.
But the spirit wolf, as if unafraid of death, charged at it again.
“It’s been controlled!”
Recalling how it had been manipulated by spiritual force earlier, the spirit lion shuddered, instantly understanding that a powerful spirit tamer was hidden among the group. The spirit wolf must have been controlled.
“It’s been controlled, retreat!” With a thunderous roar, the spirit lion unleashed a claw attack, then radiated golden light, transforming into a bolt of lightning and fleeing into the sky.
Hearing the spirit lion’s roar, the spirit lion pack turned and scattered in all directions.
The spirit wolf pack was bewildered, unsure whether to attack or flee.
At that moment, both the wolf pack and the group saw the high sixth-tier spirit wolf suddenly slash its own neck with a claw. With a crack, blood sprayed, and its head flew off, dead on the spot.
Roar!
A high fifth-tier spirit wolf roared, and the wolf pack scattered, fleeing in all directions.
The group didn’t pursue, instead staring in shock at the scene.
They were now certain that the high sixth-tier spirit wolf had been controlled, ordered to kill itself.
Their gazes then turned to the heavily injured spirit boar, collapsed on the ground ahead.
At this point, the spirit boar was barely alive, devoid of any fighting strength.
“How could this happen…” Staring at the spirit lion’s escape and the spirit wolf’s suicide, the spirit boar’s face showed deep fear and regret.
How could the Shangguan family hide such a powerful spirit tamer?
If it had known, it would never have stirred this trouble!
“You tricked me!” The spirit boar’s gaze swept over the Shangguan group, shouting, “Shangguan…”
Crack!
Before it could finish, its neck was twisted by spiritual force, killing it instantly.
The Shangguan group exchanged glances, silent.
“Don’t let the spirit boar sow discord!” Tong’er reminded softly, then looked around and bowed, saying, “Thank you, senior, for your aid!”
The Shangguan group snapped to attention, bowing in unison, saying, “Thank you, senior, for your aid!”
Seeing the group salute the void, Lin Xiao felt a bit exasperated. They truly believed a hidden expert was nearby.
But this was within his expectations. If they knew him well, they’d assume a spirit tamer expert had intervened, not that someone in their Shangguan group was hiding their strength.
However, after a long while, no one responded.
Tong’er bowed again, saying, “Senior, the Shangguan family will remember your great kindness. Please show yourself, and we will repay you generously!”
Yet, after another long wait, there was still no response.
Seeing no reply, Tong’er finally bowed, saying, “Senior, your nobility is admirable. This junior is deeply grateful!”
The Martial Emperor elder sighed, saying, “Such an expert likely doesn’t wish to reveal themselves.”
The grey-robed elder also sighed, saying, “Perhaps they were just passing by, lending a hand. Such experts are elusive, like dragons.”
“We got lucky. Otherwise, we’d be in big trouble today,” another sixth-grade mid-level spirit tamer remarked.
“Lin Xiao, are you alright?” Tong’er then looked at him.
“I’m fine, thank you for your concern, young lady,” Lin Xiao replied.
“You have a defensive martial skill?” the grey-robed elder asked, surprised, a thought flickering in his mind. Able to repel his spiritual sense and possess a defensive skill, this kid must have some background.
“Just some life-saving tricks, nothing compared to all of you,” Lin Xiao replied humbly.
“Your defensive skill is indeed impressive, but no matter how strong a skill is, without sufficient strength, survival is tough. Fortunately, an expert helped us, or not just you, even we might not have escaped unscathed,” the Martial Emperor elder said.
Lin Xiao nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
“The leak of our plans, I hope it wasn’t you. If it was, we won’t show mercy,” the grey-robed elder warned.
“When the spirit boar died, it seemed…” Lin Xiao, annoyed at the elder’s earlier mind control attempt, began to respond, but Tong’er cut in, saying, “It’s unlikely related to Lin Xiao. Perhaps the Ouyang family is behind this. Let’s collect these spirit cores and leave quickly. The commotion might attract other spirit beasts.”
“Tong’er is too kind,” the grey-robed elder sighed, saying no more.
In truth, the group didn’t believe Lin Xiao was the traitor. After all, the spirit boar had nearly shouted their Shangguan surname before dying.
Most likely, someone within their group had betrayed them.
But with no evidence, they could only investigate further back at the clan.
They knew that, except for Miss Shangguan Tong, who was above suspicion, the rest of them might be suspected and watched by the clan.
At the very least, they wouldn’t be entrusted with important tasks in the future.
However, the innocent would clear themselves. They believed the clan leader’s methods would eventually uncover the traitor, allowing them to clear their names.
No longer dwelling on the traitor, the group threw out four-edged throwing darts, slicing open spirit beast heads to extract their cores.
Though most cores were low-grade, they were still a considerable fortune.
The spirit boar’s core was handed to Shangguan Tong by the Martial Emperor elder. The spirit wolf’s core was taken by the elder, and other high-grade cores were distributed among the group.
Lin Xiao could only watch enviously. He wasn’t too interested in the other cores, but the early seventh-tier spirit boar core tempted him.
Ultimately, he sighed inwardly and gave up. A single spirit boar core wasn’t worth exposing his strength.
Originally, Shangguan Tong wanted to share some cores with Lin Xiao, but the group opposed giving him anything but low-grade ones, which he declined.
After collecting the cores, the group quickly left the scene, hurrying forward.
This time, they flew low, moving far faster than before.
Along the way, Shangguan Tong was much warmer, occasionally chatting with Lin Xiao. He responded enthusiastically but revealed nothing about his strength or his origins in the Southeast Region.
