Newbie Guardians

Chapter 25 The Mysterious Man

In the wilderness beyond the secret realm, Mu Lingshan watched Huang Xin disappear before her eyes, her heart breaking instantly.

"don't want!"

"Huang Xin!"

Two urgent voices rang out at the same time: one was Mu Lingshan's voice, trembling with tears, and the other was Jin Jun's exclamation.

Jin Jun rushed to the spot where Huang Xin had disappeared, only to see the Wood Spirit Longbow, the Fire Arrow, and the two Swift Wind Short Swords lying quietly in their sheaths fall onto the grass one after another.

"Huang Xin!" Jin Jun's voice trembled slightly.

"Who is it! Show yourself! Show yourself!" Jin Jun's roar echoed through the wilderness.

Just as the teleportation array was activated, Liu Chuanqi, the earth-elemental instructor who was following hundreds of meters away, sensed something was wrong. He was preparing to quickly use the rock wall skill to protect Huang Xin and the others when a slender figure appeared before him. She was covered by a black veil, so his face could not be seen, but his figure was extremely beautiful, so he must be a young woman.

The woman held a jade-green bone staff in her hand. With a gentle flick of her finger, Liu Chuanqi, whose cultivation had reached level five, was instantly immobilized, and the surrounding space was enveloped by a barrier. A semi-transparent behemoth, seven or eight meters tall, raised its claws the size of washbasins and slammed them down with a deafening roar, burying Liu Chuanqi three meters deep in the ground. The behemoth then shoveled away the surrounding soil and weeds, covering him with them.

The woman said softly:

"You'll be out of trouble in about half a day, just be patient!"

She turned to look at Huang Xin's team. Jin Jun's roar had been blocked outside the barrier, and she hadn't heard it at all. Upon closer inspection, she realized that Mu Lingshan was still there; the one who had disappeared was Huang Xin.

"They're such a worry!"

The woman raised her bone staff, chanted a long incantation, and then vanished.

Inside the secret realm, Huang Xin answered obediently.

"My name is Huang Xin! I got separated from my companions and don't know how I got here."

"The Forest of Death is vast and fraught with danger. It's too dangerous for you to go alone. Come back to the tribe with me!"

Huang Xin didn't know how to trigger the mission, so he had no choice but to agree.

"Okay, thank you! Miss Han, how come you were being chased by a giant wolf all by yourself?"

"Just call me Hannah. Today is my eighteenth birthday, and also my coming-of-age ceremony. According to tradition, I need to hunt down a gray wolf alone. The one we just saw was the wolf leader, and it was very cunning. Luckily, you helped me!"

"It was nothing, not worth mentioning!"

"No matter what, I owe you a favor. Your summoned creature is so cute! Can I touch it?"

"Of course! Its name is Carlo. Isn't it cute? Actually, it's never been very bright. Carlo, this is Hannah, our friend. Come here and let her pet it."

Carlo turned his head, his empty eye sockets staring blankly at the ground, motionless, looking resigned to his fate.

"So cute!" Hannah reached out and touched Carlo's bald head.

"Wait a minute!"

Hanna took out a strangely shaped white bone knife and squatted down beside the giant wolf's body. A moment later, she held a dark blue stone in her hand.

"This is the Contract Stone of the Azure Wolf's Soul. Let's go to the Elf Altar first!"

"What are you going there for?"

"Go complete the contract ritual, then we can summon the Soul of the Azure Wolf, and we won't have to walk anymore!"

Hannah was in a good mood and walked ahead with light steps. Huang Xin followed easily, while Carlo looked around curiously as they walked, curious about everything in the jungle.

After walking for half an hour, a very large tree appeared in front of us, about fifteen or sixteen meters high, with a trunk diameter of twenty or thirty meters. About five meters above the ground, a rectangular space, two or three meters high and four or five meters wide, had been dug out. From a distance, we could vaguely see a statue inside.

"That's the Elf Altar! It's just a ten-minute walk away."

Hannah quickened her pace again, looking somewhat impatient.

Huang Xin was also a little curious; learning more information would definitely be helpful for the mission.

The two quickly arrived under the big tree. Hanna grabbed a vine, glanced back at Huang Xin, and said...

"I'll go up first, then I'll pull you up!"

"Can I go up too?"

"Of course, the goddess of elves protects everyone?"

Hannah climbed up first, and when she looked back, Huang Xin followed her into the tree hole.

"Very good skills! Wait! Where's Carlo? Didn't he keep up?"

The two looked down and saw the skeleton man holding onto a vine with one hand and kicking against the tree with both feet, swinging back and forth, having a great time.

The two entered the tree hollow and found it more spacious than it appeared from the outside. In the center stood a graceful wooden sculpture over two meters tall, with long, pointed ears, exquisite features, and an ethereal air that commanded respect. Before it was a small square wooden table, on which were carved three large wooden bowls, each holding three different kinds of fruit that resembled bananas, apples, and peaches. The sculpture, the table, and the bowls were all carved directly from the tree trunk. In front of the sculpture were three cushions, seemingly woven from some kind of grass.

Hanna walked to the prayer mat in the middle, knelt down devoutly, and kowtowed three times respectfully. Then she raised her left palm to her chest, took out the ancient knife with her right hand, and made a long cut in her left palm. Blood slowly flowed out and gathered in her palm. Then she placed the contract stone in her left palm.

As the Contract Stone absorbed the blood, its eerie blue light grew brighter and brighter. Suddenly, a pale purple light flashed in the wooden statue's eyes and shot towards the Contract Stone. Then, the Contract Stone gradually shrank in size and finally disappeared along with the blood. The wound had already healed and was completely intact.

"Did it work?"

Huang Xin looked at Hannaer and realized that she was covered in sweat and looked pale.

"The contract is complete. This contracted beast is very powerful, and I have exhausted all my magic power as a result. I need to recuperate for two hours."

Suddenly, a series of chaotic footsteps came from afar. Huang Xin quickly went to the entrance of the tree hole and looked down. Carol was nowhere to be seen. Two or three hundred meters away, more than thirty people dressed in strange clothes and with three skulls hanging on their chests walked towards the tree hole.

Huang Xin told Hanna'er about the situation below, and Hanna'er said anxiously...

"They're here to kill me. Run! Run!"

After shouting these words, Hannah's face turned even paler, her eyes filled with despair and resentment.

Huang Xin silently untied Hanna'er's longbow and quiver, and carried them on his back.

"Don't worry, with me here, they can't kill you!"

"They were all ruthless killers, and the skulls they wore on their chests were from people they had personally killed."

"Leave it to me. You focus on recuperating and come help again when you've recovered!"

After Huang Xin finished speaking, he grabbed the vine and jumped down, reaching the bottom of the big tree in a few quick movements.

Before he could even regain his footing, a dense whooshing sound filled the air as over a dozen spears flew towards him like locusts. Huang Xin rolled to the side, his spot now riddled with spears. Then, seven or eight more came flying in, and Huang Xin rolled again. Then another seven or eight. This group possessed exceptional hunting skills and worked with perfect coordination, giving their opponents no chance to breathe. Before the third volley of spears even hit the ground, the first volley was already uprooted, beginning a new cycle.