Chapter 15

Yuan Ming moved the large stone from the entrance of the underground cave, performed the Fur-Wearing Technique to transform into a white ape, and leaped out, swiftly climbing up a nearby large tree.

Having spent nearly twenty days in the cave without rest, breathing the fresh air outside invigorated him, making him feel refreshed and clear-headed.

After taking a deep breath, Yuan Ming began to leap from one large tree to another, heading in the direction of the river he had previously seen.

Although he could now perform the Fur-Wearing Technique on his own, hunting wild beasts was not an easy task. He planned to catch some piranhas to fill his stomach and regain some strength before doing anything else.

When Yuan Ming reached a large tree less than thirty paces from the river, he paused, hiding his body behind the dense leaves and peering through the gaps.

He saw a figure that was half-human and half-tiger splashing in the water not far away. Each time it rose, it could be seen holding a fish in its mouth, which it would swallow before diving back into the water.

Yuan Ming recognized this person as Uru, but his companion, Lago, was nowhere to be seen.

"This guy has also mastered the Fur-Wearing Technique so quickly!" Yuan Ming was somewhat surprised.

He had struggled to cultivate the Blood Qi Technique and only managed to master the Fur-Wearing Technique today with the help of the Nine-Origin Technique. Uru, like him, had only four spiritual roots, yet he had already succeeded?

Yuan Ming did not reveal himself. After watching Uru catch over a dozen piranhas and leave, he leaped down from the tree and approached the river.

Just as before, he endured the pain and used his ape tail to catch about a dozen piranhas, wrapped them in a bear skin, and quickly left the water's edge.

He returned to the cave, started a fire, and roasted the fish.

After eating over a dozen piranhas, including the black roe in the bellies of two of them, which were highly nourishing, Yuan Ming felt his energy and strength significantly restored.

After eating his fill, he wiped his mouth and began to consider his next move.

With only ten days left until the one-month deadline, he needed to submit five portions of fierce beast blood to obtain the antidote. Although he could now perform the Fur-Wearing Technique, his strength had not changed much compared to before. Hunting the black bear had been difficult, let alone a fierce beast.

After some thought, Yuan Ming decided to wait a few more days to rest and build up his mana before hunting fierce beasts.

Elder Huo Hu had told them that the stronger one's mana, the more powerful the Fur-Wearing Technique would be. He understood the principle that sharpening the axe does not delay the cutting of wood.

He sat cross-legged and continued to practice the Nine-Origin Technique, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Five days passed in the blink of an eye.

While quietly meditating in the cave, a beam of golden sunlight shone through the cracks in the rocks, and the clear chirping of birds could be heard from outside.

Yuan Ming opened his eyes, stopped his cultivation, picked up a piece of cold roasted meat, and quickly ate it, drank some water, and stood up to stretch his limbs.

At this moment, his skin radiated a crystalline luster, and the exhaustion on his face had long since disappeared.

As the old Taoist Yu Hu had said, the Nine-Origin Technique was excellent for strengthening the body and restoring vitality. With sufficient food and the regulation of the Nine-Origin Technique, his body had fully recovered.

After five days of intense cultivation, his mana had grown significantly, and a small ball of mana was slowly circulating in his dantian.

With only five days left until the one-month deadline, he had to set out to hunt beasts!

With this thought, Yuan Ming left the cave, performed the Fur-Wearing Technique, and the white ape skin on his waist unfurled, transforming him into a white ape that quickly appeared among the trees.

The white ape was noticeably more robust than before, and the strength in its movements had increased by about half.

"Indeed, the stronger the mana, the more powerful the Fur-Wearing Technique!" Yuan Ming nodded and headed south.

After about half an hour of running, the view suddenly opened up. The forest ended, and a massive canyon appeared before him.

The canyon was about two to three miles wide and extended far into the distance on both sides, reaching the horizon.

White mist floated inside the canyon, making it impossible to see the bottom, like a natural barrier separating the two shores.

"This must be the canyon that Elder Huo Hu mentioned," Yuan Ming muttered to himself.

On the other side of the canyon was a dense forest. According to legend, the fierce beasts lived on the other side, and he needed to cross the canyon to kill them and obtain their blood.

However, the mist at the bottom of the canyon made it impossible to determine its depth or whether any fierce beasts were lurking there.

He picked up a stone and threw it into the mist. After a few breaths, he heard a faint sound of the stone hitting the ground.

Yuan Ming's eyes relaxed, realizing that the canyon was not too deep.

After a moment's hesitation, he moved forward, finding a place with a gentle slope and sliding down to the bottom of the canyon.

The mist was thick here, and visibility was limited to a few yards. The bottom of the canyon was damp and humid, with moss growing everywhere due to the lack of sunlight, forming a stark contrast to the lush forest above.

Yuan Ming sighed in relief, thinking that such a desolate place would not be suitable for fierce beasts to live.

He moved forward cautiously, marking the ground with each step to prevent getting lost.

He soon crossed the bottom of the canyon and reached the other side of the mountain wall.

The white ape was skilled at climbing trees and mountain walls. Yuan Ming used his hands and feet to quickly climb up the mountain wall and entered the forest on the other side.

As soon as he entered, he noticed a slight change in the environment. The trees were taller and denser, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth seemed more concentrated, but the mountain wind was bone-chilling, causing his body hair to stand on end even through the white ape skin.

Yuan Ming raised an eyebrow, thinking that this forest was indeed peculiar.

He leaped onto a tree and moved deeper into the dense forest, but did not go too far. Instead, he followed the edge of the canyon, carefully searching for signs of fierce beasts.

After all, he was not yet sure of the strength of the fierce beasts, and it was safer to stay near the canyon, where he could jump in if necessary.

As he moved forward, the surroundings were silent, with only the occasional bird call from a distance.

This eerie silence made Yuan Ming feel dry-mouthed and his palms sweaty.

He wiped his palms and was about to continue when a strange, sharp cry, like a baby's wail, came from the nearby forest.

Yuan Ming's body tensed, and he quickly stopped, hiding behind a dense cluster of leaves and looking in the direction of the sound, but could see nothing.

At that moment, another roar, different from the previous cry, echoed through the forest.

His eyebrows furrowed, and he moved as quietly as possible.

Before long, Yuan Ming reached the source of the two roars.

Through the gaps in the leaves, he looked down.

The creature making the sharp cry was a peculiar beast, about half a zhang tall, with a rat-like head and a chest and abdomen covered in coarse, yellow fur. Its back was covered with a thick, turtle-like shell, clearly very sturdy.

"An armadillo?" Yuan Ming guessed, but armadillos were not this large.

The yellow armadillo's two beady green eyes glared at the grass ahead, where two green foxes were crouching.

These foxes had emerald green fur and eyes, unlike ordinary foxes. They were about a zhang long and three feet tall, with a sleek, streamlined body, indicating they were fast.

The green foxes stared at the yellow armadillo with their emerald eyes, growling lowly.

The three beasts' eyes glowed with increasing ferocity, and soon they lunged at each other, engaging in a fierce battle.

Yuan Ming watched intently. These three beasts were strange and large, likely fierce beasts, and he wanted to see their capabilities.

After a while, his expression grew serious.

Both the yellow armadillo and the green foxes were far more powerful than he had expected.

The green foxes, as he had guessed, were agile fierce beasts, moving much faster than ordinary foxes or wolves, with formidable teeth and claws.

The yellow armadillo was even more formidable, with claws like black hooks that could easily scratch deep marks on rocks. Its yellow shell was extremely tough, leaving only white scratches when the green foxes' claws hit it.

The battle soon turned in favor of the yellow armadillo, who was fighting two opponents and still had the upper hand. The green foxes' injuries grew more numerous, and their fur was stained with blood.

After a few more moments of intense fighting, the two green foxes could no longer hold on and fled.

The yellow armadillo did not pursue them, roaring a few times before retreating into the nearby bushes.

Yuan Ming's eyes lit up, and he leaped from tree to tree, chasing after the two injured green foxes.

The green foxes were already wounded, making them easy prey!

The two green foxes were badly injured, with one of them having a wounded hind leg, slowing them down. Yuan Ming quickly caught up.

The rear green fox, the one with the injured leg, seemed to sense something and turned its head, but saw nothing.

Yuan Ming was already above the green fox, and with a push from the tree, he pounced like a hawk.

The green fox was startled and tried to dodge, but its injured leg made it slow, and it was knocked to the ground by Yuan Ming.

The fox, in a mix of shock and anger, tried to bite Yuan