Chapter 20

Yuan Ming watched as Ulu approached, unknowingly frowning, but quickly smoothed his expression.

Ulu had injuries on his shoulders, chest, and arms, and some were still oozing blood, as if he had just been through a fierce battle, looking quite disheveled.

Speaking of Ulu, it was unknown what special opportunity he had, but although he was still some distance from the first level of Qi Cultivation, his overall cultivation speed seemed to be on par with Yuan Ming.

The beast skin he had obtained from a spotted tiger was far more powerful in overall combat strength than the white ape, and dealing with ordinary low-level ferocious beasts should have been effortless. It was unclear what he had encountered.

"Senior Huhuo, I have arrived late. Here is this month's ferocious beast essence blood," Ulu stopped in front of Senior Huhuo and handed over the blood storage bag.

Senior Huhuo seemed to ignore Ulu's pitiful state, expressionless as he took the five portions of essence blood, threw down two doses of the antidote, and then summoned a giant bird to leave.

After taking the antidote, Yuan Ming did not linger and also turned to leave.

"Brother Yuan, wait a moment. Do you still have that healing ointment?" Ulu suddenly called out to Yuan Ming.

"I have one more tube," Yuan Ming stopped in his tracks.

"Great, can you sell it to me? I'll trade this tube of soft bone venom for it." Ulu's face lit up with joy as he took out a bamboo tube, the opening sealed tightly with beast skin.

"Sure." Yuan Ming took out a bamboo tube from his pocket and threw it over.

"Thank you." Ulu hurriedly caught it and handed over the bamboo tube in his hand.

Yuan Ming opened the bamboo tube, which contained a bottle of dark purple, viscous liquid.

Since the last time he had helped Ulu, their relationship had grown much closer, and they had more interactions.

Ulu claimed to be from a small southern tribe, skilled in concocting potent poisons. The soft bone venom could make one's muscles and bones weak, and was quite effective against ferocious beasts. Yuan Ming had traded his healing ointment for it twice and found it to be quite effective.

"Earlier, I vaguely heard Senior Huhuo speaking. What did he say?" Ulu glanced in the direction Senior Huhuo had left, curious.

"I asked Senior Huhuo about some matters concerning ferocious beasts," Yuan Ming replied.

Since Senior Huhuo had not told Ulu about becoming a registered disciple of the Bi Luo Cave, he naturally would not say anything more.

The two chatted for a while before leaving one after the other.

Yuan Ming returned to his underground cave and began to plan his next move.

He had originally intended to explore other areas of the Ten Thousand Mountains to find some fur-clad beast slaves and gather information about the Bi Luo Cave and the Rotten Heart Pill, hoping to find a way to escape. After all, he did not wish to remain a coerced, futureless beast slave forever.

Now that Senior Huhuo had pointed out a clear path to join the Bi Luo Cave, it was no longer necessary to go through such trouble.

One thousand portions of ferocious beast essence blood seemed like a lot, but if he reduced his cultivation time, he was confident he could gather them within a year.

"Something doesn't seem right. The Bi Luo Cave doesn't seem like a lenient sect. Why would they set such a lenient condition? Any fur-clad beast slave with a bit of strength, as long as they are careful, should be able to complete this task, right?" Yuan Ming stroked his chin, pondering.

Could there be some unknown catch?

He could not figure it out at the moment, so he did not waste any more time. At least while collecting the essence blood, he could cultivate the Nine Yuan Technique to improve his cultivation, which would enhance his future self-protection capabilities.

With this in mind, Yuan Ming began to pack up his things in the underground cave.

This cave was quite far from the canyon, and each trip back and forth took a lot of time, so he needed to find a new place to live.

Yuan Ming wrapped the items in the cave in a piece of beast skin, got up, and left the cave where he had lived for half a year. Before leaving, he still blocked the entrance with a large stone.

This place was quite secluded and might be useful in the future.

With the beast skin bundle, Yuan Ming headed south and soon arrived near the canyon.

"Crossing the canyon won't take much time. I'll settle on this side of the canyon."

Yuan Ming scanned the area with his eyes, did not continue forward, and began to look for a suitable place to live nearby.

After a short while, he found a winding cave at the base of a small earthen hill, which looked like it had been dug by a ground-dwelling beast like a pangolin.

The cave was quite long, extending to the other side of the hill, and there was a back entrance on the shaded side of the hill.

However, the back entrance was too small for a person to pass through.

Yuan Ming blocked the back entrance with a large stone, then transformed into a white ape and used his sharp claws to expand the space near the main entrance, forming a simple earthen room.

Fortunately, the hill was mostly soil with few rocks, saving him a lot of effort. Otherwise, even with his sharp claws, it would have taken more than a day or two to expand the cave so much.

Yuan Ming brought a large stone from nearby to block the cave entrance, collected a lot of dry branches and grass, and laid a simple bed inside the cave. A simple dwelling was now complete.

Lying on the dry grass bed, he relaxed and yawned.

The previous cave was rudimentary, and he had been busy cultivating and hunting, paying no attention to his personal life. Now, lying on the soft grass bed, the accumulated fatigue began to surface, and he felt quite drowsy.

Yuan Ming did not resist the sleepiness this time, fell onto the grass bed, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

He slept very well and woke up refreshed at noon the next day. After eating some dried meat, he left the cave and headed to the forest on the other side of the canyon.

Yuan Ming glanced at the mountain pass where the blue fox den was located and quickly looked away.

He had killed most of the blue foxes, and since he had killed the blue fox leader last month, the remaining foxes had scattered, leaving him without a stable hunting ground.

Yuan Ming shook his head and walked deeper into the forest.

He had been circling the edge of this forest for the past few months and had never ventured this deep before.

As he went deeper, he found that the trees around him were abnormally tall, with many towering trees over a hundred years old. The ground was covered with a thick layer of dead branches and leaves, making it feel soft underfoot. The dense shrubs and vines were much more abundant than on the other side of the canyon, obstructing the view.

After a moment's thought, Yuan Ming transformed into a white ape, leaped onto a tree, and began to jump forward.

After about fifteen minutes, the journey was peaceful, and he did not encounter any ferocious beasts.

He was not surprised by this. This forest was still on the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Mountains, and although there were ferocious beasts, their numbers were not many. Ulu had once complained that the time spent searching for ferocious beasts was much longer than the time spent hunting them.

He had been lucky to find a large den of blue foxes, which had helped him easily complete his monthly tasks. The yellow armadillo was now nowhere to be found, and to achieve the goal of one thousand portions of essence blood, he would have to venture deeper.

Of course, Yuan Ming did not intend to rush recklessly. Safety was still the top priority.

After traveling another mile or so, he heard the sound of flowing water ahead. It was a small waterfall cascading down a cliff into a clear pond, and a refreshing mist of water greeted him.

Yuan Ming crouched on a tree branch, peering through the leaves.

He saw a large, ferocious beast resembling a wild boar drinking from the pond. Its fur was a fiery red, and its muscles bulged on its back and legs, indicating it was a powerful beast.

The ferocious boar had a sharp, single horn on its forehead and two sword-like, gleaming tusks that flashed with a cold light, making one shudder.

Yuan Ming looked at the "prey" and smiled, scanning the surroundings to ensure there were no other potential dangers.

At that moment, the ferocious boar's ears twitched, and it suddenly lifted its head from the pond, looking around as if it had heard something.

Yuan Ming quickly hid behind the tree trunk, remaining still.

The ferocious boar's ears twitched again, listening for any sounds. After a few breaths, it continued to drink from the pond.

Yuan Ming breathed a sigh of relief, cautiously peeked out, and carefully observed the beast.

"Judging by its size, this one is much stronger than the blue foxes and armadillos I've encountered before. I'll start with you to reach the goal of one thousand portions." He silently planned, stealthily approaching the ferocious boar.

Just then, the ferocious boar stood up, shook off the water, grunted contentedly, and turned to leave the pond.

Yuan Ming seized the opportunity, leaped from the tree, and landed on the boar's broad back. Before the ferocious boar could react, he plunged his sharp claws into its neck and slashed fiercely.

"Shh—"

Two deep, bone-deep wounds appeared on the ferocious boar's neck, and blood gushed out.

It let out a piercing scream and charged forward, knocking down two large trees, sending branches and leaves flying.

Yuan Ming, unable to stabilize himself, was thrown off.

"Roar!" The ferocious boar's eyes turned blood red, and it turned to charge at Yuan Ming.

Its head lowered, the red horn like a spear, aimed at Yuan Ming's chest, and its massive body created a powerful rush of air, causing the nearby trees to rustle.

Yuan Ming, just having stabilized himself, had no time to dodge. He quickly extended his hands and grabbed the red horn.

Shh—

His feet scraped the ground, and he slid backward.

After sliding about two yards, his feet sank into the ground, and he stood firm, unable to be moved by the ferocious boar's strength.

"Rise!" Yuan Ming shouted, his arms bulging with muscles, and he lifted the ferocious boar's massive body, spinning it in the air and slamming it into a nearby tree.

The tree, thick enough for a person to hug, snapped, and the ferocious boar's body crashed to the ground with a loud thud, causing the ground to tremble.

Before the beast could recover, a white, sharp claw descended from the sky, piercing its head and penetrating the hard skull.

The ferocious boar let out a desperate scream, its massive body convulsing a few times before falling still.

Yuan Ming nodded. This ferocious boar was quite strong. If he had encountered it three months ago, he would have been at a disadvantage. Now, it was like a kitten or a puppy, unable to resist him.

Abandoning the Blood Qi Technique and cultivating the Nine Yuan Technique was indeed the right choice.

Yuan Ming took out a blood storage bag, collected the boar's blood, and was about to leave when a low, deep roar suddenly came from ahead, causing the ground to shake and a wave of dust to rise!