Chapter 42

Yuan Ming glanced at Hagun, who was still meditating with his eyes closed, and did not disturb him. He looked up toward the top of the canyon.

He was not worried that Wu Bao and the others would come after them. The canyon was vast, and even if the Blue Wolf Gang and Hyena Hall combined had a few dozen people, it would be extremely difficult to find them, let alone ten times as many.

Yuan Ming was thinking about his Bluefish Sword, which he had left behind during the fight with the white-furred monster.

This sword was a half-magic weapon, extremely sharp, and it would be a pity to lose it.

However, going up to search for it now would increase the risk of exposure.

"Never mind, it's just a precious sword." After much consideration, Yuan Ming decided against the risky attempt to retrieve the Bluefish Sword and sat down cross-legged.

His White Ape Transformation, originally quite ordinary in the Fur-Wearing Technique, had evolved several times, and he believed it was no less powerful than any other fur-wearing technique, even surpassing Wu Bao and Jin Kun.

In comparison, his cultivation was still lower.

If his cultivation could advance to the fourth level of Qi Refinement, he would not be as embarrassed when facing Wu Bao and the others.

Yuan Ming calmed his mind and began to meditate, gradually losing himself in the process.

...

While Yuan Ming and Hagun were cultivating leisurely in the canyon, Wu Bao had mobilized the Blue Wolf Gang to search for them frantically, but to no avail.

He guessed that Yuan Ming might have hidden in the Misty Canyon and sent people to search, but the vast area and dense fog made it impossible to find any clues after several days of searching.

As time passed, Yuan Ming seemed to have vanished without a trace, and the Blue Wolf Gang began to complain, as they still had to pay blood offerings every month.

Wu Bao, still harboring suspicions about the secrets Yuan Ming might possess, reluctantly gave up, though he was not entirely willing.

However, the news of Yuan Ming escaping unscathed from the combined forces of the Blue Wolf Gang and Hyena Hall spread quickly, and with his disappearance, his name became well-known in the area, passed down by the fur-wearing slaves.

Time passed, and half a year went by.

In a hidden cave at the bottom of the canyon, Yuan Ming sat cross-legged, his face glowing faintly.

There was no sign of Hagun inside or outside the cave.

The white mist outside the cave suddenly began to churn violently, like boiling water, and the surrounding spiritual energy was drawn toward the cave.

The gathering of spiritual energy lasted for about fifteen minutes before stopping.

Inside the cave, Yuan Ming was enveloped in a layer of glowing light, looking completely refreshed.

He circulated the Nine Yuan Technique, and a powerful magical energy fluctuation spread out, much stronger than before.

Yuan Ming opened his eyes, his expression filled with joy.

The thirteen levels of Qi Refinement, the first three levels were just the foundation. Only reaching the fourth level of Qi Refinement could be considered a minor achievement.

It took him half a year to advance from the third level to the fourth level, which was much slower than before.

However, Yuan Ming was not at all dissatisfied. As his cultivation deepened, the time required for breakthroughs became much longer. After the third level of Qi Refinement, each advancement required years of effort.

He had broken through to the fourth level of Qi Refinement in just half a year, thanks to the subtlety of the Nine Yuan Technique, which was already very fast, and he had to leave the valley secretly every month to exchange for the antidote.

Yuan Ming circulated the Nine Yuan Technique to stabilize his cultivation, then eagerly went outside and performed the Fur-Wearing Technique, transforming into the white ape form.

The white ape looked similar to before, but Yuan Ming could clearly sense that his physical strength had increased dramatically, and every movement was accompanied by a powerful force.

He picked up a piece of blue stone from the ground and lightly gripped it.

Crack!

The hard blue stone shattered into a cloud of dust, which slowly drifted away from his fingertips.

A hint of surprise flashed in Yuan Ming's eyes. He had originally thought that as his cultivation advanced, the enhancement of physical strength by the Fur-Wearing Technique would gradually weaken, like the size of the form. However, the white ape's fur seemed to be different, with the enhancement of strength increasing rather than decreasing.

He returned to the cave and took out his bag, where a wrapped long sword was inserted, the Bluefish Sword.

This sword had a special connection with him. During the battle with the white-furred monster, the Bluefish Sword was left in the forest, and he had not retrieved it in time for fear of being tracked by Wu Bao and the others. He had thought the sword was lost.

However, when he went out to gather food later, he accidentally passed by the place and found the Bluefish Sword still lying quietly in the forest.

Yuan Ming climbed up and soon reached the top.

He went to a nearby large tree and took out a bamboo tube from a crack in the roots, which contained a piece of fur.

Yuan Ming opened the fur, which was covered in small writing, detailing the recent situation in the Ten Thousand Mountains, left by Hagun.

Hagun had left the valley shortly after recovering from his injuries, and to keep track of the situation in the Ten Thousand Mountains, Yuan Ming had used the same method as before, having Hagun leave messages here every month.

Reading the information on the fur, Yuan Ming's expression turned colder.

The Blue Wolf Gang no longer openly offered a bounty for his capture, but Wu Bao had not given up and had secretly increased the reward even more.

However, he was now different from before. In terms of cultivation, he could now match Wu Bao, and he was not afraid.

Apart from this, the Ten Thousand Mountains were relatively peaceful, with no significant events.

Yuan Ming put away the fur, took out a headscarf to cover his face, and headed toward Toad Valley.

He had previously asked Hagun to purchase something from Zhao Tong, and it had been almost two months, so Zhao Tong should have the item ready.

As he traveled, Yuan Ming subconsciously activated the Shadow Step technique.

With the improvement in his cultivation and magical energy, he could now use it more freely.

Halfway through, the nearby forest rustled, and a fat gray rabbit darted out, fleeing in a panic.

Yuan Ming, who had been fasting for three days and three nights to break through his bottleneck, was now hungry. He made a gesture and pointed into the air.

A green light flashed under the running rabbit, and a sharp wooden spike emerged, piercing through the rabbit's body and emerging from its back.

The gray rabbit let out a pitiful squeal, struggled a few times, and soon lay still.

He picked up the gray rabbit's body, about to clean and skin it, but suddenly stopped, his gaze fixed on the rabbit's chin and front legs.

There was a lot of dark red blood, clearly not the rabbit's own.

Yuan Ming picked up a strand of soft, fiery red hair from the congealed blood, clearly human.

His expression turned serious, and he stood up and walked toward the forest where the rabbit had come from.

At first, he found nothing, but as he moved forward, a strong smell of blood came from ahead.

Yuan Ming followed the scent and soon reached a valley. Pushing aside the dense vegetation at the entrance, his face changed dramatically.

Inside the valley, several bodies lay scattered, all fur-wearing slaves, each torn into several pieces, their deaths gruesome.

Their fur-wearing skins were also torn into pieces, completely destroyed.

Yuan Ming's brows furrowed deeply!

Since entering the Ten Thousand Mountains, he had seen many bloody battles, but such brutal dismemberment was something he had never seen before. It was unlikely that fur-wearing slaves would do this, and it did not seem to be the work of beasts.

He forced himself to examine the bodies carefully, but found nothing useful.

Yuan Ming did not stay there any longer and quickly left.

He had lost his appetite and continued on his way, soon reaching Toad Valley.

However, the usually bustling Toad Valley was now eerily quiet.

Yuan Ming walked around, his eyes scanning the surroundings. The stone houses where the Bìluó Cave disciples used to do business were all closed, and there was not a single person in the entire valley.

He soon reached Zhao Tong's stone house, which was also empty.

"Has something happened?" Yuan Ming muttered, stroking his chin.

Hagun's message said that there were no other abnormalities in the Ten Thousand Mountains, so the dramatic change in Toad Valley must have happened recently.

Yuan Ming stood silently for a moment, about to turn and leave, but then remembered something and went to the back of the stone house, reaching into a crack between two large stones in the corner.

He quickly withdrew his hand, and a piece of fur was now in his palm.

Yuan Ming and Zhao Tong had traded many times and were quite familiar. This was their place to leave messages for each other, a method he had learned from Zhao Tong.

Yuan Ming unfolded the fur and quickly read the content.

According to Zhao Tong's message, the closure of Toad Valley was a requirement from the Bìluó Cave sect. The reason seemed to be some change in the Ten Thousand Mountains, and Zhao Tong had advised Yuan Ming to be cautious.

He put away the fur, and the image of the dismembered bodies he had seen earlier flashed through his mind. He wondered if the deaths of those fur-wearing slaves were related to the current situation.

Yuan Ming did not stay in Toad Valley any longer and quickly returned to his residence in the Misty Canyon, planning to consolidate his cultivation.

Although his cultivation had improved, he did not dare to be overly confident. The changes in the Ten Thousand Mountains were taken seriously by the Bìluó Cave sect, and he could not afford to be careless.

Five days later, Yuan Ming left his cave and climbed up the canyon, heading toward the boundary stone.

He was not going out to hunt but to pay the blood offering.

Yuan Ming soon reached the base of the large boundary stone and found that Wulu was already there.

"Wulu, how have you been?" Yuan Ming greeted him.

"Fine, how has Brother Yuan Ming been recently?" Wulu smiled and asked.

"Pretty good," Yuan Ming replied with a slight smile, his attitude more friendly than before.

Although the Blue Wolf Gang had withdrawn and was no longer actively pursuing him, the conflict between them had not been resolved. Over the past few months, the Blue Wolf Gang had not ambushed him near the boundary stone, largely due to Wulu's influence.

"Brother Wulu, I went to Toad Valley a few days ago and found it empty. After inquiring around, I heard that some changes in the Ten Thousand Mountains had led to the closure of Toad Valley. Does the Blue Wolf Gang have any information on this?" Yuan Ming asked.

"We are not sure what changes will occur in the Ten Thousand Mountains next," Wulu sighed thoughtfully and shook his head.

As they chatted, Elder Huhuo arrived on a giant eagle, landing near the boundary stone.

"Greetings, Elder Huhuo!" Yuan Ming and Wulu quickly stood up and bowed.

"You are both here, that's good. I have something to inform you," Elder Huhuo said, jumping off the giant eagle.

"Please instruct, Elder Huhuo," Yuan Ming and Wulu replied respectfully.