Chapter 63

Yuan Ming faced the howling wind blades, recited a spell quickly without a word, and pressed his hands downward.

A loud rumble came from the ground ahead, and two thick wooden spikes shot out, colliding with the two wind blades.

There were two crisp cracking sounds!

The wooden spikes were easily cut in half, but the two wind blades were deflected and slashed into the stone walls on both sides of the cave, making a "puff puff" cutting sound.

After the sound, two deep cuts, each about a foot long, were left on the originally iron-hard stone walls.

If not for Yuan Ming's early defensive preparations, he would have been cut into several pieces by the two wind blades without even having time to react, and he would have died a most certain death.

"The boy's reaction is quite quick," Kuntu sneered, a green light flashing in his hand, and the air around him surged violently, clearly preparing to use a more powerful technique.

Yuan Ming remained calm, made a seal, and pointed upward.

About seven or eight zhang above the cave entrance, there was a cliff with a large rock several zhang in circumference lying on its edge. The rock had cracked in many places due to wind and sun exposure, and half of it was tilting downward, ready to slide at any moment.

A green light flashed at the bottom of the rock, and two thick wooden spikes shot out, pushing hard against the rock.

Rumble!

The rock slid off the cliff, rolling toward Kuntu and his two companions at the cave entrance, and the nearby rocks and soil also tumbled down with a rumble.

Yuan Ming chose to live here partly because of its seclusion, and partly because of the loose rock above. He had only prepared for it as a precaution, but he never thought it would actually be used today.

Seeing the massive rock and soil rushing toward them, Kuntu and his two companions hurriedly dodged to the side.

There was a loud rumble!

The rock landed on the ground, sending up a large cloud of dust.

Yuan Ming had been waiting for this moment, and shot out of the cave, dashing away into the distance.

Seeing this, Kuntu roared in anger and pounced over.

He flipped his hands, and a black banner appeared, about a zhang in size, embroidered with a blood-red skull pattern. Instantly, a cold wind rose around him, and ghostly energy surged.

Yuan Ming's pupils contracted, and he shouted, "Watch out for the hidden weapons!" He swung his arm, and two gray-black beads shot out, aiming directly at Kuntu's face.

Kuntu sneered, and with a wave of his banner, a blood-red glow flashed, and the skull pattern seemed to come to life, writhing and opening its mouth to spit out a cold wind like an arrow, carrying a sharp edge that cut through grass, trees, and rocks, leaving a deep mark on the hard ground, blocking the gray-black beads.

"Stop!" Hu Huo, the elder, recognized the gray-black beads and urgently shouted a warning.

It was too late, and the cold wind hit the beads accurately.

There was a muffled "bang," and a large cloud of gray-black smoke appeared, instantly engulfing a large area nearby.

Kuntu felt everything go dark, unable to see anything for a moment.

Yuan Ming used the Shadowless Step, shooting forward like an arrow into the dense forest ahead.

Although Kuntu couldn't see, his ears could still hear. He poured his magical power into the banner, and a blood-red light blade about a zhang in size condensed in front of it.

"Go!" He flicked his wrist, and the blood-red light blade turned into a blood line, shooting straight at Yuan Ming.

Hu Huo and the one-eyed woman also heard Yuan Ming's escape and launched their attacks simultaneously.

Hu Huo's sleeve flicked, and a black tube appeared in his hand. Without any movement, the black tube shook violently, emitting a low rumble.

A burst of black light shot out, revealing countless black needles, densely aimed at Yuan Ming.

The one-eyed woman swung her arm, and a long whip with backward-facing thorns shot out, extending in the wind. The originally zhang-long whip reached several zhang away, lashing toward Yuan Ming's back.

Yuan Ming felt a strong wind behind him, his face changed, and he immediately shifted his steps, his figure becoming blurry, moving two zhang to the side like a ghost.

The one-eyed woman's whip and Hu Huo's black needles missed, but Kuntu's blood-red light blade, like a blood-sucking leech, changed direction and continued to aim at Yuan Ming.

A loud explosion sounded, and the blood-red light blade appeared three feet behind Yuan Ming, turning into a shadow and slashing down.

Yuan Ming's expression changed drastically. He couldn't dodge in time, so he gritted his teeth and swung his right hand.

A green shadow flashed, and a green incense burner appeared in his hand. He held the burner with both hands, blocking the blood-red light blade.

There was a loud "clang"!

Yuan Ming's whole body shook, and he was thrown back, his hands' tiger mouths splitting.

The green incense burner was also thrown away, landing nearby, but it remained intact without a single white mark.

Yuan Ming flew out four or five zhang and crashed heavily into the dense forest nearby.

Fortunately, he had already transformed using the Fur Transformation Technique, making his skin tough, and he was not injured. The wounds on his hands were only superficial, and he immediately jumped up and fled into the distance.

While running, Yuan Ming raised his hand, and the incense burner on the ground became ethereal, turning into a green light and merging into the incense burner mark on his right arm.

Just as Yuan Ming's figure disappeared, Kuntu and his two companions emerged from the gray-black smoke, their faces very grim.

"Where did that boy run to?" Kuntu looked at the one-eyed woman.

"There!" The one-eyed woman, skilled in tracking, quickly pointed out the direction of Yuan Ming's escape after a brief observation.

Kuntu slapped his spirit beast bag, and a green wolf, about two zhang long, appeared. It was the same spirit beast he had used during the trial. He carried the one-eyed woman and leaped onto the wolf, chasing after Yuan Ming.

Hu Huo also summoned a green falcon and leaped onto it, following closely behind the two.

At this moment, Yuan Ming had already left the valley, transforming into a white ape and moving swiftly through the forest, heading west.

However, both Kuntu's green wolf and Hu Huo's green falcon were fierce beasts known for their speed, and the sounds of their pursuit soon reached him.

Yuan Ming was secretly anxious but had no immediate solution, so he could only flee with all his might.

At this moment, the sound of rushing water came, and a not-narrow river appeared ahead.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming immediately ran toward the river.

At this moment, Kuntu's voice came from the dense forest behind: "Yuan Ming, where do you think you're running?"

Before the sound had even faded, the wind rose, and Kuntu, riding the green wolf, emerged from the forest, leaping several zhang toward him.

Yuan Ming turned back, his expression darkening. His right ape arm suddenly thickened, and he grabbed a handful of pebbles, throwing them backward, and continued to run forward.

The green wolf opened its mouth, and a gust of wind spewed out, cutting the pebbles into pieces with dozens of wind blades glowing green.

Kuntu took the opportunity to wave his banner, pointing it at Yuan Ming.

The skull pattern on the black banner lit up, and the top of the banner flashed with light, shooting out about a dozen blood-red arrows. Although not as large as the previous blood-red light blade, they were faster, whistling toward Yuan Ming's back.

Yuan Ming crouched down, rolling close to the ground, barely avoiding the blood arrows. His right arm was still grazed, and blood gushed out.

However, he finally reached the river and leaped into it, disappearing in the rapids with a "splash."

Kuntu almost simultaneously landed by the river, muttering a curse, and his eyes fixed on the water surface, continuing to pour his magical power into the black banner.

The sinister aura on the banner grew stronger, and the top of the banner was filled with blood-red light. Moving in the water was difficult, and with the speed of the blood arrows, as long as Yuan Ming surfaced, he would have no chance to escape Kuntu's powerful attack.

Hu Huo also arrived by the river, staring intently at the water.

However, no matter how long they waited, there was no sign of Yuan Ming surfacing, as if he had completely disappeared.

The three realized something was wrong and quickly spread out, each patrolling a section of the river, but still found no trace of Yuan Ming.

"Hu Huo, does Yuan Ming know any water-avoiding spells or similar techniques? I don't remember you mentioning it before," Kuntu asked Hu Huo.

"Based on my understanding, no one in Toad Valley has ever sold such spells. Besides, the cultivation requirements for water-avoiding spells are very high, and someone at the Qi Condensation stage four or five could never master them," Hu Huo shook his head.

"Then where did Yuan Ming go?" Kuntu asked in a deep voice.

Yuan Ming was just a Fur Transformation Beast Slave, a minor character he thought he could easily capture, but he had escaped from his hands several times, making him furious.

"Kuntu, calm down. I'll have the green falcon search the area," Hu Huo, who seemed to be wary of Kuntu, comforted him and called the green falcon.

He jumped onto the falcon's back, placed his hand on its head, and a white light appeared in his palm as he muttered a spell.

After a few breaths, the green falcon took off, flying downstream.

"You also go and search for Yuan Ming. We must not let him escape," Kuntu said to the one-eyed woman.

The one-eyed woman agreed and searched in the opposite direction.

Kuntu stood in place, his eyes scanning the river surface.

At this moment, Yuan Ming was hiding underwater, moving downstream close to the bottom.

He had changed his Fur Transformation Technique to the Black Toad Beast Skin, transforming into a black toad.

The beast soul within the Black Toad Beast Skin, enhanced by the incense burner, greatly increased his ability to hold his breath underwater. He could stay submerged for half an hour without any problems.

"Hu Huo and Kuntu are after me, and I can no longer stay in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. But the poison in my body is still unresolved, and I won't survive long if I leave now," Yuan Ming was in a dilemma.

"Never mind, I have a month before the poison takes effect. I'll deal with the immediate crisis first," he decided, no longer thinking about it and continued moving forward.

After half an hour, Yuan Ming's breath reached its limit, and he surfaced from the river. Seeing no one around, he darted into the forest by the riverbank.

Although he saw no sign of Hu Huo and the others, he did not dare to be careless and quickly fled into the distance.

As they chased and fled, the sky gradually darkened.

In the dark forest, the sounds of insects and beasts occasionally echoed. Yuan Ming stood on a branch of an old tree, one hand on the trunk, breathing slightly, his expression tense, constantly looking around.

Although he had narrowly escaped, the current situation was still far from optimistic.

During the fight in the cave with Kuntu, the terrain had limited Kuntu's strength, but when they met again, he finally realized the gap between them.

With Hu Huo assisting, if he were caught again, it would be almost certain death.