Chapter 65

Yuan Ming put on the white ape beast skin, instantly completing his transformation. As he turned to slash at the blackwood hairpin, his figure darted toward the side of the mountain forest, ready to escape into it.

However, Kun Tu was already waiting there. The green wolf by his side opened its blood-red mouth, letting out a roar. A torrent of wind blades immediately swirled through the air, rushing toward Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming seemed to have anticipated this. He made a sharp turn, rolled on the ground, and dodged the wind blades. Then, he leaped forward with a pouncing motion, as if he were about to dive into the forest.

At that moment, a burst of flames erupted from within the forest, burning through a thicket and colliding with Yuan Ming.

But just as the flames flared up, a hissing sound came from the ground, and a thick green wooden spike rose up.

Yuan Ming grabbed the wooden spike, spun around in a wide circle, and used it to change the direction of his pounce, directly aiming for Kun Tu.

Since he couldn't escape, he had to seize the opportunity to severely injure the enemy.

Seeing him suddenly turn and charge toward him, Kun Tu showed no fear. He simply raised his hand and placed it on the green wolf.

Magic power surged from his palm, emitting a faint green glow that flowed into the green wolf's body.

In an instant, the green wolf's entire body was enveloped in a bright green light. Its fur stood on end, and a ball of intense green light condensed in its gaping mouth, releasing a powerful pressure far exceeding what it had before.

Faced with Kun Tu's killing move, Yuan Ming showed no intention of dodging this time. Instead, his flying pounce became even faster.

"Roar..."

The green wolf let out a furious roar, and the green light ball mixed with dozens of razor-sharp white wind blades, swirling and forcing their way toward Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming's figure charged directly into the green light, being swallowed by the wind blades and the glow.

Seeing this, the Third Cave Master's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Just as she was about to turn and leave, a look of surprise flashed in her eyes, and she stopped.

Under her gaze, a golden light appeared in the green light ball spewed by the green wolf, piercing through the green light and wind blades like a golden spear.

Due to the chaotic light, no one could clearly see what was happening.

Yuan Ming, however, was already in a pitiful state, covered in blood.

However, his gaze was fierce and determined, showing no sign of retreat. A golden arm shot out from his chest, fingers spread like a shield, colliding with the swirling wind blades and tearing open a gap.

His steps were difficult, his body covered in countless small wounds, blood streaming down. Under the protection of the golden arm, he took one step after another toward Kun Tu's green wolf.

At first, Kun Tu felt relaxed that the Third Cave Master was not interfering, believing that he could easily eliminate the opponent and rest easy. But now, his brows furrowed involuntarily.

"How is this possible? How can a mere beast slave resist?"

As Yuan Ming approached step by step, the power of the wind blades continued to weaken, and the concern in Kun Tu's eyes deepened.

When the distance between them was less than ten feet, Yuan Ming raised his blood-stained arm, gripping the similarly blood-stained Green Fish Sword.

Inside his body, the Nine Elements Technique was running at full power, and the dantian magic power surged into the Green Fish Sword without hesitation.

A green glow flowed along the sword's edge, as if fish were swimming, and a faint sword cry could be heard.

With the assistance of the Yuan Arm, a faint sword aura emerged from the sword's edge, causing Kun Tu's eyes to flicker.

"You, a lowly ant, dare to dream of turning the tide? You're courting death!" He shouted in anger, pulling out a yellow talisman from his pocket and waving it at Yuan Ming.

The talisman glowed, and the sound of an arrow whistled through the air.

A yellow light condensed into a talisman arrow, which shot into the green light, aiming directly at Yuan Ming's head.

The talisman arrow was extremely fast, and with the green light obscuring the view, an ordinary person would have no chance to avoid it, let alone even notice it.

But Yuan Ming saw it the moment the talisman was activated.

The cultivation of the Dark Moon Technique over these days had subtly changed his soul, making his perception of danger more acute.

At the critical moment, he had no time to hesitate. He swung his long sword forward.

A sharp metallic sound rang out!

The long sword flashed with a green light, colliding head-on with the talisman arrow, causing a loud explosion.

A fireball over ten feet tall exploded, and Yuan Ming's body was blasted away, landing several dozen feet away.

He hit the ground hard, feeling a strong sense of suffocation in his chest and a sweet, metallic taste in his throat. He struggled for a long time but couldn't get up.

Kun Tu's brows furrowed. The Flame Breaking Talisman was one of the gifts from his master, with power comparable to a seventh-layer Qi Cultivator's attack. How could it not have killed Yuan Ming?

"Is the body of a beast slave truly so formidable?" He wondered in shock.

What Kun Tu didn't know was that most of the power had been blocked by the golden arm.

Otherwise, even if Yuan Ming had exhausted his magic power, he couldn't have withstood the attack.

However, he was now too weak to fight. Despite his trembling body, he used his sword to prop himself up and struggled to stand.

Seeing this, the Third Cave Master's calm gaze became more scrutinizing.

Kun Tu's expression relaxed slightly, and he nodded to the one-eyed woman. At this point, he no longer intended to extract Yuan Ming's soul, only wanting to quickly eliminate him.

She immediately understood and cautiously glanced at the Third Cave Master, seeing that she had no objections, and walked toward Yuan Ming.

However, at that moment, the bushes in the forest suddenly rustled, and a slender figure darted out, running to the center of the group and looking around.

"Fire Craver, come here." The Third Cave Master smiled and called out.

Kun Tu and the others immediately froze, afraid that their previous attack on the fire weasel would make it hostile, displeasing the Third Cave Master.

The fire weasel's gaze quickly swept over everyone and then settled on the Third Cave Master.

"Come here." The Third Cave Master called again, her voice more stern.

To everyone's surprise, the fire weasel turned its head and ran directly to Yuan Ming, climbing up his trouser leg and onto his shoulder.

Once on his shoulder, the fire weasel didn't settle down. It rubbed its head against Yuan Ming's neck and head, as if greedily sniffing something.

This sudden turn of events left Yuan Ming stunned, but he didn't drive it away, allowing it to continue.

Kun Tu and the others exchanged glances, unsure of what to do.

The Third Cave Master frowned, examining Yuan Ming for a long time, her confusion growing.

She stepped forward and asked directly, "What secret treasure do you have that attracts a spirit beast?"

"Nothing." Yuan Ming swallowed and shook his head.

"Are you skilled in beast taming?" The Third Cave Master asked again.

"No." Yuan Ming shook his head again.

"That's truly strange. My fire weasel usually dislikes strangers but is close to you. What's your name?" The Third Cave Master asked.

"Yuan Ming." Yuan Ming answered.

"Starting today, you will follow me back to the Bi Luo Cave and become a registered disciple of the Fire Refining Hall." The Third Cave Master said calmly.

Hearing this, Kun Tu and the others were shocked, their faces turning pale.

"Third Cave Master, you can't, he..." Kun Tu's words were cut off by a wave of scorching heat that knocked him to the ground.

A large, three-zhang-long, one-zhang-tall fiery red bird appeared in the forest clearing, covered in bright red feathers with flame-like patterns, radiating intense heat.

The moment the bird appeared, the temperature around them rapidly increased. It stood proudly, exuding an air of superiority, while Kun Tu's green wolf cowered on the ground, trembling in fear.

"Fire Feather Falcon..." Kun Tu stood up, fear evident in his eyes.

Hu Huo and the others dared not speak a word.

The Third Cave Master flipped her wrist, and a translucent red crystal appeared in her palm. She waved it in front of the fire weasel, which was drooling at the Fire Feather Falcon on Yuan Ming's head.

Yuan Ming noticed that the Fire Feather Falcon, though proud, avoided looking at him, clearly not out of fear of Yuan Ming.

"Fire Craver." The Third Cave Master frowned, seemingly displeased.

The fire weasel reluctantly moved its gaze, leaped from Yuan Ming's shoulder, and landed on the Third Cave Master's arm, sitting like a squirrel and happily gnawing on the red crystal.

The hard red crystal crunched in its mouth like ice.

Yuan Ming was amazed, but the Third Cave Master had already leaped onto the back of the Fire Feather Falcon.

As she landed, the proud Fire Feather Falcon visibly shuddered.

"Get on." The Third Cave Master said.

Yuan Ming snapped back to reality, realizing that the Third Cave Master was truly taking him to the Bi Luo Cave.

He glanced at Kun Tu and Elder Hu Huo, suppressing his injuries, took a deep breath, dispelled the beast transformation, and leaped onto the Fire Feather Falcon behind the Third Cave Master.

The Fire Feather Falcon, displeased by Yuan Ming's presence, shook its head but, at the Third Cave Master's command, spread its wings and soared into the sky.

Yuan Ming lost his balance and fell onto the Fire Feather Falcon's back, quickly grabbing onto its feathers to steady himself.

At that moment, everything around him seemed to be rushing backward, and his mind buzzed with the events of the past few moments, feeling as if it were all a dream.