Seeing Chen Wan in an instant, Kun Tu and the other two's complexions stiffened, and their bodies froze in place like sculptures.
Chen Wan was also startled, somewhat caught off guard.
Seeing that Chen Wan's reaction was one of shock rather than anger, Kun Tu's expression changed and he pretended to be delighted as he called out,
"Junior Sister Chen Wan, we've finally found you!"
"You were looking for me?" Chen Wan said, taking a step back subconsciously as he approached, her tone dubious.
Before she had finished speaking, Yuan Ming also rushed out and quickly said, "Be careful, don't get close."
"Despicable Beast Slave, how dare you secretly harm and plunder the disciples of Biluo Cave, such brazen audacity. Do you realize your crimes!" The moment Kun Tu saw Yuan Ming, a murderous intent burst from his eyes, and he immediately scolded.
As the words were spoken, including Chen Wan, Yuan Ming, and even Ba Da, Yang Chan and the others, all were taken aback, as if nobody had expected Kun Tu to say such a thing.
Yang Chan immediately reacted and followed up, saying, "Junior Sister Chen Wan, are you okay? Did that lowly slave hurt you?"
Hearing this, Chen Wan's brows furrowed tight, a hesitancy flashing in her eyes.
"Don't believe their nonsense. Don't forget, how were you poisoned?" Yuan Ming quickly interjected to remind her.
"Junior Sister Chen Wan, this villain and another Beast Slave colluded to poison us with toxins extracted from Fierce Beasts, intent on committing unspeakable deeds. Luckily, Junior Brother Ba Da discovered it in time, and we weren't all poisoned," Kun Tu immediately said.
Yang Chan quickly added, saying, "Yes, we've killed the other Beast Slave, but this one took advantage of your unconscious state to kidnap you and escape. I sent the Fire Python to rescue you, but in the end also..."
She didn't finish her sentence, instead looking towards Ba Da, signaling for him to also say something.
"Junior Sister Chen Wan, after you were taken away, we never gave up and kept searching for you. Thankfully, you're unharmed," Ba Da, slightly slower to react, then nodded vigorously.
By the time these three had each had their say, Chen Wan was somewhat dazed as well.
When she had awoken, she was already on the run in the passage. Aside from the pursuit of the Fire Python, she hadn't seen anything, and now, hearing them say this, she suddenly was unsure whose words to trust.
"Junior Sister Chen Wan, don't be deceived by this guy, a lowly Fur Beast Slave, how can there be a few true words from his mouth?" Kun Tu continued to persuade.
"Sister, let's go with us. Not only are there many Human Demons this time, but a King has also emerged inside. If we split up again, the casualties will be severe. If not for finding you, we would have already rushed back to meet up with the others," Ba Da quickly said.
Though he was the slowest to react, he knew best how to deceive.
His guise of an honest man and his concerned expression once again deceived Chen Wan.
"What they said, is it true?" Chen Wan turned to look at Yuan Ming and asked in a cold voice, her eyes still carrying a trace of hesitation.
Yuan Ming sighed, knowing in his heart that the saying 'three men make a tiger' held true. Chen Wan's doubts had arisen, and she would no longer trust him now.
"Why waste words on this wretch? Kill him," Kun Tu roared furiously.
No sooner had he spoken than his figure suddenly flashed, stepping across towards Yuan Ming with a palm strike aiming at his head.
His palm seemed to inflate like being pumped with air, expanding in a circle and enshrouded in a layer of yellow light, looking like a rock falling down with a whistling sound.
Clearly, he had unleashed a strike intended to silence by killing, a move he deemed nearly infallible.
Yuan Ming was well-prepared for this. As the other party made his move, Yuan Ming had already activated the Fur Cloak Skill and turned into a White Ape, swinging his fist to smash against the yellow giant palm.
The punch collided with the palm, causing a loud boom, and a powerful pressure bore down.
Yuan Ming felt his arm shake, and a 'crack' sound came from his joints as his body involuntarily staggered backward.
"You despicable servant, to be able to receive my Shattering Monument Palm—you dare to lay hands on Junior Sister Chen Wan," Kun Tu saw this and did not forget to slander Yuan Ming again.
Yuan Ming retreated several steps to stabilize his frame, the vibrating force on his arm gradually fading, but his joints were throbbing with pain, as if they had already cracked open. My Virtual Library Empire (*) appreciates your readership at the source.
"Such great power, this person's cultivation must be no less than the Qi Refining Fifth Layer!" Yuan Ming estimated in his heart.
As he was on guard, a red light suddenly lit up behind him, the edge flashing across, sweeping toward Yuan Ming.
He shifted to one side, narrowly evading, only to find that Yang Chan had somehow approached, holding a blood-red dagger in her hand sweeping towards him.
Seeing the sweep miss, Yang Chan twisted her wrist, stabbing the reverse-held dagger diagonally downward, aiming straight for Yuan Ming's chest.
Yuan Ming immediately crossed his hands to block upward, his broad wrists catching Yang Chan's arm, and with an upward force, he repelled her.
She staggered backward, her chest heaving, a smile apparent on her face.
Yuan Ming instantly sensed something was wrong, noticing a dirt yellow glow appearing beneath his feet with three sharp stone spikes arising together, piercing towards him.
It was none other than Ba Da secretly making a move from not far away.
As his timing was impeccable, Yuan Ming had no chance to defend and his left foot was pierced by the sudden spikes, blood spurting as he involuntarily toppled backward.
How could Kun Tu miss such a golden opportunity? His eyes alight with excitement, he charged forward, targeting Yuan Ming from behind. Holding a blue watery spiral cone in his hand, he stabbed it towards Yuan Ming's back.
"Be careful..." Chen Wan found herself unexpectedly calling out a warning without realizing it.
As Yuan Ming saw the cone about to pierce him, bringing certain death, the shadow underneath his feet suddenly shifted to the side as if trying to flee from his physical body.
Immediately following, an astonishing scene unfolded.
As the shadow skewed to one side, Yuan Ming's body also eerily shifted sideways, narrowly evading the conical weapon's assassination attempt. His arm grazed the tip of the cone, leaving behind a spray of blood.
This sudden change in his movement technique caught everyone present by surprise.
"Shadowless Step?" Kun Tu exclaimed in disbelief.
"How is that possible? A Fur Beast Slave managing to learn the Shadowless Step?" Yang Chan was also exceptionally astonished.
Yuan Ming didn't bother to respond and widened the distance between himself and the three assailants as he dodged.
"Can't you see what's happening? They're trying to silence us by killing," Yuan Ming said to Chen Wan, his voice carrying a mix of pity and indignation.
Chen Wan's face showed hesitation. Remembering Yuan Ming's care along the way, she ultimately positioned herself between him and the others.
"Brother Kun Tu, I think there's more to this matter. Moreover, now is not the time to deal with it. We should hurry back and join the other disciples to discuss how to deal with the Human Demon King," Chen Wan said quickly.
Upon hearing this, Kun Tu's expression shifted slightly. He glanced at Yang Chan and Ba Da, and the three exchanged a look.
Yuan Ming immediately sensed something was wrong, and Chen Wan, sensing the odd atmosphere, also became alert.
"Since Sister Chen Wan has spoken, we won't insist. But do be careful of this Beast Slave; he's not as simple as he appears. Don't fall for his tricks," Kun Tu withdrew his aggressive stance and warned.
"Brother, you need not worry. I have my own plans," Chen Wan relaxed slightly and nodded.
Just then, Yang Chan's figure suddenly moved.
Yuan Ming was about to warn Chen Wan to be careful when a commotion suddenly erupted from the entrance above the cave, followed by several figures jumping down from above.
He saw that the five individuals who had fallen all wore the Biluo Cave Disciples' attire, though each had a look of exhaustion, their faces drained of energy.
As the figures dropped down like dumplings, Kun Tu and the others were taken aback. Meanwhile, Yang Chan, who had stealthily approached Chen Wan from behind, also had to hide her blood-red dagger behind her back.
"Get ready, here they come!" Before Kun Tu and the others could speak, someone suddenly shouted.
No sooner had the voice faded than one after another, Human Demons began dropping from above like dumplings, twelve in total—two more than the Biluo Cave Cultivators present.
The already cramped cave became even more crowded in an instant.
Without a need for a signal to start, the Human Demons clashed with the Biluo Cave Disciples, and magic filled the air with radiance and echoes of powerful collisions, plunging the entire cave into chaos.
Seeing that the Human Demon King hadn't returned with them, Yuan Ming felt a surge of relief and hurriedly moved towards the cave entrance amidst the commotion.
"What are you standing around for? Aren't you going to run?" he couldn't help but call out as he passed by Chen Wan.
However, after giving him a complex look, Chen Wan remained motionless, choosing instead to run towards the area where the Biluo Cave Disciples were concentrated.
Observing this, Yuan Ming felt not so much disappointment as he did a pang of loss.
"Have it your way then," he thought to himself. Turning around, he reached the cave wall and leapt up, scaling the rock face with hands and feet, heading for the cave's exit.
However, just as he was about to reach the exit and stretch out an arm to pull himself up, his arm suddenly went limp as if all strength had drained from it, failing to catch a rock protrusion and causing him to fall back down.
Yuan Ming's body fell, landing squarely on a Human Demon.
That creature was unexpectedly as hard as iron, making him feel as if he'd collided with an anvil, and he tumbled down.
Seeing this, Kun Tu quickly rushed toward Yuan Ming's location, not forgetting his intent to kill Yuan Ming even at this moment.
But before he could get close, a Human Demon blocked his path.
Yuan Ming hurried to dismiss the Fur Cloak Technique and crouched down, moving toward a corner.
That's when he saw Ba Da curled up into a ball, lurking in a niche, his small eyes sweeping back and forth with both vigilance and timidity, like a frightened mouse.
Yuan Ming had only taken a few steps when that feeling of weakness and dizziness struck again.
He quickly turned to look at his shoulder where Kun Tu's conical weapon had slashed him. The flesh was turned inside out and had turned dark, clearly indicating he'd been poisoned.
Cursing inwardly, Yuan Ming clenched his teeth and steadied his mind, then ran towards another passage.
Just as he moved, a Human Demon in front of him knocked a Biluo Cave Disciple to the ground and lunged at Yuan Ming.
Yuan Ming ducked down and once again performed the Shadowless Step, his shadow skewing strangely as his body tilted, dodging in a manner that defied common understanding, slipping through two battling figures.
As soon as he was clear of the battle zone, his vision darkened, and his body was covered in a cold sweat, finding it difficult to hold on.
"Such a potent poison."
Yuan Ming's vision blurred, making everything appear somewhat illusory and indistinct.
But just then, amidst his overlapping vision, a delicate silver-white figure appeared—it was the mysterious silver cat that had shown up several times before.