Yuan Ming, facing the whistling wind blades, didn't utter another word. He quickly chanted a spell and with a downward pressing gesture of his hands.
The ground in front resounded with a "boom", and two thick wooden thorns burst forth, colliding with the two wind blades.
There were only two crisp snaps!
The wooden thorns were easily sliced into two sections, but the direction of the wind blades had been altered, slashing against the walls on both sides of the cave and making a "pu pu" sound of cutting.
After the sound, the originally iron-hard walls bore two deep cuts a foot in length.
If Yuan Ming hadn't made his protective preparations in advance, he probably wouldn't have had time to react before being sliced into pieces by the wind blades, dead beyond any possibility of survival.
"The boy reacts quite fast," Kun Tu said with disdainful sneer, his hand flashing with green light as the air around him surged violently, obviously about to unleash a more formidable technique.
Yuan Ming's expression was calm as he made a gesture with his hand, pointing towards the space above.
At a place about seventy or eighty feet above the cave was a cliff's edge where a large rock, several yards in diameter, lay. Due to weathering from wind and sun, the rocks at the cliff's edge had cracked in many places, and half of the large rock was tilting downwards, poised to slide off at any moment.
A flash of green light at the base of the large rock, and two thick wooden thorns burst out, forcefully propping up the rock.
The large rock slid off the cliff, rolling down towards the entrance where Kun Tu and his two companions stood. Nearby rocks and soil were also dislodged, rumbling down with it.
Yuan Ming had chosen to reside here for two reasons: half because the place was secluded, the other half because of the loosened rock hanging overhead. He had originally prepared it just in case, never expecting it would come into use today.
Seeing the massive boulder and the soil bearing down menacingly, Kun Tu and his two companions quickly dodged to the side.
With a "boom", the large rock landed on the ground, kicking up a vast cloud of dust.
Yuan Ming seized this moment, shooting out of the cave and darting towards the distant dense forest.
Seeing this, Kun Tu let out a furious shout and pounced forward.
In his hands, a black flag appeared—about a yard wide—with an embroidered blood-red skull pattern. In an instant, a chilling wind howled around it, and a surge of ghostly energy blanketed the area.
Yuan Ming's pupils contracted as he shouted, "Watch for the hidden weapon!" He swung his arm, and two gray-black orbs shot from his hand, aiming straight for Kun Tu's face.
Kun Tu's face showed a hint of mockery as he waved the large flag in his hand. Amidst the flash of blood light, the blood-colored skull pattern seemed to come alive, writhing and opening its mouth to release something.
A rush of wind shot out like arrows, piercingly sharp and capable of slashing everything in its path—grass, stones, and even gouging a deep furrow in the hard ground—all the while blocking the gray-black orbs.
"No!" Elder Hu Huo, on the other side, saw the gray-black orbs and urgently cried out to stop.
Alas, it was too late. The chilling wind struck the orbs accurately.
With a "bang", a vast swathe of gray-black smoke billowed out, instantly submerging a large area nearby.
Kun Tu found his vision plunged into darkness, momentarily blinded. Note from the editor: Always check * for corrections.
Yuan Ming performed the Shadowless Step, his figure shooting like a crossbow arrow toward the dense forest ahead.
Despite being unable to see, Kun Tu could still hear. Mana surged into the large banner, sparking specks of spirit light, which, in the blink of an eye, coalesced into a blood-colored light blade a yard wide in front of the banner.
"Go!" With a flick of his wrist, the blood-colored light blade transformed into a streak of bloodline, shooting straight at Yuan Ming.
Elder Hu Huo and the One-eyed Woman also heard the sound of Yuan Ming's escape and launched their attacks simultaneously.
Elder Hu Huo flipped the sleeve of his robe, conjuring a dark tube-like object in his hand. Without a visible action from him, the tube shook violently and let out a deep roar.
A burst of dark light exploded forth, turning out to be countless black needles, densely packed and shooting toward Yuan Ming.
The One-eyed Woman swung her arm, a long whip studded with barbs shot out. It grew rapidly with the wind. The whip, originally only about a yard in length, managed to stretch out several yards, snapping towards Yuan Ming's back.
Yuan Ming's back was met with the rush of wind, his face slightly changing. He immediately shuffled his feet, his figure abruptly blurring as he ethereally moved two yards to the side.
The One-eyed Woman's whip and Elder Hu Huo's black needles missed, but Kun Tu's blood-colored light blade, like a leech hungry for blood, shifted its direction to continue its pursuit of Yuan Ming.
With the sound of an explosion, the blood-colored light blade appeared three feet behind Yuan Ming, descending as a remnant shadow.
Yuan Ming's face drastically changed as he realized it was too late to dodge. Clenching his teeth, he swung his right arm.
A blue shadow flashed by, and a green incense burner appeared in his hand. He grabbed its sides and held it up in front of the blood-colored light blade.
With a "clang", Yuan Ming's body was violently shaken, and he was sent flying, his hands split at the base of the thumbs.
The green incense burner was also flung away, landing nearby on the ground, still intact without even a white mark.
Yuan Ming was thrown a good four or five yards away, crashing heavily into a dense forest not far off.
Fortunately, he had already used the Fur Cloak Skill to transform his body, making his skin thick and tough. He wasn't injured, and the wounds on his hands were only superficial. He immediately rolled to his feet and continued to flee deeper into the forest.
As he ran, Yuan Ming raised his hand, and the incense burner on the ground turned insubstantial, turning into a wisp of blue light that entered the incense burner mark on his right arm.
No sooner had Yuan Ming's figure vanished than Kun Tu and his two companions emerged from the gray-black smoke, their faces very grim.
"Where has that kid escaped to?" Kun Tu turned to the One-eyed Woman.
"There!" The One-eyed Woman seemed skilled at tracking; with a brief examination of the traces on the ground, she promptly pointed out the direction Yuan Ming had fled.
Kun Tu slapped the Spiritual Beast Bag at his waist, and a green giant wolf over two Zhang in length appeared. It was the same spirit beast he had commanded during the previous trial. Taking the One-eyed Woman with him, he leapt onto the wolf's back and pursued Yuan Ming.
Elder Hu Huo also summoned the Green Falcon, leaping onto its back and following right after the other two.
By this time, Yuan Ming had already left the valley. Transformed into a White Ape, he moved with ease through the mountain forest, speeding toward the west.
However, both Kun Tu's Green Wolf and Elder Hu Huo's Green Falcon were Fierce Beasts known for their speed, and soon the movement of the two pursuers could be heard closing in.
Yuan Ming was secretly anxious, but he didn't have a strategy to deal with them at the moment and could only flee with all his might.
At this instant, the sound of rushing water rang out, and a not-so-narrow river appeared in front.
Yuan Ming immediately headed for the river.
Right at that moment, Kun Tu's voice came from within the dense forest behind: "Yuan Ming, where do you think you can run to!"
Before his voice fell, the sound of the wind picked up. Riding the Green Wolf, Kun Tu charged out of the jungle, leaping tens of meters in pursuit.
Yuan Ming glanced back, his eyes darkening. His right ape arm suddenly grew in size, grabbed a handful of pebbles, and hurled them forcefully behind him as he continued to run toward the river.
The Green Wolf opened its mouth, and a gust of wind surged from its maw, shredding the pebbles with dozens of Wind Blades glowing with a green light.
Kun Tu took this opportunity to swing his Big Banner, pointing towards the empty space ahead of Yuan Ming.
The skull pattern on the Black Flag brightened, and the top of the flag flashed continuously, shooting out more than a dozen Blood-colored Light Arrows. Although not as large as the previous Blood-colored Light Blades, these arrows were faster, whistling toward Yuan Ming's back.
Yuan Ming swiftly crouched low, rolling tightly along the ground to avoid the Blood Arrows, but a slash still caught his right arm, causing blood to burst forth.
However, he finally reached the riverbank, flipped into the water with a "splash," and disappeared into the swift current.
Kun Tu almost immediately landed on the riverbank, cursed under his breath, and kept his eyes fixated on the river's surface, continuing to infuse Mana into the Black Flag.
The ominous aura from the flag grew stronger, and the top surged with Blood Light. In the water, where movement was hindered, and with the speed of the Blood Arrows, if Yuan Ming showed his head, there was no chance he could dodge the Elder's thunderous blow.
Elder Hu Huo had also arrived at the river, closely watching the current.
But as time passed, Yuan Ming did not show even a hint of surfacing; it was as if he had completely vanished.
The trio sensed something was amiss, quickly spread out, and each surveyed a section of the river, but they still couldn't find any trace of Yuan Ming.
"Hu Huo, could it be that Yuan Ming knows some water avoidance art or similar Spell? I don't recall you mentioning this before," Kun Tu said, turning to Elder Hu Huo.
"To my knowledge, there has never been anyone in Toad Valley who sold such Spells. Moreover, the requirements to practice the water avoidance art are very stringent; it's impossible for someone at the fourth or fifth layers of Qi Refining to attain it," Elder Hu Huo replied, shaking his head.
"Then where has Yuan Ming gone?" Kun Tu asked in a deep voice.
Yuan Ming was just a Fur Beast Slave, a minor character he thought he could capture with the wave of a hand, yet time and again he had escaped from his grasp, fueling a growing frustration.
"Calm yourself, Kun Tu. I will have the Green Falcon search the vicinity right away." Elder Hu Huo seemed somewhat wary of Kun Tu, and after a comforting word, he called over the Falcon.
He jumped onto the back of the Green Falcon, placed his hand on its head, and a white light began to glow in his palm. He murmured quietly.
A few breaths later, the Green Falcon soared into the sky and flew downstream over the river.
"You should also look for Yuan Ming; we must not let him escape," Kun Tu told the One-eyed Woman.
The One-eyed Woman agreed with a response and started searching in the opposite direction.
Kun Tu stood in place, his gaze sweeping over the nearby river surface.
At this very moment, Yuan Ming was hiding at the bottom of the river, staying close to the riverbed as he moved downstream.
He had already switched his Fur Cloak Skill to Black Toad Beast Skin, transforming into the form of a Black Toad.
The Beast Soul within the Black Toad Beast Skin, which had been enhanced by the incense burner, greatly increased his breath-holding time underwater. He could lurk beneath the surface for half an hour with no issue.
"Elder Hu Huo has joined forces with Kun Tu to target me, making the Ten Thousand Mountains no longer safe to stay. But the poison remains inside me, and leaving now doesn't guarantee I'll live much longer," Yuan Ming was caught in a dilemma.
"Forget it, there's still a month before the poison takes effect. I'll have to get through the current crisis before anything else," deciding against dwelling on it further, he continued on his way.
Half an hour later, Yuan Ming's breath holding reached its limit. He emerged from the river, saw no one around, and darted into the riverside jungle.
Although he couldn't see Elder Hu Huo and the others, he didn't dare to be careless and quickly fled into the distance.
As each party raced against the other, the day gradually faded into evening.
In the dim forest, the sounds of insects and beasts occasionally rose. Yuan Ming stood on a branch of an ancient tree, holding onto the trunk and gasping slightly, looking anxious and constantly scanning his surroundings.
Although he had narrowly escaped earlier, his current situation was still far from optimistic.
During the previous confrontation with Kun Tu in the cave, constrained by the terrain, he didn't feel Kun Tu's strength. Only upon their recent meeting did he truly realize the gap between them.
With Elder Hu Huo also aiding from the side, if he were to be caught again, it would likely be a matter of life or death.