"What are you doing?" Tuya's mother saw Tuya fall unconscious and, disregarding her husband's death, rushed over.

"Someone is coming. If you want your daughter to live, keep quiet!" Yuan Ming stretched out his arm and pressed Tuya's mother to the ground.

Tuya's mother's eyes widened, and she dared not speak again.

With one hand under each, Yuan Ming picked up Tuya and her mother. A green light flickered across his chest as he levitated and flew off into the distance, disappearing into the jungle in the blink of an eye.

As Yuan Ming departed, the vine prison around Hagon was released, and the Purple-Black Demon Vine retracted into the ground, vanishing without a trace.

Hagon's body, no longer supported, fell to the ground with a "bang."

Shortly after Yuan Ming and the others had left, several figures flew swiftly from afar, arriving quickly at the scene. It was Kun Tu, Hu Huo, and Wulu.

Kun Tu and Wulu mounted the Green Wolf Spirit Beast, leading and following respectively, while Hu Huo did not summon the Green Falcon and walked on foot.

Seeing Hagon's body, Hu Huo's expression darkened, although he had sensed it beforehand.

He had long sensed through a secret technique in Hagon's Sea of Consciousness that Yuan Ming was here. Yet, given Yuan Ming's formidable strength and cunning methods, Hu Huo, having suffered losses before, dared not face him alone.

He had coincidentally encountered Kun Tu and Wulu in the mountains and followed them here, only to be slightly delayed. By this time, Yuan Ming had already killed Hagon and vanished again.

"Yuan Ming had close ties with Hagon, but I can't believe he actually went through with it. It seems I need to reassess his character," Hu Huo thought to himself.

"Hu Huo, weren't you confidently claiming Yuan Ming was right here? Where is he?" Kun Tu cast a glance at Hagon's body before looking away and demanded angrily.

"Yuan Ming was indeed here not long ago. He must have sensed our approach and fled. This guy is quite cautious. However, since he withdrew hastily, he most likely has left some traces that would give away his direction," Hu Huo explained with a sheepish smile instead of showing anger.

"Oh, really? Then would you, Elder, please take a look? After all, this young man was once under your charge; you should know him quite well," Kun Tu said, stretching the word "elder" with a taunting tone.

An expression of rage flashed through Hu Huo's eyes but he suppressed it and started searching the area. Soon, he found Yuan Ming's footprints near Hagon's body and began to trace them.

However, while there were footprints of his arrival, there was no trace of where he had gone, as if he had vanished into thin air.

"So, did you find any trace of that Beast Slave?" Kun Tu walked over slowly.

"That guy seems to have tamed some kind of avian spirit beast and escaped flying with it," said Hu Huo, his expression fluctuating between light and shadow before settling.

"When it comes to avian spirit beasts, few can match your Green Falcon, right? It would be good if you could trace him a bit," Kun Tu said.

"Of course. But Yuan Ming has improved vastly; I alone might not be a match for him. Once there, I will signal with fireworks; you two must come quickly," Hu Huo proposed accommodatingly.

"This young man and I have irreconcilable differences; did you really need to mention it?" Kun Tu huffed, clearly annoyed.

"Alright, I'll go first then," Hu Huo nodded and bowed, waving his hand to summon the Green Falcon and soared into the sky.

"Just a mere Beast Slave Hall deacon, getting called 'Elder' by a few Beast Slaves, and he starts forgetting his place," Kun Tu spat on the ground contemptuously.

"Brother Kun Tu, Hu Huo is still a deacon, and he does have connections in the Beast Slave Hall. It seems unnecessary to undermine him so; if he gets infuriated, it's not going to be good," Wulu interjected cautiously.

"Not only does he have vulnerabilities that I hold, but he also needs something from me. Does he dare defy the heavens? I just can't stand his usual behavior!" Kun Tu replied coldly.

"Yes. So, what's our next move?" Wulu asked.

"Although Hu Huo is incompetent, his Green Falcon does have methods for tracking. We'll just follow him. It's a good chance to let him take the lead and test Yuan Ming. This youngster has advanced too quickly since his initiation; I want to see what secrets he harbors," Kun Tu said with a smile.

"Brother, that's wise," Wulu praised.

Kun Tu smirked in satisfaction and led Wulu in the direction of Hu Huo's flying escape.

Yuan Ming, carrying Tuya and her mother, flew several miles. Mana consumption was significant, and they landed in a secluded part of the forest.

"Hide yourselves in there and make no sound. Wait until I return," Yuan Ming directed them to a dense thicket nearby.

Tuya's mother nodded repeatedly and helped the weakened Tuya crawl inside.

Yuan Ming didn't linger; he stood up and ran forward.

Although he had used the Mysterious Incense Burner to escape through the air for a distance, Kun Tu and the others were skilled and would soon catch up. Continuing with Tuya and her mother would only increase the risk.

It was a risk, but leaving the two women here was relatively the safest option for now.

As he ran, Yuan Ming released a Soul Crow to scout the area and took out a green Crystal Stone, holding it in his palm. It was a Wood Attribute Spirit Stone he had obtained from Qingfu Hall in exchange for a Fire Attribute Spirit Stone he had acquired from Mist Island.

The pure spiritual power from the Spirit Stone flowed into him, rapidly restoring the nearly depleted Mana in his Dantian.

"The Spirit Stone is effective in restoring Mana, but unfortunately, I can't use it freely," he muttered regretfully, quickening his pace. He hadn't gone far when he furrowed his brow slightly.

The Soul Crow he had sent to scout had spotted Hu Huo, who was flying rapidly closer on his Green Falcon.

Hu Huo had also pinpointed Yuan Ming's general location and immediately sent a fireworks signal into the sky before continuing the chase on the Green Falcon.

Yuan Ming immediately used the Shadowless Step and sped toward a grove of trees ahead.

Although his Shadowless Step was fast, it was still substantially slower compared to the Green Falcon, and he was soon overtaken.

Elder Hu Huo maneuvered the Green Falcon directly over Yuan Ming's head, then suddenly turned, flapping its wings vigorously downwards.

A sudden gust of wind arose, sweeping across the area, causing trees to sway wildly and sand and stones to scatter.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming did not retreat but advanced, plunging headfirst into the fierce wind. With each step, he forcefully stabbed his feet into the ground, and although his speed was slightly slower, he was hardly affected by the wind.

Elder Hu Huo frowned and controlled the Green Falcon to maintain a certain distance from Yuan Ming, while swinging his hands in the void. Several green Wind Blades howled out, shooting towards Yuan Ming, and at the same time, he glanced anxiously in the direction from which they had come, clearly waiting for Kun Tu and the others to arrive.

Yuan Ming skillfully dodged the attacks of the Wind Blades, his forward speed only slightly affected.

Seeing this, Elder Hu Huo's figure abruptly leaped from the back of the Green Falcon, landing on a nearby large tree, and raised one hand.

The Green Falcon dove at Yuan Ming, its wings suddenly erect, almost closing together, resembling a giant green arrow that instantly reached in front of Yuan Ming. Its iron claws, accompanied by a ferociously sharp wind, aimed for Yuan Ming's head.

The might of this claw was such that even an Iron Man's head could be cracked open.

"Perfect timing!" Yuan Ming shouted softly and raised his hand upward.

A red shadow flashed above his head, and a large red hammer appeared out of nowhere, spinning as it struck the Green Falcon. It was the hammer he had obtained from Mist Island.

The Green Falcon had not expected this change and it was too late to retract its claws, which fiercely grabbed onto the red hammer.

With a loud, piercing "bang," the red hammer was knocked away, showing a few claw marks on its surface, though not deep and seemingly not a major issue.

The Green Falcon's claws were shattered, and blood gushed out. Its pouncing figure skewed sideways and with a "bang," it crashed into a large tree.

Before it could stabilize itself, a sharp whistle came from the side, and a green treasure sword shot out from the woods, heading straight for the Green Falcon's chest, which was the Green Fish Sword.

"You dare to injure my spirit beast!"

Elder Hu Huo shouted loudly, and with a slap on his waist, a small, triangular red flag appeared in his palm, embroidered with a gold three-legged toad, the same Magic Artifact previously used to chase Yuan Ming.

He grasped the triangular flag and waved it forward.

The golden toad on the triangular flag seemed to come to life, opening its mouth to spit something.

In an instant, a surge of gold and red flames burst forth, crossing a distance of several dozen meters in a flash, striking the green treasure sword and easily knocking it away.

Elder Hu Huo quietly breathed a sigh of relief, but he did not plan to engage Yuan Ming in close combat. Instead, he intended to activate the triangular flag again to harass Yuan Ming while waiting for Kun Tu and the others to arrive.

Suddenly, from the dark shadows of the nearby jungle, a soul crow shot out without warning and collided directly with his face.

"What is this!" Elder Hu Huo exclaimed, hastily dodging to the side.

But just then, another soul crow, like lightning, smashed into him from the direction he was dodging toward.

This time he failed to avoid it and was hit head-on.

The soul crow entered Elder Hu Huo's Sea of Consciousness and fiercely struck his Divine Soul, exploding loudly.

"Ah!"

With his Divine Soul severely damaged, Elder Hu Huo clutched his head and screamed in agony. The triangular flag slipped from his palm, and he fell from the tree, landing heavily on the ground.

With a "crack" sound, his calf bone broke.

Elder Hu Huo's cultivation was profound, and his Divine Soul was much stronger than Hagon's. Stimulated by the pain of the broken bone, his consciousness miraculously recovered.

Not far from a large tree, Yuan Ming's face showed surprise.

It seemed that pain could stimulate and help an enemy recover from the impact of soul collision. He would need to be careful about this in future battles.

"Kun Tu, save me!"

Elder Hu Huo's consciousness had just recovered when he shouted loudly, attempting to sit up. Suddenly, the ground beside him cracked open, and a Purple-Black Demon Vine shot out.

With a "pfft" sound, the Demon Vine pierced Elder Hu Huo's throat, penetrating his neck.

Elder Hu Huo spat out a large mouthful of blood, his mouth wide open as if trying to say something, but the light quickly faded from his eyes, and his body flopped down to the ground, turning into a corpse.

The Green Falcon had just stabilized itself and was about to come to his aid when Elder Hu Huo had already fallen. Suddenly, a ring of black light appeared on the Green Falcon's head, and several fist-sized black runes danced within it before silently dissipating.

The Green Falcon paused, taking a few breaths to recover before a gleam of joy appeared in its eyes.

The secret technique that had long imprisoned its Divine Soul was lifted. Although it had caused some damage to its Divine Soul, compared to regaining its freedom, that was negligible.

The Green Falcon did not even glance at Elder Hu Huo's body and turned to fly away, flapping its wings.

Yuan Ming breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the tree trunk, slowly sitting down.

The attacks seemed ordinary, but he had actually exerted his full strength, even using himself as bait, otherwise, he would not have been able to kill Elder Hu Huo in one go.

He knew that the enemy outnumbered him, and if he could not take advantage of their separation to defeat them one by one, once they gathered together, he would be the one in trouble.

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