Yuan Ming dug a pit by the lake and buried the body. Then, standing in front of the slightly barren mound of earth, he remained motionless for a long time.
"You must have already been reincarnated, in your next life may you not be a Beast Slave again. The path of cultivation is so cruel, it might be better to live carefree as a commoner."
"Today you have me to bury your remains, but if I meet with misfortune one day, who will collect my body?"
"Heaven and earth are merciless, it's the survival of the fittest. If I can't rid myself of the status of a Beast Slave by my own power and get accepted into Biluo Cave, my end might be even worse than yours."
Yuan Ming whispered a few words to the little mound, it seemed to remind himself of the harsh reality and at the same time, to strengthen his determination to return to the Central Plains.
He didn't transform into the White Ape and continued his journey, quickly leaving the lake behind and entering a dense forest.
Not far away, on the branches of a large tree, a silver shadow crouched. It was the same silver cat from before, its slender pupils tightly following Yuan Ming's retreating figure.
As the light dimmed around him, Yuan Ming slowed down and became very cautious.
Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks and squatted down.
On the ground, he found another set of footprints, matching the size of the person he had been tracking.
Yuan Ming followed the footprints, and before long, he heard the sounds of fighting ahead, mixed with the roars of Fierce Beasts.
Yuan Ming raised an eyebrow and quickened his pace until he reached the source of the noise.
This was an open space in the forest, where two large Exotic Beasts were fighting desperately for their lives. Several large trees had collapsed, and dust was swirling about in the open space.
One of the combatants was an upright, blue-colored wolf beast, standing one and a half zhang tall, with thick limbs exuding a domineering presence, its might surpassing even the transformed White Ape that Yuan Ming had become.
The wolf beast's eyes were narrow, the pale blue pupils filled with coldness, yet even more so with calmness, clearly a Fur Beast Slave.
The other Exotic Beast was a sprawling black crocodile on the ground, three zhang in length, covered in thick scales, its yellow eyes emitting a hungry, savage light.
This crocodile was not only immense in size but also extraordinarily strong. Its long tail, like a black steel whip, swept deep marks into the ground with each swing, and its thick crocodile mouth could easily snap thick tree trunks, making it far more formidable than the previous brown bear.
The Green Wolf Beast Slave was clearly not a match for the Black Crocodile in terms of strength, but it excelled in agility and leaping power. It continually dodged the attacks of the Black Crocodile, seeking opportunities to strike with its scythe-like sharp claws.
However, the scales of the Black Crocodile were extremely tough. The claws of the Green Wolf could only leave shallow scratches, not even drawing blood, resulting in a stalemate.
"This Green Wolf Beast Slave is extraordinary in strength, and their cultivation should be above mine," Yuan Ming had initially planned to hide and watch, but after a moment's thought, he decided to reveal himself in his White Ape form.
The Green Wolf Beast Slave immediately noticed Yuan Ming's presence, its eyes sweeping across with a gleam of cold light.
The Fur Beast Slaves of these mountains, although all collecting Essence Blood for the Biluo Cave, had far from harmonious relationships with each other. Competition and subterfuge, even murder and pillaging, were not uncommon, all of which Biluo Cave ignored.
Now, suddenly a White Ape Beast Slave emerged, clearly intending to wait for the Green Wolf and the Black Crocodile to both suffer injuries before taking advantage of the situation.
However, the Green Wolf Beast Slave was also puzzled. Such underhanded tactics usually involved ambushing from hiding, so what was the White Ape's direct approach about?
The Black Crocodile took advantage of the Green Wolf Beast Slave's momentary distraction, opening its mouth and spitting something out.
A bright stream of water, like an arrow, shot from the mouth of the Black Crocodile, slashing towards the legs of the Green Wolf Beast Slave with such speed that it almost trailed an afterimage.
As if anticipating this, the Green Wolf Beast Slave leaped up. His large frame jumped three feet into the air, easily avoiding the assault of water.
He then descended, whether by accident or design, right on the Black Crocodile's back, and his right leg suddenly moved.
His claws turned into a flash of green shadow, aiming for the eyes of the Black Crocodile.
Startled, the Black Crocodile quickly twisted its head to avoid the blow.
But the Green Wolf Beast Slave's strike was so swift that the Black Crocodile couldn't completely avoid it, getting its snout scratched.
With scales covering its body, the Black Crocodile's nose was relatively fragile. Immediately, five long gashes appeared, and blood flowed.
The Black Crocodile let out a furious roar as its enormous body rolled on the spot, stirring up clouds of dust.
Wary of the Black Crocodile's brute strength, the Green Wolf Beast Slave quickly leaped away.
"Roar!"
The Black Crocodile's yellow eyes fixated on the Green Wolf Beast Slave, threads of blood appearing within them. The originally black skin began to show sinuous blood-red lines, and the body swelled even more.
"What kind of power is this?" Yuan Ming, watching from a distance, let out a light exclamation of surprise.
"It's a Bloodline Crocodile!" the Green Wolf Beast Slave exclaimed in human language, with a tinge of astonishment.
In the blink of an eye, the Black Crocodile's transformation was complete, growing by a third in size, with many blood-red lines on its scales, and the injury on its nose stopped bleeding.
All four of its limbs slapped the ground hard, its massive body surged towards the Green Wolf Beast Slave with a gust of wind, creating a loud wafting noise across several meters.
Seeing the crocodile's momentum, the Green Wolf Beast Slave did not dare to confront it head-on and dodged to the side.
However, after transforming, the Black Crocodile became much more agile. Its tail whipped on the ground, instantly changing direction, continuing to pounce towards the Green Wolf Beast Slave. Its speed did not wane in the slightest, and in the blink of an eye, it caught up with its prey.
The crocodile's mouth stretched out like lightning, almost leaving an afterimage, biting onto the Green Wolf Beast Slave's left arm, one thick forepaw pressing on him, looking as if it was about to pin him down.
At that moment, a green shadow shot out from afar, heading straight for the Black Crocodile's left eye.
The Black Crocodile, though engaged in combat, had not lost its senses. Its head turned slightly, and the green shadow hit the scales near its left eye—an item that turned out to be a green bamboo tube.
Bang!
The bamboo tube burst open, spilling out a pale purple liquid that showered the Black Crocodile's head and dripped into its eyes.
The Black Crocodile's eyes burned with intense pain and quickly turned black and rotten, emitting anguished screams as its mouth opened wide.
The Green Wolf Beast Slave quickly pulled out his left arm, breaking into a cold sweat.
But this man was extremely fierce; not only did he not retreat, he took advantage of the situation and lunged towards the Black Crocodile, his right claw extending swiftly.
Blood Light flashed!
The right hand of the Green Wolf Beast Slave pierced into the crocodile's right eye, gouging out its eyeball.
The Black Crocodile let out an earth-shattering roar, its massive body rolling violently as its tail thrashed around crazily; nearby trees were smashed to pieces, creating a terrifying commotion.
The Green Wolf Beast Slave had leaped away in time and was not affected by the Black Crocodile's frenzied attacks, and he looked towards Yuan Ming in the distance.
He saw clearly that the bamboo tube had been thrown by Yuan Ming.
Yuan Ming nodded to the Green Wolf Beast Slave but continued to stand there, showing no intention of getting close.
After raging wildly for a while, the bloodlines on the Black Crocodile's body rapidly receded, and its size returned to its original state.
"So such aberrations are time-limited," Yuan Ming thought to himself.
As the Black Crocodile's body recovered, so did its rationality. It ran away with the speed of lightning, its claws pounding the ground thunderously, heading into the distance.
Blind in both eyes, it was no match for the Green Wolf Beast Slave, leaving only a path to certain death.
However, having lost its sight, the Black Crocodile couldn't discern directions and ran headlong into a massive tree, as large as a grinding wheel, after not getting far.
With a "bang," the huge tree was struck and split in half, collapsing to the side.
The Black Crocodile was also knocked to the ground, exposing its pale, soft underbelly.
Cleary an experienced beast hunter, the Green Wolf Beast Slave immediately leapt forward, plunging two claws into the crocodile's belly and yanked fiercely.
Several long gashes were torn in the crocodile's belly in an instant, and blood gushed out, leaving red and white innards all over the ground.
The Black Crocodile struggled in frenzy once again, but having suffered fatal injuries, it soon lay still.
The Green Wolf Beast Slave bent down to collect the Black Crocodile's blood with a Blood Storage Bag, all the while casting a cautious eye towards Yuan Ming close by.
Yuan Ming still stood quietly in the same spot without any suspicious movements. Seeing this, the eyes of the Green Wolf Beast Slave somewhat softened.
"Thank you for your assistance just now. I am Hagon. May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?" said the Green Wolf Beast Slave, finishing his collection and bowing to Yuan Ming.
"I am Yuan Ming," Yuan Ming returned the gesture.
"So you are Brother Yuan. This place isn't suitable for conversation. Let's find another place to talk," suggested Hagon.
The recent battle had caused a tremendous commotion, so naturally, Yuan Ming had no objection.
They quickly left the area, soon arriving by a lakeside.
Yuan Ming's brows furrowed slightly, recognizing the lake as the one where he had found the Black Beast Skin.
Hagon, covered in dust, washed himself in the lake, released the Fur Cloak Skill, and revealed his true form: a man in his twenties, tall, with blonde hair and blue eyes—a typical appearance of Southern Border people.
Yuan Ming had by now also put away the Ape Skin, showing his own appearance.
"Are you Central Plains people?" Hagon asked with a hint of surprise in his eyes.
"Indeed. Through some fortunate coincidences, I entered the Biluo Cave to become a Beast Slave," Yuan Ming did not hide the truth.
"I see. But Brother Yuan seems somewhat unfamiliar," Hagon acknowledged with an 'oh,' not prying further into Yuan Ming's identity."
"Indeed, I have not been here for long. I happened to see Brother Hagon fighting the Black Crocodile and stayed out of curiosity to watch; I hope Brother Hagon doesn't mind," Yuan Ming said amiably.
"Not at all. If it weren't for Brother Yuan's timely assistance, I would have been skinned if not dead by now. I should be the one thanking you," Hagon answered earnestly.
Yuan Ming, seeing Hagon's sincere attitude, felt even more resolute about making a new acquaintance.
After talking further, they gradually became more familiar with each other.
From the conversation, Yuan Ming learned that Hagon had been a Fur Beast Slave for two years, qualifying as a veteran.
"Brother Hagon, how much do you know about Biluo Cave, the sect we're in?" Yuan Ming inquired about his concerns.
"My experience is much like yours, Brother Yuan. I was also inexplicably captured and brought here. I do not know much about Biluo Cave, only that it is a major faction in the Southern Border, with numerous disciples and three Core Formation Stage Cave Masters at the helm, dominating the Ten Thousand Mountains, a massive mountain range with considerable power," Hagon explained.
"Ten Thousand Mountains—is that this area of forests we're in?" Yuan Ming asked, recalling the Southern Border characters on the large stone.
"Exactly," Hagon nodded.
Yuan Ming turned and looked around him. Mountains rose on all sides, stretching out beyond the horizon, with no end in sight.
"Ten Thousand Mountains is one of the largest mountain ranges in the Southern Border. You won't see the end just by looking," Hagon laughed heartily.
Yuan Ming smiled faintly; he wasn't really trying to see the end of Ten Thousand Mountains, just reacquaining himself with the mountain range under Biluo Cave's control.
"Brother Hagon, within Ten Thousand Mountains, do you know how many Fur Beast Slaves like us there are?" Yuan Ming asked after turning his attention back from the scenery.