Blessing in Disguise

At the center of the encirclement, Hagon, trapped within the yellow net, watched the rapid succession of changes around him with his eyes wide. He was deeply curious about the white figure that had suddenly appeared.

Just then, a figure darted out of the smoke. It was Yuan Ming, transformed into a white ape. The Azure Fish Sword in his hand became a streak of azure light as it slashed fiercely at the yellow net.

The Azure Fish Sword had already been sharp, and once infused with mana, its edge became even more formidable. A gap was immediately cut into the yellow net.

"Why are you here? Didn't I tell you to leave first?" Hagon asked in a low, urgent voice upon seeing Yuan Ming.

"Shut up!" Yuan Ming swung his sword down again, while the third ape claw on his chest and abdomen tore viciously at the net.

With a ripping sound, the yellow net was finally torn apart, and Hagon rolled out from inside.

"Go!" Without another word, Yuan Ming scooped Hagon up and ran outward.

The encirclement was in complete chaos, with smoke billowing everywhere. Yuan Ming and Hagon easily broke through layer after layer of blockade and were about to escape the encirclement.

A figure appeared ahead. It was Wulu.

"Wulu!" Yuan Ming's gaze darkened. The Azure Fish Sword in his hand gleamed with cold light as he brought it down upon him!

The smoke around them would soon disperse. They could not afford to delay even a moment. This had to be settled swiftly!

A complicated look appeared on Wulu's face. He dodged to one side and gave way.

Surprise flashed through Yuan Ming's eyes, but he did not stop. He darted out of the smoky area.

"Not good, Yuan Ming escaped!" As soon as Yuan Ming and Hagon left the encirclement, their figures were clearly exposed and spotted by a furred beast slave standing guard outside.

Yuan Ming ignored him and fled south toward Mist Valley.

In his white ape form, he pushed Shadowless Step to its utmost limit. Even while carrying someone, he was still incredibly fast, vanishing into the dense forest in the blink of an eye.

A figure suddenly broke away from the battlefield. It was the white-haired monster, chasing after Yuan Ming and Hagon.

Wubao, Jin Kun, and the others soon rushed out of the smoke, their expressions all rather unsightly.

Their meticulously planned capture operation, one that had been nearly foolproof, had actually been ruined by some white-haired monster that had appeared out of nowhere.

"Cough! You can't blame me for this. I did help you block them in. Who knew that thing would suddenly show up?" Jin Kun said with a shrug, spreading his hands.

"If we didn't catch him, the reward cannot be paid out," Wubao said darkly.

"You saw that white-haired monster's strength just now. You and I would probably have to join forces just to barely handle it. I, Jin Kun, may be greedy, but I won't gamble my brothers' lives," Jin Kun said with a cold laugh, licking his slightly cracked lips.

"Catch him, and besides what I promised before, I'll give you an additional reward. But I need him alive," Wubao said in a deep voice.

"I don't know why you care so much about that brat, but Hyena Hall will not be taking part any further. Until we meet again. Let's go!" As Jin Kun spoke, he had his men carry away the injured before turning to leave.

"Which way did Yuan Ming run?" Wubao asked coldly. Looking at the Hyena Hall members receding into the distance, his eyes had turned red, clearly on the verge of exploding with rage.

"I vaguely saw him head in that direction. That white-haired monster also chased after him," Wulu said, pointing somewhere east.

"Chase!" Wubao gave the order and took the lead in pursuing them eastward, with the others close behind.

After the two groups left one after another, the area fell silent once more.

At that moment, a faint rustling came from a branch as thick as an arm high up in a nearby tree. Silver Cat stepped out with elegant strides.

After licking its body, it raised its head again. Its amber-gold eyes blinked as it glanced southward.

Then it leaped lightly onto another nearby tree. After several more bounds, it had vanished into the distance.

Yuan Ming, in his white ape form, carried Hagon on his back and fled at full speed toward Mist Valley.

As he watched the white mist ahead grow thicker and thicker, Yuan Ming felt some of the tension in his heart ease.

As long as they entered the valley, they would basically be safe.

"Brother Yuan, watch out!" Hagon suddenly cried out from Yuan Ming's back.

A white shadow silently raced up from behind, even faster than Yuan Ming. Within two or three breaths, it had reached his back and threw a punch at Hagon's head.

Yuan Ming hurriedly ducked and rolled to the side.

Yet the white-haired monster was too fast. He failed to evade completely, and his left shoulder was struck. His entire body flew sideways, while Hagon was thrown from his back.

Yuan Ming felt searing pain in his left shoulder bone, while half his body went numb. A rush of hot blood surged up his throat, but he forcibly swallowed it back down.

The white-haired monster ignored Yuan Ming and instead turned into a white shadow as it charged toward Hagon.

"Take my sword!" Seeing that he would not make it in time to rescue him, Yuan Ming activated Essence Accumulating Arm. His right arm instantly swelled by a full circle as he hurled the Azure Fish Sword.

Whoosh!

The Azure Fish Sword streaked through the air with a bone-chilling afterimage, like thunder and wind, reaching the white-haired monster in an instant.

The white-haired monster punched at the Azure Fish Sword, while its body continued charging forward.

With a loud clang, the Azure Fish Sword was knocked flying away. A wound deep enough to expose bone was cut into the surface of the white-haired monster's fist.

The force contained within the Azure Fish Sword from Essence Accumulating Arm jolted the white-haired monster, making its body sway slightly.

Before the creature could steady itself, the ground beneath its feet rumbled, and a thick wooden spike burst forth. Though it failed to pierce its foot, it made its already unstable body stagger, nearly causing it to fall.

Taking the opportunity, Yuan Ming used Shadowless Step. With a flash, he appeared beside Hagon, grabbed him, leaped onto a nearby tree, and climbed to its crown in just a few movements.

"Brother Yuan, thank you for saving my life again." Hagon forced a smile, opening a mouth full of blood.

"Thank me after we escape with our lives this time." Yuan Ming said this and carried him as he leaped away into the distance.

He did not take Hagon into the valley. The white-haired monster was too close behind them. Entering the valley now would not only fail to shake it off, but on such flat ground, the two of them would absolutely have no way to survive.

Only within the familiar forest did they have a sliver of hope.

The white-haired monster steadied itself, let out a blood-red-eyed roar, and ignored the wound on its hand as it turned into a white shadow and gave chase.

The creature was extraordinarily nimble. It easily climbed trees and leaped from one to another, moving no slower than Yuan Ming.

"Hagon, I've noticed that from beginning to end, that monster's target seems to have been you. Have you seen it before?" Yuan Ming pushed his speed to the limit, barely widening the distance between them as he asked urgently.

An unnatural look appeared on Hagon's face, but he said nothing.

Whoosh!

A thick section of tree trunk shot toward Yuan Ming from behind, aimed at his back. The white-haired monster had cut off a section of trunk and hurled it at him.

Yuan Ming lowered his body and darted sideways, barely evading the trunk.

But this brief delay closed the distance between them considerably.

"Hagon, say whatever you have to say now. If you delay any longer, it'll catch us. I can't beat that monster," Yuan Ming said gravely.

A trace of struggle showed in Hagon's eyes. At last, he made up his mind and said, "Brother Yuan, don't worry. I know why it attacked us, and I also know how to drive it away."

As he spoke, he took out a jade vial from his robes and tipped it slightly. A blood-red orb the size of a pigeon's egg rolled out, emanating an unusually dense aura of vital blood.

"What is that?" Yuan Ming's eyes widened.

The white-haired monster behind them caught the scent of the Blood-red Orb, and greed surged in its eyes. Its speed abruptly increased, closing the distance between them again until it was less than thirty meters away.

Yet Hagon was not worried. With a wave of his arm, he threw the Blood-red Orb far away.

The white-haired monster gave a strange cry, immediately abandoning the two of them to chase after the Blood-red Orb.

Yuan Ming was secretly startled by this, but he said nothing. He turned and ran toward the valley, then leaped into it without the slightest hesitation.

Even while carrying someone, his white ape transformation scaled the cliffs as swiftly as flying. Soon, he vanished into the vast mist and reached the valley floor.

Yuan Ming did not stop. He ran deeper into the valley, only halting after covering two or three li.

"The mist here is thick. Wubao and the others will have trouble tracking us, so we should be safe for now." He set Hagon down, formed a hand seal to dispel the Fur Transformation Technique, then dropped onto the ground and panted.

After several consecutive fierce battles, his mana was nearly exhausted, and his strength had been completely drained. He truly could not run any farther.

"Today, I have Brother Yuan to thank. I owe you another life," Hagon said slowly.

"Wubao and his people came for me in the first place, so there's no talk of owing anyone. But what exactly is that white-haired monster? Why was it chasing you? And what was that Blood-red Orb?" After panting for a while, Yuan Ming's breathing gradually steadied as he asked.

"It's a long story. That Blood-red Orb is called a Blood Pill. Only a high-grade first-rank fiendish beast can condense one. It can be said to be the essence of all the creature's blood and vitality," Hagon explained.

"A high-grade first-rank fiendish beast! How did you kill it?" Yuan Ming was greatly shocked.

With his current strength, he would not dare provoke a high-grade first-rank fiendish beast.

"How could I possibly have that ability? Earlier, I happened upon a high-grade fiendish beast that was severely injured and on the verge of death. I was lucky enough to obtain that Blood Pill from its corpse, and afterward, that white-haired monster set its sights on me," Hagon said with a bitter smile.

"That white-haired monster is so powerful. How did you escape from it?" Yuan Ming still found it somewhat difficult to believe and pressed on.

"That monster was wounded at the time, and I also had a restraining talisman on me. Only then did I barely manage to get away. I never expected that after so long, the monster would still come after me," Hagon sighed.

"So that's what happened. Still, this time it can be considered a blessing in disguise. If that monster hadn't come to stir up trouble, you and I would probably have been finished in Wubao's people's hands. Now, although you threw away the Blood Pill, there's no guarantee that monster won't come after us again. Recover quickly." Yuan Ming nodded, then went to a corner on his own, sat cross-legged, and began circulating his cultivation technique to regulate his breathing.

Hagon had been punched by the white-haired monster, aggravating his injuries. Every part of his body now hurt terribly, so he too immediately sat cross-legged and began circulating his cultivation technique to heal.

Half an hour later, Yuan Ming was the first to open his eyes.

With the aid of the Nine Yuan Art, his mana had fully recovered, and his physical strength was nearly replenished as well.

The surroundings were utterly still, with nothing unusual in sight. It seemed the white-haired monster had most likely obtained the Blood Pill and left rather than continuing to pursue them.