Medicine Beast

Xu Yuan clearly felt a terrifying giant beast ahead, its gaping maw waiting silently for him.

Yet he couldn't control this "instinct," still wriggling like an insect toward the dangerous opening.

The alluring scent grew stronger, and Xu Yuan drew closer to the gaping maw.

He wanted to pinch himself hard, to wake from this "nightmare"-like state, but couldn't command his hands.

Crawling out from a thicket like an insect, a mountain peak appeared before him, and the instinct within Xu Yuan intensified!

The instinct in his heart suddenly conjured a thought: Once I cross this peak, I can eat that deliciousness!

Then Xu Yuan immediately realized: I'm clearly offering myself up as the "deliciousness."

No more hesitation—Xu Yuan couldn't control his body, but he could control his Inner Fire.

"Hoo..."

Sparks flew from Xu Yuan's seven orifices, quickly turning from sparks into gushing flames.

The flames burned him, and his tattered short tunic rapidly turned to ash. Then the "Inner Fire" spread throughout his body, and Xu Yuan quickly became a man of fire!

When a Pill Cultivator controls their Inner Fire to cover their entire body, it doesn't burn them.

But now, Xu Yuan was "self-immolating"!

Even so, his body remained controlled by "instinct," constantly wriggling forward on the ground.

If anyone saw this scene, they would surely find it horrifying.

Xu Yuan was in unimaginable pain, wanting to scream but unable to make a sound, his body completely out of his control.

And his "Inner Fire" had already burned his entire skin into a layer of charcoal!

With just a thought from Xu Yuan, the Inner Fire could be withdrawn.

But Xu Yuan gritted his teeth and persisted, enduring this terrible pain.

That "instinct" was hidden deep within his body; it hadn't reached that level of burning, so the "instinct" was unaware.

He endured this way for a while, and finally, the "instinct" sensed something.

Xu Yuan was crawling under an ancient pine tree when the intense heat from his flames caused a few drops of pine sap to fall from the branches.

The flames flared up because of this.

Under the intense pain, the instinct finally couldn't hold on either and gave up control of his body.

Xu Yuan retracted his "Inner Fire" at top speed, then lay on the ground, gasping for breath—he didn't even dare to move his chest or abdomen much, as any movement sent piercing pain through him.

Now, Xu Yuan's entire body was scorched black, covered in cracks, with dark red flesh visible beneath!

After a long while, Xu Yuan managed to gather a sliver of strength, then activated his "Fate Imprint."

A thick, heavy layer of charred shell peeled off!

This "molting" wasn't due to a strange infestation; it was simply using the power of his Fate Imprint to shed the burnt skin.

Therefore, it didn't improve him in any way. Even the ghostly scars on his back still stubbornly clung to him.

This layer of "skin" had no special function—yet Xu Yuan felt a strange "connection" to it.

Xu Yuan dug a shallow pit and buried it.

Having used his Fate Imprint twice in quick succession, Xu Yuan felt a weakness originating from the very root of his life.

"Need to be more restrained..."

Xu Yuan muttered to himself.

The scent continued to drift over from beyond the mountain peak, and Xu Yuan felt the "instinct" within him stirring again.

However, after enduring the ordeal of the "Inner Fire," Xu Yuan could barely suppress the urge.

Xu Yuan crouched down. Instead of fleeing immediately, he darted up the mountain peak like a mountain cat, hiding behind some trees to look down:

Xu Yuan had never intended to confront them head-on; he knew his own capabilities very well. He wanted to see clearly who was behind this scheme against him.

At the very least, he wanted to know himself and his enemy.

Looking down, it was as he expected; it was Saint Aunt and her group.

A long bamboo pole held up a wooden bowl containing a handful of rice.

It was exactly the same as what Stepmother had given him. The only difference was that the bowl held slightly more rice.

The rice in the wooden bowl, like the rice Stepmother had him place in the tree hollow, seemed to serve a similar purpose.

He wondered if this was a necessary condition for luring June Bugs.

Xu Yuan quietly retreated and then slipped away stealthily from another direction.

At the riverbank camp, lunch was ready.

Water drawn from the river had been boiled to cook the dried meat. The steam was also used to soften the flatbreads.

One of the workers, trying to curry favor with Saint Aunt, had specifically gathered some wild vegetables and added them to the meat soup, along with seasonings.

He ladled a large bowl and offered it to Saint Aunt, "Saint Aunt, please have some."

Saint Aunt patiently finished eating, but there was still no movement from the surrounding mountains.

Saint Aunt slammed the bowl down with a grim expression. Zhao Yong's dozen or so men fell silent, not knowing how they had displeased the goddess.

Saint Aunt strode quickly to Literary Cultivator and said, "That thing must have escaped! Search the mountain immediately!"

There were a total of four people sent by the association to deliver the bait. The leader was a Pill Cultivator disguised as a traveling physician.

The Pill Cultivator nodded, his gaze sweeping over the men, his eyes suddenly turning cold.

Saint Aunt said lightly, "Leave two for me."

Literary Cultivator waved his hand, and a calligraphy sheet flew up in the wind, bearing four large characters: Immobile.

Zhao Yong's men were terrified to discover that they were indeed unable to move!

The Pill Cultivator reached into the satchel on his shoulder, pulled out a small gourd, and poured out some pills. He pried open their mouths and fed each of them one.

Two were casually left behind.

The two who were not given the medicine watched in even greater horror as, after swallowing the pills, their companions' bodies suddenly contorted, their bones deforming!

Thick black fur grew on their bodies, their hands and feet became sharp claws, their lower jaws protruded forward, and four sharp canine teeth emerged from beneath their lips. Their ears grew backward, becoming pointed and slender, with a few long hairs growing from the tips.

They landed on all fours like beasts, roaring and growling incessantly, their eyes blood-red, devoid of human emotion.

Literary Cultivator retracted his calligraphy sheet, while the Pill Cultivator waved his hand, "Search the mountain!"

The eight monsters, like obedient hounds, lowered their heads and shot towards the surrounding peaks like arrows.

These monsters, transformed from humans, were called "Medicine Beasts." These eight were the lowest level, "Canine Demons." They were extremely fast, possessed immense biting strength, and had acute hearing and smell.

As for the two men left behind, they vaguely felt that they might not have been "lucky" after all, and their fate might be even more tragic than their companions'!

A little over half an hour later, two Canine Demons dug out the charred, shed skin that Xu Yuan had buried.

Saint Aunt and the others formed a circle, looking at the humanoid monstrosity with confusion, "What is this thing?"

The Pill Cultivator looked at the surrounding tracks, "That kid did come here. How did he manage to resist the bait's scent at the last moment and slip away?"

"This 'Old Year Grain' is extremely precious. The association dispatched twelve protectors, and seven died before they obtained it. It shouldn't be ineffective."

"That kid... is rather unusual." A hint of apprehension arose in the Pill Cultivator's heart.

Saint Aunt snorted coldly and said without hesitation, "Let the Canine Demons chase!"