Yuan Ming resealed the mechanisms of the stone chamber used for casting and blocked the entrance of the cave mansion with a large rock. He then looked around, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes—the Earth Demon had not shown up.

Unlike the Lion Scale Beast previously encountered, the Earth Demon contained within it a Transforming Soil Stone that could be refined into various earth-tunneling treasures, which were quite valuable.

He continued upstream along the creek, quickly reaching the Black Pine Forest.

Yuan Ming knew nothing about the Black Giant Crow and whether it had spiritual materials on its body that could be collected. Not wishing to recklessly provoke it, he executed the Wood Concealment Skill to hide his tracks carefully as he crossed the forest.

Today his luck was good. He didn't encounter the Black Giant Crow and smoothly arrived at the area where the Four-eyed Golden Ape was located.

His previous encounter with the Red Core Peach Tree was purely by chance, and now he couldn't recall where the tree was located. Thus, he maintained his Wood Concealment Skill and began searching around.

"Quack quack..." Suddenly, the Black Toad perched on Yuan Ming's shoulder let out a few low croaks.

Yuan Ming shivered and stopped moving.

The Black Toad had sent a somewhat vague message through their mental connection, indicating that there was a scent of blood ahead.

Purple-Black Demon Vines could suck blood and were extremely sensitive to the smell of it.

Yuan Ming followed the direction indicated by the Black Toad, cautiously moving closer. He soon reached a lush thicket in the distance, pushed aside the wild plants, and his expression shifted slightly.

Two large bodies were lying there, one of them being the Four-eyed Golden Ape, and the other, the Black Giant Crow.

The Four-eyed Golden Ape had a huge hole in its chest, clearly a fatal wound, likely caused by a sword or similar weapon.

Apart from the wound in its chest, all four eyes of the Golden Ape had been gouged out, leaving behind four bloody, fleshly holes.

The Black Giant Crow had also died from a blade piercing its chest. Its claws and head were severed and nowhere to be found, evidently taken away by someone.

"No wonder I didn't encounter the Black Giant Crow just now. It turns out it was already killed. From the looks of the wounds, both the Four-eyed Golden Ape and the Black Giant Crow were killed by cultivators! Someone else has been here!" Yuan Ming muttered to himself.

He wasn't particularly surprised that others had found their way here.

If he could find this island, so could others.

Judging from the wounds on the Four-eyed Golden Ape, it had not been dead for long—probably only a matter of two or three days.

Besides the chest and eye injuries, the Four-eyed Golden Ape bore no other wounds. The four eyes had likely been dug out afterward, just like the Black Giant Crow, which only had one fatal wound.

There were no signs of a struggle in the vicinity, suggesting that both the Four-eyed Golden Ape and the Black Giant Crow had been killed by someone with a single strike, an act beyond the capabilities of a Qi Refining Stage Cultivator.

Yuan Ming couldn't help feeling a little frightened. Cultivators were often steeped in bloodshed. The island was rich in resources and, with Master Hei Mu's Cave Mansion, it was something of a treasure trove. If that person discovered his tracks, it was very likely that he would be casually killed to silence him.

Suppressing his uneasy feelings, Yuan Ming quickly called the Black Toad and headed towards the lakeshore.

Although he didn't know if that person had left, he knew he had to hurry and leave himself.

He hadn't gone far when the trees ahead became sparse, and a peach tree stood silently in the clearing—it was the Red Core Spiritual Peach.

Yuan Ming's heart skipped a beat; he had been planning to leave, but by a fluke, he had stumbled upon the tree.

However, when he took a closer look, all the joy on his face vanished.

On the peach tree, there were only leaves left—all the Spiritual Peaches had disappeared, most likely picked by the person who had slain the Four-eyed Golden Ape.

Yuan Ming sighed inwardly, not lingering, and quickly reached the lakeshore.

He used the same method as before, moving across the sky with the incense burner to get as far away from the island as possible to avoid the water creature, then left on a small boat.

Fortunately, the trip was fairly calm, and he did not encounter the black water creature.

After distancing himself from the island, though still surrounded by a pervasive white mist, Yuan Ming finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He was basically safe once he reached this point.

"Who could that person be who got to it before me? An elder of the Biluo Cave Sect or someone from another sect?" he murmured.

Qianlu Lake was closest to the Biluo Cave Sect, so it was unlikely that someone from another sect would come here.

If it was an elder of the Biluo Cave Sect, he would have to be careful, and if possible, not come back again.

He had concealed the entrance of Master Hei Mu's Cave Mansion, but such a level of disguise could easily be seen through, and although he had taken almost everything from inside the mansion, the casting furnace was still there.

Those familiar with Master Hei Mu might find clues on that furnace and come to this island again, which would be too dangerous.

"Anyhow, I've already subdued the spirit beast, so there's no need to come back," Yuan Ming decided resolutely.

He took out a compass, verified the direction, and after less than half a day's journey, he reached the shore of the lake.

Yuan Ming rested in a hidden spot by the lake, quickly fully recovering his mana, and then set off to return to the sect.

For the following two days, he did not go out, dutifully working in the Fire Workshop and proceeding with his cultivation as usual.

Everything within the sect was as calm as ever, and there was nothing unusual in the Fire Workshop.

He deliberately paid attention to Fang Ge, Chen Wan, and the others, but they did not show any unusual behavior.

Yuan Ming was quite surprised. If Master Hei Mu's Cave Mansion had really come to light, other places might not notice, but the Fire Workshop here should not be so quiet.

"It seems I was wrong. Maybe that person didn't discover it, or perhaps they are not an elder of the Biluo Cave Sect?" Yuan Ming mused, his mind easing.

With the matter of the spirit beast wrapped up, he now had to start looking for the other three spiritual materials besides the Black Scale Fruit.

...

Three days later, Toad Valley.

Yuan Ming, who hadn't visited this place in a long time, looked at the desolate scenery inside the valley and felt somewhat dazed for a moment.

Strictly speaking, it hadn't been all that long since he had shed his identity as a Fur Beast Slave, but now looking back on those days, there seemed to be an illusion of having been lifetimes apart.

He made his way to the entrance of a stone house as if on familiar ground and immediately spotted Zhao Tong, who was perched on a lounger with his legs crossed.

In his hands, he held a fairly wide, thread-bound book. Its grayish-green cover was adorned with an exquisite white drawing, delineated with dark gold lines, and beside it, in Central Plains script, was written "Warm Pavilion and Warm Jade."

"That's a deluxe illustrated edition you've got there, must've cost you quite a few contribution points," Yuan Ming remarked.

The book slowly lowered to reveal a smiling face: "Hehe, what's this? Have you finally gotten the knack and recognize a good thing when you see it?"

"It's just as well that the Law and Regulations Hall hasn't banned the perusal and circulation of erotic literature, otherwise you, a disciple of that hall, would be the first to get a spanking," Yuan Ming teased.

"You wouldn't come to me without a reason, so spill it, what do you want?" Zhao Tong sat up and asked.

"I want to buy some things from you," Yuan Ming replied.

"Like what?" Zhao Tong frowned.

"Ghost Faced Grass, Purple Core Pollen, and Yin Marrow Liquid," Yuan Ming listed.

"Are you going to do alchemy?" Zhao Tong questioned in confusion.

"Just tell me if you have them or not," Yuan Ming didn't elaborate.

"There's plenty of Ghost Faced Grass, and as for Purple Core Pollen... I believe there's still some stock left from the last collection. But I don't have any Yin Marrow Liquid; however, you might be able to buy some from the Refining Furnace Hall," Zhao Tong pondered and replied.

"Give me a price," Yuan Ming said straightforwardly.

"Neither Ghost Faced Grass nor Purple Core Pollen are too rare, so you can exchange one portion of each for two contribution points," Zhao Tong said.

"I knew it..." Yuan Ming's mouth twitched as he spoke.

"Knew what?" Zhao Tong asked, puzzled.

"I went to the Refining Furnace Hall before coming here. Guess how they sell these two items?" Yuan Ming said.

"Knowing those guys, they'd charge at least double," Zhao Tong laughed.

"They wanted five contribution points from me. It's just that the season for collecting Purple Core Pollen has passed, otherwise, I could go out and gather these items myself," Yuan Ming replied, somewhat annoyed.

"Given the timing, it's possible that the Purple Core Pollen they're selling includes the batch you previously collected," Zhao Tong's laughter grew even brighter.

"The Refining Furnace Hall didn't have any Yin Marrow Liquid either... Do you still have any connections to get some?" Yuan Ming asked with a serious expression, putting aside his humor.

Zhao Tong rubbed his chin and pondered for a moment before speaking, "Elder Wu Meng of our Law and Regulations Hall once had me run an errand to fetch some Yin Marrow Liquid for him; there might still be some in his possession. I could ask for you."

"Really?" Yuan Ming was overjoyed.

"Don't get too excited just yet. That was half a year ago, so it's not certain if he still has any. Even if he does, the price isn't likely to be low," Zhao Tong said with a smile.

"Just help me ask, okay?" Yuan Ming requested.

"Let's meet again in three days, and we'll know if it's available by then," Zhao Tong proposed.

"Three days, huh?" Yuan Ming frowned.

"If you're in such a hurry, what exactly do you need it for?" Zhao Tong's curiosity was piqued again.

"I'm mixing a Body Refinement elixir," Yuan Ming fibbed casually.

"No wonder," Zhao Tong sighed, showing no suspicion.

After the two parted ways, Yuan Ming had just returned to the Fire Refining Hall when he saw Chen Wan rushing toward him anxiously.

As soon as she reached him, she asked with a furrowed brow, "Where did you run off to?"

"What's wrong, is something the matter?" Yuan Ming asked in surprise at her question.

"Where's Huo Chan'er? Is it with you?" Chen Wan stared at the Spiritual Beast Bag at his waist as she asked.

"That thing ran away again?" Yuan Ming frowned.

"Isn't it with you? Today, my master had urgent matters and left it in my care for half a day. But not long after she left, Huo Chan'er ran off," Chen Wan said, her voice tinged with disappointment and urgency.

"Don't worry, I'll go back and check if it's at my place," Yuan Ming reassured her.

"I'll come with you," Chen Wan quickly added.

"Okay."

The two swiftly returned to Yuan Ming's place.

As they pushed open the door, Chen Wan saw a thick stack of white papers on the table, along with a mountain of crumpled paper balls piled beside it.

She had long known that Yuan Ming had completed refining the embryo and was learning to draw talismans from elder brother Mu He. Nevertheless, she hadn't expected that Yuan Ming would have practiced so much.

Besides the blank papers, there were also many completed rune drawings on the table which, at first glance, seemed already quite spirited.

She had never imagined that the once unremarkable Fur Beast Slave would now almost catch up to her own progress.

Of course, Yuan Ming was unaware of her thoughts. He searched through the cottage, flipping over the pile of paper that resembled a small mountain, but found no sign of Huo Chan'er.

Just then, his attention was caught by a piece of white paper near the window on the table, which had several messy little footprints—the unmistakable marks of Huo Chan'er.

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