"Not bad in terms of quick thinking,"

Yuan Ming muttered to himself, chasing in the direction of the footprints while unleashing the Divine Skill "Far Travel" to release all three soul crows, searching for Tuya and her daughter's whereabouts.

The soul crows were much faster than running horses, and with nothing to block their way in the air, they quickly located Tuya and her daughter, who were hurrying along a mountain path in an attempt to escape.

Tuya's mother seemed to have injured her leg, limping as she walked, which meant she couldn't move quickly.

Moreover, perhaps due to their panic and not choosing their path carefully, they didn't head towards the outskirts of the mountain; instead, they were moving deeper into Qingao Mountain.

Yuan Ming's expression eased slightly as he pursued them closely along the way.

…

On a thorny path leading deep into Qingao Mountain, Tuya was slowly helping her mother forward.

Tuya's mother was just an ordinary village woman who didn't know where to go, and all she wanted at that moment was to protect her daughter and keep her away from those murderous demons.

"Ouch!" Tuya exclaimed as she tripped over a tree root and fell to the ground.

Tuya's mother quickly turned back to help her up, and at that moment, the bushes in front of them rustled, and a figure leaped out.

"Don't... don't come any closer!"

Tuya's mother cried out in terror, clutching her daughter to her chest and collapsing to the ground.

"Ladies, there's no need to be afraid, I have no intention of harming you," the figure said, and it was Yuan Ming.

"What do you want to do?" Tuya's mother, who recognized Yuan Ming, looked at him with terror in her eyes that had not lessened at all.

"Follow me, I'll take you to a safe place," Yuan Ming said urgently.

Tuya's mother looked at Yuan Ming fearfully but said nothing and did not move.

Yuan Ming blinked, then understood that to them, he was also a murderous demon.

"Do you want to save both yourself and your daughter?" He coughed to soften his approach slightly and asked again.

Tuya's mother, whether she saw no ill intent in Yuan Ming or was too frightened, nodded subconsciously.

"Then come with me, I'll take you to safety," Yuan Ming said.

"Who are you? Why do you want to help us?" Tuya's mother hesitated, then pressed him for an answer.

"There is no time to explain now; if you want to live, follow me," Yuan Ming said and started walking in the direction out of Qingao Mountain.

Tuya's mother hesitated, unsure whether to trust the man before her.

Although Yuan Ming had helped them before, she could see that it was his companions who had annihilated Miao Hua Village.

If they stayed here and encountered other murderous demons, they, mother and child alone, would have no chance of survival.

Quickly making up her mind, Tuya's mother took her daughter's hand and followed him.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming stopped, then turned and walked back to them.

"What... what are you going to do?" Tuya's mother's nerves showed again.

"You're moving too slowly," Yuan Ming said, and without waiting for a response, he grabbed the two of them and moved swiftly forward using the Shadowless Step.

Tuya and her mother could only feel the whooshing of the wind by their ears, and everything they saw was receding rapidly. Before they could react, they found themselves at a three-way crossing to the northwest of Miao Hua Village.

One of the paths was quite spacious, wide enough for two carriages to run side by side, winding its way into the distance.

Yuan Ming had taken this road when he came to Miao Hua Village; about twenty or so miles ahead, there was a town that was an important crossroad and quite large.

Biluo Cave's massacre and soul collection were only aimed at some remote small tribes and would not target bustling towns.

He set down Tuya and her mother and told Tuya's mother the location of the town.

"Once you get there, you'll be safe. This road is a merchant's path, and you won't encounter any enemies, so you can rest assured," Yuan Ming concluded.

"Thank you. Aren't you coming with us?" Tuya's mother felt slightly reassured and asked.

Yuan Ming shook his head; by attacking Hagon and defying Biluo Cave's orders so openly, if he couldn't deal with all of them, Hu Huo, Kun Tu, and others, and even if one were to escape, he would face the endless pursuit of Biluo Cave. Helping Tuya and her mother to this extent was already his limit.

"Hurry, it's going to be too late if you wait..." He began to say.

Before he finished speaking, a breeze blew from afar, sweeping through the woods.

Yuan Ming's brow furrowed, as the breeze carried a trace of the scent of fierce beasts.

He quickly commanded the soul crows to scout the vicinity, his expression changing as he pulled out the White Ape Skin and transformed into the White Ape.

No sooner had Yuan Ming done so than the nearby bushes made a loud noise, and a tall figure leaped out—it was Hagon, transformed into a Human Demon.

When Tuya saw this monster, she trembled, and her mother also showed a look of fear, not realizing that the monster in front of them was Hagon in disguise.

"You two, move aside," Yuan Ming summoned the black toad and said sternly.

Taking in the series of dramatic changes, Tuya's mother, no longer as timid and fragile as before, quickly fled to the side with her daughter.

Hagon ignored Tuya and her mother, his blood-red eyes fixed on Yuan Ming as he roared and lunged forward.

Yuan Ming pinched a spell and the ground in front of Hagon cracked open, with five wooden thorns shooting out, aiming at Hagon's lower abdomen, but he agilely dodged them.

Yuan Ming had already experienced the speed of Human Demons and took advantage of Hagon's dodging to flick his finger.

A smoke bomb shot out from his hand, striking the ground in front of Hagon.

With a "bang," a large cloud of gray smoke arose, obscuring Hagon's vision.

Hagon let out an angry roar, his right leg shone with a thick blue light, growing significantly thicker out of thin air, and he fiercely stomped on the ground.

With a muffled "rumble," the ground was stomped into a not-so-shallow pit, and a gust of wind mixed with blue light swept out, dispersing most of the nearby smoke.

Just at that moment, a black crow flew directly at Hagon, aiming for his face, only a foot away from his body.

However, Hagon seemed to have foreseen it and easily dodged with a step.

Yuan Ming's face showed surprise, unable to understand how Hagon's eyes seemed able to see through the smoke?

"Roar!"

Hagon's gaping mouth opened wide, emitting a roar like a fierce howl.

The airflow within a dozen yards suddenly became violently turbulent, whipping up a huge windstorm, which not only easily dispersed the remaining smoke but also kicked up dust that prevented Yuan Ming from opening his eyes.

Hagon seized the opportunity to continue his onslaught, his two sharp claws crisscrossing towards Yuan Ming's throat.

A shadow flashed beside Yuan Ming, and two more black crows flew out, aiming for Hagon's face.

Hagon, preoccupied with evading Yang Ming's attacks, hurriedly dodged again, avoiding one crow, but ultimately he failed to evade the second.

The black crow fiercely collided with his forehead, actually penetrating through and entering his Sea of Consciousness.

The soul crow turned into a Void Spirit state and, upon colliding with Hagon's Divine Soul, burst into a "bang."

Hagon's body shook violently, and he fell to his knees on the ground, his limbs spasming and trembling, utterly unable to get up.

Yuan Ming's face also turned a few shades paler, but his actions were not affected, and his mind promptly urged him on.

The ground beside Hagon cracked open, and a Purple-Black Demon Vine shot out, rapidly entwining around his body and forming a Wooden Vine Cage within a few breaths' time.

Hagon's body was still spasming, offering no resistance as he was firmly imprisoned by the Purple Vine Cage.

Yuan Ming's expression slightly relaxed, confident in the impregnable Wood Prison Technique formed by the Purple-Black Demon Vine. Considering the previous fight, Hagon did not seem to have the ability to use Fire Attribute attacks and was unlikely to break free.

Tuya and her mother sighed in relief, seeing the monster subdued.

"Mother, this brother is so powerful; I want to be like him when I grow up," Tuya said, no longer as scared, her eyes shining while watching the ongoing fight.

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Tuya's mother quickly covered her mouth, preventing her from babbling.

Tuya was not afraid at all, her round eyes fixated on Yuan Ming's silhouette.

Yuan Ming naturally heard the noise from the two behind him, but he did not respond and instead summoned the remaining two soul crows, sitting down to practice Breathing Control.

What he had just used was the "soul collision" ability obtained after his Divine Soul Transformation; the soul crow would enter the enemy's Sea of Consciousness and self-destruct to carry out a kamikaze attack.

The power of the "soul collision" was incredibly terrifying; slightly weaker enemies would be directly annihilated, while equals would suffer severe Divine Soul injuries, becoming disoriented for a short time and losing bodily control, just like Hagon now.

"Soul collision," as powerful as it was, came with a significant toll; with his current Divine Soul Power, he could only condense three soul crows and perform "soul collision" three times.

Moreover, "soul collision" differed from ordinary Soul Power Divine Skills. Once executed, all Soul Power would explode in the enemy's Sea of Consciousness and dissipate without a trace, and none could be recovered.

Soul Power, unlike Mana, was quite difficult to replenish. Even with the Moonlight Technique, a third of his Soul Power would take about seven days to restore.

"With such a hefty cost, it seems I can't misuse 'soul collision' lightly," Yuan Ming mused internally. After a brief period of cultivating, his complexion had recovered.

The lost Divine Soul Power couldn't be restored quickly; it could only recover slowly.

He got up and approached Hagon. Hagon had awakened from the "soul collision" state, and while his body was still imprisoned, his mouth could move, and he roared incessantly at Yuan Ming, his blood-red eyes filled with a thirst for blood and violence.

Yuan Ming looked at the frenzied Hagon in front of him, somewhat silent.

He had searched for information about Human Demons and the Fur Cloak Skill in the Gui Cang Pavilion, but unfortunately found nothing. It seemed that Biluo Cave intentionally concealed everything about the Fur Cloak Skill, and the method to refine it was not stored in the Gui Cang Pavilion either.

Given that Hagon had become a Human Demon, Yuan Ming currently had no way to help him recover.

Since Hagon was here, Hu Huo and others would probably follow soon, leaving him little time.

"Do I really have to kill Hagon?" Yuan Ming clenched his fist.

"This... sir, shouldn't we quickly kill this monster and leave at once?" Tuya's mother, seeing Yuan Ming staring blankly at the disgusting creature, couldn't help but speak.

Yuan Ming's body shook slightly as he turned to look at the woman.

"Sir... Did I say something wrong?" Tuya's mother's heart skipped a beat under his gaze.

Yuan Ming withdrew his gaze, a hint of sadness flashing in his eyes.

If Tuya's mother knew that the monster in front of her was her husband, what would she feel?

Hearing the woman's voice, Hagon's roaring suddenly paused, and the blood light in his eyes dimmed significantly.

Yuan Ming's eyes showed surprise, glancing at Tuya's mother, a thoughtful look crossed his face, and a vague guess formed in his mind.

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