Yuan Ming transformed into the White Ape, quickly moved his hands and feet, and confusion appeared on his face.
He could feel that the compatibility and connection with the Beast Skin had strengthened, but for some unknown reason, the power of his transformation hadn't increased.
As Yuan Ming was pondering, he suddenly felt a warmth all around him. A surge of strong demonic power gushed out from the White Ape Skin, spreading like a flood into every part of his body. Suddenly, there was a loud "bang" within him!
The next moment, his body inflated rapidly like being pumped full of air, his muscles writhed, and his bones made cracking noises.
This change came quickly and went just as fast, lasting only the duration of two or three breaths.
The form of the White Ape grew by a tenth, and his muscles also bulged larger, his hands becoming more sharply clawed.
Yuan Ming took a deep breath, feeling a strength throughout his body that was stronger than before, and his heart swelled with exhilaration.
The method he had clumsily discovered by chance to enhance the might of his White Ape Skin transformation, if given the time, he would definitely study it thoroughly, for it was currently his greatest reliance in battle.
Yuan Ming released the Fur Cloak Skill and returned to the cave. Soon after, he came back out holding a piece of black Beast Skin, which was the toad skin he had found.
If the Nurturing Technique was effective on the White Ape Skin, perhaps it would work similarly on the Toad Beast Skin.
He immediately used the Fur Cloak Skill to transform into the shape of a toad and, following the same method, activated the Nurturing Technique to drive the warm stream emerging from the incense burner, slowly infusing it into the toad skin.
As he predicted, the toad skin also absorbed the heat, but it only accommodated five or six streams before stopping, and no matter how hard Yuan Ming tried, there was no further reaction.
"It seems that the growth potential of Beast Skins varies. This toad skin is far from being on par with the White Ape," Yuan Ming thought to himself.
A few breaths later, a cold yet powerful demonic power transmitted from the Toad Beast Skin, giving him a chilling and unusual sensation all over his body.
Yuan Ming closed his eyes to perceive it carefully and a smile appeared on his face.
The toad form he became didn't increase in size, but there was a significant increase in the strength of his limbs. He breathed more powerfully into his lungs, and the time he could stay underwater had doubled.
However, what excited him was not this, but the new ability that the toad transformation had awakened.
He crouched his body down, and mana flowed into the black protuberances on his back, which wriggled and suddenly enlarged substantially.
Poop! The g!en%ui!ne art!i*c^l@e$ res+ides on M+|V!|L+&+E*MPY%R.
Dozens of black liquid jets sprayed from the protuberances, striking a bush in front like arrows.
The lush green leaves rotted at a visible rate, and the tough bark also cracked quickly as if all the moisture was sucked out by the black liquid.
In less than half an hour, a thriving bush withered and died, leaving only a few thick branches barely intact, the rest turned into rotten black mud.
"What a powerful poison liquid. I'll call it Toad Poison Arrow," Yuan Ming inhaled sharply.
"That said, what exactly are these streams of warmth coming from the incense burner? They have such an evident nurturing effect on the Beast Soul?" Yuan Ming stopped his transformation and lightly patted the Incense Burner Mark on his arm, his thoughts stirring once again.
The incense burner had previously allowed his consciousness to possess others, even control their behavior, and now it could enhance the Beast Soul contained within the Furred Beast Skin to increase its might. Each time it managed to amaze him, evidently, it was a reclusive Exotic Treasure. When the day came that he could leave this place, he must thoroughly examine it.
When Yuan Ming returned to the cave, Hagon had already stopped nurturing his Beast Skin and was lying on a bed of dry grass, resting with his eyes closed. The green wolf skin was placed to one side.
Yuan Ming glanced at the wolf skin and sat down.
It was quite clear that the incense burner could enhance the Beast Skin, and it would definitely work on the Green Wolf Skin too. Hagon could be considered his friend, and at this moment, they were in the same predicament. Should he also help him strengthen it?
However, for safety reasons, the secret of the incense burner could not be leaked, even if he wanted to give Hagon a hand, he couldn't let him discover it.
Just then, Yuan Ming suddenly stood up, tilted his head as if listening carefully, his expression quickly darkening.
"What is it?" Hagon wasn't asleep, and at the sound, he quickly sat up.
"Someone's coming, and there's quite a few of them!" Yuan Ming said in a grave tone.
"Are they enemies? Should we run?" Startled, Hagon grabbed the green wolf skin beside him.
"There's no time." Yuan Ming shook his head, and with a flicker, he was at the cave entrance, looking out through a crack at the distant figures.
A dozen figures had already come into view, soaring quickly towards them, reaching the entrance in a few breaths and surrounding the exterior in a fan shape.
Clearly belonging to two different forces, the two leaders – one a man with black hair, a hooked nose, and three scars on his face; the other a short, stout man with blonde hair and green bean eyes.
"It's Wu Bao of the Green Wolf Gang and Jin Kun of the Hyena Hall! Those two gangs have always been at odds; why would they show up together?" Hagon also came to the entrance, and upon seeing the people outside, he gasped.
Yuan Ming didn't speak, his expression fluctuating between cloudy and clear.
He had certainly heard of the Hyena Hall, equal in fame to the Green Wolf Gang. If it were only the Green Wolf Gang coming, he was confident he could escape unscathed, but with the addition of the Hyena Hall, the situation became much more complicated, particularly since both gang leaders had shown up at the same time.
"Hehe, Gang Leader Wu Bao, I'm not bragging, but in these Ten Thousand Mountains, there's no one we from the Hyena Hall can't find," the blond man Jin Kun said with a laugh, picking his teeth with a slender Beast Bone.
Wu Bao looked at the cave in front of him and snorted coldly, forming Sealing gestures with both hands. As his palms buzzed, a pigeon egg-sized purple Thunder Ball suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"Not good!" Yuan Ming's pupils contracted as he quickly retreated backward, pulling Hagon with him.
Wu Bao waved his right hand through the air, and the Thunder Pearl disappeared in a flash.
The next moment, dazzling purple light flashed through the woods, and a bolt of purple lightning appeared out of thin air, striking the boulder at the entrance of the cave.
With a loud "bang," the rock, several feet high, exploded on cue, shattering into countless pieces that flew in all directions, kicking up a huge cloud of dust.
"Who would've thought Wu Bao actually mastered the Thunderfall Skill!" Jin Kun's eyes flashed with a fleeting hint of apprehension.
The Thunderfall Skill, like the Wood Stabbing Technique, fell under the category of Spells. There were countless Spells in the Cultivation World, which ultimately all fell within the scope of the Five Elements: Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.
However, there are always exceptions in this world. Some individuals or demon beasts in the Cultivation World were born with extraordinary talents, or encountered major events later in life that allowed them to cultivate and control powers that didn't belong to the Five Elements.
In such cases, the Cultivation World referred to it as an Abnormal Spirit Root.
There are many types of Abnormal Spirit Roots, the famous ones including the Thunder Spirit Root, the Shadow Spirit Root, the Poison Spirit Root, etc. It's hard to say whether an Abnormal Spirit Root is good or bad. A positive mutation can strengthen the Spirit Root, but a negative mutation could harm the body.
The Thunder Spirit Root was considered a positive mutation, and the Thunder attribute was known for its formidable destructive power. Because the natural world generates the power of thunder and lightning, the Thunder Spirit Root was relatively more common compared to other Abnormal Spirit Roots, producing quite a few Thunder Attribute spells and Divine Skills. The Thunderfall Skill was one of the lower-level ones, but its power was far beyond that of Five Elements Magic like the Wood Stabbing Technique.
Wu Bao flicked his sleeve, and faint green light twinkled at his fingertips. A gust of wind sprang up from nowhere, sweeping through and blowing away all the dust at the cave entrance.
The situation inside the cave became clear. Yuan Ming wasn't hiding his tracks and stood there calmly, but Hagon was nowhere to be seen.
Wu Bao's brow furrowed. When he had first arrived, he clearly saw two people inside the cave.
"Gang Leader, be careful. The other person is probably hiding in the shadows. Yuan Ming's behavior is likely a ploy to draw us in. Acting rashly will probably result in an ambush," Zan Bai whispered from the side.
Wu Bao almost imperceptibly nodded his head and made a gesture with his left hand behind his back.
Members of the Green Wolf Gang slowly shifted their positions, surrounding one side of the cave entrance.
Among the crowd, Wulu looked at Yuan Ming with a somewhat complicated expression and seemed to heave a light sigh.
"Wu Bao, Jin Kun, what brings two such important figures together to this place?" Yuan Ming watched the actions of Wu Bao and the people of the Green Wolf Gang, speaking calmly and unhurriedly.
"Yuan Ming, why play dumb? You've opposed my Green Wolf Gang numerous times and even killed my Vice Gang Leader Ba Yin. Your crimes are heinous. Just surrender peacefully, and we might leave your body intact," Wu Bao said coldly.
Yuan Ming's feud with the Green Wolf Gang was irreconcilable, so he refrained from arguing and turned to look at Jin Kun, "Gang Leader Jin Kun, are you also here to capture me? I, Yuan Ming, do not recall ever offending the Hyena Hall."
"Hehe, Brother Wu Bao and I are close friends. When he invited me to come along, I naturally couldn't stand by and watch," Jin Kun said with a laugh, his mung bean eyes twirling.
"Today's fight is between me and the Green Wolf Gang, and it doesn't concern outsiders. Gang Leader Jin Kun should think carefully about whether to get involved. I, Yuan Ming, am not a magnanimous person," Yuan Ming slowly said as he surveyed the Hyena Hall members around him.
"Oh, are you threatening me?" Jin Kun's eyes suddenly narrowed, and his gaze turned cold.
"Not at all, it's just a word of advice," Yuan Ming said with a smile.
Yuan Ming had heard enough from Tu Lei about the relationship between the Green Wolf Gang and the Hyena Hall to know that the two gangs were in a constant state of covert conflict and would never be harmonious.
With Jin Kun's character, he was likely hoping to sit back and watch the tigers fight from the mountain. Yuan Ming's move was to give Jin Kun an out. If he could stay out of the fray, there might still be a chance to win the battle today.
Jin Kun stared at Yuan Ming, his mung bean eyes narrowing to slits, and suddenly burst out laughing.
Yuan Ming's brow twitched slightly, but he said nothing.
"Hehe, Yuan Ming, you're really something, so calm in the face of danger, even trying to divide us. To be honest, I really considered bringing you into the Hyena Hall!" Jin Kun said with a big laugh.
"Jin Kun, do you still want the stuff or not?" Wu Bao asked frowningly.
"All members of the Hyena Hall, heed my command! Surround this place and let not even a fly escape!" Jin Kun said impatiently, gesturing with his hand.
The Hyena Hall members immediately dispersed, forming a half-moon pattern to encircle the other side of the cave, with members of the Green Wolf Gang blocking all possible escape routes.
At that moment, Zan Bai, hiding in the crowd, suddenly pulled out a crossbow loaded with three green arrows, aimed at Yuan Ming, and triggered the device.
The piercing sound of the arrows cutting through the air rang out as they turned into three green shadows, speeding straight toward the vital points on Yuan Ming's chest.