"If you don't take action now, I might just die." Yuan Ming lay on the ground, his chest heaving as he spoke in a low voice.

"All along this journey, you've been playing the hero. Now you remember me? If there's anything good later, I get first pick." A pleasant voice echoed in his mind, filled with an unmistakable gloating delight.

"A mere Fur Beast Slave dares to challenge me? Utterly oblivious of death." Kun Tu sneered as he walked toward Yuan Ming, preparing to deliver a fatal blow.

But just then, an unexpected change occurred!

The black light on the Yin Ghost Flag he held in his hand suddenly surged uncontrollably. The pattern of a blood-colored skull seemed as if it came to life, writhing into motion. A powerful surge of Yin Evil Power transmitted through it, reversing and invading Kun Tu's body, causing him to feel numbness in half of his body, turning his complexion deathly pale.

Chilled to the bone, he subconsciously thought of something and flung the Yin Ghost Flag he held as if it were a snake or scorpion.

The material of the Yin Ghost Flag was special and the runes used on it were extraordinary. The combination of the two allowed the Yin Ghost Flag to not only launch powerful yin attribute attacks but also to devour other living beings to nourish itself—what Kun Tu had previously referred to as a Sacrificial Flag.

After a great deal of Blood Sacrifice, the Yin Qi within the Yin Ghost Flag had greatly increased, and so had its power. However, such yin attribute Magic Artifacts also had a significant flaw: every once in a while, the Yin Power within the flag would slowly seep out and backlash against the owner. It could be controlled as long as it was properly suppressed.

Yet, this time, the anomaly occurred suddenly without any warning and before its time, truly catching him off guard. Although Kun Tu had thrown away the Yin Ghost Flag in time, he was still eroded by the Yin Qi invading his body, stiffening his limbs. He hastily took out a fiery red elixir to swallow, and without giving Yuan Ming a second thought, he sat down cross-legged and began Cultivating.

Without Kun Tu's Mana to sustain it, the Yin Ghost Flag returned to its normal state after falling to the ground; the blood-colored skull on its surface ceased its movements and returned to stillness.

The Green Wolf Spirit Beast that belonged to him ran over to act as his protector.

At the same time, on the other side, the Purple-Black Demon Vine that had been entangling Wu Lu suddenly stopped, and the next moment it rapidly retracted, "whooshing" as it drilled back into the ground, disappearing from sight.

Wu Lu, now free from entanglement, shot a quick glance at Kun Tu then shifted his gaze toward Yuan Ming lying on the ground, his eyes filled with shock and suspicion. His left hand swiftly took out a medicine bottle to clean his right arm, applied medicine, and finally wrapped it in a white cloth. Only then did the piercing pain start to subside.

Kun Tu soon recovered. Although cautious, he reached out to grab the Yin Ghost Flag from the ground and hurriedly stowed it away without examining it.

"Are you alright?" Wu Lu, disregarding the opportunity to strike at Yuan Ming, quickly walked over to Kun Tu and asked with concern.

"Of course, it's nothing. Go kill that guy. I'll reward you handsomely when we get back," Kun Tu said slowly as he straightened up, shaking his head nonchalantly.

Wu Lu, with a sharp mind, noticed something amiss in Kun Tu's demeanor. The real situation was probably not as casual as Kun Tu claimed. It seemed obvious to Wu Lu that Yuan Ming had somehow caused the Yin Ghost Flag to backfire on its owner.

Indeed, as Wu Lu had guessed, Kun Tu was feeling a numbing soreness in half of his body. For some reason, the backlash from the Yin Ghost Flag this time was severe. Even though he had expelled some of the invading Yin Qi with the help of the elixir, a great deal still infiltrated deep into his meridians. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't force it out, his Mana seemingly sealed, a heavy internal injury like he had never experienced before. He could only wait to return to the Sect and seek help from his master.

"As you command," Wu Lu said respectfully. He bowed to Kun Tu, and possibly due to his recent injury, he stumbled and fell next to Kun Tu, rolling a bit further away.

Kun Tu turned to check on him.

"Puchi" went the sound.

A gleaming blade light suddenly blossomed, piercing into Kun Tu's back and exiting through his chest.

Blood gushed from Kun Tu's mouth, his face filled with incredible disbelief.

After all, he was an Inner Sect Disciple of the Biluo Cave, exceptional in both disposition and aptitude. The moment the blade entered his body, he exerted all his strength to avoid his heart and other vital organs and immediately swung his hand backward.

A gust of Yin Wind struck Wu Lu, sending him flying several yards away, crashing into a thicket of grass.

Kun Tu spat out a mouthful of blood, picked up the Yin Ghost Flag, but unfortunately, his heart and lungs had been pierced through, and his strength was rapidly draining away.

The Green Wolf Spirit Beast, which had initially been stunned, now reacted with a roar and pounced toward Wu Lu.

Wu Lu shot out a pill, hitting the wolf squarely on the nose. The medicine pill exploded with a loud bang, turning into a cloud of yellow smoke with an extremely pungent odor. The Green Wolf howled miserably, its body trembling uncontrollably, and then it slowly collapsed to the ground.

Wu Lu slowly stood up from the thicket, strode over to the Green Wolf, and with a swift motion of his knife, he severed the wolf's head. His chest was torn open, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but his expression was very relaxed.

"Have you lost your mind?" Kun Tu stared at Wu Lu, asking with difficulty.

"For a petty person like you, only when you're seriously injured do you think of rewarding me. Why don't you stand up and try it now?" Wu Lu said mockingly.

Kun Tu was just about to respond when an eerie scene unfolded. He felt a cool breeze pass by, as if a knife had slashed across his neck. A sharp pain in his neck was followed by a spurt of blood shooting out a foot high, and his head fell off.

With a "thud," Kun Tu's head dropped to the ground, his eyes widened in shock, staring intently at a certain spot. His body twitched, his breath dissipating, he did not close his eyes in death.

Wu Lu was also startled by this eerie scene, and in his panic, his body swayed and he sat on the ground. Looking towards Yuan Ming not far away, he immediately spoke, "Brother Yuan, please don't make a move, let's talk this over."

Seeing that Yuan Ming did not respond, he continued, "Brother Yuan really has impressive methods. How was my strike just now? Considering I helped you out with that strike, how about we turn foes into friends?"

By this time, Yuan Ming had sat up, feeling much settled, and with a smile said, "Brother Wu Lu's strike was quick and clean, without any hesitation. In my wildest dreams, I could not have imagined you would stab him in the back."

He had feigned unconsciousness precisely to lull Kun Tu into complacency. Even if the silver cat was unwilling to help, the Black Toad Spirit Beast lurking in the shadows could have dealt a fatal blow to Kun Tu undetected, then he would face Wu Lu, who was left injured.

Unexpectedly, just now the silver cat used some mysterious method to cause Kun Tu to suffer backlash before even casting his spell, and Wu Lu's sudden betrayal caught him off guard as well. Kun Tu's neck was sliced by an invisible sharp weapon, presumably the work of the silver cat, making Yuan Ming hold great admiration for the silver cat in his heart, momentarily unable to gauge the cat's true strength.

His right hand was hidden beneath him, clutching a green crystal stone—the very Wood Attribute Spirit Stone. He concentrated fully on cultivating the Nine Elements Technique, absorbing the spiritual power of the spirit stone, slowly recovering his mana. However, his internal injuries were too severe to see much improvement.

"Ha-ha, this strike I made was indeed on behalf of Brother Yuan. Brother Yuan's methods are unfathomable and unpredictable, and you will surely be a great power one day," Wu Lu laughed, with an expression as if he were an old friend of Yuan Ming's, his hand also secretly clenching a spirit stone.

"Brother Wu Lu is flattering me. The elixir you used to kill the Green Wolf is also formidable. There's no need to beat around the bush—let's discuss how we're going to report back to the sect," said Yuan Ming, keeping his composure.

Upon hearing Yuan Ming's words, Wu Lu let out a sigh and said, "That's just a little trick. Brother Yuan is magnanimous. Let me put those two to rest for a while. We really need to plan things out properly." He flicked his sleeve behind him, releasing a puff of yellow smoke from his cuff, which hit Tuya and the other, making them inhale the yellow smoke, quickly showing expressions of drowsiness, and collapsing to the ground, falling unconscious.

Yuan Ming observed all this silently, staying on guard.

"Brother Yuan, shall we heal our injuries first? Lingering injuries are detrimental to future cultivation! I have experience in this area," Wu Lu mumbled to himself, walking over to Kun Tu's corpse and rummaging through it.

Soon, he found a white medicine bottle from the dead man's bosom. The bottle was sealed with wax and had a green talisman paper stuck on it, indicating its preciousness. Wu Lu peeled off the talisman paper, removed the wax seal, and poured out a verdant green medicine pill, releasing a strong fragrance that instantly filled the air.

As he tilted his head back to swallow the pill, the ground beside him suddenly cracked open. A purple-black demon vine shot out, wrapping around the white medicine bottle in Wu Lu's hand and quickly returned to Yuan Ming's side, placing the medicine pill in front of Yuan Ming.

Wu Lu was not surprised, still tilting his head back to let the pill slide down his throat, his pale cheeks rapidly regaining color.

Yuan Ming held the medicine bottle, quietly observing the changes in Wu Lu's body, and did not rush to take it himself.

The purple-black demon vine had already returned to Wu Lu's side, swaying slightly but refraining from attacking Wu Lu.

"This pill is called the Meat Bone Pill, a healing elixir secretly prepared by the Refining Furnace Hall, particularly good at healing internal injuries. Go on and take it," Wu Lu said to Yuan Ming with concern.

On hearing this, Yuan Ming's heart stirred. He had heard of the Meat Bone Pill. Among the healing pills of the Refining Furnace Hall, it was ranked in the top five. It was said to have the effect of reviving the dead and regrowing bones, hence its name.

After a moment's hesitation, he tilted the medicine bottle and two emerald green pills rolled out, their enticing fragrance assailing his senses.

As the fragrance reached him, the pain in his viscera seemed to lessen somewhat.

"The reputation of this medicine is indeed well deserved!" exclaimed Yuan Ming, delighted. If the pill had gone through Wu Lu's hands, considering Wu Lu's cunning and their mutual wariness, he would definitely not have dared to take it. But obtaining it directly from Kun Tu assured him that it was undoubtedly genuine.

He had looked through a few books on elixirs after entering Biluo Cave and had some knowledge of them. Yuan Ming meticulously examined the two pills, still reluctant to swallow them. After a moment's thought, he flicked one of the Meat Bone Pills with his finger, shooting it towards the nearby bushes.

The Black Toad Spirit Beast was lurking near him, opened its mouth, and swallowed the Meat Bone Pill. A while passed, with no adverse effects on the Black Toad, which seemed even more vigorous.

"It seems the pill is indeed without issue," Yuan Ming finally felt assured, tilting his head to take it.

The pill melted as soon as it entered his stomach, a warm current flowing throughout his body. His internal organs felt as though they were steamed by the warm air, and his heavy injuries visibly improved at a pace visible to the naked eye.

After a few breaths, the boiling warm current subsided, and most of the pain in his body vanished.

"I was indeed too impulsive this time. If I had a quick healing pill like the Meat Bone Pill beforehand, I wouldn't have been forced by Kun Tu and Wu Lu to fall to the ground bleeding and feign death. I wouldn't have had to resort to asking for help from the silver cat. From now on, I must prepare various kinds of elixirs. The hardest thing about cultivation is indeed poverty," Yuan Ming reflected quietly.

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