After a while, he successfully absorbed all the energy from the gun and resumed his journey. This time, he encountered a spirit beast with six colorful wings resembling a rainbow and a humanoid body with white fire as its head. If not for the mountain of corpses beneath it, each swarmed by thousands of repulsive maggots with arms and legs, screeching while the spirit beast appeared delighted, Liu Xing might have mistaken it for an angel.

Liu Xing shot at the spirit beast. When it didn't die at the first shot and instead searched for Liu Xing, he unleashed a barrage of exploding bullets until the spirit beast and its grotesque offspring were thoroughly destroyed.

Liu Xing then searched for a place to cultivate, successfully absorbed the energy, and then sought out another spirit beast.

With this routine, Liu Xing steadily grew. He defeated several more spirit beasts, and on the third day, his sixth lock at ninety percent capacity. If he found another spirit beast to absorb, Liu Xing could attempt to open the sixth lock and advance to the sixth stage.

Excited, Liu Xing ran toward Skull Hill, choosing to run due to the straight path ahead. It seemed to be the main path to the hill.

After running for several moments, Liu Xing sensed qi ahead of him—different from natural qi or that of spirit beasts, indicating another cultivator.

Soon, he saw a man running toward him on all fours, emitting a wild beast-like roar.

Liu Xing recognized the man's face. His short hair and tanned skin were obscured by mud, with one eye swollen and his ragged clothes indicating recent hardship.

Then, Liu Xing spotted others chasing the man, whom he recognized as the trio that had tried to rob him. There was the pale, sickly man with red hair, Pu He, and the man with slitted eyes whose name he didn't know.

Seeing Liu Xing, Pu He and the man with slitted eyes widened their eyes in surprise.

"What are you doing here, Pu He? I thought you had quit robbing people," Liu Xing said.

"Senior, there's been a misunderstanding. I, Pu He, no longer rob people. We're here because our friend has gone mad!"

Liu Xing observed the man running on all fours and realized Pu He was likely telling the truth. Were they chasing this Mo Yan into Dragon Skull Forest?

Deciding to help, Liu Xing activated his Lightning Cloak technique and dashed forward. In an instant, he appeared above Mo Yan, grabbed his collar, and threw him high into the sky. Mo Yan spun wildly in the air, his limbs flailing.

Pu He and Han Zhong rushed to where Mo Yan would fall. But instead of catching him, they punched him right in the stomach. Mo Yan flew, hit a tree, and landed headfirst on the ground, knocked out.

Both Pu He and Han Zhong sighed in relief.

"We successfully subdued him," Pu He said.

Approaching them, Liu Xing saw that Mo Yan was enveloped in black smoke. Liu Xing was certain Mo Yan hadn't emitted such smoke when he ran on all fours.

"Why is your friend emitting black smoke?" Liu Xing asked, as Pu He and the man with slitted clasp their hands.

"Thank you for your help! We've been chasing Mo Yan for three days and nights. His madness has made him act like a beast, and our cultivation isn't high enough to subdue him," Pu He explained.

The man with slitted eyes added, "Thank you for intervening. But what are you talking about? Mo Yan isn't emitting black smoke."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing Mo Yan once more. His eyes did not deceive him—Mo Yan was indeed emitting black smoke, like a burning rubber tire.

Pu He then suggested they find a place to hide, and Liu Xing agreed, escorting them to a large mushroom where he carved out a hole, creating a temporary base.

As they walked, Liu Xing asked questions, and Pu He and his companion, Han Zhong, recounted their story—from Pu He's decision to retire, to the last robbery that Pu He would do as a form of celebration, which is kinda bizarre. He should just retire.

Han Zhong said, "I'm not sure what happened. But when our friend saw a senior sister from your sect, he lost his mind and tried to... satisfy his urges toward her. We managed to stop him, but then he chased her like a rabid dog, and we tried to subdue him."

Pu He nodded. "Miraculously, we haven't been attacked by any spirit beasts, despite the dangers here. We chased him for nearly three days before finally meeting you."

Liu Xing suspected that the girl Mo Yan was chasing was Yan Yu, the one who lived in his caves. Her physical description and the way she regarded others as if they were insects fit perfectly. He wondered why she was in this forest and hoped they wouldn't cross paths here.

"So, he chased Yan Yu, and you chased him? And Yan Yu wasn't annoyed with you?" Liu Xing asked.

Han Zhong nodded. "Well, Mo Yan seemed to be chasing that woman, but not really. Sometimes he went north, sometimes west. He shouted vulgar words and seemed like he wanted to leap towards her, but then he'd leap in a different direction."

"It's almost like he's searching for something, but his body wants to chase senior sister Yan Yu," added Pu He.

Liu Xing observed Mo Yan on Han Zhong's shoulder. He still emitted black smoke from his body, and Liu Xing wondered about its cause. No matter how many times he asked Pu He and Han Zhong, they didn't seem to notice the black smoke.

This led Liu Xing to consider many possibilities, including the idea that this darkness leaking from Mo Yan was what Nui had warned about.

Soon, they arrived at a giant mushroom. They circled it and leapt into a hole carved into its side. The space was cramped, so Han Zhong slashed and widened it.

They laid Mo Yan in the center of the mushroom cave and sat awkwardly.

"Once again, thank you for your help," Pu He said.

Liu Xing nodded. "It's alright. As I mentioned, he emits black smoke, and I'm interested in its cause. Are you sure you've told me everything?"

Pu He and Han Zhong glanced at each other. Han Zhong nodded, and Pu He explained about a beggar they had tried to rob. The sudden death of him had been suspicious.

"Come to think of it, when Mo Yan grabbed that black purse, his eyes went blank for a second," Pu He said.

Liu Xing rubbed his chin. He was sure that the beggar was the one who was responsible for Mo Yan's madness and the reason why he started emitting black smoke.

At this point, Liu Xing was already invested in the trio's situation. While he couldn't see into people's hearts, Pu He seemed genuinely committed to retiring from robbery.

"I can escort you back. I'm not sure if Mo Yan's madness can be cured, but what are your plans from now? Especially you, Han Zhong—Pu He wants to retire, doesn't he?"

"Well, I'm just following Mo Yan. He's my childhood friend. If Mo Yan retires, so will I. And seeing his condition, I think it might be best for us to retire as a group."

"You can follow me," Pu He said. "I intend to become an honest merchant."

"I don't know. If I were to retire, I'd want to become a farmer. But let's discuss that another time. For now, I just want Mo Yan to return to his old self. While I owe him a lot and want to repay him, I don't want to care for him forever."

Seeing the trio, Liu Xing couldn't help but smile. Despite their different dynamics, they reminded him of friends from his past life. This feeling made Liu Xing want to help them as much as he could.

"Then it's decided. I'll escort all of you back to the town, but I have a request. Show me where you disposed of that cultivator you intended to rob. There's a high chance that Mo Yan's madness is connected to him, and examining his body may shed some light."

"Alright," Han Zhong replied, with Pu He nodding in agreement.

They decided to rest for the night.

While Liu Xing still had much energy, Pu He and Han Zhong were exhausted. After they finished talking, they fell asleep.

Now, Liu Xing sat atop the mushroom cap, watching the perimeter alone. He had already scouted the area for spirit beasts and was confident it was safe, but caution was better than regret.

As the sun dropped below the horizon and the moon rose, the cicadas' song filled the forest, accompanied by the hoots of owls and distant howls of wolves. Liu Xing grew somewhat bored but couldn't cultivate either, so he began watching the stars.