In order to transform both arms into Gold, at least one more Golden Fruit is needed.
In the forest.
Baiyu was pondering while on the move.
The last time he obtained this Fruit was because two powerful Exotic Beasts were fighting, giving him a chance to pick it up.
Encountering such a situation once is a stroke of great luck; it's impossible to happen every time.
Next.
To acquire Golden Blood, he can only rely on Black Moon Death Struggle to hunt other Exotic Beasts that possess Golden Blood
and then refine it with the functions of Black Moon Death Struggle.
Otherwise.
Directly killing an Exotic Beast and drinking its fresh blood, Baiyu felt he couldn't digest it.
Moreover, the conversion efficiency would be extremely low.
Completely not cost-effective.
He is currently located in the eastern part of the forest.
According to the map left by that former Imperial General of the Great Yan Dynasty, there are over ten dangerous areas in the forest.
These places might contain Exotic Beasts with Golden Blood.
The first place Baiyu intended to investigate was the Barbarian camp.
Even if there was no Golden Blood here, those three rune-imbued stone pillars had already made Baiyu envious for a long time.
If he could obtain some more Runes.
Then his strength would be further enhanced, giving him higher confidence in hunting Golden Exotic Beasts.
As the saying goes.
One can never have too much skill.
Being prepared is always better than being chased by an Exotic Beast with nowhere to run.
The Barbarians are different from ordinary people.
Their habit of living outdoors makes them get used to sleeping at dawn and hunting at dusk.
After settling Jiang Han and the other two, Baiyu's first destination was the Barbarian camp.
Upon arriving at the camp, most Barbarians were still asleep.
Only a few sentries were present.
Baiyu easily bypassed these sentries.
And the few Barbarian Warriors guarding the stone pillars, although more challenging to deal with, were still subdued by Baiyu.
Three stone pillars.
Each contains a Rune.
From a close distance, Baiyu sensed that among them, only one had a clearly understandable meaning and usage.
Moreover.
The construction of this Rune was much more complex than the previous two he encountered.
"Food? Or does this Rune have culinary functions?"
Although Baiyu could comprehend the meaning of the Rune, he was unclear about its specific implication.
Such is the nature of Rune Technology.
Moreover.
This is technology from stone shell and shell species, which humans find more challenging to use.
Because many of their terms simply don't exist in the Human World.
Conversely.
Many things in human society are non-existent in their society as well.
This is a common problem between different societies and biological groups.
Baiyu did not linger.
After obtaining this Rune, he quickly left.
He had ensured earlier that there were no Exotic Beasts with Golden Blood around the Barbarian camp.
Even if there were.
They were probably like those humanoid creatures, keeping the Exotic Beasts confined in stone buildings, making them difficult to detect.
Next.
Baiyu mapped out his next destination on the simple map.
It was a marked danger zone located in the southern part of the forest.
According to the description on the journal map, it was a canyon.
After several twists and turns.
Baiyu finally reached the canyon's edge.
The map's description was detailed.
Evidently, the sights in this canyon left a significant impression on that Commanding General of the Great Yan Dynasty.
He described it in his journal as:
This is a strange, unsettling canyon, filled with twisted Resentful Power, making it hard to enter.
I only explored a round and felt my Spirit and will were eroded by the Resentful Power.
I never want to come back to this place.
Even if its flowers will never fade, and the temperature is moderate, this is just a devil's deceptive guise."
Resentful Power.
This is the unique term used by the Great Yan Dynasty, essentially referring to pollution and corruption.
Every region has a different name for it.
But in essence, it refers to the same thing.
Baiyu heightened his vigilance and stepped into the canyon.
As described in the journal.
The scenery inside the canyon is particularly beautiful, with picturesque views and flowers blooming in various colors, seemingly never wilting.
In the heart of the canyon.
A robust ancient tree stood lush and green, with many squirrels living on it, scurrying about happily.
However.
Once Baiyu entered the canyon, whispers began echoing in his ears intermittently.
This sound was extremely faint.
Delicate.
Making it unclear what it was saying.
But each time it sounded, goosebumps rose all over Baiyu's body, with a sense of muscles loosening, as if he'd mutate in the next second.
Very mysterious.
But Baiyu, with his current mental resilience, wasn't easily frightened.
The entire canyon wasn't very large, presenting a serpentine curve.
With cliffs on both sides, the gap in the middle formed this canyon.
Instead of calling it a canyon.
It was more like a dried-up riverbed.
At the canyon's end was that lush ancient tree, and everywhere else was covered in blossoms.
Baiyu felt.
The whispers in his ears were certainly connected to this ancient tree.
However.
Once he approached the tree, he found nothing unusual.
Whoosh.
A blaze rose.
Baiyu threw out the flame, striking the lush green tree.
The squirrels on the tree immediately shrieked, baring teeth and making hostile gestures toward Baiyu.
Baiyu ignored them.
He kept his eyes fixed on the area covered by the flame.
One second, two seconds, the once fiercely burning flame quickly extinguished, leaving not a single spark.
The trunk was as before, with no traces of scorching.
With this.
Baiyu was sure there was something wrong with this tree.
He swiftly tried other methods, but they all ended with similar results, unable to harm the tree.
After much effort.
Baiyu stopped, sat beside it, and stared at the ancient tree.
The murmurs in his mind grew more frequent, making it hard to calm down.
But.
Baiyu didn't mind this.
An idea struck him, and he turned his gaze to the ground beneath the ancient tree.
If he couldn't chop the tree down.
Then he'll dig up its roots.
With the power of the Earth Rune, loosening the soil and digging pits wasn't difficult for Baiyu.
Soon, a large hole appeared beneath the tree.
Baiyu continued digging down.
After excavating a pit several tens of meters deep, he finally discovered something different.
It was a skeleton.
It appeared to have died long ago.
The entire skeleton was covered with soil, entwined by the tree's roots.
Unearthing a skeleton was now too minor to stir any waves in Baiyu's heart, so he kept digging.
Then.
More and more skeletons were unearthed...
The flesh of these skeletons had long disappeared, leaving only the bare bones.
The tree's branches were coiled around them, as if drawing out the last nutrients from the bones.
Baiyu felt something wasn't right.
