With a slight narrowing of his eyes, He Yiming said in a deep voice, "Brother Chu, you once mentioned there were two Venerables among them."

Chu Haozhou waved the Dragon Whip in his hand and said, "Rest assured, Brother He, with this object to assist me, this old man is absolutely certain to succeed." His words were imbued with an unyielding and resolute tone.

He Yiming instantly understood; the old man had made up his mind, and furthermore, he intended to go alone.

To fulfill this long-cherished wish, Chu Haozhou was likely prepared to leave his life behind there.

He sighed softly, shook his head, wanting to help, but upon seeing the look on Chu Haozhou's face—a barrier keeping everyone at a thousand miles’ distance—he wisely dismissed the thought.

Chu Haozhou suddenly slapped his forehead. "Brother He, since you have gifted me this high-grade divine weapon, I, as your elder brother, have no way to repay you other than to ask you to take this Profound Iron."

He Yiming hesitated for a moment. "Brother Chu, I obtained this divine weapon from a corpse in the Ghost Cry Ridge. Since it is a high-grade divine weapon, it surely has a significant background. What if it causes trouble in the future?"

Chu Haozhou shook his head, confident in his demeanor. "Brother He, rest assured. In the Martial Path, the strong have always commanded respect. Since you obtained this item in the Ghost Cry Ridge, then this thing belongs to you. After transferring it to me, I will naturally take on all the ensuing karma." He paused, then added, "However, from my observation, this item appears to have been forged in the West, so even if someone tries to cause me trouble, it probably won't be easy."

Only then did He Yiming feel somewhat reassured. He dared not take out the Feng Shui Treasure Fan on his person, but this Dragon Whip was different.

Since he could both help Chu Haozhou and acquire so much Profound Iron for himself, he certainly wouldn't miss out on such a mutually beneficial arrangement.

He reached out with a beckoning gesture. The two segments of Profound Iron shifted slightly but did not fly into He Yiming’s hand as intended.

Startled slightly, He Yiming beckoned again, this time pouring far more True Qi into the effort than before.

Instantly, the two segments of heavily weighted Profound Iron lifted, obediently soaring into his hands.

He Yiming tested their weight, marveling aloud, "Tsk, tsk. Such heavy essence iron—surely only a treasure like Profound Iron could be this dense."

After obtaining the Profound Iron, He Yiming’s mind immediately began turning over possibilities.

He certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to hand the Profound Iron over to the Heavenly Pool lineage. This material truly belonged to the Hengshan lineage and the He Family Estate.

With this Profound Iron, combined with the Dragon-Serpent Horns in his spatial ring, any divine weapon he forged, regardless of which path he followed, would have its quality elevated to the next level.

It could be said that as long as a powerhouse with the innate talent to become a Venerable emerged within the Hengshan lineage or the He Family Estate, the issue of divine weapons would no longer be a concern.

Moreover, the Profound Iron and the Dragon-Serpent Horns could also be used to forge defensive gear. Although other rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures were also things that could only be encountered by chance, He Yiming believed that if he offered up a portion of these two treasures in exchange, it would certainly bring him good news.

Just as He Yiming held the Profound Iron, preparing to leave, a long cry abruptly pierced his ears.

This long cry was saturated with both rage and profound sorrow.

Following it, several harsh, "Gua-gua..." cries sounded in rapid succession.

Chu Haozhou’s expression instantly changed drastically. He roared, "Damn Black Vulture!"

His figure flashed, and he was already gone from the cave dwelling...

A flash of keen light also flickered in He Yiming's eyes. He too felt a sense of worry, but his concern differed from Chu Haozhou’s.

He worried about Baozhu (Precious Pig). If his estimation was correct, the little fellow should be taking roasted fish to see Baima (White Horse).

If a sudden raid by the Black Vultures occurred now, its situation might not be good.

Although it had shown formidable power in the Ghost Cry Ridge, driving away the Dragon-Serpent with a roar that seemed anything but porcine, in He Yiming’s heart, Baozhu’s image remained unchanged—it was still that lovable little pig.

Tossing aside the two segments of Profound Iron in his hand, He Yiming’s form moved like lightning, following closely behind Chu Haozhou as he bolted from the cave dwelling, maintaining the same rapid pace toward the direction where the long cry originated.

Though the Profound Iron was precious, in He Yiming’s heart, it was far less important than Baozhu.

The rush of wind suddenly roared past his ears, and the scenery before him blurred, the world momentarily becoming shades of black and white again.

Since advancing to the Venerable realm, although his absolute maximum speed hadn't increased, He Yiming had become far more adept at utilizing this technique, capable of sustaining it continuously.

His figure vanished instantly from the spot, reappearing dozens of feet away in a single flash.

However, Chu Haozhou, who had departed first, exhibited a movement technique in lightness skill that was in no way inferior to He Yiming’s. He strode forward as if flying, a sound like surging waves emanating from his body, while he himself streaked across the air like a ribbon of white, rushing forward like a rolling torrent.

Though they were heading toward different objectives, both men had brought forth their utmost speed without prior consultation.

In the distance in the sky, several enormous black shadows were soaring; these were the Black Vultures from another island.

He Yiming had learned during this period that the Black Vultures and Baima, along with the elder Chu Haozhou, maintained a strict boundary across the sea dividing the islands, never interfering with one another.

These winged spirit beasts were highly perceptive, understanding that both the old man and Baima were difficult opponents, so they had never crossed the line. But this time, perhaps seeing Baima's pitiful condition, they had flown over to attack, intending to eliminate this perpetual threat.

After all, the principle of not tolerating an intruder sleeping beside one's own bed was not just understood by humans; spirit beasts grasped it even more firmly.

Far off, before He Yiming and Chu Haozhou could even reach the battlefield, they clearly saw the situation unfolding.

In the sky, a full ten Black Vultures spread their wings, flying like a flock of winged wolves, attacking the heavily wounded Baima in coordinated waves.

From their mouths, streams of cyan wind blades were continuously spat out. These wind blades were immensely powerful; the ones discharged by two particularly robust Black Vultures were in no way inferior to the full-strength strike of an Expert of the First Line Heaven.

Under normal circumstances, these wind blades would pose little threat to Baima, but at this moment, Baima was severely injured, limping slightly as it moved. Its speed and agility could not be fully utilized, forcing it to rely solely on its naturally thick hide to resist the attacks.

Yet, Baima’s innate talent was undeniably peerless, far superior to these Black Vultures. If it were only these Vultures, no matter how fierce their attacks, they could not take Baima’s life.

However, among the Vulture flock, there was one considerably larger entity.

This Black Vulture was over five zhang long, almost rivaling the small boat He Yiming had sailed on.

Such a colossal bird circling in the air gave an impression of partially obscuring the sky.

It was clearly the king of all the Black Vultures, and the others acted under its command, just like an organized army.

Furthermore, judging by the fluctuations of heaven-and-earth qi swirling around this Black Vulture, it was certainly not a mere Innate Body.

He Yiming was secretly astounded. If he wasn't mistaken, a spirit beast capable of causing such violent qi fluctuations must have attained the legendary Sacred Beast Body.

This was his first encounter with a Sacred Beast, and while surprised, he was also quite eager.

He wondered if the Sacred Beast was as formidable as the legends claimed. Engaging this creature even once would undoubtedly bring great benefits to his future pursuit of the Totemic Path.

The Sacred Beast Black Vulture behaved differently. It suddenly dove down; unlike the other Vultures which tried to avoid physical contact with Baima, this one used its massive claws and wings simultaneously to claw at Baima.

Baima crouched low to the ground, then suddenly opened its massive mouth, revealing teeth that were incredibly sharp, like razor blades.

He Yiming gasped sharply. How had he never noticed this before? If he had seen these sharp fangs earlier, even an idiot would know this creature couldn't be a docile herbivore.

The Black Vulture’s gigantic body executed an agile turn, narrowly evading Baima’s sharp teeth. Its massive claws suddenly elongated considerably, much like a master employing the Eight Trigram’s Stretching Arm technique, slamming down viciously onto Baima’s back.

Though Baima had thick hide, the opponent’s power was extraordinary. Five bloody, long gashes immediately appeared on its back.

It shuddered violently but suddenly sprang up from the ground.

This sudden change was completely unexpected. Baima, which had been half-crouched as if unable to move, suddenly leaped up, catching its opponents completely off guard.

The Sacred Beast Black Vulture seemed to sense the danger and began beating its wings to take flight. But in that very moment, Baima, leveraging its immense jumping power, reached mid-air and lashed out with both hind hooves like a blur, kicking the Black Vulture King fiercely.

The Black Vulture King let out a sharp cry and was immediately sent flying backward. However, at that instant, it spat out a massive wind blade from its mouth, which struck Baima squarely on its back.

Both spirit beasts crashed down, leaving large streaks in the sand of the beach.

The Black Vulture King flapped its wings a couple of times and was instantly airborne again, but Baima was in a far more tragic state; its back was a bloody mess. Facing the Sacred Beast’s full-force assault, no matter how thick its hide, the flesh had finally been ripped open.

Seeing the blood, the Black Vultures in the air grew even more frenzied. They swooped down, spitting their breaths with increasing frequency, aiming directly for Baima’s wounds.

If Baima were truly trapped here by these Black Vultures, no matter how powerful it was, there would only be one outcome.

Although these complex maneuvers transpired rapidly, they occurred within the span of just a few breaths.

Chu Haozhou’s eyes suddenly turned crimson. Upon seeing the bloody state of Baima’s spine, the killing intent within him erupted like magma. He stamped his feet down hard toward the ground, leaping straight up toward the high sky.