They arrived at the beach. He Yiming gazed at the utterly lifeless Black Vulture King and sighed softly, "A generation's Sacred Beast, gone just like that..."

Beside him, Chu Haozhou, clad only in ragged furs, snarled hatefully, "I hope every single Sacred Beast dies."

He Yiming turned his head quizzically. The skin showing on Chu Haozhou was bruised and mottled purple, looking utterly wretched.

The old man had been relentlessly chased by the White Horse for half the day. Those hoofs, the size of bowls, had brutally struck the elder several times before the beast finally stopped its pursuit with a look of smug satisfaction.

Though the old man’s cultivation was profound, the White Horse’s strength was no longer what it once was. Those few kicks from its hooves landed heavily, leaving clear marks upon him.

Yet, the White Horse had clearly held back. Despite the continuous lightning crackling above its head, not a single bolt struck the old man; they all exploded near his feet, merely startling him.

Of course, given the elder's power, he shouldn't have been so easily subdued, but it was obvious he was restraining himself. He hadn't fought back, perhaps harboring a lingering guilt for having injured the White Horse in the first place.

He Yiming and the others had sat by watching the chase for a long time. Only when the pursuit finally ceased did they call Chu Haozhou over to the shore to examine the Black Vulture King, now completely dead.

Reaching out to touch the seemingly scorched feathers, He Yiming’s eyes brightened slightly. "Brother Chu, the Black Vulture King’s hide offers excellent protection. It hasn't been completely ruined."

Chu Haozhou paused slightly, then crouched down for a closer look, a strange expression crossing his face.

He Yiming grew curious. "Brother Chu, did you discover something?"

Chu Haozhou stroked his beard and shook his head. "Brother He, don't you find it strange? This was a genuine Sacred Beast, yet why did it perform so poorly in the fight against me and the White Horse? It showed none of the might expected of a Sacred Beast expert."

He Yiming gave him a surprised glance. Recalling the Black Vulture King’s performance, the same feeling slowly began to surface in his own mind.

Apart from its aura—which was immensely powerful, far surpassing that of ordinary Innate Spirit Beasts—its actual combat strength did not match its formidable presence.

A thought flickered, and He Yiming’s gaze swept over the dead Vulture King. After a while, his eyes lit up, settling on the creature’s belly, which was significantly larger than those of its companions.

He looked up and met Chu Haozhou's gaze. Having both noticed the same focal point, they exchanged a knowing smile.

"Let me try," Chu Haozhou stepped forward, holding his palm vertically, and drew it lightly across the Vulture King's abdomen.

However, the expected tearing open of the carcass did not happen. Chu Haozhou’s palm only managed to leave a shallow scratch on the beast’s skin.

They both recoiled in shock. This Spirit Beast was dead, yet its hide remained so tough and resilient. One could only imagine the sheer degree of its power in life.

Looking at the circular gash on the belly, He Yiming and Chu Haozhou understood clearly: had Chu Haozhou not used his Dragon Whip, even ordinary weapons imbued with the True Qi of a Venerable would never have breached its body.

Chu Haozhou made a swift motion at his waist, retrieving the Dragon Whip.

Pouring massive amounts of True Qi into it, in just a moment, the whip straightened out completely. Chu Haozhou then straightforwardly used the tip of the whip as a blade, dragging it across the Black Vulture King’s belly.

This time, the Sacred Beast’s abdomen was easily split open, and Chu Haozhou grew even more satisfied with his Dragon Whip.

The Spirit Beast’s internal organs emitted a bloody and foul odor, but Chu Haozhou paid it no mind. His movements were swift and deft; in a few quick motions, he cleared out the viscera.

However, upon touching a certain hard object among the organs, Chu Haozhou’s movements suddenly halted, becoming meticulously careful.

He Yiming’s eyes shone slightly. Though he couldn't see what it was, judging by Chu Haozhou’s expression, He Yiming was almost certain his guess was correct.

Chu Haozhou slowly drew his hand back. In his palm rested a black, spherical object, though it was marked with a peculiar pattern.

When Chu Haozhou presented the sphere in his hand, He Yiming immediately sensed a subtle wave of Heaven and Earth energy fluctuating around it. Clearly, this sphere had not lost its vitality with the death of the Black Vulture King.

Chu Haozhou peered at it a few times, then suddenly sighed in disappointment. "Pity. White Horse went through all that trouble for nothing."

He Yiming was greatly perplexed. "Why do you say that, Brother Chu?"

Chu Haozhou handed the sphere to He Yiming. "This Black Vulture King was pregnant, which severely diminished its strength—it couldn't even muster thirty percent of its full power. Otherwise, it wouldn't have died so easily." He sighed again. "But it's a shame. This Spirit Beast egg spent too little time in the mother's body; it wasn't ready to leave the womb. Now that the host body is dead and we’ve removed it, forget hatching—even keeping it alive will be incredibly difficult."

He Yiming finally grasped his meaning. He scrutinized the Spirit Beast egg for a moment but could see nothing remarkable.

The initial surge of excitement vanished with Chu Haozhou's words. A Spirit Beast egg destined to die was useless to him.

Baozhu suddenly hopped over. Tilting its head, its gaze locked onto the Spirit Beast egg in He Yiming's hand, and it let out a few sharp grunts.

He Yiming followed its gaze, noticing it staring intently at the egg. A playful mood struck him. Smiling slyly, he asked, "Baozhu, do you want it?"

Baozhu nodded repeatedly. He Yiming, without hesitation, tossed the egg over to it.

When his gaze returned to the Black Vulture King, He Yiming was filled with complex emotions.

Knowing it was pregnant and its power greatly reduced, yet still leading its kin to confront the White Horse—he truly couldn't fathom what the Black Vulture King was thinking.

However, he was unaware of a particular instinct of the Black Vulture clan: within their territory, the existence of any other great power was intolerable.

Whether it was the White Horse or Chu Haozhou, they were both thorns in the Black Vulture King’s side, enemies it longed to eliminate. But this man and this horse were simply too formidable; even working together, they couldn't guarantee defeating one, let alone both of them allied.

For decades, the Black Vulture King had tolerated their presence, pushing its limits.

This pregnancy had made its temper even more volatile. Upon hearing news that the White Horse was injured, it finally acted recklessly to hunt them down, only to return severely wounded, having achieved nothing.

Following that, the White Horse successfully advanced to the rank of Sacred Beast and arrived seeking revenge—an outcome far beyond its estimations.

It was precisely these accumulated unforeseen events that led to the complete annihilation of the entire Black Vulture nest, leaving not a single survivor.

Baozhu trotted away, cradling the Black Vulture King egg—which was almost as large as itself—and disappeared. He Yiming paid it no mind, immediately beginning the work of skinning and dissecting.

Though the White Horse’s lightning had scorched the Vulture King black all over, it was still a Sacred Beast, and its hide had not been fundamentally damaged by the initial impact.

If the lightning's power hadn't been so immense, able to penetrate the skin and inflict incredible internal damage, it wouldn't have been struck down.

After a long while, He Yiming and Chu Haozhou, working together, finally managed to strip off the over five-zhang long hide of the Black Vulture King.

They worked with extreme care, knowing perfectly well that this material was an unparalleled treasure.

On ordinary Spirit Beasts, their specialized body parts were the most valuable: the horns of a Dragon-Serpent, the single horn from a Unicorn White Horse, the small ears of a Fox-Bear, and the beast’s inner core—wherever they might be found, they would incite immense covetousness.

Next in value were the hides of Spirit Beasts. For any Sacred Beast, even that of a common mouse, the skin was exceedingly precious and significant.

Reaching the seaside, He Yiming thoroughly washed the hide and spread it out, pressing it down with several large stones, letting the fierce, hot sun slowly bake it dry.

They knew this wasn't the optimal preservation method, but in their current environment, they had no better means to keep it intact.

The Black Vulture King’s carcass was massive, meaning even more meat. He Yiming dug out several large chunks and instructed Bai Lingba to roast them immediately.

Although most of the seasonings remained secured in his Ring Space, He Yiming had long since taken out the pots and bowls to use as his daily cooking utensils.

Soon, Bai Lingba fetched supplies from another island, started a fire, put the pots on, and began preparing the meat.

He Yiming did not dare stand idle. Using the Five Elements Ring, he carefully extracted the Black Vulture King’s inner core, talons, wings, and other parts, cataloging them meticulously. Then, He Yiming activated the Five Elements Ring, allowing his True Qi to circulate around its outer surface.

Slowly, an immaculately clean bone appeared in He Yiming’s hands. He tapped the Black Vulture King’s bone lightly, testing its hardness, a faint hint of joy crossing his face.

Finally, when all the necessary parts had been cleaned, a pile of bones lay before He Yiming.

Glancing toward the hilltop, He Yiming suggested, "Brother Chu, how about we go up and take a look?"

Chu Haozhou naturally had no objection, following He Yiming toward the mountain.

In moments, he was once again in that deep ravine thick with ancient trees.

The environment here remained unchanged. Although the scent of blood was intensely strong, the fierce beasts that dwelled here had lived under the Vultures' oppressive presence for a century and dared not investigate.

He Yiming surveyed the area, his only thought being: he must have struck gold.

Ps: It is the twelfth. Brothers, if you have any expenditure that grants a second Monthly Ticket, please do not hesitate to cast it toward the diligent White Crane. The pursuing force is closing in; only three hundred tickets left. White Crane is striving hard to hit 400,000 for three consecutive months—requesting Monthly Tickets...