The Ink-Snow Thunderhawk beat its wings, its sharp gaze fixed intently upon the dense forest, emitting a high-pitched, questioning cry from its throat once more. Nie Kong secretly surmised that this spirit beast must have detected him when he was outside the woods, but when he employed his Golden Needles, it suddenly lost track of him.

Otherwise, it likely would have pounced by now and torn him to shreds. Indeed, the Ink-Snow Thunderhawk soon retracted its gaze, sweeping the valley floor, its body circling as it descended lower and lower.

Before long, its altitude above the ground was less than thirty meters. "Caw!" The Ink-Snow Thunderhawk suddenly cried out joyously and dove swiftly toward the cliff face on the left, its call laced with clear excitement.

Nie Kong followed its trajectory and saw that the cliff was a ghostly green, seemingly covered in moss, while deep within a crevice about a meter above the ground, several glints of red light shimmered brilliantly. Unfortunately, it was too far from Nie Kong; even straining his sight to the utmost, he could not discern them clearly.

"Looks like wild fruit!" Nie Kong muttered to himself, then his heart gave a sudden lurch. Anything capable of attracting a Fifth Grade spirit beast like the Ink-Snow Thunderhawk had to be something valuable.

Could the medicine the little creature had discovered earlier be that very thing? Nie Kong felt a great sense of regret, but there was nothing he could do; he wasn't rash enough to try snatching food from the jaws of a Fifth Grade spirit beast.

"Caw?" The Ink-Snow Thunderhawk’s dive abruptly halted. It let out a cautious, soft cry, its flower-shaped crown atop its head rippling like water.

Its enormous snow-white wings flapped slowly in the air, whipping gusts of wind down onto the pool below, churning the water into a frenzy. "Crack!" Suddenly, the Ink-Snow Thunderhawk clapped its wings, surging upward violently.

An earth-shattering thunderclap sounded simultaneously as a bolt of purple lightning, as thick as a child's arm, erupted from its open mouth, slamming straight into the pool below. For a moment, the entire world seemed saturated with a savage aura.

"Roar!" From the churning waves, a fierce, passionate roar suddenly erupted. Immediately following, a thick, crimson beam, sharp as a spike, pierced the water's surface and shot toward the high-soaring Ink-Snow Thunderhawk.

Nie Kong focused his eyes and saw that what emerged from the water was a blood-red tail, completely covered in scales. "Crack!" Another bolt of lightning struck the pool.

The Ink-Snow Thunderhawk deftly dodged the formidable attack from the giant tail and plunged down again, its claws hooking down menacingly. "Roar!" A furious bellow filled the air, the sound soaring into the clouds as the pool water violently churned.

Almost the instant the Ink-Snow Thunderhawk clamped onto the giant tail, a crimson ray shot out from the tail's tip, immediately winding tightly around the Thunderhawk's legs. Then, with a swift whip that defied belief, the giant tail smashed the Ink-Snow Thunderhawk against the cliff face on the right.

"Boom!" Stones shattered and dust billowed everywhere, snow-white feathers scattering into the air. As if deeply insulted, the Ink-Snow Thunderhawk let out a sharp screech.

Its left wing bent slightly, flashing like lightning through the space below. A burst of purple light shot out, slicing into the tail like a blade.

In an instant, blood gushed forth, and the very tip of the tail was cleanly severed. "Roar!" A sky-rending shriek of pain caused the pool in the valley to heave up waves ten meters high.

Freed from its bonds, the Ink-Snow Thunderhawk spread its wings and ascended dozens of meters in a single bound. "Splash!" At that moment, a loud sound of water echoed as the surface of the pool suddenly bulged upward, sending water cascading outwards.

A massive body revealed just under half of itself. Then, a round head emerged from the pool, its skin also covered in scales that flickered with red light.

At this sight, Nie Kong froze momentarily. After the spirit beast's head appeared, it continued to elongate, stretching out to over ten meters in mere seconds, thrusting high into the air.

Blood-red eyes stared furiously at the Ink-Snow Thunderhawk circling high above the valley. "Caw!" The Ink-Snow Thunderhawk let out a sharp cry.

With a flap of its wings, its snow-white form vanished like a streak of light, diving toward the red dots on the opposite cliff face. The spirit beast in the pool, enraged by the Thunderhawk’s action, suddenly opened its mouth wide, unleashing a torrent of red light that shot out like arrows from a bowstring toward the Ink-Snow Thunderhawk.

"Thud!" Simultaneously, the beast’s massive body leaped high into the air, landing with a heavy crash at the edge of the pool, its full form finally revealed. A slender neck, a spike-like tail, a body several meters tall, and scales the vivid red of fresh blood—most bizarrely, it possessed eight legs!

The legs were like thick, sturdy columns. "Eight-Legged Blood-Armored Beast!" The instant Nie Kong saw the beast’s eight limbs, those words finally flashed through his mind.

He had heard Nie Qingyun mention this type of spirit beast; it was also a Fifth Grade creature. Just as the Black Cloud Crimson Serpent favored using its vital blood to cultivate the Serpent Coil Blood Lotus, the Eight-Legged Blood-Armored Beast was fond of guarding a spirit herb called the 'Hundred-Strand Dragon Blood Vine.' The fruits borne by the 'Hundred-Strand Dragon Blood Vine' had extraordinary effects on the Eight-Legged Blood-Armored Beast, rumored to promote its advancement.

Generally, where 'Hundred-Strand Dragon Blood Vine' grew, there was a ninety percent chance of finding an Eight-Legged Blood-Armored Beast. However, while these fruits were useful to the beast, they were also incredibly beneficial to other Fifth Grade spirit beasts.

Just like now, the Ink-Snow Thunderhawk and the Eight-Legged Blood-Armored Beast were engaged in a fierce contest over them. "Those red dots must be the 'Hundred-Strand Dragon Blood Vine' fruits!" Nie Kong glanced toward the cliff face, feeling a wave of relief.

It was a good thing the Ink-Snow Thunderhawk had appeared in time to allow him to hide. If he had recklessly rushed to pluck the 'Hundred-Strand Dragon Blood Vine,' he would have certainly angered the Eight-Legged Blood-Armored Beast lurking in the pool, which would have been extremely dangerous.

"Hundred-Strand Dragon Blood Vine…" Nie Kong murmured the words to himself. He had initially planned to observe for a while longer before quietly retreating to search for the 'Crescent Moon Azure Hook.' But after determining what the two spirit beasts were fighting over, Nie Kong felt an urgent need to possess this medicine because it was connected to the 'Blood Coagulation Divine Fire Pill.' In the recipe for the 'Blood Coagulation Divine Fire Pill,' the Serpent Coil Blood Lotus and the Crimson Back Sky Net were indispensable, but the fruit of this 'Hundred-Strand Dragon Blood Vine' was an equally crucial component.

While only a small quantity was needed for refining the spiritual medicine, it could maximize the medicinal efficacy of the Serpent Coil Blood Lotus. The 'Hundred-Strand Dragon Blood Vine' was exceedingly rare.

If he failed to acquire it this time, who knew how long he would have to wait before he encountered it again! Furthermore, the little creature was also highly interested in this medicine, suggesting its use might extend beyond being a mere auxiliary ingredient for the 'Blood Coagulation Divine Fire Pill.' "Roar!" A sudden, agitated roar broke out, and the scene in the valley shifted drastically.

Nie Kong then realized that the Ink-Snow Thunderhawk’s initial dive toward the fruit had been a feint to lure the enemy. As the Eight-Legged Blood-Armored Beast pursued, the Thunderhawk performed an uncanny aerial flip above it, evading the crimson beam, and then swooped down, its sharp talons digging into its opponent's spine.

However, the Eight-Legged Blood-Armored Beast’s speed was also lightning-fast. Before the Thunderhawk could fly up, the severed portion of its long tail swept in diagonally.

"Ah!" The tail of the Eight-Legged Blood-Armored Beast struck the Ink-Snow Thunderhawk’s thigh with savage force. Amidst a massive impact sound, the Thunderhawk shot away like a cannonball, but its talons had also torn a large chunk of flesh from its opponent’s spine, causing it to howl in pain.

"Oh!" After tumbling dozens of meters in the air, the Ink-Snow Thunderhawk finally halted its retreat. It flapped its snow-white wings forcefully and returned above the Eight-Legged Blood-Armored Beast once more.

That last strike seemed to have driven it into a frenzy, and it unleashed torrents of purple lightning, carpeting the area below. "Roar!" The Eight-Legged Blood-Armored Beast roared madly.

The elemental spiritual energy around its body fluctuated violently, and a dense layer of red light exploded from its surface, as if its entire body were engulfed in roaring flames, repeatedly neutralizing the Thunderhawk's attacks. Its long neck swayed left and right like a spirit snake, searching for an opening to strike.

"Boom!" "Boom!" "..." Fierce collisions erupted one after another. Gradually, dust clouds dozens of meters high rose in the valley, obscuring the figures of the two spirit beasts.

From a distance, Nie Kong could only see trails of purple and red neon light crisscrossing, the rosy glow shattering, and the sounds of roaring and shrieking vibrating through the void. Compared to a Spirit Master, the Fifth Grade spirit beasts' manipulation of worldly spiritual elemental forces seemed somewhat crude.

Yet, even so, Nie Kong watched, utterly mesmerized and stirred in spirit. The constant lunging and flashing figures of the two beasts in the valley ahead offered him an unparalleled spectacle.

"Roar!" Following a tragic, piercing cry, the hazy red shadow within the dust cloud in the valley suddenly stilled, and the body of the Eight-Legged Blood-Armored Beast slammed to the ground. "Caw!" But just as the Eight-Legged Blood-Armored Beast was falling, a streak of blood-red light shot from its mouth and struck its enemy’s abdomen.

The Ink-Snow Thunderhawk let out a mournful cry and plummeted like a broken kite, crashing onto the cliff face on the right before slowly sliding to the bottom. Nie Kong continued to gently rub his Heavenly Needles, his eyes never blinking as he stared into the valley.

Several minutes later, the rolling dust finally dissipated, and the vague forms of the two spirit beasts became much clearer. The Eight-Legged Blood-Armored Beast lay motionless, the surrounding ground stained deep red with blood.

The Ink-Snow Thunderhawk beneath the cliff also showed no sign of movement, its snow-white feathers marred by shocking patches of gore. "Mutual destruction?" Nie Kong felt a secret delight in his heart.

The two beasts fighting so frantically had resulted in exactly the outcome he had hoped for. If neither beast had eliminated the other, how could Nie Kong possibly seize the 'Hundred-Strand Dragon Blood Vine'?

When the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman profits; Nie Kong intended to be that fisherman. In an instant, Nie Kong’s gaze shifted to the cliff face on the left, where several red lights still flickered.

During the fierce battle between the Ink-Snow Thunderhawk and the Eight-Legged Blood-Armored Beast, both had deliberately avoided colliding with this steep wall, thereby saving the fruits of the 'Hundred-Strand Dragon Blood Vine' from collateral damage. The medicine was safe.

Nie Kong sighed in relief, waited a moment longer, and then lightly slipped down the ridge, employing the 'Flower Shifting Shadow Evasion' technique, drifting toward the valley like a phantom. However, the closer he got to the valley entrance, the more cautious Nie Kong became.

Though the two spirit beasts were still, one could never be too careful!