As he reached the valley entrance, Nie Kong ceased employing the 'Flower Shifting Evasion' technique, electing instead to proceed step by measured step. Soon after, Nie Kong entered the valley, keeping close to the sheer cliff face on his left.

The valley floor was a chaos of intersecting ravines and riddled with pits, presenting a complete mess. The forms of the two spirit beasts became much clearer in Nie Kong’s sight.

That Eight-Legged Blood-Armored Beast was truly wretched; its body was covered in wounds so deep they exposed bone, with blood oozing sluggishly from the lacerations. Its two blood-red eyes were still wide open, but its head had been split clean down the middle, vaguely revealing the brain matter within. It was clearly dead.

As for the Ink-Snow Thunder Eagle...

With a faint cry, the Ink-Snow Thunder Eagle actually staggered to its feet.

"It really didn't die!"

Nie Kong felt a brief jolt of surprise.

Fortunately, he had anticipated every conceivable possibility before making his move. Seeing that the Ink-Snow Thunder Eagle had not succumbed, his mind quickly settled. The motion of his right hand, manipulating the Heavenly Needles, was barely affected, and his steps continued inward toward the valley's heart.

A moment later, the Ink-Snow Thunder Eagle's gaze fell upon Nie Kong. Its icy eyes held a sliver of perplexity so deeply human, as if it couldn't comprehend why the figure opposite was clearly moving, yet exuded the quality of a dead thing, devoid of any vital breath.

As long as it doesn't charge immediately, that's all I need! Nie Kong thought to himself, subtly shifting his weight while keeping his eyes locked on the Ink-Snow Thunder Eagle without blinking.

After about half a minute, under the unblinking stare of the Ink-Snow Thunder Eagle, Nie Kong finally arrived at his destination.

In a fissure of the cliff face, Nie Kong’s peripheral vision caught sight of that 'Hundred Silk Dragon Blood Vine'. Among the cluster of thread-thin vines hung nine blood-red fruits, each only the size of a ping-pong ball from his past life. Their thin skins looked on the verge of splitting, gleaming brilliantly as if they were rubies.

Nie Kong held his breath, then suddenly launched himself upward. His left hand plunged into the fissure, yanking the entire 'Hundred Silk Dragon Blood Vine' from its roots, while his right hand, in a lightning flash, swept over the nine vital hidden acupoints. By the time Nie Kong's feet touched the ground, all nine golden needles were tucked securely in his robes.

Without the slightest hesitation, Nie Kong trod upon the 'Flower Shifting Evasion' and streaked out of the valley like a meteor. During the ascent and leap, he utilized spiritual power to accelerate; even the 'Nine Revolutions Golden Needle Art' could not conceal this surge of spiritual energy, making further deception of the Ink-Snow Thunder Eagle impossible.

Although the Ink-Snow Thunder Eagle appeared heavily wounded, Nie Kong might have stood a chance in a fight. But now that the medicine was secured, retreat without further engagement was clearly preferable to risking a desperate, costly battle. If escape proved impossible, then that would be another matter entirely.

The Ink-Snow Thunder Eagle blinked in confusion. Only after Nie Kong had bolted nearly twenty meters away did it snap back to awareness. The doubt in its eyes was instantly replaced by fury. With a piercing shriek, it beat its wings violently, soaring into the air, and lunged at Nie Kong in a frenzy of rage, spraying a string of blood droplets onto the ground from its abdomen.

Sensing the activity behind him, Nie Kong remained perfectly calm.

The little creature, realizing the medicine was now secured, vibrated with joy. Its stems, leaves, and roots writhed intensely, cooperating with Nie Kong to execute the 'Flower Shifting Evasion' to its absolute limit. Green petals constantly burst forth from beneath Nie Kong’s feet, making his path of flight increasingly erratic and elusive.

A flash of purple light streaked past, and a bolt of lightning struck close beside Nie Kong.

Dust erupted, and a deep crater bloomed like a flower. The whooshing sound of the Ink-Snow Thunder Eagle’s wings beating the air followed immediately behind, clearly audible.

This Ink-Snow Thunder Eagle is formidable, Nie Kong mused. To launch such violent attacks even after sustaining such grievous injuries!

Nie Kong mentally affirmed that avoiding entanglement was the correct choice. This wasn't cowardice; the Eagle, desperate to reclaim the 'Hundred Silk Dragon Blood Vine', would surely attack with all its might. Even if Nie Kong managed to dispatch the wounded spirit beast, he would likely be half-dead from exhaustion. Nie Kong had entered the Illusory Realm to seek herbs; a head-on clash with the Ink-Snow Thunder Eagle was simply unwise.

Failing the first strike, the Ink-Snow Thunder Eagle roared its anger, and its lightning bombardments became more frequent. Regrettably for the beast, Nie Kong dodged every one. Aside from accumulating a substantial layer of dust, Nie Kong sustained no injuries. The Ink-Snow Thunder Eagle grew even more frantic, its enraged cries rising in continuous succession.

After a fierce chase, they finally reached the edge of the dense forest. Nie Kong rejoiced, slipping into the gloom like a wisp of smoke, moving with blinding speed.

The Ink-Snow Thunder Eagle shrieked its defiance, refusing to yield.

In this terrain, Nie Kong moved like a dragon in the sea or a tiger leaping through the mountains. His form, rather than being hindered by the trees, became even more flickering and elusive.

Behind him...

The pursuit raged on: the beast's furious cries, the explosive cracks of lightning, the crunching sounds of snapping timber—all interwoven in an unbroken tapestry of sound!

Seven or eight li of distance vanished in a blink.

The noises from behind began to fade; the Ink-Snow Thunder Eagle was clearly beginning to falter, falling farther behind Nie Kong, yet it persisted relentlessly.

Seeing the edge of the woods finally approaching, Nie Kong abruptly stopped.

He turned back. Seeing that the Ink-Snow Thunder Eagle was still at least two hundred meters away, he finally relaxed. He raised the 'Hundred Silk Dragon Blood Vine' in his hand, observing it briefly. Finding that the fruits had not been dislodged by his reckless flight, he focused his mind and placed the entire specimen into his pet satchel.

"That creature is certainly tenacious!"

Gazing at the relentlessly pursuing Ink-Snow Thunder Eagle, a cold smirk touched the corner of Nie Kong’s lips. In that valley, fighting this fifth-grade spirit beast head-on, even a victory would have been a Pyrrhic one. But things were different now. The Eagle had chased him for this great distance, unable even to summon its lightning-gathering attack; it was clearly spent, utterly exhausted. To fight it now, Nie Kong would surely achieve an easy victory.

After nearly half a minute, the Ink-Snow Thunder Eagle finally reached the space above Nie Kong, its body swaying precariously, seeming ready to plummet at any second. Yet, it still stared fixedly at Nie Kong, wishing it could tear the herb-thief to shreds. However, at this moment, it did not rashly attack.

Seeing this, Nie Kong felt a slight prickle of suspicion.

This spirit beast was clearly intelligent—as evidenced by its fierce battle with the Eight-Legged Blood-Armored Beast, where it employed tactical maneuvering to decisively defeat a beast of equal strength. The fact that it wasn't recklessly attacking now indicated it could accurately gauge the disparity in their power.

Given the Ink-Snow Thunder Eagle's intelligence, it should have abandoned the 'Hundred Silk Dragon Blood Vine' long ago. Why was it still pursuing him so stubbornly? Did it not fear losing its life? Or was there another reason hidden within this pursuit? The thought flashed through his mind but was immediately dismissed by Nie Kong.

No matter how desperately the Ink-Snow Thunder Eagle needed the 'Hundred Silk Dragon Blood Vine', Nie Kong certainly wasn't going to return the medicine he had won! Nie Kong snorted internally, a flicker of killing intent crossing his eyes. He reached into his robes and grasped the shortest and stoutest of the nine golden needles, the 'Wild Needle'. However, before Nie Kong could fully draw it out, the Ink-Snow Thunder Eagle hovering overhead suddenly let out a cry of panic, spun around, and began to wobble back the way it came.

"What's going on?"

Noticing the spirit beast’s strange behavior, Nie Kong’s heart skipped a beat. The Eagle turning back was definitely not because it sensed his murderous intent!

If it wasn't because of him, then it must be heading toward...

Nie Kong quickly spun around. Only then did he realize the landscape before him had subtly changed. The previously flat grassland had risen into two low peaks, and between these peaks lay a deep, dark ravine that cut straight into the distance. Most bizarrely, this ravine was utterly bare, devoid of even a single blade of grass.

Nie Kong’s heart leaped. Two words escaped his throat, and the image he’d seen before entering the passage flashed before his eyes: the end of the little finger on the palm print seemed to feature two protruding low peaks. Could it be that he and the Ink-Snow Thunder Eagle had been chasing each other all the way to the area near the little finger of the divine palm print?

The notion seemed absurd, yet it wasn't impossible! According to Tai Hong, after the Illusory Realm shattered, some areas had connected with the outside world, a fact confirmed by the appearance of the Ink-Snow Thunder Eagle and the Eight-Legged Blood-Armored Beast—otherwise, a fifth-grade spirit beast could never exist within the Realm.

However, perhaps Tai Hong himself didn't know that one connection point to the outside world was specifically the finger of a palm print, or he wouldn't have accompanied Nie Kong here.

If this shattered Illusory Realm could connect to the finger of the palm print, perhaps it connected to the other four fingers as well. Where there were finger positions, there might also be that black poisonous mist.

When he was outside, the black mist only arrived at the massive pit around high noon. But if the five fingers of the palm print were the source of the mist, whether it still appeared precisely at noon was uncertain. If he encountered it, Tai Hong, relying only on the few antidote herbs he carried...

The chances of survival were slim!

Nie Kong’s thoughts raced. He suddenly recalled the Ink-Snow Thunder Eagle turning tail and fleeing. A thought jumped into his mind: perhaps it fled because it sensed something? In certain aspects, the instincts of spirit beasts were superior to humans, especially intelligent fifth-grade beasts like the Ink-Snow Thunder Eagle.

Nie Kong made a decisive move, mirroring the Ink-Snow Thunder Eagle’s choice. But before Nie Kong could even shift his feet, a vast cloud of black mist billowed from the bare 'finger' ahead, surging toward Nie Kong like a primordial beast breaking free of its cage, or waves crashing over a breached dam!

The speed at which the black mist approached was unbelievably fast...

In the blink of an eye, the nearly hundred-meter distance halved! Nie Kong frowned slightly. No matter how miraculous the 'Flower Shifting Evasion' was, it couldn't outpace the black mist.

"Xiang Xiang, be ready!"

Nie Kong shouted inwardly. The 'Spring and Autumn Life Creation Art' suddenly surged, and the massive spirit-divine aperture in his Dantian vibrated with an unprecedented frequency. The mutated wood spiritual power inside him churned like a tide, and in an instant, Nie Kong was enveloped in a thick, emerald-green radiance.

"Aiya ya ya!"

The little creature chirped excitedly, showing no sign of fear. In its view, this black mist was poison, and if it was poison, it could be absorbed for the enjoyment of the 'Fire Tree Silver Flower'. When the 'Fire Tree Silver Flower' was satisfied, it would secrete copious amounts of red liquid beads, and then the little creature would get its own satisfaction!

Thus, upon receiving Nie Kong’s mental command, the creature twisted its body, sending filaments of its innate medicinal power coalescing into green energy that spread to every part of Nie Kong.

A moment later, the black mist rolled in and enveloped Nie Kong...