Both spirit beasts bore traces of injury. The body of the White Jade Snake, resembling fine mutton-fat jade, was marred by several scratches, revealing thin streaks of crimson blood that stained its pure white form, creating a chilling contrast of white and red.

It currently held its head high in a corner, intermittently flicking its fearsome forked tongue toward Zhang Yang and the large crab. The Great Crab was enormous, yet one of its massive pincers had a significant gash.

It, too, kept one eye on Zhang Yang while the other remained fixed on its previous adversary, the White Jade Snake. With both spirit beasts injured, this was good news for Zhang Yang; at least neither was in peak condition.

Furthermore, another factor favored him: these two creatures had already engaged in a fierce battle and surely wouldn't fight cohesively. He didn't need to worry about facing both enemies simultaneously.

If he only had to contend with one, Zhang Yang was confident he could manage, even without a divine weapon, relying on the support of his three spirit beasts. "Squeak!

Squeak!" "Chirp! Chirp!" Lightning and Shadow cried out simultaneously, both little fellows intensely focused on the Dragon Fruit glowing in the lava.

Shadow, especially, was drooling so heavily his saliva nearly touched the ground. Heavenly treasures held a fatal allure for treasure-seeking rats.

Wind Chaser didn't vocalize, but it kept glancing at the Dragon Fruit; clearly, this celestial treasure held great attraction for it as well. "Hiss!

Hiss!" "Crack! Crack!" The White Jade Snake emitted a low, guttural sound, and the Great Crab scraped its claws hard against the ground.

Both spirit beasts perceived the situation: the one human and three beasts entering were a unified party, and their goal was this very treasure. Naturally, they were unwilling to let others snatch something they considered an absolute must-have.

Anyone showing interest in the treasure was an enemy. Individually, they didn't fear Wind Chaser, Lightning, or Shadow.

The three combined posed a threat, but they could still manage. Their greatest apprehension was Zhang Yang himself.

Zhang Yang was the true Level Four master. The Great Crab felt the most apprehension in its eyes.

Zhang Yang's recent enlightenment had triggered massive energy fluctuations, which it detected while making its way toward the cavern entrance. Now that Zhang Yang was here, it instantly recognized him as the source of that energy surge.

An entity capable of causing such immense fluctuations commanded absolute respect; it held no reservations about underestimating Zhang Yang. "Squeak!

Squeak!" Lightning suddenly squeaked again, this time directing its call toward the Great Crab. Hearing it, the Great Crab showed a distinct flicker of hesitation, while the White Jade Snake grew visibly agitated.

Zhang Yang was watching this, his eyes momentarily distant. This little creature was actually attempting to broker an alliance with the Great Crab—a joint effort against the White Jade Snake, intending to split the Dragon Fruit after killing it.

Having followed Zhang Yang, Lightning had thoroughly learned some bad habits and was now resorting to trickery. "Hiss!" As Lightning continued its chirping, the White Jade Snake, fearful of a combined assault, attacked preemptively.

Its body shot upright, its mouth opening wide. Its sharp, chillingly bright fangs lunged rapidly toward Lightning.

Lightning was a venomous beast, but its specialty was speed. Before the White Jade Snake’s body could reach it, Lightning had already darted behind its foe, opening its mouth to snap at the White Jade Snake’s jaws.

Its teeth carried potent venom; one bite would be unbearable even for a powerful spirit beast like the White Jade Snake. Without an antidote, even a Level Four spirit beast would eventually perish.

"Squeak! Squeak!" After biting, Lightning immediately leaped back, landing directly on Zhang Yang.

It clutched its mouth with its tiny paws, whimpering. The White Jade Snake’s skin was far harder than it had anticipated.

Not only did it fail to bite through, but it also jarred its own teeth, causing it intense pain. "Pfft!" Seeing the White Jade Snake attack Lightning, Shadow’s small belly tensed, and a powerful surge of internal energy blasted from its mouth.

The White Jade Snake clearly hadn't anticipated such explosive force from the tiny Shadow. Being close and caught off guard, it was struck directly by the internal force.

"Boom!" The White Jade Snake’s body flew backward rapidly, slamming heavily against the cavern wall. Shadow’s externally projected internal force possessed the striking power of a Level Four expert; even the White Jade Snake found it hard to withstand.

The fight having begun, Zhang Yang dismissed other thoughts. He secretly instructed Wind Chaser to keep a close watch on the Great Crab on the sidelines.

A surge of internal energy materialized in his hand and shot out rapidly. "Boom!" The White Jade Snake, which was just beginning to lift its head, was struck again by this blast of internal energy, driving it back against the rear wall.

Despite its thick hide, these two internal energy attacks didn't inflict critical damage, but they left it dizzy and disoriented. Before the dazed White Jade Snake could fully regain its bearings, a silhouette suddenly materialized before it.

Zhang Yang moved in swiftly. He lacked a divine weapon, but his fist force was formidable.

This punch, laden with powerful internal energy, landed squarely on the White Jade Snake’s head. "Hiss!" The White Jade Snake staggered backward again, retreating rapidly.

Just before Zhang Yang’s next punch arrived, its body burrowed straight down into the water nearby and vanished quickly. Having been repeatedly struck, the White Jade Snake’s head felt muddled.

It acted purely on instinct; it knew that the priority now was evasion. If they continued striking like this, even the thickest skin would eventually give way.

Its opponents were no weaklings, and there was a Level Four expert among them. Zhang Yang’s fist hit the ground, and when he looked up, he too was momentarily stunned.

This formidable spirit beast, the White Jade Snake, had fled—into the water. This outcome was quite unexpected.

However, now that the White Jade Snake was in the water, Zhang Yang absolutely dared not pursue. The White Jade Snake was native to deep subterranean environments; perhaps it had always inhabited this pool—this was its territory.

If he entered, Zhang Yang would be doomed. Underwater, half his combat power would be unusable, and he wouldn't be able to see anything, while the White Jade Snake would be in its domain.

The outcome would be obvious even to a fool. The White Jade Snake's escape surprised Zhang Yang, but it seemed to have caught the Great Crab off guard as well.

The Great Crab glanced back at where the White Jade Snake had vanished, then immediately exhibited a degree of wariness. The White Jade Snake wasn't unintelligent.

After fleeing, it quickly regained clarity. It hadn't returned; instead, it was hiding secretly underwater.

This maneuver effectively pushed the Great Crab to the forefront. Spirit beasts are exceptionally clever.

The White Jade Snake was no fool. If Lightning could devise schemes, it naturally understood that waiting would benefit it.

As long as the newcomer—the human and his three beasts—pursued the treasure, they would inevitably clash fiercely with the Great Crab. When both sides were severely weakened, it could reap the benefits like the fisherman.

Its plan was indeed excellent, and it was already succeeding. Seeing the White Jade Snake fail to return for a long time, the Great Crab, sensing acute danger, immediately swung its massive claws.

Wind Chaser interpreted the movement as a provocation, and despite the Great Crab being a Level Four spirit beast, Wind Chaser charged forward without hesitation. Wind Chaser’s top speed was restricted here, but its burst speed remained impressive.

It reached the Great Crab in an instant, pivoted sharply, and struck directly with its hind hooves. It knew the Great Crab was significantly stronger than itself, so it unleashed its utmost power from the first move.

"Bang!" A sharp, slightly muffled sound rang out. Wind Chaser whinnied and pitched heavily forward; its hoof had been blocked by the Great Crab’s pincer.

The sound was the collision between Wind Chaser’s hoof and the massive claw. Although the crab was large, its reaction speed was not slow; it managed to parry Wind Chaser's attack.

Its inherent strength far surpassed Wind Chaser’s, so the resulting collision clearly put Wind Chaser at a disadvantage. However, the crab was not unscathed; the force of Wind Chaser's kick was substantial.

Its pincer, already injured from the prior fight, now throbbed with numbness and dull pain. "Chirp!

Chirp!" Seeing Wind Chaser knocked back, Shadow immediately became agitated and began to shriek loudly. The three little beasts usually got along very well, and Shadow was fond of this new companion.

Seeing Wind Chaser bullied, it immediately cried out, its intent clear: attack together, especially Zhang Yang, gang up on the Great Crab. After its cry, Shadow’s little belly tensed again, and another burst of internal energy shot forth.

The Great Crab was already fully alert. As this surge of internal energy appeared, the crab thrust its pincers forward, blocking the force.

Although the Great Crab was pushed back slightly, its pincers remained unharmed. These pincers were truly formidable, indicating that the White Jade Snake, capable of injuring them, was certainly no easy opponent.

With the fight underway, Zhang Yang naturally held nothing back. Since the two beasts wouldn't ally, his concerns were significantly lessened.

Dealing with just one was manageable. He was a Level Four expert, and with the support of his three spirit beasts, failing to handle a spirit beast of equal rank meant he might as well find a wall to bang his head against.

This Great Crab, though powerful, was only at the early stage of Level Four. "Boom!

Boom!" "Bang! Bang!" Amidst continuous loud noises, Zhang Yang and Shadow relentlessly unleashed internal energy.

The crab was huge; even if its pincers deflected some attacks, others still impacted its body, being blocked by its hard shell. The Great Crab’s defensive capabilities were truly remarkable.

Spirit beasts are inherently favored by heaven; they lack divine weapons or the use of tools, but their shells serve as the finest defensive artifacts, and their claws and pincers function as their primary offensive weapons. The tremendous reverberations caused the small area to shake violently.

Deep beneath the water, the White Jade Snake watched the scene above without blinking, waiting, anticipating its optimal moment to strike. "Crack, crack!" After being hammered by the internal energy from Zhang Yang and Shadow, the Great Crab grew somewhat frantic.

It was alone, facing four opponents. Wind Chaser, having suffered a minor setback, ceased its assault, but Lightning remained active.

The black mist constantly spewed from Lightning’s mouth gave the crab an instinctive sense of unease. If there hadn't been an enemy lurking underwater—a powerful one at that—it would have retreated into the water itself.

Lightning was spewing poisonous fog, and while Wind Chaser was constrained by the environment, Lightning's specialty could be better utilized. This toxic mist was intensely potent; even a Level Four spirit beast would be poisoned upon contact.

Lightning continued to spray the mist while crying out, eager to see if the Great Crab's hardened shell could resist its pervasive poison. First update, more to follow.

(To be continued) RQ