Its entire aura was concealed, and combined with the darkness of the underwater environment, as long as it did not reveal itself, no one could possibly find it here.

There was one thing Zhang Yang and the others had completely misjudged: the White Jade Serpent lived in the Underworld, but not this specific region. Its true home was slightly higher up, on another stratum of the Underworld. This place was too deep, and the presence of magma made it highly displeasing.

The layer where it resided also contained water from the Underworld, along with much larger caverns; even a serpent does not spend its entire existence submerged.

The White Jade Serpent was not perpetually aquatic, but that did not diminish its power in the water. Being submerged was indeed its greatest advantage, and it was capitalizing on that right now.

However, at this moment, the White Jade Serpent felt a degree of hesitation.

Its target was the Fire Dragon Fruit. Hundreds of years ago, when it reached maturity, it had discovered the fruit, but back then, the fruit was not ripe. It had consequently remained in the upper layers, descending occasionally for a look.

To call this Fire Dragon Fruit its exclusive property would not be an overstatement; it had long regarded it as belonging to itself.

Its ultimate goal now was the Fire Dragon Fruit. It desperately wished to claim it, yet it knew it was no match for the three beasts and one human above. It could only endure patiently, tolerating the allure the Fire Dragon Fruit brought it.

In the cavern, Lightning and Swiftwind retreated slightly behind the water line. Since the treasure had been secured, there was no need for them to keep watch near the edge. The creature in the water was a fourth-level spirit beast, far stronger than them.

Retreating a bit further offered increased safety.

Shadowless suddenly leaped up, darting to Zhang Yang’s side, crying out incessantly.

It was demanding to know Zhang Yang’s plan for leaving this place. The treasure was acquired, yet they were trapped in this small space. This greatly displeased Shadowless; the Underworld environment was unpleasant, and no one, least of all Shadowless, wished to linger below.

“Don’t rush. There will always be a way!”

Zhang Yang shook his head. Lightning also jumped over, emitting sharp ‘squeaks.’

Lightning was worried too, conveying that if only they could lure the White Jade Serpent to the surface, they would have the confidence to deal with it within the dry cavern, unlike in the water where they couldn't deploy their full strength.

“Luring it up—how easy is that!”

A hint of helplessness touched Zhang Yang’s lips again. His gaze drifted unnaturally to the Fire Dragon Fruit in his hand. Looking at it, a sudden realization struck him.

The White Jade Serpent’s greatest objective wasn't them; it was the Fire Dragon Fruit.

It refused to watch them carry the fruit out, but because it couldn't defeat them, it chose to wait submerged beneath the water.

The Fire Dragon Fruit was no ordinary spirit fruit. Even if the White Jade Serpent acquired it, it couldn't consume it immediately. The serpent was a cold-attribute spirit beast, while the Fire Dragon Fruit pulsed with domineering fire energy. Ingesting it rashly would only lead to its body exploding.

It required other ingredients for proper tempering to maximize the fruit’s medicinal effects.

It was the same for Zhang Yang; even Lightning and Swiftwind couldn't eat it directly. The energy contained within a six-thousand-year spirit fruit was immense, saturated with volatile fire. Consuming it unprepared was difficult to digest, and doing so when enemies were near was unthinkable.

This might be one reason the White Jade Serpent hadn't emerged, waiting for them to leave instead.

Since they couldn't consume it here, they would surely take it outside. When they moved, it could launch a sneak attack and seize the spirit fruit. That was likely the serpent’s plan.

“Such a massive fruit—wasting a little won’t matter. The most important thing is to eliminate the White Jade Serpent!”

Zhang Yang slowly nodded to himself. He had devised a method to lure the White Jade Serpent out.

Gritting his teeth, Zhang Yang picked up the broken pincer from the Great Crab he had previously severed, and then dug out several jade bottles from his person, temporarily mixing the spiritual medicines inside.

“Shadowless, come!”

Zhang Yang called out, placing the jade bottles somewhere that would be invisible in the water, then beckoned Shadowless over.

Little Shadowless hopped over, blinking at Zhang Yang with a puzzled expression.

“Hss!”

He lightly sliced into the Fire Dragon Fruit, releasing an even purer, rich fragrance that almost intoxicated Zhang Yang himself.

Carefully cutting off a small piece, Zhang Yang waved to Shadowless again. Their telepathic connection allowed Shadowless to immediately grasp Zhang Yang’s intent.

“Chirp chirp chirp!”

Shadowless happily darted forward to take the small sliver of spirit fruit, then leaped onto Zhang Yang’s shoulder before stuffing it into its mouth, chewing with loud smacks.

The Fire Dragon Fruit’s medicinal power was too potent; ordinary people or spirit beasts couldn't assimilate it directly. But that definitely didn't include the Treasure-Seeking Rat. No matter how powerful the energy, Treasure-Seeking Rats feared nothing; once inside their stomachs, all energy submitted obediently.

Did the White Jade Serpent want the spirit fruit? Then he would intentionally let Shadowless eat it right in front of it. If the serpent couldn’t restrain itself, it would come out to fight for it. Once it was out, everything would be manageable.

Having finished the piece with delight, Shadowless looked back at Zhang Yang, its small paws held out expectantly.

Zhang Yang cut another small chunk. Letting Shadowless consume it entirely felt wasteful, but there was no other viable option right now. Besides, Shadowless eating it also meant storing that energy, which could help him later.

The water surface began to ripple slowly. Zhang Yang and the others could already sense a powerful energy fluctuation rising from the depths.

This meant they knew the White Jade Serpent’s location, but knowing was useless; the serpent was underwater, and they couldn't dive in to seize it directly. They could only continue to entice it upwards.

After eating two pieces, Zhang Yang cut another small sliver, carefully placing some of the flesh into a jade bottle for storage as he cut.

If all else failed, he would let Shadowless eat more. Other spiritual medicines could be omitted, but the Marrow Cleansing Pill had to be formulated; he just needed to reserve enough fruit for that.

With the Marrow Cleansing Pill, he could bring Mi Xue into the cultivation world and simultaneously enhance her own strength.

After Shadowless consumed three pieces of the spirit fruit flesh, a powerful column of water suddenly erupted from the surface, surging directly toward Shadowless.

The White Jade Serpent, deep beneath the water, finally couldn't hold back. Zhang Yang had grasped its weakness; it could not stand by and watch Shadowless devour the Fire Dragon Fruit piece by piece.

Never mind the entire fruit—even the loss of a single small piece pained it. At this moment, it thoroughly hated Zhang Yang and Shadowless.

Behind the water jet, a white silhouette emerged. The White Jade Serpent, its massive tongue unfurled and fangs bared, shot out from the depths.

“It’s out!”

Zhang Yang felt a slight easing in his chest. He swiftly tucked away the spirit fruit, gripping the intact pincer of the Great Crab in his right hand. Having a weapon was better than none.

Swiftwind and Lightning also crowded close. An enemy hiding in the shadows was the most terrifying; now that the White Jade Serpent was exposed, their worries lessened considerably.

“Puh!”

“Pa!”

The newly emerged White Jade Serpent was immediately assaulted by a pincer attack from the three spirit beasts. Though they hadn't reached the fourth level, they possessed late-stage third-level strength, and combined, they were not to be underestimated.

Moreover, Shadowless’s internal energy rivaled a fourth-level attack. Having just consumed three pieces of the highly potent Fire Dragon Fruit flesh, it felt incredibly energized, and having nowhere else to vent, a battle was the perfect opportunity.

If it didn't vent this energy, it would crash and sleep right there, and this was hardly the time for sleep.

Before the White Jade Serpent could even fully stabilize, various attacks rained down upon it. Lightning hastily spat a poisonous mist onto the water surface; it intended to seal off the serpent’s retreat path. Even if the serpent escaped, its fate wouldn't be pleasant if poisoned.

“Boom!”

Shadowless’s internal energy struck the White Jade Serpent. The serpent let out a cry of pain, its body veering slightly, yet it still made contact with Zhang Yang—more accurately, the great pincer in Zhang Yang’s hand.

The White Jade Serpent’s maw clamped down violently, managing to bite off a small piece of the incredibly hard great pincer.

After snapping off a section of the pincer, the White Jade Serpent violently swept its tail. Fortunately, Zhang Yang had leaped up in time, or he would have been caught by the strike.

All of this happened in a flash. The moment the White Jade Serpent emerged, the battle immediately escalated into white-hot intensity.

The White Jade Serpent was faster than the Great Crab. Its most dangerous features were its massive fangs. However, its overall size was somewhat smaller than the crab’s, which counted as a weakness.

Spirit beast power wasn't strictly determined by size, but sheer mass often offered an advantage.

“Bang!”

Seizing an opportunity, Swiftwind delivered a direct kick toward the White Jade Serpent, but the serpent dodged it. The kick shattered a large section of the stone floor nearby.

Having avoided Swiftwind’s attack, the White Jade Serpent immediately lunged toward Zhang Yang again. It had only one target now: Zhang Yang and the Fire Dragon Fruit he held.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Several blasts of internal energy that Zhang Yang hurled struck the White Jade Serpent. Each impact elicited a painful cry, but its body never stopped, relentlessly pressing forward against Zhang Yang.

The White Jade Serpent was keenly aware that in a protracted fight, it couldn't defeat the one man and three beasts. Therefore, it could only try to pin down Zhang Yang. Only by killing Zhang Yang stood a chance of victory.

Alternatively, it could snatch the Fire Dragon Fruit from Zhang Yang’s grasp. If it managed to seize the fruit, it would retreat immediately, refusing any further entanglement with the group.

Spirit beasts are intelligent. Its current thinking wasn't far from what the Great Crab had intended earlier; the crab wanted to snatch the fruit, while this one aimed to steal it back from Zhang Yang—a far more difficult feat.

“Swish!”

The great pincer in Zhang Yang’s hand successfully carved a small wound into the White Jade Serpent, but his body was immediately forced back by the serpent’s relentless advance. The serpent focused its entire attention on him, applying significant pressure.

“Bang!”

Swiftwind’s great hoof finally landed a solid blow, the powerful impact sending the White Jade Serpent crashing against the wall. This section of the wall had already shed numerous stones from the results of their fight.

Lightning, having finished spitting mist, finally bounded over. Ferrets are natural enemies of snakes, but that applies to small snakes; large ones are different. Among spirit beasts, strength is the main factor, and the influence of natural enmity is minimal.

“Squeak squeak squeak!”

Circling the White Jade Serpent, Lightning began spitting poisonous mist again. The confined space allowed its toxic vapor to be deployed more effectively, but it was nearly depleted; this next burst would likely be its last.

“Swish!”

Capitalizing on the chance Swiftwind had created by hitting the White Jade Serpent, Zhang Yang finally switched from defense to offense. Wielding the great pincer charged with internal energy, he inflicted another gash on the serpent’s body. Timely, Lightning leaped onto the White Jade Serpent.

Lightning’s mouth made direct contact with the serpent’s skin. If it could successfully inject its toxin into the White Jade Serpent’s body, victory would surely be theirs.

Second update, more to come! (To be continued)