The moment Lightning’s fangs injected the toxin into the White Jade Snake, it cried out in alarm, but the snake’s tail lashed out with fluid speed, sweeping it directly onto the ground.

The pained cries of Lightning were nearly as piercing as Wuying’s own shrieks.

"Lightning!"

Zhang Yang called out urgently. Lightning was a spirit beast too, but not one focused on raw power; its defense was far weaker than that of a strength-type spirit beast—even Zhuifeng couldn't match it in defense.

This single blow had injured it badly.

There was no time to examine Lightning’s condition. Zhang Yang’s body shifted again, evading as the poisoned White Jade Snake became more frenzied, relentlessly pursuing him.

"Boom!"

A surge of internal energy from Wuying struck the snake squarely on the head. The White Jade Snake shook its head, eyes closed, then immediately resumed its attack on Zhang Yang, forcing him to continue retreating.

Engaging a spirit beast head-on, he would ultimately be the one to suffer the losses.

"Whoosh!"

While falling back, Zhang Yang constantly searched for an opening to strike, successfully gouging out another small wound on the White Jade Snake.

Wuying, having unleashed its internal energy, swiftly moved to Lightning’s side. Lightning had been severely injured by the powerful blow and was bleeding from the corner of its mouth.

Wuying immediately bit down on it. Zhang Yang didn't have time to administer healing medicine, so Wuying could only use the energy stored within its own body to temporarily mend Lightning. Fortunately, Lightning’s injuries were superficial, not affecting its heart or lungs. After Wuying’s bite, it slowly managed to stand up.

Seeing that Lightning was stable eased Zhang Yang’s mind somewhat, allowing him to focus entirely on the White Jade Snake before him.

The White Jade Snake proved even more troublesome than the Great Crab. Thankfully, he had lured it out; otherwise, given its strength in the water, Zhang Yang would likely already be on its menu. Underwater combat limited Zhang Yang to less than half his full potential.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

With a series of heavy impacts, Zhuifeng continuously sought opportunities to strike. The space was confined, preventing it from fully leveraging its speed advantage. However, its ability for instantaneous bursts of acceleration remained potent; it always struck and immediately withdrew, never lingering to trade blows, regardless of whether the strike landed.

Wuying also closed in, constantly spitting bursts of internal energy. While its energy strikes couldn't inflict fatal damage on the White Jade Snake, they accumulated—much like two adult men fighting; one punch to the back might not fell a person, but repeated blows would eventually overwhelm anyone.

Moreover, the White Jade Snake wasn't entirely armored; Wuying narrowly missed its gaping maw several times. If its internal energy had struck the inside of the mouth, it would be akin to being hit squarely in the stomach with a heavy punch—temporarily disabling its combat ability and potentially even threatening its life.

The massive pincer Zhang Yang wielded was also causing it considerable trouble. When combined with Zhang Yang’s internal energy, the pincer could breach its defenses. Although the wounds were small, the sheer number of them began to accumulate. Furthermore, it was already afflicted by Lightning’s poison, forcing it to divert internal strength to suppress the toxins.

Gradually, the White Jade Snake’s offensive began to slow. Its power had noticeably waned since the beginning of the fight.

Zhang Yang finally allowed himself a small breath of relief. The snake’s relentless assault had put immense pressure on him. Now, he could launch counterattacks under the snake’s assault, rather than being forced into purely defensive maneuvers.

"An opportunity!"

When the White Jade Snake opened its mouth again, revealing its fangs gleaming with cold light, a sudden thought struck Zhang Yang. This was a perfect chance. The snake was less agile now, and despite its full covering of scales, its mouth was the only exposed weak point. The skin inside its massive maw was the softest part, its singular vulnerability.

There wasn't time to gather internal energy. Zhang Yang flicked out a fine thread—a filament taken from the Great Crab’s pincer. The thread was nearly invisible to the naked eye and flew out without the whistling sound of displaced air, making it incredibly hard to detect. The fine thread shot straight into the White Jade Snake's open mouth.

The massive jaws snapped shut with a roar of pain from within. The tip of the thread, a tiny dot, possessed the ability to unfurl upon contact with flesh. Once inside the snake's mouth, it expanded into eight even finer filaments, all burrowing into the snake's soft tissues. The skin inside the mouth, unlike the exterior, was incredibly tender, sending the White Jade Snake into a writhing fit of agony.

Zhang Yang had dealt a severe blow. Zhuifeng and the others seized this excellent opening. Zhuifeng’s heavy hooves struck again, this time kicking the White Jade Snake flying a great distance until it slammed against the cavern wall. Wuying spat another volley of internal energy, targeting the snake’s existing wounds. Even the injured Lightning scrambled back up, looking for a chance to bite the snake again. The deeper the poison went, the faster its effects would manifest.

Zhang Yang maintained a tight grip on the fine thread, the other end secured deep within the snake’s mouth. The now-aware White Jade Snake strained backward, trying desperately to snap the filament. Whatever the thread was made of, no amount of force broke it; instead, it seemed to intensify the snake's suffering.

With the White Jade Snake immobilized by the thread, it became Zhang Yang's ultimate advantage. Holding the pincer in one hand, he used the broken half of the pincer in the other, relentlessly inflicting new wounds. Though its hide was tough, the multiplication of small cuts would inevitably cripple it. As the battle raged, Lightning's poison finally began to take hold, forcing the White Jade Snake to divert more energy to suppression.

The fight turned increasingly unfavorable. Having failed to reclaim the Fire Dragon Fruit and sustaining serious injuries, the White Jade Snake finally grew fearful—it thought of escape. Spirit Fruits were valuable, offering great benefits upon consumption, but one needed to be alive to enjoy them. Survival trumped sustenance.

The White Jade Snake thrashed, attempting to reach the water’s edge. Once submerged, it would be safe; underwater, it could keep this man and three beasts hesitant to pursue, and once they were in the water, it could seek vengeance.

But it had forgotten the poison coursing through its veins, and crucially, the terrible thread still snagged its mouth. As it retreated, Zhang Yang recognized its intent immediately. Having finally lured it onto dry land, he wouldn't allow it to leave. Zhang Yang gripped the thread attached to the pincer, channeling the immense internal energy of a Level Four cultivator, generating a crushing gravity that pinned the snake down, making escape impossible. If it managed to tear free, the flesh in its mouth would be shredded, potentially fatal.

Unable to flee, the White Jade Snake became wildly agitated, its body trembling. Zhuifeng and Lightning attacked cautiously, wary of being injured by the enraged creature’s unpredictable thrashing.

Having successfully restrained the White Jade Snake, Zhang Yang’s attacks grew sharper. His superior Level Four energy inflicted the most significant harm; the power of a Level Four cultivator far surpassed that of Level Three. The wounds on the snake’s body deepened, and blood flowed profusely. The corpse of the Great Crab, lying nearby, seemed to serve as a grim mirror. Occasionally, the snake’s eyes registered a flicker of sorrow and fear upon seeing the crab’s remains. It regretted emerging when it saw Wuying eating the spirit fruit; it knew now there was no chance of retreat.

"Sizzle sizzle!"

Knowing it had no way out, the White Jade Snake mustered a final, desperate ferocity, opening its jaws wide once more and recklessly lunging at Zhang Yang. If it had to die, it would take one attacker with it, and Zhang Yang, whom it hated most, was its target.

Over half an hour later, the White Jade Snake collapsed onto the ground in defeat. Blood poured from its mouth, and its body was a mass of injury. The blood that flowed later had turned black. Even with the snake fighting for its life, it took Zhang Yang and his companions more than half an hour to finish it—a testament to the immense power of this spirit beast.

Sitting beside the corpse, Zhang Yang gasped for breath. His clothes were shredded, and his arms and legs sustained minor injuries. Zhuifeng was also slightly wounded, but the smallest of them, Wuying, remained unscathed—its small size and ranged attacks kept it safely out of close combat. However, this safety was relative; if Zhang Yang and the others fell, Wuying would be unable to escape. Still, they had vanquished this threat, allowing them to safely dive back into the water.

After resting briefly, Zhang Yang stood up. Looking at the massive corpse, he retrieved the Great Crab's pincer and smashed open the White Jade Snake’s skull. After searching through the brain matter, Zhang Yang finally found what he sought: the essence blood.

The essence blood from the White Jade Snake was even more abundant than that from the Great Crab; Zhang Yang managed to fill three and a half bottles completely. Despite their injuries, the harvest was significant. Setting aside the Fire Dragon Fruit, these few bottles of essence blood alone were enough for Zhang Yang to concoct hundreds of Essence Blood Pills. Pills refined from the essence blood of a Level Four spirit beast were treasures even the ancient aristocratic families might not possess, as Level Four beasts were overwhelmingly powerful—even a Level Four cultivator might not defeat one in a straightforward fight. Moreover, if a Level Four spirit beast chose to flee, humans generally couldn't stop it. Zhang Yang’s success was due to the unique environment and the fact that he faced two beasts who hadn't allied and were both focused on the spirit fruit.

Great danger certainly brought great reward; this held true. The haul Zhang Yang secured now would make even Zhang Daofeng envious. With such a bounty, Zhang Yang was naturally generous. He took out several spirit herbs from his inventory and fed one to Zhuifeng, Lightning, and Wuying. This battle would have been impossible without the aid of his three spirit beasts; relying on himself alone, especially without a divine weapon, put him at a distinct disadvantage against a spirit beast.

After a period of rest and tending to the remains of the two beasts, Zhang Yang and his companions finally submerged to return. Enemies in life, the two beasts now lay together in death. Zhang Yang found no suitable burial spot in the deep earth and eventually committed both bodies to the magma, cremating them. These two spirit beasts likely never imagined such a fate awaited them—to remain together forever, indistinguishable from one another. (To be continued) RQ