On the beach of Ironleaf Island, Teng Qingshan and Li Jun were temporarily at a loss.

The Profound Wind Divine Condor, meanwhile, circled triumphantly high in the dark sky, letting out occasional cries! Unable to defeat Teng Qingshan by sheer force, the Condor reveled in making him look helpless.

“Brother Teng, let me try again!” Li Jun refused to give up, tilting her head back to let out a series of loud calls.

Seeing Li Jun’s persistent look, Teng Qingshan suddenly smiled.

“Yow~~” The Profound Wind Divine Condor responded with a shrill, exultant cry, continuing its endless circling high above.

Teng Qingshan glanced up at the Divine Condor; he understood the bird was likely doing this intentionally.

“Xiao Jun,” Teng Qingshan began.

“En?” Li Jun looked toward him.

“Forget it.

Since we can't subdue it, there's no need to force the issue,” Teng Qingshan said, glancing back at the Condor.

“This Profound Wind Divine Condor is clearly trying to provoke us here! It probably still resents me for wounding it earlier.

Moreover, subduing a demon beast at the Innate Golden Core level is truly difficult; we shouldn't push it.” Teng Qingshan had only entertained the idea of taming it briefly.

If he could tame it, it would certainly be a great benefit, but if not, there was no need to insist! Demon beasts possess their own pride; how could they so easily bow in submission? “Mmm,” Li Jun nodded.

“Martial Uncle once mentioned that subduing Big White, Big Black, and the Red-Eyed Snow Lion beast all required tremendous effort.” “Let’s go, we’re heading to the boat!” Teng Qingshan hefted the large fishing net onto his shoulder, holding a Reincarnation Spear in hand, and walked straight into the seawater.

Li Jun quickly followed.

“Yow~~~” “Yow~~~” The Profound Wind Divine Condor, still circling high above, immediately emitted a series of calls.

“Brother Teng, the Divine Condor seems to want to negotiate further with us,” Li Jun remarked with a smile.

“Ignore it,” Teng Qingshan said without looking back.

Li Jun nodded too.

“I know; it’s doing this on purpose! It wants to thoroughly tease us.” Walking through the seawater, Teng Qingshan submerged himself completely.

Around Li Jun, however, the water parted easily, allowing her to breathe without effort.

Hearing a low roar from the nearby Thunder Whale, Li Jun effortlessly climbed onto its back.

Although weighed down by several thousand pounds of gear, Teng Qingshan’s legs were powerful; one strong kick propelled him a great distance through the water.

“Whoosh!” Teng Qingshan leaped onto the back of the same Thunder Whale.

The Thunder Whale King beside them watched Teng Qingshan with its enormous golden eyes, issuing low roars.

In the distance, high in the sky, the Profound Wind Divine Condor continued its calls, trying to draw the attention of the pair.

“Brother Teng,” Li Jun said, her face beaming.

“That Profound Wind Divine Condor is mocking us! And the Thunder Whale King is telling us that we should give them seventy percent of the Ironleaf Fruits first.” “Don’t rush.

We’ll get to the boat shortly,” Teng Qingshan replied with a slight smile.

Watching the human standing upon the back of a Thunder Whale under its command, the Thunder Whale King chose silence.

It knew this being was an expert on its own level.

…… Amidst the seaside thickets of Ironleaf Island, one demon beast after another poked their heads out, watching the humans standing on the backs of the Thunder Whales depart.

Even in the air above, numerous avian demon beasts watched.

For this human expert who had arrived on Ironleaf Island, harvested every single Ironleaf Fruit, and severely injured the island’s master, the Profound Wind Divine Condor, these ordinary demon beasts fixed his appearance firmly in their memories.

The reef cluster.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Teng Qingshan, holding Li Jun’s hand, leaped over ten zhang high, landing directly on the deck of the Wumu boat.

“Roar~~” Below, the Thunder Whale King looked up and let out a low roar at Teng Qingshan.

“Brother Teng, it’s asking for the Ironleaf Fruits,” Li Jun explained.

“How do we give it to them? Toss them into the sea?” Teng Qingshan asked.

“Ironleaf Fruits are quite heavy; they’ll sink immediately.” Li Jun conversed with the Thunder Whale King, then nodded.

“Brother Teng, it just wants us to throw the Ironleaf Fruits into the sea; they say they will collect them.” “Very well, then.” Teng Qingshan opened the fishing net and casually tossed three to four-tenths of the Ironleaf Fruits onto the Wumu boat deck.

Clang! Clang! Clang! The fruits struck the deck like emerald orbs.

The deck itself was made of ‘Wumu’ wood, whose hardness and toughness surpassed steel.

The collision between the wood and fruit produced clear, resounding sounds that echoed over the sea.

“Thunder Whale King, these are yours!” Teng Qingshan hoisted the large fishing net filled with numerous Ironleaf Fruits.

Instantly— Over thirty Thunder Whales in the sea lifted their heads, and the Thunder Whale King’s huge golden eyes shone with astonishment as it gazed upon the massive pile of Ironleaf Fruits.

“Catch them!” Teng Qingshan roared with laughter, violently shaking the net.

Hundreds of green fruits shot upward, soaring a full seven or eight zhang high into the air.

Splash! It was as if a fruit rain had descended from the sky, hundreds of fruits plummeting one by one into the ocean, striking the water surface with pat-pat-pat sounds, sending up white splashes of foam.

“Hoo!” The Thunder Whale King opened its massive mouth and sucked in a mighty breath.

Swish! It was as if a tornado had materialized out of nowhere.

A powerful current swept the surrounding seawater violently into its mouth.

A huge volume of water, including all the Ironleaf Fruits that had just fallen in, rushed madly toward its maw.

Simultaneously, more than ten other Thunder Whales flipped their tail fins, diving deep beneath the water to prevent any fruit from escaping.

“The boat is rocking! We’re drifting toward its mouth!” Li Jun exclaimed in alarm.

Due to the powerful surge of water, the Wumu boat had become unstable and was indeed being pulled toward the Thunder Whale King’s open jaws.

“This Thunder Whale King is trying to play me,” Teng Qingshan remarked, standing firm on the deck without a hint of panic.

The Wumu boat drifted with the current for only about seven or eight zhang before abruptly stopping with a sharp Clang— It halted nearly ten zhang away from the Thunder Whale King’s mouth.

This was because the boat’s iron chain remained securely fastened to the dorsal fin of another Thunder Whale.

That whale had been towing the boat all along; how could the Wumu boat possibly fall into the Thunder Whale King’s mouth? The iron chain, thick as a man’s arm, was pulled taut, rigidly holding the boat in place.

A moment later— The Thunder Whale King ceased its suction.

The surrounding water calmed, and the Wumu boat slowly drifted along with the receding current.

“Roar~~” The Thunder Whale King let out an excited roar.

The surrounding thirty-plus Thunder Whales echoed the excitement, all looking toward Teng Qingshan, who stood at the bow of the Wumu boat.

“Brother Teng, the Thunder Whale King is very grateful to you,” Li Jun smiled.

“It said this is the first time in thousands of years that their tribe has received so many Ironleaf Fruits at once.” Teng Qingshan looked at the Thunder Whale King in the water and smiled.

“It seems the Ironleaf Fruit is indeed very important to the Thunder Whale clan.” Whoosh! Teng Qingshan jumped off the Wumu boat onto the back of that supporting whale and carefully untied the iron chain from its dorsal fin.

The Thunder Whale King and Teng Qingshan exchanged a look.

The great head inclined toward Teng Qingshan in a nod.

Then, with a loud roar, the thirty-plus Thunder Whales simultaneously whipped their tails, generating huge white waves, and dove into the seabed, quickly departing.

Pat-pat! After two steps in the water, Teng Qingshan, still holding the iron chain, leaped back onto the deck.

“Let’s go!” Teng Qingshan and Li Jun exchanged a knowing smile.

Teng Qingshan moved to work the large oars, piloting the Wumu boat away from the reef cluster area.

…… “Whoosh~~~” After Teng Qingshan maneuvered the Wumu boat clear of the reefs, he had just raised the sail.

Suddenly— A dark shadow shot across the distance.

“En?” Teng Qingshan frowned as he watched; Li Jun quickly spotted the dark shadow as well.

“Yow~~~” A loud, clear cry echoed from the air ahead of Teng Qingshan.

Teng Qingshan looked closely.

The shadow was a large, gray eagle, about one zhang long—a size smaller than the Profound Wind Divine Condor.

However, the lower body and tail feathers of this gray eagle were white, as were the downy feathers from its neck upward.

Its brow and eye area were covered in golden down.

It looked like a rather magnificent great eagle.

“Demon Beast ‘Gale Eagle’,” Teng Qingshan identified it immediately by its appearance.

“The Gale Eagle is rather ordinary among avian demon beasts.

Even a strong Gale Eagle usually only reaches the level of Innate Void Core.

They can spit wind blades.” Teng Qingshan’s perspective had become much broader now.

A demon beast at the Innate Void Core level posed no real threat to him.

“Yow~~ Yow~~” The eagle cried out repeatedly.

“Xiao Jun, what is it saying?” Teng Qingshan asked, looking at Li Jun beside him, who listened with a look of astonishment.

“Xiao Jun?” Teng Qingshan called out again.

Li Jun finally snapped back to awareness, blinking several times before looking at Teng Qingshan.

“Brother Teng, I heard what it said just now, and I find it hard to believe.” “What did it say?” Teng Qingshan asked, puzzled.

“It said…” Li Jun looked at Teng Qingshan.

“It hopes we can spare a few Ironleaf Fruits for it to eat.” “On what grounds should we give it any?” Teng Qingshan asked, intrigued.

Li Jun wore a strange expression.

“This Gale Eagle said that if we give it just one Ironleaf Fruit, it will follow us for a month and obey our commands.” Teng Qingshan looked up at the Gale Eagle, quite surprised.

Most demon beasts possessed pride; this Gale Eagle was certainly interesting.

“Ask it why it would do that,” Teng Qingshan said, skeptical.

He dared not trust it immediately.

Otherwise, the Gale Eagle might devour a large number of Ironleaf Fruits and then simply fly away, leaving Teng Qingshan and the others to stare helplessly.

After all, they couldn’t fly! “Yow~~~” “Yow~~~” Li Jun and the Gale Eagle in the air communicated, their calls sounding quite pleasant.

Teng Qingshan watched this exchange, musing: The Gale Eagle’s speed is indeed very fast.

If it travels with us, it could certainly carry Xiao Jun through the air… I don’t even need it to fight.

Its purpose here would be similar to what the Profound Wind Divine Condor would have served! If we can truly travel together, that would be beneficial.

A moment passed— “Brother Teng,” Li Jun said, turning to him with a smile.

“The Ironleaf Fruit is useless to demon beasts at the Innate Golden Core level.

However, it is very useful to weaker demon beasts, and even somewhat beneficial to those at the Innate Void Core level.” “On Ironleaf Island, the Profound Wind Divine Condor monopolized the fruits, and many beasts obeyed it, occasionally receiving one or two as a handout.

But this Gale Eagle was never very sociable; it even fought with one or two other avian beasts.

It hasn't gotten a single fruit in years and found nothing worthwhile on the island.

So, it wants to leave with us so it can get some fruit to eat.” Hearing this, Teng Qingshan couldn't help but chuckle.

“Xiao Jun, it seems this Gale Eagle doesn't get along well with the other beasts.”