As the silk threads vibrated and snapped, a figure emerged from the cave beneath the roots of the Spirit-Storage Tree.

Zhang Deming’s expression shifted, and he turned to look. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

The Demon Beast wasn’t large—at least, not compared to its surroundings. There was a considerable difference from what Zhang Deming had expected.

But when he got a clear look at the Demon Beast, Zhang Deming’s expression turned ugly.

It was a spider the size of a small dining table, completely snow-white. Standing only a meter tall, its body was quite petite for a Tai Chi Demon Beast.

’A Snow Poison Spider? I thought Poison Masters had hunted this damn thing to extinction!’

As a Demon Beast that could be used as a Tai Chi Stage material to perfect the Rune Cores of many Poison Masters, the Snow Poison Spider was a hot commodity in their eyes.

Because of this, even though it was a very troublesome existence among Tai Chi Demon Beasts, it couldn’t escape its predetermined fate within the Celestial Spirit Sect’s territory, becoming an endangered species.

If a Poison Master encountered one, they would surely be overjoyed.

But for Zhang Deming to encounter one was just a pain in the ass.

After all, a mature one mostly had the Cultivation of a Two-Life Tai Chi, but its strength made it far more difficult to deal with than even a Peak Three-Life Tai Chi.

Initially, he had planned to just charge in, break the web of silk threads, and run for it as soon as he grabbed the goods.

But with his speed, trying to shake off a Snow Poison Spider—which excelled at speed—in a forest environment was clearly unrealistic.

’Looks like I’ll have to face it head-on,’ Zhang Deming thought, glancing at the six fruits.

While his thoughts raced, the Snow Poison Spider crawled out of its cave, scurried along the surrounding silk threads, and rushed toward the Water Dragon.

In that brief moment, the Water Dragon had already used its water currents to clear out a large area.

With a wave of Zhang Deming’s hand, the Water Dragon coiling around him flicked its tail and charged at the Snow Poison Spider.

The Snow Poison Spider closed in rapidly. The moment it made contact with the Water Dragon, its body abruptly accelerated. It sidestepped, dodging the Water Dragon’s head.

One of its legs, shimmering with a faint light, stabbed at the Water Dragon’s back. The leg, sharp as a blade, pierced the dragon’s back and slid forward.

It slid all the way from the back of the dragon’s neck to its tail.

At that moment, Zhang Deming acted. As the Water Dragon was collapsing, it made one final tail whip.

SPLASH...

BOOM...

The Water Dragon was destroyed by the Snow Poison Spider, dissolving into a torrent of falling water. Zhang Deming’s final control over the tail whip also sent the Snow Poison Spider flying.

He stabilized the turbulent Spiritual Power in his Mirror Image Body. The backlash from the Technique had caused the Mirror Image to flicker.

’Good thing this isn’t my Main Body,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, that surprise attack might have damaged my Rune foundation.’

’Looks like I need to go all out. This thing isn’t the type to start with probing attacks.’

The Snow Poison Spider’s earlier movements had seemed simple, but it had used at least two abilities.

One was an instantaneous burst of speed, and the other was its leg that glowed with Spiritual Light.

"Rune: Water Dragon Technique!"

He took a deep breath, and the Water Dragon reappeared by his side, coiling and staring blankly at the Snow Poison Spider.

He raised his hand again, holding nothing back this time.

"Rune: Spirit Water Technique!"

"Rune: Dragon Horn!"

A strange horn sprouted from the Water Dragon’s head, and a vibrant stream of water flowed into the space between its eyes.

The hornless Chi Dragon instantly grew a horn, taking on a hint of a Flood Dragon’s appearance—though it was only a resemblance, of course.

As Zhang Deming unleashed his power, bolstered by two Tier Two Techniques, the Water Dragon’s aura surged once more.

Infinitely close to the Duality Stage, its now-vibrant eyes flashed as it charged straight at the Snow Poison Spider.

The Snow Poison Spider had just climbed out of the crater. Prioritizing speed, its defenses were not particularly impressive.

Thus, that tail whip had left it reeling.

It crawled out and shook its head. In that instant, the Water Dragon was already upon it.

Faced with the powerfully-aurad Water Dragon, the Snow Poison Spider actually reared up on its hind legs and raised its soft abdomen towards the dragon.

"Rune: Dragon Pearl!"

Zhang Deming’s expression changed. The Water Dragon opened its mouth and spat out a transparent pearl, which instantly enveloped it.

Almost simultaneously, a giant, transparent net descended, blanketing the Water Dragon.

Because of the Dragon Pearl Shield, the transparent spider web wrapped around the Shield like a sphere.

SIZZLE...

The moment the giant spider web touched the Shield, a corrosive sound hissed, and wisps of green smoke rose from the Shield’s surface.

But the Water Dragon didn’t hesitate. It spat the Dragon Pearl from its mouth. Like a meteor, the pearl shot through the Shield and pierced the Snow Poison Spider’s web.

Then, the Water Dragon whipped its tail again. Countless streams of water washed the tattered web off the Shield, and the Shield covering the Water Dragon’s body slowly faded.

The Snow Poison Spider had just finished shooting its web and crawled back down. It seemed slightly weakened.

Before it could react, the Dragon Pearl slammed right into its head.

It was instantly stunned. Immediately after, the Water Dragon rushed over, coiling around it like a snake and trapping it completely.

The dragon’s mouth widened as it bit down on the Snow Poison Spider’s abdomen. Its four Dragon Claws followed suit, tearing into the spider’s soft spots.

In an instant, the tide of battle had turned, and he clearly had the upper hand.

But just as he had heavily injured and trapped the Snow Poison Spider, before Zhang Deming could press his advantage, a green shadow shot out from the edge of the woods and into the clearing like a bolt of lightning.

By the time Zhang Deming looked over, four of the Spirit-Storage Fruits on the tree had vanished, leaving only two behind.

"You dare!"

Zhang Deming roared and raised his hand, but by then, all the Spirit-Storage Fruits on the tree were gone.

Seeing this, Zhang Deming’s expression turned grim. There was no time to think.

The Water Dragon abruptly released its bite on the Snow Poison Spider and spat a huge mouthful of water into the air. It atomized into a sky-full of droplets that instantly showered the entire surrounding space.

Just as it finished, the ghostly figure vanished from Zhang Deming’s sight, zipping back the way it came.

Zhang Deming’s face was dark. The Water Dragon used its full strength to drive its four Dragon Claws deep into the Snow Poison Spider’s body.

Then, without even looking at the result, Zhang Deming’s entire body collapsed on the spot.

It dissolved into a sky full of light motes and vanished.

The Water Dragon, along with the Mirror Image, also dissolved into motes of light, leaving only a dying Snow Poison Spider gasping on the ground.

Half a *li* away, inside a tree hollow, Zhang Deming’s eyes snapped open.

His previously calm expression instantly turned black.

With a wave of his hand, he blew open the tree hollow and rushed out.

Light Wings appeared on his back and began to vibrate rapidly. He closed his eyes for a moment to get his bearings, then tapped his toes lightly, leaped to the top of a tree, and sped off in a specific direction.

Although it had moved too fast for him to identify what it was, he knew one thing.

’It’s clearly intelligent. For so many years, I’ve always been the one taking advantage of others. I’ve never been the one caught in a struggle, only for a third party to snatch the prize.’

The Light Wings on his back vibrated intensely as his feet tapped swiftly across the treetops. Zhang Deming sped through the canopy.

Rushing recklessly through an unfamiliar, primeval jungle was not a good idea. A single misstep could attract troublesome Demon Beasts.

However, with a living creature leading the way, if trouble were to arise, he at least wouldn’t be the first to face it.

But after only a few moments, Zhang Deming’s expression darkened even further.

Because whatever the hell that thing was, it was moving too fast.

It was at least twice as fast as him, even when he was chasing at full speed with his Tier Three Feather Fall Technique.

You could say its speed was in no way inferior to basic Flying.

Zhang Deming’s brow furrowed. If this kept up, he would lose the target in less than ten minutes and truly become the fool who fought for another’s prize.

His Spiritual Power surged wildly, but his speed didn’t increase much, as he was already pushing himself to the absolute limit.

Another five minutes passed. Just as Zhang Deming was about to despair, the target’s speed suddenly dropped.

’Hm?’

’Did it not realize I’ve locked onto and am tracking it? Or... is its movement Skill a burst-type?’

Zhang Deming’s expression shifted. He didn’t slow down, but a gray mist rose around his body as he did his utmost to conceal his aura.

Of course, it was impossible to completely hide his aura while traveling at full speed.

The best he could do was conceal it as much as possible.

As Zhang Deming drew closer, he grew even more cautious. The target showed no signs of accelerating again and was now moving forward at a constant speed.

Slowly, as Zhang Deming carefully advanced, a blurry green figure became faintly visible.

’It seems it really hasn’t noticed me tracking it.’

’Does it have low intelligence?’

’At least, it can’t be one of the fellow sect brothers who entered with me, or any other Cultivator.’

’If it were an outside Cultivator, they would have known the Water Dragon’s final breath wasn’t an attack. In that situation, any Cultivator would have realized something was wrong.’

’The first thing they would have done after breaking line of sight would be to eliminate any tracking methods.’

But when Zhang Deming caught up, he found it wasn’t taking any evasive maneuvers. It hadn’t even sensed he was tracking it.

Zhang Deming carefully closed the distance. After getting a clear look at the green figure’s general appearance, he froze.

’Is that a Flower Demon?’

’Or a Flower Demon Elf?’

Ahead was a petite figure, about a meter tall, dressed in clothes that looked like green leaves.

On its back, two pairs of dragonfly-like cicada wings vibrated rapidly, propelling it swiftly through the forest.

Since he couldn’t see its face, Zhang Deming wasn’t sure if it was a Flower Demon or a Flower Demon Elf.

In the Hongmeng Realm, Flower Demons were a special type of Plant System Demon Beast!

Flower Demon Elves, on the other hand, belonged to a Sub-Human Species. They were a very popular species to raise in captivity in the Hongmeng Realm, as they were the best choice of servants for mid- to high-level Spirit Fields and medicinal gardens.

The physical difference between the two creatures wasn’t significant; it was only in their faces.

A Flower Demon’s face was ugly, bearing some features of butterflies and bees.

A Flower Demon Elf, being a Sub-Human Species, naturally had a human face. And like Fox Demons, Cat Demons, and other such creatures, they were mostly very beautiful and delicate.

Because of this, many contract-based Summoning System Cultivators would even... you know...

*Ahem*... Any man would understand, right!

And because of the cultivation culture in the Hongmeng Realm, many Cultivators had a special fondness for such Sub-Human Species, giving them a... unique status.