Lu Xinwen looked at the tattered clothing in his hand, a shadow of regret crossing his face. "What a pity. If this garment had been woven from the Sky Silkworm Silk of the North Ice Mountain and the Human-Faced Spider Silk of the Southern Frontier, it could have blocked your Innate Needle Sting today."

He Yiming started slightly, "In that case, Brother Lu, your techniques must require these specially crafted weapons to reach their full potential?"

Lu Xinwen let out a dry laugh, tossing the ruined garment aside. "Even without these specialized weapons, I can still exterminate your entire clan."

With that, he took a step, crossing his palms. This time, his speed was far from the invisible quickness of before; instead, it appeared somewhat deliberate.

However, this was merely an illusion. He took only three steps and had already traversed tens of meters, unleashing a powerful palm strike.

Water-element techniques are generally ill-suited for brute-force confrontation, yet this elder had chosen the path of direct assault.

For after their initial exchange, he had grasped that He Yiming was a formidable expert who had only recently stepped into the Innate Realm.

Though bewildered as to how He Yiming possessed such a potent Innate technique as the Hidden Needle Seal, having just broken through to the Innate Realm meant his Innate True Qi would surely be far inferior to his own, an elder with over twenty years of cultivation. Thus, after his Cloud Mist Compression technique failed, he immediately opted for the safest route.

Might overcomes technique—a principle simplistic, yet often the most practical.

A palm seemed to materialize suddenly from empty space, driving straight towards He Yiming’s chest. If this strike landed true, even for an Innate expert, it would be devastating.

However, facing this sudden attack, He Yiming’s hands flipped sharply. The prior Hidden Needle Seal instantly morphed into a solid, resolute Earth Bearing Seal.

This sealing method had also been pilfered from Lin Taoli, and it was the most perfect one he had managed to acquire. While slightly different from how Lin Taoli executed it, those deviations were modifications incorporating He Yiming's personal attributes, making it the technique best suited for him.

The elusive hand wavered a few times in the void, seemingly searching for a weakness in He Yiming. But its owner suddenly realized: once He Yiming shifted his seal, all flaws vanished. It was as if his entire being was shielded by this peculiar sealing method.

After countless feints, both real and illusory, above, below, left, and right, the hand finally collided heavily with He Yiming's Earth Bearing Seal.

It was as if his seal had been waiting there precisely for this hand to step into the trap.

Lu Xinwen felt deeply frustrated. That last move had been his full effort, yet he hadn't gained the slightest tactical advantage in technique.

With his discerning eye, he could tell that while the two hand seals shared a common root, their specific pathways diverged. Undeniably, both were Innate techniques.

His mind churned with surprise. What was this young man’s background to master two Innate hand seals?

Merely learning them wouldn't be astounding, but He Yiming had not only learned them but grasped their essence—that was truly incredible.

At this moment, he genuinely began to doubt the young man's age.

Internal energy cultivation could be accelerated by consuming Golden Pills to reach the Innate Realm, or by consuming the rarely seen Innate Golden Pills.

But mastering techniques offered no shortcuts.

Aside from the once-in-a-century epiphany, mastery came only through relentless practice, practice, and more practice, until the technique was ingrained into the marrow, achieving a state of familiarity leading to perfect skill.

Yet, He Yiming’s performance shattered this established rule.

Both Innate hand seals he displayed operated with fluid grace, perfectly under his command. His proficiency in Innate techniques matched Lu Xinwen’s own twenty-plus years of arduous training.

Facing such a prodigy, even the Blood Butcher Lu Xinwen felt waves of helplessness wash over him.

The instant Lu Xinwen's palm met the Earth Bearing Seal, He Yiming pressed his feet into the ground, knees slightly bent. This single action diverted half the force of Lu Xinwen’s Innate Water Qi into the earth. Then, pushing down forcefully with his feet, a surging power flowed up through his knees, which snapped straight in a split second. A powerful rebound erupted simultaneously from over three hundred acupoints on his body, momentarily coalescing into a single cord that shot out through the Earth Bearing Seal.

"Boom..."

A sound, not overly loud, echoed out, strangely suppressed, like an explosion trapped within an iron box, lodging itself heavily in the chest.

Lu Xinwen’s eyes widened abruptly as his palm slammed against the Earth Bearing Seal. The two immense surges of True Qi met head-on without pretense.

Yet, the result of this True Qi collision filled Lu Xinwen with disbelief.

A tremendous power, far exceeding his expectations, emanated from the Earth Bearing Seal. Furthermore, this was pure Earth-attribute energy, completely counteracting his own even at the level of Innate attributes.

Horrified, Lu Xinwen shot backward like an arrow. As he retreated, his feet constantly tapped the ground in minute steps. With every impact, he left a perfectly distinct footprint. In a mere few breaths, he had marked the ground with three hundred and sixty distinct footprints.

The power unleashed from He Yiming’s three hundred-plus acupoints had been entirely nullified by this peculiar counter-maneuver.

Lu Xinwen looked up in shock. He could not fathom how a youth who had just entered the Innate Realm could possess such potent Innate True Qi—Qi so powerful it rivaled his own twenty years of hard-won cultivation.

At this point, a sliver of doubt finally entered his heart, causing his conviction to conquer and kill He Yiming to waver slightly.

He Yiming’s eyes flicked up, and in that moment, he clearly sensed the opponent's momentum abruptly dip. That feeling of spirit, energy, and will compressed to its apex was gone.

As Lu Xinwen’s aura waned, He Yiming’s surged forward almost involuntarily.

Without hesitation, He Yiming let out a long roar, lifted his foot, and transformed into a bolt of lightning, charging straight ahead with a speed matching Lu Xinwen’s earlier pace.

He Yiming’s footfalls pounded the ground in rapid succession, the frequency reaching an extreme peak.

To the ears of the onlookers, the sound evoked the sensation of being caught in continuous, fine mountain rain.

He Yiming thus became a sudden downpour, instantly executing countless minute steps, sealing off every possible avenue of evasion for Lu Xinwen with his blinding speed.

Simultaneously, he raised his hands; the Earth Bearing Seal reappeared before him. But this time, it was not defensive; it abruptly shifted into a powerful offensive posture, smashing down like Mount Tai bearing down on him.

In Lin Taoli’s hands, the Earth Bearing Seal was purely a defensive mark. But in He Yiming’s hands, subtle adjustments to the flow lines of the internal energy granted this seal an unexpected variation—the only offensive application within the entire form.

Mighty True Qi radiated from the Earth Bearing Seal, locking onto Lu Xinwen like countless invisible ropes binding him fast, making escape impossible.

Fear flashed in Lu Xinwen’s eyes, his heart filled with incredulity.

From that last palm strike, he had confirmed He Yiming was an Earth-attribute Innate cultivator. Yet, the lightness of movement he now displayed was undeniably characteristic of a Water-attribute technique.

The solidity of Earth, the fluidity of Water—both manifested perfectly within this young man. At this juncture, Lu Xinwen felt a genuine pang of admiration.

However, Lu Xinwen was, after all, an Innate expert nearing a century old, having survived countless battles. At this critical juncture, he took a deep breath and stabilized himself.

Knowing evasion was futile, he cast everything else aside and spurred his Innate True Qi to its absolute peak, delivering three successive palm strikes.

These three palms followed one another in quick succession, each blast carrying an immense shockwave of True Power.

The first palm contacted the Earth Bearing Seal, and Lu Xinwen’s body recoiled slightly backward. The second palm made contact, creating some distance between him and He Yiming. With the third palm striking, he shot away like an arrow loosed from a bowstring.

He Yiming halted his advance, not because he chose not to pursue, but because Lu Xinwen’s three strikes were sequentially more powerful. When the third strike was launched, it carried a massive, ultimate force. Even He Yiming, who held the advantage, was forced to pause, relying on the profound stability of the earth beneath his feet to neutralize that immense power.

Looking up at the retreating Lu Xinwen, a profound sense of realization surged through He Yiming.

Initially, he hadn't attacked directly, opting for a defensive, withdrawn stance. When Lu Xinwen’s assault failed and his momentum flagged, He Yiming immediately countered with the Cloud Mist Flight Technique, following up with the Earth Bearing Seal in a crushing attack. Yet, in the end, Lu Xinwen had easily broken this sure-kill combination with three successive strikes.

Innate experts truly were formidable foes; killing this man would certainly not be achievable with bare hands alone.

Little did He Yiming know, the shock Lu Xinwen felt was far greater than his own.

Those three strikes were no mere succession of blows; they were Lu Xinwen’s ultimate, hidden trump card, a move he had never deployed in combat since ascending to the Innate Realm.

The Triple Palm Link was a miraculous technique involving True Qi layering, something Lu Xinwen was fundamentally incapable of mastering at his current level.

But he had once stumbled upon a fragment of knowledge concerning this in a peculiar encounter somewhere. After tentative exploration, he could barely manage a triple layered attack. However, using it inflicted some damage upon the body and absolutely forbade sequential use.

Despite these flaws, this represented the absolute limit of his twenty years of countless attempts, and he had believed this skill sufficient to dominate the world. To be forced to use it for mere survival against He Yiming filled him with a terror beyond description.

Though He Yiming’s counterattack had failed to land, his sensory perception was extraordinary.

He felt that Lu Xinwen’s aura had grown even more depleted. As one’s strength wanes, the other rises; missing this opportunity, who knew if a second would ever present itself?

His shoulders twitched suddenly, and the muscles along his back sprang taut. The thick rattan binding his shoulders and back instantly snapped, sending strips of cloth, each over a meter long, flying free.

Through skillful manipulation of True Qi, the three sections of the Great Guandao seemed to sprout wings and soar over his head.

He Yiming’s steps never faltered. He raised both hands, maneuvering them strangely in mid-air, completing the assembly of the terrifying Great Guandao.

He took a step, lunging directly behind Lu Xinwen, while the Great Guandao sliced through the air, emitting a strange, heaven-shaking cry as it swept toward Lu Xinwen indiscriminately.

This seemingly casual strike concealed a mysterious, profound power that defied easy comprehension.

The first form of the Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting was perfectly manifested through the Great Guandao.

Lu Xinwen’s pupils constricted; a flicker of true fear finally surfaced in his heart.

From this weapon, nearly four meters long, he smelled the scent of imminent death—a sensation he hadn't experienced since achieving the Innate Realm.

He instantly understood that the Great Guandao He Yiming wielded possessed the capacity to end his life.

In that moment, any thought of slaying He Yiming and his companions vanished. To him, He Yiming had become a nightmare, instilling terror beyond measure.

Stamping his feet hard, Lu Xinwen’s body surged upward, executing a sharp turn, surprisingly lunging toward He Quanxin and the others.

This sudden maneuver was not only unforeseen by He Yiming but by everyone present.

For someone of Lu Xinwen’s stature to flee mid-fight against an Innate expert and direct his path toward his opponent's family members was clearly an attempt to seize hostages.

That a mere Innate expert would commit such an act, doing so brazenly under the eyes of all observers, utterly exceeded everyone’s expectations, including He Quanxin’s ability to react in time.

He Yiming grew desperate, letting out a fierce roar. He slashed down with a strike like a thunderclap from a clear sky, while simultaneously driving his legs, his entire form blurring into a streak of light, reaching He Quanxin in the shortest time via the shortest distance.

However, upon arriving beside He Quanxin, He Yiming knew something was amiss.

Lu Xinwen, having deftly evaded the blade in mid-air, instantly pulled clear of the blade's path, darting away like a nimble cat.

He Yiming immediately understood: Lu Xinwen had no intention of taking hostages. He was merely using this tactic to break the entanglement of the Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting.

In an instant, He Yiming realized Lu Xinwen had resolved to retreat; otherwise, he would never have sacrificed his dignity for such a move.

With this realization, He Yiming’s heart swelled with an overwhelming confidence, almost capable of swallowing the sun and moon.

An Innate expert chose to flee from his hands. Moreover, this expert bore a deadly grudge for murdering his disciple. Yet, even so, Lu Xinwen dared not stand against him.

This fact acted as an immediate stimulant, driving his spirit to an absolute peak of exhilaration.

His hands shook, and immense True Qi surged into the Great Guandao. At this moment, he held nothing back.

Spurred by supreme confidence, the Five Element techniques ignited, their forces mutually reinforcing, instantly sparking immense power.

A blade radiance suddenly appeared along the Great Guandao, its pale golden light flickering, retracting and extending like the flickering tongue of a venomous snake, too brilliant to look upon directly.

He Yiming roared, swinging the Great Guandao. The blade radiance shot out like a meteor chasing the moon.

Time seemed to freeze in that instant.

Time had not truly stopped; rather, the speed of the blade radiance was so fast that it seemed capable of tearing space and disregarding distance.

After clearing the Great Guandao's reach, Lu Xinwen moved like lightning to Fan Haori's side, grabbing him and fleeing into the distance like a meteor chasing the moon.

Fan Shuhe was dead; leaving Fan Haori behind would mean entrusting his life to the conscience of Yuan Chengzhi and the others.

And Lu Xinwen, for reasons unknown, reached out and pulled Fan Haori along as he departed, seemingly intending to take him.

At his speed, no one could stop him. But just as he reached Fan Haori, he sensed trouble from behind.

An unprecedented, sharp sense of crisis instantly enveloped his entire being.

Without conscious thought, he swung his right hand backward.

He seemed to perceive a strange power—a force sharp, mighty, and seemingly indestructible.

He felt a lightness in his wrist. Turning his head, he saw his right hand severed cleanly through the middle, falling to the ground.

The golden blade radiance did not slow; it instantly struck his body.

A strange, fleeting blue tint crossed Lu Xinwen’s face. The blade radiance sliced through him and instantly vanished.

As everyone watched dumbfounded, Lu Xinwen leaped up as if unharmed. His left hand clutched Fan Haori, and he vaulted over the perimeter wall like a streaking comet, disappearing without a trace in an instant.

On the ground where he had stood, a severed hand remained. The only oddity was that, besides the blood oozing from the stump, there were no other bloodstains on the ground, as if Lu Xinwen’s body contained no blood to spill.

Ps: It was confirmed the day before yesterday that from the 21st of this month through the 25th, due to private family matters, Bai He must travel out of town. Therefore, I truly cannot attend the Q group chat next Tuesday evening. I ask the friends in the group to forgive me.

However, rest assured, Bai He promises two days of heavy updates next week. The bonus chapter scheduled for the early morning of Monday the 22nd remains unchanged.

Thanks to Qidian’s pre-release function; this is definitely the most user-friendly reform Bai He has seen since starting to write. ^_^