The voice drifted from afar, and the figure rushing toward them drew near with urgency.

He Wude's form shifted, and he shot out like a flying arrow, shouting loudly, "Senior Brother Wu Jin, your little brother has returned."

He Laibao was only a fraction slower than He Wude, leaving the pavilion immediately after, though he intentionally lagged a few steps behind.

He Yiming scratched his scalp. His grandfather, usually so steadfast and bearing the steady impression of a great mountain, suddenly revealing such an aspect truly caught him off guard.

Or perhaps, given He Yiming's current age, it was genuinely difficult for him to fathom He Wude's feelings—the sensation of wandering abroad for a full forty years only to finally return to the place of his birth was something the current He Yiming could not truly comprehend.

Yet, He Yiming could at least recognize his grandfather's agitation. So, he gently pulled Yuan Lixun, and the two walked forward at an unhurried pace, leaving the elders time for their reunion.

Whether it was He Wude or the old man descending the mountain, both were peak masters of the Tenth Layer of Inner Strength. While their speed couldn't match He Yiming's extravagance, they were by no means slow.

In just a few leaps, they came together. After exchanging a glance, their two large hands firmly grasped each other.

The one descending from the mountain was also an elder, but in He Yiming's eyes, his grandfather’s face, etched with the vicissitudes of time, appeared significantly older than the other man's.

"Junior Brother, it truly is you." He Wujin sighed deeply. "It has been over forty years. If you hadn't announced yourself, I never would have dared to recognize you."

He Wude also sighed, "Senior Brother, you have aged too."

"After so many years apart, and I'm not the Honored Master, of course I've aged," He Wujin chuckled.

He Wude’s expression immediately turned serious. "Senior Brother, is the Honored Master well?"

"The Honored Master's health remains as robust as ever, though his temper has been rather foul lately."

He Wude’s expression instantly tightened. "What has upset the old man?"

He Wujin shook his head slightly. "I don't know, it's just…" He paused, then stopped as if about to speak.

He Wude suddenly realized: he had, after all, been expelled from the Hengshan lineage. If this concerned vital secrets, then under no circumstances would he be allowed to know.

Lowering his head deeply, He Wude said, "Senior Brother, I was expelled from the sect in the past, and I nearly implicated the Master and you. I am truly ashamed."

He Wujin waved his hand. "So many years have passed; why bring that up? That incident was not solely your responsibility. If I, your elder brother, had reviewed it more carefully, no mistake would have occurred."

The look of guilt on He Wude's face gradually receded. He straightened his chest. "Senior Brother, ever since I left Hengshan, I have dreamt day and night of returning to the sect. Now, after more than forty years, I finally possess the qualification." His voice was quite emotional, and his eyes shone brilliantly.

"Indeed, forty years. This news has finally reached your ears; that was not easy," He Wujin nodded slightly, looking pleased. "Junior Brother, precisely who informed you of this?" His gaze swept past He Wude and He Laibao, resting on He Yiming and Yuan Lixun. "It must have been these two youngsters, right?"

He Wude and He Laibao exchanged glances. They suddenly realized that after forty years apart, their Senior Brother's words seemed to have become profound and enigmatic, their meaning utterly inscrutable to them.

Seeing the expressions on the two elders' faces, He Wujin burst into laughter. "Junior Brother, Laibao, you two have been down the mountain for so many years. Where has your youthful vigor gone? They are merely a few Limit Golden Pills. Even if you couldn't produce them, could they truly pose a challenge to the Master?" He lifted his chin, his face instantly filling with imposing pride. "Two young friends, thank you for conveying this news to my Junior Brother. My Master has long prepared the reward of ten Limit Golden Pills; you may take them back to your family anytime."

He Yiming blinked twice. To be honest, he greatly desired those ten Limit Golden Pills.

Although he had no immediate use for them, his father, his uncles, and the whole pile of his siblings—which one of them didn't need them?

However, glancing at his grandfather's doubtful face, he forcibly suppressed the idea.

Bowing slightly, he and Yuan Lixun spoke in unison, "He Yiming (Yuan Lixun) pays respects to the Senior."

He Wujin nodded slightly, then paused abruptly. "What did you say your name was?"

"This humble one is He Yiming, accompanying my ancestor to Hengshan," He Yiming replied unhurriedly.

He Wujin's eyes widened, and he turned to ask, "Junior Brother, is this your grandson?"

"Yes, precisely my grandson," He Wude replied. "Yiming, what 'Senior' and 'Junior'? You and Lixun should address him as Great Elder Uncle."

He Yiming acknowledged the instruction and bowed deeply to He Wujin. "Greetings, Great Elder Uncle."

Yuan Lixun, however, knelt on the ground, kowtowed three times, and murmured softly, "Greetings, Great Elder Uncle."

He Wujin paused slightly, looking astonished at He Yiming. According to custom, at their first meeting, He Yiming should have performed the full kneeling ritual like Yuan Lixun. But now, He Yiming had merely offered a simple bow.

Yet, regarding this breach of etiquette, both He Wude and He Laibao nearby seemed to accept it as natural. Though the elder felt a touch of displeasure, the joy of reuniting with his brother after so many years immediately washed away that minor annoyance.

"Senior Brother, when will the Master be out of seclusion?" He Wude asked with concern.

He Wujin gave a wry smile. "You followed the Master for so long; surely you know his temperament? If the elixir is successful, he will emerge naturally. If something intervenes midway, unless it's an unsolvable major crisis, he will absolutely not come out." He paused. "However, your return this time is a great cause for celebration for the old man. If I go and summon him, I certainly won't be blamed."

He Wude quickly waved his hand. "Absolutely not. I will wait here until the Master concludes his seclusion."

He Wujin raised his eyebrows. "Refusing to summon him is fine, but waiting here is absolutely not permitted. Return with me to Spirit Medicine Peak. See what changes have occurred since you left."

He Wude replied shamefacedly, "Senior Brother, have you forgotten? I am still an expelled disciple and cannot enter the mountain."

He Wujin was first stunned, then burst into laughter. "Junior Brother, I originally thought you knew of this matter and that's why you came up the mountain. It turns out you are still unaware!"

"Senior Brother, what exactly happened?" He Wude asked, puzzled.

He Wujin looked at him deeply. "Ten years after you left Hengshan, the Master successfully refined the Origin Nurturing Pill."

He Wude exclaimed in shock, "The Origin Nurturing Pill? The Master really managed to refine it?"

"That's right. Although it was only one furnace of five pills, it was already an extraordinary achievement," He Wujin said proudly.

He Wude nodded heavily. "The Master's lifelong immersion in the way of elixirs has indeed yielded rich rewards."

He Wujin suddenly dropped his smile and said seriously, "The Grand Elder personally intervened and allowed the Master to name any condition for his reward. Do you know what condition the Master proposed?"

The two elders exchanged glances, a vague understanding dawning in their minds, yet they slowly shook their heads.

He Wujin stated solemnly, "The request the Master put forth back then was to allow you to return to the sect."

Crack.

He Wude’s jaw clenched, making a distinct, crisp sound. His fists were unconsciously balled up. A moment later, he raised his hand and scrubbed his face roughly with his sleeve, awkwardly saying, "The mountain wind is too strong; it's making my eyes water."

He Wujin nodded slightly, fully understanding his junior brother’s state of mind, and sighed. "It's a pity. Although the Grand Elder agreed to the condition, after several trips down the mountain, the Master and I could not find any trace of you." He paused. "Didn't you always yearn for the Kai Rong Kingdom back then? We searched Kai Rong several times and left messages with several major families, hoping they would help search. If you had been found, the Master would have rewarded them with ten Limit Golden Pills."

He Yiming thought to himself: What a grand gesture. Truly worthy of one of the three Great Elders of the Hengshan lineage. But this also shows how genuinely the Medicine Daoist treated his grandfather.

He Wude offered a helpless, bitter smile. "I am ashamed. Although I spent a year in the Kai Rong Kingdom, it was a land where dragons and tigers lay hidden. The three great powers were not places a man with only the Ninth Layer of Inner Strength like myself could establish himself back then. So, I traveled elsewhere and settled down in Taicang County, Tianluo Kingdom. If I had known, alas…"

He shook his head with a sigh, clearly filled with regret.

He Yiming frowned slightly. "Grandfather, although you missed that opportunity, a loss often hides a blessing. Even at your age, in Taicang County, didn't you build a significant foundation from nothing?"

He Wujin's expression did not change, but inwardly, he was somewhat displeased. This young man not only spoke casually while the elders were talking but also offered unwarranted commentary. If he were his own grandson, he would have been slapped long ago.

Unexpectedly, after hearing He Yiming's words, He Wude's spirits immediately lifted. "That's right. Where there is gain, there is loss. At my age, I actually forgot such a saying." He puffed out his chest. "Senior Brother, even though I didn't hear that news, I have come up the mountain today openly with my grandson, precisely for the purpose of returning to the sect."

He Wujin looked at him in surprise, a flicker of suspicion crossing his face. "Junior Brother, when you left back then, the Grand Elder stated that you could not return to the mountain unless you could acquire a five-hundred-year Spirit Beast Inner Elixir, or introduce a Grandmaster of the Innate Realm to serve as an elder for our sect." His eyes suddenly brightened. "Did you perhaps find the Inner Elixir?"

He Wude roared with laughter. "Correct! Senior Brother, not only did I find a five-hundred-year Spirit Beast Inner Elixir, but I have also brought in an Innate Grandmaster for our sect."

He Wujin’s eyes immediately lit up, filled with ecstatic delight. "Junior Brother, who is this senior you have brought? Does he have any ties to our Hengshan lineage? Can he be trusted?"

He Wude nodded firmly. "Certainly. This person has deep ties with our Hengshan lineage, and he is someone intimately close to this junior brother. He is completely trustworthy."

He Wujin looked up, his gaze sweeping over the others toward the mountain foot, muttering, "Where is this Grandmaster? When will he arrive at Hengshan?"

He Wude coughed lightly. "Senior Brother, he is already here."

"Here?" He Wujin froze. With an incredulous look, his eyes circled the four of them, and suddenly, he seemed to grasp the situation. He exclaimed with mingled surprise and joy, "Junior Brother, have you advanced to the Innate Realm?"

He Wude immediately opened his mouth wide. He thought: I dream of it, but that's impossible.

With a slight cough, He Wude shook his head. "Senior Brother, it wasn't me."

He Wujin raised his eyebrows, shifting his gaze to He Laibao. Suddenly, he executed a deep bow. "Mr. Laibao, so it is you who has broken through to the Innate Realm. Congratulations!"

He Laibao repeatedly waved his hands. "Grand Elder Wu Jin is joking. With this old slave's meager aptitude, how could I possibly reach the Innate Realm?"

He Wujin was silent for a long time before finally seeming to recall something. His gaze moved to He Yiming and Yuan Lixun, his expression now extremely strange.

Moments later, he murmured, "Junior Brother, the Innate Grandmaster you mentioned... couldn't it be..."

He Wude straightened his chest. "Senior Brother, Yiming is my grandson. He possesses exceptional talent. Although young, he is indeed already a Grandmaster of the Innate Realm."

He Wujin's eyes widened. He opened his mouth, but surprisingly, he could no longer utter a word.

He Yiming smiled slightly, still bowing deeply, about to speak, when he saw He Wujin jump away rapidly, like a monkey startled by a hot coal. With his cultivation at the Tenth Layer of Inner Strength, he somehow appeared caught off guard and utterly discomposed. He made it explicitly clear that he dared not accept a bow from He Yiming any longer.

Only now did He Wujin fully understand why this young man had appeared so arrogant and rude, and why He Wude had simply ignored it. It turned out he was an Innate Grandmaster, a peerless expert qualified to become an elder within the Hengshan lineage.

Given his status, a simple bow was already an extremely solemn courtesy.

In an instant, the slight dissatisfaction He Wujin had felt earlier vanished completely, leaving no trace behind…

In this mountain range enveloped in mist and clouds, there were more than ten towering peaks that pierced the sky. These peaks were all steep, precipitous, majestic, and magnificent, which is why the people inhabiting this area called the place Hengshan (Horizontal Mountain).

Although Spirit Medicine Peak was not the tallest among these dozen or so peaks, it was undoubtedly the most marvelous.

At the foot of the rear slope was a natural depression containing a flat area spanning nearly twenty mu.

For some unknown reason, the climate here was peculiar, an almost perpetually spring-like, constant-temperature haven. More importantly, a strange, unidentified flower grew here. This flower released a special scent that repelled all harmful insects.

Within the entire Hengshan range, although Spirit Medicine Peak was not the main peak, and the Grand Elder did not reside there, it was undeniably the second most vital location after the main peak.

Although He Yiming had not visited the medicinal garden, even an idiot knew that after three thousand years of tending, it must be a treasure trove containing countless rare medicinal materials.

No wonder He Wude had said it was difficult to gather the auxiliary ingredients needed to refine Innate Golden Pills anywhere else.

They had been on Spirit Medicine Peak for five days.

The importance of He Wude bringing back two five-hundred-year Spirit Beast Inner Elixirs and an Innate Grandmaster was so great that He Wujin dared not delay; he immediately went to Medicine Daoist's cave dwelling to summon him.

But to everyone's surprise, after knocking this time, it was as if the sound had sunk into the sea; there was absolutely no response from within.

Although He Wujin and the others were extremely anxious, ultimately, no one dared to act recklessly and break down the door.

Although He Wude was deeply worried and wanted to take responsibility, He Wujin stopped him. Seeing that his senior brother seemed to have something he couldn't easily speak about, He Wude suddenly seemed to recall something himself and immediately subsided, bringing the matter up no more.

It was as if the two brothers weren't worried that something might go wrong inside, a fact that made He Yiming marvel.

After arranging food and lodging for everyone, He Wujin informed them about the situation on the mountain.

Ten years prior, for unknown reasons, the Grand Elder convened a meeting with the three Elders. Following this, except for Medicine Daoist remaining at Hengshan, the other Elders and the majority of peak experts at the Tenth Layer of Inner Strength departed the mountain; even the Grand Elder was no exception.

No one knew the purpose of their departure, but because most of the top experts were gone, Hengshan became outwardly relaxed yet internally tense, and security became increasingly strict.

When He Wude and the others ascended the mountain, they encountered Zi Bowen. When the young man heard they wished to see Medicine Daoist, he immediately adopted a look of high alert. This was not without reason; since the mountain's strong cultivators had left en masse, they naturally dared not be negligent in any way.

Understanding all this, they settled down peacefully on Spirit Medicine Peak, waiting for Medicine Daoist to emerge from seclusion on his own, or for one of the Elders to suddenly return.

As for the Spirit Beast Inner Elixirs and the fact that He Yiming was an Innate Grandmaster, this information was similarly not publicized. As of now, it seemed only He Wujin knew.

One day, He Yiming finished his studies for the day. He looked at Yuan Lixun, who had also finished her practice beside him, felt a stirring in his heart, took off a white bundle around his neck, and handed it to her. "Lixun, when you practice in the future, take this out and place it above your Dantian. It might be helpful."

Inside the bundle was the thumb-sized piece he had chipped off that large white stone.

After several days of experimentation, he found that this object seemed to offer little help during his own cultivation, but it also didn't cause much harm to his body, which is why he thought of giving it to Yuan Lixun to use.

Under the light radiated by this object, one could feel invigorated, which naturally would be of great help in converting Inner Strength. However, this small piece—he wondered how much effect it would ultimately have.

Yuan Lixun obediently took the item, but after hesitating for a while, she finally said, "Young Master, perhaps you should keep it."

He Yiming asked, surprised, "Why?"

Yuan Lixun whispered, "Young Master, when I hold this object, my heart cannot settle, and I find it impossible to cultivate."

He Yiming found this extremely strange. After carefully questioning and observing for a long time, he gained nothing. He reluctantly took the object back, unsure whether it was a psychological issue on Yuan Lixun’s part or if the stone truly wasn't suitable for those cultivating the Houtian realm.

Smiling and chatting with her for a few moments, his expression suddenly changed. His ears twitched rapidly a few times. "Lixun, I'm going out to check. Don't leave easily."

Yuan Lixun had just agreed when He Yiming opened the door and left immediately. His speed was extreme; he didn't even disturb He Wude, who was living next door.

After leaving the room, He Yiming's figure transformed into a swift gust of wind. After making a turn, he was already a hundred meters away.

Just in that instant, he had heard an extremely faint sound of footsteps.

On Spirit Medicine Peak, although the population wasn't large, people were constantly moving nearby, creating the sound of footfalls—that was natural.

But this particular set of footsteps was so light, so ethereal, that it was almost nonexistent.

Even though he possessed the Divine Ability of 'Wind-Listening Ears,' in that moment, he still couldn't be certain. Only when he truly pushed this ability to its limit did he finally confirm it. It was the sound of one person moving forward, and judging by his direction, he seemed to be heading toward the summit.

He Wude had mentioned that at the peak was a cave dwelling that took decades to construct.

That was where Medicine Daoist was in seclusion refining elixirs, the most critical place on Spirit Medicine Peak.

Even when He Wujin knocked a few days ago, only he went; He Wude and the others waited for news in the lodgings halfway up the mountain.

But now, such a profound and unfathomable figure was sneaking toward the summit. If He Yiming hadn't noticed, so be it, but since he had detected it, he certainly couldn't stand by idly.

Though that man’s light-body technique was truly formidable, his movements flowing like water between steps, he was instantly distanced. By comparison, He Yiming’s speed was even more terrifying; in the span of just a few breaths, he had already drastically closed the gap between them.

The man abruptly halted. He Yiming knew this was because the pursuer had sensed the aura he hadn't bothered to conceal.

A chill ran through He Yiming; this person was indeed a master of the Innate Realm.

He had controlled the eruption of his aura to a precise degree; anyone below the Innate Realm, who hadn't yet synchronized with the energy of heaven and earth, would never have detected it.

However, fear was absent from his heart; instead, a powerful fighting spirit surged forth. Perhaps the only regret was that his Great Guandao was not in his hands, otherwise, even two experts like Cheng Fu facing him would only end up sliced into four pieces by a single stroke.

Nevertheless, even without the Great Guandao, He Yiming remained brimming with confidence.

Wind, rain, clouds, mist, rolling stones splitting mountains—the Innate techniques he had mastered had reached an apex of power. Even facing another Innate Master empty-handed, he possessed the absolute certainty to fight and win.

His figure moved like flowing clouds and dissipating mist, utterly impossible to pin down.

The moment he stopped, the anomalies surrounding him vanished entirely, and he finally stood face-to-face with the other man.

In that instant, the expressions of both Innate powerhouses shifted slightly, their eyes simultaneously revealing intense, unbelievable gazes...

Ps; Updating a chapter past midnight. Asking brothers for monthly tickets and this week's recommendation votes. Thank you ^_^