His gaze drifted down to his own hands. He Yi Ming now understood that whatever this object was, it certainly wasn't Holy Water, but it must be a treasure far rarer.
Feeling the potent chill emanating from the jade vial, He Yi Ming was still deeply shaken. The sheer power of this energy far exceeded his imagination; it could freeze a formidable Xiantian master in place.
From any angle, this force seemed to surpass the basic power of the Five Elements. If it weren't for his unique constitution, which instantly absorbed this power when it contacted the Zhenqi in his Dantian, granting him the immediate ability to convert his Zhenqi into this elemental force, this very spot would have been his grave today.
Taking a deep breath, he once again felt immense gratitude for the strange encounter at the bottom of the lake that day, and his curiosity about it only deepened. However, with his current knowledge, he simply couldn't fathom the reason behind it.
After a moment of consideration, he pushed the perplexing matter aside. Then, composing himself and stilling his breath, he focused his attention inward.
His internal Zhenqi surged like a tidal wave. He stretched out his hands, and as his arms extended, the surrounding environment underwent a bizarre transformation.
Centered on the spot where he stood, a thick, white mist and frost began to spread rapidly. A faint glimmer of excitement sparked in He Yi Ming’s eyes as he felt all the Zhenqi within him undergoing this miraculous conversion, deeply immersed in the exquisite sensation.
He didn't know how long he remained there, finally rousing himself from this state that bordered on ecstasy, only to realize that, without noticing, his internal Zhenqi was nearly depleted. However, glancing around, He Yi Ming gasped in shock.
That ethereal frost had expanded nearly fifty meters outward, transforming the area into a strange, white expanse resembling a world of ice and snow. His expression shifted slightly.
He ceased emitting the Zhenqi, firmly suppressing the power within him. After a moment of hesitation, He Yi Ming set down the green jade vial.
He looked at Luo Mi Ya, who was now a perfect ice sculpture, and his gaze fell upon the glove on Luo Mi Ya’s hand, sparking a sudden realization. Tearing off a strip of cloth from his own garments, He Yi Ming wrapped the jade vial.
A flicker of joy crossed his eyes. Indeed, when the green jade vial was no longer in direct contact with his skin, the bone-chilling cold vanished.
He carefully wrapped the green vial several times over, until he himself could no longer discern its contents, before tucking it into his robes. Though he could now wield the power without suffering ill effects, he remained meticulous in his movements.
This object was far too dangerous; even a Xiantian master would suffer greatly if careless. If an Houtian cultivator like his grandfather or Yuan Li Xun touched it, their very lives would be under severe threat.
Approaching the ice sculpture, He Yi Ming gently touched it. Luo Mi Ya was frozen solid, a true ice man, and the look of disbelief captured in his eyes was rendered with startling accuracy.
He shook his head slightly and fiddled with the ice sculpture for a moment. A slight warmth radiated from He Yi Ming’s hands as his Innate Blazing Fire Art slowly began to thaw the ice.
Naturally, He Yi Ming only thawed the clothes on Luo Mi Ya’s body before stopping. Searching the corpse, He Yi Ming discovered a stone bottle, slightly larger than the green jade vial.
Opening it, he found it contained a clear, colorless liquid. An ordinary person might not recognize it, but He Yi Ming could sense the immense life force contained within.
The power was formidable, reaching an exceptionally high level; perhaps even an Essence Golden Core might not surpass it. A thought stirred in his heart, and he instantly knew this must be the Holy Water Luo Mi Ya had mentioned.
Gently pouring out a single drop, He Yi Ming tasted it. The drop of Holy Water entered his mouth, tasting of nothing, but as he swallowed it, a wave of coolness rose from his Dantian and surged wildly into his mind.
The next moment, He Yi Ming felt refreshed and invigorated, as if he had just consumed a supreme tonic. Regrettably, however, the Zhenqi he had just expended was not replenished in the slightest; he still had to rely on continuously absorbing external Zhenqi to slowly recover.
He set the bottle down with a slight look of disappointment. Perhaps this thing was extremely useful for others, but in terms of effect, it was far inferior to the aid provided by the small white stone.
After being separated from the large boulder, the white stone could still rapidly absorb the ambient energy of heaven and earth, converting it into Zhenqi that allowed him to recover, and even restoring his vitality simultaneously. Its power was far beyond what the Holy Water could rival.
Thus, he paid the Holy Water little mind. Casually stowing the Holy Water away, He Yi Ming successfully located a Xiantian Golden Core on the corpse, just as he hoped.
He gazed at the round bead, which scattered brilliant streams of light in his hand, feeling quite contemplative. It was likely because of this object that the three of them, including Luo Mi Ya, had relentlessly pursued Yu Xi Chen, only to fail in the end and lose their lives in the process.
Securing the internal core, He Yi Ming blasted a large pit into the ground with a punch, then placed Luo Mi Ya’s body inside and filled the earth back in. Waving his hand in the air twice, the Great Halberd obediently returned to his grasp.
He Yi Ming spun, departing like a phantom, leaving behind only land that seemed to have been scourged by a cold current. ※※※※ Running through the jungle, it took He Yi Ming three full days to return to Mount Heng.
Yet, this speed satisfied him immensely. When chasing Luo Mi Ya, heaven knew how many circles he had spun in the dense woods.
Being able to return smoothly so quickly was a cause for his own intense relief. Just as he reached the foot of the mountain, he spotted Zi Bo Wan and several other Mount Heng disciples at the seventh or eighth layers of Neijin.
They were stationed openly and covertly along the mountain path. The moment they saw He Yi Ming, Zi Bo Wan hurried forward, saying, “Elder He, you have finally returned.” He Yi Ming nodded slightly toward him, observing their fully alert posture, and asked, “What happened on the mountain?” Zi Bo Wan bowed.
“Reporting to Elder He, Elder Yu of the Main Peak has returned, but he is severely injured, and the culprits have not all been eliminated. Therefore, the Grand Ancestor has ordered the entire mountain to be on high alert.” He Yi Ming felt a surge of suspicion.
Had Yu Jing Lei actually lost the other man? However, that man’s movement technique didn't seem particularly brilliant; it couldn't compare to Luo Mi Ya’s at all.
With a noncommittal reply, He Yi Ming shot toward the Main Peak like a meteor chasing the moon, vanishing instantly from the mountain path. Zi Bo Wan looked up as he left, filled with emotion.
The first time he met He Yi Ming, he never would have believed that this man, several years younger than himself, had already reached the Xiantian realm. Even now, every time he caught sight of He Yi Ming from a distance, he experienced a similar feeling.
Suddenly, another person approached his side and asked quietly, “Senior Brother Zi, is this the new Elder He from Spirit Medicine Peak?” Zi Bo Wan looked up. “That’s right, he is our new Elder He of Mount Heng.” “I heard that Elder He is as young in age as he appears, Senior Brother Zi.
Is that true?” the person asked, full of curiosity. Zi Bo Wan’s gaze shifted, and he immediately noticed that he wasn't the only one with such an expression; the others looked the same way.
His expression darkened slightly, and he said sternly, “Is Elder He’s business something we are permitted to discuss? Watch your mouths and do not meddle.” Zi Bo Wan held significant sway in the minds of these disciples, and once he put on a serious face, their curiosity was immediately quelled.
They responded submissively, but as they looked toward the Main Peak, a certain unspoken sentiment lingered in their eyes. He Yi Ming’s speed was incredible; in no time, he arrived at the Main Peak.
Although he resided on Spirit Medicine Peak, he was a frequent visitor to the Main Peak. He usually spent his days reading in the Main Peak Library and learning the Great Shen script from Yuan Li Xun, so he was very familiar with the architecture.
His ears twitched twice while running—the tremors were slight, but the information gathered was astonishing to him. On the Main Peak, he "heard" four powerful presences.
The three Xiantian Elders of the Mount Heng lineage, along with the Grand Elder Yu Jing Lei, were all present. Of course, besides them, He Yi Ming also heard an extremely familiar voice—that of his grandfather, He Wu De.
Given He Wu De’s status, he naturally couldn't be compared to the four of them, but due to He Yi Ming’s relationship, his elder was certainly far beyond the other Neijin tenth-layer disciples of Mount Heng, so his presence there was not strange. However, sensing they were all gathered together made He Yi Ming even more surprised.
Could it be that Yu Jing Lei truly failed to keep the other person behind? With a slight movement, he headed toward the residence of Yu Jing Lei.
As he drew near, the four auras inside erupted intensely. Then, Yu Jing Lei and the others leaped out one after another within the span of a single breath.
Seeing the undisguised mix of surprise and relief on their faces, He Yi Ming asked suspiciously, “Martial Uncle, Grandfather, what is wrong?” He Wu De scrutinized him up and down, finally letting out a sigh of relief. “Yi Ming, it is a relief that you have returned safely.” Daoist Yao shook his head slightly, his tone laced with slight reproach.
“Elder He, your absence lasted nearly four days; it kept us old fellows worried sick.” Yu Jing Lei also sighed softly. “Indeed.
I regret not stopping you from pursuing that person alone. If you hadn't returned unharmed, I would be the great sinner of Mount Heng.” Only then did He Yi Ming realize that they had gathered because they were worried about his safety; even the heavily guarded situation at the foot of the mountain was likely due to this.
Nodding gratefully toward everyone, He Yi Ming said, “I apologize for causing the Elders concern; it was indeed my failing.” He then gave a wry smile. “The person I pursued was named Luo Mi Ya; his movement technique was formidable.
I chased him for a full day before finally catching up. However, I took a few wrong turns on the way back, which caused the delay of several days.” The Elders suddenly understood.
In the dense forest, finding the way back along the original route was by no means an easy task. For people moving at their speed, a full day of full-power exertion was extraordinary.
Even a seasoned veteran could easily get lost, let alone He Yi Ming, who was only seventeen. He Yi Ming’s eyes shifted, and he asked, “Martial Uncle, did the other person escape?” Yu Jing Lei smiled proudly.
“If he could escape from my grasp, then I would be unworthy of the name Yi Xian Tian.” He Yi Ming nodded slightly. With that settled, the trio had truly been wiped out entirely.
Yu Xi Chen stepped forward and bowed deeply to He Yi Ming. “Elder He, thank you for saving my life.” He Yi Ming quickly stepped aside.
“Elder Yu, what are you doing?” Yu Xi Chen said sincerely, “The last time we met, I was besieged by those three and was already at my limit. If Elder He had arrived a moment later, I likely wouldn't have held on.” He Yi Ming offered a few modest remarks before finally voicing the question on his mind.
“Elder Yu, how did you come into conflict with them? They do not seem to be from our Northwestern Principalities.” Yu Xi Chen sighed.
“On this trip away from the mountain, deep within the Northwestern Mountain Range, I stumbled upon two Spirit Beasts of the Xiantian realm. I was overjoyed.
But these two beasts shared their territory and never separated for an instant. I fought them once and nearly lost my life.” As he said this, his expression was exceptionally grave, clearly indicating that the power of those two beasts had left a profound impression on him.
He paused, then continued, “I originally planned to invite Martial Uncle to accompany me upon my return. But at that moment, those three suddenly appeared.
They joined forces to kill the two spirit beasts and dug out their Xiantian Golden Cores.” He scoffed in anger. “I discovered those two beasts first, yet they tried to interfere.
How could I concede? So, I hid in the shadows, waiting for a chance to seize one of the Xiantian Golden Cores.
Unexpectedly, they eventually discovered me and chased me all the way here.” A flicker moved through He Yi Ming’s heart. He couldn't help but smile wryly.
It turned out Luo Mi Ya hadn’t lied; the one who truly stole the core was not the three of them, but Yu Xi Chen. If he were in the other’s shoes, if the core he worked so hard to obtain was stolen, he absolutely wouldn't let it go.
It was just that Luo Mi Ya and his companions were unlucky; not only did they fail to kill Yu Xi Chen, but they ran into the Mount Heng Elders and met their demise. “Elder Yu, so that core originally belonged to them?” He Yi Ming asked in a deep voice.
Yu Xi Chen chuckled dryly. “Elder He, treasures of heaven and earth belong to those destined to have them.
Since those three are dead, they were clearly not the destined ones.” He Yi Ming glanced at the faces of Yu Jing Lei and the others. They all looked placid, seemingly having no objection to Yu Xi Chen’s actions.
As for killing the three outsiders, they considered it entirely justified. He sighed internally.
During the time he had been with these figures, they had shown him great warmth, but that was only because he had joined the Mount Heng lineage. If not for that, he suspected that in their eyes, he would be no different from Luo Mi Ya and the others.
Daoist Yao suddenly stepped forward. “Elder He, did you kill that person?” He Yi Ming paused slightly, seeing the eager expectation in Daoist Yao’s eyes, and immediately understood.
He flicked his wrist, producing the Xiantian Golden Core and handing it to Daoist Yao. Although he hadn't answered Daoist Yao’s question, seeing the core in his hand, everyone naturally understood the fate of that other individual.
Daoist Yao held the core, examining it carefully for a long time. “Elder He is truly a blessing to our Mount Heng lineage.
Now we have two more cores. If the refining of Golden Cores is successful, we can stockpile them for future crises.” The Elders nodded in succession.
He Yi Ming felt a pang of doubt; did they not wish to use these two cores? However, the thought only lingered for a moment before he dismissed it.
He hesitated, ultimately deciding not to mention the green jade vial. If someone inquired, he wouldn't hide anything, but since no one seemed interested, he was happy to remain silent.
Yu Jing Lei’s expression suddenly turned serious. “Elder He, now that Xi Chen has returned, the four Elders of our Mount Heng lineage are gathered.
I have just checked the almanac; seven days from now is an auspicious date. I will open the Ancestral Hall grandly, and you and Wu De will officially join Mount Heng.
What do you think?” Before He Yi Ming could speak, He Wu De stepped forward and knelt heavily before Yu Jing Lei. “Thank you, Martial Ancestor, for this grace.” Yu Jing Lei waved his broad sleeve.
“Wu De, the fact that you cultivated Elder He and brought him back to the sect is a monumental contribution.” He hesitated for a moment. “I, Xi Chen, Lian Yi, and Daoist Yao have discussed it.
We will reward you with one Essence Augmentation Pill.” He Wu De froze, his eyes instantly revealing ecstatic joy. “Thank you, Martial Ancestor.” A moment later, He Wu De and his grandson took their leave of the Elders and returned to Spirit Medicine Peak.
He Yi Ming naturally knew He Wu De’s desire of more than forty years. Now, not only could he return to the sect, but he would do so through the grand ceremony of opening the Ancestral Hall; this naturally filled him with overwhelming emotion.
Sensing his grandfather’s excitement, He Yi Ming changed the subject and asked, “Grandfather, what exactly is an Essence Augmentation Pill?” “The Essence Augmentation Pill is a formula my Master found in an ancient text. We spent decades preparing and have only managed to refine five in total,” He Wu De whispered.
“The function of this pill is to extend one’s lifespan; consuming one is enough to add twenty years to life. But regrettably, each person can only take one in their lifetime; taking more is useless.” He Yi Ming was greatly astonished.
Such a miraculous pill actually existed! Compared to it, even the value of the Youth Retention Pill paled in comparison.
He Wu De’s face became solemn. “Besides the few Elders, only Martial Brother Wu Jin and I know the full effects of this pill.
Keep it strictly in your heart and never let it leak out, or it will bring endless disaster upon Mount Heng…” Ps: I installed Office 2007 today, and the difference from 2003 is huge; I can't figure it out, ugh!