Upon hearing He Yiming's question, which seemed laced with a thread of alarm, the eyes of the humanoid statue, shimmering with an unusual light, suddenly blazed to life...

This time, the impact on He Yiming was even more profound.

For innate masters, when they condense their Zhenqi to their eyes, or when their entire Zhenqi surges to its zenith, their eyes naturally begin to glow.

But no matter how powerful these innate masters were, no matter how bright their eyes became, they could never reach the preposterous intensity seen in this statue.

Those two orbs were shining as brightly as twin miniature suns.

The tranquility He Yiming had just managed to regain was once again shattered. If he could still barely compose himself a moment ago, now, at this very instant, he found it utterly impossible to remain calm.

His "Wind-Following Ears" technique had reached an extremely high level, yet in front of him, he still could not hear a single sound from this 'person.'

No heartbeat, no sound of flowing blood, he couldn't even perceive the man's body temperature.

Such a state could never exist in a normal "person."

Even if this individual’s martial cultivation surpassed He Yiming’s, it wouldn't lead to such a fundamental misidentification at such close quarters.

Yet, despite possessing none of the characteristics of a living being, this humanoid statue could move its head, and its eyes could emit such incredibly powerful light.

In that instant, He Yiming’s thoughts drifted back to the colossal crystal suspended overhead when he first entered the cavern.

Perhaps only that crystal, formed of some unknown material, could generate such light.

Vaguely, He Yiming felt there must be some incomprehensible connection between the two.

With a slight shift of his stance, He Yiming retreated toward the passage entrance as fluidly as flowing water.

After experiencing such an unbelievable, uncanny event, He Yiming had completely abandoned any thought of further exploration. His sole desire now was to leave this place as quickly as possible.

Perhaps once his mind had fully settled, he might return to investigate further, but certainly not now.

However, just as his figure reached the mouth of the passage, the statue moved completely.

In the blink of an eye, He Yiming’s vision blurred—the figure was suddenly before him, extending an arm like polished marble, reaching toward his chest...

Indeed, although the arm moved with incredible speed, so fast it was dizzying, He Yiming clearly sensed no killing intent. Furthermore, he could distinctly perceive that the arm was not aiming for his chest, but for the silver ring hanging there.

A deep shock seized him, and countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

All the countless tales of ghosts and monsters he had heard in his childhood suddenly surfaced.

He Yiming had never realized his memory was so sharp; he hadn't forgotten even these long-dormant adult memories. Yet, at this moment, he felt no joy, only intense resentment that his memory was so good.

He took deep breaths, and in his dazed state, his spirit once again soared to its peak. Then, he seemed to perceive the path of the wind at the end of the tunnel.

His body vanished from where it stood, like wind disappearing without a trace, abruptly traversing the distance between two points to arrive outside the passage.

The moment He Yiming's feet touched the ground, he sprang up as if attached to hidden springs, instantly arriving beside Yuan Lixun in the adjacent stone room. Without bothering to explain, he grabbed her small hand and shot out like an arrow.

Yuan Lixun didn't understand why He Yiming had suddenly become so frantic, nor had she ever seen the strange expression in his eyes before.

It seemed to be an expression of fear.

In her memory, no matter whom He Yiming encountered, even the peerless masters of Yixiantian, he remained poised and composed, never showing the slightest sign of shrinking or fear.

But now, He Yiming exuded an astonishing aura of terror, like a startled child whose first instinct is to flee as far away as possible. The only difference was that He Yiming still remembered her, so he intended to take her with him.

Yuan Lixun grasped all this instantly, and what made her even more apprehensive was: what thing could possibly make He Yiming feel like a fleeing dog?

But she had no idea what He Yiming had encountered. If she had met such a legendary ghoul, she likely wouldn't even have the courage to run.

Suddenly, He Yiming stopped, much like a fast horse at full gallop halting instantly.

Yuan Lixun peeked from behind him, catching sight of a figure that had appeared before them without her noticing.

However, this figure gave her a profoundly unsettling feeling: its movements were subtly different from ordinary people, creating a bizarre impression, as if a wooden dummy had suddenly come to life.

Naturally, upon seeing this person, Yuan Lixun was even more astonished. Could this be the reason for He Yiming’s panic?

Her heart clenched sharply, and He Yiming calmed down. When the strange figure suddenly moved and blocked his path, leaving him with no retreat, He Yiming finally achieved complete composure.

He released the hand he was gripping tightly around Yuan Lixun and whispered, "Lixun, you go back first."

Although the stone chamber where Lü Xinwen resided wasn't perfectly safe, it was the only relatively secure place at the moment. He Yiming was acting out of sheer necessity.

Yuan Lixun responded softly and turned back without hesitation, retracing their steps.

She did not linger, understanding that if He Yiming himself couldn't handle the situation, her presence would merely be a burden.

Such a liability, during a clash between masters of the same rank, was absolutely the greatest cause for hesitation and eventual defeat or death.

Upon rushing back into the stone chamber, a look of determination flashed in Yuan Lixun's eyes. After encountering both Sima Yin and this inexplicably appearing figure blocking their way, Yuan Lixun felt deeply provoked. Involuntarily, a single tear welled in her eye.

She cried out silently in her heart, I don't want to be his burden. I don't want to drag him down. I don't want him to worry about my existence every single time...

She bit her lip, yet her mind was clouded with uncertainty.

Given her current understanding, even though she held these thoughts and vaguely sensed that if things continued this way, she would inevitably drift away from He Yiming, she had no viable solution.

Suddenly, she turned her head, her gaze locking onto the empty stone cabinet.

That cabinet had previously held several secret manuals and a Natal Golden Elixir of the innate realm.

A powerful, unprecedented feeling surged within her: she desperately wanted that Natal Golden Elixir. She yearned to advance to the innate realm.

Before following He Yiming, she had never dared to harbor such an aspiration. Even with He Yiming's help, which had rapidly advanced her internal energy cultivation, she had never imagined reaching the innate realm.

Since the whip mark scarred her face, although she dreamed of reaching the innate realm, it was mostly to restore her face to its former appearance.

But in this moment, her thinking underwent a seismic shift.

An incredibly resolute light shone in her eyes; she possessed a fierce desire stronger than any she had felt from birth until this very second.

I... must ascend to the Innate Realm!

※※※※

Outside the cave, at the mouth of the passage, He Yiming’s face was perfectly placid.

Even if the entity before him were ten times stranger, He Yiming now felt nothing but fearlessness.

Behind him stood someone for whom he was willing to sacrifice everything to protect. Before him, let alone a mere ghost-like figure of unknown origin, even if gods came to kill or Buddhas came to slay, he would show no mercy.

Inexplicably, He Yiming's blood began to boil.

His blood was hot, but his heart was cold.

A layer of white frost materialized around him. Facing such a bizarre enemy, although he was resolved to fight, he would hold nothing back in this battle.

This time, the figure did not attack rashly, likely wary of He Yiming's ethereal movement earlier. If He Yiming hadn't retreated to the other stone chamber out of concern for Yuan Lixun, even this opponent wouldn't have been able to catch up to He Yiming’s current speed.

Finally, He Yiming, locked in a standoff, initiated the attack. Once he achieved perfect calm, the confidence of an Yixiantian master naturally returned. His palm strike was direct and open, a brute-force assault relying on immense power coupled with the chilling aura resembling an icy, snowy expanse, executed with no artifice whatsoever.

The moment his palm struck out, he held a firm conviction: he could defeat any entity blocking his path with this single blow.

The figure mechanically raised one hand. It seemed utterly oblivious to the colossal power gestating within He Yiming's strike.

The two palms met head-on in mid-air.

He Yiming’s eyes immediately narrowed, revealing extreme astonishment.

Against the opponent’s palm, his Zhenqi encountered absolutely no resistance, surging into the figure's arm as if passing through empty space.

But what astonished him even more was that he detected no meridians inside the opponent’s body.

It seemed the opponent’s arm was not flesh but a genuine piece of wood. However, the hardness of this wood, or metal, far exceeded He Yiming’s expectations; even his potent cold-attribute Zhenqi failed to exert its intended effect.

He Yiming’s heart grew tight. Could this person’s physical body be even more robust than Sima Yin’s, an Yixiantian master?

The figure met He Yiming’s straightforward palm strike. Neither the sheer force contained within the blow nor the chilling aura capable of freezing Sima Yin to death had any discernible effect on him.

Then, the figure attacked again. The target remained He Yiming’s chest, as if, in its eyes, only the silver ring around He Yiming’s neck held significance.

A thought flashed through He Yiming’s mind, and he instantly confirmed his suspicion: this strange entity did not fear his cold Zhenqi. Thereupon, He Yiming shifted his internal Zhenqi, and his palm instantly changed color. A faint metallic sheen spread from his palm and became clearly visible, deepening from pale to rich just before he raised his arm to meet the hand extended toward him.

The sound of clashing metal exploded between them like firecrackers as their two rock-hard arms slammed together.

Vast amounts of Metal-attribute energy poured out, yet they caused absolutely no damage to the figure’s arm.

He Yiming felt as if he had traded several blows with an equally powerful master specializing in Metal-attribute strength; even his own arm felt vaguely numb.

Fortunately, although He Yiming’s attack failed to injure the opponent, it successfully deflected the incoming strike, thwarting the desire to snatch the silver pendant.

Their exchange was lightning-fast, these two exchanges of attack and defense happening in an instant, both parties feeling immense caution toward the other.

He Yiming retreated a step, repositioning himself to block the exit behind him.

After the lesson taught by Sima Yin, He Yiming regarded Yuan Lixun’s safety as paramount. This unpredictable, inhumanly strong master made him feel deeply uneasy. Naturally, he refused to leave this vulnerability exposed to his foe.

To He Yiming’s surprise, after two swift probing strikes, the figure did not continue the assault. Instead, it paused and stared back with eyes utterly devoid of emotion, like those of a dead man.

Of course, if it were truly a dead man, its eyes could never shine so brightly.

"You... are... strong!"

The words emerged from the figure's mouth, one syllable at a time.

Every hair on He Yiming’s body instantly stood on end. He forced a twitch of his lips, unable to tell if his facial expression was one of sorrow or laughter.

In his ears, there was still no sound emanating from the being.

Breathing, heartbeat, blood flow...

Aside from the noises generated by its own movement or speech, He Yiming heard nothing from within its body.

It was as if its internal structure was not composed of flesh and blood organs, but rather one vast, unified whole.

Given his current knowledge, He Yiming could not conceive of any life form in this world that could achieve such an incredible state.

Taking deep breaths, He Yiming suppressed the inexpressible chaos of his feelings. "Thank you for the compliment. Your strength is equally formidable, sir."

The figure seemed to ponder for a moment, then stated, "You are stronger than that person. He is not your match."

He Yiming paused briefly, then immediately understood. The figure was referring to Lü Xinwen.

Thinking of that innate master, He Yiming felt a mix of exasperation and amusement while inwardly cursing.

He finally understood why Lü Xinwen had avoided developing this cavern, citing complex mechanisms as an excuse.

In reality, the so-called mechanism here was likely this very individual who looked nothing like a human.

Lü Xinwen had been deliberately vague right up until the last moment, practically leading people astray...

He immediately recalled how he had contemplated capturing this entity within his spatial world, and a cold sweat traced a path down his spine. It was fortunate the entity had moved on its own initiative before that; if it had silently entered his spatial world, one could only imagine the uncontrollable catastrophe that might have unfolded.

As the figure’s mouth moved, it slowly said, "You are very powerful. My chances of defeating you right now are not great."

He Yiming frowned slightly, but the weight on his heart lessened considerably.

Did this statement imply that the entity no longer wished to be his enemy?

He cupped his fists in front of him and said warmly, "Brother, I have entered this cave by mistake and harbor no intention of desecrating or disturbing you. If you allow us to pass now, we two will leave immediately and never return to trouble you."

His expression was exceedingly sincere because the words came entirely from his heart.

There were countless fascinating places in the world; even if this mountain cave was incredibly mysterious, it held no claim over him.

Unexpectedly, the figure tilted its head in consideration for a moment before stating, "I wish to make a transaction with you."

He Yiming looked at him in surprise, then his expression shifted slightly. "Sir, I know you desire my spatial world, but I apologize; I will not trade this item, regardless of the price you offer."

"Spatial world?" The figure paused, its face expressionless. "Respected master, you are mistaken. I do not want your spatial world. Even if you gave it to me, I would not take it, as that item holds absolutely no meaning or use for me."

He Yiming sneered inwardly. Everyone can boast. If you don’t want this treasure, why did you attack his chest area repeatedly?

The figure's eyes flickered strangely several times before gradually settling back into a calm state.

From this moment on, this person actually began to resemble a normal human being somewhat.

He pointed directly at He Yiming’s chest and said, "I only wish to obtain one energy stone from within your private space."

"Energy stone?" He Yiming’s eyes lifted slightly. "Do I possess such an item?"

"Yes, it is that white stone."

He Yiming’s expression finally underwent a complete transformation. At this moment, he finally believed it.

This person was not seeking his spatial world but was after that strange white stone.

That enormous white stone possessed functions so miraculously extreme that He Yiming, despite having read countless ancient texts, could find neither its name nor its purpose in any scripture.

But now, as this person spoke those words, He Yiming felt a surge of intense excitement. Perhaps he was about to unlock the secret of the white stone...

Ps: First chapter of the month. This month is White Crane’s birthday month, and also a month for vigorous output; the goal is forty thousand characters... Guaranteed monthly tickets. White Crane needs guaranteed monthly tickets; please give White Crane the motivation to write, thank you!

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