Gazing down from the mountaintop, the endless ranges resembled colossal dragons that had suddenly erupted from the earth, now shedding their snowy white mantles to reveal faint washes of pale green across their peaks.

Reaching the summit and looking out. Towering into the clouds, the undulating mountains made one feel as if they were an immortal, drifting upon the sea of mist below.

This was the very source of the mountain range that spanned across the Northwest.

Between these colossal peaks yawned chasms that seemed like bottomless black pits, filled with a strange, chilling power.

To the common folk living outside the mountains, this place was forbidden territory. Anyone who entered was never seen again.

However, the end of the mountain range was not the desolate wasteland people imagined; instead, it was home to tens of thousands who had lived there for generations.

These people were divided into various tribes, differing in size, but all shared one commonality: those raised in such an environment were truly the elite. Even the disciples who were blessed with superior cultivation aptitude within the Hengshan range could not compare to them.

Night descended, and all fell into silence.

Suddenly, from atop one of the peaks, an intensely piercing scream ripped through the air.

The sound sliced through the profound quiet of the night like a razor blade.

In an instant, more than a dozen figures burst forth from different directions. They surged toward that immense peak.

Their speed was terrifyingly swift; had He Yiming and his group been present, their jaws would surely have dropped in astonishment.

Although they couldn't match the current He Yiming, who had grasped the true essence of the power of Wind, they were in no way inferior to the peerless assassin Sima Yin.

There were more than ten such figures, and to have so many supreme experts gathered near this small peak—if word reached the outside world, one could only imagine the chaos it would incite.

“Hoo… hoo…”

The sound of air being torn apart echoed continuously, and soon, everyone converged at the base of that colossal mountain spire.

In total, there were eleven tall and robust individuals—men and women among them. There was an elder whose steps clearly leaned toward the grave, and men who looked barely past middle age. Furthermore, two women were present.

Though no longer young, they still possessed a captivating grace.

Female experts at the Xiantian (Innate) realm experienced aging at an almost imperceptible rate; it was hardly surprising if they appeared several years younger.

Their faces were painted with a bizarre pigment. Even in the darkness, the markings appeared colorful, radiating an eerie luminescence under the dim moonlight.

They reached the summit one after another and immediately witnessed a scene that filled them with horror and incandescent rage.

On this peak stood a small temple. Though exceedingly simple in appearance, it held a significance second only to their sacred grounds in the hearts of all of them.

Within, their tribe's totem, preserved for thousands of years, was enshrined.

But now, the temple lay completely ruined. Whether the enshrined totem was buried beneath the wreckage or had already been snatched away was unknown.

However, with their keen eyesight, these individuals instantly discerned that the temple had not collapsed naturally; it had been violently demolished.

The leader was the tallest among them, a middle-aged man who appeared the youngest. Yet, upon his arrival, everyone’s gaze fixed upon him, clearly acknowledging his authority.

His eyes swept around, gleaming with a chilling ferocity.

He paused, listening intently for a moment, then his expression shifted abruptly. “Envoy Harry is buried beneath. Hurry and pull him out.”

As the words fell, three people moved simultaneously. Each one possessed strength no less than that of a grandmaster at the Xiantian realm. With the trio acting, the debris was quickly cleared, and an elderly man, trapped within the fallen temple, was rescued.

The old man’s complexion was deathly pale, devoid of all color, and his breathing was almost nonexistent.

The leader hurried to the elder's side and retrieved a piece of material that seemed neither wood nor stone. His palm moved like a knife, slicing off a thin sliver, which he then placed into the elder’s mouth.

The substance evidently possessed miraculous effects; after swallowing it, the old man’s complexion visibly improved.

Those surrounding him breathed a collective sigh of relief; they knew the elder’s life was saved.

However, his injuries were severe. Even after taking their tribe’s spiritual medicine, a considerable time would be needed for a full recovery.

Slowly, the elder’s consciousness returned. His eyes flickered, and he opened them gradually.

Initially, a trace of confusion lingered in his gaze, but he cleared his mind immediately.

He reached out a hand and gripped the arm of the leader, saying, “Great Envoy Suoge, our totem has been stolen.”

Though expected, hearing the confirmation from the elder’s lips made everyone’s faces turn grim.

Suoge took a deep breath, gently patted the elder a few times, and the elder’s breathing stabilized considerably. He gave a grateful glance before continuing, “It was a masked man, definitely someone from beyond the mountains.”

“From outside the mountains?” one person snarled under his breath, his voice deep and rough, sounding less like a human utterance. “An outsider dares enter our forbidden territory? Do they intend to violate the agreement from long ago?”

One of the women frowned slightly and abruptly asked, “What purpose would an outsider have in stealing our totem?”

The assembly paused, exchanging glances, momentarily stumped for an answer.

Their totem was a piece of divine beast hide passed down through generations, upon which the history of their clan’s development over millennia was recorded.

Beyond that, it served no other purpose.

They enshrined the totem here and appointed a tribal envoy to guard it merely as a gesture of respect to their ancestors.

But why would someone from outside the mountains endure the hardships to enter the deep, forbidden mountains and make off with the totem?

Suoge’s eyes swept over the group. He spoke in a deep, grave tone, “Envoy Harry, what did the person look like? Did you see clearly?”

“I saw clearly,” Envoy Harry nodded firmly, but a strange expression suddenly crossed his face.

Suoge’s gaze was sharp as a blade; he immediately caught the subtle anomaly and inquired, “Is there a problem?”

Envoy Harry hesitated for a moment. “Envoy Suoge, this person appeared remarkably young.”

“Young? Younger than me?”

Harry gave a wry smile. “Judging purely by appearance, he was much younger than you.”

Suoge finally showed a flicker of agitation. “For someone so young to injure you—was it a sneak attack? No, the talent of our Wolf Clan envoys is keen hearing and sharp sight. Unless that person’s strength far surpassed yours, you would not have failed to notice him.”

A look of shame crossed Harry’s face. “His strength truly far exceeded mine. He infiltrated stealthily, intending to steal the totem. But even before he succeeded, I detected him. We exchanged only a few blows before I was wounded.” His expression suddenly shifted, as if recalling something, and an incredible light flashed in his eyes. “The techniques he cultivated were impossibly complex; he actually mastered the basic Five Elements simultaneously.”

Everyone present froze, then displayed the same look of utter disbelief.

“Impossible, Envoy Harry, are you certain you haven’t mistaken something?”

One person asked in shock. Although he knew that given Harry’s strength, having personally fought and been wounded by the person, a mistake was unlikely, he still voiced the question, revealing how astonishing the concept of simultaneous mastery of the Five Elements was to them all.

Harry’s mouth twitched; he managed a smile uglier than a grimace. “I wish I had been mistaken, but this person indeed utilized five distinct elemental techniques, and he possessed considerable attainment in each one. However, his strongest was the Metal element; I was injured by his Metal technique.”

Silence descended upon the group. Since Envoy Harry was so certain, the matter was established as absolute truth.

Slowly, all gazes shifted back to Great Envoy Suoge. The woman who had spoken earlier asked, “Great Envoy Suoge, what do we do now?”

Suoge’s features were terrifyingly grim. “Regardless of the reason, since an outsider has entered and stolen our totem, this is an enmity unto death. Only with this person’s blood can we wash away the shame he has brought upon us.”

The eyes of the others lit up. In the darkness, they resembled twelve black wolves, with a faint, greenish glow flickering within their irises.

“Since this person masters the Five Elements and is so young, he cannot be an unknown figure. If we make inquiries outside the mountain, we should be able to gather some information,” Suoge said slowly, his tone filled with immense confidence. “Furthermore, this person likely does not know that our Spirit Wolves possess the ability to sense the totem. As long as he carries it, we will certainly find him.”

As soon as Suoge finished speaking, Harry exclaimed, “Great Envoy Suoge, are you planning to alert the Great Spirit Wolves?”

“Of course. This matter reeks of trickery; I must confirm if this person truly stole the totem,” Suoge stated coldly. “I do not believe there exists a genius in the outside world superior to me. Mastering the Five Elements… Heh heh. If such a genius truly exists, and dares to challenge our Wolf Clan, I will personally ensure he meets his end!”

He raised his head and let out a sudden, long howl.

The sound was bizarre and unpredictable, like a human crying hysterically—terrifying, miserable, and mournful.

It seemed no longer the sound produced by a human, but by a wolf, a lone, savage wolf.

From the opposite end of the gorge, a long howl responded, echoing his call. Immediately afterward, the entire valley, from different locations and corners, produced similar sounds.

It was the pack responding to the call of their king…

The other eleven looked upon Great Envoy Suoge with reverence.

Among the envoys of this generation, he was the strongest and a rare figure throughout history to have received the acknowledgment of the Wolf King—a true brave warrior.

He was the pride of their clan, the symbol of their invincibility.

In winter, the higher one ascended the peaks, the colder it became. In that place far removed from the dust of the mortal world, profound stillness reigned within Hengshan.

In the morning, the distant, snow-capped peaks were bathed in sunlight, resembling a host of golden helmets.

Yet, within the herb garden of Lingyao Peak, it remained spring-like throughout the year.

Only in such a unique environment could most of the rare medicinal herbs be cultivated. Thus, although not the main peak, this place was undoubtedly the most crucial area next to it.

In the herb garden, Pharmacist Daoist let out a long breath, withdrawing his hand from a towering, ancient tree.

As long as he was not in the alchemy chamber, he never missed his morning exercises.

Those who reached the Xiantian realm could not be idle individuals. Although Pharmacist Daoist had devoted the greater part of his life to the art of alchemy, his martial arts cultivation had never ceased.

Looking into the distance, he mentally calculated the date, a faint smile touching his lips.

Uncle Yu and Junior Brother Lu had been down the mountain for so long; they should have found Elder He by now.

Even now, thinking of the letter from the He Family Estate months ago, a tremor of excitement still ran through him.

That letter actually claimed that He Yiming had broken through the Hundred Dispersions Heaven and reached the realm of the One Line Sky…

The first thought of all the elders was that the letter writer must have lost their mind to believe such a rumor. However, after carefully reading the description in the letter, they grew hesitant.

Recalling He Yiming’s unbelievable talent, the elders convened and eventually agreed that Yu Jinglei and Lu Zhengyi should leave the mountain.

The matter was too significant; until they saw He Yiming with their own eyes, no one dared to rashly believe it.

In his correspondence, however, Pharmacist Daoist expressed fervent hope for good news.

His figure suddenly leaped up, moving rapidly toward the main peak.

Within moments, he arrived atop the main peak. Within the Hengshan lineage, Pharmacist Daoist’s excessively youthful face was an unmistakable marker; everyone who saw him would bow respectfully from afar.

He reached a courtyard situated near the summit of the main peak and silently slipped inside.

In the center of the courtyard, a person was engaged in quiet internal energy practice, their entire focus concentrated on cultivation, utterly impervious to anything external.

Pharmacist Daoist’s gaze lingered on him for a moment before he finally nodded with a smile.

In a corner of the courtyard, another elder, Yu Xichen, approached. He offered Pharmacist Daoist a slight nod and said softly, “Brother Pharmacist, rest assured. With Xichen’s profound foundation, cultivating here will take him no more than two years to reach the peak of the Tenth Level of Inner Strength.”

Pharmacist Daoist nodded, also speaking softly. “Xichen is Elder He’s uncle and the designated recipient for the Xiantian Golden Elixir. We absolutely cannot afford any mistake with him.”

Yu Xichen nodded with an equally solemn expression. Since the unverified news of He Yiming reaching the One Line Sky arrived, they had elevated their treatment of He Wude and He Quanxin to an even higher standard.

Suddenly, another figure scaled the wall and entered.

Pharmacist Daoist and Yu Xichen glanced over, then discreetly withdrew their attention.

Few people within Hengshan were qualified to enter in such a manner. Currently, besides the two of them, it was only Elder Lian Yi, the Master of Fenghuo Peak.

With a few swift movements, Lian Yi approached them, first glancing toward He Quanxin, who was cultivating in the center of the yard, and nodding with satisfaction at his progress.

Then, he beckoned Pharmacist Daoist and the other elder, retreating to the outer area of the courtyard.

Pharmacist Daoist and the other were puzzled but knew he would not act without reason. They exchanged a look and followed him out of the courtyard.

“Elder Lian, what urgent matter brings you? Could it be news from Uncle Yu and the others?” Pharmacist Daoist inquired.

Lian Yi shook his head, smiling broadly. “While we haven’t received word from Uncle Yu, I have other excellent news to share with you.”

Judging by his radiant expression, they knew something good must have happened.

“Elder Lian, stop keeping us in suspense, tell us quickly,” Yu Xichen chuckled.

Lian Yi laughed heartily and pulled out a piece of black bark from his robe, seemingly unremarkable.

The gazes of Pharmacist Daoist and the other elder immediately focused, and he exclaimed, “Lingjing…”

Lian Yi nodded slightly. “Elder Pharmacist has sharp eyes.”

A barely concealed joy appeared on Pharmacist Daoist’s face as he asked, “Elder Lian, where did you acquire this?”

Lian Yi showed a hint of smugness. “A disciple from my Fenghuo Peak accidentally unearthed this treasure when entering the mountains a few days ago. Heh heh, I didn't expect such a celestial treasure to be nearby.”

Pharmacist Daoist and Yu Xichen exchanged looks, both radiating similar delight—this was truly a great windfall.

Lian Yi said, “Elder Pharmacist, let us deposit this treasure in the vault first. We can open the furnace to refine it into elixirs when the need arises later.”

Pharmacist Daoist nodded without hesitation. “That is excellent. Since the Lingjing was found by Fenghuo Peak, if it is successfully refined into an elixir, your Fenghuo Peak shall receive half the share.”

Lian Yi nodded in satisfaction, though he sighed inwardly.

If he hadn't been counting on Pharmacist Daoist to personally refine this item into an elixir, he wouldn't have offered to share such a valuable item.

However, securing half the share, and avoiding the strenuous effort of gathering the remaining rare herbs, left him quite content.

The shared public treasury of the Hengshan lineage was naturally situated on the main peak.

Yu Xichen carried the Lingjing to the treasury, carefully securing the item before closing the vault and departing.

However, he was unaware that after he left, a black shadow silently infiltrated the public treasury of the Hengshan lineage.

This black shadow did not take any item from the vault; instead, in an inconspicuous corner, it secretly deposited an object.

Then, this dark figure left the Hengshan lineage, as if it had never arrived at all…

P.S.: As always, Bai He asks for monthly votes, please support. Thank you. Starting tomorrow, we enter a new volume. In this volume, Bai He will present even more exciting chapters. Thank you…