At this moment, He Yiming stood motionless, like a statue carved from iron. Beneath his dark eyebrows, a pair of chillingly severe eyes burned with intense focus. The instant the twenty-first move of the Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting was unleashed from his hands, he resembled a supreme master who commanded all things, radiating an aura suggesting absolute dominion over the world.

The pressure generated by this presence was in no way inferior to that emanating from Soge opposite him, who now appeared transformed into a terrifying, savage beast.

Two utterly distinct yet equally formidable auras violently interwove, seemingly freezing the entirety of space.

He Yiming’s eyes snapped wide open, and he bellowed suddenly. With this shout, the True Qi within his body surged out like a torrent, engaging with the external Qi in a profoundly strange and dynamic transformation.

At this juncture, the oppressive solemnity brought about by the sheer presence seemed to materialize into something real.

If the force of the aura merely pressed upon consciousness, exerting pressure only within the minds of the observers, then what He Yiming’s True Qi accomplished in this moment was tangible and direct: a physical weight pressing down on the body.

The emissaries of the Totem Clan, who just moments before were full of vigor, now all saw their complexions change drastically. Like the numerous Innate masters, they felt this incredibly concrete pressure. It was as if countless hands were gripping them firmly in place, making even the slightest movement require an immense expenditure of effort.

Everyone’s face had shifted. Those who failed to grasp the underlying principle looked on in confusion, understanding nothing beyond a rising sense of dread.

But those hailing from major sects, or those acquainted with higher cultivation realms, knew precisely what this signified.

The way they looked at He Yiming was filled with envy and a faint trace of apprehension.

He Yiming had somehow discovered a personal method for condensing True Qi.

This was the first, and most difficult, step on the path toward the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown realm.

Although Yu Jinglei could already condense two flowers, and his appeared far more stable than the Water Flower He Yiming was currently manifesting, Yu Jinglei absolutely could not achieve this specific stage.

This was because the two flowers Yu Jinglei had condensed merely refined the True Qi within his body; no matter how solidly condensed, they failed to exert any influence over the external Heaven and Earth Qi.

This was because he had only practiced two-lineage techniques, making it impossible to achieve a tripod balance capable of supporting the entire framework of heaven and earth.

Thus, his two flowers remained rootless duckweed, forever unable to advance to the true Three Flowers Gathering realm.

He Yiming, however, was different. Although he had not yet fully crystallized the Water Flower into form, the True Qi he released during condensation managed to exert a certain degree of influence over the Heaven and Earth Qi.

This was the genuine road leading to the Three Flowers Gathering.

Yet, the vast majority of practitioners only manage to elicit a resonance from the Heaven and Earth Qi, capable of inflicting tangible physical pressure on others, when they have already condensed three flowers and are on the verge of gathering at the crown.

But He Yiming, without even a single Water Flower fully formed, was already displaying such might.

While its sheer power could not compare to a true senior about to achieve the final gathering, it seemed as if they could shrug it off with a simple effort.

Still, this sensation alone was enough to drive everyone present into a frenzy.

They understood that as long as He Yiming survived, within a few decades at most, he would successfully condense his three flowers and gather at the crown.

And given He Yiming’s rate of progress, it was likely to take far less than several decades.

Soge, charging forward, seemed to sense this unbelievable power as well. A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes, now blood-red. It appeared that the more powerful his opponent became, the greater his own excitement grew.

Behind him, the gigantic wolf head, which had almost solidified into a tangible form, suddenly opened its massive jaws, spewing forth an unbelievable surge of power.

Ripples of visible energy fluctuations seemed to dance across the space.

This force, exhaled from the wolf’s mouth, instantly annihilated the still-tenuous, heavy presence that had permeated the void.

This included the many Totem Emissaries; they all felt the burden lift from them. The pressure He Yiming exerted wasn't overwhelmingly large, but its psychological impact had been immense.

Fortunately, Soge was now unleashing his full divinity; the shift in the Heaven and Earth Qi caused by the spectral wolf head actually blew away He Yiming’s oppressive field. It was as if a shadow had been swept from their hearts.

You have the genius He Yiming, and we have Ambassador Soge—who will win remains unknown...

After releasing that breath, the huge wolf head faded slightly. But Soge let out another sharp howl, and a bizarre, bloody crimson washed over his face. Instantly, the wolf head above his crown clarified once more, and together, they charged toward He Yiming in a move resembling Mount Tai descending upon them.

Although his form had devolved into that of a beast, his mind remained as calm as thousand-year-old ice, entirely devoid of interfering emotion.

Having witnessed He Yiming’s stance, Soge knew this was an exceptionally profound technique. Under normal circumstances, facing this move, he would never choose a direct confrontation. But now, he was trapped, having mounted a tiger he could not dismount. While his current state allowed him to exert maximum power, it was unsustainable; the battle had to be concluded in the shortest time possible.

Even if the path ahead was a mountain of knives or a sea of fire, even if it meant facing a thousand armies, he had no choice but to advance; there was no retreat...

The real man and the illusory wolf seemed to merge into a single entity at this moment, hurtling down toward He Yiming like a meteor chasing the moon.

Such momentum, such imposing grandeur—even heaven and earth seemed to tremble slightly.

Everyone watched this scene with their mouths agape, calculating inwardly whether they could withstand such an impact if they were in his place.

But right then, He Yiming looked up.

He opened his mouth...

Just like the breath expelled by the illusory wolf moments before, he exhaled all the air and True Qi he had just drawn in, releasing it all at this very instant.

A blossom of azure blue, brimming with breathtaking beauty, erupted from his mouth.

It was a soul-stirring flower; its colors were so vibrant and dazzling that anyone who saw it would instantly feel a desire to possess it entirely.

At this moment, the thought surging through the minds of the observers was astonishingly unanimous.

He Yiming’s Water power was refined to such purity, without a single speck of impurity. No wonder his Water power could provoke a reaction in the Heaven and Earth Qi! They truly couldn’t fathom how he managed to cultivate a single-elemental force to such exquisite refinement!

Others didn’t know, but He Yiming understood: this flower was condensed with unprecedented density. Facing an enemy as powerful as Soge, he had completely stimulated his potential, unleashing even greater might.

Soge cried out in shock, and the phantom wolf head lunged forward first, colliding head-on with the beautiful Water Flower that seemed intent on penetrating human souls.

"Boom..."

It sounded like two mountain peaks smashing into each other mid-air, unleashing a deafening roar.

Explosions echoed continuously through the atmosphere; the resulting shockwave far surpassed the earlier fluctuations in the Heaven and Earth Qi.

Suddenly, the ground beneath the observers felt dangerously unstable, and their bodies were swiftly pulled sideways.

"Be careful, the mountain is collapsing!" Old Man Yao shouted sharply.

Having lived long in the wilderness, Old Man Yao instantly assessed the situation.

Hearing his cry, the others were somewhat relieved.

A landslide is a life-or-death situation for ordinary people, but for experts like them, unless they deliberately sought death by standing still, the chance of being buried alive was actually quite small.

Momentarily, the area was choked with swirling dust. The narrow mountain path they occupied had finally collapsed entirely under the impact of several Innate masters.

Everyone employed their unique skills, leaping clear of the rubble. Any debris that came near them was swatted away as easily as swatting a fly.

Yet, even amid this chaos, a continuous sound of breaking air pierced their ears.

Those piercing sounds, like countless sharp swords, created a shrieking noise that was incessant even during the collapse.

A wave of melancholy washed over everyone; they realized how vastly superior these warriors were to them.

※※※※

He Yiming’s aura had peaked, and the twenty-first move was poised to strike. If he could just blast away that arrogantly waving True Qi wolf behind the opponent's head in one breath, he would be absolutely certain of defeating Soge.

After all, the confidence granted by the Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting was already irrationally immense.

However, the sudden upheaval beneath his feet greatly startled him.

Because the void beneath him had been disrupted, this utterly rigid stance he held could not be executed.

For anyone else, this situation would spell immediate disaster. But He Yiming merely shifted his body slightly; the powerful Metal True Qi retreated to his Dantian, and an unending stream of Water True Qi burst forth.

Then, within the dust cloud that blotted out the sky, He Yiming moved like maggots adhering to bone, circling the equally forced-to-change Soge. This time, however, Soge seemed prepared and did not allow He Yiming to seize the advantage. The two sides continued their clash over the collapsing terrain.

Finally, as the dust settled, everyone except the two locked in fierce combat stared around in astonishment.

Their respective followers had leaped to opposite sides, keeping a safe distance across the chasm of the collapse.

And He Yiming and Soge had fought their way down from the mountainside to the very edge of the cliff face.

The onlookers exchanged glances. Mao Liguang suddenly muttered, "Madmen. Truly two absolute madmen."

Though the others didn't speak, the same thought was visible in every pair of eyes.

These two reckless fools...

※※※※

The mountain wind, carrying the sound of pine trees, rolled in from the distance like the raging waves of an ocean, bearing terrifying sonic blasts. Gust after gust scraped against the cliff edge, battered the trees, struck the rock walls, and hit the people, creating a frightening, colossal noise. At times, it lifted a sharp, mournful wail, as if mountain demons were prowling outside.

Amidst the mountain wind and swirling dust, two figures danced with unparalleled speed. Their movements were swift as lightning, agile as foxes. Even in this place of extreme peril, they continued to leap and bound, engaged in a joyous, furious exchange.

He Yiming’s movement technique was conceived amidst storms; in such dangerous environments, it displayed its most potent power. His body seemed to have dissolved into the wind, possessing no weight, allowing the raging gusts to carry him away, only for him to reappear abruptly elsewhere, poised for a fatal strike against Soge.

But Soge’s lightness skill was clearly not inferior to his.

He was hunched over, resembling a gigantic, man-shaped wolf, possessing unbelievable agility.

By now, the shoes on Soge’s feet had long since torn apart. His soles were curved like taut bows; whenever they touched the cliff face, he sprang upward as if recoiling from a spring. He rose and fell rapidly, treating the sheer cliff face as a smooth, open highway.

He Yiming naturally did not know that for powerhouses living in the mountains, such an environment was equally suited to their combat styles.

The two became entangled, descending to the base of the cliff. Their four eyes faintly met through the wind and dust, both radiating palpable killing intent.

They were both aware that only one of them would survive the day, but each possessed absolute conviction that it would be themselves.

The Five Elements True Qi circulated ceaselessly within He Yiming. He had entered a state where he seemed oblivious to everything else; the True Qi of different attributes was summoned effortlessly, appearing perfectly rounded and immense in power.

Of course, he restrained himself, refraining from deploying his Ice True Qi and the final Five Elements Unity with the Great Guan Dao.

This was his ultimate trump card, and under the observation of more than ten Innate masters hovering above, he was unwilling to expose all his hidden strengths so easily.

Furthermore, he faintly sensed that although Soge appeared ferocious, his eyes blazing blood-red like a wild beast, he still seemed to have reserves.

This feeling was what truly caused him caution. Even to counter the opponent’s yet-unrevealed trump cards, he could not recklessly commit himself without limit.

On the cliff face, rows of footprints, some neat, some ragged, were left behind.

Each print sank three points deep, as if the hard mountain wall they traversed was merely soft mud.

Under the ravages of Innate master True Qi, even the mountain face, which had remained intact through countless years of wind and rain, was now ruined.

Almost simultaneously, two soft sounds echoed. He Yiming and Soge’s feet landed almost at the same instant.

When their feet solidly met the ground, the expressions of both men tightened abruptly.

The former casual, light exchange of blows had entirely vanished; their auras instantly surged back to their absolute peaks.

At this juncture, whoever could dominate the aura contest would seize the initiative.

They were both willing to pay any price for this advantage.

Soge’s eyes burned even redder—not just the irises, but the whites of his eyes too. Anyone witnessing this would suspect he was a ghost rather than a man.

The clothes on his body shredded piece by piece, exposing his powerful, inhuman musculature on his shoulders; massive lumps ripped through the fabric, revealing flesh like cast iron, brimming with raw force.

If the Red Wolf vest hadn't been so incredibly tough, he might be naked by now.

He crouched low, then suddenly charged forward like a tank, or perhaps an ancient behemoth, exhibiting his strength to the fullest extent at this moment.

He raised both hands high. To the onlookers, these no longer looked like human hands, but rather terrifying wolf claws that had ripped apart countless lives.

He Yiming’s hands immediately returned to their initial posture the moment his feet touched the ground.

The twenty-first move of the Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting—this potent skill that seemed accessible only after stepping into another martial arts realm—was now deployed without reservation.

On the canyon path halfway up the mountain, when they gathered all their strength for a mutually destructive clash, the entire path couldn't sustain the power they unleashed and collapsed. But now, having reached the bottom of the cliff, the feeling of solid earth beneath their feet allowed them to engage in a life-and-death struggle using their most specialized martial skills.

With another tremendous crash, He Yiming stood unmoved, his body as straight and unwavering as an ancient pine tree, a trace of fearless triumph lingering at the corners of his eyes.

While cultivating the Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting, he possessed a peculiar intuition.

The first twelve moves were techniques for the Postnatal realm, and while the power of the eight moves from thirteen to twenty was immense, they were at best martial skills practiced by Innate masters who had just advanced from the Hundred Scattering Heaven level to the First Line of Heaven.

But from the twenty-first move onward, these were techniques exclusively reserved for experts capable of condensing True Qi.

Only after barely managing to condense more than half a Water Flower did He Yiming truly master this twenty-first move.

Now, as this move was unleashed by his hands, its power was indeed extraordinary.

His upright palms acted like two colossal axes, shattering the two wolf claws Soge had conjured and striking his terrifyingly bulging torso.

Soge, who had leaped high, despite the ferocity on his face and the vast killing intent surging from his body—as if he had slaughtered countless beings—was mercilessly thrown back after meeting He Yiming head-on. And while still airborne, he began spraying a mist of blood.

He Yiming’s eyes brightened. Just as he was about to raise his head and let out a triumphant cry, he heard Soge, already retreating through the air, look up first and let loose a wolf howl a hundred times more sorrowful than any ghost’s cry.

“Awooooo…”

The sound traveled far, instantly crossing numerous mountain peaks.

Immediately following this, a wolf howl seemingly even more desolate echoed from the distance. The two sounds rapidly converged, and even He Yiming could not stop them!

Ps: Recommending a book^_^ Zhen Han, Author: Chi Mei Dong Zhuo deposed the emperor, and heroes rose everywhere. They contended for the Central Plains, leaving the land scorched. Let us see how my Liu Han puts an end to this chaotic age!

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