The true energy within his body seemed to freeze at that very moment. His physical form, too, was plunged into an absolute paralysis.

This sense of numbness was not merely about bodily stiffness; it paralyzed his inner true energy, and even his thoughts.

He Yiming watched, helpless, as the tip of that sapphire blade approached his larynx, yet he lacked the slightest capacity to react.

A flicker of fear crossed his eyes; he could feel death looming directly before him.

In that instant, he finally understood the source of the dread he had felt moments before.

He wasn't merely intimidated by the combined force of Suoge and the Red Wolf King’s two Totem Ambassadors; he was terrified by this unknown, sudden assault.

What erupted from the Red Wolf King’s mouth was not just a searing fireball, but also this mysterious silhouette, accompanied by a whip that shot out from within the blaze.

This whip had been concealed within the ball of intense fire. When the splash of water and the fireball collided, it suddenly lashed out, striking him as if wielded by an unseen hand.

This sudden turn of events was so swift that even He Yiming couldn't muster any reaction.

After all, no one could have anticipated that the Red Wolf King’s Fire Breath could conceal anything else within it.

The scorching temperature of the Fire Breath was absolutely unparalleled; even a top-tier expert like He Yiming wouldn't dare allow his flesh to make contact with it, let alone expect something to be hidden within.

Yet, at this moment, a thin, black whip flew out from the Fire Breath.

Furthermore, the instant the whip struck He Yiming, its tip suddenly moved, revealing a small but terrifying snake head.

It was, in fact, a slender black serpent, as thin as a chopstick.

It opened its tiny mouth and struck He Yiming’s body with lightning speed.

Given He Yiming's current strength as a top-tier expert, his body had undergone several purifications by the energies of heaven and earth, granting his physique and skin an unimaginable resilience.

Forget ordinary venomous snakes; even a heavy broadsword strike might fail to injure him.

But this small snake was clearly extraordinary; both its speed and the sharpness of its fangs far exceeded common imagination.

The dense line of venomous fangs easily pierced He Yiming's arm, leaving a distinct bite mark.

He Yiming’s true energy was normally at the stage of effortless deployment. As soon as his arm was attacked, the surrounding true energy surged to expel the poison. However, his true energy only managed to circulate halfway before it involuntarily halted.

The effect of the venom from the little snake was not a common poison, but a power that caused instant paralysis. The truly terrifying aspect was its immense potency—it was strong enough to resist even the true energy characteristic of innate experts.

The moment he was paralyzed by this power, the Red Wolf King closed its wide-open maw, and a figure shot out from beneath its belly, a blue short blade radiating death flying toward He Yiming.

This sequence of events unfolded in the blink of an eye. From He Yiming’s use of the twenty-first form of the Thirty-Six Mountain Splitting Styles, to Suoge and the Red Wolf King being blasted underground, and then the clash between the Red Wolf King's Fire Breath and He Yiming’s Water Flower—no one could have imagined such a development emerging from the Red Wolf King.

Seeing He Yiming frozen like a statue, about to be pierced in the throat by the short blade, the pupils of numerous innate experts contracted instantly, their hearts seized as if crushed by a powerful hand, almost stopping their beats.

Even Mao Lieguang felt a similar sensation at this moment.

A brilliant, dazzling star, before reaching its zenith, was already facing imminent collapse. Even those who secretly wished him dead felt a moment of poignant regret.

However, just then, beside the cluster of experts, a figure vanished strangely...

The crowd sensed a disturbance nearby, but before they could turn around, they saw a person appear in front of He Yiming, scooping him up and whisking him away like a fleeing comet.

Yet, no one noticed that the instant this figure appeared and lifted He Yiming, they paused involuntarily for a split second.

And the short blade flashed once and vanished.

Within his Dantian, a massive surge of unusual true energy abruptly erupted, circulating throughout his body in an instant.

This situation was strikingly similar to when He Yiming first grasped the dark green cold jade bottle. At that time, he was frozen solid, unable to move even a fraction of an inch.

Although the paralysis he felt now was not from the Five Elements energy, it was certainly some form of miraculous power in this world, capable of instantly rendering him immobile.

However, once the Dantian energy circled his body once, He Yiming regained control of his physical form.

This process was extremely fast, lasting only the blink of an eye.

But the current situation differed from the previous one.

In the past, after He Yiming gripped the Frost Jade Bottle, Luomia had unnecessarily shouted before attempting to destroy his body. It was that superfluous shout that gave He Yiming the vital moment to recover and ultimately turn the tide.

This time, however, the moment He Yiming was bitten by the strange snake and paralyzed, the shadow hidden beneath the Red Wolf King’s abdomen struck without hesitation, wasting no time at all.

Although He Yiming’s physique was extraordinary, he managed to completely neutralize the paralysis in a time span unbelievable even to the Totem tribesmen.

But this still required time, and within that sliver of time, the poisoned dagger had already reached the surface of He Yiming’s throat.

If the dagger plunged in deeply, regardless of how special He Yiming’s constitution was, he would certainly die on the spot.

In that instant, He Yiming’s eyes truly narrowed; the world before him was reduced to that speck of strange sapphire light.

The faint stinging pain in his throat made it painfully clear: this time, he was likely doomed. Despite his profound confidence in his own body, he knew no one could survive such an injury.

Perhaps Hundred and Eight could achieve it, but he absolutely could not.

As death descended, He Yiming's thoughts seemed exceptionally clear, yet simultaneously vague and hazy.

In his short eighteen years of life, he seemed to have done many things, yet perhaps accomplished nothing.

It felt as if an infinitely bright road lay ahead, but he had lost the chance to continue forward.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, his heart was profoundly calm. He didn't specifically dwell on anyone, nor did he blame the incapable Hundred and Eight; he seemed to be watching his approach to the final moment of his life from the perspective of an outside observer...

Yet, just as everyone assumed he was certainly dead—

The empty space before him suddenly blurred.

A figure appeared impossibly here and instantly enveloped He Yiming in an embrace, flashing away from the location like a meteor chasing the moon.

No one could clearly discern this scene, as the speed had already surpassed the scope of human perception. To traverse that distance as if it were nothing, reducing two points to a single line, was only achievable by one who had truly grasped the essence of Wind Power.

A sharp cry suddenly rang out, and two figures appeared in the distance.

Shui Xuanjin, holding He Yiming, stopped steadily a hundred meters away from everyone else. Before he halted, no one had been able to capture his presence.

He Yiming’s heart skipped a beat, followed by ecstatic joy—the sheer delight of being pulled back from the very gates of hell.

Everyone understood the value of life, but only when one is on the verge of losing it, and then saved at the last second, does one truly appreciate and cherish it.

He Yiming’s heart pounded powerfully and rapidly, as if trying to complete a lifetime’s worth of beats in that single moment.

His body trembled slightly; the true energy in his Dantian had swept away all traces of paralysis, and the feeling of helplessness from losing control of his body completely dissipated.

He Yiming could even sense that a new power had been added within him.

Just as he had grasped the energy of intense cold after surviving the ordeal of freezing, he now mastered this power that caused instant bodily paralysis.

Truly, surviving a great disaster brings future fortune...

With a slight movement, he jumped down from Shui Xuanjin’s arms, his feet touching the ground, and he stared straight ahead.

Before him stood a diminutive dwarf, his body resembling an underdeveloped child, barely three feet tall, seemingly devoid of any muscle, his gaunt frame unremarkable.

However, his face, distinctly that of an old man, featured a pair of triangular eyes, within which resided an extreme coldness that sent shivers down one's spine.

Coiled around his hand was the long, slender black snake—the strange serpent with miraculous paralyzing power that could briefly survive within the fireball.

A single glance confirmed it for everyone.

What had been spat from the Red Wolf King’s mouth was this bizarre combination of man and snake.

At this moment, the dwarf-like old man also wore a look of astonishment.

The seemingly foolproof strike had failed to kill He Yiming instantly; this was absolutely beyond his expectation.

"She Ru, let's join forces..." Suoge’s expression was equally grim. He had exerted every effort, only to find his plan ruined at the last step.

However, when his gaze fell upon Shui Xuanjin, beneath the deep resentment, there was an equal measure of profound apprehension.

Such incredible movement techniques—did this not equate to an invincible state?

"Good," a low voice emerged from the old man holding the strange snake.

His voice was deep, accompanied by a peculiar drawn-out sound, like the hiss of a venomous snake, chilling the bone.

As he uttered the word, a vast, oppressive aura suddenly emanated from his small frame.

When he was hidden beneath the Red Wolf King, his presence was completely masked by the beast and Suoge. But now, as he unleashed his full aura without restraint, everyone felt an immense and unparalleled pressure.

This person was, in fact, another expert on the same level as Suoge.

A top-tier expert from the Outside World, a Great Ambassador of the Totem Clan.

Yao Daoren and the others’ expressions shifted slightly. They huddled closer together, but their hearts were filled with pessimism and despair.

When so many innate experts were gathered on Hengshan Peak, anyone would have assumed the position was unshakeable, impervious even to the arrival of the Totem Clan.

But seeing the Totem Clan appear, the others realized the sheer power they had mobilized to reclaim their stolen totem.

Ten Totem Messengers equivalent to the Hundred-Scattered Heaven level, two Great Totem Ambassadors equivalent to the Top-Tier Heaven level, plus two terrifying thousand-year-mutated spirit beasts.

This combination was more than sufficient to completely flatten Hengshan Peak.

Mao Lieguang covertly glanced at Cheng Fu, who was concentrating deeply, his heart filled with conflicting emotions. He moved his lips, sending a voice only Cheng Fu could hear: "Cheng Fu, once the fighting starts, you must flee immediately, flee at all costs."

Cheng Fu started, glancing sideways to see a strange tenderness on Mao Lieguang's face.

In his memory, he had only seen such a smile on the day he became an apprentice, the day he advanced to the innate realm, and the day he returned defeated from Tianluo Country.

Cheng Fu opened his mouth, but Mao Lieguang subtly shook his head, and that voice reached him again: "In Kaifeng Country, one person is enough to remain. Go back, carry on my lineage, and report everything that happened here to the Grand Preceptor."

His brow furrowed slightly, but a determined look shone in Cheng Fu’s eyes. Before that determination could fully spread, he heard a resolute, non-negotiable statement: "If you refuse to leave, I will kill myself immediately."

Cheng Fu was instantly stunned into silence, unable to utter another word.

He stared blankly at Mao Lieguang, seeing an expression on his familiar face that he had never witnessed before. For the first time, he realized that his master—whom everyone in the Grand Hall regarded as somewhat opportunistic and timid—possessed such a side.

"Yi Shibao, the rest are up to you," Suoge’s voice was fierce, driven by an unyielding will: "He Yiming, you are dead today."

Suoge, She Ru, and the two thousand-year-old mutated spirit beasts beside them.

This was equivalent to four top-tier Heaven-level combat powers. Even He Yiming stood no chance of victory against such formidable strength.

He took a deep breath, his back muscles writhing rapidly, and like massive magnets, they brought the great saber on his back forward.

He had not drawn this terrifying weapon until this moment; now, he held nothing back.

What struck him as strange, however, was that Shui Xuanjin beside him had been standing silently since bringing him here. The calm confidence on his subtly smiling face remained unshaken, even now, facing four top-tier Heaven experts.

He Yiming secretly wondered if Old Brother Shui had achieved another breakthrough, otherwise, how could he remain so composed?

A flash, and a person suddenly appeared beside He Yiming.

This figure's speed wasn't particularly fast, but the appearance was extremely bizarre. He emerged from behind a massive boulder, yet no one had detected a living person hiding there beforehand.

Suoge and She Ru’s expressions flickered slightly. They both glanced toward the boulder, their eyes reflecting disbelief. How could this person have evaded the scrutiny of the Totem tribesmen?

The moment this person appeared, the fierce and aggressive Red Wolf King shivered violently. It dropped onto all fours, seeming to sink into the ground, its eyes darting nervously—all traces of wolf king majesty gone.

She Ru’s perpetually grim old face finally showed a change: "Suoge, who is this person?"

"I don't know," Suoge quickly hissed a few times, communicating rapidly with the Red Wolf King. Then, with a look of suspicion, he said, "Is this... a ghost?"

She Ru paused, looking around the person.

Under the sunlight, this person’s shadow remained solidly fixed on the ground. Moreover, this individual had thick eyebrows, deep-set eyes, and a handsome face; his marble-carved cheeks reflected a healthy complexion in the sunlight. How could such a person possibly be a ghost?

"Whether he is man or ghost," Suoge declared suddenly, "we must kill him today."

"Fine, this one is mine," She Ru chuckled, shaking his hand. The chopstick-thin strange snake on him instantly dropped to the ground.

Like the Red Wolf King, this strange snake also rapidly sank into the earth and vanished without a trace.

"You and Shi Wang will deal with He Yiming first. The entire person is mine."

Suoge nodded slightly, leaping onto the Red Wolf King, who immediately began to sink downward. Apart from Hundred and Eight, it feared nothing else. As long as someone could keep Hundred and Eight occupied, it could continue fighting.

However, it cast a questioning look toward She Ru. Could this old man truly contend with a ghost?

Yi Shibao and the other Totem Messengers slowly closed in. Their task was simple: keep Yao Daoren and the others pinned down. Once Suoge and his group dealt with He Yiming, these ordinary innate experts would be easy prey.

The great battle seemed imminent, the air saturated with extreme tension.

But at that very moment—

Two long cries rang out in succession, descending like meteors from the collapsed cliff face.

Yao Daoren exclaimed with mingled surprise and joy: "Martial Uncle Yu has returned!"

Xu Chengchang sighed in relief: "Master has arrived..."

P.S.: Seems like it's been a few days since I asked for votes. It’s Monday today, so send in your monthly tickets and recommendation votes, please...