On the main peak of Hengshan, the room temporarily occupied by He Yiming was naturally located in the courtyard where his elder uncle, He Quanxin, habitually cultivated.

Today, such a momentous event had occurred on Hengshan that even a corner of the mountain path had collapsed, the booming noise unsettling He Quanxin’s focus.

However, He Wude had forcefully silenced He Quanxin, who was about to venture out.

Here on Hengshan, if a matter could not be settled by the few Innate Elders, then even adding He Quanxin would be futile. Since that was the case, instead of thinking about going out to watch the excitement, it was better to stay home and cultivate diligently, striving to reach the peak of the tenth level of Inner Strength soon and advance to the Innate Realm.

Under his father’s reprimand, He Quanxin could only comply submissively and settled down to continue his cultivation.

When He Yiming returned to the courtyard and saw this scene, he was relieved. He felt fortunate that his grandfather was stationed here; otherwise, the number of people capable of completely suppressing his uncle was indeed few.

Upon seeing Yiming, He Wude’s eyes immediately lit up. He Yiming nodded slightly to him, forcing a faint smile, and He Wude instantly felt completely at ease.

Yet, he was unaware that after He Yiming turned his back, the gentleness in his eyes had completely vanished, replaced only by an icy coldness that seemed to penetrate to the bone marrow.

Taking steady steps, just as usual, He Yiming arrived before his own door. Only then did he feel his grandfather’s gaze shift away.

He extended his hand, pushed the door open flatly, and then stepped inside.

The moment the door closed, the fire of vengeance burning within his heart erupted like a volcanic explosion.

“One-oh-eight.” He Yiming’s suppressed voice held a power on the verge of unleashing.

“What is it.”

One-oh-eight’s voice sounded from a corner of the room. He sat on the floor like a phantom, utterly still. If Yu Jinglei and the others were to see him sitting casually on the ground now, devoid of any Grandmasterly bearing, they would certainly doubt their own eyes.

He Yiming turned and walked before One-oh-eight, quietly squatting down in front of him.

“One-oh-eight, I want revenge. Help me…”

“In my sequence, there is a regulation against harming sentient life on the original planet.” One-oh-eight’s voice was flat. “I cannot assist you.”

He Yiming let out a sudden laugh. “One-oh-eight, perhaps you also know that my father does not possess great talent in martial cultivation, so he shifted his focus to commerce. My respected elder has managed shops for many years and summarized one saying.” He spoke deliberately, word by word: “In this world, there are no shops that cannot be bought, only that your offer was insufficient.”

One-oh-eight stared blankly at He Yiming, seemingly not understanding his meaning.

He Yiming extended both hands, grasped the lapels of his outer robe, and suddenly ripped it apart with force. The outer garment was instantly torn open.

A silver necklace hung on He Yiming’s chest.

When this necklace was revealed, One-oh-eight’s eyes finally brightened slightly, but then just as quickly dimmed. Except for the first time they met, when One-oh-eight actively tried to rob the necklace from He Yiming’s neck, he had never again set his sights on it.

Powerful True Qi surged from He Yiming’s body. In mere breaths, the necklace began to emit a strange radiance. After He Yiming successfully condensed the tangible Flower of Wind, his True Qi underwent a different transformation compared to before; the condensation level of his True Qi reached a new standard. While the total volume of True Qi might not have increased significantly, the quality of the True Qi had undergone a heaven-and-earth difference.

Though the True Qi input into the silver necklace was far less immense than before, it was already sufficient to meet the activation standard for the necklace.

A strange spatial world manifested before He Yiming and One-oh-eight.

He Yiming did not cast a glance towards this spatial world at all. His eyes were fixed tightly on One-oh-eight, hiding none of his hope and yearning.

“My father couldn’t buy a suitable shop before because his offers weren't enticing enough to move the other party. So, he increased the price, raising it threefold, and he successfully bought the ideal shop he desired. And this became the first shop of the He Family Village in Taicang County.” He Yiming’s voice was steady and strong. “You also once told me that our transactions are based on equivalent exchange. So, if I provide more Energy Stones, can you still offer me an equal exchange?”

He extended his hand and directly entered the seemingly void spatial world. When he pulled his hand out, it held a peculiar white stone, the size of a fist. Perhaps because this stone was larger, compared to the thumb-sized Energy Stones before, it not only possessed an added strange luster but also emitted an extremely faint, yet absolutely present, white glow.

“Energy Stones. This is what you need.” He Yiming said calmly. “You once said you needed a large quantity of Energy Stones. Is this enough to make you violate that… damn sequence rule?”

One-oh-eight remained silent, his eyes suddenly flickering. He Yiming did not know that this was the result of extremely high-speed calculation, but he vaguely guessed that this non-human was hesitating, just like a human would.

The fist-sized rock, overall, definitely exceeded the size of the thumb-sized stones by more than ten times. If Energy Stones truly played a crucial role in One-oh-eight’s path of evolution, if they were indispensable, then he should nod in agreement.

A moment later, the light in One-oh-eight’s eyes slowly subsided. He still spoke in a steady tone: “I am sorry, I cannot agree to your request.”

Without another word, He Yiming thrust his hand back into that strange spatial world. The second, third, and fourth stones followed. When the fifth fist-sized Energy Stone was placed before One-oh-eight, He Yiming was disappointed to find that One-oh-eight had even skipped the stage of flickering his eyes. The resolute expression in his eyes had vanished. He Yiming gave a bitter smile; he realized that after spending several months together, although he thought he had seen through One-oh-eight completely, in reality, it was merely his own arrogance. The road to fully seeing through this mysterious fellow was still long and unreachable.

He Yiming let go of the silver necklace, and the spatial world before him immediately vanished into the void.

“Are you truly unwilling to help me?” He Yiming’s voice was filled with disappointment. “As long as you can help me, I can give you more Energy Stones.”

One-oh-eight shook his head slightly. “The sequence issue cannot be violated.”

He Yiming roared lowly, “Why? Is that damned sequence issue the will of a god?”

“This has nothing to do with gods, but it is the meaning of my existence. If I violate the sequence issue, my existence will be erased.”

“Nonsense.” A sharp gleam flashed in He Yiming’s eyes. “Didn’t you say that you can no longer return to your world? Is there anyone left in this world who can punish you?”

“Yes.” One-oh-eight pointed to his own head. “If I violate the sequence, I will be deemed a renegade, erased by the sequence, and my current self will be overwritten by the backup system.”

He Yiming opened his mouth. After a pause, he finally confirmed that he could not grasp the meaning of the other’s words. But one thing he understood clearly: no matter what price he paid, the other party would never agree to his terms.

Letting out a long breath, the imposing aura he had brought into the room dissipated considerably.

One-oh-eight suddenly spoke, “Even if I were willing to help you, you might not necessarily be able to get revenge…”

He Yiming abruptly looked up and asked, “Why? Haven’t you evolved to a state equivalent to the Three Flowers Realm?”

“I do not understand what the Three Flowers Realm is, but you know I am different from you. When I was originally designed, I was made resilient to death, but not into a super-weapon capable of easily killing other living beings.” One-oh-eight’s voice seemed to carry a trace of sincerity. “My mission is to explore unknown star regions, so my greatest specialty is surviving various harsh environments, not killing. I can rely on my evolved physical strength to avoid injury when confronting humans like you, but making me kill them is not easy.”

He Yiming’s mouth fell open, his eyes filled with doubt. Vaguely, He Yiming felt that One-oh-eight was not deceiving him, yet the evaluation given by Yu Jinglei could not be wrong. Being able to repel Yu Jinglei with a single punch—at least that level of strength should belong to a Three Flowers powerhouse.

In fact, One-oh-eight was not lying, but there was one thing he naturally concealed. He was indeed primarily designed for exploration, but after absorbing a large amount of the purest primal energy from the Energy Stones, his evolutionary direction had shifted toward all-purpose capability. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to shatter the wolf tooth of the Red Wolf King when they met.

The two stared at each other for a long time, and He Yiming finally stood up. He took off the torn outer robe, walked to the wardrobe, selected a few sets of clothes, put one on, and then packed the remaining clothes into the spatial world. However, during this process, he carefully kept all the items similar in style and color to the first outer robe, and the ones he chose were mainly tight-fitting garments, several of which resembled night-crawling attire. These clothes did not suit the status of an Innate expert; generally, no Innate expert would dress like that in formal settings. The reason these clothes were in the wardrobe was that this was his long-term residence, and wearing tight clothes was always more convenient when practicing martial arts routines.

Having selected his attire, He Yiming shouldered his great saber and walked out without hesitation. From beginning to end, he never glanced again toward One-oh-eight’s direction.

When his fingers touched the doorknob, One-oh-eight’s voice suddenly came through.

“You forgot your things.”

“It doesn’t matter, they are yours now,” He Yiming said with a smile. “If I don't return, consider it a gift for having known each other.”

“Do you know the value of these things?”

“I do.” He Yiming gave a self-mocking laugh. “Any single piece could employ you for at least ten years, and if sold, people would probably fight tooth and nail for them.”

One-oh-eight’s eyes suddenly brightened, and he asked, “Do you think the value of Shui Xuanjin is more important than these things and your life?”

He Yiming was silent for a long moment, then said softly, “You don’t understand. Some things cannot be measured by the word ‘value.’ They are priceless…”

As soon as his voice fell, the door opened, and without any discernible movement, he had already left the room.

One-oh-eight’s gaze fell upon the few Energy Stones on the floor. In his almost dusty memory, some images flashed by. When he first appeared on this planet thousands of years ago, the owner of the cave he encountered had also said something similar.

“You don’t understand. There are some things we must do…”

One a Divine Daoist, one an Innate expert—both were outstanding among humans. But why, separated by thousands of years, would they utter nearly identical words?

One-oh-eight tilted his head slightly. After a long while, he suddenly remarked, “I truly do not understand. What could be more important than equivalent exchange?”

However, he did not realize that this very action made him look just a little bit like a normal human being.

He Yiming’s figure flew, already reaching the mountainside.

Here, he paused, his gaze fixed on a massive rock jutting out before a cliff. There lay an aura intensely familiar to him, radiating powerful True Qi that stirred the Qi of Heaven and Earth. As He Yiming’s True Qi diffused out to explore, this aura instantly erupted fiercely. He Yiming could even sense a strong sense of summons within it; he knew this was an invitation sent to him by an Innate expert utilizing the power of Heaven and Earth.

Capable of this was no ordinary Innate expert, but Yu Jinglei, who possessed the cultivation of the Two Flowers of Yixiantian.

Hesitating for a moment, He Yiming changed direction and sprinted towards that spot.

It had been a while since Suoge, She Ru, and the others departed. Even if he wanted to pursue them, this short delay wouldn't matter much.

Soon, He Yiming arrived on this large rock.

The Hengshan lineage was a corner of the hundred thousand great mountains rising in the northwest. Here, peaks rose and fell continuously, soaring into the clouds. Looking down from the giant rock, it felt like an immortal drifting among the clouds and mist.

When He Yiming reached the giant rock, Yu Jinglei, who had been gazing into the distant mist, turned around at nearly the same moment.

Their gazes met instantly. Although there was no verbal communication, they both understood each other’s intentions simultaneously.

“Elder Yu, I am sorry…” He Yiming said gravely.

Yu Jinglei shook his head and smiled. “You have nothing to be sorry for. If I were two hundred years younger, I would make the same choice you are about to make. But unfortunately…” He sighed deeply, “I am old.”

He Yiming opened his mouth to speak but suddenly thought of the deceased Shui Xuanjin, falling into silence.

Yu Jinglei spoke gently, “Elder He, please forgive me, but I cannot accompany you.”

He Yiming nodded deeply. He certainly understood that going to seek revenge alone was a private vendetta. But if Elder Yu went with him, it would drag the entire Hengshan lineage into it. No matter how much Yu Jinglei valued him, not stopping his revenge was already the limit of what he could do.

“Also, the reason I summoned you here is to tell you one thing.” Yu Jinglei’s expression was extremely solemn.

“Please speak, Elder Yu.”

Sparks of light shot from Yu Jinglei’s eyes. “I know that among the Totem Clan you intend to pursue, there are ten Totem Messengers, two Grand Totem Messengers, and two thousand-year spirit beasts that have mutated through tempering. Killing them will be exceedingly difficult. However, I still want to advise you of one thing: you must kill them all before they return to the Totem Homeland this time. Even if it costs you a certain price, it must be done.”

He Yiming’s heart tensed. He had originally expected Yu Jinglei to advise him to prioritize his own safety, but unexpectedly, although he gave advice, its meaning was completely opposite.

“I know you find this strange, but I must tell you that once they return to the Totem Clan, you will permanently lose the opportunity to kill them.” Yu Jinglei’s voice was extremely grave. “Within the Totem Clan, there are true peak experts. Unless you reach the Ninth Heaven Realm of Nine-Nine Unity, the result of entering the Totem Clan to wreak slaughter will only be death.”

He Yiming’s eyebrows twitched slightly. After pondering for a moment, he asked, “Elder Yu, if I truly manage to kill all of them, will it bring disaster upon the Hengshan lineage?”

Yu Jinglei burst into loud laughter, his voice full of endless heroic spirit. “Elder He, you think too little of our Hengshan lineage. Our Hengshan has stood for thousands of years; there is a reason for that. As long as it is a private grievance, no matter how powerful the Totem Clan is, they dare not annihilate the Hengshan lineage.” Seeing the confusion in He Yiming’s eyes, he smiled. “We have over a thousand people here. If the enemy is too strong, do you think we won’t run? As long as one of us escapes, the main branch of Tianchi Mountain will stand up for us. Any Totem Clan that makes a move would face the same fate of extinction. Remember, our Hengshan lineage is not rootless duckweed. The main branch of Tianchi is from the same source as the Lingxiao Palace of Eastern Dashen, the Seven-Colored Ice Palace of the Northern Frontier, and the Ten Thousand Zhang Glazed Cave Source of the Southern Archipelago. We have supported each other through hardships for thousands of years and have become one entity. We… fear no one.”

His voice boomed, echoing among the mist-shrouded rocks:

“If others do not offend me, I will not offend them. If others offend me, I will repay them a hundredfold…”

He Yiming’s heart was deeply shaken. He looked at the towering peaks that had stood for millennia, his emotions surging. With a sudden, long cry, like summer thunder, it roared incessantly.

The sound of thunder gradually faded, seemingly until the ends of the horizon.

The disciples toiling on the mountain path looked at each other, all filled with astonishment.