"Ten groups set out, five groups were eliminated. Based on the sequence, they were killed group by group," a fierce glint flashed in Suoge's eyes. "Brother Snake discovered it early, otherwise…"

A chill ran through everyone. If not for She Ru being present, perhaps all ten groups would have met their doom that day.

Not only that, but once these outer perimeter guards were dead, perhaps it would be the turn of these Totem Envoys.

"We were careless," Harlin sighed softly.

With the cultivation levels of these Totem Envoys, if anyone had been paying close attention to the surrounding movements, they might not have detected the killer’s presence, but they absolutely could have sensed someone dying.

However, given the strength of everyone present, no one had ever anticipated that such an event would occur.

She Ru silently approached the corpses. He examined the wounds on everyone and stated with certainty, "This was done by one person."

No one was surprised by She Ru’s judgment; anyone looking at the identical injuries on everyone would come to the same conclusion.

Suoge said coldly, "Brother Snake, can you discern this person's origin?"

She Ru’s expression was grim. He said in a deep voice, "If I am not mistaken, this person must be from the distant Great Shen, and moreover, a specialized assassin highly skilled in the Way of Assassination."

This time, even Suoge’s expression shifted slightly. He asked sharply, "How do you know?"

She Ru pointed to the wounds on the bodies. "The wounds on them are long and slender, yet the edges are not smooth. Our Serpent Clan once studied the ways of assassins from all over the world. In Great Shen, there is a major sect specializing in the Way of Assassination; they use the Forked Sword specifically designed for killing. And these wounds were created by a Forked Sword."

"Great Shen assassins?" Suoge’s voice was laced with strong suspicion. He frowned, "We haven't had any conflict with Great Shen cultivators since we descended from the mountains."

Although the Totem Tribes were immensely powerful, even the arrogant Suoge held a measure of apprehension when mentioning the Great Shen Empire.

"Great Shen assassins don't necessarily strike because of enmity with us," She Ru snorted. "If the price is high enough, let alone us, even the Totem Sages, they would dare to attack."

Suoge’s heart stirred. "The Hengshan lineage?"

Since coming out, they had only made a mortal enemy of the Hengshan lineage. Now that an unrelated party was moving against them, their suspicious gaze naturally fell upon the Hengshan lineage.

She Ru pondered for a moment, and his figure suddenly blurred. His gaze swept the vicinity. Suoge gently patted the Red Wolf King beside him; the giant wolf’s nose twitched lightly, and its eyes turned an earthy yellow.

Within that earthy yellow color, there seemed to be a mysterious power continuously sweeping over the ground.

A moment later, both the Red Wolf King and She Ru paused, and then they began to expand the search radius.

Everyone kept a distance, not interfering, because they all understood that if even these two couldn't find anything suspicious, then even ten times the manpower would be unable to uncover any clues.

A full hour passed. The Totem Clansmen, who had been full of confidence in the man and the wolf, exchanged glances. Now, even their confidence began to waver.

The Red Wolf King and She Ru had already expanded the search to a full li, sweeping not just the ground, but every single tree as well.

Especially She Ru—his gaze was like lightning, and the strange serpent on him also possessed miraculous power and speed. During the hour of searching, not even a single branch escaped his divine scrutiny.

After an unknown amount of time, a faint glimmer of dawn finally appeared on the horizon.

An entire night had passed. She Ru and the Red Wolf King had returned to their original spot. Although they said nothing, judging by their current grim expressions, the result was clear.

Suoge frowned slightly. "Pack up your things."

Receiving his order, the ordinary Totem Clansmen scattered as if granted a pardon. Only the ten Totem Envoys remained, but even they wore strange expressions.

"You couldn't find anything?" Suoge asked in a deep voice, his tone carrying a hint of disbelief. Clearly, even he found it hard to accept. "Not a single clue?"

She Ru, his face dark, shook his head. "Nothing. Whether underground, on the surface, or even in the trees, there were no traces left behind."

"That’s impossible," Suoge snorted. "How did this assassin get here? Did he fly?"

She Ru’s expression shifted slightly. "That might be the only explanation."

A look of wry amusement flashed across Suoge’s face. "Brother Snake, don't joke. You know that the Divine Dao realm is already a legend in this world. And besides the legendary Divine Dao realm, no human can travel through the air."

"I know, but he truly left no trace," She Ru stated gloomily.

Suoge’s expression slowly turned solemn. He turned back and glanced at the crowd. In everyone’s eyes, there seemed to be a trace of dread.

This was their fear of the unknown. If even She Ru and the Red Wolf King could find no trace, didn't that prove this person possessed the ability to come and go without a shadow? How could they deal with such a mysterious assassin?

The gazes of several Totem Envoys turned toward Suoge. Although She Ru was also a Great Totem Envoy, he belonged to the Serpent Totem Clan. They still looked to the Great Envoy of the Wolf Totem for leadership.

Suoge’s expression shifted for a moment. "This person’s strength is profoundly unfathomable; neither the Red Wolf King nor Brother Snake found any clue. But if he truly possessed the strength to kill us all in one blow, he wouldn't need to be so secretive, picking off our ordinary tribesmen first. Therefore…" A sharp glint appeared in his eyes. "Starting tomorrow, the Envoys will take turns keeping watch. If there is any disturbance, sound the alarm immediately."

Everyone bowed deeply. Looking at the composed and confident Suoge, a powerful sense of reassurance seemed to surge back into their hearts.

In the distance, He Yiming, with his eyes half-closed, revealed a mocking smile.

Thanks to the power of the Wind Shoes beneath his feet, he was truly traveling through the air without touching the ground. Although the altitude was less than ideal, and under his control, the speed was maintained at the fastest limit of the mountain breeze—precisely why he left no trace.

In the past, before Sima Yin made his move, He Yiming couldn't discover his tracks. Now, it was the same in reverse.

His ears twitched slightly. He slowly turned. "Brother Bai, is that you?"

A faint, strange sound came from not far behind him. Bai Lingba indeed stepped out leisurely.

"Brother Bai, I knew you would come," He Yiming said with relief.

A bright gleam flashed in Bai Lingba’s eyes. "I cannot help you kill."

"Then why did you follow?"

"We signed a contract. I must ensure your personal safety."

He Yiming looked at him with a strange expression for a long moment before finally suppressing his smile and nodding heavily. However, his gaze instantly firmed.

As long as Bai Lingba was willing to lend a hand, he would have no further worries.

He turned and looked into the distance. The Totem Clansmen there had already begun packing up, preparing to depart.

"Brother Bai, I need to ask you for a favor."

"What is it?"

"I need to track the whereabouts of every single one of them," He Yiming’s voice drifted lightly through the jungle. "Not one missed…"

His eyes had become utterly cold. In his heart, Yu Jinglei’s parting words echoed:

"If others do not offend me, I will not offend them. If they offend me, I shall repay them a hundredfold…"

The sky dimmed once more. After a day’s journey, the Totem Clansmen settled down before nightfall.

Both the Wolf Totem Clan and the Serpent Totem Clan were species accustomed to moving stealthily under the cover of night.

After suffering the unexpected blow last night, in addition to bewilderment, their hearts were filled with anger and resentment. However, they possessed strong self-confidence, believing this was purely due to their carelessness; under alert conditions, such a thing would never happen again.

Thus, in addition to the ten groups of ordinary Totem Clansmen, three more Totem Envoys joined the outer perimeter watch. Of course, inside the tents, She Ru and Suoge were also on high alert, ready to strike instantly if there was any movement outside.

The entire camp was outwardly relaxed but inwardly tense, impenetrable.

However, what filled everyone with astonished uncertainty was that absolutely nothing happened this night, as if the Great Shen assassin who had murdered fifteen tribesmen had retreated upon realizing the difficulty.

The next day, several Totem Envoys exchanged wry smiles. Although they all hated that person to the bone, since he remained hidden, they were helpless.

On the third night, the Totem Clansmen repeated their actions. They acted like patient hunters, waiting for the prey to walk into the trap.

During these two days of travel, the Totem Clansmen intentionally slowed their pace. They knew the killer must be trailing them from afar, waiting for a good opportunity to strike.

The many Totem Envoys had strong confidence in their own power. They did not rush back to the deep mountains but wanted to lure this assassin out and kill him on the spot.

Yet, they failed to notice that in the spot where they rested tonight, there was a layer of strange, fine debris mixed into the soil.

This debris was extremely small and possessed strong adhesive properties. When they walked across the ground, a bit of debris would stick tightly to the soles of their shoes.

Including She Ru and Suoge, and even their thousand-year mutated spirit beasts, no one detected this anomaly.

It wasn't that they were careless; it was that they had never encountered such a situation before and simply couldn't imagine that such bizarre things existed in the world.

The third night passed without incident. Although reluctant, She Ru and Suoge could only lead the group onward.

An hour after they left the area, He Yiming floated over like the wind.

He surveyed the area, clapped his hands lightly twice, and said, "Brother Bai, you can come out now."

As he spoke, the countless tiny fragments in this area changed color. They separated themselves from the soil, becoming something like liquid mercury.

These liquid pools slowly gathered together, growing in number.

The liquid rose higher and solidified, eventually taking on the appearance of Bai Lingba.

"How was it?" He Yiming asked, slightly nervous. Although he had great faith in Bai Lingba’s abilities, this was an idea born of his own wild imagination. Who knew if Bai Lingba could actually manage it?

"I did not fail my mission," Bai Lingba’s voice was as steady as ever.

He Yiming let out a long sigh of relief. "Can you sense their presence?"

"Yes. This is part of my body. At the current stage of evolution, there is no problem within thirty li."

He Yiming’s face shifted slightly. "What if someone moves beyond thirty li?"

"I can continue to evolve," Bai Lingba said dismissively. "This distance will continuously expand."

He Yiming shook his head slightly, yet his heart was filled with shock. Being able to sense within thirty li—this ability was too powerful. Fortunately, this was an ally; if he had an enemy with such an ability, he wouldn't be able to eat or sleep soundly.

With a light sigh, He Yiming cast away these strange thoughts. He lightly patted his waist; the peculiar Forked Sword was right there.

His gaze turned back to the distance, in the direction where Suoge and the others had departed.

"I’ve kept you waiting," He Yiming murmured. "Tonight, I will make you unable to eat or sleep peacefully…"

Among the gradually fading dark clouds, a few stars blinked shyly.

When night fell upon the earth once again, a black shadow floated towards the Totem Clan’s encampment at a slow pace.

After Bai Lingba had marked the sole of everyone’s shoe as instructed, He Yiming finally took action again.

If Suoge and the others saw him now, they would be utterly terrified, for his body was genuinely floating in mid-air.

After two days of continuous familiarity and practice, He Yiming’s mastery over the Wind Shoes had reached a new height of synergy.

Although he couldn't truly fly to the heavens, when he channeled his True Qi to its limit, ascending half a meter or more was no problem.

Of course, doing so would cause his True Qi consumption to reach a terrifying level. If he also sealed all his pores to prevent his scent from escaping, even he could only maintain it for a few hours.

But for him, these hours were more than enough.

At this moment, a gentle breeze surrounded him.

When the mountain wind ceased, he stopped moving, and when the mountain wind resumed, he would use the wind’s power to advance at its speed.

At this moment, he had truly become the wind of the jungle. Even Suoge, She Ru, and the thousand-year mutated spirit beasts beside them did not sense the slightest abnormality.

Finally, carried by the intermittent wind, He Yiming arrived next to an outer perimeter guard post.

Relying on his superior skill of the Wind-Listening Ear, He Yiming had long since noticed that ten guard posts were still stationed outside the tents. Each post still had three men, but in three of these posts, there was one leading Totem Envoy, respectively.

He Yiming chose another guard post that had no Totem Envoy leading it.

Under the cover of the darkness and the wind, as he approached this guard post, the three men were completely oblivious.

Watching their eyes wide open, constantly scanning the surroundings like hunting falcons, He Yiming’s heart remained utterly calm.

Even he found the serenity within his own heart somewhat incredible.

At this point, he finally understood that he had changed; he was no longer the sixth-ranked third-generation disciple of the He Family Manor of the past.

Now, perhaps he couldn't treat human lives as weeds, but when facing enemies, his heart held no trace of pity.

Years of experience, coupled with the growth of his martial power, had brought about incredible changes in his status and standing. Ultimately, this transformation had affected his state of mind. Stimulated by the passing of Elder Shui Xuanjin, he had undergone a complete metamorphosis, as if his bones and marrow had been remade…

He slowly raised the Forked Sword in his hand, channeling a thin stream of True Qi into it slowly.

The greatest feature of this sword was that when Water element True Qi was infused, not only did the blade darken, losing any trace of light, but more importantly, it could negate the fluctuations in the energy of heaven and earth caused by True Qi.

Although He Yiming did not know the origins of the Forked Sword and the Wind Shoes, he knew they were definitely the most top-tier assassination equipment.

Of course, to fully utilize the power of this set of equipment, one needed the innate talent for Wind and Water cultivation.

Silently, he approached the three men. Through the circulation of Innate True Qi, He Yiming’s entire body’s pores were sealed, not leaving behind even the slightest scent. This was also why the Red Wolf King couldn't sniff out any trace.

Although the three were also Post-Heaven masters at the eighth or ninth level of Internal Strength, under He Yiming’s full exertion, how could they possibly detect his arrival?

A black gleam seemed to pierce the lightning in the sky, tracing a curve of exquisite perfection in the void along the path of the wind, leaving a tiny incision on the bodies of the three men.

Powerful True Qi surged in like a tide, instantly severing their life force within their bodies.

Almost simultaneously, He Yiming’s figure dissolved into a puff of wind, leaving the spot.

His speed was extremely fast, yet it made no sound, because what carried him away from the spot was the omnipresent wind within the jungle.

This was the greatest benefit of condensing the Flower of Wind: he could control the flow of wind within a small range.

This technique, combined with the Wind Shoes, was absolutely the best way to conceal tracks. The only regret was that the True Qi consumed would instantly multiply several times over, something even He Yiming could not sustain for long.

"Thud…"

When the bodies of the three men fell to the ground, this not-so-loud sound struck everyone’s ears like thunder.

Instantly, at this guard post, all the Totem Envoys gathered again.

Ps: Tomorrow the kindergarten is visiting Huamao Primary School to observe elementary students’ classes, and then going to the museum; let out in the afternoon… If there are any friends in Ningbo visiting Huamao, perhaps we can meet^^ The entire day, Bai He won't be able to write much. Tomorrow at most there will be two chapters totaling ten thousand characters. Last week in the group chat, I promised Aunt Xiaoxiao a burst of writing on the day after tomorrow, the 16th… five chapters. Twenty-five thousand words! The day after tomorrow is Bai He’s birthday, the 16th. Those who remember this date, please prepare a reward of one hundred Origin Coins^^ Don't give too much, and don't give multiple times, because no matter how much or how many times you reward, only the number of IDs who rewarded will be displayed. Bai He asks for the number of people, not the total amount. Don't let people say Bai He is trying to accumulate wealth—that sounds awful. So, one hundred Origin Coins is enough, thank you. Also, I wonder if I can get a few more Monthly Passes? It’s the middle of the month, and Bai He’s updates this month have been quite substantial!

Recommendation: "Confucian God" 1521104: Turning clouds into rain with a flip of the hand! A hundred-zhang dragon body, roaring dragon cries. Riding a flying sword, traveling ten thousand miles a day! And the strong can wander the heavens atop a golden dragon! If you're not a fierce dragon, don't cross the river! What is the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation? He must undergo the Twelvefold Heavenly Tribulation!