His previously unmoving form seemed to transform into a massive mountain rolling forward, instantly reaching the courtyard wall.

In his palms, the power of ten thousand jin was condensed, and the surrounding air solidified once more.

That biting, bone-chilling killing intent he had sensed earlier emanated from this very spot.

Though he didn't know the identity of this person, the sheer magnitude of the killing aura that could move He Yi Ming meant this individual was surely no ordinary adversary.

A dark shadow flickered from a dim corner. While suspended in mid-air, it lightly brushed against He Yi Ming’s palms and was instantly shot out over the wall like an arrow, speeding into the distance.

He Yi Ming’s palms, fully charged with Earth Element power, had failed to inflict even the slightest injury; instead, the opponent had used the momentum to escape swiftly.

With a cold snort, He Yi Ming raised his eyebrows, a secret astonishment brewing within him.

Although the Qing Tian Yin hand seal technique he had just employed couldn't unleash its full might due to its recent cultivation, the opponent’s strength still surpassed his expectations.

To escape so effortlessly by borrowing force, this person’s cultivation level was absolutely not beneath that of Jing Lei and the others.

Powerful true energy circulated within his body, the heavy, solidified Earth Element true energy returning to his Dantian. When it surged out again, it had transformed into the ethereal, untraceable Wind Element true energy.

Earth Element power was indeed immensely powerful, capable of imposing immense pressure, as weighty as Mount Tai, upon an enemy. However, when pursuing an opponent, it was far less effective than the utility of Wind Element power.

His figure flashed, and He Yi Ming instantly gave chase to the retreating silhouette. In but a moment, the two were lost to sight, one leading, one following.

However, behind them, a black figure followed closely in its own distinct, clumsy manner. No matter how fast they ran, this shadow could not be shaken off.

In the room, Zhu Ba Qi, who had been sensing the flow of powerful Earth Element true energy, finally noticed something amiss. But by the time he arrived, the place was empty. The face of this expert from Tianchi Mountain's Yixiantian was ashen, yet tinged with worry—could this be a master newly dispatched by the Totem Clan of the deep mountains?

※※※※

He Yi Ming’s speed increased relentlessly; he was gradually closing the distance.

His movements were extremely cautious. He did not immediately deploy the ultimate speed of the Wind Element's Two Points to One Line technique, choosing instead to pursue slowly. Though his speed was slightly reduced, the cumulative psychological pressure exerted by the slow, constant advance was undoubtedly the most agonizing form of pursuit.

After leaving the He Family Village far behind, the shadowed figure suddenly turned and plunged into the forest.

He Yi Ming paused briefly, then let out a cold laugh, following without hesitation.

He had already completely mastered the power of the wind, even condensing the Wind Flower successfully. Although running through a forest would affect the deployment of wind power, he cared little.

Moments later, He Yi Ming drew near. He extended a hand, his palm concave and convex, releasing a needle-like thread of true energy like a flying dart.

This thread of true energy did not appear powerful; a master of the same rank might not even have its skin broken. Yet, the person running ahead was cautious. He waved a hand backward, and with a weapon whose nature was unknown, intercepted the needle-like true energy.

He Yi Ming’s brow furrowed slightly, muttering a regret inwardly. If this person hadn't defended, and the energy had invaded his body, escape would have been impossible.

A flash of light suddenly ignited in his eyes. Since the sneak attack failed, it was time to test true strength.

As that intense light flared, the surrounding scenery underwent a subtle shift in He Yi Ming’s vision. A straight line appeared before him, as if one step would be enough to cross the entire distance.

He Yi Ming took that single step, and his figure bizarrely vanished from where he stood. Almost simultaneously, a figure abruptly materialized ahead of the running opponent.

Having used the ultimate Wind Element ability, He Yi Ming turned his gaze to the person’s face and couldn't help but start slightly.

The figure wore a terrifying, grotesque demon mask, with only a pair of eyes shining like stars and the mouth and nose exposed.

He showed no panic at He Yi Ming suddenly surpassing him and appearing before him. With a slight flick of his wrist, a spray of black shadows swept out toward He Yi Ming, dense enough to cover the sky.

Countless sounds of tearing air filled the atmosphere. What flew everywhere turned out to be a type of strange, incredibly minute projectile—hidden weapons.

He Yi Ming’s expression immediately grew solemn. It seemed this person knew about the supreme ability He Yi Ming kept hidden and had prepared for it.

He listened quietly to the sounds carried on the wind. Despite the projectiles filling the air like dense hairs, he remained utterly fearless.

He extended both hands, moving them up and down before him, undulating like rolling waves, or perhaps like the continuous peaks of deep mountains.

The air around He Yi Ming immediately solidified. As the myriad hair-like projectiles approached him, they spontaneously stopped, hovering in mid-air for a moment before dropping toward the ground.

Not a single one of the massive quantity of projectiles could pierce the concentrated air surrounding him.

The person wearing the demon mask let out an astonished sound, clearly surprised that He Yi Ming’s Fu Di Yin could manifest such a powerful effect.

However, he was also a true peak master. Without pausing, he thrust a palm forward toward He Yi Ming’s chest.

A cold smile played on He Yi Ming’s lips, and he raised a palm in return.

Powerful Earth Element force rose before him like an immortal mountain.

The palms collided instantly, and He Yi Ming’s expression abruptly changed. An incredible surge of power flowed from the opponent's palm.

The power being used was also Earth Element, and it was far stronger and more overwhelming than his own. It was as if a colossal mountain peak was pressing down. At that moment, an almost irresistible feeling surfaced in He Yi Ming’s heart.

This was the first time in combat that he felt an opponent’s palm force surge so turbulently, surpassing his own.

He rotated the true energy within his body, instantly shifting from utmost strength to utter softness. His body became as light as a leaf, drifting away swiftly. That immense, overwhelming force swept He Yi Ming far away, like a fierce gale blowing from a high plateau.

The masked man paused again. His initial borrowing of force to flee was deliberate, intending to lure He Yi Ming away. But now, engaging in actual combat, he realized the youth’s strength was still beyond his predictions.

Since he had made up his mind, a sharp killing intent flashed in his eyes, and he immediately pursued, shadowing He Yi Ming relentlessly.

He Yi Ming, hanging in the air beside him, let out a cold snort. His body twisted and vanished, and a cloud of mist seemed to rise from the space around him, spreading rapidly.

Since he could not match strength with strength, he would use combat techniques to redress the disadvantage.

Within this mist, He Yi Ming seemed to transform into thousands. From different directions and angles, he launched endless attacks.

The opponent's movement halted; he solidified like a mountain, and the aura around him abruptly shifted, causing the air itself to take on a heavy feeling.

He Yi Ming was greatly alarmed. He was intimately familiar with this power. This was clearly the power of condensation and pressure, the miraculous ability to transform intangible true energy into tangible form.

A thought abruptly surfaced in his mind: could this opponent be one of the legendary supreme masters who had achieved the Three Flowers Gathering at the Summit?

However, in the next moment, he noticed the oppressive force in the air, while present, was definitely not as terrifying as he had imagined.

He breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the opponent had only glimpsed the edge of this ability, much like himself, but had not truly mastered it.

Powerful true energy circulated around him, immediately blasting through the confining force.

He Yi Ming’s hands fluttered, his palms constantly changing shape, releasing over ten fine, hair-like needles of true energy.

The opponent flicked his wrist, and a series of mournful, wailing sounds suddenly erupted in the air.

He Yi Ming’s expression changed slightly. He recognized this sound; it was definitely produced by some peculiar weapon. Under the sweep of this strange weapon, not only were all his needle-like true energies effortlessly broken, but they were also sent flying toward him with violent rotation.

Sensing the peculiar, tearing true energy around him, He Yi Ming’s face grew incredibly grave.

He took a deep breath, suddenly sinking his stance and straddling his legs, slowly raising both hands.

The Thirty-Six Forms of Mountain Splitting, Twenty-Second Form...

The surrounding air immediately became confined, and even the strange wailing sound in the air seemed to weaken considerably.

Although He Yi Ming was not employing the full-force strike of the Five Elements Merged, the Twenty-Second Form of Mountain Splitting alone was already a top-tier Metal Element combat technique.

Vast Metal Element power surged out instantly, carrying the momentum of slaying gods and buddhas, cleaving toward the masked figure.

Even without the Great Broadsword in hand, the power of this strike from He Yi Ming was far from ordinary.

The eyes of the opponent also became profoundly serious, tinged with a trace of tension and excitement.

"Clang..."

The sound of metal striking metal suddenly rang out. He Yi Ming’s hands were already shimmering with a metallic sheen. Under the flow of immense Metal Element power, unless encountering something like the Hundred and Eight Changes Great Broadsword, he feared no ordinary spiritual weapon.

The demon-masked figure held a strange ring, crafted from an unknown material. When He Yi Ming's immense Metal Element true energy contacted the ring, it sank in as if striking a vast ocean.

However, how could the might of the Thirty-Six Forms of Mountain Splitting be compared to an ordinary Water Element technique?

The powerful Metal Element force acted like a colossal axe splitting the heavens, cutting through the waves and forcefully cleaving open the ocean of water.

But just then, the figure rotated the ring. From the ring, strong Wood Element true energy immediately emanated. The ocean of water instantly transformed into a towering giant tree.

He Yi Ming’s expression remained unchanged; his palm-blade struck straight down, splitting the tree blocking his path.

The ring rotated again, and Fire Element power churned incessantly...

At this point, He Yi Ming’s expression finally changed, but it was too late to retreat; he desperately urged the true energy within him to exert the maximum power of this form.

Although Fire overcomes Metal, the Fire Element energy spurred from the ring was still slightly inferior. It was pierced by his Metal Element power, creating a bloody path.

However, in the next moment, He Yi Ming was surprised to find that as the ring spun, the force he faced transformed once more, into the solid, heavy Earth Element power resembling towering mountains and great stones.

While the Thirty-Six Forms of Mountain Splitting was powerful, by this stage, it had reached the end of its tether, unable to penetrate this defense resembling the very earth.

Just as He Yi Ming’s momentum waned and his true energy was depleted, the strange ring did not cease its rotation. The Earth Element true energy shifted with the rotation, becoming the sharpest and most fierce Gold Element true energy among the Five Elements.

The sound of breaking air immediately grew intense, as if the entire world was filled with this grating noise.

He Yi Ming was inwardly alarmed, but not panicked. In his eyes, everything around him began to slow down. The route between the Two Points to One Line was gradually appearing and clarifying.

However, at this very moment, the demon-masked man suddenly opened his mouth and ejected three visible, colored flowers simultaneously.

Gold, Earth, Water...

Three flowers representing the mutual generation within the Five Elements appeared before He Yi Ming at that instant.

These three visible flowers exploded immediately upon being released, and powerful confinement energy instantly saturated every inch of the surrounding space.

A look of terror finally appeared in He Yi Ming’s eyes. Whether it was the exotic weapon in the opponent’s hand or the explosion of these three flowers, both far exceeded his expectations.

His mastery of the Wind Element power was supposed to allow him to execute the Two Points to One Line leap under any circumstances. With this skill, he should never fall into an inescapable predicament. But now, this person had unleashed three flowers at once, sealing all surrounding forces.

The clear lines visible in his eyes flickered and then shattered.

The piercing sound in the air grew closer, and the strange ring, imbued with the power of death, struck down upon him from above.

Having lost the escape method provided by the Wind power, and with his true energy in a state of depletion between surges, He Yi Ming seemed to have fallen into an unprecedented dead end.

At this point, the eyes of the masked figure showed satisfaction.

He and his companion had thoroughly researched He Yi Ming. This painstaking effort had not been in vain.

Unless a miracle occurred, He Yi Ming was certain to die.

However, at that very moment, he suddenly felt a chilling coldness, a bitterness a hundred times colder than the harshest winter weather.

The surrounding space seemed to solidify further, but this solidification was not solely due to the power of the three flowers he had exploded; it was accompanied by a powerful, freezing cold capable of solidifying everything.

What truly astounded him was that this cold energy originated from the young powerhouse before him.

He saw He Yi Ming extend both palms, which were already covered in white frost.

Not only that, but this frost was spreading at an unbelievable speed. In just an instant, it had covered He Yi Ming’s entire body, as if clothing him in white ice armor. Furthermore, the environment immediately turned into a world of ice and snow, shrouded in a vast whiteness.

The masked man was struck by terror. He had learned about all of He Yi Ming’s trump cards through various channels, and he knew from someone that He Yi Ming did not fear Cold Element true energy.

But only now did he realize that He Yi Ming didn't merely not fear Cold Element true energy; he possessed a frigid power a hundred times stronger than ordinary cold energy.

Beyond the Five Elements power, he possessed the Wind Flower, and now, such terrifying coldness. For a moment, even his firm confidence seemed to waver.

The rapidly spinning ring quickly slowed down, emitting an extremely unpleasant, grating sound.

Then, the hands covered in white ice armor slammed heavily into the ring.

With a deafening roar, He Yi Ming and the masked man were both thrown backward.

After stabilizing himself, He Yi Ming took a deep breath, and the surging turbulence in his heart finally subsided.

A trace of regret flashed in the masked man's eyes, but his apprehension toward He Yi Ming deepened. To escape even in this fatal situation—who knew how many unknown trump cards the young man still possessed?

"Three Flowers... Since Your Excellency is already a master of the Three Flowers realm, why refuse to show your true face?" He Yi Ming asked in a deep voice.

The masked man hesitated for a moment. "It's a pity. My cultivation is still slightly inferior. If I had succeeded in gathering the summit, you would surely die today."

He Yi Ming’s face paled slightly, a cold sweat drenching his back as he recalled the perilous situation just moments ago.

With a shift of his mind, He Yi Ming roared, "Courtesy demands reciprocity! Take this punch from me!"

He sank his stance and straddled his legs, adopting the starting posture of the Twenty-Second Form of the Thirty-Six Forms of Mountain Splitting once more. That immense Metal Element true energy soared skyward, appearing even sharper than before.

From him erupted an aura of fighting to the death, even the air around them carrying a palpable sense of tragic heroism willing to embrace death.

Under this immense pressure, the masked man immediately focused all his attention.

When a master who has condensed Two Flowers abandons everything, even staking his life, the resulting power is absolutely extraordinary.

Even though he was a master of the Three Flowers realm, even though he held a magical, supreme weapon, and even though he possessed firm confidence and rich combat experience—at this moment, he dared not be the least bit careless.

An enormous aura rose from him as well—Earth Element true energy, heavy as a mountain. The exotic weapon in his hand began to spin once more, and under the amplification of the artifact’s power, his footing grew steady as rock.

He Yi Ming let out a sharp cry, his body suddenly transforming into a gust of fierce wind, like an arrow... rolling backward.

The masked man stood in a defensive posture, staring dumbfounded at the figure of He Yi Ming disappearing into the jungle, silent for a long time...