Xiong Wuji let out a strange cry. He slapped the large head of the Fox Bear, and the creature instantly understood. Instead of advancing, the massive body retreated, fleeing backward with surprising speed.

The aura emanating from the front was too domineering, too powerful, instilling a chilling dread in them.

As members of the Totem Clan, they trusted their instincts implicitly. Upon sensing danger, Xiong Wuji decisively abandoned the thought of desperately carving a bloody path forward, opting instead for immediate retreat. He sought to evade this terrifying force.

He Yiming, having stabilized himself, drew the Five Elements Ring from the pouch under his arm. This supreme-grade weapon, which harnessed the interplay of generation and restraint among the Five Elements, was being used for the first time in this subterranean environment.

Mighty True Qi poured into the Five Elements Ring, causing the outermost disc to spin violently.

Unlike the previous masked figures, He Yiming channeled a force representing the perfect balance of the Five Elements.

Although his current Five Elements cultivation was unbalanced, under his exquisite control, the Five Elements True Qi injected into the ring formed a precise equilibrium—a ceaseless, circulating balance.

In this state, akin to supreme perfection, the Five Elements flowed through the ring’s unique properties, creating what felt like an independent world, one that seemed destined never to cease.

Simultaneously, with the multicolored light came an immense and peerless pressure. This aura, generated by the circulating Five Elements, instantly suppressed Xiong Wuji and the Fox Bear Spirit Beast, who had been preparing for a desperate fight.

However, He Yiming hadn't anticipated that upon sensing the might of the Five Elements Ring, both Xiong Wuji and the Fox Bear Spirit Beast would immediately choose to retreat three leagues.

Sensing their departure, He Yiming smirked coldly. The longer he spent underground, the more he began to feel as if he were in his natural element.

He thrust his palm forward, and the multicolored radiance shot ahead. The earth before him instantly became softer, giving He Yiming the sensation of being above ground, as if he were moving through air.

He marvelled inwardly, knowing this transformation was deeply connected to the Five Elements Ring in his hand.

He was astonished that when the Five Elements merged, the ring possessed such a miraculous secondary function—the ability to allow the user to travel through the very element of earth.

Since such an advantage was available, He Yiming naturally did not hesitate. With a flicker of movement, he broke through the ground before him, pursuing them at a speed far surpassing the Fox Bear Spirit Beast.

In mere moments, distinct sounds reached He Yiming's ears: the noise of the Fox Bear Spirit Beast clawing through the earth to escape.

A fierce, sharp glint appeared in his eyes. With a light wave of the Five Elements Ring, a stream of Five Elements light shot from his hand, slicing through the subterranean layers like lightning, arriving behind the fleeing spirit beast.

Once He Yiming had closed a certain distance, Xiong Wuji sensed his presence and was startled by his incredible speed.

How could a human at the Three Flowers Realm be so much faster in burrowing than a spirit beast? This baffled them completely.

Danger immediately prickled from behind. Without hesitation, Xiong Wuji raised his massive shield to block whatever was coming.

The shield vibrated violently, successfully stopping the multicolored light, but both he and the Fox Bear Spirit Beast suffered a slight, jarring shock.

Yet, this was only the first wave. Just as Xiong Wuji let out a breath of relief after the shield deflected the initial multicolored beam, his eyes snapped wide open.

Because what he felt next was the impact of dozens, perhaps hundreds, of similarly powerful forces striking them anew.

He was terrified. Could this person’s True Qi be so boundless? Could he unleash such relentless attacks without restraint?

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Even beneath the earth, the intense collisions reverberated like muffled thunder. The man-and-bear duo quickly realized that He Yiming had caught up to them. However, the attacker did not show himself but began circling them slowly, continuously unleashing these powerful True Qi assaults.

Every impact shook their forms, and even the great shield in Xiong Wuji’s hands began to warp under the constant barrage.

At the same time, his arms grew numb. He had switched hand grips several times, but the opponent’s True Qi seemed inexhaustible, maintaining the same formidable attack intensity from start to finish, denying them even a single moment to breathe.

Suddenly, an even more powerful surge of True Qi erupted. This time, it was focused beneath them, originating from deep within the earth: hundreds of streams of Five Elements True Qi.

Xiong Wuji’s face changed drastically. If they tried to meet this head-on, they were certain to be injured this time.

Seemingly sensing the same danger, the Fox Bear Spirit Beast proactively shot upward even without Xiong Wuji’s command.

Soil churned, and in a flash of light, they burst through the surface and shot toward the sky.

The moment they erupted onto the surface, the hundreds of multicolored beams followed in hot pursuit.

But now, being above ground, their evasive speed was incomparable to their speed underground.

The Fox Bear Spirit Beast exerted its swiftness and agility to the extreme, dodging the vast majority of the beams through rapid lateral movements. Coupled with Xiong Wuji’s use of the great shield for deflection, they managed to survive this ordeal, shaken but unharmed.

However, at that instant, they heard a sound like crashing waves—a continuous, rising chorus of astonished cries.

Man and bear cautiously scanned their surroundings, and their expressions immediately darkened. Xiong Wuji felt a wave of defeat; his earlier resolute confidence was entirely gone.

Because he now realized that the spot where the Fox Bear Spirit Beast had just emerged was precisely where they had initially burrowed underground.

After catching up at a speed greater than their own, He Yiming had not immediately intercepted them. Instead, he had used some mysterious method to continuously launch Five Elements attacks, strategically driving them back to their starting point. Only now did he unleash his full power, forcing them out of the earth.

To achieve this demonstrated that He Yiming’s current strength was far beyond their ability to match.

Perhaps only a Totem Saint could confidently defeat this man.

A figure flashed, and before them, He Yiming drilled up from the soil.

In his hand, he held a strange, continuously spinning weapon, upon which shimmered the multicolored divine light that had caused them so much trouble.

Xiong Wuji’s gaze narrowed. He instantly felt the intense threat radiating from this unique artifact.

He Yiming smiled faintly. He channeled a surplus of Earth Element power into the Five Elements Ring, instantly disrupting the cycle of generation within it. The multicolored light immediately dimmed and vanished. The outer ring’s rotation gradually ceased as the input of power and the equilibrium of the Five Elements were broken.

However, Xiong Wuji knew that as long as He Yiming willed it, this terrifying weapon could unleash its devastating power at any moment.

On the high platform, Jin Zhanyi and Zhang Zhong'an’s eyes widened slightly. Their gazes fixed on the Five Elements Ring, filled with disbelief.

Ai Wenbin frowned slightly. Judging by their expressions, they recognized the origin of this treasure.

Although this was not the authentic Five Elements Ring, merely a replica, it was enough to incite intense desire.

He Yiming placed the Five Elements Ring against his back and spoke loudly, "Brother Xiong, is our wager still valid?"

Hearing his words, the late-stage cultivators in the plaza paused, then erupted in thunderous cheers.

The simultaneous shouts of tens of thousands carried immense power, especially since these were all accomplished practitioners. Though they were all late-stage masters, they were far stronger than ordinary people.

Xiong Wuji’s face was ashen, but this time his arrogance was utterly extinguished. Even the Fox Bear Spirit Beast, which had been snarling at He Yiming moments ago, became remarkably docile, making no further provocative movements toward him.

This was the wisdom of a spirit beast. Upon sensing that the opponent possessed the power to kill it, and that escape was impossible in his presence, it would never seek death for the sake of pointless pride, as a human might.

Of course, this was also why He Yiming had not sought to slay it; had they been cornered with no other choice, the Fox Bear Spirit Beast certainly would not have surrendered tamely.

Slowly, Xiong Wuji’s face regained composure. He spoke expressionlessly, "This Xiong will truthfully report to the Qilin Holy Lord upon returning to the deep mountains and seek his judgment. If he does not agree to the twenty-year pact, then I will end my own life and give you satisfaction."

"Qilin Holy Lord?" He Yiming frowned slightly. "Brother Xiong, I requested the Wolf and Snake Clans."

Xiong Wuji gave a cold laugh. "Brother He need not worry. If the Qilin Holy Lord agrees, the Wolf and Snake Clans absolutely will not defy his decree."

Hearing the finality in his tone, He Yiming nodded slightly. "Good. Since Brother Xiong is so straightforward, please proceed."

Xiong Wuji gave him a deep look, leaped lightly, and landed on the Fox Bear Spirit Beast’s back.

The great creature looked at He Yiming and the Five Elements Ring with reverence, then turned and sped down the mountain like lightning, disappearing from sight in moments.

Since they were confirmed to be unopposed, they naturally would not suffer the hardship of traveling underground again.

He Yiming recalled the Five Elements Ring and returned to the high platform. The way everyone looked at him now differed greatly from before.

The only ones whose gazes remained unchanged were perhaps Yuan Lixun and Jin Zhanyi.

The former had always possessed complete faith in him, as if she had never doubted whether there was anything in this world he could not accomplish.

In the latter’s eyes, however, the spirit of challenge had grown even more intense.

If Jin Zhanyi’s target had initially been fixed on Xiong Wuji, it had now completely shifted!

Ai Wenbin frowned slightly, choosing to ignore the shift, and announced loudly, "All disciples, listen! This year’s Grand Competition officially begins..."

Ps: Posting two chapters first. I’ve been writing all morning, and some still need revision. I will definitely post four more tonight, but at the latest, only two or three chapters can be ready by 7:30 PM. I guarantee six chapters completed before midnight. Sigh... Although I was prepared to be writing during the May Day holiday, White Crane still has to say, this is hard work! Requesting Monthly Votes!!!