As the incredibly powerful aura gathering around them was drawn in and erupted by He Yiming’s Thirty-Six Forms of Mountain Splitting, He Yiming finally took that last, crucial step.

Every time he had previously practiced these twenty-three forms, he had faltered at the final moment.

This was not due to a lack of effort, but simply because his cultivation level was insufficient.

Although the accumulation of momentum, starting from the first form, brought him infinitely close to the minimum requirement for unleashing the twenty-fourth form, there was always a slight deficiency in every attempt.

But this time was different.

As he executed the twenty-third form, the surrounding powerful aura immediately became his greatest asset.

His body, at this moment, seemed to transform into his Dantian—a bizarre black hole—sucking in all the surrounding energies.

After reducing them to a chaotic singularity, he poured them into the force of his punch.

The auras generated by the three peak masters—the Qilian Twin Demons and Jin Zhanyi—completely erased the gap that separated him.

He Yiming raised his hand high.

The edge of his palm seemed to narrow slightly, resembling the blade of a great Guan Dao, carrying boundless imposing force as he violently slashed toward the Qilian Twin Demons.

Almost simultaneously, dazzling light erupted from Jin Zhanyi’s eyes as his spear-like body stabbed straight forward.

This combination of strike and thrust was seamless, as if they had rehearsed it thousands of times, leaving observers breathless.

The momentum of the blade and the spear instantly collided head-on with the immense Golden Flower.

Both sides unleashed sharp, unyielding power of the Metal element.

When these two forces, of the same element yet wielded by different hands, clashed directly, everyone felt an inexplicable chilling sensation.

Even the residual shockwave from the collision was enough to inspire sheer terror.

An ear-piercing friction sound echoed through the air.

The blade and the spear entered a stalemate with the Golden Flower in the sky, but this lasted only an instant before the peerless power could no longer be suppressed, exploding violently overhead.

The resulting shockwave from this explosion far surpassed their first impact.

The cold wind rippling out from the center was like immense, razor-sharp blades slicing through every visible space.

On the ground, deep grooves, half a foot deep and several zhang long, appeared.

These fine trenches scattered densely like a spider’s web around the area centered on the four of them, extending far into the distance.

Simultaneously, countless piercing gusts of sword wind swept toward the spectators.

“Use your weapons!” Gao Weiliang shouted in a deep voice.

The words of this Venerable Lord were instantly executed without question.

Everyone produced their favored weapons, erecting seemingly impenetrable screens of colored light before themselves.

Especially the Innate experts, who gathered together, pooling their strength to resist the massive destructive force stemming from the clash between the four central masters.

Moments later, the sporadic, blade-like residual energy finally passed.

As everyone breathed a sigh of relief, their gazes turned back toward the center.

The four in the arena were not faring any better.

Their clothes were tattered and shredded, looking utterly miserable as if slashed by countless tiny blades.

However, through the ragged remnants of their outer garments, glints of light could be vaguely seen.

Those who could advance to the Innate realm were certainly not fools; they immediately realized this was because all four were concurrently wearing protective armor.

Thus, during the impact, only vital areas like their heads and faces had been truly exposed.

Yet, what truly surprised everyone was that the powerful fighting intent they held toward each other seemed to have vanished without a trace.

In its place, the four of them were furrowing their brows in deep contemplation.

Occasionally they would glance at each other before quickly looking away, retreating into their own worlds of thought.

Fan Shuo and the other two Venerables secretly let out a breath of relief.

At the moment the four unleashed their full power, their greatest fear was a mutually destructive outcome, leading to the death of all four on the spot.

If that had happened, it would have had profound repercussions for both the Lingxiao Treasure Palace and the Grotto-Heaven Blessed Lands.

But now, after one exchange, although no clear victor had emerged, their demeanor suggested that all parties had gained some form of insight.

The three Venerables exchanged glances, recognizing a trace of relief in the other’s eyes.

The entire valley slowly grew quiet.

Apart from the devastation strewn across the ground, there was no other sound.

Most people simply watched them, silent.

Meanwhile, Wei Zongjin and the other master who had also reached the peak level were meticulously savoring the scene that had just transpired.

The collision of the Metal element power among the four masters, beyond offering profound feeling to the participants themselves, was a rare experience for experts of similar caliber.

After a long pause, the Qilian Twin Demons were the first to exhale deeply, a look of excitement flickering in their eyes.

The bodies of the two demons trembled slightly, causing them to cough up mouthfuls of blood, while the elder demon, though forcefully suppressing it, also had a face as pale as snow.

Fan Shuo strode forward, reaching their side instantly.

He pulled out a bottle of pills and handed them directly to their waiting hands.

The Twin Demons accepted without hesitation and swallowed the medicine.

Within mere breaths, their complexions improved significantly.

Everyone watched the jade bottle in his hand with envious eyes, yet not a single person dared to covet its contents.

Jin Zhanyi also let out a long breath.

As he exhaled, his body swayed precariously.

Du Wenbin moved swiftly to his side, but saw that Jin Zhanyi had already steadied himself.

A look of intense joy shone in his eyes.

He had not taken any medicine.

Instead, he sat down cross-legged, ignoring everyone around him, and began absorbing the energies of heaven and earth.

As a peak-level powerhouse, the speed at which he absorbed the world’s energy was extraordinarily fast.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, leaped to his feet, and although his face was still somewhat pale, he was fully reinvigorated.

The Qilian Twin Demons glanced deeply at him, an unusual sentiment lingering on their faces.

They envied Jin Zhanyi’s youth, which allowed him to sustain himself entirely by drawing on the world’s energy in such a situation.

If it had been a hundred years ago, they two could have achieved the same, but now, they required precious elixirs just to prevent their vital essence from dissipating.

Finally, another long exhalation sounded.

The gazes of the crowd once more focused on the young expert.

He Yiming’s exhalation was distinctly different from that of Jin Zhanyi and the Qilian Twin Demons.

Within the breath he released, there was a faint, metallic sheen.

Everyone, including the three Venerables, froze slightly.

They observed the strange gleam closely, experiencing a moment of sudden comprehension in their hearts, and their expressions turned rather complex—a mixture of envy and jealousy.

When He Yiming’s breath was fully expelled, the multitude of metallic glints instantly converged.

In the blink of an eye, a tangible flower formed in mid-air.

The Golden Flower...

A wave of heartfelt awe rose from the surroundings.

Everyone knew that this tangible flower was something He Yiming had just realized and manifested.

The full-force exchange with the Qilian Twin Demons had finally allowed He Yiming to unleash the twenty-fourth form of the Thirty-Six Forms of Mountain Splitting.

Furthermore, in the final confrontation, the collision of the most powerful Metal element forces gave all four of them a new understanding of this power.

He Yiming had no idea what insights the other three gained, but what he knew for certain was that he had truly touched upon the very essence of the Metal element, allowing him to borrow force and successfully manifest the Golden Flower by executing the twenty-fourth form.

Seeing the Golden Flower hovering in the sky, the expressions of the Qilian Twin Demons suddenly changed subtly.

In their perception, this Golden Flower seemed to contain not only the Metal element but, much like their Five Elements Reincarnation Flower, it embodied the power of all five elements.

Of course, the power of the other four elements was minuscule; even Fan Shuo hadn't noticed.

If the two of them, who had spent centuries together and possessed the complete Five Elements power, hadn't detected this subtle change, no one else would have.

He Yiming finished his exhalation and immediately took a deep breath in.

The Golden Flower condensed in the air vanished instantly with this inhalation, transforming into the five elements which he absorbed into his abdomen.

The elder demon’s heart suddenly moved, and he bowed deeply.

“Brother Jin, Brother He, thank you both.” Jin Zhanyi waved his hand and laughed, “Mutual benefit.

If you two feel the urge to spar again in the future, we are always ready.” Everyone inwardly sighed.

If others faced a challenge from the Qilian Twin Demons, they would do everything to avoid it, but only a madman like Jin Zhanyi would look forward to it so eagerly.

The elder demon forced a wry smile.

Although his brother and he followed the Asura Path and needed constant challenges from the strong to improve faster, Jin Zhanyi seemed even more fanatical than them in this regard.

He coughed lightly and turned to He Yiming, saying, “Brother He, congratulations.” He Yiming smiled genuinely, “Battling with you two, I, He, have benefited immensely.

If time permits in the future, perhaps we can exchange pointers again.” The elder demon was momentarily stunned, and the crowd chuckled, realizing they had gained another troublesome fellow akin to Jin Zhanyi.

Shaking his head gently, the elder demon’s fighting spirit was finally ignited.

He declared, “Gentlemen, after today, my brother and I will enter closed-door seclusion until we achieve the Venerable rank or perish entirely within two years.

If we are fortunate enough to survive…” A smile touched his lips, “...then in three years, we will certainly head to the Realm of Life and Death.

I wonder, by then, if we can still travel with you two.” A fierce light suddenly burst forth in Jin Zhanyi’s eyes.

He stated gravely, “You have understood the way?” The Qilian Twin Demons exchanged glances, matching expressions of proud smiles appearing on their faces.

Ps: Third update, two more to go.

Currently revising, will be ready shortly, sweat...