All became utterly silent. Those who remained standing far off—the two archers who hadn't charged, and the still-shaken Tatamu—along with the others who had narrowly escaped in the final moments, were now held in absolute quiet.

They stared ahead at the two figures standing side-by-side, figures who, in their eyes, were virtually indistinguishable from demons.

No, they were demons. At least the one named Jin Zhanyi had already been publicly branded as such by the Church. But beside this known demon, there seemed to stand another, even more formidable one.

The sheet of black sky hovering over the ground vanished. When the onlookers finally comprehended the gruesome scene beneath, every face paled, and their gazes toward He Yiming were filled with sheer terror.

He Yiming spared the scene below a single glance, and a churning chaos erupted in his gut; he nearly vomited on the spot.

The black sky had descended with terrifying speed. Although these individuals were genuine Innate Realm experts, not everyone could flee ten zhang away in an instant. Of the dozens present, at least half were crushed beneath that patch of sky, every one of them instantly reduced to a paste of flesh.

Flesh merged with flesh, bone tangled with viscera, and the very ground was gouged out into a perfectly squared, deep pit.

Inside the Tongtian Pagoda of the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, this same ‘sky’ possessed immense destructive power, yet it could leave no trace within the Pagoda itself. Now, having emerged from that mysterious structure, the true might of this black sky was finally and completely unveiled.

Over twenty Innate Masters were flattened beneath it, including several experts of the First-Tier Heaven level who had reacted a fraction too slowly, or perhaps who held an overabundance of confidence in their own abilities.

A full half of the gathered masters had lost their lives forever, meeting this horrific end—obliterated without a trace of bone remaining—under the crushing power of the sky.

Turning away, He Yiming never glanced back. He strode forward with long, swift steps, gradually breaking into a run.

Jin Zhanyi’s cold gaze swept over the remaining figures. Every person who met his eyes felt their hearts shatter; the aggressive killing intent they had possessed initially had completely vanished.

Under the shadow of that black sky, their morale had been utterly crushed, plummeting to absolute zero.

Jin Zhanyi threw back his head and laughed loudly, then turned and pursued He Yiming.

Of the more than thirty people left, their eyes were vacant, and not a single soul dared to suggest a pursuit.

After a long pause, Tatamu whispered, his voice trembling, "A Venerable… it must be a Venerable…"

Everyone nodded silently. In their minds, unless one had reached the Venerable rank, it was simply impossible to wield such unbelievably potent power.

Yet, they did not know this: Even a Venerable encountering He Yiming’s strike would have no choice but to flee in panic. Should some fool dare to meet it head-on, the consequences might not be much kinder than those suffered by the pulverized remains below.

Dannie, who had escaped in the final second, spat out viciously, "They actually have a Venerable! These Easterners are truly despicable."

During the great war between East and West, Venerable-level experts were forbidden from participating—this was a rule passed down through countless ages. Both sides had quietly adhered to this covenant, knowing that only by upholding it would it benefit everyone. To break the rule would certainly invite pursuit from every Venerable in both the East and the West. In such a scenario, one would have no sanctuary, no matter how far they fled to the ends of the earth.

Tatamu and the others had initially never suspected He Yiming of being a Venerable, but after this spectacular display of power, they were all convinced of the fact: the person accompanying Jin Zhanyi must be a Venerable.

"Let's return and report to the Curia; let them handle this," Tatamu sighed deeply. "Since a Venerable has interfered, this is beyond our ability to manage."

A flicker of venomous hatred crossed Dannie’s eyes. He approached the pit soaked in blood, clasped his hands together, and addressed the ground: "Rest assured, gentlemen. Since this Venerable dared to interfere in this matter, he will surely be hunted by every expert under heaven. He will surely meet a terrible end."

The others murmured their agreement. Rules handed down since antiquity were not so easily broken.

Throughout history, all who dared challenge this rule had paid with their lives; this person would surely be no exception.

Running at full speed, the cool wind whipped past his body, carrying away the intense stench of blood that seemed to cling to him.

He Yiming finally let out a long sigh and halted his steps.

Just as he stopped, Jin Zhanyi arrived perfectly at his side.

Seeing He Yiming’s expression, Jin Zhanyi smiled faintly. "What? Are you unaccustomed to it?"

He Yiming nodded slightly. He said slowly, "This isn't the first time I've killed. I've slain many bandits before, far more than this, yet for some reason, this time feels different."

Jin Zhanyi gave a wry smile. "Can bandits compare to Innate Realm experts?"

He Yiming paused, then immediately understood the reason. Those killed by the Heaven-Flipping Seal were not ordinary people; they were Innate experts whose power far surpassed the common bounds.

In the minds of most people, such figures were unreachable and supreme. Yet, he had just crushed them into a paste as easily as slaughtering chickens and ducks.

This extreme visual contrast, coupled with the status of these victims, immediately gave him a distinctly different feeling.

After a long period of contemplation, He Yiming’s expression gradually returned to normal. "Thank you for your insight, Brother Jin."

Jin Zhanyi shook his head. "I should be thanking you. If not for your sudden move, the two of us might truly have been forced to flee in utter disarray."

In truth, Jin Zhanyi desperately wanted to ask how He Yiming managed to unleash such an impossibly devastating ultimate move.

He was no ordinary Peak Triple Realm expert; within the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, he was considered the most promising young talent, having received guidance from nearly every Venerable Master on one or two techniques. Thus, he possessed a relatively clear understanding of Venerable power.

The might unleashed by He Yiming's ‘sky’ had reached an inconceivable level; even an average Venerable could not execute such a powerful technique. Hence, he was intensely curious how He Yiming achieved it.

However, the words died in his throat. Inquiring about another cultivator’s secret methods was the greatest taboo in the cultivation world. He recalled that even to gain insight into Yu Wuchang's cultivation secrets, he had to pay the price of one Jia Huang Pill, illustrating the profound nature of this restriction.

He Yiming subtly shook his head, feeling he hadn't done anything world-shattering. The two continued walking side-by-side, retracing their steps.

Sensing the changes within his dantian, He Yiming faintly detected that wisp of Pagoda energy hidden within. At this moment, that energy was tragically weak; if He Yiming hadn't been so intimately familiar with it, he might not have been able to sense it at all.

However, though depleted, it was also drawing upon the energy within He Yiming’s dantian to replenish its recent expenditure. He knew that his ability to exert such tremendous power relied entirely on this single reservoir of strength.

Now that this power had been spent unleashing the Heaven-Flipping Seal, it would take at least a full day and night to recover fully. He Yiming was quite satisfied with this result. Being able to deploy such a potent technique once every twenty-four hours was already a stroke of sheer luck.

Yet, this technique had its flaws. Its execution speed wasn't fast enough; it required first performing the Heaven-Supporting Seal before the Heaven-Flipping Seal could follow, and so on. If that weren't the case, not a single one of those dozens of opponents would have escaped; they would all have been annihilated.

But even knowing the deficiencies of this technique, with his current strength, any improvement was impossible. Merely being able to execute it was cause for quiet celebration. To control it completely as he wished would require his cultivation to advance further, perhaps even reaching some legendary realm.

The two traveled in silence for a while before He Yiming suddenly asked, "Brother Jin, didn't you say they wouldn't employ overwhelming numbers against the few?"

Jin Zhanyi broke into a wry smile, shaking his head helplessly. "I truly don't know why these fellows suddenly changed their nature." After a pause, as if recalling something, he added, "Could it be that under wartime conditions, their temperaments shift?"

He Yiming shot him an exasperated look. This expedition had indeed been perilous; it seemed Jin Zhanyi’s words weren't always reliable.

His thoughts raced, and he asked, "Brother Jin, why were there no Venerables guarding the opposing side?"

Jin Zhanyi laughed heartily. "Brother He, during the final showdown between East and West, Venerables are prohibited from joining the fray."

He Yiming was greatly perplexed. Such a massive war, involving the mobilization of countless resources by both nations, yet lacking the support of their supreme fighting forces—the Venerables—was something he could not comprehend.

Jin Zhanyi hesitated for a moment. "Brother He, you are unaware. According to the rules passed down from antiquity, during every major East-West conflict, any powerhouse who has reached the Venerable Realm is forbidden to participate. Otherwise, regardless of which faction they belong to, they will ultimately be hunted down by the Venerables of both sides. Even if they flee to the ends of the earth, survival will be difficult."

He Yiming’s heart pounded violently. Although he had harbored some premonition—if Jin Zhanyi and that fellow Thomas hadn't guaranteed the absence of Venerables, they would never have dared to provoke a raid—hearing Jin Zhanyi confirm the rule’s ancient origins sent an indescribable shock through him.

He Yiming stopped walking, his expression turning solemn. "Brother Jin, I must know the reason for this."

Jin Zhanyi also stopped. He sighed deeply. "Since you will eventually be entering that sphere anyway, there’s no need to hide it." He said gravely, "Brother He, have you ever heard of Ghost Cry Ridge?"