As He Yiming’s body passed through the illusory figure, a gasp escaped the lips of the onlooker, Zhu Guanhhao.

But this gasp was merely one of slight surprise.

However, when He Yiming did not stop, but instead locked onto the direction Hao Xue was retreating and pursued him relentlessly, arriving before him in an instant and bringing his blade down viciously, every single face changed color.

There was a touch of vacancy in the eyes of Fang Sheng and Zhu Guanhhao. It shouldn't have been difficult for He Yiming to see through the figure before him as an illusion. After being fooled twice, if he were still dense and oblivious, then everyone would genuinely begin to doubt his intelligence.

But for He Yiming to accurately gauge the opponent's track immediately after passing through the false figure was absolutely no simple feat.

This indicated that in that brief exchange, He Yiming had completely deciphered the profound mystery of the Distortion Art and found the specific solution tailored for him.

Jin Zhanyi, standing nearby, also sighed with deep emotion; He Yiming’s performance this time had once again exceeded his expectations.

He recalled how, in his own time facing the Distortion Art, he too had exhausted tremendous effort before finally finding that sliver of a path to victory.

Yet now, after taking only a single blow, He Yiming had already pinpointed the real body. Such an achievement genuinely evoked a sense of inadequacy in Jin Zhanyi.

Hao Xue’s face was incredibly grim. He Yiming’s counterattack was so fierce, seemingly untouched by the previous impact.

It must be remembered that in that previous strike, Hao Xue had held nothing back; even a master of the same rank would need ten days to half a month of recuperation to fully recover. But He Yiming acted as if he felt nothing at all, which naturally made Hao Xue suspicious and uneasy.

What truly sent a chill down his spine, however, was He Yiming accurately closing the distance and smashing down towards him, carrying an overwhelming aura.

He could clearly sense the sharp wind pressure causing his scalp to tingle faintly. In his eyes, this approaching palm strike was terrifyingly demonic.

Yet, at the final moment, Hao Xue showed no sign of retreating.

He suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of bright crimson blood.

He Yiming’s eyes narrowed. He was filled with suspicion—before his palm had even struck, the opponent was already spitting blood?

This fellow didn't seem quite so frail and helpless.

However, the moment this thought surfaced in his mind, he felt an intensely dangerous sensation.

Hao Xue’s mouthful of blood suddenly exploded in mid-air, all the blood rushing toward He Yiming like a barrage of bullets.

The power contained within every single bead of blood was extreme, causing the hairs on He Yiming's body to stand on end in that instant.

Feeling such immense pressure, He Yiming instantly drew his conclusion.

While he could certainly crush the opponent to death with this palm strike, absorbing so many blood beads onto his body—even with the Red Wolf King's hide armor and his own formidable strength—would be impossible to withstand. The only outcome would be his body being riddled with holes like a sieve.

At that point, He Yiming did not believe he could survive.

He let out a sharp cry, the Metal element power in his hand instantly vanishing without a trace. His hands swiftly formed a seal, and the Earth Quake Seal manifested before him.

The next moment, before him appeared a colossal, boundless wall of steel. Flowing mountain ranges seemed to circle around him like a turning carousel, completely shielding his body.

A series of popping sounds echoed in the vicinity. When He Yiming lowered his hands, a patch of red stained the ground before him. Despite He Yiming’s quick reaction, one escaped the net.

A gash opened on his right shoulder; even the Red Wolf King's hide armor could not resist the penetrating force of that single blood bead. Fortunately, this bead only managed to graze his shoulder, breaking the skin slightly.

He Yiming shifted his feet, stepping back several paces before coming to a stable halt.

He turned his head to look at his shoulder, a light flickering in his eyes that no one could decipher.

Jin Zhanyi and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief. None of them had expected Hao Xue to be so fiercely aggressive.

Although He Yiming’s attack carried boundless power, he could have tried to evade or deflect the force. Even if he had resisted with all his might, the worst outcome would have been defeat and concession.

But Hao Xue flatly refused to yield an inch, instead activating a secret technique, employing a special cultivation method to unleash a mutually destructive move, preferring mutual annihilation over falling into a disadvantaged position.

Fang Sheng and Zhu Guanhhao exchanged glances. They were close friends with Hao Xue, but even they had not anticipated him making such a choice beforehand. Yet, after a brief look, they vaguely grasped Hao Xue’s current state of mind.

He was consumed by rage and indignation, which caused him to lose control of his emotions.

Anyone whose ultimate skill has been honed for hundreds of years being broken in such a short time would experience a similar feeling.

He Yiming silently looked up. He lightly patted the leather pouch under his armpit. The Five Elements Ring emitted an extremely crisp chime, then spun out of the pouch and settled into He Yiming’s hand.

After the previous inspection involving three specific points, a certain mystical connection had formed between He Yiming and the Five Elements Ring, making its use increasingly fluid and intuitive.

“Brother Hao truly possesses formidable skill. This junior’s spirit is stirred. Might I request to witness Brother Hao’s extraordinary secret techniques involving weaponry?” He Yiming called out loudly.

The expressions of the onlookers shifted slightly, realizing that He Yiming was now provoked to anger.

Hao Xue’s last strike, had He Yiming reacted slightly slower, would have resulted in blood splashing five paces, a mutual kill. If He Yiming could still act as if nothing had happened, then he truly would be a clay bodhisattva.

Fang Sheng hurriedly stepped forward, placing himself between the two, urgently saying, “Brother He, at a time like this, you absolutely must not act on impulse. Using weapons is strictly forbidden.”

He Yiming gave a cold laugh. “Why?”

Fang Sheng’s face hardened. “Brother He, are you unaware of the rules? Before entering the Ghost Cry Ridge, no one is allowed to engage in internal conflict, and sparring with weapons is prohibited. Anyone who violates this will have their qualification to enter the Ghost Cry Ridge revoked.” His tone grew heavier, and he barked, “Brother He, if you don’t intend to enter, fine, but why drag us down with you?”

He Yiming was instantly silenced. He turned and looked at Jin Zhanyi, who simply offered a wry nod.

Looking again at Fang Sheng standing before him, seemingly upholding righteousness, He Yiming shook his head in resignation, his imposing aura slowly dissipating.

However, his heart was now filled with extreme caution regarding Hao Xue, whom he considered a madman.

Unless he used the Fire element from the Nine Dragon Furnace, or waited until tomorrow when the Tower's power fully recovered, to find an opportunity to strike him down dead in one blow, He Yiming truly had no guaranteed path to victory, even employing the Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting.

Hao Xue’s mouthful of blood was simply too bizarre; once it detonated, every bead was equivalent to the full-power attack of Hao Xue himself. This factor was terrifyingly potent.

Thinking about it now, he still felt a chilling sensation.

This madman not only disregarded the lives of others but treated his own life with equal disregard.

Jin Zhanyi slowly stepped forward. “Gentlemen, since you are here and share the same goal, why not let this rest? If you truly wish to fight, enter the Ghost Cry Ridge and direct your aggression toward those western fellows.”

He Yiming nodded slightly. “Very well, I agree with Brother Jin’s suggestion.”

With that, he applied a slight force to his hand, and the Five Elements Ring, which had been spinning and humming, immediately fell silent.

Zhu Guanhhao suddenly interjected, “Wait a moment.”

He Yiming’s face darkened. “Does Brother Zhu wish to test his skills against this junior?”

Zhu Guanhhao was momentarily rebuffed by He Yiming’s sharp retort but paid it no mind, instead smiling gently. “I, Zhu, shall not join this fray. I merely wish to ask, is the item in Brother He’s hand the legendary Five Elements Ring?”

The gazes of Fang Sheng and Hao Xue immediately shifted, their eyes filled with astonishment as they stared unblinkingly at He Yiming.

He Yiming glanced at the Five Elements Ring in his hand, feeling intensely vexed. He glanced at Jin Zhanyi, who also wore an expression of helplessness.

With a cold snort, He Yiming tucked the Five Elements Ring back into his pouch. “This is not the Five Elements Ring.”

A flicker of disbelief crossed Zhu Guanhhao’s eyes. He bent slightly at the waist. “May I ask what this item is named?”

Seeing that he probably couldn't evade this matter this time, He Yiming finally stiffened his neck and stated, “This item is an imitation of the Five Elements Ring; it is absolutely not the genuine article.”

Everyone present simultaneously cursed internally.

The genuine article disappeared thousands of years ago; only an idiot wouldn't know this couldn't be real. Did this fellow take them for fools?

With a forced smile, Zhu Guanhhao said, “Brother He, of course we know this is not the genuine article. In fact... it’s impossible for us to possess a genuine divine artifact.”

He had intended to say you, but recalling He Yiming’s earlier performance, he deliberately changed it to us.

He Yiming nodded slowly, his expression one of agreement, though inwardly he was laughing merrily, knowing he actually possessed a true divine artifact on his person.

Zhu Guanhhao’s expression sobered. “Brother He, I simply wish to inquire which master’s hand crafted this imitation Five Elements Ring you possess?”

He Yiming paused slightly and asked, “Why do you ask?”

Jin Zhanyi chuckled. “Brother He, the Zhu family is a renowned lineage of artificers in the central lands. Nearly half of all divine weapons and sharp implements in the entire Great Shen of the East originate from their hands. If I am not mistaken, he likely wishes to inquire about sparring with the master who forged the Five Elements Ring.”

Zhu Guanhhao’s face flushed slightly. He said earnestly, “Brother Jin flatters me. In truth, our Zhu family has repeatedly attempted to imitate the Five Elements Ring but ultimately failed. That is why we wished to ask if we might meet the forging master. If I could receive even a small amount of guidance from him, I would benefit for my entire life.”

Ps: Recommend a very interesting book^_^ Zen Slayer Novel Author: Xiao Se Lang Genius is not entirely Heaven-made! Old Man Chen proved that genius can also be created artificially. It took Old Man Chen a full six years to create a "genius"—Zhuo Zhiyuan. But this man-made genius, Zhuo Zhiyuan, discovers on his path of cultivation that he has become a magic treasure devourer. No matter what magic treasure falls into his hands, it becomes raw material for forging him, the "human-shaped magic treasure"! The Heavenly Astral Glazed Sword? Eaten! The Ten-Crystal Ice and Snow Chain? Eaten too! The Starlight Fiery Dragon Lock? Still eaten! Hey, hey, hey, I just managed to snatch the Heaven-Turning Seal, you can’t just eat that!!!!