A mournful cry echoed throughout Ghost Crying Ridge. Near or far, anyone enveloped in the black mist seemed to hear it.

All the cultivators felt an undeniable tremor of alarm in their hearts.

Even the veteran experts who had ventured here multiple times harbored deep apprehension at that moment.

It was not uncommon for people to go mad from the ingress of Yin Sha Qi; every expedition into Ghost Crying Ridge presented such cases, and never in small numbers.

However, the appearance of such an incident this time was far too early, so early it sent a chill down the spine.

Furthermore, after hearing the man's ceaseless howling, everyone knew that this master who had lost his mind was currently locked in battle with someone.

The thought that they might suffer the same fate in the next instant made tranquility impossible for these people. This was especially true for those entering Ghost Crying Ridge for the very first time.

Almost instinctively, everyone began moving towards the farthest reaches, striving to distance themselves from that spot—the farther, the better.

Endless streams of light shot out like arrows. In a brief moment, the man was utterly saturated with blood, yet he continued his frantic charge unabated. Though his lifeblood was visibly draining away, he leaped and bounded as if still full of vigorous life, baring his fangs and brandishing his claws, desperate to pounce.

Simultaneously, his mouth was stretched to its absolute limit, a trace of terrifying froth clinging to his lips, resembling a ravenous wolf with its jaws agape, intending to devour He Yiming whole.

Fortunately, the Five Elements Ring possessed boundless might. With a casual wave of his hand, Earth elemental power erupted like a solid wall, slamming the man backward and rendering all his efforts futile.

"Concentrate your force, strike his head," Bai Lingba’s voice suddenly rang out.

He Yiming paused slightly, and a subtle shift began within his internal True Qi.

The scattered lights dancing in the air instantly coalesced into a single beam, plunging downward like lightning, leaving a beautiful streak of light and shadow across the void.

Softly, with a sound akin to a chick breaking free from its shell, the impact struck the man’s skull.

The glorious radiance, so grand in its approach, seemed to condense upon striking the man, narrowing down to a thickness no more than an ordinary chopstick, yet it was piercingly sharp, passing unimpeded through both of the man's temples.

The man’s body instantly stiffened. Red and white blood, along with brain matter, streamed copiously from the wounds on either side.

After swaying unsteadily for a moment, the life force within the man finally vanished completely. He collapsed heavily onto the ground, motionless forevermore.

He Yiming let out a long breath. The moment this madman finally fell, a peculiar emotion welled up within him.

A master of the Three Flowers Realm could suddenly become so terrifying, so utterly unlike a man and more like a demon. The mere thought sent shivers down his spine.

An idea sparked in his mind, and he turned to ask, "Brother Bai, how did you know the head was his vital point?"

Bai Lingba replied as if it were obvious, "His nerves were stimulated, unlocking the body's potential. The brain is the very source of all this. To kill him, one must destroy the brain."

He Yiming pondered for a moment, nodding slightly. What Bai Lingba said held profound logic.

He lowered his head and looked again at the corpse. His expression shifted slightly.

Perhaps due to death, the man's features had settled into a calm repose, utterly different from the previous savage mask.

The bloated muscles on his face had receded, revealing an ordinary countenance.

His eyes remained open; although their movement had ceased, no trace of madness could be discerned within them. Faintly, He Yiming even sensed a touch of relieved satisfaction dwelling within their depths.

He sighed inwardly, crouching down. He gently covered the man’s eyes, smoothing the lids downward with his hand.

When he withdrew his hand, the eyes were concealed beneath the lids.

His gaze swept over the blood-drenched body, and He Yiming’s brow furrowed slightly. With a turn of his eyes, he reached out and plucked the Treasure Pig from Bai Lingba’s side, patting it gently a few times.

Seemingly sensing He Yiming’s touch, the Treasure Pig blinked open its groggy eyes.

He Yiming offered a gentle smile. "Treasure Pig, do you desire a divine weapon?"

The Treasure Pig's hazy eyes immediately widened, becoming clear as spring water.

He Yiming placed the Treasure Pig next to the corpse. "There is a divine weapon here. Hurry and find it; you can borrow it for a couple of days."

The Treasure Pig’s nose twitched twice. After a long pause, all the brilliance vanished from its eyes, and it returned to its usual sluggish demeanor. It glanced at He Yiming, then forcefully pushed off with its hind legs and flopped onto Bai Lingba.

He Yiming looked at its look of profound dissatisfaction and couldn't help but ask, "Treasure Pig, is there no divine weapon on him?"

The Treasure Pig snorted twice, which served as its reply, and He Yiming understood its meaning.

His brow tightened. He muttered to himself, "Where is his divine weapon?"

Jin Zhanyi had once mentioned that over eighty percent of those qualified to enter this place were masters of the Three Flowers Realm, their purpose being to challenge the Zenith State.

The remaining ten percent were Zenith masters who stood merely a single step away from becoming Venerables.

But regardless of their rank, these individuals certainly possessed their own exclusive divine weapons. This was beyond doubt.

When He Yiming glanced over the man’s body, he saw no sign of any divine weapon. He had initially assumed the weapon was hidden somewhere on the body, like Jin Zhanyi’s Dragon Spear, which is why he had the Treasure Pig search. But the result brought great disappointment; even the Treasure Pig found nothing.

This confirmed that the man indeed lacked any divine weapon of the expected caliber.

Casting one last look at the corpse, He Yiming turned. "Brother Bai, follow me."

He proceeded slowly, tracing back along the direction from which the man had run. Their party advanced at a measured pace, and during the journey, He Yiming kept his focus sharp, searching the surroundings.

Finally, after advancing nearly a li, they arrived at an area of particular disarray.

On the rock face here were clearly visible scratch marks, and the ground nearby was riddled with shallow depressions. He Yiming knew at a glance that these must be traces left by the madman.

He was certain that the man had gone berserk right here. However, after searching for quite some time, his confusion deepened.

All the way here, there was no sign of any divine weapon.

Though He Yiming was not overtly avaricious, he certainly wouldn't refuse to claim a divine weapon if it were presented before him.

After expending such effort to kill the man, He Yiming had already mentally claimed the spoils, and to find nothing now left him naturally quite vexed.

Suddenly, Bai Lingba, who usually stood like a wooden post, pivoted and moved toward a section of the cliff wall.

He Yiming watched in surprise. Bai Lingba rarely showed interest in anything.

He walked over curiously. He Yiming’s gaze swept over the rock face, and slowly, an unusual light flickered in his eyes.

"Brother Bai, what caused these markings?" He Yiming asked in a low voice.

With his eyesight, he could tell these marks on the wall were significantly different from the surrounding scratches; they certainly hadn't been made by bare hands. Moreover, the marks were fresh; even someone with little experience could tell that the disturbances in this vicinity had occurred at the same time.

Bai Lingba said gravely, "Weren't you looking for a divine weapon? This is it."

He Yiming paused, immediately grasping his meaning. "These are the marks left by a divine weapon?"

Bai Lingba nodded slightly.

He Yiming knew that although Bai Lingba spoke sparingly, his words were always accurate. If he said these were divine weapon marks, there was no room for error.

He scanned the surroundings again, yet still saw no weapon. He asked suspiciously, "Brother Bai, where is that divine weapon?"

"It has already been taken," Bai Lingba stated calmly.

He Yiming slapped his forehead, cursing inwardly. After fighting tooth and nail to kill that man, the divine weapon he left behind had been snatched away—a realization that naturally caused him immense frustration.

Bai Lingba extended his hand, tracing a few motions in the air, then suddenly stated, "That man was ambushed, then used his weapon to resist, and only then did he go mad."

He Yiming froze, and a thread of cold dread seeped into his heart.

"How did you know that?"

"I deduced it from the footprints and the fighting traces here."

He Yiming looked closely at the nearby marks, but quickly realized he couldn't decipher anything from the chaotic environment.

Yet, he trusted Bai Lingba without reservation.

Pondering carefully on Bai Lingba's recent words, He Yiming’s expression shifted dramatically. Vaguely, he felt an invisible net slowly tightening around them.

All the masters in Ghost Crying Ridge striving for breakthroughs were undoubtedly the targets of this net.

Though it was merely a premonition, He Yiming was inexplicably certain of it.

He took a deep breath. A monstrous surge of fighting spirit erupted throughout his body. He said in a deep voice, "Brother Bai, let's go back and look again."

With that, his figure moved, retracing their path once more.

When they returned to the original spot, He Yiming’s face darkened further.

The corpse of the madman he had killed was no longer in place; it had vanished without a trace.

His gaze swept the vicinity, but He Yiming found no signs whatsoever. He looked up at Bai Lingba.

A bright, intense light flickered in Bai Lingba’s eyes. After a moment, he stated, "Three people. They just left."

He Yiming’s face became so grim it seemed capable of dripping water. He took a deep breath. "Follow them..."