Three figures emerged abruptly from the swirling black mist. They stepped lightly to the side of the riddled corpse.

They did not conceal their faces; if He Yiming had been present, he would have instantly called out their names.

These three were none other than Zhu Guanhào, Fang Sheng, and Hào Xuè.

Outside the black fog, they had clearly separated from He Yiming and Jin Zhanyi, having entered the mist from three distinct locations. Yet, here they were, gathered together again.

Zhu Guanhào looked down at the body on the ground and gave a wry smile. "Brother Hào, you acted too soon this time."

Their entry had indeed followed He Yiming's prediction: the majority of the cultivators within were their targets. However, having only been in Ghost Cry Ridge for half a day, Hào Xuè's impatience to strike had disrupted their prearranged plan.

Hào Xuè shook his head slightly. "Brother Zhu, I didn't intend to move so early either, but this man held a blood feud against me. Since I encountered him here, it had to be his death or mine."

His voice carried a profound bitterness, a hatred carved into his very bones. Nothing short of washing it away with blood could ever erase it.

Zhu Guanhào and Fang Sheng exchanged a look, both deeply surprised and suspicious.

Their relationship with Hào Xuè was extraordinary; the ties between their three great families were equally intimate. This was the primary reason they could execute this plan together.

Yet, in all the years they had known Hào Xuè, this was the first time they had seen him so agitated.

Hào Xuè, always renowned for his composure, had an impulsive moment.

Glancing at the other two, Hào Xuè offered a strained smile. "Brothers Zhu and Fang, my younger brother died at this man's hands in the past. That is why I could not restrain myself upon sight. Please forgive my rashness."

Only then did Fang and Zhu relax. A century ago, the names of the two Hào brothers were famous. Hào Xuè's younger brother possessed talent no less prodigious than his elder sibling. But decades ago, the second Hào brother had died mysteriously. The Hào family had never revealed the cause, and only now did they learn that the brilliant, talented second Hào brother had been murdered.

Fang Sheng cleared his throat gently. "Brother Hào, you have avenged your brother. Please accept my condolences and find solace."

Hào Xuè nodded slightly, the hatred in his eyes gradually fading.

A moment later, he sighed regretfully. "It is a pity. I did not expect this man, once driven mad, to become so ferocious that even we could not hold him back. To not have killed him with my own hands... what a waste."

Fang Sheng managed a wry smile. "Someone else making a similar cry—it is truly strange."

The three looked at each other, unable to fathom what had occurred. If they knew this was merely the unintentional slip of Bai Lingba, they would surely be furious enough to vomit blood.

After a pause, Fang Sheng asked, "Brother Hào, do you know who that man was?"

Hào Xuè shook his head without hesitation. "Although my Blood Coagulation Technique has reached the highest level below that of a Venerable, in this environment, I can only see about a hundred meters, and even that is severely restricted. I can only confirm that two people were fighting him here just now."

Fang Sheng's eyes brightened. "Since two people collaborated to kill this lunatic, then those two certainly aren't peak experts. Perhaps..."

Zhu Guanhào immediately waved his hand. "Absolutely not. We haven't been in Ghost Cry Ridge a full day. Finding one madman can be explained away, but if three deranged individuals appear, others will suspect something is amiss. If this causes them to become wary, the loss will outweigh the gain."

Fang Sheng considered this for a moment and sighed regretfully.

Zhu Guanhào reached out and patted Hào Xuè twice on the back. He sighed deeply. "Brother Hào, since this was your enemy, consider it an experiment. Go ahead."

Brother Hào responded with an "En" and knelt beside the corpse. He took a glove from his robes and slowly pulled it onto his right hand, then pressed it firmly against the dead man's forehead.

A moment later, a look of joy spread across his face. He exerted slight force, and with a soft crack, the corpse's skull split open.

Hào Xuè struck with lightning speed, swiftly reaching into the skull with a delicate swipe. When his hand emerged, a tiny, blood-red bead rested on his fingertip.

The bead was not large, at most the size of a knuckle, but its vivid, dripping crimson hue emitted a strange light.

The gazes of the three—Hào Xuè, Fang Sheng, and Zhu Guanhào—focused intently on this blood bead. Their eyes were sharp, laced with a hint of greed and excitement.

"Brother Hào, did you succeed?" Fang Sheng asked in a low voice.

Even he spoke with palpable excitement and anticipation.

Hào Xuè closed his eyes and gently manipulated the bead in his hand. After a long pause, a look of relief finally settled on his face. "Success. This is indeed a Coagulation Bead."

Fang Sheng and Zhu Guanhào exchanged a look of ecstatic joy. This was unquestionably tremendous news for them.

"Excellent! With the Coagulation Bead, the three of us should be able to break through our limits this time," Fang Sheng stated grimly, his face unable to hide his elation.

Zhu Guanhào nodded slightly. Though he remained silent, the unconcealed delight was clear in his eyes as well.

Hào Xuè took a deep breath, suddenly unfurled his sleeve, and produced a large, black leather sack. With a shake and a flick, the sack spread open, enveloping the corpse on the ground.

Fang Sheng and Zhu Guanhào were unsurprised by his action. Since the man's head was split open, anyone witnessing that sight would grow suspicious, so they needed to completely destroy the evidence.

Having completed everything, the three immediately activated their movement arts and departed far away via a different path.

They had deliberately concealed their tracks. Even on the way here, they had carefully skirted the path the madman had taken. Thus, they never imagined that someone could decipher the signs they left behind.

He Yiming followed Bai Lingba closely, filled with complete confidence. If Bai Lingba claimed he could find them, he certainly would.

Suddenly, Bai Lingba stopped.

He Yiming's eyes lit up instantly. He whispered, "Brother Bai, you found them?"

Bai Lingba nodded slightly. "You know them."

This abrupt, contextless statement greatly astonished He Yiming. He frowned and asked, "Who are they?"

"They entered here with you, but separated in the end."

He Yiming’s heart tightened; he immediately understood the identity of these three.

Bai Lingba suddenly slapped his forehead. The back of his head instantly flattened. Then, an image appeared there. Though the image was not entirely clear, He Yiming recognized the three figures instantly.

"Hào Xuè, Fang Sheng, Zhu Guanhào?" he enunciated, syllable by syllable.

Before this, He Yiming could never have guessed it was these three. Instantly, he understood why these three had insisted on traveling with him and Jin Zhanyi.

They likely wanted a witness to prove that the three of them had entered Ghost Cry Ridge separately. However, He Yiming could not fathom how they managed to reconvene in such an environment.

At this point, his estimation of the strength of the inland aristocratic families increased again. These clans, boasting thousands of years of legacy and even Venerables guarding them, truly lived up to their formidable reputation; their esoteric techniques and secret arts were endless.

Yet, he remained unaware that Hào Xuè and the others inviting them along was actually cloaked in murderous intent. If there hadn't been too many other parties targeting them, causing the three Venerables to be mutually wary, they certainly would have conspired with the Venerable assassins from the Yellow Springs Sect to ruthlessly obstruct and destroy them.

The three figures in the image seemed to be discussing something. Afterward, Hào Xuè lightly shook the large leather sack in his hand, causing the corpse to tumble out.

The location where they stopped was a grassy clearing, overgrown with dense, waist-high mutant weeds.

For such a place to exist within Ghost Cry Ridge was a profound surprise to He Yiming.

Hào Xuè laid the corpse flat among the weeds, then took out a bottle, dripping a few drops of a certain liquid onto it. After a moment, the three of them quickly turned and departed.

Although their actions were cautious, their focus was solely on their immediate vicinity. They never suspected that someone far off could monitor their every move through this method.

However, with the bizarre existence that was Bai Lingba, let alone these three, even if three Venerables were present, they would never uncover the slightest clue in this environment.

After the three had moved far away, He Yiming hesitated, then lightly approached the patch of weeds.

His gaze first fell upon the grass, but what shocked him to the core was that the corpse was gone.

A chill rose from the bottom of his heart. He Yiming shifted his gaze, still finding nothing. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed as he spotted a stain of blood on the ground.

A thought struck him, recalling content recorded in an ancient text: some great families or sects possessed the ability to refine a kind of miraculous powder. Once this powder mixed with blood, it could gradually cause a living organism's body to dissolve into a pool of gore, even melting away skin, hair, and clothing.

The resulting bloodwater possessed powerful fertilization properties for plants, capable of inducing mutations in certain species.

He Yiming's eyes fixed upon these weeds, now nearly reaching his waist, and he gained a sudden insight.

Turning back, he asked, "Brother Bai, has that corpse dissolved?"

Bai Lingba nodded, unruffled. "Yes. It has turned into this pool of blood and seeped into the earth beneath the grass."

A sharp glint flashed in He Yiming's eyes. He withdrew his gaze, staring in the direction Hào Xuè, Fang Sheng, and Zhu Guanhào had departed, remaining silent for a long time...