Two figures flickered out of the black mist. He Yiming and Bai Lingba followed the trio of Hao Xue from a distance.

Possessing the Sight of a Thousand Miles and the Ear of the Wind, their vision and hearing far surpassed the limits of detection for the three figures ahead. Thus, throughout their journey, the Hao Xue trio remained utterly unaware, never suspecting that two figures of terrifying, unfathomable power were trailing them like malevolent stars.

After a full day of pursuit, He Yiming had a general grasp of the situation.

The three had not proceeded, as He Yiming had anticipated, to slaughter indiscriminately. Instead, they selected a relatively concealed location and then sat down quietly to cultivate their energies.

If he hadn't witnessed with his own eyes how they dissolved that unfortunate fellow into a pool of blood, He Yiming would never have believed the first madman was their doing.

These three did not separate but remained constantly together.

They cultivated in shifts: every rotation saw two individuals enter a state akin to closed-door seclusion, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, while the remaining person vigilantly stood guard for them.

After observing for half a day, He Yiming confirmed they had chosen this spot as their temporary lair. He then instructed Bai Lingba to maintain surveillance while he moved far away to find another location to cultivate silently.

As long as he had the tracker, the connection between him and Bai Lingba was entirely secure.

Without Bao Zhu present, Bai Lingba's capabilities ensured he would absolutely not be discovered, so He Yiming felt completely at ease.

Ten full days passed in this manner. He Yiming’s cultivation concluded, and he rose, ghosting his way to Bai Lingba’s side with phantom-like stealth.

When He Yiming reached him, he saw Bai Lingba staring intently into the distance, his demeanor so profoundly serious that He Yiming felt a deep sense of inadequacy.

"Any movement from them?" He Yiming asked in a low voice.

Bai Lingba replied without turning his head, "None."

He Yiming frowned slightly, his firm conviction beginning to waver.

He looked ahead, sensing the subtle shifts in the distant primal energy of heaven and earth. He vaguely perceived that when two people absorbed this energy simultaneously in close proximity, it significantly thinned the available resource. In terms of sheer efficacy, it was far inferior to one person cultivating alone.

This was the primary reason why everyone avoided entering the Wailing Ridge in groups. Everyone hoped to use this opportunity to achieve the greatest possible breakthrough.

The human heart is the same everywhere; thus, experts of the Three Flowers Realm and the Tripod Realm alike chose to become lone wanderers.

This premise was not inherently flawed, but it relied on one crucial assumption: that every person entering the Wailing Ridge harbored no ill intent.

If someone deliberately entered this place, not for cultivation and breakthrough, but to plot the demise of others who entered, then, without their knowledge, their personal safety would be under severe threat.

Jin Zhanyi had not mentioned this to He Yiming, so He Yiming presumed that configurations like the trio of Hao Xue must have only recently emerged, perhaps during this very cycle.

Those capable of entering this domain were the celebrated darlings of their generation. If such a pattern persisted over several cycles, someone would surely detect the underlying scheme.

The fact that even the Ling Xiao Palace, the foremost sect of Eastern Da Shen, had not noticed only further proved this point to He Yiming.

When He Yiming first witnessed the three congregating within the Wailing Ridge, he had vaguely guessed their intention. However, days turned into several more without any action, causing his confidence to ebb.

He began to suspect that the individual they had ambushed into madness might have been silenced either due to a previous grudge or because they had witnessed something they should not have. If that were the case, he was merely being overly suspicious.

Bai Lingba turned his head. "Should we continue monitoring?"

He Yiming paused, his own heart filled with hesitation. Yet, one question persistently circled in his mind: if these three had nothing to hide, why conceal their presence from him and Jin Zhanyi, and why gather secretly here?

He refused to believe they were ignorant of the fact that multiple people absorbing the energy of heaven and earth would diminish the gains.

Therefore, even if they held no malicious intent, they must have an alternative plan; otherwise, they would never make such a seemingly obtuse choice.

Nodding slightly, He Yiming said in a deep voice, "Continue surveillance. I need to know exactly what these three are plotting."

Just then, a piercing shriek suddenly echoed from the distance.

This howl acted like a lit fuse. Not only did He Yiming turn his attention sharply, but the three figures ahead also simultaneously stood up.

At first, the cry was filled only with soul-chilling pain, but slowly, the vestiges of reason within the howling gradually vanished.

Listening to these mournful cries was akin to watching someone gradually lose their sanity as sinister yin energy infiltrated their body.

A profound chill wormed its way into He Yiming's heart. This was the second failure—a person driven mad by invasive yin energy.

However, compared to the first, there was a temporal gap of more than ten days.

What truly sent a tremor through He Yiming was the clear evidence he perceived in the screams: the two victims had succumbed to madness at vastly different points in time. The first had already fully transformed into a maniac when the howl began, but this second individual clearly underwent a period of struggle.

If He Yiming had not been closely following Hao Xue and his group, filled with underlying suspicion, he would certainly have overlooked this crucial distinction.

"They've moved," Bai Lingba's voice cut in timely.

He Yiming immediately looked toward the back of Bai Lingba's head. As if understanding his intent, the back of Bai Lingba’s skull instantly flattened, displaying a clear image.

In this image, He Yiming could clearly discern the Hao Xue trio in discussion, expressions of subtle relief gracing their faces.

Moments later, they seemed to have reached a decision. They left their original spot and walked toward the thick, swirling black mist.

He Yiming lightly rubbed his hands; a thin layer of warm sweat coated his palms, and even his heart hammered fiercely.

After waiting a full ten days, he had finally seen his chance.

He made a gesture to Bai Lingba, nodded once, and followed.

His strides were not long, but his landings were incredibly light, almost entirely soundless.

Watching Bai Lingba’s movements, He Yiming sighed inwardly. Recalling the earth-shaking way Bai Lingba traveled during his first departure from the mountains filled him with overwhelming emotion.

Several years had passed in a flash. While he had certainly improved, Bai Lingba had progressed just as much.

At this moment, with Bai Lingba’s current execution, even He Yiming’s Ear of the Wind could not detect his presence amidst the howling mountain winds.

Unless they were extremely close, the distance would naturally shield Bai Lingba from He Yiming’s senses. But if the gap reached three hundred meters, the Hao Xue trio would never hear a single sound.

He Yiming flashed back to his original location like a bolt of lightning. He reached out and yanked the little Bao Zhu, who had been curled up sound asleep on the ground.

He gently patted the creature's long snout, waking it reluctantly. Upon opening its eyes, Bao Zhu saw He Yiming's grim expression.

The little pig’s eyes quickly regained their usual spark. The creature’s ability to read the wind and adjust its sails was, in He Yiming's observation, second to none among all living things.

He raised a single finger, making a silencing gesture. Bao Zhu immediately flinched, then its breathing grew faint. In mere seconds, it became nearly imperceptible. Not only that, but its body began to cool, and the sound of its heart beating became virtually inaudible.

Its entire vital aura dropped to the absolute minimum; even holding it in his hands, He Yiming could scarcely determine if the creature was alive or dead.

He Yiming clicked his tongue in amazement, praising Bao Zhu profusely for achieving such a state.

This was not the first time Bao Zhu had deployed this feigning-death talent, a skill Bai Lingba called 'Hibernation.'

Yet, looking at Bao Zhu’s external appearance, He Yiming maliciously mused, Do pigs hibernate?

Carrying the now hibernating Bao Zhu, He Yiming shot off at high speed in pursuit, eager to rejoin Bai Lingba and learn what the trio intended.

Holding Bao Zhu in one arm and touching the tracker on his chest with the other, He Yiming navigated the correct path, guided by the faint, almost non-existent signal emanating from the device.

It took him a full half hour to catch up to Bai Lingba.

When he saw his companion, He Yiming gasped in shock.

Bai Lingba was missing an arm and an eye, yet judging by his demeanor, this severe injury seemed to cause him little distress.

He Yiming lunged forward, his gaze suspicious, twin flames flickering in his eyes.

In that moment, he could afford to care about nothing else. Even if Hao Xue and the others discovered him, he would eliminate the trio at any cost, just as ruthlessly as he had dispatched She Ru and Suo Ge in the past.

"Brother Bai, you're injured?" He Yiming asked, his voice thick with killing intent.

Bai Lingba's remaining eye—a single gem-like orb—flickered with an unusual light. Upon seeing He Yiming’s approach, and hearing the concern and agitation in his voice, he inexplicably felt a surge of power, a force that seemed entirely outside his own inherent sequence.

Moments later, the light in his eye faded, and he said calmly, "I am not injured."

"Then your arm and eye..."

Bai Lingba’s intact hand lightly pointed ahead. "I sent parts of my body forward and spread them across the ground. Once they emerge, they will adhere to the soles of their shoes."

He Yiming paused, then looked where Bai Lingba indicated.

What met his gaze was a dark, bottomless mountain cavern.

For more novels, visit storyread.net.