He Yiming stared at the cave, utterly perplexed. Outside the mouth of the cavern, the ground lay utterly exposed, filling him with suspicion.

His eyes darted around for a moment before comprehension dawned, and he exclaimed, "The three of them went inside?"

One Hundred and Eight nodded woodenly. "There is a cultivator within this cave."

He Yiming’s heart sank instantly. He finally understood; he hadn't been mistaken. Their target, the three of them, was indeed all the masters who had entered Ghost Cry Ridge.

At this moment, the only thing he couldn't ascertain was why these three would dare commit such an act that defied all common decency.

If their actions were to get out, they would surely become public enemies of all the most powerful forces in both the East and the West. Let alone the three of them, even the three great clans backing them would likely be jointly purged by the enraged opposing sects.

Calming his mind, He Yiming’s ears slowly twitched, his consciousness seemingly dissolving into the wind, becoming one with every breeze in this world.

Of course, this was merely a peculiar sensation; with his current cultivation level, he was far from reaching such an unbelievable step.

However, from this present distance, when He Yiming pushed his Shunfeng Er Qi Gong (Wind-Listening Marvelous Skill) to its extreme, he was able to hear the sounds within the cave.

Three faint, almost imperceptible footsteps drifted in with the wind. Besides those, there was also an extremely light breath sound within the cave.

This breathing was deep and powerful, possessing a strange rhythm.

He Yiming immediately understood that this person was cultivating some specialized technique and had reached a critical juncture.

He was not unfamiliar with such a situation; this was someone pushing against the limiting barrier of their own potential, and listening closely, there was already an imminent feeling of breakthrough.

Yet, at this final moment, Hao Xue and the others had already advanced to within ten meters of the individual.

Despite dedicating the vast majority of his focus to breaking through the limiting barrier, when faced with such a lethal danger, the person managed to divert a fraction of his attention at the last second, opening his eyes.

The unlucky master inside the cavern possessed personal martial might that only reached the Three Flowers Realm. Now, in Ghost Cry Ridge, he was risking his life to break through to the Dingzu Zhishi (Tripod Stance/Dominance), victory was in sight, yet he was interrupted. The shock and rage he felt were unimaginable.

Such a thing had never happened before. Everyone who had entered this place in previous generations had been meticulously warned by their elders. But what they were guarding against was either the pervasive Yin-Sha energy of Ghost Cry Ridge or the crazed individuals transformed by the invasion of that energy, knowing only slaughter.

However, no one had ever warned them that they also needed to guard against other human masters.

So, when he opened his eyes and saw the three of Hao Xue, his first thought was sheer disbelief.

According to the established custom, all masters with sound minds would naturally part ways upon encountering each other. Just when did these three infiltrate the cave?

Although this person had not yet achieved the Dingzu Zhishi, he was over two hundred years old, having experienced countless battles in his life. His reaction speed was unparalleled.

With three people suddenly appearing in his private sanctuary, they certainly weren't there for a chat.

Thus, he immediately abandoned his continued cultivation, giving up without hesitation even though success was imminent. As he moved, he drew his weapon—a long sword as fluid as water—and thrust it toward Zhu Guanhau, who was leading the charge.

Zhu Guanhau sneered. With a flick of his wrist, a jet-black fan appeared in his hand.

This bizarre, esoteric weapon startled the man, but since he was trapped in the cave, if he didn't fight desperately now, he would only surrender.

He roared, his sword’s might undiminished, condensing all his inner Qi. It sliced through the air like a meteor chasing the moon, leaving a brilliant streak of sword light.

Facing this life-or-death strike, Zhu Guanhau dared not be careless. The fan in his hand began to spin.

With every rotation, it seemed a vortex materialized before him. His speed quickened until, by the time the man’s thrust struck the vortex, it had already become dozens of overlapping rings.

The man’s thunderous strike failed to push Zhu Guanhau back, causing a chill to settle in his heart. At that very moment, a palm silently pressed against his back.

His body stiffened, then a tremendous surge of cold energy rushed upward.

This force paused briefly on his body before vanishing without a trace.

Just as the man felt apprehension, he suddenly realized he could no longer gather his Qi. The external black mist, accompanied by immense Yin-Sha energy, began pouring into his body.

He clearly sensed the extremely cold, violent currents invading every part of him along the meridians, unimpeded by his Qi. Even his brain felt an intense, chilling sensation.

Following this, a voice filled with rage and terror erupted. Its sheer volume shook the cave, making the very earth tremble slightly.

This was the final cry he released before the last shred of his sanity was overwhelmed by the Yin-Sha energy—a shout brimming with endless desolation, helplessness, and hatred.

When the shout subsided, his body began to shake violently. Then, a sound like a wolf's howl, devoid of any trace of reason, issued from his mouth.

He slowly raised his head. A glistening stream of saliva trailed down, and his eyes were blood-red, resembling an ancient ferocious beast ready to devour flesh.

Hao Xue and the two others watched this transformation silently. A master of the Three Flowers Realm turning into a beastly entity knowing only slaughter—such a terrifying and sorrowful event brought them not the slightest flicker of emotion.

Hao Xue stated coldly, "Everyone be careful. We cannot afford any mistakes this time. If he escapes, we might not obtain the Coagulation Blood Pearl."

Fang Sheng and Zhu Guanhau nodded slightly, their faces expressionless. In their hearts, the value of one Coagulation Blood Pearl far outweighed the lives of these Three Flowers Realm experts.

The next moment, countless gusts of spiritual wind and fist energies exploded within the cave, accompanied by sharp sonic booms and bestial roars.

After going mad, the man’s strength and speed were no longer inferior to an average expert of the Dingzu level.

But before him stood three experts of that same caliber. The three stood at the cave entrance in a triangular formation, cooperating seamlessly, steadily deflecting wave after wave of the man's attacks and pushing him back repeatedly.

The man had completely lost his sanity. In his eyes, only one thing remained: tearing the three before him to pieces. Because he lacked reason, everything was driven purely by instinct, supported by the endless reserve power of the black mist. Therefore, no matter how many times he was repelled, he relentlessly charged forward again.

His attacks became sharper with each attempt, his power stronger, and his speed quicker.

He was like a constantly growing demon, displaying an infinite potential fundamentally impossible for humans to possess.

At the beginning, the three of Hao Xue could easily block the man’s onslaught. But after half an hour, the man’s strength had exploded exponentially under repeated pressure. Now, even the three of them combined found the task somewhat strenuous.

Zhu Guanhau took a deep breath. "Half an hour is up. His strength has improved significantly. It should be enough now, right?"

Fang Sheng’s gaze also shifted toward Hao Xue. His low voice sounded, "If we let him continue, given his rate of growth, in at most two more hours, we won't be able to suppress him anymore."

Hao Xue hesitated, then finally said, "It should be close enough."

Fang Sheng and Zhu Guanhau both breathed sighs of relief. Although this was a joint effort, the one truly holding the decisive power was Hao Xue alone, as only he cultivated the Ningxue Qi Gong (Coagulation Blood Marvelous Skill).

Fang Sheng raised his eyes slightly, reaching into his sleeve to draw out a jade flute, raising it to his lips. Then, with a movement like a ghost or a phantom, he darted forward.

His movement technique was incredibly bizarre and swift, almost unbelievable. In an instant, he appeared beside the frenzied man. He blew lightly into the flute, and a beam of Qi as sharp as a needle tip shot out.

A faint sound registered at the center of the man’s brow. This single burst of Qi effortlessly pierced through his forehead.

The man’s movements immediately became rigid.

During their previous exchanges, no matter how heavy the blows he sustained, he could ignore them and stand up again. Even with countless wounds and nearly drained of blood, he only fought with greater ferocity.

But now, that tiny wound on his brow instantly became his fatal blow. His body swayed, and finally, he collapsed heavily onto the ground.

The three of Hao Xue did not rush forward carelessly. They waited cautiously in place for a moment. Only after the man showed no movement for a prolonged period did they relax.

Fang Sheng suddenly let out a wry laugh. "It’s cursed. That half hour was not easy to endure."

Zhu Guanhau nodded slightly, wholeheartedly agreeing with his companion’s assessment.

A sharp glint flashed in Hao Xue’s eyes. He suddenly stated, "Madmen struck by the Coagulation Technique grow far too rapidly." He looked up and said grimly, "Perhaps those two individuals we encountered last time were not Three Flowers experts, but Dingzu experts."

Fang Sheng and Zhu Guanhau exchanged glances, and both nodded in succession.

Having personally experienced the ferocity of this man, they easily accepted this viewpoint.

Hao Xue stepped forward, retrieved his gloves, split the man’s head open, and extracted the extremely vibrant Coagulation Blood Pearl, which seemed filled with magic.

Afterward, they proceeded to the deepest, darkest corner of the cave, took out a jade bottle, and completely dissolved the corpse.

However, they failed to notice that, at the peak of the cave, a strange object flickered with a dim light, perfectly and flawlessly recording everything that had transpired within the cavern.

Ps: Today is Thursday; I'm accompanying my child to calligraphy practice.