He Yi Ming reached out in one swift motion, catching the small, round bead as it came into his hand. Though minuscule, it felt lighter than air in his grasp, yet to a martial arts master like He Yi Ming, he could distinctly sense the terrifying power condensed within.

His eyebrows furrowed slightly, deeply puzzled by how such immense force could be concentrated within a mere bead of blood. After a moment of hesitation, He Yi Ming carefully extended a wisp of his Zhenqi into the bead, hoping to search for any hidden secrets within its confines.

The next instant, He Yi Ming’s body shuddered faintly, and his complexion subtly paled. The moment his Zhenqi entered the blood bead, his spiritual consciousness connected with it instantaneously.

It was a sensation much like the first contact with the black mist—a feeling beyond his immediate control. Before his eyes unfolded an endless expanse of blood-red light and shadow, as if the entire world were suffused with this crimson hue.

He seemed to hear a strange, rhythmic pulsing sound; concentrating, he realized it bore a distinct similarity to the sound of a beating heart. At this realization, He Yi Ming’s face finally changed.

Could this blood bead actually be some form of specialized life entity? A sudden chill ran down his spine, instantly snapping his consciousness back to clarity.

Gazing at the tiny bead in his hand, He Yi Ming truly felt a prickle of dread. A thought stirred in his mind.

Recalling the various extraordinary abilities Hundred and Eight had displayed, he handed the object over. "Brother Bai, can you discern the purpose of this thing?" Hundred and Eight took the blood bead.

His eyes immediately lit up, shining brilliantly even in the surrounding black mist like twin bulbs. A sharp beam of light swept over the bead several times, back and forth, before Hundred and Eight’s eyes dimmed once more.

"This is a newly discovered biological entity," Hundred and Eight’s voice remained as steady as ever. He Yi Ming frowned deeply.

"What kind of biological entity?" Hundred and Eight glanced at He Yi Ming, his gaze seemingly questioning why such a simple concept was unknown to him. He Yi Ming felt a flush of shame and offered a slight bow with cupped hands, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Hundred and Eight shook his head. "This originates from the body of some creature.

This blood bead contains all the life energy the creature possessed in life, even condensing all of its potential energy after it has been fully exerted." He Yi Ming recalled the frantic behavior of those madmen and the half-hour time limit, faintly grasping Hundred and Eight’s meaning. He asked gravely, "The object is secured; can you deduce its function now?" "I can," Hundred and Eight replied curtly.

"Given the physical item, I can research its origin and purpose." "Excellent!" He Yi Ming’s eyes shone with enthusiasm. "Hurry and research it then." Hundred and Eight nodded slightly and turned to leave.

He Yi Ming paused, holding the treasure pig close as he hurried to follow, asking, "Brother Bai, where are you going?" "Back." "Back?" He Yi Ming questioned, utterly bewildered. "To where?" "The Hetao Mountain Range." He Yi Ming stumbled, nearly falling.

His face darkened with frustration. "Brother Bai, please stop joking." Hundred and Eight intended to return to the cave in the Northwest where they had started.

If he really made the trip, Heaven knew how much time it would consume—a duration He Yi Ming absolutely could not tolerate. Hundred and Eight stopped.

"I am not joking." His expression was exceptionally serious. He Yi Ming opened his mouth.

"Why must we go back?" "You asked me to study this thing's origin, composition, and use. I must utilize certain instruments for analysis and simulation calculations." Only then did He Yi Ming understand.

With a wry smile, he snatched the blood bead back from Hundred and Eight’s hand. "Brother Bai, thank you for the thought, but I think it might be better if I explore this myself slowly." Hundred and Eight spread his hands in a gesture of resignation.

He Yi Ming felt a surge of suspicion. "Brother Bai, who taught you those gestures?" "You," Hundred and Eight replied readily.

He Yi Ming was instantly rendered speechless, though inwardly, he felt quite pleased. Even Hundred and Eight was starting to mimic him; his own progress these past few years must have been significant.

He took out the silver ring and opened it, retrieving an empty jade vial. He carefully placed the blood bead inside.

Afterward, he deposited both the vial and the acquired scales and whip into his spatial storage. This personal space brought He Yi Ming immense convenience.

Returning to a distance, He Yi Ming dug a deep pit and buried the madman who had died. Although he knew the best course of action, like Hao Xue and the others, would be to dissolve the corpse entirely—true obliteration to eliminate any future trouble—He Yi Ming lacked those strange elixirs and the hardened heart required for such an act.

In the end, he allowed the man to rest in the earth. This time, he did not chase after them randomly across the mountains with Hundred and Eight, as the whereabouts of the three enemies were entirely within Hundred and Eight's grasp.

After these three incidents, He Yi Ming had noticed that although the three harbored malicious intentions, they specifically targeted experts at the Sanhua (Three Flowers) Realm when they struck. Furthermore, among those He Yi Ming knew, the victims were almost all exceptional geniuses who had reached the Dingzu (Tripod Apex) Realm.

Given this, He Yi Ming decided not to interfere further. After all, the three were not to be trifled with, and the forces behind them were formidable.

To incur such irreconcilable enmity defending people he didn't even know was beyond the scope of his compassion. He led Hundred and Eight in the opposite direction to a secluded spot.

Then, he instructed Hundred and Eight to guard him while he began absorbing the surrounding Heaven and Earth Qi in an effort to enhance his own strength as much as possible. ※※※※ An ordinary person would be entirely unable to gauge the passage of time in this environment.

But martial cultivators who reached He Yi Ming's level could roughly estimate the duration spent within the black mist by observing changes in their own physiology. If they remained in this place for over a month, allowing the Yin Sha energy to invade their bodies, the consequences would be truly tear-inducing.

Thus, another seven days passed. During these seven days, He Yi Ming certainly absorbed a large amount of Heaven and Earth Qi, but compared to the density of the surrounding black mist, it remained a mere drop in the ocean, unworthy of mention.

However, throughout these seven days, no matter what method he employed, He Yi Ming sadly discovered he could never fully focus his entire concentration. Whenever he tried to clear his mind of all thoughts, the images of those madmen would involuntarily flash through his brain.

Particularly the complex expressions reflected in their eyes in the final moments before their deaths—those were impossible for him to forget. That gaze, tinged with relief yet clinging desperately to life, deeply touched He Yi Ming’s heart.

He tried several times to erase this image from his mind, but the results were far from satisfactory. Every time this gaze surfaced, a subtle sense of guilt would arise within him, and this feeling seemed to grow deeper.

Even though he clearly knew it was not his fault, this feeling surged upward like spring weeds, impossible to suppress. Yet, he also understood that if Hao Xue and the other two realized he was monitoring them, it would immediately ignite an unending battle, one in which he might not necessarily emerge victorious.

In a daze, another sharp, mournful cry echoed from the distance. The muscles in He Yi Ming’s face twitched faintly, and his heart sank further.

The sixth one... In these seven days, more than ten people had gone mad from being unable to withstand the pressure of the Yin Sha energy.

When these people first descended into madness, they would let out a final scream due to the overwhelming despair. Yet, only He Yi Ming could discern the subtle variations within those cries.

From these screams, He Yi Ming could easily distinguish whether those individuals had succumbed to the pressure themselves or had been ambushed by Hao Xue and the other two. In seven days, the three had not struck frequently; only now was it the sixth time they had acted.

Perhaps this precise frequency was the true reason they had remained unnoticed by others. Taking a deep breath, He Yi Ming’s fists clenched unconsciously.

Two diametrically opposed ideologies warred within his mind, causing him to feel stranded between advancing and retreating. After a long pause, he looked up, and once again, he seemed to see a pair of completely black eyes.

They were the eyes of a total stranger, but the expression revealed in them at the final moment was profoundly moving. It was the relief of being liberated from life, and the lingering affection for the mortal world...

Slowly, He Yi Ming let out a long sigh. He finally realized that he was still incapable of becoming like those ancient centenarians, able to regard all matters unrelated to his self-interest—even matters of life and death—with utter indifference.

He knew his choice might appear foolish and incomprehensible to many. But he had nonetheless made that choice...

He took out the silver ring, opened the miraculous space within, and retrieved a pair of shoes and a set of tight-fitting black clothing. His body trembled, and in an instant, he shrank noticeably, down to the bone.

He tiptoed to change into the shoes and the suit. He gently touched his face, and moments later, his features had subtly changed.

Although there was nothing ugly or distorted, even his parents standing before him would never recognize this as He Yi Ming. Then, he tucked the leather pouch from under his arm and his outer clothes into the spatial storage.

"Have you decided?" Hundred and Eight's voice drifted over from nearby. Although He Yi Ming had said nothing, his actions had conveyed his intent.

He Yi Ming’s body stiffened slightly, and he stated gravely, "Yes, I have decided." "The forces behind those three are immense. Do you not regret it?" "I do regret it," He Yi Ming replied, gazing into the distance with stern resolution.

"I regret not stopping them sooner." He walked to where Hundred and Eight stood and extended an open hand flatly. Hundred and Eight watched him quietly, finally extending one of his own arms.

With a flash of cold light, a strangely shaped, sharp fork-sword appeared in He Yi Ming’s grasp.