He Yiming fell silent, a chilling cold gripping his heart.

Anyone, upon hearing such devastating news, would surely feel the same bone-deep frost.

Except for the Lingxiao Treasure Hall Alliance, every other faction desired their demise.

What a terrifying prospect; even He Yiming found the blow almost too much to bear.

If, before this incident, those powers had exercised some restraint—save for the Western Venerable’s pursuit during the Jin Campaign—at least no Venerable had ever directly attacked Jin Campaign within the Eastern Great Manifestation Realm.

Now, however, they had become utterly ruthless.

A Venerable, and three of them at that… Killing intent flickered in He Yiming’s eyes, yet it was quickly followed by a defeated sigh.

Facing three Venerables, he amounted to nothing.

Even possessing the Heaven-Overturning Seal and the Nine Dragon Furnace, his ultimate trump cards, he doubted he’d even have a chance to deploy them before a Venerable.

The memory of Zhuo Shengfeng, whom he had encountered in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, sent a shiver down He Yiming’s spine.

The sheer power of a Venerable was far beyond ordinary comprehension.

Had it not been for the armory filled with priceless secret manuals, he likely would never have escaped Zhuo Shengfeng back then.

He Yiming’s gaze shifted for a moment before he finally asked, “How many Blood Condensing Pearls did you acquire this time, and how were they divided?” “Six.

Two in each person’s possession.” He Yiming nodded slightly; it seemed Hao Xue had not lied regarding this matter.

“What is the method to refine the Blood Condensing Pearls, and how does one integrate the life force within them into a divine weapon?” He Yiming inquired gravely.

“Use fire-elemental power to melt the life force inside and infuse it into the three key points of the divine weapon; this allows the divine weapon to begin misting,” Zhu Guanhao replied succinctly.

He Yiming shook his head in surprise; he hadn't expected the process to be so straightforward.

He forcefully suppressed the excitement surging within him.

“Give me the Blood Condensing Pearl you possess.” “Yes…” Zhu Guanhao responded, reaching into his robes.

However, at that very moment, his expression seemed to shift.

The dullness in his eyes slowly receded, replaced by a faint spark of awareness.

He Yiming instantly sensed danger.

Handing over the Blood Condensing Pearl must have triggered some deep-seated taboo within Zhu Guanhao, causing him to regain consciousness at this critical juncture.

Yet, a newly awakened Zhu Guanhao clearly could not match the speed of the fully prepared He Yiming.

Seeing his target about to snap back to full awareness, He Yiming knew this fleeting opportunity was his last.

He swiftly reached out and gently pressed his hand onto Zhu Guanhao’s chest.

A massive surge of power washed out like a tide, shattering Zhu Guanhao’s heart completely in mere moments.

A trickle of blood slowly welled from his lips.

In his final moments, Zhu Guanhao finally regained his senses.

He clutched his chest, attempting to speak, but with his heart utterly destroyed, no sound emerged.

He finally slumped to the ground limply, never to rise again.

He Yiming stepped forward, gazing down at the man’s wide-open eyes—eyes filled with an endless yearning for life and the world—and let out a long sigh.

“Since you cherished your life so much, why did you seek to harm others?” He Yiming murmured quietly.

He then knelt down and began searching Zhu Guanhao’s person.

This man was indeed the descendant of a renowned great family from the Central Plains; not only was he wearing custom-made soft armor, but he also carried quite a few vials and containers.

He Yiming swept everything he found into his spatial ring.

Surveying the surroundings, he found a patch of relatively soft, secluded ground, dug a deep pit, and buried Zhu Guanhao thoroughly.

Within the vast expanse of the Ghost Crying Ridge, it would be impossible to locate this unmarked mound and unearth Zhu Guanhao.

Even his family would be powerless to do so.

Having completed the task, He Yiming snapped his fingers, and his great broadsword shot into the sky, descending moments later to stick firmly into the earth.

A flash of silver light heralded the arrival of Bai Lingba.

He Yiming nodded slightly to him.

“Brother Bai, we can head back now.

I estimate the little fellow Baozhu is already getting anxious.” Bai Lingba seemed to acknowledge him, following He Yiming with light, silent steps.

The current Bai Lingba was utterly transformed from when they had first left the cave; at the very least, his mode of travel would no longer cause the earth to shake violently.

In an instant, the two vanished one behind the other into the black mist, which slowly returned to its original state, leaving not the slightest trace behind.

Hao Xue channeled all his internal energy into his feet, fleeing desperately.

Although his peripheral vision had caught that the surrounding black mist did not appear as overwhelmingly dense as the legends claimed, he dared not risk even the slightest chance.

After all, that legend was far too terrifying; even the Venerables dared not enter it, making him, a peak expert not yet advanced to the Venerable rank, utterly insignificant.

Suddenly, his surroundings brightened.

Brilliant sunlight streamed down, causing a sharp sting in his eyes.

This was the first time he had seen the light of the outside world in his twenty-plus days within the Ghost Crying Ridge, and in that moment, his heart soared.

Emerging abruptly from darkness into light, the stinging sensation brought him a peculiar sense of joy; he seemed to savor the very pain.

During his time in the Ghost Crying Ridge, Hao Xue had been consumed by meticulous scheming, keeping his spirit perpetually taut.

Though outwardly he appeared the calmest of the three, inwardly his nerves were stretched like a bowstring pulled to its absolute limit, ready to snap with the slightest additional pressure.

The sudden eruption of the millennium catastrophe provided that final strain, completely breaking the string within him.

This was the primary reason he fled without hesitation, lacking even the courage to verify the situation further.

In that instant, his sole thought was to escape this damned Ghost Crying Ridge.

Yet, once he was truly out and felt the sun overhead, a sudden, inexplicable understanding dawned upon him.

He tilted his head back, gazing at the sun in the sky, letting the scorching rays strike his eyes more directly.

Destruction preceding creation, breaking down before rebuilding—after that string snapped, it had delivered him into an entirely new world.

In this moment, he forgot the black mist behind him, forgot the terrifying millennium legend, and even forgot everything else around him.

He immersed himself completely in this thrilling, unique state.

With a flick of his wrist, a strange weapon, neither sword nor saber, appeared in his hands.

His internal energy instantly flooded the weapon, and under the sunlight, it seemed to undergo some miraculous transformation.

Slowly, a faint wisp of mist appeared on the unique weapon.

Though thin, the mist was undeniably present.

He stood there, head held high, looking at the sky, gripping his singular weapon, completely lost in a world exclusively his own.

A figure materialized abruptly beside him—it was Fang Sheng, who had fled the Ghost Crying Ridge with him.

Fang Sheng looked somewhat disheveled.

Among the three, his movement technique and speed were undoubtedly superior, making him the first to exit the Ridge.

However, the three had fled in different directions, so he had taken a wide detour to reach this spot.

The moment he saw Hao Xue, Fang Sheng understood immediately.

His friend, under these circumstances, had experienced some profound realization, taking that long-coveted step toward grasping some profound principle of heaven and earth, allowing his divine weapon to begin communicating with the power of the cosmos—the misting of the divine weapon had begun.

He stared at Hao Xue, his heart overwhelmed with complex emotions.

Ten years ago, upon learning of the Blood Condensing Pearls, all three of them had lost interest in conventional cultivation, dedicating themselves solely to acquiring enough pearls during this Ghost Crying Ridge expedition.

It was as if they had forgotten the arduous days of diligent practice, placing all their hope in the legendary Blood Condensing Pearls.

Though they had regretted their choices and attempted to break through through their own efforts, the pearls acted as an enormous temptation, preventing them from ever finding true peace.

For a full decade, the martial cultivation of the three had stagnated, making no progress whatsoever.

Now, seeing the suddenly enlightened Hao Xue, Fang Sheng’s feelings were a storm.

He turned to look at the seemingly endless black mist, countless thoughts flashing through his mind: Had their choices truly been correct? After a long pause, he let out a soft sigh, his gaze shifting, causing his brow to furrow slightly.

Such a long time had passed, and Zhu Guanhao had still not arrived to rendezvous with them.

Furthermore, within his line of sight, there was no sign of anyone emerging from the Ghost Crying Ridge.

Still, he wasn't overly concerned.

The Ghost Crying Ridge was enormous, and they had escaped separately; who knew from which direction Zhu Guanhao had broken free.

If he were unlucky, he might have emerged directly from the opposite side.

If that were the case, it would take a long time for him to circle around and reach this location.

A long exhalation suddenly sounded next to him, pulling Fang Sheng back to attention.

He turned to look.

Hao Xue had lowered his head; the mist rising from his unique weapon seemed to have grown noticeably denser.

Fang Sheng wore an expression of envy, cupped his hands, and said, “Congratulations, Brother Hao.” Hao Xue smiled faintly, retracting his weapon, his heart brimming with immense joy.

“Brother Fang, where is Brother Zhu?” “He might have emerged from another direction,” Fang Sheng replied, looking up toward the distance.

“Perhaps he’s already at our designated meeting spot.” Hao Xue nodded slightly.

“Brother Fang, let’s go there too.” Before entering the Ghost Crying Ridge, they had agreed that if separated within, they would meet at a specific location upon exiting.

Fang Sheng agreed, and the two figures quickly moved toward the cliff face ahead.