He Yi Ming threw his head back, and a long, resonant cry, bursting with an almost absolute confidence, erupted from his lips. It rumbled forth like the ceaseless surge of the ocean tide.

As he sent Gabri staggering back into disarray once more, a profound surge of emotion swelled within He Yi Ming, impossible to contain. Barely ten days prior, facing Gabri, he hadn't possessed the slightest chance of victory; especially when trapped by the opponent's heavy broadsword, even escaping had seemed unlikely.

Yet, now, just ten days later, that reality was utterly reversed. He hadn't even employed his current strongest technique, the twenty-fifth form, but merely the twenty-first, and even that utilizing only fifty percent of his true qi, yet it had already managed to score a fissure upon the enemy's divine weapon.

Though he knew clearly that the lion's share of the credit belonged to the Five Elements Rings grasped in his hand. If not for this imitation divine artifact, capable of channeling the peak might of all Five Elements in the world, and if not for the corresponding elemental forces that surged forth to assist him whenever he struck, he certainly could not have driven his opponent into such a wretched retreat so effortlessly.

At this juncture, He Yi Ming finally understood: a divine artifact is a divine artifact. Even an imitation one is utterly incomparable to ordinary so-called divine weapons and sharp tools.

Especially when the wielder's cultivation ascends to the Venerable realm, only then can the true potential of these replicated divine artifacts be unleashed. Recalling his past self, preening with pride while holding the Five Elements Rings, he now felt a deep sense of shame.

It turned out his former self was merely a frog in a well, possessing shallow insight. Gabri suddenly let out a sharp, piercing shriek, a sound laced with a desperate, tragic edge.

His eyes flushed a faint crimson, and the aura that had previously weakened on his body abruptly swelled once more. Vast quantities of true qi poured out, and a mist immediately rose from his great shield.

In just an instant, this mist vanished into the surface of the shield, and the fissure that had marred it was now completely whole and soundless. He had actually used his own vital essence as a catalyst, instantly repairing the damaged shield.

Although He Yi Ming had only recently advanced to the Venerable rank, he had read extensively on such matters. He knew that when a Fog-class divine weapon sustained damage, it could be slowly nurtured back to health relying on its intrinsic true qi.

But this process took time, the duration varying depending on the practitioner's cultivation level and the extent of the damage. However, a miraculous technique capable of completely restoring a damaged divine weapon in an instant was something he had never heard of.

His mind stirred slightly, and he immediately understood this must be Gabri's unique, secret technique, or perhaps an arcane secret of a certain Western sect. Gabri took a deep breath, roared a guttural cry, and raised his great shield again.

His gaze rose slightly above the shield's rim, and just like a charging matador, he planted his feet firmly on the ground and charged towards He Yi Ming. He Yi Ming laughed heartily.

He could sense Gabri's aura growing exponentially stronger; it seemed he had employed some method to stimulate his hidden potential, gaining a significant boost in combat effectiveness for a short period. But Gabri could never have imagined that He Yi Ming was only employing half his strength.

If Gabri knew the secret, and understood that the Five Elements Rings could supply corresponding power, then his only viable choice right now would still be to fight desperately—but to fight desperately to flee, not to fight desperately to attack. He Yi Ming’s eyebrows shot up; his expression was utterly devoid of fear.

He stepped forward, flicking the Five Elements Rings in his hand, unleashing the twenty-second form of the Thirty-Six Forms of Mountain Splitting. Before him, an identical phantom image of a massive battle-axe materialized.

After the twenty-first form, the might of each subsequent technique vastly surpassed the preceding one, and the difference in power could be astronomical depending on the user. When the twenty-second form manifested, the surrounding space was instantly and firmly locked down by an intensely concentrated Metal element energy.

Gabri’s two divine weapons were fundamentally Metal-aligned themselves, but under the pressure of He Yi Ming’s attack, they were completely unable to express the sharp, cutting properties of the Metal element. But this couldn't be blamed on him; the destructive power emanating from He Yi Ming's imitation divine artifact was too immense, coupled with the use of the Mountain Splitting Thirty-Six Forms, an ancient legacy technique capable of challenging opponents beyond one's own rank.

Under these circumstances where both weapon and martial technique favored the opponent, Gabri’s power was suppressed to its absolute maximum. He couldn't even exert half his usual threat level.

"Clang..." With another deafening impact, Gabri was once again sent tumbling backward, flying into the distance. In He Yi Ming's hands, he was not only powerless to retaliate but was gradually losing the ability even to parry.

He Yi Ming stepped forward, as if striding directly through the air, relentlessly pursuing his opponent. During the earlier exchange of vital energy synchronization, He Yi Ming had keenly perceived that Gabri's aura had plummeted to its nadir.

The man had even begun to feel fear and trepidation. If He Yi Ming wasn't mistaken, Gabri no longer possessed the courage for a direct confrontation.

However, how could He Yi Ming let such a foe escape so easily? He strode forward mightily, like a meteor chasing the moon, his eyes fixed tightly on Gabri, who was still spinning through the air.

The vital energies between them were intimately locked. The light emanating from the Five Elements Rings grew increasingly intense, and the might of the twenty-third form began to coalesce once more.

Before him, the spectral outline of a colossal light-axe flickered in and out of existence, suggesting it could instantly solidify and unleash devastating power at his whim. Yet, precisely at this moment, He Yi Ming's ears twitched subtly, catching an almost imperceptible, peculiar sound.

Though the sound was faint, in his ears, it was as loud as a peal of thunder. He Yi Ming’s footsteps did not halt, but the blood within him began to boil; his fighting spirit soared higher than ever before.

Even in past confrontations against Xiong Wuji or the Qilian Twin Devils, his resolve had never been so fiercely elevated. A streak of black light suddenly pierced out from the shadow of a rock wall to his flank.

This beam of light was utterly ordinary—devoid of killing intent, lacking any rush of wind. It seemed the assailant had employed some bizarre technique to perfectly cancel out the surrounding air vibrations, so not a single sound had leaked out from start to finish.

However, they did not know that He Yi Ming’s Wind-Following Ear Divine Skill had been cultivated to the peak. As the intruder drew near, He Yi Ming had already "heard" their presence.

It was precisely the sensation of another Venerable approaching that ignited an even more intense surge of heroic spirit within him. As the dark shadow lunged in for the strike, a strange, almost cunning smile touched He Yi Ming’s lips, reminiscent of a hunter who had meticulously set a trap and finally awaited the prey's arrival.

Immediately afterward, the massive phantom axe, which had been wavering before him, snapped into solid form and shifted from his front to his side. Concurrently, his vital energy profile shifted as well, locking firmly onto the aura of the person who had suddenly appeared at his flank.

To possess the presence of mind to simultaneously lock onto the energies of two Venerables while facing them head-on was a level of audacity that was simply terrifying to contemplate. The hidden assailant was none other than Ding Liyin, a Venerable Assassin from the Yellow Springs Gate.

Amongst experts of the Venerable realm, very few would resort to covert assassination. To do so implied a lack of faith in one's own martial heart and significant hindrance to future advancement.

Thus, unless absolutely necessary, no one would choose such a method. But for the Eastern Yellow Springs Gate, and the Western Assassin's Guild, such reservations simply did not exist.

Much like a dog cannot alter its nature, regardless of how high an assassin’s cultivation climbs, at their core, they remain assassins. It would be far more shocking if they suddenly stepped out into the open for a fair challenge.

However, the moment Ding Liyin struck and then witnessed the smile on He Yi Ming’s face, he knew immediately that something was terribly wrong. Then, the locking of the opponent's energy signature and the sudden appearance of the battle-axe phantom only solidified his dreadful certainty.

He Yi Ming had detected his presence long ago... The realization sent a shockwave through Ding Liyin's mind that was immense.

It implied that during his sustained battle with Gabri, He Yi Ming had still possessed significant reserve strength. Before this thought could fully form in his mind, the colossal phantom axe slammed fiercely against his twin-pronged sword.

A massive, unimaginable force transmitted through the phantom axe. Ding Liyin's expression changed drastically; he finally understood.

Why Gabri, wielding such a gargantuan shield, had still been cleaved backward by a single axe blow from He Yi Ming—because the power contained within that strike was simply too overwhelming. This power utterly exceeded the limits he could withstand.

The next moment, his body was soaring backward. However, unlike Gabri’s desperate struggle to regain stability, Ding Liyin intentionally utilized the force of the impact to retreat.

He actively leveraged this irresistible power to propel himself backward. In an instant, he flew dozens of zhang away, like a bird slicing through the sky, showing no semblance of defeat or panic.

He Yi Ming inwardly praised the effort. This strike had cost him sixty percent of his strength, amplified by the Five Elements Rings, making it even more potent than his pure, one-hundred-percent output.

Coupled with the Mountain Splitting Thirty-Six Forms, an ultimate technique capable of crushing hierarchical barriers, the resulting might was far beyond what this Venerable Assassin from the Yellow Springs Gate could withstand with just his twin sword. And the Venerable Assassin's reaction speed was frighteningly swift.

The moment he sensed the irresistible nature of the blow, he used the force to retreat, thereby avoiding injury and creating a vast distance that He Yi Ming could not easily bridge. Comparing the reactions of the two Venerables, He Yi Ming could only marvel that the Eastern Venerables clearly understood the principles of strategic adaptation better than their Western counterparts.

He abruptly halted his momentum. With a glance toward the two Venerables—one ahead and one to the side—a boundless sense of heroism surged forth from him.

He lifted his head, swept his sleeve, and the light of the Five Elements Rings blazed brilliantly. His bearing, his voice, his very aura exuded a spirit that looked down upon the entire world.

"There is one more. Why do you not show yourself here?"