Elder Li’s combined strike of water and fire was among the greatest martial techniques he had ever achieved in his life; even when battling peers of equal standing, deploying this technique guaranteed success.

The sheer might contained within it made the other two observing Venerables inwardly tremble. Thus, they could never have anticipated that He Yiming would dare such an audacious move, risking himself by thrusting his arm directly into the crimson-and-black sphere teeming with the forces of water and fire.

Yet, what terrified them even more was what happened next: after He Yiming inserted the Five Elements Ring into the sphere, the dreadful object did not detonate as they had imagined, but began to spin around his arm.

Simultaneously, it gave them an overwhelmingly bizarre sensation.

That sensation was that the crimson-and-black sphere had become an extension of He Yiming’s arm, utterly incapable of inflicting any further harm upon him.

A subtle smile of relief touched the corner of He Yiming’s lips.

The moment the Five Elements Ring entered the sphere, he instantly perceived an intricate interplay between vastly differing powers. These forces were mutually antagonistic yet mutually restraining, yet within this contradiction, they maintained a delicate equilibrium.

He Yiming immediately grasped the principle: the masked Venerable’s martial art possessed a unique subtlety, blending the powers of water and fire in this chaotic, opposing fusion. As long as the internal balance was not broken, the forces could grow autonomously, reaching ever-increasing strength.

This differed from He Yiming’s own fusion of gold and fire, but in terms of realized power, it was clearly superior.

However, mastering the fulcrum between these two distinct power systems was no simple task.

Even He Yiming could not claim he could achieve this effortlessly and plainly.

But before him lay a perfect demonstration: within this crimson-and-black sphere existed two perfectly balanced forces, and acting as the mediator and restraint between them was the energy of the Wood element.

Water nourishes Wood; Wood fuels Fire.

It was precisely the mediating role of this Wood energy that allowed for such a miraculous effect.

He Yiming quietly contemplated the transformations of this Wood energy. Though he had not yet successfully condensed the Flower of Wood, his very constitution was attuned to the Five Elements. Once he understood the profound secret, borrowing the power of the Five Elements Ring, he was actually able to manifest its subtle changes.

Thus, his power replaced the Wood element within the water and fire, and he continuously infused his own True Qi, achieving an absolute point of balance in the middle.

When he successfully completed the process, bringing all the power under his command, He Yiming felt a unique sense of fulfillment.

This was the benefit of constantly engaging with formidable opponents; only through battling different masters could one experience diverse combat styles, allowing for gradual growth and higher achievement.

Borrowing from strengths and shoring up weaknesses—a lesson applicable to all powerful figures across the world.

He raised his arm high. The crimson-and-black sphere was now a full circle larger than when it first appeared.

The gazes of the three Venerables were fixed upon the sphere. The expressions in their eyes were exceedingly complex; their looks toward He Yiming were simultaneously laced with unconcealed dread and sharp killing intent.

The power He Yiming displayed, and his capacity to absorb new martial techniques, instilled in them a powerful sense of crisis.

If such a person were allowed to develop further, who knew how terrifyingly strong he might become in a few years? If they failed to stop him here today, the next time they met, even the three of them combined might not be able to defeat him.

Unconsciously, a similar startling thought arose in their minds.

He Yiming suddenly laughed aloud, "A fine fusion of water and fire, but I cannot keep it. Allow me to return it to you, honored elder."

With a slight flick of his wrist, the crimson-and-black sphere flew toward Elder Li as if endowed with wings. This time, its speed was markedly faster than before, seemingly crossing the void between them the moment it left He Yiming's hand, arriving directly before Elder Li.

Elder Li’s face darkened. He raised one hand, and the tip of his sword lightly tapped a precise point at the very center of the sphere.

"Crack…"

A soft sound echoed, and the terrifying, intensely radiant, and powerfully potent crimson-and-black sphere simply vanished without a trace.

This time, a look of extreme astonishment finally surfaced on He Yiming’s face.

He had intimately experienced the sheer force contained within that sphere, yet the opponent’s single sword strike had landed perfectly on a point where the internal forces canceled each other out.

Following that sword point, the sphere did not explode; instead, the water and fire energies within it neutralized each other, finally dissipating into the heavens and earth.

Such a miraculous technique was utterly exquisite, something He Yiming himself had not remotely anticipated.

His eyes faintly glowed; he had gained a new understanding of the generative and restrictive cycles of the Five Elements.

He let out a long sigh, and He Yiming spoke sincerely, "Your command over the Way of Water and Fire has reached the pinnacle. I am deeply impressed."

This was the honest truth. Although his strength was increasing in rapid leaps, the drawback of such swift elevation was apparent: he lacked the time to study many of the minute details of the Five Elements, which was often a disadvantage in actual combat.

Elder Li snorted, and his dual swords began to move again.

Mighty water energy surged forth from him endlessly, successfully transforming into his twin blades.

In but an instant, his dual swords ignited, their brilliant light dazzling and blinding.

Following this, streaks of light rolled off his swords, coalescing into a screen of light before him.

Turning the formless into the tangible—this was a basic ability of a Venerable. Elder Li gave a soft cry, and this screen of light churned and rolled, sweeping toward He Yiming.

The air seemed to echo with the roar of towering waves crashing against rocks, as if one were standing before a massive tide, watching the water element powers surge forward like rolling billows.

He Yiming smiled slightly and casually waved the Five Elements Ring.

The outer layers of the Five Elements Ring emitted a sharp, piercing whistle, followed by a burst of intense light. These lights solidified as if they had taken physical form.

Before He Yiming, a massive wall seemed to appear, blocking all the surging water waves from penetrating.

Elder Li’s expression shifted slightly. Before he could alter his combat style, the opposing wall pressed forward aggressively.

His face instantly flushed deep red; He Yiming’s display was simply too insulting.

Elder Li roared in fury, crossing his swords in a peculiar vibration.

Under this specific frequency of vibration, a vast, mystical force surged skyward, piercing through the previous light barrier and fiercely striking the wall formed by the Five Elements Ring.

The next moment, the wall stopped moving, showing faint signs of fracturing.

A look of relief finally appeared on Elder Li’s face. If this master, renowned for several centuries and a Venerable for nearly a hundred, were truly defeated by a junior who had just reached the Venerable realm, he would have no face left to live.

Under his gaze, the wall finally shattered with a resounding crash.

Elder Li let out a long laugh, but at that very moment, he heard two warning cries that sounded almost simultaneously.

"Be careful…"

Gabriel and Ding Liyin, though they held no affection for Elder Li, were not men who lost sight of the greater picture, and so they both cried out.

Elder Li reacted with extreme speed. His focus immediately contracted, and then he felt an overwhelming pressure surging upward.

What a terrifying momentum this was! At the very first touch, it completely suppressed him with irresistible force.

Then, everything before his eyes vanished.

Under that crushing pressure, both the earthen wall formed by the Five Elements Ring and his sea of blades were instantly scattered.

His vision abruptly brightened. A colossal, splitting axe, spitting sparks of light, appeared suddenly.

Under Elder Li’s look of absolute horror, the giant axe descended fiercely, like Mount Tai crushing down.

All semblance of a smile had left Elder Li’s face. He didn’t even know when this huge axe had materialized.

An unbelievable gaze locked onto the great axe. Inexplicably, he already sensed that his presence was firmly locked by this axe, with no possibility of resistance or escape remaining.

He took a deep breath, feeling the power contained within the axe, his heart churning like a tempest.

At this moment, he had only one sensation: this tremendous force was absolutely beyond his capacity to withstand. Unless he possessed a divine weapon specifically designed for defense, no one could possibly repel such an overwhelming attack.

Gritting his teeth, he suddenly threw out one of his single swords.

The sword instantly sliced through the sky, fiercely stabbing into the luminous axe.

With a tremendous crash, the giant axe seemed to pause for a beat, and the spatial confinement around it simultaneously dissolved.

Though this restriction quickly returned to normal, in that mere instant, Elder Li had vanished from his original spot. He transformed into twinkling motes of light, shooting away in a bright stream over ten yards from He Yiming before finally stopping.

The giant axe in the air flickered a few times, then finally dissipated.

He Yiming stood with one hand behind his back, the Five Elements Ring held horizontally across his chest with the other.

His body was enveloped in the awe-inspiring divine radiance of the Five Elements Ring.

The three Venerables, subjected to the thirty-six forms of Mountain Splitting, none could withstand his might through sheer force.

Extending one hand, He Yiming pointed, one by one, at Gabriel, Ding Liyin, and Elder Li.

"All of you, come at once!"