Once underground, He Yiming’s speed naturally slowed, yet he paid it no mind; sensing someone burrowing in pursuit, a strange smile even touched his lips.

He had already tested the limits of his strength against those three Venerables; now, it was time to try out the true might of that divine artifact.

His body abruptly halted beneath the earth. He Yiming reached out and grasped the silver ring on his chest, pouring a vast torrent of Innate Qi into it, instantly manifesting a murky, dark void. His hand shot out and retracted with lightning speed; in the span of a single breath, he had retrieved the Nine Dragon Furnace.

Immediately thereafter, he released the silver ring, and the marvelous spatial pocket vanished.

This entire process lasted barely half a breath, after which he instantly turned and headed back the way he came.

The reason for diving underground was precisely to conceal this maneuver. Especially with a Venerable from the Yellow Springs Sect trailing him, if that person had witnessed the silver ring and managed to escape, He Yiming would certainly face endless trouble.

He Yiming’s brief pause did not arouse suspicion in the trio; sensing He Yiming’s retreat, they immediately altered their course as well.

At this very moment, before breaking the surface, He Yiming channeled his True Qi into the Nine Dragon Furnace and unleashed that sliver of formidable Fire Power.

As he finally breached the ground, he instantly "heard" a sound like surging, flowing water.

He Yiming turned, facing Elder Li Yuan, a cold, sharp smile playing on his lips.

Then, he twisted open the lid of the Nine Dragon Furnace…

"Hoo…"

A torrent of flame erupted violently from the furnace. The moment the lid opened, He Yiming’s vision was engulfed in a field of pure crimson light, all other colors vanishing.

He Yiming vaguely perceived a flicker of black within the inferno, but this darkness flashed only once before disappearing, as if it had never left a trace.

He Yiming took a deep breath. Although this was not the first time he had witnessed the power of the Nine Dragon Furnace, seeing this spectacle again still filled his heart with profound shock.

Whether it was his illusion or perhaps a side effect of his recent advancement to the Venerable realm, this surge of Fire Power seemed far to exceed the might he had experienced testing it alone previously.

That mysterious Venerable wielding the twin swords offered virtually no resistance, instantly vaporized by the raging fire.

Such intense Fire Power, even for him now that he was a Venerable, was almost unattainable. This strength had completely broken free from the limits of human potential, entering a realm that was merely aspirable, yet utterly beyond reach.

After gazing deeply at the scorched earth before him, He Yiming swiftly shoved the Nine Dragon Furnace back into the silver ring.

Then, his hands moved in rapid succession, and four distinct, tangible flowers materialized around him. These four flowers shone brilliantly under the sunlight for a moment, but in the blink of an eye, a strange patina settled over them. When this layer of color faded, the four tangible flowers simultaneously dissolved into the void, vanishing without a trace.

From the appearance of the Nine Dragon Furnace to the execution of the fatal strike, mere seconds had elapsed. Gabri and Ding Liyin had not yet arrived; they had only sensed an overwhelming wave of Fire Power that, under its pressure, had scattered the auras of both He Yiming and Elder Li Yuan. Thus, they remained unaware that in that single instant, Elder Li Yuan, a Venerable, had perished on the spot.

A flash of movement, and Ding Liyin burrowed up from underground.

However, he was immediately assaulted by the sensation of scorching heat waves churning the air.

After personally experiencing the intensity of this searing thermal energy, Ding Liyin’s expression drastically changed.

With his experience, he could readily connect this to the incredible burst of Fire Power that had just occurred.

The ambient heat alone was almost unbearable; how devastating must the power have been at the moment of its initial eruption?

In the next instant, his thoughts flew to Elder Li Yuan, and a chill sank into his heart.

He certainly did not believe that Li Yuan could generate such a heat wave. That left only one possibility: He Yiming.

Just as this thought solidified, his eyes narrowed abruptly, for he saw He Yiming, face set in a cold sneer, standing directly before him.

Ding Liyin’s guard snapped to its absolute peak, his gaze locked onto He Yiming.

Yet, on He Yiming’s face was a smile Ding Liyin could not decipher. Within that smile, there was even a trace of pity.

Yes, pity.

Ding Liyin was utterly bewildered; he could not fathom why He Yiming would regard him with such an expression.

At that moment, a colossal sound, like the shattering of heaven and earth, roared into his ears. Then, the void around him began to explode inexplicably, powerful airwaves slamming into his body like countless massive hammers.

Ding Liyin roared in fury, his entire True Qi churning, enveloping his body completely.

This explosion was too utterly unexpected; even he could not react swiftly enough, unable to deploy any technique, including his burrowing skill. He could only clench his jaw and endure the blow solely through his Venerable-level True Qi and physical body.

The intense pain coursing through him confirmed that he was injured, and gravely so.

However, compared to the sheer horror in his mind, this injury was negligible.

As an assassin Venerable of the Yellow Springs Sect, he was inherently skilled in the art of assassination. His intuition for danger was a thousand times sharper than that of ordinary men; the slightest hint of trouble would alert him. Yet, the explosion just now was entirely sudden; he had sensed not the slightest anomaly beforehand.

This meant that He Yiming’s method of concealment was a technique utterly beyond his current comprehension—and that was what filled him with disbelief.

As this profound shock mingled with a tremor of unease in his mind, he suddenly felt a slight numbness creep into his foot.

He instantly understood: his moment of agitated distraction had allowed He Yiming to land a hidden strike. Nevertheless, he remained unconcerned, buoyed by unshakeable self-confidence.

Assassins of the Yellow Springs Sect were trained from childhood to resist all manner of poisons. At his level, few poisons in the world posed a genuine threat. Those capable of harming him were legendary toxins, almost existing only in myth, and it was highly unlikely He Yiming possessed such substances.

Therefore, he paid little heed to whatever poison might have coated the hidden projectile.

The instant this thought crossed his mind, his face contorted into an expression of extreme strangeness and disbelief.

The moment the projectile pierced his flesh, it unleashed a powerful, biting coldness combined with an irresistible paralyzing force. Under the synergy of these two powers, his entire True Qi supply immediately seized up, and even all his bodily functions ground to a halt.

He Yiming moved, instantly appearing beside him.

Looking at the stiffened Ding Liyin, whose body was already faintly dusted with white frost, He Yiming was somewhat surprised himself. After detonating the four tangible flowers, he had casually released a Blood Coagulation Needle, never truly expecting it to strike. Who knew that after the explosion, this fellow simply froze for a split second as if stunned?

This turn of events rendered all the subsequent countermeasures He Yiming had prepared useless.

It was a case of sowing destruction and reaping the inevitable.

Casting one last glance at the immobile figure, He Yiming swung the Five Elements Ring, turned, and departed.

Several breaths after He Yiming vanished, a faint sound echoed in Ding Liyin’s throat, as if trying to utter a final word, but nothing emerged.

When the frost finally melted away, his head tilted slowly to one side, then slipped from his neck, dropping to the ground with a soft thud.

His eyes remained wide open, seemingly questioning how He Yiming had managed to strike down even an assassin.

For an assassin to die by a method akin to an assassination—truly, a death without peace...

He Yiming’s figure darted away like lightning, flying in a direct line.

A hundred paces ahead, a figure that had been rapidly closing in suddenly halted and, without hesitation, spun around to flee.

He Yiming inwardly scoffed repeatedly. Killing those two Venerables had appeared simple, but it was a plan long conceived. From the moment he initiated his retreat, a rough scheme had already taken shape in his mind. Everything had unfolded with unnatural smoothness, especially the demise of Ding Liyin, which felt almost guided by providence—impossibly successful.

The entire sequence took less than ten breaths. That was why Gabri, who had already cleared the ridge line, hadn't grasped the situation immediately. He was still rushing over at maximum speed.

However, upon seeing He Yiming flying towards him at breakneck speed, even Gabri, despite his dullness, knew the situation was disastrous. His decisive pivot and flight showed a swift, ruthless resolve.

Yet, He Yiming was not about to let such a quarry escape so easily.

His speed was pushed to its absolute peak, his internal powers beginning to cycle and transition.

Water elemental power boiled and burst forth, transforming into the vibrant vitality of Wood, followed by the explosive brilliance of Fire, the stable grandeur of Earth, and finally, the sharp keenness of Metal.

The Five Elements Ring hummed, cycling through the five elements until it settled on Metal, the premier element.

Simultaneously, a vast surge of Metal power flowed out from the ring’s inner world.

The two forces merged, instantly ripping through space...

He Yiming’s body streaked across the void like a meteor chasing the moon, tracing a vibrant rainbow, arriving instantly behind Gabri.

His speed was so incredible that it surpassed even Gabri’s, who had long since harmonized with the energies of heaven and earth.

Gabri was struck with terror, desperately trying to turn back. His shield materialized abruptly.

However, a colossal Sky-Cleaving Axe descended, cleaving his shield in two as easily as tearing paper.

Gabri, hidden behind the shield, stared with vacant eyes, seemingly unable to process what was happening. A trickle of blood seeped from his brow, growing larger until it formed a straight line running from his head to his feet, splitting his entire body into two halves.