Between this man and horse, who knew how many skirmishes had passed. They seemed intimately familiar with each other's fighting styles, especially the white horse. Once the old man’s aura intensified, signaling an imminent ultimate move, the horse would bolt away in a flash, putting significant distance between them.

With its incredible speed, the old man was utterly helpless.

Although a Venerable, after communicating with the power of Heaven and Earth, could traverse tens of feet in an instant, it always required a process. Even though this process was but a fleeting pause, it still demanded a moment of time.

But for a horse like this white one to exhibit such speed as naturally as breathing—that level was unattainable even for a Venerable.

After fighting in close quarters for a long time, the old man finally seized an opportunity, taking a step forward and twisting his body sharply, miraculously placing himself where the white horse's sight could not reach.

His fist instantaneously elongated, striking the white horse squarely in the abdomen.

This sudden turn of events startled even He Yiming; his breath hitched just slightly.

After absorbing the heavy blow, the entire body of the white horse was sent flying backward. It tumbled several times in the air before landing awkwardly, eventually collapsing to the ground.

He Yiming inwardly lamented the pity of it. He had clearly seen that the old man had not held back on that punch; its sheer force was unparalleled. Had he taken that strike, he too would have been severely injured.

But then, something astonishing occurred.

The white horse that had fallen merely rolled over once more before immediately leaping back up. Judging by the agility of its movement, it appeared completely unharmed.

He Yiming’s eyes widened in extreme astonishment. What kind of spirit beast was this? Its movements were lightning-fast, its strength immense, yet it possessed such thick hide and tough flesh that even such tremendous power could not leave a scratch.

At this point, He Yiming finally understood why that human Venerable had been entangled with this innate spirit beast for so long. This spirit beast was simply too powerful. Though He Yiming had never seen a true Sacred Beast, he estimated that even if this creature encountered an ordinary one, it would be little inferior.

However, He Yiming still underestimated the white horse.

After rising, it let out a long neigh filled with unmistakable fury.

It seemed that being sent flying by the old man’s punch had wounded its pride; even the few strands of white hair beneath its neck trembled faintly.

Subsequently, the very conspicuous single horn atop its head began to emit a strange, radiant light.

The moment this light appeared, the old man’s expression immediately became grave. A massive surge of power erupted from his body, and the intensity of this energy, honed to its absolute extreme, instantly formed three visible flowers of different colors above his head. The emergence of these tangible flowers caused the surrounding Heaven and Earth Qi to surge violently.

Next, the three visible flowers burst open, melting instantly into one, carrying with them a massive amount of Heaven and Earth power that swept down from above, enveloping the old man’s entire form.

In the span of a single breath, the old man appeared clad in thick armor.

Though this was not true armor, this miraculous protection, primarily composed of the visible flowers and infused with immense Heaven and Earth Qi, possessed a defensive strength far exceeding that of ordinary magic treasures.

He Yiming’s eyes shone with excitement. To think that the combination of visible flowers and the power of Heaven and Earth could manifest such a wondrous transformation—if he hadn't witnessed it firsthand, he would never have believed it.

Yet, seeing the old man’s posture, ready for a life-or-death confrontation, He Yiming knew the white horse’s next move must be extraordinary.

Indeed, the light from the white horse’s horn intensified until it reached its peak, followed suddenly by a series of sharp, crackling sounds.

He Yiming sucked in a sharp breath. No wonder the old man had adopted such a fully committed stance. The power emanating from the white horse’s horn was none other than the legendary power of thunder and lightning.

Streaks of purple light coiled around the single horn, and the fluctuations in the surrounding Heaven and Earth Qi were in no way less intense than those around the old man.

He Yiming grew increasingly suspicious. What was the origin of this spirit beast, possessing such formidable might at the Innate Realm? If it were to break through to the Sacred Beast realm, who could possibly stop it?

Slowly, the white horse lowered its head, but its eyes remained fixed intently on the old man before it.

The atmosphere within the mountain hollow suddenly grew taut. Even the flowing wind seemed subject to some unseen influence, stopping dead the moment it entered the hollow.

The air was saturated with an intensely concentrated aura of killing intent; everything here became profoundly still.

Finally, a flash of purple light erupted from the white horse’s horn, and a clearly visible bolt of lightning instantly sliced through the void, arriving before the old man.

A chill crept up He Yiming’s spine. Upon seeing that lightning strike, his only impression was speed—a speed so extreme.

The purple light had barely discharged from the horse's horn before it slammed violently into the old man’s chest and abdomen.

During this process, the old man didn't even possess the capacity to evade.

This was true ultimate speed. Compared to this, the peak movement speed of Wind—the travel along two points in one line—seemed significantly inferior.

However, the old man was equally prepared for this. The strange armor covering him was precisely the result of knowing he could not dodge this attack, leading him to painstakingly forge it. The powerful defensive force of the armor instantly neutralized the majority of the lightning energy.

Even so, the remaining fraction of power was not easy to endure. The old man’s figure shot backward like an arrow, like electricity.

With a deafening boom, his body crashed violently against the mountain wall behind him. The marvelous armor covering his chest shattered into pieces, ceasing to exist.

The old man exhaled deeply, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

Although the armor was destroyed, neutralizing that entire wave of attack was already highly worthwhile. Before, without condensing this armor, he would have inevitably suffered some injury under the assault of this purple lightning.

Witnessing this breathtaking scene, He Yiming drew a long breath, his eyes gleaming sharply. A sudden urge surged within him: he wanted to test it out. He wondered how the power of the old man’s visible armor and the white horse’s purple lightning compared to the might of the Five Elements Rings he held.

The old man’s expression suddenly changed, and he coldly commanded, "Show yourself!"

His sharp gaze fixed in He Yiming’s direction. Simultaneously, the white horse’s gaze also turned over, brimming with hostility.

He Yiming let out an awkward laugh, realizing his heavy breathing had betrayed his presence.

But he felt no fear. Hands clasped behind his back, he strolled out with an unhurried gait. Bai Lingba paused for a moment, then followed, carrying the Treasure Pig.

This was not the heartland of Da Shen. If they needed to conceal themselves here too, it would be excessive.

The two walked into the mountain hollow one after the other. The old man’s expression grew noticeably harder, and the white horse’s gaze flickered with an unusual uncertainty.

Despite the old man’s power and the white horse’s innate spiritual perception, they had failed to detect anyone approaching.

Had it not been for the white horse’s purple lightning strike causing He Yiming’s heart to pound and his breathing to quicken, they might never have been discovered.

Such figures—one appearing was already rare—but two appearing at once naturally made the man and the horse wary and indecisive.

A cold gaze slowly shifted from He Yiming to Bai Lingba, and then settled upon the Treasure Pig.

The white horse snorted suddenly. Its intelligent eyes blinked rapidly a few times, but soon they were veiled in confusion. It sniffed the air several times, tilted its large head sideways as if contemplating something, and completely ignored He Yiming and his companion.

The old man’s focus, however, was fixed on Bai Lingba. In the old man’s perception, this mysterious fellow could barely be called human anymore.

No heartbeat, no body temperature—that was one thing. But the absolute lack of any trace of life aura was truly terrifying.

Subtly, in the old man’s mind, Bai Lingba grew increasingly unfathomable, even more imposing than He Yiming, which filled the old man with deep apprehension.

After a moment of mutual observation, He Yiming finally broke the deadlock. "You two were engaged in a fierce battle here. My arrival was untimely; please forgive the intrusion."

The old man snorted lightly. "Why are you here?"

He Yiming offered a wry smile. "My ship encountered a storm on the sea and capsized. We swam here from the ocean and unintentionally landed on this island. May I ask your esteemed name?"

The old man's expression softened slightly; he did not doubt He Yiming’s words.

Because, apart from that explanation, even the old man himself could not conceive of any other reason for their presence.

"I have long forgotten my name," the old man replied coolly, then turned away. "With outsiders present today, we shall resume our fight another time."

The white horse shook its head as if waking from a dream. Its large eyes blinked again, its massive head nodded slightly, and its four hooves lifted. In an instant, it transformed into a streak of white light, vanishing from the mountain hollow.

Even though He Yiming had been watching its movements closely, he could only register a fading afterimage.

This speed, so far beyond human aspiration, once again filled He Yiming with profound shock.

The old man gave them a cold look, paying particular attention to Bai Lingba. Then, he turned and strode away decisively without looking back.

He Yiming sighed softly. He knew that if his own demeanor, and that of Bai Lingba, had not also inspired a degree of fear in the man and the horse, the matter of spying on their duel would likely not have been resolved so easily today.

"Brother Bai, what do you think of their strength?" He Yiming inquired.

"Very strong, but you can win," Bai Lingba stated coldly.

He Yiming chuckled. "Brother Bai, this place is truly interesting. Let’s stay here for a while." His gaze drifted in the direction the old man had departed, muttering to himself, "A visible armor, what an interesting old man."

Ps: Three more chapters tonight. Asking for monthly votes; I think I’m being caught up to, sweat...