He Yiming’s gaze was fixed straight ahead. Neither his eyes nor those of Zhan Hongtu held any particular excitement, as if having disabled two innate realm experts was merely a trivial matter for them.

A slight smile slowly curved the corner of He Yiming’s mouth. He did not answer Zhan Hongtu, but instead said, "Dongcheng, pay your respects to Brother Zhan."

Huo Dongcheng started, quickly bowing down. "Junior Huo Dongcheng pays his respects to the senior."

He had intended to kowtow, but his legs refused to obey, so he settled for a deep bow.

Zhan Hongtu waved his hand slightly, his expression amiable. "No need for such formality."

He Yiming spoke calmly, "I am He Yiming of the Northwest. My journey to the East Sea this time is for travel. While staying at the Huo residence, I discovered such a fine seedling in Dongcheng, so I accepted him as a disciple on behalf of a friend."

Zhan Hongtu’s eyes brightened, and he carefully examined Huo Dongcheng. After a long moment, he nodded. "Dual cultivation in water and fire, excellent talent. Wait…" The sharp light in his eyes intensified, and his expression became rather strange. Finally, he said, "A third one?"

He Yiming let out a hearty laugh. "Brother Zhan has a keen eye, but Dongcheng has now found a renowned master; you cannot steal him away."

Zhan Hongtu gave a wry smile, his eyes filled with an inexpressible sense of regret.

After hearing their exchange, the expressions of the crowd became utterly fascinating, especially their gazes toward Huo Dongcheng, which were filled with undisguised jealousy and envy.

He Yiming let the smile fade, turning serious. "Brother Zhan, this Dong family must be disciples of your sect, correct?"

Zhan Hongtu also grew solemn. "Indeed. Dong Mingrui is my disciple, and the Dong family is a branch of my Qianshan Sect lineage."

He Yiming chuckled darkly. "I see. No wonder the Dong family dared to bully others with impunity, even beating Dongcheng's father until he was left gravely injured and bedridden."

Zhan Hongtu’s face shifted slightly. He turned his head, and at that moment, Dong Mingrui was utterly paralyzed with terror.

He had never imagined that the very young He Yiming could be such a powerful Venerable expert; this completely shattered his perception of reality.

And now, Dong Yihong and his brother, whose Dantian had been crippled, were pale, drained of all color.

Dong Fangxiang, who had previously been dashing, composed, and articulate, now trembled slightly, finally realizing the catastrophe he had brought upon them.

Seeing the demeanor of the Dong family members, Zhan Hongtu inwardly cursed his bad luck. He glared fiercely at Dong Mingrui and said, "Brother He, this is all the fault of my junior disciple and the others; I ask for your magnanimity." After a pause, he added, "May I ask where the injured party is? Perhaps I can lend a humble bit of my strength."

He Yiming waved his hand casually and smiled. "Dongcheng’s father has already been treated by me and is temporarily out of danger. However, when I brought Dongcheng here to seek justice, your disciple Dong Mingrui boasted that he would cripple the martial arts of everyone in the He family and the entire Huo clan, and then expel them from Penglai Immortal Island. Heh, well, I am here now. I invite your disciple to make his move."

The faces of Dong Mingrui and the others immediately turned the color of liver. Deep-seated fear gripped their hearts.

Zhan Hongtu forced a smile. "Brother He, you jest. My junior disciple spoke nonsense; please do not take it to heart."

He Yiming’s face was radiant with vigor. He laughed loudly, "Brother Zhan, though I am unskilled, I will not suffer insult without cause. If you cripple the martial arts of every member of the Dong family and expel them from the island, this matter will be forgotten."

At these words, the entire front courtyard fell into a silence so profound a needle drop could be heard.

Suddenly, Dong Fangxiang collapsed onto the ground, his body shaking violently, his expression one of utter misery.

He Yiming glanced at him, his look cold and entirely devoid of pity.

He had brought Huo Dongcheng here initially only to seek basic justice. But the Dong family members had been aggressive, not even considering right or wrong, and even attempting to lay claim to the White Horse Thunder.

What disgusted He Yiming most was Dong Mingrui himself, who, citing his impending birthday and reluctance to see blood, had decreed the crippling of the Huo family’s martial arts and their expulsion from the island.

When those words were spoken, He Yiming knew this man was narrow-minded and vindictive. He was no different from the bandits who attacked Taicang County previously.

If such a person were not utterly crushed now, the Huo family would inevitably be the ones to suffer and regret it later.

Thus, at this moment, He Yiming had decided that regardless of how things unfolded afterward, he could not let the Dong family off.

Zhan Hongtu's expression grew extremely grave. He said in a deep voice, "Brother He, while Dong Mingrui has offended you, he is, after all, my disciple."

He Yiming nodded slightly. "Since Brother Zhan insists on standing up for your disciple, then I have no choice but to accept the challenge." He pointed at Thunder, proclaiming loudly, "Brother Zhan, you should be able to discern Thunder’s cultivation level, right?"

Zhang Hetai slowly nodded. "If this old man is not mistaken, the white horse beside Brother He should be a rare Sacred Beast."

A collective gasp echoed once more. A flicker of bewilderment crossed the eyes of the Dong family members.

The spirit beast they had coveted and intended to capture as a birthday gift for Dong Mingrui turned out to be a Sacred Beast, one comparable to the Venerable experts.

Huo Dongcheng’s eyes widened, his legs going soft. Only one thought echoed in his mind: he had actually treated a Sacred Beast as his mount, and even ridden it...

He Yiming smiled faintly. "Brother Zhan has keen eyes." He mounted the horse, and a massive aura immediately surged from him. Thunder, sensing He Yiming's intent, also had bright eyes, its single horn flashing with an intense purple light, and a huge killing intent instantly spread outward.

"Brother Zhan, please..."

Zhan Hongtu's face contorted with extreme ugliness. He resented, "Brother He, are you planning to fight one against two?"

He Yiming’s expression hardened, becoming solemn. "Brother Zhan is mistaken. Thunder is my partner. No matter how many enemies we face, we strike as one, inseparable. If Brother Zhan feels this is unfair, feel free to invite another Venerable to join you."

Sensing the constantly strengthening might, Zhan Hongtu’s face went through rapid changes. He gasped, "Mountain Totem? You are from the Totem Clan."

He Yiming smiled but did not answer. However, he thought to himself that he was fundamentally opposed to the Totem Clan.

His gaze shifted to the anxiously fearful Dong Mingrui. He Yiming said coldly, "Brother Zhan, while we fight, if anyone from the Dong family attempts to flee, do not blame me for being merciless and slaughtering the entire Qianshan Sect lineage."

Zhan Hongtu’s body froze abruptly. He stared fixedly at He Yiming and the White Horse Thunder.

A cold, mocking smile still played on He Yiming’s lips. His aura gradually strengthened, merging with the immense pressure emanating from Thunder, forming a colossal force that relentlessly bore down upon Zhan Hongtu.

Strange fluctuations began to ripple through the scenery surrounding Zhan Hongtu, faintly vibrating.

This was water elemental power, pushed by Zhan Hongtu to its absolute limit, even beginning to affect the surrounding environment.

Thunder opened its great mouth, revealing a row of neat, white teeth. Then, with its four hooves slightly raised, it vanished.

In an instant, before everyone’s eyes, there was only white. Their vision was entirely consumed by a sky-shrouding, moving white wall; no other color could be seen.

He Yiming flicked his wrist, and the Five Elements Ring transformed into a dense mist in his hand. Sharp light flashed from his eyes as he channeled fifty percent of his true qi, surging powerfully.

As his internal true qi circulated, an equally potent true qi surged out from the Five Elements Ring's world. Simultaneously, the White Horse raised its head, its single horn faintly glowing, and a strange power simultaneously flowed into the Five Elements Ring.

He Yiming's eyes widened in surprise. Zhan Hongtu was the first Venerable expert he had encountered since leaving the deserted island, so he wanted to test the extent of the power he and Thunder could unleash together—whether they could match the Human-Beast Union of the Totem Sages.

However, only when the clash began did he realize that the White Horse was already fused with his spirit. When he attacked, it contributed power that was in no way inferior to his own.

The Five Elements Ring whined, emitting a soul-stirring rotation sound.

This mere casual strike, though using only fifty percent of his true qi, when combined with the power from the Five Elements Ring and Thunder, unleashed a might far greater than He Yiming’s own full-strength effort.

Zhan Hongtu was trapped within Thunder’s encirclement for only a single moment before he knew things were dire.

The speed was too great for escape; the power was too overwhelming to resist.

At this point, Zhan Hongtu’s heart was filled with bitterness. When had the Totem Clan produced such a freak? And even more tragically, his own disciple had managed to provoke this person whom others avoided at all costs.

Forcing up his entire true qi, mist churned around Zhan Hongtu’s hands as he swiftly condensed a light, elegant long sword.

The clang of metal striking metal was deafening. Zhan Hongtu shot backward with incredible speed. The long sword in his hand shattered piece by piece, dissolving back into a mist that returned into his body.

He Yiming let out a long roar that carried far like thunder.

Thunder suddenly stopped, lightly flicking its snow-white tail, watching its opponent with ease and grace.

In its opinion, dealing with this man alone would have been sufficient.

With a flash, Zhan Hongtu, whose divine weapon had been damaged by He Yiming's first move, reappeared in his original spot.

His face was utterly calm, as if nothing had happened, but his heart was filled with extreme desolation.

One move. In just one exchange, he understood he was no match for his opponent. And under the White Horse’s pursuit, escaping would be impossible.

He looked deeply at He Yiming, finally letting out a long breath. "Brother He, since Dong Mingrui has offended you, how he is to be dealt with is entirely up to your discretion."

Thud...

When Zhan Hongtu spoke those words, many of the Dong family members’ legs went weak, and many crashed to the ground.

The greatest mountain they relied on had made the decision to abandon them so easily.