Lin Yiwu opened his mouth slightly. He glanced back; whether it was the fair-haired Madman Dai or the ancient fiend standing beside the six-legged Sacred Beast, both wore expressions of utter bewilderment.

In truth, upon sensing Chu Haozhou's imposing aura, these old-but-not-dead rogues already understood that in a straight fight, or even one against two, they might not be able to defeat this man. The complication, however, was that they had a full complement of four Venerables and one Sacred Beast present.

Faced with such a host of formidable enemies, Chu Haozhou was actually driving away two masters of the same rank in a frenzy...

At that moment, everyone felt that Chu Haozhou had gone completely insane!

Yet, Chu Haozhou’s piercing gaze swept over them, and he suddenly declared, "Brother He, since you have arrived, your old friend here has no choice but to impose upon you."

He Yiming smiled faintly, "Old Brother Chu, just give the word, and your junior brother will certainly do his utmost."

Chu Haozhou announced loudly, "A hundred years ago, the Three Immortals of the East Sea established an accord: anyone who encounters the ancient fiend and Madman Dai may execute them on the spot. The Xianling Mountain lineage was at its zenith a century prior. It represented Penglai Immortal Island in joining this pact. Now that these two have emerged and set foot upon Penglai Immortal Island, they are courting death. Therefore, I ask Brother He to take action and slay these two villains; let it be the final service my Xianling Mountain lineage renders to the East Sea."

The faces of the ancient fiend and Madman Dai darkened; they were inwardly furious. Chu Haozhou was commissioning this doll-like Venerable to strike them down—it was an absolute and profound humiliation.

However, to their astonishment, He Yiming merely nodded slightly and immediately said, "Old Brother Chu, let us have a competition then—whoever finishes their fight first?"

Chu Haozhou laughed heartily, "Excellent!"

Before his laughter had even faded, he extended a single finger, and a dense plume of mist billowed forth, stabbing out toward Lin Yiwu with incredible speed.

Lin Yiwu roared in anger, bringing his hands together before his chest. A powerful aura, capable of overturning seas and churning rivers, surged from him, and simultaneously, two dazzlingly sharp water-splitting prongs materialized in his palms.

Chu Haozhou sneered, the tip of the extended mist suddenly condensing, transforming into a sharp, scale-covered spike.

"Clang..."

A crisp sound resonated out like a wave. Chu Haozhou stood unmoving, as solid as a mountain peak, while Lin Yiwu was sent flying backward.

"Whoosh."

A golden, gleaming spear suddenly appeared in Chen Wo’s hand. The spearhead flickered with an uncanny light, striking toward Chu Haozhou in a form that was both present and absent.

Chu Haozhou flicked his wrist. His Dragon Whip coiled around, clashing with the spear repeatedly, over a hundred times in an instant.

His body remained as steady as Mount Tai, yet Chen Wo was forced back several steps, his hands trembling faintly.

Lin Yiwu shrieked and surged forward, quickly aligning himself with Chen Wo. They had been master and disciple for centuries, knowing each other’s depths intimately; their combined force instantly multiplied their destructive power.

In that moment, shimmering light erupted all around them, a massive dome of light and shadow descending like falling rain upon Chu Haozhou.

A flicker of mockery crossed Chu Haozhou's eyes. He opened his mouth and spat out three tangible flowers. These three flowers instantly fused together, enveloping Chu Haozhou from head to toe, becoming a layer of armor upon his body.

This sudden turn of events drew everyone's gaze, even making the previously aloof ancient fiend and Madman Dai adopt grave expressions.

With a long cry from Chu Haozhou, his Dragon Whip swept upward with spectral speed, instantly ensnaring the two great enemies before him.

The ancient fiend and Madman Dai exchanged a look and nodded to each other.

Madman Dai suddenly strode forward. Extending both hands, he pressed them toward the center of He Yiming’s back.

Given his stature, to employ such a method—nearly a sneak attack—and seeing the crimson, bloodthirsty gleam in his eyes, proved that Madman Dai’s reputation was well-earned.

He Yiming smiled coldly. He raised his palm high and brought it down forcefully from above.

The twenty-first form of the Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting was unleashed instantly.

Powerful Metal element energy shattered the opponent's true qi, driving between Madman Dai’s palms and forcefully interrupting his attempted ambush.

Both Madman Dai and the ancient fiend gasped in surprise. They had never expected this young Venerable to be so fiercely valiant, daring to engage in such a head-on confrontation without any regard for Madman Dai’s infamous reputation from a century ago.

However, they were unaware that before this day, He Yiming had never even heard the names of Madman Dai or the ancient fiend. To him, those titles—which struck fear into the hearts of any innate master in the East Sea—were merely unfamiliar sounds. How could he possibly feel fear?

Madman Dai let out an unbearably grating laugh. Instead of retreating, he advanced, bringing his hands together. Dense mist boiled around him, interspersed with scattered points of bright light, and then a highly peculiar weapon materialized in his hands.

It was a massive steel plate, so thick it was repulsive.

Then, shielding himself behind this steel plate, he charged toward He Yiming.

The corner of He Yiming’s eye twitched slightly. This opponent employing such a divine weapon was truly unexpected.

He Yiming had witnessed others using shields as weapons—both Xiong Wuji’s shield and the divine weapon-shield used by the Western master Gabriel—but neither compared to the sheer absurdity of the steel plate in Madman Dai’s grasp.

Moreover, the front of this steel plate was studded evenly with twelve pitch-black spikes. Facing such a bizarre shield, any divine weapon used against it would likely feel utterly helpless.

A violent sound of air tearing through space suddenly erupted, whipping toward He Yiming. This steel plate moved like a living wall, effectively trapping He Yiming.

A look of satisfaction crossed the ancient fiend’s face. But when he glanced toward the area where Chu Haozhou and the other two were fighting, his expression immediately sank.

At that moment, Chu Haozhou was magnificent; his phantom-like Dragon Whip held a decisive upper hand.

To fight two opponents of the same rank and achieve such dominance...

A chilling cold surged up from the ancient fiend’s heart. This Chu Haozhou absolutely could not be allowed to live. If he were allowed to advance further, even five of them combined might struggle to match him.

He subtly shifted his hands, and two short weapons resembling bamboo chopsticks appeared. These weapons spun rapidly between his fingers before he stepped forward with light, graceful movements toward Chu Haozhou’s rear.

However, he had barely taken two steps when the scene before his eyes blurred, and a figure materialized inexplicably in front of him.

The ancient fiend’s heart sank. He watched the person turn around, revealing a detestable smile, and say, "Brother Gu, your opponent... is me."

Madman Dai roared in fury. He hadn't even seen how He Yiming had managed to slip free from the confines of his steel plate. While this shocked him deeply, it also stoked his rage.

The massive steel plate pressed forward once more, while the ancient fiend pressed in, his two short weapons darting like living, tiny venomous snakes toward He Yiming’s chest and throat.

One was overwhelmingly fierce, the other cunning and insidious; their coordination was flawless.

But in the next instant, both displayed looks of sheer terror.

Because, in their eyes, He Yiming seemed to have changed. He had become a large fish, a great fish swimming freely in the depths of the ocean.

With a twist of the neck, a wiggle of the hips, a serpentine sway of the body, he twisted and turned his way out of their combined net with ethereal elusiveness.

Madman Dai finally understood how the opponent had slipped through the gaps in his steel plate. But understanding was one thing; controlling this magical, unbelievable movement technique was entirely another.

No matter how hard the two struggled, even with their perfect synchronization, under the shadow of this bizarre and unheard-of movement technique, they couldn't even brush the edge of He Yiming's robes.

The longer they fought, the more alarmed they became. The ancient fiend suddenly pointed in one direction and shouted, "Madman Dai, charge through!"

Madman Dai paused briefly, then understood. He raised the steel plate and charged at He Yiming again. This time, he used nearly all his strength, unleashing his true qi without reservation.

A cold smirk touched the corner of He Yiming’s mouth. He did not evade, because not far behind him was the site where Chu Haozhou was battling the other two. To let Madman Dai break through would violate the trust Old Brother Chu had placed in him.

With a flick of his wrist, a constantly spinning five-colored wheel appeared in his hand.

A "buzzing" sound emanated continuously from the wheel, generating an immense pressure that bore down on their minds.

The ancient fiend halted, his expression clouded with confusion as he stared at the divine weapon in He Yiming’s hand.

He Yiming waved his hand; his attitude was casual, his movements graceful, forming a stark contrast to the all-out effort of Madman Dai.

"Boom..."

Following a massive explosion, Madman Dai spun helplessly as he was thrown backward. Despite his full exertion, he was sent flying by a casual strike from He Yiming.

The ancient fiend’s face immediately became ugly. He stared blankly at He Yiming, whose lips held a mocking smile, and finally understood why Chu Haozhou had been so generous in driving away Zhan Hongtu and Zhen Wanqing.

It turned out this man’s martial prowess was equally inconceivable.

Suddenly, a figure rushed toward them like a shooting star—it was Madman Dai, just thrown back by He Yiming. His eyes were entirely crimson as he looked at the divine weapon in He Yiming's hand and screamed maniacally, "Five Elements Ring..."