He Yiming’s eyebrows arched slightly. While he had known that if it were an ordinary person, Hundred and Eight would certainly not have said much, he had absolutely never expected the visitor this time to be the notorious Old Ancestor of the Yellow Springs.

If they had met previously, He Yiming would certainly have turned and fled without a second thought. But now, feeling the surging, mighty True Qi within him and the overwhelmingly powerful aura that seemed to suffuse the entire heaven and earth, a joyful smile crept onto He Yiming’s face.

He had just been wondering if he needed to find some place to spar with a peak expert of the Human Dao, but now it seemed this concern was unnecessary.

With a slight shift of his body, He Yiming leaped onto White Horse Lightning, which had stopped waiting for him. Following the direction Hundred and Eight had indicated, He Yiming gently urged the horse with his legs.

White Horse Lightning instantly transformed into a streak of white light, galloping toward that direction as fast as it could.

Moments later, He Yiming’s eyes brightened; he could already see a small black dot. He inwardly marveled at Hundred and Eight’s extraordinary Clairvoyant Eyes technique; to see so clearly from such a distance was surely beyond the scope of human capability.

However, what puzzled him was that this small black dot was not flying high in the sky, but was instead skimming across the sea, just like White Horse Lightning.

He paused momentarily. If Hundred and Eight hadn't revealed this person's identity, He Yiming would surely have assumed this was merely an ordinary Venerable, never imagining that this person was a Ninth Heaven expert at the pinnacle of the Human Dao.

He Yiming continued advancing toward the black dot, and the small dot showed no intention of yielding, advancing directly toward him with equally large strides.

Soon, both parties reached a distance where they could clearly discern the other's features.

Although He Yiming could be considered formidable at this moment, facing a Ninth Heaven expert at the peak of the Human Dao, even he dared not show the slightest carelessness.

The man opposite was indeed the Old Ancestor of the Yellow Springs. This powerhouse, clad in a black robe, looked at the approaching He Yiming with obvious surprise.

He would never have imagined that He Yiming was deliberately racing to meet him, merely assuming they had encountered each other again by chance.

His gaze swept over He Yiming and his companions, and the Old Ancestor of the Yellow Springs’ expression underwent a remarkably subtle change.

Having lived for centuries, his eyes were incredibly sharp. Upon seeing He Yiming and White Horse Lightning at this moment, he immediately noticed the unusual nature of both. As his thoughts turned, he scanned them directly. When he clearly sensed the immense aura surrounding He Yiming and the undisguised peak Saint Beast power of White Horse Lightning, even the composed-as-a-mountain, cunning, number-one assassin in the world could not help but change color.

He Yiming let out a wry smile. Although self-confident, he never believed he could conceal his strength before such a powerhouse. Therefore, upon seeing the Old Ancestor of the Yellow Springs, he made no attempt to hide his power.

"Old Ancestor of the Yellow Springs, long time no see. He Yimou has missed you greatly." He Yiming spoke with a smile, but there was no trace of merriment in his eyes.

Ji Mo Fanshu’s expression instantly returned to normal. He said in a deep voice, "He Yiming, you are indeed a prodigy of heaven’s making. To have advanced to the Ninth Heaven of the Human Dao peak is truly beyond my wildest expectations."

He Yiming let out a cold laugh, and the scenes of him being hunted by the Old Ancestor of the Yellow Springs in the past immediately surfaced in his mind.

Back then, the two of them combined—two beasts and himself—were no match for this powerful peak expert of the Human Dao. However, at this very moment, He Yiming held no fear toward him.

"He Yimou was fortunate enough to advance to the Ninth Heaven, and my hands are feeling quite itchy right now." He Yiming rubbed his hands together and chuckled, "I wonder if the Old Ancestor would be interested in a friendly spar?"

A faint smile played on his lips, but the provocative intent in his words was obvious even to an idiot.

The Old Ancestor of the Yellow Springs laughed in anger. "A presumptuous brat! You, a newly advanced Ninth Heaven, dare to think you can surpass this old man?"

He Yiming’s expression darkened slightly. "Old Ancestor of the Yellow Springs, since you are also a Ninth Heaven expert, you should know that once one reaches the Ninth Heaven, the human body’s potential is fully unleashed. There is no gap between you and me. Do you think I would be inferior to you?"

In the journey of cultivation, even within the same tier, individual attainment varied greatly.

Every Five Qi Great Venerable could use the Light of Divine Weapons for long-distance flight, but the strength of a Great Venerable who manifested two Divine Weapons versus one who manifested six was vastly different.

Even ordinary cultivators who had not yet reached the Congenital Realm showed degrees of strength and weakness when cultivating their internal energy within the same tier.

But the pinnacle of the Human Dao was the only realm without any inherent gaps.

Any expert who reached the Ninth Heaven realm was a supreme genius capable of releasing the totality of human potential; their strengths were considered the closest to one another.

Once situated in this realm, whether one had advanced for centuries or merely one day, the foundational strength of the individual was nearly identical.

Ji Mo Fanshu chuckled dismissively. "He Yiming, I estimate you haven't been advanced for long—perhaps no more than ten days?"

He Yiming felt a sharp jolt; his eyes immediately turned keen. His promotion had indeed been recent—not even ten days, not even one day had passed.

Seeing He Yiming’s change in expression, Ji Mo Fanshu continued, "Even if our power levels are comparable, our clashes involve more than just the strength of True Qi; they involve our respective Martial Dao attainments, Divine Weapons, and experience. This old man has been in this realm for hundreds of years; how can a newly promoted child like you compare?"

He Yiming’s face grew cold. A thought suddenly flashed through his mind, and he smiled, "Old Ancestor of the Yellow Springs, you are idling in conversation with me. Does this mean you are unwilling to fight me today?"

Ji Mo Fanshu’s expression remained unchanged. "Correct. This old man has pressing matters today and truly does not wish to engage in combat with you."

He Yiming nodded internally. Just as he suspected. Still, he couldn't fathom why this elder had traveled thousands of miles from the East just to arrive here.

Ji Mo Fanshu half-turned, calling out loudly, "He Yiming, this old man has urgent business and must depart first. If we miss today, this old man is at your service anytime."

If it had been the former He Yiming, even if he didn't resort to killing, he certainly would never have chosen to retreat. But now, having felt He Yiming's strength, and while preoccupied with another matter, he was forced to choose to yield.

However, having encountered a peak expert of the Human Dao, how could He Yiming let him go so easily?

He tensed his legs slightly and leaped off White Horse Lightning’s back, arriving behind Ji Mo Fanshu like a flash of light. The Five Elements Rings in his hand suddenly flared, their multicolored light crashing toward the back of the Old Ancestor's head with wild abandon.

He Yiming's strike this time far surpassed his previous speed and power.

When the human potential is released to its limit, the resulting ability is indeed unparalleled.

Yet, it was as if Ji Mo Fanshu’s head possessed a pair of eyes in the back. He slightly shifted the foot resting on the sea surface, instantly gliding away as if on ice skates. His movement technique was bizarre and unpredictable, instantly creating several phantom images whose reality was hard to discern.

He Yiming’s eyes brightened slightly. He had to admit inwardly: the Old Ancestor of the Yellow Springs wasn't wrong. Even if their true power was similar, disparities in Martial Dao experience and cultivation techniques led to differences in the manifested might.

The several illusory figures flickered, finally consolidating into just one.

Ji Mo Fanshu suddenly spun around, his eyes blazing with fierce anger. In hundreds of years, He Yiming was the first person to push him to such lengths while he was trying to be accommodating.

"Old Ancestor of the Yellow Springs, if you want to leave, you can, but first, ask the Five Elements Rings in my hand." He Yiming sneered coldly, utterly disregarding the rage in the Old Ancestor’s gaze.

He had already slain Hao Xue and severely wounded the Ancestor of the Yu Family. Although the Old Ancestor of the Yellow Springs was unaware of this now, the hatred between them was irreconcilable.

If there was the slightest possibility, He Yiming would not hesitate to take his life. Of course, killing a peak expert of the Human Dao was immensely difficult; even He Yiming and White Horse Lightning combined were not certain of success.

Ji Mo Fanshu slowly nodded. He finally said, "Very well. Since you seek death, this old man shall send you on your way."

He Yiming immediately braced himself, his True Qi surging torrentially into the Five Elements World.

The Five Elements Rings were indeed the most powerful divine weapons in the world. Even pouring True Qi into them with Ninth Heaven strength could achieve a fivefold amplification effect.

Although utilizing the power of a divine weapon felt somewhat like an unfair advantage, He Yiming absolutely would not neglect it. Simultaneously, the hand behind his back made a gesture; White Horse Lightning and Treasure Pig instantly understood.

They retreated backward, appearing as if they were clearing space for a fair one-on-one fight between the two principals. However, judging by the gleam in Treasure Pig's small eyes, a huge question mark hung over the fairness of that battle.

Ji Mo Fanshu waved his hand, and a cloud of black mist instantly billowed out, enveloping him completely.

He Yiming paused slightly. What kind of technique was this?

Then, his expression suddenly changed, and he let out a strange cry, leaping into the air as if propelled by a spring.

From the sea below, a black, pronged sword flashed and vanished.

Ji Mo Fanshu suddenly reappeared, coldly sneering, "Your reaction is excellent, but you might evade the first time, yet not the second."

He Yiming looked at the man with lingering fear. He finally understood why the two experts from the West were so wary of this individual.

Because, at his core, this man was still an assassin. That cloud of black mist was merely a diversionary tactic, a prop to attract attention. The man himself had abandoned the dignity of a Ninth Heaven expert to launch a sneak attack as an assassin.

A Human Dao peak assassin—what a terrifying figure that was.