He Yiming caught the flicker of hesitation in Ao Borui's eyes and secretly chuckled. Zi Duli was indeed looking out for him completely, just as the Old Ancestor of the Grotto-Heaven had said.

Mentioning the Qilin Saint Lord of the Totem Clan was precisely to pave the way for an alliance between himself and White Horse Lightning. With the Qilin Saint Lord, renowned far and wide for insisting on a "fair fight," no one could possibly criticize him and White Horse joining forces.

As expected, after a cold snort, Ao Borui fell silent. However, seeing the displeased look on the other man’s face, He Yiming felt a corresponding irritation.

If this had been just after he advanced to the peak of the Human Dao, he would have known when to stop and accept the advantage. But after the Battle of the Island and the Battle of the Western Temple, the myth of unparalleled strength among peak Human Dao experts no longer held much sway over him.

With a thought, He Yiming smiled and said, "Since Brother Ao is interested, let's have a sparring match." A sharp glint flashed and vanished in Ao Borui's eyes. He scoffed, "Brother He, teaming up with your accompanying Sacred Beast is enough to dominate the world.

This old man dares not engage in a 'fair fight' with you two." The smile on He Yiming's face didn't change. "Brother Ao jokes.

While Lightning is my partner, I, He Mou, prefer not to win by sheer numbers. Let's just you and I spar alone." Zi Duli's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

He was quite annoyed inwardly. He Yiming’s sudden challenge was completely outside his expectations and displeased him.

Although this young man's martial cultivation had reached their same level, and achieving this realm at his age could only be described as miraculous, he had ascended to the peak of the Human Dao far too recently. In this short span, it was nearly impossible for him to have completely mastered all his strength and unleash its full might.

If He Yiming had challenged them ten years later, Zi Duli wouldn't have found it strange, but this moment was simply too early. A hint of surprise crossed Ao Borui's face; he never imagined He Yiming would make such a choice.

A long whinny erupted from White Horse Lightning. Its eyes were filled with grievance, and its gaze toward Ao Borui was hostile.

Especially as He Yiming spoke those words, White Horse Lightning stomped its hooves in dissatisfaction on the ground, its beautiful large eyes blazing with fighting spirit and sharp killing intent. It looked ready to charge forward recklessly the moment He Yiming released the hand resting on its neck.

The sheer power emanating from this white horse deeply alarmed Ao Borui. He had fought countless battles, large and small, and his perception was incredibly sharp.

He always felt that there was a special power dwelling within White Horse Lightning, and this power was what truly made him cautious, even instilling a trace of fear. It was because of this feeling that he viewed White Horse Lightning differently and absolutely refused to fight against the combination of He Yiming and the horse.

In fact, Zi Duli also sensed this strange feeling, but neither of these peak Human Dao experts could fathom what mutation in this Sacred Beast was causing them such a terrifying sensation. If He Yiming had told them that White Horse had already fully purified twenty Thunder Shocking Seeds, then no matter how much Ao Borui had lost, he would never have harbored any thought of challenging them again.

He Yiming felt a headache coming on. He gently stroked White Horse Lightning's neck.

"Lightning, leave this one to me this time. Next time someone provokes us, I promise I'll let you handle it, alright?" White Horse Lightning whinnied a few times, seemingly reaching an agreement with He Yiming, and slowly calmed down, though a deep dissatisfaction lingered in its eyes.

It appeared to have taken a deep resentment toward Ao Borui. Ao Borui’s gaze sharpened, and he said in a deep voice, "Brother He, are you truly willing to have a fair fight with me?" He Yiming let out a wry laugh.

Of course, he knew what that phrase "fair fight" implied. He muttered internally, it seemed the Totem Clan's "fair fight" doctrine was deeply ingrained, causing even these peak Human Dao experts to feel uneasy.

His expression turning serious, He Yiming announced loudly, "I, He Mou, can spar with you alone, but this location absolutely cannot be within the Grotto-Heaven Holy Land." Ao Borui raised his eyebrows, his face brimming with confidence, his arrogance fully and unmistakably displayed. "Rest assured, this is a battle between you and me.

The Tree God will absolutely not interfere." Only then did He Yiming nod with satisfaction. He had fought several times against the peak Human Dao experts from the West.

The battle on the island had been easy, but once they returned to the Western Temple's lair, where the faction's ultimate protective power could be mobilized, even though He Yiming had superior numbers, they nearly returned empty-handed. During the fight at the Temple, only Franklin attacked throughout, supported by the power of Light.

They, however, had White Horse Lightning, the Divine Dao Blood-Condensing Men, and finally He Yiming fighting bare-chested. If his Chaos Dantian had not been completely immune to the impact of the Temple's Sea of Light, He Yiming and the others might have been forced to flee in disarray.

Therefore, He Yiming absolutely did not want to fight them on their home ground. Zi Duli sighed deeply.

Since the two had made their decision, there was nothing he could do. "Brother Ao, Brother He, I have a dedicated training ground in the West Mountain; it was also the practice area for our predecessors.

If you both don't mind, why not spar there?" Zi Duli paused, then declared solemnly, "This old man guarantees a fair fight between you two, and no one else—be they human or beast—shall interfere." White Horse Lightning glared fiercely at him. With its intelligence, it naturally understood that the incongruous word "beast" was specifically aimed at it.

However, White Horse then lifted its head, its eyes filled with scorn. This fellow thinks he can win?

Just wait for a beating... Hao Dong and the other two exchanged a glance quietly, unconcealed excitement coloring their faces.

Frankly, they had been quite worried. Even though He Yiming had personally admitted to killing two experts of the same rank, the hundreds of years of formidable reputation enjoyed by the Grotto-Heaven Old Ancestor were deeply ingrained.

Furthermore, He Yiming was surrounded by numerous powerful figures—besides White Horse Lightning, there was the Treasure Pig and the rumored, incredibly powerful One Hundred and Eight who had yet to show himself. In their view, He Yiming's achievements might not have been solely due to his own strength.

Now that He Yiming was choosing to fight alone, whether he could ultimately triumph was uncertain. Zi Duli led the way, guiding the group toward the west of the city.

They did not alert anyone else, not even the other Venerables in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall. In fact, according to Zi Duli’s preference, even Hao Dong and the other two should not have witnessed the fight, but he hadn't anticipated that He Yiming would happen to be with the trio when the matter was brought up.

Since they were already there, it would be impolite to send them away. Soon, a towering mountain range came into view.

Although this range lacked the soaring peaks of the Tianchi main summit, a hint of astonishment flashed in He Yiming's eyes as he approached. Within this valley lay a deeply hidden power.

With his current martial cultivation, He Yiming immediately judged that this must have been a training ground specially constructed by the Divine Dao predecessors long ago. A few disciples of the Lingxiao Treasure Hall were stationed here as guards, but upon seeing the Sect Master arrive personally, they naturally dared not offer any obstruction.

Zi Duli navigated expertly into the mountain range, leading them to a central clearing. The ground here was smooth as polished glass.

Looking down, although one couldn't clearly make out their reflection, their outlines were clearly mirrored. He Yiming marveled inwardly, wondering what treasures must have been mixed into the ground during its construction; even he felt a sense of awe looking at the environment.

"Gentlemen, today’s competition follows the old rules." Zi Duli’s expression grew solemn once they reached the spot: "A contest between peak Human Dao experts is no ordinary matter. It is best if you both show restraint and do not engage in a fight to the death.

Otherwise..." His eyes suddenly brightened, and his voice rose slightly: "Otherwise, I, too, will have to step in according to the rules." He Yiming was greatly intrigued. The old man said this so naturally, as if his intervention were an inevitable occurrence.

Ao Borui chuckled dryly. "Brother Zi, rest assured.

I remember clearly the rule among the Nine Heavens that forbids fights to the death." His smile was placid; even knowing that the other man’s words were specifically aimed at warning him, he showed no irritation. Instead, he tilted his head slightly toward He Yiming and said, "You had better ask him if he remembers this rule." He Yiming’s expression shifted slightly.

"Brother Zi, is there truly a rule among the Nine Heavens that prohibits fighting to the death?" Zi Duli nodded gravely. "Indeed.

A century ago, when the Northwest Divine Calculator predicted the surfacing of the Ice Island, a few of us old immortals agreed that no fights to the death would be permitted between the Nine Heavens. If anyone violates this agreement, any other expert of the Nine Heavens has the right to intervene, and they will face the...

challenge of all their peers." He Yiming's expression turned utterly strange. He knew, of course, that Zi Duli was being polite; the mention of a "challenge" was just a softer term, likely meaning they would face the siege of all Nine Heavens experts.

However, this was the first time he had heard of this rule, and he already had two Nine Heavens experts' lives on his hands. If that were exposed...

He curled his lip slightly. "Brother Zi, when I was in the Southern Border, I witnessed the battle between the Old Ancestor of the Yellow Springs and the Dark Council Leader Garfield.

That was absolutely a fight to the death, with not an ounce of holding back." Zi Duli's eyes narrowed. He exchanged a look with Ao Borui, and both showed a flicker of surprise.

Evidently, they had just returned from the Northern Border and had not received this intelligence. Zi Duli said in a deep voice, "Brother He, when this rule was established, those two Nine Heavens experts from the West did not participate."