A long sigh escaped the lips of four people the moment Zi Duli finished speaking. Apart from He Yiming letting go of his worry, Hao Tong, Xu Xinghe, and Jin Zhanyi exhibited the exact same expression. In truth, the three of them had long heard rumors of this rule. After all, as the most crucial figures within the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, they naturally knew things unimaginable to ordinary people. However, facing the three pinnacle experts of the Human Dao left them unable to avoid an immense psychological pressure. It was only after the Sect Master explained the situation that they involuntarily relaxed.

Ao Borui suddenly spoke, his voice slow and measured. "Within this rule, there is another crucial clause: the Nine Heavens must not arbitrarily slay the direct lineage venerables of the major sects, unless they provoke an attack. Otherwise, no killing blow may be struck." His eyes held profound meaning. "This was something Di Shitian should have told you, but since we have encountered the situation, allow this old man to convey it."

He Yiming paused in surprise, finally understanding why the Divine Calculator had told him years ago that once Lord Di Shitian announced him as a direct disciple of the Tianchi lineage, he would be able to roam the world unchallenged. It was because such a restriction existed even among the pinnacle experts of the Human Dao.

But thinking it over, if this agreement did not exist, then any sect that produced a disciple of super talent would surely find it impossible for them to truly grow into the peak figures of this level. Fortunately, it was because of this peculiar rule that the Old Ancestor of the Yellow Springs, after failing his pursuit back then, immediately gave up and ceased his harassment. Had he patiently waited outside Ghost Cry Ridge for half a month and launched a surprise attack, given He Yiming’s martial cultivation at the time, it was truly uncertain whether he could have saved his life.

Zi Duli nodded again toward the two of them, then slowly retreated backward. As for Hao Tong and the others, they had no standing to remain beside them; thus, upon entering this mirror-flat area, they immediately stationed themselves at the entrance.

White Horse Lightning and the Pig also halted at the entrance. Although White Horse Lightning currently felt a strong desire to step forward and engage Ao Borui in He Yiming’s place, under He Yiming’s insistence, it had no choice but to stand aside and watch quietly. However, White Horse Lightning possessed an arrogant nature and was unwilling to stand with Hao Tong and the others. Instead, it distanced itself considerably, and while there was no malice in the way it looked at them, it carried a feeling of keeping them a thousand miles away.

Zi Duli’s gaze fell once more upon White Horse Lightning, his eyes holding undisguised envy. A top-tier Sacred Beast like this—one that could be compared to the companion Sacred Beast of the Qilin Sacred Lord—was something anyone would desire to possess.

Hao Tong took a light step forward. His gaze swept over the two pinnacle experts facing off in the center for a moment before he lowered his voice. "Sect Master, we have just received word that the two Westerners, Garfield and Franklin, have perished."

The smile on Zi Duli’s face instantly froze. He was certainly not unfamiliar with these two names; in his lifetime, he had crossed swords with them and understood perfectly the degree of power they commanded. For figures of that caliber, let alone two of them dying—even the death of one would cause the world to shake and fundamentally alter the balance of top-tier power between East and West. Even with his composure, he could no longer maintain his tranquil heart. He took a deep, silent breath, and his heart, which had suddenly leaped violently twice, calmed down. He said in a deep voice, "Is this news reliable?"

"Absolutely reliable," Hao Tong replied without hesitation. This news came directly from He Yiming's mouth. If the word of a Human Dao pinnacle expert could not be trusted, then Hao Tong truly could not imagine what else could qualify as reliable.

"How did they die?" Zi Duli asked calmly. As he asked this question, a bone-chilling cold surged in the heart of this Nine Heavens expert. Before Hao Tong could answer, he abruptly asked, "Did they kill each other?" The two Western experts were envoys of Light and Darkness, figures who were inherently incompatible, like fire and water. If both were dead, that was the only logical explanation. However, what Zi Duli could not comprehend was why they would do such a thing. Was there a treasure in the West so great that neither could relinquish it?

Hao Tong’s expression was rather strange. He managed a wry smile. "Sect Master, those two experts both died at the hands of one person."

He Yiming's heart leaped powerfully again. He exclaimed in shock, "Who?" If these words had not come from Hao Tong, the man he trusted most in his life, he absolutely would not have believed them.

Hao Tong did not speak, merely shifting his gaze toward the arena. He Yiming stood with his hands placed flat before his lower abdomen, wrists gently crossed, feet spread evenly. His eyes were clear as still water, utterly unaffected by the presence of the expert before him. When Zi Duli’s gaze landed on He Yiming, he even experienced a moment of blank stupefaction. "It was him?..." "It was him!..."

A powerful aura and pressure surged forth from Ao Borui. Although the aura emanating from He Yiming suggested he had indeed reached the Human Dao pinnacle realm as rumored, Ao Borui still held absolute confidence in his victory. Moreover, this veteran Human Dao pinnacle expert knew that this battle was likely his only chance in life to defeat this young man. This person's cultivation speed was terrifying; it surpassed the scope of what a human could achieve, bordering on that of a monster. If possible, he desperately wanted to capture this man, place him under his nose, and study him closely for several years to uncover the secret that allowed him to traverse the path that had taken others like himself hundreds of years, in a mere few years.

However, he knew this was just a fantasy. Even without considering Di Shitian's dedication to preserving He Yiming's life, even without that constraint, he had no guarantee of capturing him alive. Furthermore, with such terrifying progress, if a few more years passed, this person would likely realize the full potential of the Human Dao pinnacle physique. Once that point was reached, the might he could unleash would never be inferior to any Nine Heavens expert, and by then, Ao Borui would have forever lost his chance to reclaim his honor.

When Ao Borui deliberately brought up the matter upon meeting He Yiming at the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, it was to bring about a complete resolution. If he could gain even a slight upper hand in the fight, the reputation of the Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands would be completely preserved. Yet, as the two men stood opposite each other, Ao Borui was suddenly struck by a very bad premonition. Although He Yiming stood calmly, without any oppressive aura spilling from him, Ao Borui felt a distinct, bizarre sensation: He Yiming was dangerous—extremely dangerous...

Frowning slightly, his mind raced, and with a slight flick of his wrist, a green long whip instantly appeared in his hand. This long whip coiled around Ao Borui’s body several times like a green serpent, as if a great snake had coiled into a binding formation around him. The whip head rose high, emitting a "hissing" sound of air tearing, and vibrated while locking onto He Yiming’s direction.

"I have long heard that Brother He's Five Elements Rings are peerless in the world. Please bring them out and allow this old man to broaden his horizons," Ao Borui said coldly. Although he knew the boundless power of the Five Elements Rings, in this environment, he absolutely could not prohibit either side from using their divine weapons. Rather than being coy, it was better to propose it openly.

He Yiming smiled faintly. "Brother Ao flatters me. However, today, this junior is unwilling to use the Five Elements Rings. I shall use these bare palms to test your Five Elements techniques." Though his face was smiling, inwardly, he was cursing the combined Light and Dark power within him half to death. After successfully merging these two forces, they had become overwhelmingly dominant, even completely suppressing his Five Elements Flower. Even with the Chaos Dantian, there was no way to utilize the power of other elements now. The Five Elements Rings in his hand were utterly useless now; it was better to hide his weakness than to bring them out and make a fool of himself.

Of course, others could not know his thoughts. Upon hearing this, Ao Borui’s face darkened slightly. In the several hundred years since he ascended to the Human Dao pinnacle, this was the first time someone had been so arrogantly presumptuous as to challenge his divine weapon with empty hands.

At this moment, even Zi Duli frowned. Although his opinion of He Yiming had drastically changed, and he no longer regarded him as a mere fledgling who had just entered the Ninth Heaven, he found his arrogance distasteful. The physiques of Human Dao Ninth Heaven experts were largely similar, and divine weapons were their greatest reliance. Without the assistance of their weapons, their power would be greatly diminished. After all, the innate gap in physique between humans and Sacred Beasts was not so easily bridged. While the might commanded by top-tier Sacred Beasts might vary greatly, such a disparity would absolutely not occur among human Ninth Heaven experts.

Ao Borui let out a loud laugh, his voice harsh. "Good! A truly arrogant brat. Since you invite a beating, then do not blame this old man for showing no mercy." A sharp sonic boom erupted above his head, and a green shadow flashed and vanished, piercing toward He Yiming with the speed of flight. The whip coiled around him, resembling a green great snake, had unwound at some point and now moved ghost-like and ethereal toward He Yiming.

He Yiming’s smile remained unchanged. He extended his hand and pointed out, as if casually. A trace of strange light shimmered on his fingertip, and it gently made contact with the tip of the snake-head-like long whip.