Chen Linxi and Yu Xueying exchanged a look. They smiled at each other, and Chen Linxi said, "Brother Yi, our objectives are all the same, so there is no need for excessive pleasantries. Let's stick to our prior agreement: if we succeed in driving off the horde and slaying the five-hundred-year Innate Spirit Beast, its Innate Inner Elixir will belong to us."

Yi Zhongtian let out a hearty laugh. "Esteemed couple, rest assured. Our Ice Palace is immensely grateful for the assistance of you three; we certainly won't covet the Innate Inner Elixir."

He Yiming’s heart stirred slightly. Although the Northern Frontier Ice Palace boasted thousands of years of history and immense wealth, no sect would ever disdain having more Innate Inner Elixirs.

Yi Zhongtian was willing to forgo the potential Innate Inner Elixir simply to preserve this city.

As for the three individuals from the East, their goals were equally clear: without the allure of the Innate Inner Elixir, they naturally would not have offered their aid.

Zhang Bailin’s gaze finally settled on He Yiming. He said gravely, "Brother Yi, who is this gentleman...?"

Yi Zhongtian managed a wry smile. To this day, he still did not know He Yiming’s identity.

He Yiming smiled faintly. "My surname is He. I was merely passing through this area and decided to stay and observe." Seeing the subtle wariness in the eyes of Zhang Bailin and the other two, he chuckled lightly. "Rest easy, sirs. Unless a Sacred Beast Inner Elixir appears here, I, He, want nothing, no matter how many Innate Inner Elixirs there are."

Even though He Yiming’s martial cultivation far surpassed theirs, he felt he could not possibly lower himself to compete with them for the Innate Inner Elixirs.

Zhang Bailin and the others were momentarily stunned, then simultaneously let out a sigh of relief.

With such words spoken in front of so many people, He Yiming would naturally not go back on his word.

Zhang Bailin laughed loudly. "Brother He jested. Though I am not originally from the Northern Frontier, I have spent a third of my life here and understand the temperaments of the Northern Frontier Sacred Beasts to some degree." He paused. "Northern Frontier Sacred Beasts roam independently; they would never mingle with a horde. Thus, the Sacred Beast Inner Elixir you seek is simply impossible to find."

Chen Linxi and the others shared a knowing smile. Since He Yiming had renounced the Innate Inner Elixirs, there was no conflict of interest between them, so they refrained from harsh words.

After all, in their estimation, if a Sacred Beast were to appear, the issue would shift from hunting the beast to being hunted by it.

Yu Xueying, though not young, had maintained her charm through successful cultivation. She nodded to the crowd and said, "My husband and I are visiting the Northern Frontier for the first time, specifically seeking Innate Inner Elixirs. We hope our wish is granted this time."

He Yiming’s eyes brightened slightly. "Does someone in your family need to break through to the Innate Realm?"

Yu Xueying nodded slightly, a trace of envy in her gaze toward He Yiming. To reach the Innate Realm at such a young age suggested boundless future prospects.

"Our grandson turns forty-two this year and has already cultivated to the peak of the tenth level of Inner Strength, so my wife and I wish to acquire two Innate Inner Elixirs. We plan to return to Great Shen later and exchange them at the Lingxiao Treasure Hall for one Innate Golden Elixir," Chen Linxi stated gravely. There was a hint of pride in his tone, clearly content about the succession within his lineage.

He Yiming paused in surprise. "The Lingxiao Treasure Hall can actually exchange for Innate Golden Elixirs?"

"Brother He, you didn't know?" Zhang Bailin asked, astonished. "The Lingxiao Treasure Hall began offering exchanges for Innate Golden Elixirs a millennium ago. It's just that one Innate Golden Elixir costs two Innate Inner Elixirs, which truly stings the heart."

Chen Linxi chuckled. "Brother Zhang, the exchange rate at the Lingxiao Treasure Hall is quite fair. Without the Treasure Hall, even if we obtained two Innate Inner Elixirs and paid a hefty price to hire an Alchemist, we might not succeed in refining two Innate Golden Elixirs."

Yu Xueying nodded in agreement. "Even if we refine two Innate Golden Elixirs, the Alchemist would demand one as their share. If both refinement attempts failed, we would not only end up without the Golden Elixirs but also lose a large quantity of precious medicinal materials."

He Yiming finally understood; the Lingxiao Treasure Hall's arrangement was clearly a win-win situation.

For an ordinary Alchemist, achieving a fifty percent success rate when refining an Innate Golden Elixir would be considered good. However, the Lingxiao Treasure Hall was different; it housed numerous Innate Alchemists. If they spared no expense to have an Alchemist with special aptitude in refining Innate Golden Elixirs focus solely on one pill, the success rate could likely be guaranteed above seventy percent.

Although such an approach would halt that Innate Alchemist’s potential development in alchemy, the benefit for a super-powerful sect was obvious.

His heart moved. If he were to enter that business himself, his guaranteed success rate would surpass that of Hao Tong and others. But the thought lasted only a moment before he dismissed it.

Turning his head, though the surroundings remained dark, He Yiming could now hear the faint sounds carried on the wind.

"Everyone, those Great Bears are almost here." Yi Zhongtian’s expression shifted slightly. He quickly said, "The Great Bears rank among the top echelon of the Northern Frontier beasts. When fighting the Innate Great Bears, please be extra cautious. Try to avoid entering the main horde; while they might not injure you directly, they are still a nuisance. Being caught and struck simultaneously within the horde by the spirit beasts could have truly terrible consequences."

Zhang Bailin and the others nodded in turn, their expressions heavy. Clearly, this was not their first encounter with the Northern Frontier beast hordes.

Conversely, He Yiming was quite intrigued and, in truth, had not taken these hordes seriously.

"Roar..."

A tremendous roar echoed from the distance, followed by the sound of massive footfalls upon the ground, like the beating of war drums.

Upon seeing the heavy defenses atop the city walls, the leader among the Great Bears seemed to realize their cover was blown and ceased any further pretense of stealth.

The Great Bears put power into their enormous frames, accelerating their pace until they generated an aura akin to a thousand charging cavalry.

Faintly, this imposing presence began to spread, completely overwhelming the morale of the guards stationed on the ramparts.

Yi Zhongtian sucked in a sharp breath. "Something seems off about this Great Bear contingent."

Xu Jun inquired, "Brother Yi, what did you notice?"

Yi Zhongtian frowned deeply. "The leader of this Great Bear group is exceptionally intelligent. It commanded the horde to arrive two days ahead of schedule, and the beasts moved with extreme caution, making no noise. Only once discovered did they abandon stealth and advance openly..." He paused, then cursed, "That beast is far too smart."

Xu Jun and the others exchanged glances. Even Zhang Bailin, despite traveling the Northern Frontier for nearly half his life, had always operated alone or invited a few peers of similar standing for hunting expeditions on the Northern Frontier Ice Fields. Large-scale hordes like this were precisely what he tried to avoid. If not for obligations and the lure of those few five-hundred-year Spirit Beast Inner Elixirs, he would never have agreed to this.

Hearing Yi Zhongtian’s words now, their hearts tightened slightly. Zhang Bailin asked, "Brother Yi, can you discern the reason for this?"

Yi Zhongtian slowly shook his head. "Perhaps the lead Great Bear is just unusually clever."

The others felt somewhat relieved, yet their expressions grew even more somber, as this situation offered no good news regardless.

Yi Zhongtian suddenly glanced towards He Yiming’s direction. There was a thought he had dared not voice aloud.

A spirit beast possessing such wisdom was absolutely extraordinary. In the Great Bear species, there had never been any mention of such an intelligent specimen.

Thus, recalling He Yiming's earlier remarks, a shadow of dread suddenly crossed his mind.

Could it be that there truly was a Sacred Beast commanding this Great Bear contingent?

Though he harbored this terrifying suspicion, he dared not reveal any expression. He knew that if he spoke his mind, everyone, including Xu Jun, would immediately flee as far as possible, not stopping until they were completely clear of the Great Bear Sacred Beast—or dead.

In fact, even he had felt a tremor just moments ago, urging him to instantly abandon this place.

The Ice Palace possessed an ironclad rule: upon discovering a Sacred Beast, one must escape at all costs to ensure the safety of every Innate expert.

However, he glanced back at the town that had been established for over fifty years. If he simply turned his back and fled, what fate awaited this settlement?

He dared not imagine it.

Suddenly, an arm gently patted his shoulder twice.

Yi Zhongtian looked up in surprise and saw He Yiming’s face, etched with a gentle smile.

"Do what you must do. I am here."

Though the tone was utterly flat, for some reason, Yi Zhongtian’s heart became perfectly calm in that instant.

He nodded heavily. The hesitation, timidity, and fear in his eyes vanished completely.

At this moment, his will was rock solid. Even if a Sacred Beast stood before him, he felt confident enough to fight.

Because behind him, someone had made him a promise. Though only two brief words, they felt like the morning sun, dispelling the darkness cloaking the earth and instilling powerful self-assurance.

"Rolling stones, hot oil, torches..." Yi Zhongtian’s voice echoed across that section of the wall. Amidst the myriad flames, everyone's spirit lifted. Hearing Yi Zhongtian’s resonant voice, the hesitation in their eyes gradually faded, and the fiery blood of the Northern Frontier men boiled up on the battlements.

In the dark night, the sound like drumming, like a thousand charging cavalry, grew ever closer.

Yi Zhongtian raised a torch and flung it high into the air.

Under the illumination of the firelight, the surging forms of the Great Bears could vaguely be seen in the distance...