Riding the white horse, he sped rapidly toward the rear. With the lightning speed of White Horse Thunder, He Yiming was certain that the person could not escape detection.
However, moments later, a strange glint flashed in He Yiming’s eyes.
As he retraced his path on the white horse, he could sense that the formidable killing aura in the distance had also turned back.
At first, He Yiming sneered inwardly; to try and compete with White Horse Thunder in speed was simply courting death. If this person had taken to the sky, perhaps there would have been a slight chance to evade the pursuit of White Horse Thunder, but racing across the continent...
He Yiming’s sole impression was that he had encountered a madman.
But not long after, He Yiming’s expression darkened, because he was now certain that the opponent was not a madman, but a cunning schemer. This person's speed was not in the least bit inferior to White Horse Thunder’s.
The killing aura behind them remained potent. Although this intense aura permeated the sky above the Ice Plain, one needed considerable cultivation to truly perceive its presence.
Those below the Venerable Realm would feel only discomfort, perhaps even a stifling sensation, but they would be absolutely unable to discern the cause.
This was precisely why Xu Jun had noticed nothing at all.
Yet, during the pursuit by White Horse Thunder, not only was the other party’s speed incredibly swift, but even the killing aura filling the air began to rapidly dissipate.
At this point, He Yiming naturally understood that this person was deliberately luring him away; otherwise, orchestrating such a complex sequence would have been impossible.
He let out a soft snort, mobilizing his entire true qi, which gradually infiltrated the body of White Horse Thunder.
Though the two had not undergone the rite of Human-Beast Unification, their bond was in no way inferior to that of the closest Human-Beast pairings in the Totem Clan.
For most people, channeling true qi into a spirit beast would offer no benefit, but instead induce extremely adverse consequences. However, He Yiming and White Horse Thunder were different. When He Yiming’s true qi entered the white horse, it merged with a native power inherent in the Sacred Beast.
The air surrounding the white horse began to subtly shift. In mere moments, several swirling air currents materialized around it.
A joyful, high-pitched neigh burst from White Horse Thunder’s throat. As if injected with a stimulant, its speed climbed to yet another peak.
He Yiming inwardly rejoiced. No matter how powerful the person ahead might be, under the combined might of himself and White Horse Thunder, they should be able to close the distance easily.
However, after only a few more moments, He Yiming’s expression flickered slightly. The triumph in his eyes vanished completely.
Impossible...
This was a sudden thought that sprang into He Yiming’s mind.
Because the speed of the person ahead had also increased; although not yet surpassing the current pace of White Horse Thunder, it was certainly not weaker.
For a moment, a chill crept into He Yiming’s heart. Though he did not slow White Horse Thunder, his mind was instantly filled with vigilance.
Upon the Northern Frontier lands, indeed, exceptional figures were countless, to think he would encounter someone whose speed could match White Horse Thunder, perhaps even slightly surpass it.
One must remember that White Horse Thunder was currently operating at the speed equivalent of Human-Beast Unification, yet still could not catch the unknown stranger ahead.
Hesitating slightly, He Yiming finally pulled out the tracking device from his chest and asked in a deep voice, “Brother Bai, are you in the sky?”
“I am,” came a very direct reply.
Lately, Bai Lingba seemed obsessed with flying in the sky, even taking the Divine Dao Coagulated Blood Human along for the ride. He Yiming did not object, merely issuing an order for the Divine Dao Coagulated Blood Human to cooperate as much as possible.
And Bai Lingba’s purpose in doing so gradually became apparent: when he and the Divine Dao Coagulated Blood Human flew through the sky, they became completely invisible. Even with He Yiming’s keen eyesight looking up, one could not find the slightest trace of the two.
If it weren't for the unchanged mental link with the Divine Dao Coagulated Blood Human in his mind, He Yiming would hardly be certain they were still by his side.
“Use Clairvoyance and see for me,” He Yiming’s aged face flushed slightly. After a pause, he added, “Who exactly is in front?”
A few breaths later, Bai Lingba’s calm voice sounded, “I have seen.”
He Yiming immediately focused his entire attention, even the Sacred Pig in his arms perked up its large ears.
“That is not a person.”
He Yiming startled slightly. “Could it be a supreme Sacred Beast King of the Northern Frontier?”
Although Sacred Beast Kings of this caliber rarely wandered far from their territories, the current environment was different. Stimulated by the imminent appearance of the Thousand Year Ice Island, it was not entirely surprising if two or three showed up. It was just that his luck was poor to run into one of them.
However, Bai Lingba continued, “Nor is it a Sacred Beast.”
This time, He Yiming was truly perplexed. He snorted softly. “Not human, nor Sacred Beast, then what is it? It can’t be a ghost, can it?”
“Not a ghost; they are Human-Beasts,” Bai Lingba stated seriously.
“Human-Beasts?” He Yiming’s eyes grew more inscrutable. He had only heard of beasts (qinshou), never of monsters called Human-Beasts.
“Human-Beasts,” Bai Lingba added, “Just like you.”
He Yiming’s expression slowly turned grim. “Are you saying one human and one beast?”
“Correct.”
He Yiming took a deep breath, restraining the emotion on the verge of exploding. He let out a vicious snort; conversing with Bai Lingba was still quite difficult. It was fortunate it was him; any other person probably wouldn't grasp the meaning behind the fellow’s words.
“Fine, what do those Human-Beasts ahead look like?” He Yiming asked resignedly.
“The human only shows his back, impossible to see clearly, but his mount is a Qilin Beast.”
He Yiming’s eyes suddenly lit up. At this moment, he instantly understood the identity of the person ahead.
It must be the Qilin Sacred Master of the Totem Clan. Only someone of this caliber could possibly compete with White Horse Thunder in speed.
The Qilin Beast was also a super-class Sacred Beast possessing divine beast bloodlines, famous for hundreds of years, an existence on par with the Dragon Snakes in Ghost Cry Ridge.
To catch up to this Sacred Beast, even White Horse Thunder would not find it easy. Similarly, although He Yiming had used the Human-Beast Unification technique to stimulate White Horse Thunder, the Qilin Sacred Master was an authentic expert possessing Human-Beast Unification capabilities; when their powers merged, they certainly wouldn't be inferior to He Yiming and Thunder's combination.
Several thoughts flashed rapidly through his mind, but since he now knew the opponent's origin, He Yiming lost interest in playing a game of chase.
He gently pressed his legs against the horse. White Horse Thunder neighed loudly. Although it hadn't exerted itself fully and was agitated by failing to catch up, it ultimately obeyed He Yiming’s command, lifting its front hooves high before stomping them heavily onto the ground.
The force this time was so fierce that the ground seemed to crack and spread in all directions, showing just how unwilling White Horse Thunder was.
Patting White Horse Thunder’s neck lightly, He Yiming laughed aloud, “Master Qilin travels far; He will not see you off.”
His voice echoed across the desolate land, miles upon empty miles, causing countless reverberations.
Moments later, a slightly aged voice sounded from ahead, “How did you know it was I?”
He Yiming’s laughter continued, yet he inwardly wondered how he should reply? He couldn't exactly tell the truth.
His eyes darted, and he stopped smiling, calling out loudly, “Under heaven, only the Qilin Beast of the Totem Clan can compete with White Horse Thunder in speed. Does that require speculation?”
This statement carried a flavor of deliberate misdirection, but upon closer thought, it was undeniably plausible.
Though the killing aura in the distance had faded significantly, He Yiming could still sense that its position had not shifted, meaning that after he revealed the other’s identity, the Qilin Sacred Master had halted.
“You speak correctly; it seems I revealed a flaw here,” the Qilin Sacred Master’s voice sounded slowly.
He Yiming chuckled inwardly, yet felt deeply ashamed. If it weren't for Bai Lingba’s Clairvoyance, how could he have guessed the true identity of the opponent?
“Since Master has lured me here, may I ask what instruction you have for He Yi?” He Yiming called out loudly. “If Master does not disdain, please come and meet.”
“Very well; I intend to meet the world’s foremost, He Yiming.”
As the Qilin Sacred Master’s voice fell, a massive roar erupted from ahead—the call of some kind of spirit beast, subtly imbued with a special kingly aura.
If the Giant Bear spirit beasts had heard this roar that day, they would surely have fled in terror, peeing themselves and running as far as they could. But things were different now.
White Horse Thunder stamped its front hooves slightly and let out a long neigh.
The calls of two peak Sacred Beasts resonated at that moment, booming across the land and forcing every savage beast within a hundred-mile radius to crouch low, daring not to move.
Battles between Sacred Beast Kings were not something these lesser creatures could participate in.
A golden shadow soon appeared on the horizon, rapidly approaching He Yiming.
Without a word, He Yiming first secured the tracking device and gently soothed White Horse Thunder, whose eyes betrayed extreme excitement. The horse probably thought they were about to fight again, and this time the opponent was a match for its strength—a confrontation that would certainly be thrilling.
Of course, as long as there was the slightest possibility, He Yiming would not allow such a thing to happen.
The shadow flashed several times like lightning before arriving before He Yiming. Although he knew this was also the power of Human-Beast Unification, He Yiming had to admit that the speed possessed by this Qilin Beast was likely no less than Thunder’s.