A low roar erupted from the Qilin beast’s maw, seemingly shaken and uncertain by the profound threat posed by this mysterious newcomer.

He Yiming’s eyes flashed with dazzling light; his own thoughts raced, for he too had only just noticed Bai Lingba.

This fellow had arrived above their heads without a sound, suddenly materializing mid-air. Prior to this, the two men and two beasts had been completely unaware. Such an ability to conceal one’s movements was truly unique in this age.

He Yiming, White Horse Thunder, and Treasure Pig were accustomed to Bai Lingba’s sudden appearances and disappearances. Though startled, they could more or less accept it. In truth, after witnessing Bai Lingba’s ability to transform into a weapon, White Horse Thunder and Treasure Pig had become quite immunized to this mysterious man’s divine powers.

The Qilin Sacred Master and the Qilin beast, however, were different. When they abruptly saw a person suspended above them, bearing not the slightest trace of life essence, their reactions became vividly complex.

The Zhenqi within their bodies circulated at lightning speed, even generating a faint ring of airflow around them. The masters, both human and beast, from the Totem Clan adopted a stance of extreme caution.

Yet, to everyone’s surprise, upon descending, Bai Lingba offered no greeting to any of them, but walked straight to Treasure Pig and swiftly pulled the little creature into his arms.

Little Treasure Pig grunted a few times in displeasure but offered no resistance whatsoever, simply being pulled away from He Yiming’s embrace by Bai Lingba.

He Yiming immediately understood: Bai Lingba’s sudden appearance was solely for Treasure Pig’s safety.

Although the little one’s strength was immense, he was still a degree weaker than those at the pinnacle of the Human Dao realm. Therefore, it was best for him to be kept further away.

“Halt…” the Qilin Sacred Master commanded sharply, while the sound from the Qilin beast’s mouth grew increasingly deep and powerful, as if ready to pounce at any moment.

Bai Lingba paid them no mind, continuing to lead Treasure Pig toward the periphery.

The Qilin Sacred Master snorted in fury, raising his hand. A beam of inky black light shot toward the sky and rushed towards Bai Lingba with incredible speed.

Contained within this inky light was a powerful, piercing malevolence (Sha Qi). The density of this killing aura was utterly comparable to that found at the very summit of Ghost Cry Ridge.

He Yiming’s gaze sharpened, and a burst of five-colored light erupted from his hand. However, before he could act, he saw Bai Lingba half-turn and casually launch a single punch.

Force—a power akin to Metal element energy—erupted from Bai Lingba’s fist with an ear-splitting, sharp howl.

He Yiming paused slightly, the five-colored light in his hand halting. He had an unsettling feeling that Bai Lingba’s punch would not be at a disadvantage.

A massive shockwave radiated across the flat ground. The Qilin Sacred Master’s expression grew even more solemn, and his gaze toward Bai Lingba became uncertain and probing.

The punch he had just struck, though powerful, relied primarily on the Sha Qi that clung to it. This was the unique martial path of the Totem Clan’s most elite figures; even other Human Dao pinnacle experts treated it with great apprehension.

Yet, this man before him had neutralized that sharp attack so effortlessly, and the Sha Qi—his greatest trump card—had failed to affect him in the slightest.

At this point, the Qilin Sacred Master became increasingly wary of this strange being who lacked any sign of life essence.

“What are you doing?” Bai Lingba asked calmly, as if the person standing before him was not a Human Dao pinnacle expert, but just an ordinary person on the roadside.

The Qilin Sacred Master was momentarily stunned. In all these years, this was the first time anyone had addressed him with such an even tone.

Even during the assembly of numerous experts at the Northern Border Ice Palace previously, no one had given him such an odd sensation. However, being a seasoned veteran, he recovered completely within that brief instant.

“Where are you taking Treasure Pig?” the Qilin Sacred Master asked gravely.

After seeing Bai Lingba effortlessly pluck Treasure Pig from He Yiming’s arms, he naturally understood that this man was allied with He Yiming, but facing this sudden intrusion, he felt profoundly uneasy.

“It is inconvenient for Treasure Pig to be here while you two fight,” Bai Lingba replied in that same flat, unfluctuating voice.

The Qilin Sacred Master’s eyes flickered as he observed Bai Lingba and the non-struggling Treasure Pig in his arms. After a moment, he slowly nodded. “I thank you for your concern.”

Seeing Treasure Pig’s demeanor, this Human Dao pinnacle expert finally believed Bai Lingba’s words.

Bai Lingba turned, cradling Treasure Pig, and walked away swiftly, soon disappearing from their sight.

The Qilin Sacred Master withdrew his gaze from that direction and stated solemnly, “He Yiming, who is this? What cultivation technique does he practice?”

He Yiming was slightly taken aback, observing the Sacred Master’s somewhat brightened eyes, and he felt a strange intuition.

This Sacred Master of the Totem Clan might truly be a martial fanatic. Compared to outsiders, his nature was quite forthright, preferring directness, lacking the subtleties of Ao Borui and others.

Smiling faintly, He Yiming replied, “He is a brother of mine, Bai Lingba. The technique he practices is rather unique; it is a scientific cultivation method.” He paused, then added, “To practice this method, one must possess the ‘Cunning Scheme’ constitution. As for the specifics, I am not entirely clear.”

The Qilin Sacred Master nodded slowly, feeling a sense of realization. So, this was a special cultivation method tied to a peculiar physical constitution. It seemed this constitution granted a strong immunity to his Sha Qi; if he were to fight such an individual, his greatest reliance would be rendered useless.

He Yiming flicked his wrist, and the five-colored light intensified.

“Sacred Master, be careful.”

In the sky, streams of five-colored light suddenly filled the expanse. These ribbons interlaced, descending like a torrential downpour, enveloping the Qilin Sacred Master and the Qilin beast within.

With a furious snort, the Qilin Sacred Master extended his hand. The inky black light emanating from it was terrifyingly potent. With a mere wave, he and the Qilin beast dissolved into this blackness.

It sounded like countless droplets hitting an umbrella surface. The five-colored light poured down like a violent storm, but upon reaching the area shrouded in black, it was completely repelled.

The power of the Five Elements, at this moment, seemed rendered impotent by an inexplicable, immense counterforce.

He Yiming was rather surprised, as he could not identify the type of energy the Qilin Sacred Master had unleashed. This power was definitively not the Five Elements, nor the Western concepts of Light and Dark, and certainly not any force known to He Yiming.

He could clearly sense that this power contained vast amounts of murderous intent (Su Sha Zhi Qi) and an incredibly dense Sha Qi. When these two aspects combined, they subtly exerted a significant influence on his own will.

He Yiming’s expression became extremely grave. He had fought several of the world’s most powerful Human Dao pinnacle experts, whose powers were bizarre and unpredictable. However, within those power systems, none possessed a special technique capable of directly assaulting one’s will.

The Qilin Sacred Master’s technique evidently achieved just that.

He Yiming’s temples pulsed faintly—the result of a powerful mental assault. Gradually, this mental attack intensified; the Sha Qi and Su Sha Zhi Qi grew more violent, seeming about to breach He Yiming’s mind domain and strike at his core self.

At this moment, the situation on the field was utterly bizarre.

He Yiming’s five-colored light blazed brilliantly, almost obscuring the entire sky. Under the impact of this immense power, the Qilin Sacred Master could only maintain a small area of safety around himself. The inky black energy could only hold its ground, seemingly possessing only defensive capability, with no means to counterattack.

If anyone had witnessed this scene, they would surely have praised He Yiming’s divine technique as invincible, suppressing even the majestic Qilin Sacred Master and his Qilin beast into immobility.

However, the expressions on the faces of the two adversaries were vastly different.

Although He Yiming was instinctively manipulating the Five Elements Ring to attack incessantly, his expression was dreadful. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead, and a faint mist seemed to rise from him.

Conversely, the Qilin Sacred Master, fully engaged in defense, appeared entirely relaxed, though his body’s Sha Qi continued to coalesce.

After a long while, He Yiming discovered with horror that under the pressure of the opponent’s Sha Qi, he could barely control his own will. He could not fathom how the Qilin Sacred Master managed to gather such potent Sha Qi.

White Horse Thunder neighed lightly, a sound laced with anxiety. It sensed He Yiming’s discomfort, yet it was utterly incapable of resolving the issue. It yearned to engage in a direct physical fight, but He Yiming’s current condition prevented it from acting rashly. Carrying He Yiming in his present state into the fray would likely fail to alleviate the predicament and might instead cause harm to the unprepared He Yiming.

Hearing White Horse Thunder’s sharp cry, a sudden realization flashed through He Yiming’s mind.

He finally understood why he appeared so vulnerable against that overwhelming Sha Qi: this was not just the Qilin Sacred Master’s Sha Qi, but a product of his fusion with the Qilin beast.

Though he still couldn't grasp how the Qilin Sacred Master transformed this Sha Qi into a mechanism for attacking the will, he was certain it was inextricably linked to the Qilin beast.

A flicker of regret crossed his eyes; he had been foolishly facing the combined might of the Qilin Sacred Master and the Qilin beast alone.

Taking a deep breath, a fierce glint appeared in He Yiming’s eyes.

In the depths of his mind, a strange power began to churn.

This too was a form of will-force, possessing no less power than He Yiming’s own consciousness. When this will-force merged with He Yiming’s, it immediately generated surging waves of heaven and earth energy fluctuations around him, like a colossal tempest.