At this moment, Ye Jingyu had already taken the Heaven Sovereign Blade handed over by Hei Ming Shixuan, enclosing Bing Ming in the center...

"You..." Bing Ming was slightly annoyed, about to denounce Ye Jingyu for disregarding the rules, but was immediately cut off by Ye Jingyu...

"I said I challenge you, but I never said I’d challenge you alone... And I said I wouldn't use a blade, but I never said she couldn't use one..." The smile on Ye Jingyu's face was so strange, so captivating, so utterly shameless...

Hearing Ye Jingyu’s words, Bing Ming shook his head, a wry smile touching his usually cold expression. What surprised him more, however, was Ye Jingyu's arm. His previous tyrannical True Essence attack was strong enough to destroy that arm; how was it seemingly completely intact now? It hadn't ruptured?

Little did he know, the Overlord Essence Qi within Ye Jingyu was extremely dominant. As that True Essence surged into his arm, the Overlord Essence Qi rushed out to consume it, resulting in only minor injury to his hand...

"Will you concede yourself, or must we fight until you surrender?" Ye Jingyu asked, settling the Heaven Sovereign Blade on his back. Since he promised not to use a blade, he wouldn't.

Bing Ming was about to reply when he suddenly saw a massive figure shift in the distance. It was an enormous python, stretching over ten zhang, its body diameter alone reaching two to three meters. Wherever it passed, rocks and trees were pulverized—and this was purely due to the great serpent's weight alone...

The giant python’s eyes were an unnerving, eerie green, large enough to hold a washbasin, terrifying to behold. Even more shocking was that atop the python's head, there was no serpent crown, but instead, a massive, pitch-black single horn that emitted chilling light with every slight movement...

A Jiao...

It was actually a Jiao...

Recalling the violent tremor that shook the valley two days prior, the smile on Hei Ming’s face grew even more bitter...

He knew that Xiao Hua, the companion of Gongsun Xiangyi who had been residing in the valley, had successfully advanced to the seventh rank, becoming a Sacred Beast...

This must be connected to the person standing before him...

Ye Jingyu, whose strength could contend with an ordinary Grandmaster; the mysterious Hei Ming Shixuan; and now, a seventh-rank Sacred Beast...

Though Bing Ming was powerful, he knew he had no chance of victory. Yet, there was no trace of reluctance on his face, only bitterness, a deep, profound bitterness...

"I lose..." Bing Ming stated the three words quite directly. He truly hadn't expected the opponent's strength to escalate so dramatically in just three days...

Ye Jingyu was also taken aback by Bing Ming's swift surrender. But then he saw Xiao Hua swimming closer, with Gongsun Xiangyi perched atop its head, and he allowed a slight smile to emerge...

"Young Master, Xiao Hua has advanced! Xiao Hua is a Sacred Beast now... Thank you, Young Master..." Gongsun Xiangyi naturally knew about the competition between Ye Jingyu and Bing Ming today. She had timed her arrival perfectly, bringing the recovered Xiao Hua to rush over. Seeing Ye Jingyu now, joy bloomed on her face. She knew that Xiao Hua's safe advancement was entirely thanks to that drop of Taotie Blood...

Ye Jingyu's smile faded. He stared intently at Xiao Hua's enormous body, then at Gongsun Xiangyi, who was now clad in a black gauze dress, his brow deeply furrowed...

"Young Master, I'm sorry..." Seeing the look on Ye Jingyu's face, Gongsun Xiangyi initially thought he was displeased with her for arriving late?

But seeing that the confrontation hadn't escalated into a major battle and that Bing Ming had conceded, she shouldn't have been considered late?

"Xiangyi, you are supposed to return to Yunjing with me. This fellow is so large; he will terrify the common folk..." Ye Jingyu voiced his concern. He was well aware of the bond between Gongsun Xiangyi and Xiao Hua, but the thought of strolling through Yunjing with such a massive serpent, and the sheer sensation it would cause, troubled him...

"Young Master need not worry. Xiao Hua is a Sacred Beast now; this small issue is nothing to worry about..." Gongsun Xiangyi relaxed upon realizing Ye Jingyu was fretting over this matter. As if to confirm her words, faint white light began to emanate from Xiao Hua. When the light dissipated, its massive body, once spanning several zhang, had shrunk to less than a meter. Even the horn on its head was now only the size of a pinky, barely noticeable unless closely inspected...

The ability to change its form—a Sacred Beast, truly worthy of the title, showing a heavenly gulf between it and a sixth-rank Savage Beast...

Seeing this, Ye Jingyu relaxed, though he wasn't overly surprised. Having accompanied an ancient fierce beast, he had witnessed all manner of wonders; such transformations were hardly shocking to him...

No longer concerned with Xiao Hua's transformation, Ye Jingyu turned back to Bing Ming. His gaze was clear: Buddy, I won, so now you take me inside, right?

Seeing the look in Ye Jingyu's eyes, Bing Ming nodded without further comment, turned, and headed toward the cave entrance...

Ye Jingyu beckoned Gongsun Xiangyi to follow, stepped forward to take Hei Ming Shixuan’s small hand, and trailed after Bing Ming into the depths...

Gongsun Xiangyi had entered this cave once before, but the palpable danger within had made her retreat after only a short distance. However, with Ye Jingyu and the others present, and Xiao Hua having successfully advanced to a seventh-rank Sacred Beast, she had no lingering worries...

With a slight gesture, Xiao Hua’s miniaturized body moved to her side, coiling around her neck as she followed close behind Ye Jingyu and the others into the cavern...

Bing Ming proved himself an upright person. Having lost, even if the defeat stemmed from Ye Jingyu's shameless tactics, to him, a loss was a loss, admitting no excuses. He did not trouble Ye Jingyu and his party, leading them directly to the square filled with weaponry...

Upon seeing the countless divine weapons and sharp implements strewn across the ground as if they cost nothing, Ye Jingyu's mouth began to water profusely, saliva streaming down his throat. If he could bring all these weapons out and distribute them to the soldiers under his command, their combat power would increase by more than double!

Especially after seeing the more than ten longbows hanging on the wall, Ye Jingyu's eyes lit up. With his discerning sight, he instantly recognized the extraordinary nature of these bows. Particularly the one in the very center—though it looked like a dead tree branch—for some unknown reason, Ye Jingyu felt a surge of immense power contained within it. If he gifted this longbow to Hu Yanqi, to what level would his strength ascend?

And the short bow next to that longbow—that would be absolutely perfect for Hu Yanmeng...

Not far away, a pitch-black battle-axe lay on the ground. Although it appeared common, even somewhat rusted, Ye Jingyu's Samsara Eye instantly discerned the domineering aura imbued within that axe...

This was absolutely the most suitable weapon for Chi Yixiu...

And those daggers—Ying Xiaoxiao would surely love them...

That long staff—Ye Longyi certainly wouldn't refuse it either...

And that longsword—gifting it to that fellow Luo Ruofeng, one couldn't imagine how delighted he would be...

And then there were others...

"Everything here—I want it. I want all of it..." Gazing at the weapons, some shimmering brightly, others dull yet radiating formidable auras, Ye Jingyu’s eyes turned completely green—greener than grass, greener than a thousand stacked green hats...