A dense, purple aura was drawn into his body, slowly refined by He Yiming. But soon, he discovered that this purple energy offered little benefit to him.

Perhaps for those who had just broken through a realm, cultivating amidst the Ziqi Donglai (Purple Qi Coming from the East) held immense advantage. However, due to He Yiming's unique constitution, such strange power had little effect on him.

After a long while, He Yiming finally exhaled deeply. When he opened his eyes, he saw the man and the horse were still sitting with their eyes closed, circulating their energy, completely oblivious to his presence.

Shaking his head, He Yiming took out the Bigudan (Grain Replenishing Pills) from his person. These were not only edible for humans but also perfectly acceptable to White Horse Lightning.

These Bigudan were not brought from Da Shen, but rather acquired from the Qian Shan Sect. In the Qian Shan Sect's alchemy chamber, after finishing the refinement of all the Innate Golden Elixirs, he had casually asked for some Bigudan.

Unexpectedly, the Qian Shan Sect immediately provided him with two full bottles. Although the quality of the pills was not top-tier, they were more than enough for the few of them to use.

Taking out one bottle, He Yiming placed it between the three of them, and he too closed his eyes to rest and gather his spirit. For a full half a month, during this period, Chu Haozhou and White Horse Lightning disregarded everything else.

Even when they intermittently awoke, they merely nodded to He Yiming, then swallowed the Bigudan He Yiming had prepared for them before resuming their cultivation. He Yiming had always assumed that only humans cultivated day and night relentlessly.

It was only after seeing Lightning that he realized spiritual beasts operated the same way. Fortunately, after half a month, the man and the horse concluded their cultivation almost simultaneously within half a day.

Judging by their expressions alone, it was clear they had achieved their objective and fully consolidated their realms. He Yiming immediately recounted what he had discovered in the cave dwelling, deliberately concealing the existence of the Heaven and Earth Sacred Fruit among all the treasures.

This item was not even recorded in the Tianxia Qizhen Lu (Catalogue of Worldly Marvels); perhaps very few people in this world knew of its existence. Chu Haozhou stared at the necklace space before him, the four Thunder Claps within, the divine weapon, and that incredibly precious box of Five Elements Sacred Beast Inner Cores, and was truly left somewhat dumbfounded.

Before entering this maze, although they had considered they might encounter good things here, they never imagined the treasures they would obtain would be so potent. The several Thunder Claps were beyond question; anything labeled a divine artifact held a value far beyond what ordinary people could imagine.

The five Five Elements Sacred Beast Inner Cores were equally priceless. Just feeling the immensely powerful life force within them, far surpassing that of the Black Vulture King’s Sacred Beast Inner Core, confirmed these cores must have been harvested from the most top-tier sacred beasts, making their value incalculable.

As for the divine weapon that resembled both a saber and a sword, it was also not to be underestimated. Even if it wasn't a divine artifact, any item favored by a Divine Dao master as a personal weapon was inherently extraordinary.

Chu Haozhou, being a powerful Blacksmith himself, analyzed the blade and discovered materials within it that even he could not name. After a day of testing, he understood that this unnamed divine weapon was significantly superior to the Dragon Whip.

Perhaps only the replica divine artifact in He Yiming’s hand could claim a slight edge over it. Seeing Chu Haozhou’s intense interest in the divine weapon, He Yiming smiled, "Brother Chu, if you like it, take it." Chu Haozhou started slightly, then shook his head.

"This is your harvest; I cannot take what another loves." He Yiming had provided the treasure map, and upon arriving here, they benefited from the Ziqi Donglai, saving Chu Haozhou several years of arduous cultivation. Under such circumstances, Chu Haozhou found it impossible to claim the blade for himself.

He Yiming chuckled dryly, "Brother, there's no need for such formality between us. Moreover, I have a matter I wish to ask your assistance with." "Name it," Chu Haozhou readily agreed.

"As long as Brother can manage it, I will not decline." He Yiming grinned slyly, took out the box containing the five Sacred Beast Inner Cores, flipped his wrist again, and the Five Elements Ring immediately appeared in his palm. Chu Haozhou was a man of immense perception.

His gaze flicked between the box and the Five Elements Ring, recalling the travel log he had read, and he instantly understood the situation. His eyebrows rose.

"Younger Brother, relying solely on me to embed these five Five Elements Sacred Beast Inner Cores into the Five Elements Ring will not suffice." He Yiming paused briefly, immediately recalling the nature of the Five Elements Ring, and nodded slightly. "Brother, you have mastered the powers of Water and Fire.

I am skilled in Earth and Metal. If we can find another Venerable who has condensed the Wood Flower, that should work, right?" Chu Haozhou continued to shake his head.

"No. Even if you gather all Five Element Flowers, success will be difficult." He Yiming was greatly puzzled.

"Why?" Chu Haozhou became serious. "The Five Elements Ring is an artifact of such pedigree.

During refinement, even the slightest error will lead to complete failure. If three people refine it together, the clutter of multiple hands makes success nearly impossible." He paused, then stated firmly, "There is only one method to embed these five Five Elements Sacred Beast Inner Cores into the Five Elements Ring." He Yiming raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Brother, tell me." Chu Haozhou’s expression was grave. "Younger Brother, you possess the physique capable of cultivating all Five Elements.

If one day you successfully condense all Five Element Flowers, then I guarantee, working together, we can successfully embed these five cores into the Five Elements Ring." He Yiming finally understood and nodded heavily. Although he hadn't yet successfully condensed the Five Element Flowers, he was firmly confident he could achieve that goal within ten years at most.

Placing the jade box back into his necklace, He Yiming tossed the divine weapon over. "Brother, you have already materialized two divine weapons.

Why not start attempting to materialize the third? Since you succeeded once, the second time shouldn't be so difficult." Chu Haozhou received the divine weapon, his emotions turbulent.

He let out a long sigh and finally hung the weapon upon himself. He Yiming placed the four Thunder Claps on the ground and turned his ill-intentioned gaze toward White Horse Lightning.

The White Horse widened its eyes, looking at the four round objects on the ground with what seemed like a dull expression. While its lightning was immensely powerful, the four objects on the ground were the divine artifact Thunder Claps.

It seemed impossible to fully charge even one, let alone generate four simultaneously. He Yiming looked at Lightning and smiled, taking out a small piece of white stone from his chest.

Upon seeing this white stone, Lightning’s eyes immediately lit up. It bared its teeth for a moment, finally moving before the four Thunder Claps.

The single horn atop its head slowly began to glow, its purple light emitting a dreamlike halo that drew the entire being into its essence. As bolts of lightning were struck into the Thunder Claps, their color slowly began to change.

Conversely, the white stone in He Yiming's hand was gradually diminishing. However, He Yiming soon discovered something that made him happy.

The White Horse’s ability to infuse lightning seemed to be gradually improving. Both the power of the lightning and its endurance showed significant progress.

Although the process of eating, discharging, and eating again was somewhat painful, once the White Horse’s lightning capabilities improved, all the hardship became worthwhile. Eight days, exactly eight days later, the four Thunder Claps finally transformed from black to a purplish-gold, once again becoming the objects that instilled fear in everyone.

Holding these four Thunder Claps, He Yiming sighed internally. If he had possessed two Thunder Claps when he encountered the Black Shark King last time, that overlord of the sea probably couldn't have escaped.

But, if he had unleashed two Thunder Claps consecutively, it might have implicated Chu Haozhou and the others as well. Chu Haozhou nodded slightly, casually touching his chin, only then realizing his beard had long been cleanly shaved.

He smiled wryly. "Younger Brother, it seems the Thunder Claps truly belong to you.

Besides you, no one else can possibly replenish their required lightning reserves." He Yiming smiled faintly, accepting this statement with equanimity. The might of the Thunder Claps was incredibly powerful, yet they possessed a fatal weakness: they could only be used once, requiring a massive replenishment of lightning energy afterward.

But replenishing that lightning energy was easier said than done. Apart from He Yiming, who possessed the White Horse, others were entirely at the mercy of heaven.

Therefore, although Chu Haozhou was quite envious, he firmly refused He Yiming’s good intentions and absolutely refused to accept even a single Thunder Clap. Storing away the four Thunder Claps, the group reassembled and headed toward the exit.

Led by Bai Lingba, the group wound their way through various turns until they finally emerged from the maze. Upon reaching the cave entrance, a look of sudden anger flashed across Chu Haozhou’s face.

He Yiming was greatly puzzled. "Brother Chu, what is wrong?" Chu Haozhou reached up to touch his scalp and chin; his expression shifted between gloom and anger.

He Yiming paused, then understood. A look of reluctant amusement crossed his face.

After entering the cave dwelling, Chu Haozhou had forgotten the humiliation he suffered. But now, as they were about to leave, he recalled his hatred for the Black Shark King.

Judging by the fierce look in his eyes, it was clear he would not let the matter rest. "Brother He, do me a favor," Chu Haozhou demanded sharply.

"We must descend into the sea and search; we must hack that Black Shark King into dust!" He Yiming secretly wiped a bead of cold sweat. It was he who had released Lightning; fortunately, Chu Haozhou understood the principle of 'the wronged party seeks vengeance' and hadn't troubled him.

He was just about to agree when the calm, unwavering voice of Bai Lingba rang out. "I disagree." He Yiming and Chu Haozhou exchanged glances.

Even White Horse and the treasure pig on Bai Lingba's chest looked at Bai Lingba with disbelief. In all the time they had spent together, this seemed to be the first time he had voiced an objection.