The sea was calm and placid. When He Yiming returned to the original spot, he saw the man and the beast glaring at each other, one floating in the sky and the other on the sea, and couldn't help but let out a wry smile.

These two creatures were still at odds, just as they always had been.

Coming down to the surface of the water, He Yiming gently stroked the White Horse Thunder, which had regained some of its vigor, and sighed softly, "Thunder, I owe this to you this time."

There was no exaggeration in his words; had it not been for the intervention of the White Horse Thunder, even the three of them joining forces would not have been a match for the Old Ancestor of the Yu family.

A powerhouse at the peak of the Human Dao, even one unable to wield divine artifacts, was far beyond what He Yiming and the others could contend with. Furthermore, without the White Horse Thunder as his mount, even He Yiming himself wasn't confident they could escape the clutches of the Old Ancestor.

After all, the speed of a peak Human Dao expert far surpassed that of a Grand Venerable of the Five Qi realm.

The White Horse Thunder neighed softly. Although faint flickers of electric light occasionally shimmered across its body, the sense of danger it exuded was nowhere near as terrifying as before.

Of course, this wasn't because the White Horse Thunder had mastered control over its power, but rather because the energy it had just unleashed was overwhelmingly potent, causing it to settle down for now.

The Treasure Pig grunted on He Yiming's body, seemingly recounting its glorious deed of chasing down Hao Xue. It stretched out its two white forelegs, wearing an expression of utter triumph.

He Yiming shook his head with amusement. However, it was strange that the Treasure Pig's blood-stained forelegs were now completely free of any color. Although the little creature had washed them in the seawater, this was far too clean.

The White Horse Thunder took small, shuffling steps, circling around He Yiming. It neighed softly, seemingly inquiring about something.

The bond between He Yiming and it was extraordinary, and after this fusion of Thunder's power, the White Horse Thunder had grown even stronger, seemingly even developing a form of consciousness.

Just then, He Yiming clearly sensed that the horse was asking what to do next.

Frowning slightly, He Yiming genuinely struggled with where to place the current White Horse Thunder.

After witnessing its full-strength clash with the Old Ancestor of the Yu family, He Yiming knew that the possibility of keeping the White Horse Thunder by his side was approaching zero.

Such immense power—never mind unleashing it all, but even releasing just one percent of it—could cause irreparable and massive damage.

In that colossal lightning strike, even He Yiming and the others had to flee for their lives, daring not to be swept into the vortex. For others, the situation would be even worse.

Before the White Horse Thunder could fully control its own strength, it simply could not be allowed to appear before others. Otherwise, it would become the greatest calamity.

Gently caressing the horse's neck, feeling the faint, tingling electric currents that made his palms numb, He Yiming pondered for a long time before finally saying, "Thunder, I will find a deserted island for you. You can reside there for a while."

Although He Yiming felt a profound reluctance as he made this decision, he saw no other alternative.

The White Horse Thunder tilted its head, its large eyes, now even more beautiful than before, blinked once, and finally nodded with resignation.

The Treasure Pig grunted a few times, vigorously waving its tiny forelegs like an orator emotionally stirring up its followers, creating a scene both comical and possessing an indescribable, unique meaning.

"What is it saying?" He Yiming asked curiously.

Bai Lingba’s calm voice sounded behind him, "The Treasure Pig wants the White Horse to quickly gain control of its own lightning power, so they can go to Ghost Cry Ridge to see Long She."

He Yiming was slightly stunned, then broke into a wry laugh. The little Treasure Pig actually wanted to show off in front of Long She—that was certainly an original idea.

However, the fact that even the Treasure Pig didn't object to a temporary separation from the White Horse showed that even it was deeply wary of Thunder's uncontrollable lightning power.

He Yiming looked up, gazing into the distance. "Let's go pursue the Old Ancestor of the Yu family first. I wonder if we can catch him."

Bai Lingba shook his head slightly. "The hope is slim."

He Yiming's heart immediately sank. If even Bai Lingba said the hope was slim, then it was truly unlikely.

Sighing softly, He Yiming said, "We still have to try."

With a grand sweep of his hand, everyone moved straight ahead toward the distance...

They tracked the direction the Old Ancestor of the Yu family had fled, but after a full day, even He Yiming lost the confidence to continue the pursuit.

Although the figure was actually a puppet without true consciousness, its speed was simply too fast—so fast that He Yiming and the others had no hope of catching up.

Moreover, who knew what unforeseen changes might occur along the way, causing the Old Ancestor to stop or change course.

On this vast, boundless ocean, while it was an excellent place to vanish without a trace, it was equally challenging to track someone.

If the White Horse had not been burdened with that lightning energy, perhaps with its maximum speed, there would have been a chance to catch up, but now, the prospect was truly remote.

After He Yiming gave up the chase, the group turned around, and led by Bai Lingba, they finally returned to the sea area where they had first encountered the Silver Eel swarm.

He Yiming naturally didn't know the way, but all the sea charts of the Southern Border were stored in Bai Lingba's mind; as long as he led, they would naturally be brought to their destination.

Half a day later, the White Horse Thunder was reluctantly left on a deserted island.

Although the island was not vast, it was not small either; it possessed a dense forest, dark and eerily grim.

However, in the waters of the Southern Border, it would be extremely difficult to find anything capable of harming the current White Horse, so He Yiming had no concerns about its safety.

Subsequently, He Yiming, holding the Treasure Pig, was guided by Bai Lingba to Glazed Island, one of the largest islands in the Southern Border waters, where the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was most abundant.

Viewed from the sky, it was an enormous island that in no way paled in comparison to Penglai Immortal Island. Although from afar only a sliver of the coastline was visible, with He Yiming's eyesight, he could discern the ships anchored outside a harbor and the bustling crowds.

Judging by the level of activity at the seaport, this place appeared far more prosperous than Penglai Immortal Island.

When He Yiming arrived, he did not use the divine light flight of the Five Elements Ring but rather the invisible light of the Aurora Sword, so there was no radiance emanating from him. Likewise, at He Yiming's request, Bai Lingba also held back any glow.

But now that they had reached Glazed Island, He Yiming naturally stopped concealing himself.

To avoid any misunderstanding, he did not hide his approach. Instead, he signaled Bai Lingba, released the light of the Five Elements Ring, and swaggered down from the air alongside a deliberately ostentatious Bai Lingba.

Upon seeing the rare spectacle of five-colored and seven-colored light in the sky, the area around the harbor immediately descended into commotion.

The inhabitants of Glazed Island, even the ordinary people who did not cultivate martial arts, understood the identity of the arrivals at that moment.

Instantly, this disturbance spread rapidly, and every eye held expressions of intense joy. Of course, deep within their gazes, there was also profound reverence.

This was a respect and fear stemming instinctively from the lower orders toward a powerful superior, because they all knew that before a Grand Venerable of the Five Qi realm capable of flying with divine light, their lives were as insignificant as ants.

Soon, He Yiming, holding the Treasure Pig, descended.

When they landed on the pier and swept their gaze around, the thousands of people present respectfully lowered their eyes.

The previously chaotic and busy pier instantly became utterly silent. Other than the sound of waves slapping against the rocks, there was no other noise.

A robust, imposing man hurried over from a distance. He glanced at He Yiming and the others from afar, a flicker of pleasant surprise crossing his eyes. His feet moved like lightning, and he rushed over at top speed, bowing deeply to the two of them, saying, "This humble one, Zhuang Weixi of Glazed Island, pays respects to Grand Venerable He and Grand Venerable Bai."

He Yiming's gaze swept over the man, and he smiled, "Have the three sea vessels from the Lingxiao Palace arrived?"

This man recognizing him must be due to instructions from Jin Zhanyi and the others. Otherwise, how could this person call out his lineage immediately?

Zhuang Weixi replied respectfully, "Venerable Jin and Venerable Wei from the Lingxiao Palace have arrived with their three sea vessels. Furthermore, Venerable Li has circulated portraits of both of you throughout the entire island, instructing that any news of you two must be reported immediately."

He Yiming nodded slightly. Hearing the man's words, he was finally completely relieved.

Although He Yiming had tied up the Silver Eel swarm and dispersed them under the roars of the two Sacred Beasts, among those tens of thousands of silver eels, there must have been quite a few Silver Eel spirit beasts remaining.

These spirit beasts possessed power far exceeding that of ordinary spiritual beasts, and being out in the vast ocean, He Yiming had been quite worried about the safety of the others.

Of course, his concern wasn't for Jin Zhanyi and Wei Zongjin, but rather for the ordinary sailors aboard the three ships.

"Where are Brother Jin and the others?" He Yiming asked with a nod.

Zhuang Weixi hurried to reply...