As the final echoes of He Yiming’s last words drifted through the air, a thunderous roar resonated from the surroundings.

Then, He Yiming did something utterly unexpected by everyone present.

Instead of turning to flee, he flicked his wrist, and the five-colored light burst forth in radiant streams, coalescing in mid-air into a colossal axe that cleaved down directly toward Franklin.

Jin Zhanyi and the others widened their eyes at that moment. Neither any Venerable from the East nor the West had ever imagined that when facing a powerhouse at the pinnacle of the Human Dao, He Yiming would dare to make the first move.

Although their martial cultivation was far inferior to that of a peak Human Dao expert, sensing the aura emanating from He Yiming, they instantly understood he had no intention of escaping.

This kind of powerful, unrestrained attack was vastly different from the feeling of turning tail the moment things looked grim.

What made them even more incredulous was that within He Yiming’s soaring, mighty attack, one could clearly perceive his formidable fighting spirit and unshakeable confidence.

In that instant, even Jin Zhanyi felt a distinct thought:

He Yiming had gone mad…

He was insane. A Great Venerable of Five Energies dared not only to make a move against a peak Human Dao expert but also bizarrely possessed the confidence to win.

If He Yiming wasn't mad, then the world itself had gone mad!

Franklin’s eyes, which had seemed aged and dim, finally revealed a flicker of surprise.

Clearly, even he hadn't anticipated that He Yiming would dare to strike first in his presence.

Such an act hadn't occurred in centuries. Apart from those Human Dao peak experts of his own tier, even a Great Venerable of Five Energies would stand before him with utmost deference, terrified of provoking his wrath.

Yet now, an ignorant and arrogant newly ascended Great Venerable of Five Energies was launching a challenge at him. This stirred a hint of annoyance in him, but also a spark of novelty.

He extended a hand, and a single point of light ignited on his fingertip.

This light wasn't overwhelmingly powerful; it seemed minimal, like the flame of a candle that could be extinguished by the slightest breath.

Then, Franklin lightly flicked his finger, sending this point of light soaring toward the five-colored giant axe chopping down from above.

Without a sound, the moment the light touched the five-colored massive axe—which shimmered blindingly, containing a five-colored essence that provoked unease in the heart—the axe simply dissolved.

It vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.

Not only that, but the point of light spread like a creeping plague, surging along the five-colored radiance, rapidly closing in on the Five Elements Ring held in He Yiming’s hand.

He Yiming’s expression shifted slightly. He had long known this old man would be extremely troublesome, certainly more formidable than the Yu Family Ancestor who lacked consciousness and couldn't wield divine artifacts.

But only when they clashed did he realize the true, super-powerful might the old man possessed.

The energy contained within that single point of light was terrifying. His long-accumulated five-colored light axe was completely disintegrated before it could even find room to unleash its full force.

Feeling the encroaching power of the light, He Yiming let out a low roar. He was about to sever the light from the Five Elements Ring to cut off the light’s path of advance. However, at that precise moment, a tiny point of light deep within his Dantian stirred ever so slightly.

An intense urge to devour surged in like a hurricane.

In that instant, He Yiming recalled the scene when he first encountered the Aurora Borealis of the North Sea—he had swallowed that very aurora, which the cave dwellers considered a treasure.

With his thoughts racing, He Yiming unhesitatingly stepped forward. Then, he opened his mouth and lunged toward that small, seemingly harmless speck of light…

When He Yiming’s mighty five-colored axe was so easily shattered by Franklin, a single thought rose in everyone’s mind:

Overestimating his own strength.

Though there was only a single tier separating the Great Venerable of Five Energies from the peak Human Dao expert, the power difference between those tiers was worlds apart.

The full might of a Great Venerable of Five Energies, directed at one whose power infinitely approached the Divine Dao, proved utterly fragile and vulnerable.

However, what followed next caused their mouths to drop even wider, eliciting involuntary moans of disbelief.

He Yiming, just like them, opened his mouth wide and directly swallowed the point of light released by Franklin…

A madman. This fellow had truly lost his mind. Did he think his viscera were tougher than the five-colored axe that radiated such astonishing power?

But this notion lasted only a fleeting second before they realized He Yiming’s internal organs were indeed excessively strong. For after swallowing the light, He Yiming merely smacked his lips twice. Not only was he unharmed, but he wore an expression of unsatisfied desire.

“Anything else?” He Yiming asked, his face eager.

The expressions of Jin Zhanyi and the others immediately froze stiff. What had they just seen?

A rare Light Element Sacred Beast disguised in human skin?

Strange light flickered in Franklin’s eyes. He gazed seriously at He Yiming, and after a long pause, he finally stated, “Body of Light. You actually possess the Body of Light.”

Deep within the old man's eyes shone something deeply concealed—an expression bordering on greed, like a collector encountering a peerless masterpiece he could not bear to part with.

A chill suddenly rose in He Yiming’s heart. He was not unfamiliar with such a look.

Back when the Hengshan lineage lacked Innate Spirit Pills, the Medicine Daoist always wore that expression upon seeing the Treasure Pig.

But while the Medicine Daoist coveted the Innate Core within the Treasure Pig, this old man before him likely desired his Sarira.

The five-colored light moved gently. He Yiming sneered, “Your Holiness the Pope, you are mistaken. What I possess is the Body of Five Elements, not some Body of Light.”

A shade of doubt slowly crossed Franklin’s eyes.

Both the Body of Five Elements and the Body of Light were exceedingly rare constitutions; encountering even one was a rarity of one in ten million, let alone one person possessing both.

Franklin slightly lowered his gaze and stated grimly, “Whether you possess the Body of Light or not, I shall know once I capture and examine you.”

He Yiming’s eyes lifted slightly. He knew the old man was ready to strike.

The five-colored light abruptly erupted, forming a suit of armor completely enveloping his body. Furthermore, intricate, bizarre gray-black vortexes appeared on the armor. These vortices shifted constantly, much like the deep currents surrounding Star Island.

An intensely potent malevolent aura rose from He Yiming.

“Darkness power?” Franklin’s brow knitted slightly. Even he was beginning to doubt whether He Yiming truly possessed the seldom-seen Body of Light.

The power of Light and the power of Darkness were absolutely mutually exclusive.

If He Yiming truly possessed the Body of Light, it would be impossible for him to channel Darkness power into the Five Elements True Qi Armor. Franklin was absolutely certain of this.

The old man shook his head slightly, raised his head, and a brilliant, almost transparent ball of light burst forth from his somewhat withered hand. This light then shot fiercely toward He Yiming.

Like a dragon of light, this beam moved at an extreme speed; the moment it materialized, it was already unleashed.

Jin Zhanyi and Edwin watched, dumbstruck. Although the combat between these two appeared deceptively tranquil, the power contained in every move they made was unbelievably immense.

Compared to the might they unleashed, they themselves seemed as fragile as children just beginning their martial journeys.

This was the gap—a gap nearly impossible to bridge.

Upon sensing this, the reactions of the onlookers diverged sharply.

Some among them had vacant eyes, filled with dejected expressions—the weariness born from facing a peak too high to ever climb.

But others, like Jin Zhanyi, held eyes brimming with vigorous fighting spirit and resolve.

This battle between He Yiming and the Pope of the Western Temple had already caused a polarization in the hearts of these Venerables, and their future achievements would hinge on this very turning point.

He Yiming’s Five Elements Ring glowed brightly, seemingly intending to block this fiery dragon. But for some reason, the moment the ball of light contacted the five-colored radiance, it abruptly scattered, then subtly seeped into the light barrier. It re-coalesced inside the barrier and struck He Yiming’s Five Elements True Qi Armor forcefully.

A faint smile touched the corner of Franklin’s mouth.

How powerful was the light energy he commanded, especially its fatal destructive nature toward Darkness power?

If He Yiming’s armor had been composed solely of Five Elements energy, even Franklin wouldn’t be certain he could shatter the Five Elements World condensed by the Body of Five Elements in a single blow.

But He Yiming, thinking himself clever, had attached Darkness power to it. While this might serve him well against others, against the power of Light, it became a fatal weakness.

Yet, the smile on his face froze instantly.

Because he saw that although He Yiming’s body was sent flying backward, this was not the result of the light purifying and dissolving the darkness, but merely due to the sheer force accompanying the light dragon.

Of course, this force inflicted no real harm on He Yiming. His body only retreated a few steps before stopping steadily.

A trace of seriousness finally appeared in Franklin’s gaze. He Yiming’s outstanding performance had resulted in two failed attempts on his part.

Of course, if Franklin had known that He Yiming had once fought the Yellow Springs Ancestor and successfully escaped, his current mood would have been entirely different.

But unfortunately, Hao Xue, the only one aware of that incident, was already dead and could never spread the word.

So, Franklin stared intently at the true qi armor on He Yiming’s body, seemingly trying to decipher the mystery contained within it.

Why couldn't his light power purify the attached darkness power?

Slowly, his expression grew profoundly serious.