With a colossal roar echoing from the heavens, He Yiming’s body plummeted earthward like a meteor chasing the moon.

When Franklin finally unleashed his attack, the ruthlessness of his strikes was in no way inferior to the Yellow Springs Patriarch, who was renowned throughout the world for his art of assassination.

More crucially, the long robe he wore possessed a power to distort vision. Once activated, the dazzling light immediately captured everyone's gaze, drawing all attention to the brilliance emanating from it.

Taking advantage of this instant, a surprise assault stood an incredibly high chance of success.

When the Yellow Springs Patriarch sought to assassinate someone, he could remain dormant for days, unmoving as a stone. Furthermore, the stealth techniques of the Yellow Springs Sect were unparalleled, with few able to match them.

If a strike failed, he would immediately vanish a thousand li away—this was the defining characteristic that made even masters of the same level tremble at the mention of the Yellow Springs Patriarch’s name during combat.

But Franklin was distinctly different; he utilized his mastery over the power of light to engineer the perfect environment for his ambush, a method virtually guaranteed to succeed, especially during their initial encounter.

His approach was an overt act of treachery—even if you knew he was standing right before you, once captivated by the bewitching light, there was no escaping it.

Dust exploded upward from the ground as He Yiming’s body slammed heavily into the earth, carving out a massive pit upon impact.

This crushing blow seemed to strike directly at the hearts of the Eastern Venerables, including Jin Zhanyi, turning every one of their faces deathly pale.

Among them, perhaps some still harbored intense jealousy toward He Yiming, yet under these circumstances, not a single one wished to witness this spectacle.

Simultaneously, they clearly recognized the immense gulf separating a master of the Human Dao Pinnacle and a Five Qi Great Venerable—a gap that courage and confidence alone could never bridge.

However, just as everyone assumed He Yiming would be severely wounded, if not killed, the body lying prone on the ground suddenly sprang up as if powered by springs. He executed a somersault in mid-air before landing firmly at the edge of the crater.

Lifting his head, He Yiming glared hatefully at Franklin, who remained suspended above him. Yet, the words he spoke were completely at odds with his expression: "Your Majesty, the Pope, thank you for showing mercy."

The Eastern and Western Venerables looked momentarily stunned, then utterly bewildered.

It turned out the Pope had held back, allowing this Five Qi Great Venerable to leap up hale and hearty after taking what should have been a fatal blow. What utterly baffled them was why Franklin would show restraint. Could he possibly intend to capture He Yiming alive?

A faint, sharp glint flickered in Franklin’s eyes as he looked doubtfully at his Scepter of Light.

Only he knew that while that blow had not been delivered with his full strength, he certainly hadn't gone easy, either.

Even a master of the Human Dao Pinnacle at his own level would have been badly shaken by such an impact, at the very least spitting up a mouthful of blood as a customary sign of injury.

A Five Qi Great Venerable taking such a hit might survive, but lying around moaning and groaning for months would be the minimum consequence.

Yet, looking at He Yiming now, there wasn't even a hint of impending nausea or injury.

The old man’s gaze settled on He Yiming, silently observing the extremely peculiar black vest he wore, his expression growing increasingly solemn.

"A polite return is expected for a gift received. Your Majesty the Pope, please observe my Five Elements World," He Yiming said, a flush rising on his face as his heart surged with unprecedented confidence.

The Black Tortoise Shell truly lived up to its reputation as a super-treasure capable of ascending to the level of a Divine Artifact. Under its protection, he had sustained not a single scratch from the powerful assault of a Human Dao Pinnacle expert. Although the sheer force of the impact had still sent him flying, the power had never managed to penetrate the shell to reach his body.

What did this mean?

It meant that as long as he wore this shell, he was practically invincible!

The five-elemental light shimmered violently, gradually forming a strange rune in the sky. This was an offensive technique he had learned from the Five Elements Manual; under the circulation of the five elements’ power, the force unleashed by the Five Elements Ring became exponentially more varied and unpredictable.

The moment the massive rune materialized, it spontaneously detonated. Uniquely, however, the giant rune fractured into hundreds of tiny runes, which, driven by the Five Elements Ring, surged toward Franklin like self-sacrificing warriors.

The leading Western powerhouse snorted coldly. He had an ominous feeling that He Yiming genuinely did not plan to flee, but was instead buying time.

Yet, no matter how hard the old man racked his brain, he could not fathom what advantage delaying the fight would offer He Yiming.

In the Southern Sea Territory, only the Glass Old Ancestor of Glass Island was qualified to challenge him. But as far as Franklin knew, the Glass Old Ancestor had journeyed far north and was unlikely to return anytime soon.

Even within the Eastern lands now, perhaps only the Yellow Springs Patriarch was capable of stopping him.

However, Franklin absolutely did not believe the world-famous master assassin would intervene on behalf of these people.

After all, throughout the East, the Old Assassin had also been excluded from Bing Xiaotian’s plans; if he could swallow that insult, it would be a world wonder.

Shaking his head slightly, Franklin’s robes stirred once more, and a thread of magical light rippled outward from his body.

As this phenomenon unfolded before the onlookers, He Yiming’s heart seized with alarm. His feet seemed suddenly equipped with Wind Fire Wheels, and he immediately retreated rapidly backward.

The opponent’s blatant, undisguised style of surprise attack had made him intensely wary; he dared not remain foolishly stationary to receive another blow.

Franklin possessed precisely that level of overwhelming strength. He made it clear he intended to attack with this method, yet beneath the marvelous utility of these light forces, anyone below the Human Dao Pinnacle could neither effectively defend nor evade, leaving the only viable response to flee at full speed before the attack landed.

He Yiming’s movement was lightning fast, an almost subconscious reaction making the best possible choice.

Though the Black Tortoise Shell was formidable, it was not full-body armor; his head and limbs remained exposed outside the shell. If he were struck again in that vulnerable state, regret would come too late.

However, the speed of the Human Dao Pinnacle far exceeded He Yiming’s expectation.

Especially for this old man before him, whose command over the power of light—undoubtedly the swiftest of all known techniques—was absolute.

It was as if he had employed the teleportation supposedly usable only by those in the Divine Dao: the mysterious light permeating the sky vanished abruptly and reappeared instantly before He Yiming.

The corner of his eye twitching slightly, He Yiming swung the Five Elements Ring in his hand, unleashing the full force of its fivefold amplification. Simultaneously, the small runes he had previously launched completed a circuit in mid-air, striking like lightning toward Franklin’s rear flank.

Franklin reacted calmly, extending his short staff. Intense light power flared at the staff’s tip, piercing cleanly through He Yiming’s Five Elements power. The powerful residual energy did not dissipate but continued its trajectory, aiming directly at He Yiming.

This time, however, Franklin’s strike was lightning-fast and targeted He Yiming’s head.

Clearly, this old master, possessing an incredibly rich well of experience, might not have recognized the peculiar vest, but he possessed a very clear understanding of its defensive capabilities.

As for the thousand small runes flying from behind him, the Pope did not spare them a thought. As long as he could injure and capture the man before him, those trivial attacks would collapse on their own.

A strange smile suddenly bloomed on He Yiming’s face. Watching the potent light force, which had broken through the blockade of his Five Elements power, about to strike his skull, He Yiming’s head suddenly retracted sharply.

Then, for the first time, Franklin’s eyes widened in disbelief.

He Yiming’s head had vanished inward. The vest pressed against his body abruptly expanded by a full circle, now large enough to swallow his accursed head completely within the fabric.

With a deafening crash, Franklin’s powerful light energy slammed violently into the vest, producing a vast, resonant echo that stretched far and long.

He Yiming was flung away once more, but this time, he was propelled high into the sky.

Mid-air, He Yiming poked his head out, waving the Five Elements Ring in his hand without hesitation, causing the thousand small runes to detonate at that instant.

Yet, brilliant light erupted around Franklin’s body; he actually strode right through the explosion using his formidable light power. The might of the Human Dao Pinnacle was displayed unequivocally at this moment.

He looked down arrogantly, seemingly communicating to He Yiming that the vast difference in cultivation levels could never be overcome by mere tricks and petty cleverness. Then, his figure shot upward like lightning into the air.

Instantly, countless successive sonic booms, like firecrackers, erupted from that space.

However, He Yiming was clearly undaunted by his composure. Instead, he fiercely abandoned all defense, launching a nearly maniacal counter-assault with a spirit of utter fearlessness.

The multicolored light soaring everywhere gathered and dispersed here, pushing the power of the Five Elements to its absolute zenith.

Yet, despite the might of his attacks, against a Human Dao Pinnacle master, whatever technique he employed proved incapable of breaking through Franklin’s omnipresent light power.

Another tremendous crash echoed down from the sky, followed by a sharp, piercing shriek in the ears of the onlookers. He Yiming was once again sent hurtling toward the ground like an arrow loosed from a bow...