Among the Totem tribes, any individual who manages to advance to the realm of the Five Qi Grand Venerable is permitted to harness the Light of the Divine Weapon to envelop and carry their Sacred Beast in flight, and these companion Sacred Beasts place absolute trust in their partners, even willing to place their very lives in their hands.

Although He Yiming and the White Horse Thunder did not undergo the ancient ritual of the companion Sacred Beast, the bond of trust between them was in no way inferior to that of the Totem tribes.

When He Yiming unleashed the Five Elements Light Screen, the White Horse Thunder immediately submitted without resistance, allowing the power to envelop its body as it ascended into the sky.

At that moment, a cry of extreme delight erupted from its mouth.

In the recent battle against Franklin, although it had not been at a disadvantage, any fool could see that unleashing lightning strikes from the ground toward the sky required significantly more effort than hovering in mid-air and smashing power downward.

Furthermore, when Franklin elevated his body, he instantly pulled away from the battlefield, leaving the White Horse Thunder with nothing to do but glare impotently.

No matter how unwilling it was, it was powerless at that juncture.

But things were different now; by merging human and beast, it could soar across the heavens, borrowing He Yiming's strength. If Franklin wished to retreat from the fight again, it would not be so simple.

He Yiming let out a long laugh, saying, "Your Holiness the Pope, it seems you are also adept at the Human-Beast Unification of the Totem tribe. I, He Yiming, though unworthy, am willing to test your mastery with the same technique."

Franklin snorted coldly. Only at the moment he saw He Yiming and the White Horse Thunder take to the air did he grasp He Yiming’s cunning ploy.

For him, keeping the Temple Warhawk as his mount was merely a means to elevate his standing in the eyes of his followers, a way to be mythologized as much as possible.

While the Temple Warhawk was indeed a Sacred Beast, and a powerful flying one at that, he had never counted on it offering him any substantial aid in combat.

After all, battles between peak experts of the Human Dao were far beyond the scope of such Sacred Beasts to interfere in.

It could be said that if he were to confront an expert of the same rank while riding the Warhawk, the inevitable result would be defeat and concession due to the necessity of dividing his attention to care for the beast.

However, when He Yiming and the White Horse Thunder joined forces, their abilities complemented each other perfectly.

A White Horse Thunder capable of flight posed a far greater threat to him than a mere White Horse restricted to moving across water.

Although he could choose to attack the softer target first—He Yiming on the horse's back—the mere thought of the Profound Turtle Shell he wore made his head throb.

If even the Power of the Gods could not breach the Profound Turtle Shell, what means could possibly destroy it?

From a distance, looking at the beaming, smiling He Yiming, fury welled up in Franklin’s heart. He sneered coldly, "Shameless wretch."

He Yiming stroked the bridge of his nose and chuckled, "For the dignified Supreme Pope to make things difficult for a few newly ascended Venerable juniors—I wonder who is truly the shameless one."

Franklin was instantly struck dumb, and even his aged face flushed slightly.

If the others, like Bing Xiaotian, had not pushed things too far this time, sealing off their only chance to advance to the Divine Dao, how could he possibly stoop to such actions regardless of his status?

With a fierce snort, the anger drained from Franklin’s face, returning to normal instantly.

He waved his wide sleeve and declared, "Enough talk. Begin."

His robes, shimmering with strange colors, billowed out rapidly. The space around Franklin erupted in a dazzling, vibrant glow. As this light began to spread, both He Yiming and the White Horse Thunder lost sight of the man and the eagle.

Not only had their eyes lost track of the man and eagle, but even their senses could no longer perceive their whereabouts.

He Yiming inwardly started. He knew the robe Franklin wore was probably only meant to confuse the eye, but to conceal both his and his mount’s aura was surely the Pope’s own doing.

The legacies of the two great top powers in the West were ancient, almost rivaling the Five Elements Sect of the East. As the leader of one such power, possessing some wondrous Divine Weapons was only to be expected.

The Treasure Pig’s long snout suddenly twitched a few times. Its eyes gleamed faintly as it stared intently in one direction, tapping He Yiming’s Profound Turtle Shell with its small hoof. He Yiming glanced sideways, immediately understanding its meaning, and transmitted his thought to the White Horse Thunder.

Intense purple and silver-white electric arcs flared on the White Horse’s horn, then burst forth violently in a specific direction.

The powerful bolt, thick as a water bucket, tore through space, leaving a massive scar in the air.

Directly ahead of the lightning, a wall of light materialized abruptly, and then Franklin’s figure, standing upon the Temple Warhawk, reappeared.

The old man held a circular plate in his hand, which was currently spinning rapidly. Beams of light emanated from this plate, forcefully blocking the White Horse’s lightning strike.

He Yiming’s eyes widened the next instant. It wasn't surprising that Franklin could block a sudden attack; it would have been astonishing if he couldn't.

But the Divine Weapon Franklin wielded shocked He Yiming.

The plate’s design held no particular mystery; it looked no different from an ordinary jade disc. However, He Yiming knew this object must be a Divine Dao Treasure. Because he, too, possessed an identical jade disc on his person.

Though it was just a fleeting glimpse, He Yiming had the distinct feeling that the jade disc he obtained from the Land of Reincarnation and the one the opponent held were parts of a set, or perhaps two pieces from the same collection.

The powerful electric light finally dissipated in the air. Franklin’s face held unconcealed astonishment as he said in a deep voice, "How did you discover me?"

He Yiming chuckled; of course, he couldn't tell the truth and instead spouted nonsense, "Your Excellency’s Distortion Technique is formidable, but how could it possibly evade our spiritual sense?"

Franklin’s expression turned quite grave. He shook his head slightly. "This Divine Weapon in my hand is a Divine Dao Treasure. It possesses the profound ability to conceal one's aura. Even before I deploy the Light of Exploration, I cannot detect it. How did you achieve it?"

He Yiming raised his eyebrows slightly. This thing was indeed a Divine Dao Treasure.

The one he possessed only offered the marvelous utility of peeking and listening, while the one his opponent held had the function of concealing aura. If these two were not a set, he wouldn't believe it even if struck dead.

Though the Treasure Pig puffed out its chest, it prudently stayed tucked behind He Yiming, not daring to poke its head out.

If Franklin had been concealing his tracks using his inherent abilities, the Treasure Pig naturally wouldn't have found any clue. But unfortunately, this esteemed Pope possessed numerous treasures, and he happened to employ a certain Divine Dao Treasure to hide his whereabouts.

The Treasure Pig couldn't naturally detect his location, but it easily found the position of the Divine Dao Treasure itself.

To the Treasure Pig, that jade disc hidden in the sky was as conspicuous as a night-luminescent pearl in the dark. If it couldn't find it now, its treasure-hunting ability would have been cultivated in vain.

Seeing He Yiming smile without speaking, Franklin's expression darkened slightly. He waved his sleeve, and a white object suddenly appeared, shooting toward He Yiming like an arrow.

The electric charge on the White Horse Thunder's horn flickered once more, and a thick beam of lightning shot out ahead of He Yiming.

A faint popping sound echoed in the air. He Yiming hadn't even discerned what the Pope had fired before it was utterly annihilated by the White Horse’s lightning force, leaving no trace behind.

However, this momentary delay allowed Franklin, with a twist of his wrist, to retrieve the jade disc. Next, a black, sack-like object appeared in his hand.

His robes shimmered with light once more, completely obscuring his figure. Then, he and the Warhawk beneath him vanished once more into the void.

He Yiming let out a long breath. This old man's collection of Divine Weapons was truly endless. After the concealment ability of the jade disc was exposed, he immediately switched to another Divine Weapon, and even more surprisingly, this new weapon possessed the same capability.

However, as long as it was the effect of a Divine Weapon, He Yiming remained utterly fearless.

The Treasure Pig's long nose twitched slightly, and its small eyes fixed on another direction.

This time, the White Horse Thunder attacked proactively, without any prompting from He Yiming.

With a tremendous boom, Franklin and his Warhawk reappeared in the void, but this time his expression was extremely grim.

Having his attempts at concealment foiled twice by He Yiming—such an occurrence, let alone happening to the proud, centuries-old Pope of the Western Temple, would cause profound shock and rage even in an ordinary person.

He Yiming laughed heartily. He flipped his wrist, and five-colored light soared toward the sky, coalescing into five tangible flowers above his head.

These five tangible flowers spun like a giant wheel. The Five Elements Gate’s signature technique, the Five Elements Great Cycle of Flowers, which once claimed invincibility across the world, was officially revealed once more.

He Yiming’s body seemed to swell in size at this moment, all his strength condensed within the Five Elements World.

Instantly, the five-colored light, condensing all his power, surged toward Franklin.

A flicker of disdain crossed the Pope’s eyes. He had shattered He Yiming’s five-fold amplification power multiple times before. Although He Yiming was executing this maneuver with all his might, without reservation, the Pope still did not take it seriously.

However, just as he raised the Staff of Light in his hand, his eye twitched violently.

Because he suddenly noticed a phantom White Horse, formed entirely of lightning energy, abruptly appear behind the White Horse Thunder, following the surge of He Yiming’s Five Elements Great Cycle of Flowers.

Human-Beast Unification—their coordination was this flawless…