With a deafening roar, the immense lightning power unleashed by the White Horse was utterly shattered by the force of the Five Elements. This person’s casual attack actually revealed a might no less formidable than that of the White Horse.
Franklin’s aged face twitched slightly, and he spoke with chilling clarity, enunciating every word: “Peak of the Human Dao…”
Before this individual had even made a move, the powerful aura emanating from him had already caused a flicker of suspicion in Franklin. Yet, he understood even more clearly that the arrogance inherent in a Peak Human Dao expert might allow one to converse as an equal with Garfield, or perhaps even prompt him to kill a few people if their spirits aligned. But to subdue a Peak Human Dao expert, to make him willingly serve as a vassal—that was an almost unimaginable feat.
However, the moment this person attacked, the sheer power displayed instantly swept away the last vestiges of doubt in Franklin’s mind.
Only a true Peak Human Dao expert could possess such formidable might.
He Yi Ming’s face was ashen; he never expected to encounter this person here, and far more terrifyingly, that such an individual would be controlled by a powerhouse like Garfield.
His thoughts raced. He gently squeezed the White Horse’s flanks, and the White Horse Lightning immediately understood his intent. With a surge of its four hooves, the divine weapon’s light they radiated shot forward like a meteor.
The thunderous roar of lightning and the clash of multicolored light instantly intertwined. In mere moments, He Yi Ming and the White Horse had exchanged over a hundred blows with this adversary.
This person’s martial cultivation was indeed honed to the absolute extreme; even under the combined, fierce assault of He Yi Ming and the White Horse’s man-beast fusion, he was only slightly disadvantaged.
But after hundreds of direct collisions, the aura of this individual finally faltered for a fleeting instant.
He Yi Ming struck like lightning, raising his hand lightly, and an invisible sword suddenly darted forth.
Although the opponent’s attacks were powerful, his profound combat instincts registered intense danger. He tilted his head sharply backward, successfully evading the incursion of that wisp of invisible sword energy. However, He Yi Ming had never expected to slay this person with a single strike when he launched his attack; thus, as the sword passed, it merely succeeded in shattering the mask concealing the opponent’s face.
The White Horse Lightning instantly retreated ten zhang. He Yi Ming stared at the familiar features, and a profound sense of dread settled in his heart.
The Old Ancestor of the Yu family. It was indeed him—the ancestor they had encountered on the sea vessel, who had engaged in a fierce battle with the White Horse Lightning.
He took a deep breath and stated, “Council Speaker, if my guess is not mistaken, you were delayed precisely because of this man.”
A strange light flickered in Garfield’s eyes, and he nodded slightly. “Indeed. Judging by your reaction, perhaps you recognize him.”
He Yi Ming let out a wry chuckle. “I certainly recognize him, and in fact, I have crossed swords with him before.”
Garfield’s surprise deepened, and his voice rose marginally. “He was injured by you?”
He Yi Ming’s mind shifted instantly, and his expression changed to one of feigned astonishment. “Is he injured? I was unaware.”
Garfield regarded He Yi Ming seriously, seemingly doubting his words.
Franklin’s expression was equally grave. He said coldly, “Garfield, what exactly is going on here?”
The two men were once absolute adversaries, yet now they were reluctantly standing on the same side. And when questioned by the Pope himself, Garfield could not afford to be flippant.
He hesitated for a moment before slowly saying, “A few days ago, while I was traveling to the Star Islands, I suddenly encountered him moving swiftly across the sea. He bore a potent dark aura. Driven by curiosity, I followed. After tracking him for several days, I finally captured him and took him as a slave.” He inclined his head slightly toward Franklin. “I apologize for the delay this caused, Your Majesty.”
Though his telling was brief, He Yi Ming and the others understood that in order to subdue this man, a violent battle must have ensued, otherwise, a delay of several days would have been impossible.
In truth, when Garfield discovered the Old Ancestor of the Yu family and sensed the strange aura emanating from him, he immediately felt he had struck pure gold.
As one of the most powerful Peak Human Dao experts of the dark lineage, he could discern that the life force on the Old Ancestor of the Yu family belonged to a dead man. However, some power was being channeled through this corpse, completely unlocking the latent potential within the body and elevating him to the level of a Peak Human Dao expert.
Therefore, he went to great lengths, employing several heaven-defying secret arts of the dark lineage, finally succeeding in controlling this puppet.
Yet, while he had heard of the Blood Condensing People of the Eastern world, he was completely ignorant of a supreme puppet forged using a Blood Condensing Person in conjunction with a Five Elements Body.
This was not due to his ignorance; it was simply that the Old Ancestor of the Yu family was the very first formally manifested puppet created using this refinement technique. Even with Garfield’s vast experience, he could not fathom the critical core of the matter.
However, he was supremely satisfied with this puppet, possessing a satisfaction beyond measure.
A puppet equivalent to a Peak Human Dao expert—what immense power that represented. Even in the Divine Dao era, such a puppet would have been among the world’s elite, let alone in this age where the Divine Dao had vanished.
The art of puppetry was not unfamiliar in the Western world, especially the dark sphere, which boasted over a hundred methods for cultivating puppets.
Yet, no matter the method used to create them, those puppets could not hold a candle to the one he now commanded.
Never mind a Peak Human Dao puppet; even a puppet at the level of a Five Qi Great Venerable was a miracle appearing only once in a millennium.
Even with Garfield’s strength and confidence, upon seeing the Old Ancestor of the Yu family, he felt a pang of inadequacy.
At the very least, with the world’s vital energy significantly diminished, the Western world could never refine a puppet that had reached such a realm.
This was the true reason he had gone to such trouble, sparing no effort and risking breaking his appointment, determined to secure this rare puppet.
Franklin’s expression calmed; he appeared to accept the apology, then stated, “Garfield, I have two pieces of news for you.” He paused, his gaze fixed on He Yi Ming. “Because of this man’s interference and your breach of appointment, those newly ascended Venerables from the East have all departed.”
“I understand. This person possesses a top-tier Sacred Beast, so you couldn’t keep them safely. In that case, perhaps abandoning the plan is better,” Garfield mused before nodding. “Then what is the other piece of news?”
Franklin’s face remained impassive. “The other news is good: the Yellow Springs Old Ancestor from the East has agreed to ally with us.”
A flicker of relief indeed crossed Garfield’s face. This was genuinely welcome tidings. With three Peak Human Dao experts joining forces, even if Bing Xiao Tian managed to gather a larger contingent, they would not dare to disregard this coalition.
He Yi Ming’s lips twitched slightly; the disguise technique of the One Hundred and Eight was too potent—it had successfully deceived even Franklin into having no lingering suspicion.
Franklin pointed towards He Yi Ming. “You know his identity. If we can secure him, Emperor Shi Tian will certainly compromise with us. This is even more valuable than retaining all the new Eastern experts.”
Garfield’s eyes instantly lit up; he grasped the implication immediately.
He Yi Ming’s expression, however, became considerably grim. Although the White Horse Lightning was now a supreme Sacred Beast, before him stood three Peak Human Dao experts. By all appearances, he was at a distinct disadvantage.
He suddenly burst into loud laughter, the sound carrying far, and called out, “Gimo Fanshu, why don’t you show yourself?”
Franklin and Garfield both stiffened, immediately becoming fully alert.
Though Garfield trusted that the Pope would not speak rashly, hearing that name sent a chill down both their spines. The title of the World’s Number One Assassin commanded fear even among masters of the same rank.
The surface of the sea abruptly cracked open, and three jets of water shot upward, flying toward the three of them.
Franklin and the other dared not delay. Brilliant light and dark radiance simultaneously surged from their bodies. As for the Old Ancestor of the Yu family, he remained unmoved, but the multicolored light shimmering around him intensified.
The three water jets instantly struck the three Peak Human Dao experts but inflicted no damage. This was because the power contained within the water arrows was far too weak.
Such power might offer a slight deterrent to a Five Qi Great Venerable, but it was insufficient to stir a Peak Human Dao master.
Nevertheless, the two top Western experts dared not underestimate the entity concealed beneath the waves.
Even with their strength, they had failed to detect this person’s life signature. Before this entity acted, they hadn't even sensed anyone lurking below. Even more frighteningly, even after this initial strike, they remained completely unaware of his presence.
Such formidable concealment ability was shocking and almost unbelievable.
At that moment, a single name flashed through both their minds—only one specific Peak Human Dao expert possessed the capability to achieve such a feat.
The airflow around them whipped into a frenzy. By the time the two top experts reacted, they realized He Yi Ming, astride the White Horse, had already reached the surface and was fleeing into the distance like a shooting star.
The Pope and the Guild Master exchanged glances, their eyes reflecting a hesitation, mixed with a deep, profound confusion.
What connection did the Yellow Springs Old Ancestor have with He Yi Ming that compelled him to intervene on his behalf?
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