Without any warning, the moment that black Chajian (Forked Sword) broke the surface of the sea and emerged, everyone noticed the powerful master hidden there.

Jimo Fanshu's gaze was as cold as ice; though his heart was filled with hatred, his state of mind remained unshakable.

This was the composure of the world's foremost assassin; even when his sworn enemy appeared before him, unless the person was slain, he would not betray a sliver of killing intent, but rather conceal all murderous thoughts and aura beyond detection.

This strike represented the entirety of his gathered strength, unleashing the full might of a Nine Heavens expert in that very instant.

Given Garfield’s current predicament—the oppressive weight of Divine Power bearing down from above, the surrounding invisible swords weaving about him, coupled with this sudden, fatal blow from below—

Even another Nine Heavens master would, at this moment, be thrown into disarray, perhaps even unable to escape calamity.

Yet, Garfield’s eyes betrayed no trace of panic. It seemed he had long anticipated someone would launch a sneak attack. With a slight flick of his wrist, the Dark Chains materialized below. Equally pitch-black, yet representing two distinct forms of dark power, they collided fiercely in that moment.

A sound like muffled thunder roared out, and massive currents of air surged outwards in all directions.

When Jimo Fanshu’s Chajian met Garfield’s Dark Chains, he instantly understood that this Godfather of the West was matching him blow for blow, committing his full power.

It seemed Garfield had paid no mind to He Yiming's threat, but had instead saved all his strength specifically for the moment of his appearance.

And almost the moment Jimo Fanshu burst from the water, Franklin also moved. The Pontiff, who represented the lineage of Light in the West, raised his Staff of Radiance and pointed it forward.

Vast swathes of light erupted, forming a luminous world above Garfield’s head.

Neither He Yiming’s invisible swords nor the colossal peak, heavy as Mount Tai, could penetrate this illuminated realm.

White Horse Thunder let out a sudden, long neigh, and a gigantic pillar of purple light flashed from its horn, striking towards the Yu Family Ancestor off to the side.

Although this Yu Family Ancestor had charged forward with Garfield initially, for some unknown reason, he had paused midway, seemingly unwilling to join forces with the Chairman.

But He Yiming knew that this puppet, now devoid of autonomous will, was merely acting on a subtle suggestion from Garfield, which was why he had halted.

At this moment, as the Yellow Springs Ancestor appeared, the puppet also stirred restlessly. However, before it could fully launch an attack, the prepared White Horse Thunder preemptively unleashed its electrical power, forcing the top-tier puppet to retreat sharply.

This series of sudden developments, beginning with the Yellow Springs Ancestor’s move, concluded entirely in an instant.

The changes were dizzying. Apart from the few peak powerhouses present, even the ordinary Venerables watching from afar could not comprehend what had transpired in that brief flash.

In their sight, the only thing they witnessed was the countless, ever-shifting radiance; beyond that, they knew nothing.

Dark power churned here as the two most weighty figures in the world of darkness separated after a clash executed at their absolute peak state.

The Yellow Springs Ancestor lightly touched the water's surface with his feet, instantly gliding ten zhang away. He stared coldly at Garfield and declared, "You were prepared; you knew I was coming!"

That straightforward strike had made the Yellow Springs Ancestor realize his opponent was also poised for battle, and the target was definitely not He Yiming, who had been entangled with him initially.

When facing a Nine Heavens expert at the pinnacle of the Human Dao, yet reserving full strength to deal with someone else—in this world, the only one who could command such caution from him could only be the Yellow Springs Ancestor.

A faint smile flickered across Garfield’s gaunt face, though the skin on his face was ancient, like withered tree bark, causing hairs to stand on end.

"We knew you were coming a long time ago," Garfield’s eyes flashed sharply. "If you hadn't shown up, we truly wouldn't have been at ease."

Jimo Fanshu slowly lowered his gaze and whispered, "So you already knew I was coming. Very good, very good..."

His tone was utterly flat, yet inexplicably, everyone present felt a chilling dread, as if a frog had been targeted by the world's most venomous King Cobra—a coldness stemming from the deepest part of their being.

He Yiming broke out in a cold sweat; perhaps he alone understood the reason.

One-Zero-Eight had previously posed as the Yellow Springs Ancestor in front of Franklin and had attacked these three Human Dao peak experts with water arrows from the sea.

Thus, when He Yiming appeared, both the Temple's Pontiff and the Dark Chairman subconsciously associated him with the Yellow Springs Ancestor. And in reality, the moment the Yellow Springs Ancestor stepped forward and struck, the matter was completely cemented.

In the minds of those two Western powerhouses, their connection with the Yellow Springs Ancestor was established. And it was certain that no matter how He Yiming or the Yellow Springs Ancestor explained, they would not believe it.

And in the heart of the Yellow Springs Ancestor, due to Garfield’s targeted attitude toward him, he was convinced that the Western powers must have killed Hao Xue precisely to seize the puppet and were thus guarding against him in every way.

This entire situation could only be described by the term "twist of fate," yet it was clear that He Yiming had no intention of resolving this misunderstanding.

Franklin's face darkened. He spoke loudly, "Sect Master Fanshu, it's a shame you are a Nine Heavens expert, but..."

He Yiming's eyes darted, and he immediately realized Franklin was about to accuse the Yellow Springs Ancestor of breaking a past promise.

But in truth, the person who had made that promise to Franklin was One-Zero-Eight, not Jimo Fanshu. If the Pontiff were to loudly proclaim this now, it would surely breed suspicion in He Yiming's heart.

Looking up, He Yiming let out a sudden, long roar; the sound, like muffled thunder, immediately cut off the Pontiff's unfinished words.

He Yiming pointed towards Franklin and shouted, "Pontiff, during our previous encounter, I was fortunate to receive your guidance, and I am profoundly grateful. However, today I wish to seek further instruction; I ask that you be generous in imparting your knowledge."

His words poured out like the spin of Feng Huo Lun (Wind and Fire Wheels), and simultaneously, he exerted a slight force with his legs, causing White Horse Thunder to surge forward like lightning.

The White Horse held a vivid memory of the strange, oddly clad old man before them, recognizing him as a top-tier powerhouse. Sensing He Yiming's intent to kill, it no longer insisted on fighting alone.

The true essence of man and horse instantly merged into one. Five-colored light sprouted beneath the White Horse’s hooves, and it flew toward the Pontiff suspended in mid-air, treading upon this radiance.

Garfield hesitated for a moment. He made a gesture, and the vacant-eyed Yu Family Ancestor surprisingly turned, seemingly intending to pursue He Yiming and the White Horse. But Jimo Fanshu let out a cold laugh, emitting a strange cry from his mouth.

Instantly, the Yu Family Ancestor’s movement stopped. A huhu sound escaped its throat, and its eyes immediately turned blood-red, sending chills down their spines.

Garfield's face changed dramatically. This puppet was one of his trump cards, yet unexpectedly, the Yellow Springs Ancestor used some technique to cause such a drastic alteration.

However, the secret arts inherited by the Dark Council over thousands of years were not to be trifled with either. He began chanting an obscure incantation while continuously tracing patterns in the air with both hands.

After several breaths, the fierce expression on the Yu Family Ancestor's face had calmed, and even the blood-red tint in his eyes gradually receded.

Jimo Fanshu snorted in anger. Witnessing the opposing secret art, he became even more certain that this was the person who had captured the Yu Family Ancestor’s puppet. Otherwise, how could he have severed the mental link between the Blood Coagulator and himself, and prevented the Coagulator from controlling this Five Elements body?

His figure flickered, and Jimo Fanshu advanced several paces across the sea. With every step he took, several illusory figures materialized around him. Each figure seemed real, and the Chajian held by each one exuded an intense, ultimate killing aura.

Under this sharp, menacing killing intent, even Garfield felt a profound threat.

In his eyes, Jimo Fanshu seemed to have transformed into the legendary Grim Reaper, except that in his hands, he held not a massive scythe, but a magical Chajian that was in no way inferior.

His wrist moved rapidly, and the Dark Chains whipped up sheets of black light around him, dark-elemental secret arts raining down from his hands.

In an instant, these two leaders of the Eastern and Western dark worlds engaged in a life-and-death battle at their highest intensity.

Of course, even at the height of their struggle, neither abandoned their attempt to control the Yu Family Ancestor puppet.

Jimo Fanshu continuously utilized mental intent to call out to the Blood Coagulator, while Garfield, in response, constantly cast Dark Secret Arts to reinforce and stabilize his own control.

The Yu Family Ancestor had seemingly become another battlefield over which they fought, allowing them to vie for control of the puppet even while locked in mortal combat.

However, compared to Jimo Fanshu's burning hatred, Garfield felt rather bewildered.

He could not fathom why the Yellow Springs Ancestor, who presumably shared the same desire for Millennium Ice Island as he did, would be fighting him so aggressively.

The only explanation he could arrive at was that this situation must be related to He Yiming.

If they were to learn the true facts, who knew whether this top Western powerhouse would regret the immense effort spent on reclaiming the Yu Family Ancestor puppet.

But under the current circumstances, he had no room for regret.

For the dignity of the Nine Heavens pinnacle of the Human Dao, and for the honor of the Eastern and Western dark worlds, since this battle had begun, there was no turning back.