The colossal dragon's roar, accompanied by an unimaginably potent surge of fire-elemental power, descended upon Franklin like an overwhelming tide.

At that moment, even His Holiness the Pontiff of the Temple felt an unsettling sensation, as if this small Sacred Beast were intentionally luring him into a trap.

When the Nine Dragons merged as one, the sheer might radiated by the massive fire dragon was terrifying. The surging torrent of fire power made even him’s heart tremble. Furthermore, woven within the fierce flames was a roar carrying a dragon's might so formidable it could stun a Venerable Master. When combined, the released power had actually surpassed the limits of a Human Dao Apex expert.

The Nine Heavens were known as the Human Dao Apex, meaning their strength had reached the ultimate zenith attainable by humanity. This level of power was second only to the Divine Dao. Even among all the supreme Sacred Beasts in the world, while they might surpass Human Dao Apex experts in total power volume, the level of their strength was, at best, on par with them.

To advance further meant entering the realm of the Divine Dao, a domain that the world no longer permitted to exist.

Though the power spewed from the mouth of that massive fire dragon did not exceed the power tier of this limit, it nonetheless exceeded the maximum output achievable by a single Ninth Heaven expert.

The combined might of the Nine Dragons merging, along with the Dragon's Roar, was in no way inferior to the peak strength of a Human Dao Apex master.

With these two forces complementing each other, the resulting power compelled even Franklin to evade without hesitation.

In that instant, an overwhelming sorrow filled the heart of His Holiness the Pontiff. Be it He Yiming’s Man-and-Weapon Unity, or this little piglet’s Nine Dragons Unity, these seemed to be forces beyond his capacity to counter.

The immense roar carried far, echoing across the vast expanse of the sea area.

The intense pressure caused even the two Dark Faction overlords, locked in a deadly struggle, a moment of stunned pause. Yet, their resolve was far beyond that of ordinary men. After a slight hesitation, they immediately became entangled once more.

Franklin, having just dodged the fire dragon's breath and its thunderous roar, shook his head, a faint dizziness still lingering in his mind.

The entirety of Baozhu’s strength had been directed at him. Although his movements were swift enough to avoid the epicenter of the power, he could not completely escape the vortex, and some impact was unavoidable.

Having witnessed Baozhu’s overwhelming strength, a thought of retreat began to form in his mind.

What kind of companions surrounded He Yiming? These were definitely individuals not to be trifled with.

The moment this thought crossed his mind, he saw the fire dragon hanging in the air suddenly detonate, scattering countless sparks that instantly covered the entire island and the surrounding waters.

The two sea vessels moored near the shore were instantly ignited by this rain of fire and quickly burned down to ash. The entire island transformed into a scene resembling the Shura Hell; every plant, every tree, every bird and beast, and even they—the temporary guests from the West—were engulfed in this sea of fire.

Franklin’s face turned ashen, but his apprehension toward Baozhu deepened.

However, the subsequent turn of events greatly astonished him.

After exploding the fire dragon, the little piglet tumbled downward. Despite the magnificent display just now, it seemed to have expended every last bit of its power, unable to sustain itself any longer.

A flash of white light, and He Yiming caught Baozhu securely. He inwardly marveled that after enduring the baptism of the lava, Baozhu was no longer someone to be underestimated.

Franklin’s expression shifted subtly. He immediately seized the opportunity to launch an offensive without a second thought. With He Yiming holding the exhausted Baozhu, this was undoubtedly the perfect moment to strike.

He Yiming snorted in anger and hurled his golden Earth Divine Power forward once more.

Under the assault of Divine Power, Franklin had no choice but to retreat three steps.

Yet, at that very moment, they heard a piercing, agonizing scream filled with suffering.

He Yiming froze momentarily. That cry was profoundly shocking because he had never heard a howl infused with such absolute torment.

Their gazes turned toward a specific spot. There, the Yu Family Ancestor held his head in his hands, emitting sounds of extreme agony from his mouth.

This was the voice of a puppet, but more so, it was the voice of the Blood Condensation Man. Through this Five Elements body, a frantic cry erupted, overflowing with pain that defied description.

Subtly, He Yiming’s expression darkened. He realized that, at this moment, the Yellow Springs Ancestor seemed to have gained a slight upper hand.

Although the two Ninth Heaven experts had not yet settled their match, in the contest for control of the puppet, the original owner, Ji Mofan Shu, held a small advantage.

After all, to forge this puppet, Ji Mofan Shu had not only implanted the Blood Condensation Man he had cultivated for hundreds of years but had also personally tempered it with his vital blood for several months; the effort invested was immeasurable.

While Garfield’s techniques were all top-tier methods passed down through the Dark Alliance over millennia, as the power of the Blood Condensation Man began to awaken under Ji Mofan Shu’s influence, even the Dark World’s most potent secret arts were unlikely to maintain control over this terrifying entity.

When He Yiming launched his attacks using Earth Divine Power, he showed absolutely no restraint, which greatly frustrated Franklin, who was reluctant to meet the power head-on with his Light Divine Power.

The mighty Pontiff suspected how He Yiming could possess such an abundance of Earth Divine Power. Was He Yiming himself constructed entirely of Earth Divine Power?

He did not know that within He Yiming's body resided multiple types of Divine Power, and within the special confines of the Chaos Dantian, even though the incomplete Five Elements Divine Power could not generate endlessly, both the total quantity and the recovery speed of the Divine Power far surpassed what other Ninth Heaven experts could manage.

This was why He Yiming immediately employed Divine Power upon their first contact; he was bullying them with a superior layer of energy.

Only by thoroughly suppressing all the Ninth Heaven experts, forcing them to dare not clash directly with him, could he fully vent the wrath accumulated in his heart.

In the past, these Human Dao Apex experts had driven him into a desperate flight. Now, with fortunes shifting—thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—it was his turn to drive the other Human Dao Apex experts into scattering in disarray.

As he briefly diverted his attention to the death match between the two Dark Faction leaders, a faint smugness swelled in his chest. Although this entire misunderstanding was largely caused by coincidence, his role in pulling the strings was indispensable.

He muttered inwardly, Let them fight; it’s no sin. The sooner they kill each other, the sooner they reincarnate.

If these two could manage a mutual kill, that would be the perfect outcome. Even if they both ended up heavily wounded, he would certainly not mind playing the role of the fisherman in the clam and the heron fight.

However, perhaps it was a case of joy preceding sorrow.

When Baozhu’s Dragon’s Roar concluded, and the Yu Family Ancestor also lifted his head and began to scream desperately, He Yiming’s expression drastically changed. He cried out inwardly that things were going badly, and even the arm wielding the Five Elements Ring felt weak.

This was because an unexpected change was occurring within his body.

In the Chaos Dantian, the Blood Condensation Man, which had remained dormant, had started to stir.

Based purely on its inherent strength, the Blood Condensation Man had not yet reached a level where it could fully revive. But for some unknown reason, upon hearing the puppet’s anguished cries, even the latent Blood Condensation Man seemed highly stimulated and began to become restless.

This development caught He Yiming completely off guard; he didn't even know what had triggered it.

Franklin, his opponent, was overjoyed. When He Yiming’s Earth Divine Power waned, he had assumed He Yiming had exhausted all the accumulated Divine Power in his body.

After all, the amount of Divine Power He Yiming had unleashed today was immense; even Franklin doubted he could expend such potent Divine Power so recklessly in one go.

However, just as he was secretly gloating, he sensed an anomalous change spreading out from He Yiming’s body.

It was a kind of aura, an exceedingly mystical one, yet this aura made the Pontiff feel an intense sense of danger.

The Yu Family Ancestor’s expression suddenly went blank. He looked like a mindless automaton; neither the summons from the Yellow Springs Ancestor nor the secret arts from the Dark Alliance seemed to have any effect on him.

Both Dark Faction powerhouses were greatly astonished. They vaguely felt that some major change must have occurred within the puppet, rendering them unable to exert control.

Suddenly, the puppet did something that utterly baffled everyone.

It turned and charged straight toward He Yiming.

At this moment, the Yu Family Ancestor’s face was contorted from excessive pain, his eyes blazing with blood-red fury. His entire being radiated a dangerous and frenzied aura, making even Franklin, with his Light powers, involuntarily shudder.

Lightning crackled around the horn of the White Horse, seemingly ready to deliver a fatal strike at any moment.

Baozhu, lying listlessly in He Yiming’s embrace, managed to lift his head, his small eyes filled with confusion.

He Yiming took a deep breath. He could clearly sense the Blood Condensation Man inside him beginning to move; it was actually traveling along the meridians to his fingertip.

Although He Yiming did not understand how the one hundred and eight Sarira could shrink to this extent, it did not impede his actions.

The Yu Family Ancestor opened his mouth wide, his entire body turning fiery red.

All the restraints Garfield had imposed upon him vanished at that instant, but the puppet did not revert to Ji Mofan Shu’s control. Instead, with unimaginable courage, it abandoned its hands, opened its maw wide, and lunged toward He Yiming’s neck.

Gently, he extended a single finger.

As if rehearsed thousands of times beforehand, this finger, imbued with a strange crimson hue, lightly tapped the center of the Yu Family Ancestor’s brow...

P.S.: Sigh... Asking for monthly tickets!