His form flickered with incredible speed, arriving at one of the sea islands like a bolt of lightning.

With eyes as sharp as electricity, Jimo Fanshu swept his gaze across the landscape just once before his focus locked onto the newly erected grave mound.

Given the depth of his experience, he could instantly tell the grave had been freshly dug. The fact that someone had the leisure to dig a grave after such a massive battle was undeniably astonishing.

In the Eastern world, desecrating a tomb was undoubtedly a grievous offense. Yet, Jimo Fanshu made no hesitation as he acted. He waved his hands a few times in the air, and the earth began to churn as if being turned over by two massive excavators.

In mere moments, the entire tomb was exposed, and the face of the occupant within became clearly visible.

Jimo Fanshu’s expression shifted immediately; he was certainly not unfamiliar with this face.

Just two days prior, they had engaged in a life-or-death struggle, each striving to eliminate the other for the sake of their respective honors in the dark world and the irreconcilable conflict over the Ancestor of the Yu family.

It was regrettable that he had wisely chosen to retreat upon facing the combined might of the two Western powerhouses, thus missing the subsequent turn of events. Now, however, it seemed he had overlooked something quite interesting.

Bending down, Jimo Fanshu examined the corpse of the old dark master closely, his face growing increasingly solemn.

Garfield had not only suffered irreparable trauma to his chest and abdomen but was also missing one of his limbs and one of his feet. Even racking his brain, Jimo Fanshu could not conceive of the circumstances that could inflict such devastating injuries.

Recalling the shift in the world’s power he had sensed that day, the old man’s complexion paled slightly.

Divine Path…

That was impossible in this world; this fact had been recognized by every powerhouse for millennia. This world had long lost the fertile soil required to nurture those who walked the Divine Path.

He gazed silently at the corpse before him, his eyes faintly glowing, deep in thought.

After a long pause, he let out a soft sigh. With a gentle wave of his hands, the displaced earth once again covered the remains. He pressed his palms together and bowed deeply towards the solitary, unmarked grave.

Then, he turned and strode across the sea, disappearing into the distant line where ocean met sky.

The direction he took was not toward the West where He Yiming and Franklin had fled, but eastward, towards the mainland.

This powerful peak expert of the Human Dao, the Ancestor of the Yellow Springs, infamous as the world’s number one assassin, seemed to have abandoned any thought of further pursuit.

※※※※

Far ahead, the White Horse suddenly slowed. A strange light flickered in its beautiful large eyes, and it let out a soft, dissatisfied snort, seemingly complaining about the little treasure pig resting its head upon its horn like a pillow.

Since leaving that nameless island, they had followed the direction indicated by the Treasure Pig, pursuing relentlessly toward the West.

It was unknown whether the Treasure Pig was truly scenting His Holiness the Pope or merely the scent of immense wealth emanating from Franklin’s possessions. Regardless, under the Pig’s guidance, they had definitely gained ground. Yet, even now, they had yet to catch sight of His Holiness.

The Treasure Pig snorted a few times, seemingly defending itself, though an undeniable undertone of frustration could be heard in its noises.

Together, these two Sacred Beasts formed the world's optimal tracking unit. One nose possessed the ability to pierce the heavens; as long as a trace remained, no one could hide their escape route from the Treasure Pig. The other’s speed was unmatched in the world. Even though the White Horse Lightning had not yet fully mastered the technique of aerial flight, its sheer velocity was still unparalleled.

But for the moment, all that seemed useless.

He Yiming was certain that Franklin had detected their pursuit—or rather, that His Holiness of the Divine Hall had anticipated they would not let him go when fleeing. Thus, Franklin’s escape route was exceptionally erratic.

Even the Treasure Pig, while tracking, was darting up and down, sometimes plunging beneath the waves, sometimes breaching the surface. The frequency with which the direction shifted made He Yiming inwardly wary.

By now, he was convinced that the Treasure Pig’s tracking was not merely dependent on its sense of smell. Instead, like its peculiar treasure-seeking ability, it relied on some ineffable innate talent, allowing it to keep so close behind Franklin.

If they had relied only on himself and the White Horse Lightning, they would have been lost miles behind long ago.

Suddenly, the Treasure Pig thrust out its long snout, its small eyes blazing with a mixture of surprise and delight. He Yiming rejoiced inwardly, "Treasure Pig, we’ve caught up!"

The Pig tilted its head, considered for a moment, then nodded, then shook its head, subsequently squealing and snorting for a long time.

He Yiming slapped his forehead. The little creature’s method of communication was truly bizarre and difficult to decipher. However, He Yiming wasn't overly concerned; his team possessed a translator who was virtually omniscient.

"Brother Bai, what did the Treasure Pig say?"

"It says we have run into two Saint Beast Kings. The two Saint Beast Kings fought, obscuring the scent trail of Franklin," Hundred and Eight stated calmly.

He Yiming’s brows twitched. "We can’t find him now?"

The Treasure Pig huffed a few times, its chest puffed out comically.

"We can find him, but we must drive away these two Saint Beast Kings. Their auras are too strong; they are interfering with the Pig’s judgment."

"Then drive them away," He Yiming said coldly. "If they know their place, so be it. If not, hmph..."

Hundred and Eight glanced at him silently. "These are two Outer Sea Saint Beast Kings."

He Yiming’s eyes immediately widened, and a wry smile touched his lips. Franklin had excellent luck to encounter two Outer Sea Saint Beast Kings in the vast, boundless ocean.

Were they merely terrestrial or Inner Sea Saint Beast Kings, even one like the Spirit Elephant King possessing the light-transformation talent, or the Black Shark King near Penglai Immortal Island, He Yiming would not have been overly concerned. But the Saint Beast Kings of the Outer Seas were far beyond comparison to those in the Inner Seas.

The dangers of the Outer Seas were immeasurably greater than those of the Inner Seas, and the marine life thriving there was significantly more formidable.

Consequently, any creature reigning supreme in the Outer Seas and heralded as a Saint Beast King must be among the very pinnacle of Sacred Beasts.

On the mainland and in the Inner Seas, reaching the top tier usually required the bloodline of a Divine Beast. But in the Outer Seas, that rule had long been broken.

Those powerful Outer Sea Sacred Beasts surpassed the lifespan and might achievable by their Inner Sea counterparts. The Saint Beast Kings bred among them were battle-hardened veterans whose strength would not be inferior to the current White Horse Lightning.

He gave a slight snort. "Franklin must have done this deliberately. But how could he have slipped away without alerting these two Outer Sea Saint Beast Kings?"

The Outer Sea Saint Beast Kings were beings of immense power. Any contemporary expert appearing near them would certainly be viewed as a challenger. Furthermore, they would not recognize the exalted status of the Divine Hall’s Pope. If they had picked up Franklin’s scent, they would certainly have engaged him. Yet, the ocean here was excessively quiet. He Yiming was certain there had been no violent battles here, otherwise the surrounding aura and Heaven and Earth Power would not be so tranquil.

"The secret arts of the West Divine Hall might have helped him mask his movements," White Radish said gravely. "What do you plan to do?"

He Yiming’s gaze drifted towards the Ancestor of the Yu family. He directed his thoughts to inquire with the will of the Blood Coagulant.

They had already chased for tens of thousands of miles. Although they had been circling the ocean, the Heaven and Earth Power here was far denser than around that island.

This meant that if the Ancestor of the Yu family was willing, he could certainly unleash that earth-shattering strike reserved for those of the Divine Path.

Once this was confirmed, He Yiming gently patted the horse’s head. An overwhelming aura, reaching the absolute zenith, erupted from the White Horse Lightning, and He Yiming simultaneously unleashed his own power without reservation.

The man and the horse shared an understanding forged long ago. Their auras intertwined, complementing each other like the Five Elements, subtly showing signs of merging.

Truthfully, in terms of cooperative synchronization, they were far less practiced than they had been on the continent.

After all, the speed at which their strength had grown during this journey into the Southern Sea was absolutely incredible; they hadn't fully adapted to their own and each other's rapid power surge. Perfect coordination like before would require months of continued interaction.

However, precisely because their combined strength had reached such an extreme, even with minor imperfections in their synergy, the sheer power of the aura they projected far surpassed anything they had achieved previously.

The entire sea surface rippled outward in concentric waves—a spectacular phenomenon resulting from the sudden explosion of accumulated power. At that moment, their combined aura felt almost tangible.

Beneath the sea, immediate turbulence erupted as two gigantic Outer Sea Saint Beast Kings returned the challenge, releasing their own formidable auras without yielding an inch.

Here, two entities reigned supreme and did as they pleased in the Outer Seas. Even there, they rarely encountered challengers. But venturing into the Inner Seas, someone had audaciously intruded upon their territory, emitting an aura laced with intense hostility, naturally inciting their fury.

These two angry auras rapidly surged toward He Yiming and his companions. As they advanced, the surrounding seawater boiled more intensely. Just from this manner of emergence, He Yiming knew that what was about to appear must be two gargantuan Outer Sea Saint Beast Kings.

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