As the union of light and dark commenced, He Yiming’s movements were exceptionally cautious; his entire focus was concentrated on this single point, with no room left for distraction.

He understood that this would be the most crucial test he had faced thus far. If he could forge the power of the light-dark convergence within his Dantian, it would mean he had truly mastered a transcendent power—a peak force that would grant him an advantage even when confronting a powerhouse of the Ninth Heaven in the Divine Path.

Although he might not be able to wield this power to counter the Heaven and Earth might of a Blood Condensation expert in the Divine Path before stepping onto that path himself, he was certain he could gain a significant upper hand when facing others at the peak of the Ninth Heaven in the Human Path.

Re-placing the Crown of Light upon his head, a massive, inexhaustible surge of luminous power flooded back into his body. However, having experienced it once before, He Yiming was now quite accustomed to this force. He drew deep breaths, monitoring the balance between the light energy and the sinister Yin Sha Qi, carefully attempting to bind them together.

Slowly, He Yiming discovered something quite fascinating.

When the powers of light and darkness began to combine, even the foundational Divine Artifact beneath it all—the Five Elements Ring—began to radiate a prismatic glow.

The power of the Five Elements was the most potent force of the East, whereas the power of light and dark reigned supreme in the West.

Though He Yiming had inexplicably melted them together using the power of his Chaotic Dantian, they had not truly fused within. They remained separate, like water meeting a river that refuses to mix, a nearly invisible membrane separating the two sides.

Of course, within the Chaotic Dantian, these forces were relatively well-behaved, avoiding any direct confrontation. They even cooperated to bind the central power, allowing He Yiming to maintain his cultivation at the peak of the Ninth Heaven in the Human Path.

But, at this moment, they seemed to undergo some subtle transformation. Especially as the light and dark powers gradually began their convergence, the membrane between them appeared to thin, becoming almost ethereal. The prior sense of utter mutual avoidance softened into a much friendlier coexistence.

While complete, instantaneous fusion—like true Chaos—was impossible for now, He Yiming believed that with persistent, unyielding effort, he would one day achieve this aspiration: transforming all the most powerful energies of East and West into a singular, chaotic whole.

Naturally, to reach that stage, he first needed to absorb the divine power of the Metal and Water elements.

His consciousness flickered slightly, and he immediately reined it in.

Inside his Dantian, the interplay of light and darkness, under his control, generated no rebound or opposition; instead, they gradually formed a miraculous pattern resembling the Taiji.

Bound by these subtle threads interwoven with light and shadow, all the Divine Artifacts and divine powers became even more inextricably locked in place.

After an indeterminate amount of time, He Yiming let out a long breath and slowly opened his eyes.

A flash of intense elation crossed his gaze, and his entire being seemed to have undergone a subtle shift.

Outwardly, he appeared markedly more mature, a daunting aura of power subtly etched onto his face and body.

Though He Yiming restrained himself, preventing his true cultivation aura from leaking out, an inexplicable force surrounded him, seemingly exerting a silent influence on others at all times.

This was the new power born from the union of light and darkness.

At this moment, He Yiming was much like the White Horse Lightning after it had swallowed the Silver Eel King’s inner core—he could not yet completely command this newly manifested power.

The only solace was that the White Horse’s lightning was so overwhelming that no one dared approach it. What He Yiming had refined, however, was the power of light and darkness; though these two forces could merge, they could also cancel each other out. Unless He Yiming actively unleashed the combined force, ordinary people could not perceive the strange changes around him. They would only feel a sense of apprehension, the kind evoked by confronting a superior, stemming from the overflow of the light-dark field.

His gaze shifted slightly, and He Yiming felt deeply satisfied with his current state.

However, he dared not engage in combat lightly. For his body was currently infused with the power resulting from the light-dark union; any move made now would undoubtedly unleash earth-shattering, fierce power.

One only needed to recall the sheer might of the light-dark convergence wielded by the two great Ninth Heaven experts from the West back then to understand this.

It was fortunate that a Divine Path Blood Condensation expert intervened that time, deploying the mighty Heaven and Earth Authority; otherwise, relying solely on the strength of He Yiming and the others, they might not have been able to dispel that merged power.

After all, the light-dark convergence was a power cultivated by those two masters, distinctly different from the light energy Franklin borrowed from the temple.

When dealing with borrowed power, He Yiming’s Chaotic Dantian could easily neutralize it all. But when facing power cultivated and released by the opponent themselves, He Yiming’s Chaotic Dantian found itself powerless.

Taking a few slow steps, He Yiming moved with caution, quietly experiencing the sensation of the light-dark convergence within him.

Forming this merger inside the Dantian was an utterly novel feeling, far surpassing the act of combining light and dark power externally.

He reached up and removed the Crown of Light from his head. Though he had no guide, He Yiming was beginning to grasp that this item was certainly a treasure bordering on a Divine Artifact.

In terms of sheer might and subtlety, this crown might not be inferior to the true Divine Artifact, Thunderclap Son (Lei Zhen Zi), and could even stand alongside the complete set of Thunderclap Heaven or the Nine Dragon Furnace.

The only difference was that neither the crown nor the Thunderclap Son showed any signs of life within them.

If the crown and the Thunderclap Son also harbored powerful, intelligent life forms like the nine Fire Dragons, then they could truly be called Divine Artifacts.

He gazed deeply at the golden crown in his hand, and a strange thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

He was certain that Franklin had never worn this crown before. Otherwise, lacking a Chaotic Dantian and being merely a Body of Light, he surely could not have resisted the potent, alluring gravitational pull of the light energy.

If that were the case, how had Franklin managed to escape the Heaven and Earth Authority of the Divine Path Blood Condensation expert using the legendary spatial power?

Staring intently at the crown, a flicker of suspicion crossed He Yiming’s eyes.

After a long pause, a pure essence of light power was channeled into the crown. The next instant, He Yiming’s eyes narrowed sharply. He meticulously examined this peculiar sensation and finally understood the crown's infinite utility.

Within this crown lay countless undiscovered abilities, but one among them was exceptionally potent: spatial power.

All spatial items were treasured relics handed down from the Divine Path; in this age since the disappearance of the Divine Path, such things had become increasingly rare.

And Franklin possessed not only a spatial belt but also a spatial rift embedded within this very crown.

As the light energy flowed through his palm and made contact with the crown, He Yiming instantly sensed a familiar power residing deep within the treasure. This was spatial force. Although He Yiming had not mastered this power yet, he was certainly not unfamiliar with it.

When his intent made contact with this energy, an inexplicable stream of information flooded his mindscape.

Inside the crown was a sanctuary of the Divine Path. By guiding it with pure light power, the user could instantaneously enter this sanctuary.

Although the duration of entry was brief, this constituted an extraordinary life-saving technique.

His expression shifted slightly, and He Yiming’s brow furrowed abruptly.

He had initially assumed the Crown of Light, like the Thunderclap Son, held no powerful sentient life within, but after inexplicably receiving this information in his mind, his view wavered.

This crown was absolutely not that simple…

Perhaps, hidden inside, there truly was a dormant intelligent life form. However, unlike the Fire Dragons within the Nine Dragon Furnace, this being was likely in a state of slumber, with no telling when it might awaken.

Shaking his head, He Yiming dismissed the strange notion. His ears twitched slightly, capturing every sound from the outside world without missing a beat. A slight smile touched his lips as he stood up, moving away from his spot with a slight sway.

The location He Yiming had chosen for this seclusion was a pitch-black cave. When he emerged, he immediately sensed several worried yet burning gazes fixed upon him.

Looking up, he nodded once toward the White Horse Lightning, the Treasure Pig, the Hundred and Eight, and the enormous Serpentine Dragon.

Then, a stream of light energy quietly flowed into the Crown of Light in his hand.

The space before his eyes seemed to ripple with a bizarre distortion, like the gentle breeze causing waves across a lake’s surface.

When this ripple vanished, He Yiming, who had been standing there moments before, had abruptly disappeared.

In an instant, all the beasts and companions widened their eyes, staring blankly at the spot where He Yiming had vanished, their expressions etched with utter bewilderment.

Especially the master of this domain, the immense Serpentine Dragon, thrust its huge head forward, its breathing heavy and roaring like a fierce gale, deeply shocked by He Yiming’s inexplicable vanishing act.

The same spatial ripple appeared again, and then He Yiming flashed back into existence at the same spot. However, as soon as he appeared, he staggered, nearly stumbling down in an ungainly manner.

Shaking his head, He Yiming tucked away the Crown of Light. The memory of his recent experience sent a chill down his spine.