"Brother He, regarding this journey to the Southern Frontier, there are rumors that the two great powerhouses from the West made an appearance. Is this true?" Hao Tong inquired with a serious expression.

He Yiming paused briefly, turning his gaze towards Jin Zhanyi. Seeing him shake his head with a wry smile, He Yiming's thoughts raced, and he immediately understood.

Although Jin Zhanyi had likely guessed the identity of the old man buried in the tomb, that identity was simply too staggering—so much so that even he himself could scarcely believe it. Until he was certain, he dared not report it to the two Venerables of his own sect.

With a slight smile, He Yiming stated, "Brother Hao, the two Ninth Heaven experts from the West did indeed appear in the Southern Frontier."

Hao Tong's expression instantly turned exceedingly grave. He snorted angrily, "With their tremendous renown, they would actually take the initiative to violate the rules that have stood for thousands of years. This is utterly outrageous."

Xu Xinghe nodded gently, his own expression just as intensely serious. "Their demands are not ones we can answer. This must be reported to the Sect Master for their final judgment."

Those two from the West were true masters of the Ninth Heaven. Any expert below the pinnacle of the Human Dao would feel a chill run down their spine merely hearing their names.

He Yiming understood this feeling perfectly, as he himself had been one of them just a few months prior.

Especially when hearing of two peak experts of the Human Dao joining forces, the average person would harbor no thought of resistance; at most, they would shunt the problem onto experts of their own rank.

With a soft sigh, Hao Tong admitted with some helplessness, "I don't know why Lord Bing Xiaotian of the Northern Frontier suddenly invited all the Ninth Heaven masters to the North Sea Ice Palace. Yet, among these top-tier powerhouses, the Old Ancestor of the Yellow Springs and the two Ninth Heaven lords from the West were conspicuously omitted... this..." He shook his head, finally biting back the rest of his words.

However, everyone understood his implication. In the heart of this veteran Grand Venerable of the Five Energies, there was indeed a degree of resentment. If Bing Xiaotian could have shared resources among all experts of this level, such a situation would never have arisen.

Xu Xinghe and Jin Zhanyi exchanged a look, clamping their mouths shut. Matters concerning these peak experts of the Human Dao were hardly their place to meddle in. As the saying goes, too much talk leads to missteps; caution in speech was best.

He Yiming chuckled dryly, "Brother Hao, perhaps Senior Bing Xiaotian had other considerations, or it was simply an oversight that led to this unexpected situation."

His tone was utterly level, as if discussing the most mundane affair, entirely lacking the apprehension shown by Hao Tong and the others.

The three powerhouses from the Lingxiao Treasure Hall were first startled, then exchanged glances. As astonishment gave way to sudden clarity, they remembered that the impossibly young man standing before them was no longer the Grand Venerable of the Five Energies from their last meeting, but an entity comparable to the Sect Master himself—a peak expert of the Human Dao.

Hao Tong managed a bitter smile. "Brother He speaks rightly..."

He had known He Yiming for a long time, even instructing him in alchemy and the Fire Control Hand Seal techniques. He truly could not bring himself to address him as 'Lord He.' Yet, in his heart, the status of a Human Dao peak expert remained loftily untouchable. Thus, his tone remained exceedingly deferential, lacking even the courage to offer a rebuttal.

Jin Zhanyi, after holding back for a while, finally seized an opening. "Masters, the Speaker of the Western Dark Alliance Council, Garfield, has perished. Now, in the entire Western world, only His Holiness Pope Franklin of the Temple poses a threat to our Eastern world." He paused, then added, "However, the Old Ancestor of the Yellow Springs had promised to join forces with the two experts from the West. Calculated this way, their triumvirate combination is now reduced to just two members."

Hao Tong and Xu Xinghe’s complexions shifted slightly. A combination of three peak Human Dao experts versus two was an entirely different proposition.

But what truly astonished them was the news of a Human Dao peak expert having actually perished—that was what they found almost impossible to swallow.

In truth, only the four newly advanced Venerables from the West who managed to escape that day had witnessed Garfield's death firsthand. But they were men of the West; even if they returned, the news would only circulate there. It would take several months to reach the Eastern world. Even if rumors did arrive, the vast majority would refuse to believe them.

As for Zhuang Munan, although he recognized Garfield’s face, he too lacked certainty. He hadn't even informed Jin Zhanyi and the others present, let alone spread the word carelessly. Thus, it was perfectly normal for Hao Tong and the others to be unaware.

Moments later, Hao Tong’s eyes shone brightly, and he asked hurriedly, "Brother He, is what Junior Martial Brother Jin claims true?"

He Yiming smiled faintly, shaking his head with a slight smirk.

Hao Tong’s face immediately fell. "Zhanyi..."

Jin Zhanyi looked at He Yiming, bewildered, inwardly cursing. He hadn't expected Brother He to undercut him at such a moment.

He Yiming waved his hand, laughing, "Brother Hao, please remain calm. Brother Jin did not deceive you, but he only spoke half the truth."

Hao Tong and Xu Xinghe exchanged glances, utterly unable to fathom what secret He Yiming was keeping.

"Brother He, did Lord Garfield truly perish?" Xu Xinghe asked, rarely speaking up. Among them, he had met He Yiming the fewest times, so he usually remained silent, but now he could not restrain himself.

The gazes of Hao Tong and Jin Zhanyi locked firmly onto He Yiming, and an almost palpable tension filled the air.

He Yiming raised his eyebrows slightly, and a strange field of energy naturally emanated from him.

This was the unique power derived from the union of Light and Darkness. Within this field, He Yiming could maximize the might of their combined force; conversely, any enemy within this field was guaranteed to suffer the worst possible fate.

Frowning slightly, He Yiming sighed internally. He had not yet completely mastered the power of the Light and Dark convergence. To reach a state of effortless control, he still had a long way to go. However, if he did reach that state, he wondered if he could suppress the power of the convergence enough to wield the energies of the Five Elements.

"Brother He..."

A slightly hurried voice brought the distracted He Yiming back to awareness. He offered an apologetic smile. "My apologies. I was just grappling with a martial arts conundrum. Please excuse my rudeness."

The trio of Hao Tong repeatedly assured him it was nothing, yet they were inwardly quite impressed. To dedicate one's entire focus to martial cultivation at any moment was the mark of a true cultivation maniac. But then again, without such intensity, he would never have achieved this level at such an age.

Gathering his thoughts, He Yiming’s gaze swept across the faces of the three. Though it was only a fleeting glance, He Yiming knew they had detected none of the strange anomalies just now. The power of the Light and Dark convergence was truly subtle and inscrutable. When he did not wish them to notice, they remained completely oblivious. Of course, this was also due to their insufficient cultivation; if a peak expert of the Human Dao had been present, He Yiming wouldn't be so certain of his ability to conceal it.

Under their expectant gazes, He Yiming nodded firmly. "The foremost powerhouse of the Western Dark World, Garfield, has indeed perished."

Hao Tong and the other two simultaneously let out a long sigh, Jin Zhanyi included. A Ninth Heaven expert, a peak of the Human Dao, had truly departed the world.

He Yiming watched them calmly, speaking slowly, "Franklin is dead too."

He delivered this statement plainly, as if mentioning an insignificant stray cat or dog, devoid of any special emphasis.

Hao Tong shook his head slightly. "If he's dead, he's dead. I can’t believe the Dark Speaker is dead too; a few more deaths wouldn't matter... Wait? Who did you say died?" He had initially been indifferent, but upon hearing the terrible news of one peak Human Dao expert, who would care about the fate of others? However, Hao Tong had only spoken half a sentence before his mind grasped the full implication of the name mentioned. For a moment, the old man wondered if age had made him hard of hearing.

He Yiming enunciated each word clearly: "Franklin."

The entire room fell silent; not even the sound of breathing could be heard.

Hao Tong and the other two held their breath, their eyes filled with terror and disbelief. By now, they recalled precisely who Franklin was. The Pope of the Western Temple, a Ninth Heaven expert at the same peak level as the Dark Speaker. Those two figures upheld the heavens for the Western world. It was under their joint leadership that the West had flourished so robustly, in no way inferior to the East.

But the news He Yiming brought today was too devastating. Both of the West’s supreme leaders were dead. If this news spread, who knew what kind of upheaval it would cause.

"Brother He, how did you know?" Xu Xinghe asked in a hoarse voice. He dared not doubt the veracity of the news, because He Yiming himself was a Human Dao peak expert; thus, his words served as irrefutable proof, leaving no room for suspicion.

He Yiming replied lightly, "Because I killed them both."

The eyes of the three members of Hao Tong were fixed on He Yiming, and even in Jin Zhanyi’s gaze, a faint shadow of dread could be discerned. They had all seen Human Dao peak experts before—the Sect Master of the Lingxiao Treasure Hall was a Ninth Heaven expert himself. But a Ninth Heaven expert who could slay other Human Dao peak experts, two of the same rank consecutively—this they witnessed for the first time.

At this moment, He Yiming's standing in their hearts skyrocketed, soaring limitlessly.

His ears twitched slightly, and a look of astonishment crossed He Yiming’s face. He turned, fixing his gaze in a certain direction, and said softly, "Your Sect Master... might have returned!"