Veins stood out on his arms. Inside his body, True Qi surged violently.

A colossal pressure descended from the heavens, emanating from the center of that hollow, circular palm as if it contained the might of ten great mountains, ready at any moment to crush him utterly. He Yiming was completely aghast.

Upon witnessing the Divine Path Condensing Blood Man effortlessly absorb and then release the power of Heaven and Earth, he had never imagined that the true convergence of this power could possess such unimaginable strength. In the face of such might, everything was destined to be swept away like rotten wood, and even his confidence, his body, and his will teetered on the very precipice of collapse.

Yet, at this precise moment, the Chaos World within his Dantian sensed this extraordinary pressure, and the Chaos Qi—the very essence that had saved He Yiming’s life on multiple occasions—rushed upward in a counter-surge. An icy sensation instantly permeated He Yiming’s entire frame, enveloping his body in a peculiar feeling.

This was neither the power of light nor darkness, but the primordial force of Chaos itself. However, this power did not directly engage the power of Heaven and Earth; instead, it flooded madly into the combined force of Light and Dark.

It was as if a vast, solid foundation had been erected beneath this power, staunchly supporting the Light-Dark Convergence which otherwise seemed like an aerial pavilion. He Yiming’s body ceased to tremble; his flesh, which moments before felt as though it would be pulverized by overwhelming force, became solid once more.

The immense pressure generated by the gathered Heaven and Earth power was, finally, just barely withstood, supported by the primal force of Chaos. Directly above his head, at the center of that palm, a bizarre sphere the size of a basketball abruptly materialized.

Within this sphere resided the powers of both light and darkness, sparkling like distant stars in the night sky, rendering the orb dreamlike and illusory. This method of condensing Heaven and Earth power was starkly different from that of the Divine Path Condensing Blood Man: one used the power of the cosmos as a blade, capable of cleaving the heavens and splitting the earth; the other condensed it to a single point—the actual destructive potential of which remained to be tested.

He Yiming let out a long breath. That span of time had been brief, but it felt undeniably like a dangerous excursion to the very gates of the underworld and back.

He finally understood: not everyone was fit to tread the Divine Path. The Divine Path—that was truly the apex of the pyramid.

Only by mastering such god-like power could one attain the status of a true deity, capable of viewing all creation as mere ants, obliterating a city with a mere gesture. He felt the potent, flowing energy in his hands, and what surprised him was that the moment he could bear this force, the sensation of being crushed by it vanished.

However, he now grasped something vital: even having mastered the Light-Dark Convergence, he could only instantly draw a sufficient amount of Heaven and Earth power around himself; his physical body still could not endure the sheer magnitude of the pressure. Without the support of the primal force, the outcome awaiting him would have been utterly tragic.

The primal force, in essence, was the power of the Divine Path, and only the Divine Path’s power could wield such vast quantities of Heaven and Earth energy. In contrast, White Horse Lightning was comparatively relaxed.

With its overwhelmingly powerful physique, formidable innate Lightning talent, and the assist of the Thunderclap Bell artifact (which represented over half its might), it could begin to absorb and control the majesty of Heaven and Earth. Of course, its method of absorption and control differed greatly from his own and that of the Divine Path Condensing Blood Man.

White Horse Lightning’s approach involved slow absorption and gradual release, gradually increasing its control, relying primarily on the inherent might of the Thunderclap Bell artifact. He and the Condensing Blood Man, conversely, accumulated and released their power instantaneously—a far more demanding process.

His body gave a slight tremor, and He Yiming launched himself upward, soaring toward the sky. He wanted to gauge the true destructive potential of the force he had just managed to gather in his hands.

This was a desolate stretch of desert, precisely why He Yiming had chosen this location for his test. Those on the Divine Path could shatter heaven and earth with a casual move; testing such techniques in a populated area would result in boundless slaughter.

Finally reaching mid-air, He Yiming looked down. Beneath him lay the endless sea of sand, nothing but dunes stretching to the horizon, devoid of any sign of life.

Yet, under the scorching sun, the temperature of the sands was climbing rapidly. He Yiming’s gaze sharpened.

With a soft cry, he hurled the condensed Heaven and Earth power outward. This was his maiden attempt at accumulating, absorbing, and releasing such colossal Heaven and Earth might.

All his focus was poured into the action, causing his body in mid-air to tremble slightly from sheer exhilaration. Without a sound, the sphere of light drifted gently downward.

Its descent was not fast; a peak Human Dao expert, or even an ordinary Xiantian master, could easily evade the sphere. But He Yiming paid it no mind.

This was his first time using such a massive infusion of Heaven and Earth power; simply managing to gather, release it, and keep himself alive was a blessing beyond measure, leaving him content. Expecting mastery akin to the Divine Path Condensing Blood Man was utterly impossible for now.

At last, the descending sphere of light impacted the ground. The sphere paused momentarily on the sand surface, then suddenly expanded.

At a speed visible to the naked eye, it rippled outwards in all directions like waves spreading across water. The entire sea of sand instantly collapsed inward.

The sphere formed an eerie realm of light and dark, and everything within that boundary dissolved in an instant. The sphere expanded faster and faster… It seemed like the blink of an eye before a vast pit, nearly a hundred zhang in circumference, scarred the ground.

Staring at the deep, semicircular crater, which was also about a hundred zhang deep, He Yiming’s jaw dropped, unable to close. A cold bead of sweat traced a path from his forehead, down his cheek, and settled on his lip.

The slightly salty taste jolted He Yiming back to reality. Although he knew he was the creator of this terrifying scene, he remained filled with disbelief.

He looked down at his hands, examining them closely as if seeing them for the first time. By now, his True Qi was nearly depleted.

He could only maintain flight thanks to the radiance of his Divine Weapon. Simply using himself as a catalyst to draw in and release the energy of Heaven and Earth had almost exhausted all his True Qi.

This proved that controlling the might of Heaven and Earth was something the peak Human Dao level simply could not manage. Had it not been for the power of the Light-Dark Convergence and his unparalleled Chaos Primordial Dantian, this attempt would never have succeeded.

A gust of wind swept by, and the surrounding sands seemed to notice the void, slowly beginning to flow towards the massive depression. He Yiming watched the ground in silence, excitement flickering in his eyes.

If it became known that a peak Human Dao master could absorb and unleash the Heaven and Earth might of the Divine Path, it would surely cause a massive upheaval. Furthermore, He Yiming was confident: once he mastered this skill, his chances of eliminating opponents at the same cultivation level would increase significantly.

His gaze swept over the gigantic crater, and He Yiming was absolutely certain that unless protected by the ultimate defensive forces of the great sects, the strength of the Ninth Heaven could not withstand a single strike of this power. Of course, at the speed he unleashed it this time, it wasn't quite enough to threaten the life of an expert at his own level, but with a few more practices, he could certainly command it as easily as moving his own limbs.

With a slight shift of his body, He Yiming descended, landing precisely at the center of the crater. The destructive power unleashed when the light sphere detonated was terrifying; centered on that single point, everything within nearly a hundred zhang in all six directions had been reduced to nothingness.

This unique devastation was certainly no less potent than the earth-splitting energy blades wielded by the Divine Path Condensing Blood Man. Only upon descending into the pit did He Yiming truly comprehend the insignificance of humankind.

Within this deep chasm, a hundred zhang high and wide, a human being resembled a pathetic ant, utterly negligible. Below the Divine Path, all are but ants.

Perhaps this was the very sentiment uttered by some Divine Path master standing where he stood. The surrounding sand continued its slow drift, but it was clear that filling this enormous pit would not be a task for a moment.

He Yiming secretly congratulated himself; thankfully, he had chosen the vast desert for practicing the might of Heaven and Earth. Had this been the territory of the Kai Rong Kingdom, that city would have been utterly annihilated.

Such an act that fundamentally violated the natural order was something He Yiming dared not commit lightly. Shaking his head, He Yiming floated upward unsteadily and moved toward the distance.

His body was utterly empty now; he needed to absorb Heaven and Earth power to replenish his consumption. Unfortunately, following his thunderous strike, the ambient Heaven and Earth energy within a hundred li radius had become so thin as to be negligible.

Thus, enveloped by the radiance of his Divine Weapon, he finally reached a spot a hundred li away. Sensing the immense, seemingly boundless power of Heaven and Earth washing over him, He Yiming felt like a fish stranded for days, dying near the shore, suddenly plunged back into the water—he drew huge, gulping breaths.

The surrounding Heaven and Earth energy poured ceaselessly into his body, slowly restoring what he had lost. Contemplating the two utterly different worlds existing before and behind him, He Yiming was filled with deep emotion.

The might of the Divine Path was indeed unparalleled in the world, but equally so was the unparalleled destruction it wrought upon that world. He truly could not imagine what the world must have looked like when the Divine Path reigned supreme in ancient times.

With a long sigh, He Yiming gave up his contemplation. He activated his tracker and began contacting Number One Hundred and Eight.