Di Shitian silently sensed the aura emanating from the Old Ancestor of the Yu family. However, after a moment, he felt a touch of disappointment. While the Old Ancestor’s aura was powerful, it fell far short of the terrifying level he had imagined.
Only peak experts who had advanced to the Divine Path could unleash a heaven-and-earth might akin to that of a deity. Yet, the Old Ancestor of the Yu family, despite possessing the aura equivalent to a peak expert on the Human Path, still faced an insurmountable chasm separating him from the Divine Path.
His brow furrowed slightly. If He Yiming hadn't sworn emphatically that the Southern Border Islands and the capital of Kaifeng were both destroyed by this puppet, he simply wouldn't have believed it.
After a moment of contemplation, Di Shitian spoke, “Brother He, it’s not that I distrust you, but I have only read about this heaven-and-earth might a few times in ancient texts, and I have never witnessed it in my life. If Brother would permit…”
He paused, his gaze fixed keenly upon He Yiming.
A sudden realization flashed through He Yiming’s mind. Now he finally understood why this great figure had come all this way and even stooped to attend the event for him: he truly wished to witness the power belonging to the Divine Path with his own eyes.
Although it sounded somewhat incredible, at this moment, He Yiming fully grasped the other man's feelings and intentions.
A few days prior, He Yiming had recklessly attempted, deep within the great desert, to use the combined power of Light and Darkness to guide the power of heaven and earth, hoping to trigger the heaven-and-earth might.
He knew perfectly well that doing so was extremely dangerous, yet he couldn't suppress the restless urge within him.
The Divine Path held an immense attraction for experts at the Ninth Heaven of the Human Path’s peak, enough to make them fearless of all difficulties and obstacles.
“Brother Di, I have no objection to you wishing to see the heaven-and-earth might, but not right now,” He Yiming said with a smile.
Di Shitian calmly asked, “Why?”
“The heaven-and-earth might is the power of the wrath of heaven and earth; it can destroy heaven and earth in an instant,” He Yiming dropped his smile, his face growing solemn. “If we were enemies, then in a life-or-death struggle, we would naturally be unrestrained. But if you merely wish to observe the heaven-and-earth might, we can demonstrate it in the ocean or a desert region.”
Di Shitian’s eyes brightened, and he nodded slightly. “I have learned much.”
In truth, when Ninth Heaven experts of the Human Path fought, the environmental destruction they caused was no small matter. If they fought hesitantly for several hours, the overflowing fluctuations of their potent True Qi could be compared to the destruction wrought by the heaven-and-earth might.
However, the power of the Ninth Heaven could be controlled, whereas the force of the heaven-and-earth might was uncontrollable. Once the power within a hundred-mile radius was gathered at a single point, it must be released; otherwise, the fate awaiting the one releasing it would be exceptionally tragic—suffering a backlash from countless forces of heaven and earth, likely resulting in immediate self-detonation and death.
He Yiming laughed heartily, just as Di Shitian rose to his feet. “If it is convenient for Brother He, perhaps you would accompany me out for a time?”
He Yiming asked suspiciously, “Where to?”
Di Shitian smiled faintly and pointed toward a certain direction. “Head north; there is a desert there, the largest expanse of wind and sand in the Northwest. I wonder if Brother He has heard of it.”
He Yiming’s expression instantly became rather strange. He forced a bitter smile. “Very well, since Brother Di insists, let us make the trip.”
He had not only heard of this place, but he had been visiting it almost daily these past few days to practice the heaven-and-earth might he was mastering. He wasn't surprised that Di Shitian chose that location, but what astonished him was that Di Shitian was such a swift and decisive person; once an idea formed, he had to act immediately. Perhaps this very strong character trait was what ultimately propelled him to the peak of the Human Path.
The Six Venerables left the back courtyard without alerting anyone.
With their level of strength, it was naturally impossible for others to discover them. Divine Calculator and Ai Wenbin clearly understood the purpose of their trip; they looked at the Divine Path Blood-Coagulated Man with intense reverence. Even Divine Calculator, famous throughout the world for his art of divination, appeared fearful in the presence of true Divine Path power.
As for Chu Haozhou and Deng Yichen, after learning of their intention to leave, they insisted on following along.
The display of heaven-and-earth might released by someone of the Divine Path—what a grand event this was! If they missed this opportunity, they might never see it again in their lives.
Even Chu Haozhou, who had witnessed heaven-and-earth might once before, showed no composure superior to Deng Yichen at this moment.
Ultimately, all six of them set out, and after traveling for a day, they finally reached the expanse of desert.
This was only because they were slowed down by Ai Wenbin and Deng Yichen; otherwise, they would have arrived much sooner.
Although the He Family Manor would certainly realize the six of them were missing by now, He Yiming was confident that they would not worry in the slightest.
Because when the six of them joined forces, there was virtually no one left in the entire Northwest who could take them down silently. Thus, He Wude and the others would surely deduce that their group had left on some important business.
At this time, the scorching sun hung directly overhead—the hottest time in the desert.
In this magical land, there was no distinction between spring, summer, autumn, or winter, but spending just one day here would likely allow one to experience the feeling of all four seasons.
The six of them moved across the sand surface as smoothly as flowing water; even Deng Yichen, whose martial cultivation was the weakest, left no trace on the sand.
And above them, the Divine Path Blood-Coagulated Man followed closely.
Di Shitian abruptly stopped walking. He looked up at the Divine Path Blood-Coagulated Man flying in the mid-air, a strange light flickering in his eyes.
Although Di Shitian was extremely curious as to how He Yiming managed to refine the Blood-Coagulated Man, and why this puppet’s power was so formidable, he knew these questions were delicate, and even with his status, they could not be casually asked.
He Yiming and the others came to a halt one after another. He turned and surveyed their surroundings, nodding in satisfaction. They were now deep in the desert; even if the Divine Path Blood-Coagulated Man turned the area upside down, no significant losses would occur.
He extended his hand to signal toward the sky, and the Divine Path Blood-Coagulated Man immediately descended.
In truth, within this range, He Yiming only needed to transmit his thoughts mentally to convey his intentions, but he instinctively made the motion of beckoning.
Di Shitian felt rather suspicious. He knew some rumors about Blood-Coagulated Men, and he secretly wondered if the one He Yiming refined was truly unusual, perhaps incapable of being commanded by mere thought?
The Divine Path Blood-Coagulated Man swiftly flew down, and He Yiming stated solemnly, “Everyone, once the puppet acts, the heaven-and-earth Qi within a hundred-mile radius will be completely depleted, and the resulting might is no small matter. It’s best to have him stand a bit further away from this spot to avoid accidental harm.”
Deng Yichen and Ai Wenbin exchanged a glance. They were somewhat unconvinced, but here, both their status and strength were the lowest, so they dared not voice the doubts in their hearts.
Di Shitian nodded slightly and said gravely, “Brother He, we shall wait and see.”
He Yiming smiled. He stepped before the Divine Path Blood-Coagulated Man, gazed into its eyes, and transmitted his thoughts.
The Divine Path Blood-Coagulated Man indeed possessed unparalleled, immense power, and its intelligence was clearly far superior to ordinary puppets, which was why He Yiming had been somewhat hesitant. Now, in the presence of Lord Di Shitian, he did not want any mishaps, not even the smallest one, lest he lose considerable face.
Receiving He Yiming’s command, the Divine Path Blood-Coagulated Man turned and began walking toward the distance with large strides.
Divine Calculator suddenly spoke, “Elder He, the heaven-and-earth power here seems a bit off.”
He Yiming’s heart tightened. “Elder Divine Calculator, what insight do you possess?”
“As I traveled here, I noticed that the deeper we venture into the desert, the thinner the heaven-and-earth power seems to become. This is something I have never heard of before.”
Except for Di Shitian, the other three exchanged glances. To be honest, they had not sensed this subtle change.
He Yiming marveled internally—this Divine Calculator truly lived up to his title as the foremost diviner under heaven.
He had been cultivating the heaven-and-earth might in the desert every day recently. This power, upon being used just once, instantly absorbed the heaven-and-earth power within a hundred-mile radius in a single moment.
Although heaven-and-earth power, like seawater and sand, was constantly flowing and could basically recover within a day at most, this was only a basic recovery, falling short of its peak state.
However, this discrepancy was extremely subtle, imperceptible to ordinary people, even to common Five-Qi Great Venerables.
But clearly, this subtle depletion seemed not to escape the notice of both Divine Calculator and Di Shitian.
He Yiming shrugged his shoulders slightly and said, “I, He, am also unclear. Perhaps it is related to the battle skills involving heaven-and-earth might that the puppet used here previously.”
Divine Calculator’s eyes brightened, and he asked, “Why would he use heaven-and-earth might battle skills here?”
He Yiming replied testily, “Of course, it was to practice the moves. Such ultimate techniques must be performed several times to become increasingly proficient.”
This statement was absolutely sincere and born from his own experience.
Despite only a few short days, He Yiming found that every time he used these battle skills that employed the heaven-and-earth might, he gained new insights—whether in the speed of gathering the heaven-and-earth power, his tolerance level, or the choice of location during release, his progress was meteoric.
The first time he utilized this power, his True Qi was almost completely exhausted, but now, he could retain nearly a third of his True Qi. Moreover, as he grew more proficient, the retained True Qi increased.
He held firm confidence that one day, he would be able to achieve the same state as the Divine Path Blood-Coagulated Man: to show no change even after unleashing the heaven-and-earth might. Only by reaching that realm could one be considered to have truly mastered the power of the Divine Path.
Di Shitian and Divine Calculator nodded one after another, their eyes growing increasingly serious.
In the distance, the Divine Path Blood-Coagulated Man finally stopped moving. Its body slowly elongated, rising up into the air…