A vast aura erupted from the Godly Path Condensing Blood Man, and as this power spread forth with his continuous ascent, subtle shifts appeared in the expressions of Di Shitian and the Divine Calculator.

At this moment, both of them knew they had gravely underestimated this puppet. It had concealed its true nature so thoroughly that even they could not fully penetrate its depth.

He Yiming chuckled inwardly. The relic embedded in the puppet's brow was no mere Venerable Relic, but a true Great Relic of the Godly Path. With this relic present, even He Yiming, its master, could not completely fathom the puppet, let alone anyone else.

Although Di Shitian was a peak expert of the Human Path, and the Divine Calculator was the foremost divine predictor, when confronted with matters pertaining to the Godly Path, they were equally powerless.

This was the power of the Godly Path—the might of the 'God.'

Slowly, the puppet raised its arm. The very air across the land seemed to freeze for a fleeting moment, and even the breathing of the onlookers became strained and difficult.

Aside from He Yiming, everyone else was struck with terror. Though they had anticipated the power the Godly Path Condensing Blood Man was about to unleash, they could not suppress a tremor of fear in that instant. This was true even for the mighty Di Shitian, and for Chu Haozhou, who had witnessed the might of the Godly Path before.

“Whoosh…”

It was as if a colossal gale roared past, instantly throwing the entire sky into turmoil.

The Godly Path Condensing Blood Man behaved like a vacuum cleaner possessing unimaginable, immense power, sucking the very atmosphere out of the desert as if it were being stripped bare, triggering a massive transformation of heaven and earth.

Endless torrents of World Energy surged toward the Godly Path Condensing Blood Man in a frenzied rush. In the span of a single breath, the World Energy within a hundred-mile radius was completely drained.

This time, even He Yiming’s expression became slightly unnatural.

He realized that when the Condensing Blood Man employed its battle technique to exert the might of heaven and earth, it showed signs of growing proficiency and strength.

To others, the absorption and release of the World Energy by the Godly Path Condensing Blood Man might appear so overwhelming that the notion of fluctuation in strength seemed irrelevant. However, He Yiming, who possessed a comparable level of power, could distinctly feel that the Condensing Blood Man’s absorption and utilization of World Energy had indeed undergone subtle improvements.

It was as if the puppet was continuously gaining experience, making appropriate adjustments based on its powerful combat instincts.

This demanded profound wisdom; it was far beyond the capability of a mere puppet programmed only for obedience.

Heaving a long sigh, He Yiming felt deeply conflicted. Anyone would be overjoyed to possess such an assistant. But when that assistant’s growth far exceeded expectations, giving him a growing sense of losing control, things took a worrying turn.

Just as He Yiming was lost in thought, the arm of the Godly Path Condensing Blood Man swept down from above.

The immense Worldly Might was demonstrated to its fullest at this moment. The incomparably crushing pressure descended from the heavens, threatening to flatten them on the spot.

The weakest among them, Deng Yichen and Ai Wenbin, felt their legs tremble. Though this pressure—transcending the boundaries of the Human Path—was not specifically aimed at them, it made every moment feel like an eternity.

A thick beam of light flashed in the air, slicing straight across the vision of everyone present.

All the sand touched by this streak of light vanished instantly. Before them, a massive trench, easily ten meters wide, appeared.

This trench began where their sight failed to reach in one direction and ended where their sight failed to reach in the other.

Standing before this chasm instilled a sense of minute insignificance in anyone witnessing it.

This was the power of God—the absolute strength of the divine, far beyond what the Human Path realms could ever conceive.

The Godly Path Condensing Blood Man slowly descended. It stopped at a distance, making no move to approach. Naturally, He Yiming had no intention of summoning over the entity that had just demonstrated the ability to instantly slay any top expert.

Nodding deeply, Di Shitian stated in a heavy voice, “Good. A tremendously powerful puppet.”

There was an indescribable mixture of awe and envy in his words. Observing his glittering eyes, He Yiming suddenly felt a strange intuition. The leader of the Tianchi lineage seemed fiercely ambitious about ascending to the Godly Path.

He Yiming offered a modest smile. “Brother Di flatters me.”

Di Shitian waved his hand. “Brother He, I speak only the truth.” He sighed deeply. “With the assistance of this puppet on our journey to the Northern Border Ice Island, our chances of entry have significantly increased.”

He Yiming was momentarily startled, and a flicker of understanding finally crossed his eyes.

He had initially assumed Di Shitian had come merely to witness the might of the Godly Path’s Worldly Power. Now, he understood the truth: the man had set his sights on the puppet itself.

However, He Yiming had no intention of lending out the puppet. This puppet, possessing the very authority of the Godly Path, answered only to his commands.

Frowning slightly, He Yiming asked, “Brother Di, what connection does this puppet have with the Thousand Year Ice Island?”

Di Shitian had already calmed down. The speed with which he recovered from witnessing the Worldly Might demonstrated the formidable level of composure possessed by this peak Human Path expert.

“Brother He, you surely know why we old fellows are heading to the Ice Palace this time?”

He Yiming nodded heavily and bowed deeply to him. “Many thanks, (Sect Master).”

Yuan Lixun was his wife, and these peak Human Path experts had gone to immense trouble to help her advance to the Five Qi Great Venerable Realm. He Yiming was naturally grateful. Though, if danger arose later while guiding the divine artifact Ice Mirror, He Yiming would certainly feel no gratitude at all.

Di Shitian waved his hand slightly, his expression turning serious. “Brother He, there is no need for formality. What we did was out of necessity; it was merely mutually beneficial.”

He Yiming nodded deeply. Di Shitian was entirely correct. If it weren't for the Thousand Year Ice Island, if it weren't for this sole hope of achieving the Godly Path, what else in this world could compel six peak Human Path experts and one top-tier Holy Beast to jointly protect the breakthrough of a stranger?

After a moment of contemplation, Di Shitian continued, “Every time the Thousand Year Ice Island appears, it is guarded by the divine artifact, the Ice Mirror. Beyond that, the island itself possesses formidable defensive power. According to ancient texts, this power has increased year by year, layer upon layer. In the first thousand years, the combined effort of two or three ninth-heaven peak Human Path experts could carve a path through. But after five thousand years of accumulation, the defensive power of the island has reached an inconceivable level.”

He Yiming’s expression shifted slightly. It seemed Ao Borui and Zi Luli had not lied to him, but they had certainly not revealed everything they knew; at the very least, He Yiming was unaware of this information.

“So you aren't certain you can gain entry to the Ice Island?” He Yiming asked solemnly.

Di Shitian managed a wry smile. “In the past five millennia, aside from the first appearance catching the peak Human Path seniors of that generation off guard, every subsequent appearance caused a huge sensation, compelling all peak Human Path experts to set aside their grievances and jointly confront the Ice Island. Yet, none of those times resulted in ultimate success.” He shook his head slightly. “That place is, after all, the legacy of those in the Godly Path. No one in the Human Path realms can claim certainty of opening it.”

He Yiming instinctively glanced toward the Godly Path Condensing Blood Man. After considering for a moment, he stated seriously, “I understand. You view this puppet as a manifestation of the Godly Path.”

He finally grasped why this ancient figure would offer him the title of ‘Foremost Under Heaven’; what he valued was not He Yiming’s personal strength, but the puppet’s Godly Path-like authority over heaven and earth.

Under normal circumstances, once the Godly Path Condensing Blood Man unleashed its Worldly Might, it was indeed impossible for experts of the Human Path realms to resist.

Unless someone possessed a supreme treasure like the Crown of Light, it was simply impossible to weather that thunderous blow unscathed.

Di Shitian made no pretense of modesty, letting out a long breath. “We old fellows made an agreement when helping Miss Yuan advance to Great Venerable: once she succeeded, we would notify Jimo Fanshu and the two Western powerhouses, and then we would cooperate to try and blast open the passage into the Thousand Year Ice Island. But unexpectedly, when we emerged from seclusion, you had already slain the two Western Ninth Heavens.” He shook his head. “Losing two ninth-heaven masters greatly reduced our chances of success. But fortunately…” A glimmer of joyful relief slowly surfaced on his face, “…you not only successfully advanced to the Ninth Heaven yourself, but you also acquired a puppet comparable to the Godly Path realm. This is Heaven’s blessing, allowing us a chance to enter the Ice Island successfully.”

He Yiming let out a wry laugh. His own curiosity intensified, coupled with a sense of urgent anticipation.

Having begun to master a degree of Worldly Might in his own way, he felt an even stronger desire to ascend to higher realms.

This feeling became increasingly irresistible as he became more adept at utilizing the Worldly Power.

After a long pause, he finally calmed down and asked, “Brother Di, if we manage to open the passage to the Ice Island and enter, are we certain to advance to the Godly Path?”

Di Shitian hesitated for a long time. “I don’t know, and no one can know the answer. But I can tell you this: this is our only chance to enter the Godly Path.”

He Yiming immediately fell silent. Although this answer was within his expectations, it nevertheless brought a wave of deep concern.

Ps: Parent-teacher meeting today, so posting early ^_^