The air ripped apart with a sudden explosion. As the colossal Metal elemental power began to coalesce, triggered by the dual presence of He Yiming—one real, one illusory—floating mid-air, a roar like clashing thunder finally erupted.

This sound heralded the imminent release of the Metal power’s immense might. The clamor, reminiscent of countless pieces of metal colliding, instantly swept across the entirety of the Heavenly Lake.

The Heavenly Lake spanned a vast area, its footprint almost rivaling that of a Grotto-Heaven Paradise. However, lacking the aid of the Tree Gods, its soil was far less fertile than that of a Paradise, unable to sustain a population of millions. Nevertheless, the residents dwelling on the main peak and within the surrounding mountain range numbered well over one hundred thousand.

This time, every single person residing there clearly heard that sharp sound; it resonated in their ears with startling clarity, unsettling their very hearts.

Subsequently, a massive wave of Metal elemental energy spread out from the sky. Centered around the cliff face and drawn by He Yiming’s body, it radiated outward in ripples, spreading in all directions like concentric circles on water.

He Yiming’s eyes were lightly closed. His body was saturated with the divine power of Metal. The Five Elements’ power, long suppressed within him, erupted instantaneously. Like a compressed spring suddenly freed from powerful restraint, it rushed out with the utmost speed, applying an even stronger counter-force to suppress the merged power of Light and Darkness.

Of course, achieving this was only possible because He Yiming was currently enveloped within the divine power of Metal. Without the full complement of the Five Elements, he might not have been able to contend equally with the integrated Light-Darkness convergence.

Slowly, tremendous might emanated from He Yiming’s surroundings. This power was almost incomprehensible in its magnitude, for what He Yiming was unleashing was not his own innate strength, but the very Metal Divine Power surging up from beneath the cliffs.

Compared to the ten-thousand-foot volcanic crater of the Glazed Cave, He Yiming’s manipulation of the divine power now was far more absolute, his use of this energy exquisitely precise and astonishing.

The enormous pressure was finally unleashed—a pressure that was indiscriminate, bearing down upon everyone equally.

Sensing the sheer strength and the expansive reach of this pressure, the three figures standing beneath the mountaintop were all etched with expressions of sheer horror. Yet, amid his astonishment, Ji Mofan Shu couldn't suppress a cold sneer in his heart.

He Yiming had achieved this level of attainment at such a young age. Though he didn't know how the cultivation had progressed, such a threefold leap in speed surely implied underlying instability. And now, upon contact with the Divine Power of Metal, this latent flaw appeared to have been triggered.

"Boom..."

A sound like muffled thunder suddenly resonated, and the oppressive force descending from the sky grew ever stronger and heavier.

The closer one was to the main peak, the more intense the pressure felt.

By now, the powerful Venerables had long since evacuated their usual courtyards. After exchanging glances for a moment, they hastened toward the highest point of the mountaintop.

They knew that historically, only the Sect Master and the Divine Calculator were permitted access to the summit. However, the current situation was drastically different. The magnificent aura descending from the heavens had completely enveloped the entire mountain range. Such potent might was utterly unheard of. More crucially, both the Sect Master and the Divine Calculator were nowhere to be seen, prompting them to rush up regardless, desperate to ascertain what had transpired.

Yet, upon reaching the summit, the Venerables were astonished to find that the Sect Master and the Divine Calculator were already present, their gazes fixed intently upon the aerial spectacle.

There, suspended high in the air outside the cliff face, were two figures.

One was clearly a top-tier Five Qi Unification Great Venerable. He stood quietly with his back to the crowd, his feet planted upon the void, surrounded by swirling, mystical radiance. The peerless pressure suffusing every inch of the mountain range was emanating directly from him.

But what truly struck terror into everyone was the monstrous, humanoid figure hovering above this man’s head.

No one knew what that entity was, yet they could discern that it was an illusory figure shimmering with infinite light. Oddly, this figure didn't feel entirely ethereal; rather, it seemed substantial, akin to a genuine human body.

This bizarre sensation shocked them all. They struggled to comprehend what this apparition could possibly be.

Sparks of sharp light flickered in Ai Wenbin’s eyes. As he stared intently, familiarity dawned, and he finally exclaimed, "The Grand Elder?"

A jolt ran through the crowd. Within the current structure of the Heavenly Lake lineage, there was an unprecedented situation: two Grand Elders. One was naturally the Divine Calculator, and the other was the legendary He Yiming of the Ninth Heaven, rumored to have reached the pinnacle of the Human Dao.

Gazing in the direction Ai Wenbin pointed, the others wore strangely complex expressions. However, they silently conceded that anyone capable of exuding such an astonishing, near-unbelievable pressure certainly possessed the absolute caliber required to be a Grand Elder.

The Divine Calculator turned his head. His expression was dreadful, as if someone had owed him three million taels of silver and then committed suicide, ensuring he could never reclaim his debt.

Ai Wenbin and the others were momentarily stunned, then felt a chilling dread creep into their hearts.

The Divine Calculator was habitually pleasant and amiable, even when plotting against someone, he would do so with a smiling facade. But at this moment, his countenance was the most severe they had ever witnessed. In an instant, everyone understood that something monumentally serious, something beyond even his tolerance, must have occurred.

"Soul departing, Divine Power forging the body... It’s all true!" Ji Mofan Shu murmured, his eyes locked onto the illusory figure gradually solidifying in the sky. The look in his eyes grew increasingly complex—a mixture of envy, jealousy, and a touch of regret, as if lamenting some lost opportunity.

Di Shitian remained silent, but his expression was no better than the Divine Calculator’s.

In the hearts of these three who knew the context, a unanimous conclusion formed: He Yiming was finished. Even if he managed to survive this ordeal, his martial path would surely be utterly ruined, impossible to mend thereafter.

However, at that very moment, the illusory He Yiming in the sky suddenly faltered. The ephemeral human form that had been steadily solidifying began, instead, to dissipate slowly.

From gradual clarity to slow blurring, until it finally vanished completely...

The onlookers below stared with wide eyes. Even the two pinnacle Human Dao experts and the world's foremost Divine Calculator were baffled. They instinctively exchanged glances, their eyes conveying profound confusion.

The vast pressure that permeated the entire mountain range began to wane as the illusory figure disappeared.

By this point, even a fool understood that this sudden pressure was directly related to the suspended Grand Elder He Yiming. However, given their experience, the Venerables did not grasp the full significance. Only when their gazes shifted to the Sect Master and the Divine Calculator did they notice an undisguised joy lighting up their eyes.

"Brother Di, is this advancement to the Divine Dao?" Ji Mofan Shu abruptly inquired.

Di Shitian hesitated. "I don't know."

Ji Mofan Shu then turned his attention to the Divine Calculator.

In this era, the Divine Calculator held the most unique position. Although his martial cultivation was only at the level of a Five Qi Great Venerable, his expertise lay in the Dao of Divine Calculation. Even the Thousand-Year Ice Island incident had been predicted by him a century prior, along with the rough probability boundaries of its occurrence.

Thus, even true Ninth Heaven masters afforded him a measure of respect, despite his own level not reaching that pinnacle.

The Divine Calculator pondered for a long moment before stating, "Sect Master of the Yellow Springs Gate, Elder He’s appearance earlier bore a resemblance to accounts in ancient texts describing the ascent to the Divine Dao. But Elder He clearly failed halfway; that’s why he retreated automatically."

Ji Mofan Shu snorted, clearly displeased. "Divine Calculator, though I hail from no prestigious sect, I have lived for several centuries, and the ancient texts I’ve consumed are not few." He paused, a sharp light flashing in his eyes. "I have never heard of this notion of 'automatic retreat' during the process of ascending to the Divine Dao."

Others might not know, but the ultimate desire of any pinnacle Human Dao expert was to advance further and attain the true Divine Dao realm.

Therefore, they relentlessly sought out and studied the remnants of literature left by those who had attained divinity, hoping to discover their methods of ascension.

In truth, the methods for entering the Divine Dao were countless; no two paths were ever exactly identical. However, two prerequisites were certainly recorded in every relevant text:

Soul departure and Divine Power body forging—these were mandatory obstacles to overcome when attempting to ascend to the Divine Dao.

The Divine Dao transcended the pinnacle of the Human Dao; it was a different stratum of power that the human physical body was incapable of enduring or manifesting.

Just as achieving the Five Qi Great Venerable required the comprehension of Intent, advancing to the Divine Dao demanded a step further: tempering that Intent with Divine Power until it became as substantial as a physical human form. Only then could one possess incredible abilities such as soaring freely, traversing a hundred li in an instant, or overturning mountains and seas.

The second recorded point was that the advancement to the Divine Dao was an irreversible process. Once begun, there was absolutely no possibility of withdrawal or abandonment before success or catastrophic failure. This step between Human and God was the greatest dividing line in a cultivator's life. Advance and become a god; retreat and face death—even if one narrowly escaped with life, the result would be a shattered Dantian, rendering further martial cultivation impossible.

Yet, observing He Yiming still floating in the air, the three powerful experts—Ji Mofan Shu, Di Shitian, and the Divine Calculator—furrowed their brows deeply, acutely aware of the situation.

What utterly inconceivable event had transpired upon He Yiming’s person?

Ps: Made it, before midnight, ^_^