He Yi-ming felt a flicker of doubt. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "He Yi-mou heard the sect master say that our sect's Gold Element Divine Power is the ultimate defensive measure, absolutely not to be used unless facing mortal peril." He paused, adding, "Even for disciples within the sect to cultivate martial arts near the Gold Element Divine Power is an incredibly arduous task."

Liu Changju slowly nodded, leaning over the table and laughing heartily, "Brother He is absolutely correct. The locations of the Divine Power among our few sects are all vital grounds. Even if offered to our own disciples, they are selected with extreme care; only those with the potential to advance to the peak of the Human Dao are permitted to freely utilize these resources."

A shadow of despondency crossed the faces of the peak Inner Strength Tenth Layer disciples standing by, serving in the main hall.

With their strength, in any small county in the Northwest, they could undoubtedly be considered top figures. Even within some aristocratic families of the West, they would be among the foremost authorities.

However, within the Ice Palace, they were unremarkable, far removed from the realm of the Human Dao peak, destined never to step foot inside the Seven-Colored Palace in their lifetimes.

He Yi-ming’s gaze swept over the faces of the assembled experts. They remained composed, yet He Yi-ming discerned the same sentiment in their eyes.

The locations of their respective sects' Divine Powers were undoubtedly the most crucial places in the sect, absolutely impossible to open up for general use by all disciples.

Liu Changju abruptly shifted his tone, "Brother He, the reason we dare not use the Divine Power sources in our various locations is not due to that."

He Yi-ming was slightly taken aback, raising his head abruptly to look at the other party with suspicion.

Liu Changju stated gravely, "Three thousand years ago, when Ice Island appeared, the Northern Frontier Sacred Beast Kings united. They besieged the Ice Palace, intending to kill every human inside and claim Ice Island for themselves." He slowly held up three fingers. "According to historical records, the number of Sacred Beast Kings who arrived from various places at that time was no less than thirty."

He Yi-ming gasped, understanding immediately the immense weight of that statement.

The strength possessed by the Northern Frontier Sacred Beast Kings was scarcely inferior to that of the Outer Sea Sacred Beast Kings. In other words, any two Sacred Beast Kings joining forces could surely overpower any single expert at the Ninth Heaven of the Human Dao peak.

Of course, because Ninth Heaven experts possessed Divine Power, whereas ordinary Sacred Beast Kings lacked the bloodline of Divine Beasts, the ultimate outcome of a desperate struggle would remain unpredictable.

But thirty Sacred Beast Kings—that strength was utterly earth-shattering.

"Are there truly that many Sacred Beast Kings in the Northern Frontier?" After a long silence, He Yi-ming finally asked the question.

Bing Xiaotian offered a wry smile. "Brother He, beneath the Northern Frontier ice plains lies the boundless Ice Sea, and the expanse of the Ice Sea region is nearly equal to that of the Outer Sea. Even if you combined the Eastern and Western Continents, it would still fall far short of the vastness of the Northern Frontier Ice Sea." He lifted the fragrant tea before him and took a slow sip. "The lifespan of Sacred Beasts also far surpasses that of humans. Accumulated over tens of thousands of years, a mere thirty Sacred Beast Kings is hardly surprising."

He Yi-ming coughed lightly. "Brother Bing, it is not that He Yi-mou doubts you, but if the Northern Frontier truly harbors thirty Sacred Beast Kings... I think I should return to the Northwest with Li Xun."

Bing Xiaotian was momentarily stunned, then managed a wry laugh. "Brother He worries unnecessarily. Sacred Beast Kings are innately arrogant and would absolutely disdain joining forces to fight humans. Furthermore, they each possess vast territories, and for the sake of their domains, these Sacred Beast Kings often fall into discord, leading to constant campaigns where both sides suffer heavy losses. Thus, we generally need never fear the Sacred Beast Kings. As for that year, if Ice Island had not manifested near the very gates of our Ice Palace, these Sacred Beast Kings would not have united."

He Yi-ming was finally relieved; there was indeed a complex background to the event.

"Thirty Northern Frontier Sacred Beast Kings—that strength probably cannot be resisted by human effort alone," He Yi-ming stated calmly. "Since that erratic Ice Island appeared beside the Ice Palace, and the Sacred Beast Kings besieged the Palace, they must have employed Divine Power to shatter the threat."

Bing Xiaotian smiled proudly, his tone filled with reverence for the predecessors of the Ice Palace. "Three thousand years ago, the Sect Master of the Ice Palace was also at the Human Dao peak. He personally enacted a secret art to open the Seven-Colored Palace, using the Seven-Colored Radiance to slay twelve Northern Frontier Sacred Beast Kings within a single hour. After that engagement, no Sacred Beast King in the entire Northern Frontier dared approach within a thousand li of the Ice Palace again."

He Yi-ming raised his eyebrows slightly, a torrent of thoughts surging through him. He seemed to visualize the peerless, unstoppable momentum of that powerful Water Divine Power sweeping across the world three millennia ago.

Divine Power was the strongest force under heaven—a power capable of mobilizing the might of heaven and earth, transcending the Human Dao, belonging to the gods.

He Yi-ming’s memory of the might of this power was still sharp.

Before the Western Temple, Franklin had unleashed the Divine Power of Light at the cost of tens of thousands of lives.

The sheer magnitude of that power was utterly inconceivable. Neither the natural forces evoked by the white horse—summoning wind and rain, commanding thunder and lightning—nor the might of heaven and earth unleashed by the Godly-Path congealed blood cultivators could counter that Light Divine Power.

Had He Yi-ming not possessed the Chaos Dantian, and already refined the Light Divine Power within his body, he would never have secured ultimate victory in that battle.

The only thing that brought him solace in that fight was the realization that the Light Divine Power did not belong to Franklin himself, but was merely borrowed strength.

If that Light Divine Power had been inherent to Franklin, then He Yi-ming’s only option would have been to flee as far away as possible, with no hope of victory.

Bing Xiaotian waited a moment before continuing, "Brother He, the might of Divine Power far surpasses the Human Dao realm. Although that predecessor from years ago was merely manipulating the accumulated Water Divine Power here, he was already an unrivaled existence. But alas..." He paused regretfully, "...the fate of that predecessor after those Sacred Beast Kings fled in disarray was utterly tragic."

He Yi-ming’s heart stirred slightly. "Did that predecessor suffer body explosion and death?"

Bing Xiaotian was briefly startled, then slowly nodded.

At this point, a look of sudden enlightenment crossed He Yi-ming’s face; he finally grasped what Bing Xiaotian and the others were trying to explain.

For an expert in the Human Dao realm to cultivate in a place saturated with Divine Power, especially while entering a state of sudden enlightenment, was by no means entirely beneficial.

If, without realizing it, one absorbed too much Divine Power, exceeding the limits of what they could control, the consequence would be tragic.

The Western Pope Franklin and the Ice Palace Sect Master from three thousand years ago served as potent cautionary tales.

With this realization, He Yi-ming stood up and bowed deeply to everyone. "He Yi-mou understands now. I thank you all for your timely assistance."

Although He Yi-ming possessed the Chaos Dantian, he was, after all, not a person of the Godly Path. His ability to utilize some Godly Path might was already the limit achieved through fortunate manipulation. Lingering too long in an environment permeated with Water Divine Power carried a significant risk of body explosion and death.

Bing Xiaotian and the others finally relaxed. Having an enemy like He Yi-ming harbor resentment in his heart would undoubtedly spell disaster.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with a smile, Bing Xiaotian said, "Li Xun, you should go cultivate now, strive to refine the Five Elements Feather Robe into light within three days. When Brother Di and Sect Master Jimo arrive, we shall depart for the Ice Sea."

He Yi-ming’s expression shifted slightly. "Is the location where Ice Island has appeared this time within the Ice Sea?"

Bing Xiaotian nodded solemnly. "Precisely. The Sacred Beast Kings within the Ice Sea will certainly return, so we must prepare in advance." He glanced meaningfully at He Yi-ming. "Any available strength must be united. Whatever grudges we hold must wait until after the Ice Island expedition."

He Yi-ming pondered for a moment and immediately agreed. He knew Bing Xiaotian was referring to the feud between him and Jimo Fanshu. However, having learned the strength of the spirit beasts in the Ice Sea, He Yi-ming had long since abandoned any thought of internal conflict.

He turned his head. "Li Xun, what is this Five Elements Feather Robe? Show it to me."

Yuan Li Xun, without hesitation, retrieved the trench coat, adorned with tens of thousands of white feathers, from her waist sash and handed it to He Yi-ming.

The moment the feather robe was in his grasp, He Yi-ming felt a powerful surge of vital energy wash over him.

His expression subtly changed; the density of this life aura was arguably even higher than that of the Five Elements Ring.

He immediately understood that this divine weapon was certainly no ordinary artifact.

Looking up, the numerous Ninth Heaven experts watched him with keen interest, seemingly awaiting his assessment.

"Brother He, this item was forged entirely by this old man. Tell me, is it suitable for Miss Yuan?" Liu Changju stated proudly.

The others inwardly cursed. Although he had forged the item, without the rare treasures provided by everyone else, and their help in hunting Outer Sea Sacred Beast Kings, he would never have managed to forge such a divine weapon in his lifetime.

He Yi-ming carefully stroked the smooth, supple Five Elements Feather Robe, his gaze first falling upon the five beads set into the front chest of the garment.

He was not unfamiliar with these objects, as he possessed several near him.

These were the inner cores of Sacred Beasts, and judging by their luster and size, they were definitely not ordinary Sacred Beasts, but the inner cores of those immensely powerful Sacred Beast Kings.

A total of five cores, and they represented the complete set of the Five Elements.

To gather these five inner cores represented an undertaking of unparalleled magnitude.

At that moment, he recalled the cave beneath Penglai Immortal Island, where he had also found five Sacred Beast King inner cores. However, comparatively, the quality of those cores seemed to be more than a tier higher.

He Yi-ming finally understood: those inner cores must have belonged to the most elite Sacred Beast Kings possessing Divine Beast bloodlines, slain by cultivators of the Godly Path during their lifetimes.

Inner cores from such Sacred Beast Kings were truly incomparably formidable; short of a Divine Beast itself, these cores represented the highest tier of material.

Gathering his thoughts, He Yi-ming flicked his wrist lightly, shaking the garment.

The entire robe instantly spread out, lying flat before He Yi-ming and Yuan Li Xun.

Pointing at this rarely seen, miraculous feather robe, He Yi-ming’s expression became intensely solemn.