Watching He Yiming’s receding figure, the expressions of Bing Xiaotian and the others were far from relaxed. Although they were all aware of He Yiming’s formidable martial cultivation, knowing he commanded both the most powerful techniques from the East and West, and had mastered the legendary Cloud Mist Clone, not a single person had ever truly witnessed the full might of these skills.

Even Ji Mofan Shu and Ao Borui, who had clashed with He Yiming before, had never engaged him in a genuine fight for life and death. Thus, as they watched him ride away on his white horse, a wave of apprehension settled over them.

Of course, many among them weren't worried about He Yiming’s personal safety; rather, they feared he might fail to keep the Saint Beast King contained. If that apex beast managed to slip away through any oversight, the consequences would be endless, rendering all their meticulous planning utterly fruitless.

The group exchanged glances. Only Di Shitian remained remarkably composed, because he knew that He Yiming still held in reserve the Blood Condensation Man of the Divine Path, whose power was terrifyingly immense.

Yet, under the current circumstances, Di Shitian harbored doubts about the extent of power He Yiming intended to unleash with that entity. If the sheer force of the Heavens and Earth were to be brought forth, the cost might far outweigh the benefit.

“Rest assured, he will succeed,” a voice, aged and distant, suddenly resonated.

Everyone started in surprise, for the one who had spoken was none other than that terrifying Qilin Beast. This Qilin had achieved fame long before most of them were even born. However, before its ascension to the rank of a supreme Saint Beast, it had chosen not to accompany the powerful figures of the preceding Totem Tribe. It was only after achieving its peak status for many years, and encountering the current Qilin Sacred Master, Qiu Chennu, that it had unexpectedly decided to bond with him.

Faced with this ancient being, possessing a lifespan of millennia and the capability for nuanced communication with humans, no one dared to show the slightest lack of deference.

“You are certain?” the Qilin Sacred Master Qiu Chennu asked, astonished.

“Yes. He is very strong,” the Qilin replied, then lazily settled onto the ice surface, refusing to move further.

The others exchanged bewildered looks. The Qilin Beast’s pronouncement had deeply surprised them; they hadn’t expected the old creature to hold such a high opinion of that young man.

Just then, the massive roar from the distance abruptly shifted in tone. If the Saint Beast’s initial cry resembled the lustful bellow of a mating animal, brimming with indescribable virility, this new sound was reduced to a limp squeal—a piercing shriek that involuntarily conjured images of certain third-rate, hobbled pseudo-males within imperial palaces.

A flicker of shock, even dread, crossed the eyes of those present. Even if He Yiming had reduced the Saint Beast’s cry to a mere agony, they wouldn't have been this stunned. But this sudden, almost gender-altering sound sent chills down their spines.

Fortunately, the unsettling noise did not linger. After merely a few breaths, a massive cracking sound echoed, and the bone-chilling cry was instantaneously severed, as if sliced clean by a blade.

A palpable aura of death seemed to drift from the distance. Instinctively, the group felt it: He Yiming had successfully dispatched the Saint Beast King.

Yet, the moment this thought crystallized, a cold tremor ran through them—even Di Shitian, Bing Xiaotian, and Zi Luli, who were closer to He Yiming, felt it. While the strength of the Northern Sea Saint Beast Kings varied, the disparity was never enormous. They, pooling the strength equivalent to four peak Human Dao masters, would need at least fifteen minutes just to execute a near-surprise assassination of one such king.

But He Yiming? From the moment the beast’s cry began its bizarre transformation until it ceased entirely, it seemed to have taken only the span of a single move.

Could it be that He Yiming had slain the Saint Beast King with just one attack? Though they instinctively felt their assumption was overwhelmingly likely, their gazes still darted around nervously, because even they found it difficult to believe their own deduction.

Moments later, a brilliant white light flashed in the distance. The vision of the onlookers blurred, and the White Horse Leidian reappeared, carrying He Yiming, Yuan Lixun, and the Treasure Pig back to their original spot.

The white horse proudly arched its neck, leveling a provocative glare at the Qilin Beast. However, its enormous eyes were so beautiful that they utterly failed to convey any true ferocity.

He Yiming leaped down. He knew Yuan Lixun was shy; it wouldn’t be proper for her to remain mounted with him in front of so many people. Still, in the perilous reaches of the Northern Sea, He Yiming felt secure only if Leidian remained constantly near Yuan Lixun. While he acknowledged that until the appearance of the Ice Island and Yuan Lixun’s diversion of the Ice Ling Mirror’s light, every Human Dao peak expert would guard her life as zealously as their own, he still felt uneasy. It was best to keep ultimate security within his own control.

Bing Xiaotian swept his gaze in the direction He Yiming had just come from, but against the backdrop of the sweeping ice and snow, he could detect no hidden mysteries. He retracted his eyes and smiled, asking, “Brother He, was that Saint Beast King dealt with?”

He was a seasoned veteran honed by years of cultivation. When facing ordinary people, he naturally adopted a superior air, but confronting He Yiming now inexplicably stirred an unusual ripple within him—a sensation that hadn't occurred since he attained the Human Dao pinnacle.

He Yiming nodded generously and smiled. “It was a Giant Crab Saint Beast King. Those enormous pincers are quite excellent; they can forge very fine divine weapons.”

The smile on Bing Xiaotian’s face froze for a bare instant. Everyone listened intently to their exchange. After He Yiming confirmed the kill, the shock among them was profound. Though no one voiced any disagreement, in the following days, the others’ attitude toward He Yiming subtly shifted once more. Even the terrifying elder assassin, Ji Mofan Shu, became subdued, seemingly having completely forgotten the previous friction with He Yiming.

Over the ensuing days, the Heaven and Earth energy in this location grew denser, changing almost daily. He Yiming and his companions were filled with a mixture of joy and surprise; they knew that the Divine Calculator’s prophecy was entirely accurate, without flaw. However, the fluctuations in the surrounding energy were alarmingly powerful, even surpassing the density found in the foremost grotto-heaven among the Blessed Lands.

Moreover, as the alteration in the Heaven and Earth energy accelerated, the Saint Beast Kings arriving from afar noticeably increased in number. Sensing the fierce, untamed aura of the Qilin Beast, these Saint Beast Kings grew increasingly cunning and insidious. Three of them conspired to ambush the Qilin Beast simultaneously.

However, they were unlucky, as they failed to detect the presence of He Yiming’s group. Instead, they were discovered in advance by the elder assassin Ji Mofan Shu, who had employed an illusion technique. Thus, the group struck together and achieved another resounding victory.

In this engagement, He Yiming refrained from using the power of the Light and Dark Convergence or the Five Elements Reincarnation. He relied solely on the five-fold amplification of ordinary Five Elements True Qi channeled through the Five Elements Ring, supplemented by Leidian’s lightning power and Yuan Lixun’s Ice Ling Mirror. Although they dispatched a Saint Beast King with comparative ease, this display only made He Yiming appear even more profound and unknowable in the eyes of the others.

In just a few short days, the number of Northern Sea Saint Beast Kings felled by their small party had already reached nearly fifteen—a truly staggering figure. Despite the vastness of the Northern Sea, guaranteeing many more such beasts existed, this rapid succession of kills finally made the remaining Saint Beast Kings wary. Over the subsequent three days, no matter how intensely the Heaven and Earth energy thickened, no Saint Beast King ventured forth to meet its doom.

At this point, Bing Xiaotian and the others ceased pressing the issue. They had long understood that Saint Beast Kings were no fools; a supreme beast capable of commanding a stretch of ocean could hardly be simple-minded. If it weren't for the allure of the Thousand-Year Ice Island, which influenced the majority of them, they never would have succeeded in hunting down fifteen Saint Beast Kings. From this point onward, the confrontation would require a clash of sheer, absolute power.

※※※※

Sitting silently on the frozen surface, He Yiming looked up at the expanse above, absorbing the immense, almost unbelievable concentration of Heaven and Earth energy surrounding him, his heart filled with deep emotion. Although ancient texts recorded that the Heaven and Earth energy during the ancient Divine Path era was incomparably rich, far exceeding the current mortal realm, only now did He Yiming truly grasp the magnitude of the difference between the two.

These three days had been quiet, but everyone knew this was the final lull before the last battle. Once the Saint Beast Kings gathered at some location and charged toward them, the opponents they faced would no longer be singular threats.

The tracker resting on his chest suddenly pulsed lightly. He Yiming’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly, and he slowly rose, walking toward the distance.

Yuan Lixun cast him a surprised glance, hesitating briefly before choosing not to follow. The others, though aware of his movement, pretended not to notice. They were all silently cultivating, striving to bring their internal states to the absolute peak. They all knew that the ensuing battle might very well be one of life and death.

Walking far from the group, He Yiming took out the tracker. His surrounding true energy swelled, instantly forming a small, soundproof sphere. Within this area, even if he shouted loudly, no one could hear him unless they exerted true energy powerful enough to shatter the isolating airflow.

“Brother Bai, what is it?” He Yiming asked in a low voice. For Hundred and Eight to contact him at this crucial moment meant something significant had occurred.

“I see the Northern Sea Saint Beast Kings,” Hundred and Eight’s voice, utterly devoid of fluctuation, responded. “They are gathering in a certain location.”

He Yiming’s spirit instantly soared. This was the best news he had heard in three days.