Almost simultaneously, his mind raced through calculations. If the number of beasts wasn't too great, they would have to strike first. Even if the odds were even, they couldn't pass up this opportunity. Otherwise, once those creatures accumulated more strength, he and his company would likely face only the fate of a desperate rout.

After all, though He Yiming was arrogant, he never imagined that his small contingent could truly stand against the entirety of the Sacred Beast Kings within the North Sea; that was an absolute impossibility.

"They are further north, a hundred li from your position." Hundred-and-Eight added superfluously, "I have some bad news for you: they seem to be discussing how to deal with you."

He Yiming managed a wry smile. This was inevitable. If Hundred-and-Eight told him the Sacred Beast Kings were gathered merely to deepen their friendships, he wouldn't believe it for a second.

"A hundred li to the north..." He Yiming's eyes flickered with a dangerous light. "How many of them are there?"

"Eleven."

He Yiming sucked in a sharp breath. Eleven North Sea Sacred Beast Kings—in terms of sheer numbers, they already outnumbered the humans. However, Sacred Beast Kings were not the pinnacle Sacred Beasts possessing Divine Beast bloodlines. When humans wielded Divine Weapons and possessed a sliver of Divine power, they could generally secure a victory through combat. But to manage to keep all eleven Sacred Beast Kings pinned down? That was utterly beyond the realm of possibility.

With a soft sigh, He Yiming instructed, "Keep monitoring them at all times. Maintain contact."

He tucked the tracking device into the lapel of his robes, let the circulation of his Zhenqi fade away from his body, and walked back with outwardly calm steps. Subconsciously, however, his pace was slightly quicker than usual.

Di Shitian opened his eyes. He felt a flicker of suspicion, unsure why a trace of agitation had surfaced in He Yiming's state of mind. For a peak expert of the Human Dao, this was hardly a good omen.

He was about to speak when he saw He Yiming already standing among the group, announcing loudly, "Everyone, I have located the trail of those Sacred Beast Kings."

This statement immediately drew the attention of everyone present. They exchanged glances, simultaneously puzzled. He Yiming had only stepped out for a brief stroll—a round taken right under their noses—and yet he had returned with intelligence on the elusive Northern Frontier Sacred Beast Kings?

If it hadn't been He Yiming who spoke those words, these others would likely have already slapped him across the face. As for whether a corpse would be left behind after such a blow, that was not something they were interested in considering.

"Brother He, where are they?" Bing Xiaotian hesitated for a moment before inquiring.

"One hundred li due north from here," He Yiming stated solemnly.

Seeing the gravity etched on He Yiming’s face, everyone present felt a slight jolt. They were beginning, faintly, to believe him. Di Shitian and Ji Mofan Shu, in particular, thought of someone in their hearts.

That person who had vanished abruptly from He Yiming's side after leaving the Northwest.

"What is their number?" Ji Mofan Shu asked coldly.

"Eleven."

He Yiming felt a surge of admiration. These top-tier experts cut straight to the most critical questions upon speaking: location and quantity. Beyond that, they didn't even inquire about the source or accuracy of the information; they trusted him implicitly. Even He Yiming himself felt a stir of emotion at such resolve.

"Eleven?" Ji Mofan Shu’s brow furrowed slightly. It wasn't that he feared these eleven Sacred Beast Kings; rather, he was distressed that even if their entire force mobilized, they could not possibly keep all of them contained.

"Yes, eleven," He Yiming paused, then added according to his own thoughts, "For now, eleven."

The expressions of Bing Xiaotian and the others shifted subtly; they all grasped the implication behind He Yiming's words.

There were definitely more Sacred Beast Kings in the North Sea than just these eleven. If they waited a few more days, the number gathered might easily exceed eleven.

With a long sigh, Di Shitian lamented, "I truly never imagined that the place where the Ice Island emerges would unleash such a vast outpouring of Heaven and Earth energy. Alas... this time, too many Sacred Beast Kings have been stirred."

The faces of the gathered experts were grim, each secretly cursing under their breath, yet equally helpless.

Before coming here, they had made thorough preparations. But before the Ice Island had even manifested, the concentration and transformation of Heaven and Earth energy had become unbelievably potent, drawing far more Sacred Beast Kings than they had anticipated. Moreover, it was predictable that even more Sacred Beast Kings would be rushing toward this location from thousands of miles away.

The upheaval of Heaven and Earth caused by the Ice Island's appearance was far more immense than ever imagined.

The Qilin Holy Master exhaled slowly. "The Divine Dao... hehe... for the sake of the Divine Dao, everything is worthwhile."

A burning glint immediately flared in the eyes of everyone present.

The more powerful the Heaven and Earth energy here, the greater their potential for advancement to the Divine Dao once they entered the Ice Island. Danger and opportunity have always been inseparable twin brothers; which one they would grasp depended entirely on individual luck and strength.

"Brother He, kill as many as you can. Do not hold back under any circumstances," Di Shitian suddenly turned, facing He Yiming. "The outcome of this operation will dictate whether we can enter the Ice Island undisturbed in the future. You cannot conceal your true strength anymore."

Bing Xiaotian and the others fell silent, several gazes intensely fixed on He Yiming.

Among this gathering, only Di Shitian, the Sect Master of the Tianchi lineage, could speak to He Yiming with such directness.

He Yiming scratched his scalp, realizing this time he truly couldn't hold back. He nodded gravely. "I will give it my all. However..." His gaze shifted, "I hope you won't hold back either."

Di Shitian stated sternly, "Rest assured, at a time like this, no one will keep their secrets. To do so would be to make an enemy of everyone."

He Yiming nodded slightly. "Keep Lightning White Horse, and Li Xun, and Treasure Pig here."

Lightning White Horse immediately whinnied loudly, and Treasure Pig leaped up in protest, attempting to pounce onto He Yiming.

He deftly caught the airborne Treasure Pig, placed it back on the White Horse's head, and instructed, "Lightning, Treasure Pig, I entrust Li Xun to your protection. Do not disappoint me."

Blinking her beautiful large eyes, the White Horse finally let out a long breath, no longer insisting. Treasure Pig, meanwhile, was immediately scooped up into Yuan Lixun's embrace. It made a distressed face, nudged its long snout a few times, and finally settled down with a soft snort.

He Yiming gave them a nod, then turned and proceeded to stealthily move north with the other masters.

Yuan Lixun watched He Yiming's retreating back, her delicate hands gripping tighter and tighter. The unlucky Treasure Pig rolled its eyes; if it hadn't been Yuan Lixun holding it, it would have already unleashed its Nine-Toothed Rake and turned this person into a charred cinder.

Though reluctant to part, Yuan Lixun understood even better that at this moment, if she followed along, she wouldn't be helping but becoming a burden.

A faint sense of loss resurfaced in her heart.

The first time she voluntarily left He Yiming's side, she had sworn an oath: to strive to keep pace with this man, moving from watching his back to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with him, and never again holding him back.

Yet, after these few years of cultivation that felt like a beautiful, illusory dream, she discovered that while she had progressed, she still couldn't quite match his strides.

Unwillingness...

A fierce surge of resentment crashed through her heart and mind.

This seemingly delicate maiden, willing to sacrifice herself for her comrades, possessed an intense, unyielding belief deep within her bones.

It was precisely because of this conviction that she had been able to endure countless agonies over these short years, successfully breaking through to the realm of the Five Qi Grand Venerable. Without her own tireless effort, no matter how favorable the external conditions, achieving such a breakthrough in a short time would have been impossible.

Yuan Lixun's speed of progress had filled all the strong practitioners with unified surprise and delight.

However, in this moment, Yuan Lixun felt the gap once more—and it was a gulf far wider than before.

She turned her head, gazing toward a specific direction.

Over there, the power of Heaven and Earth surged madly, as if all the energy in the world was converging in that spot.

She knew this was where the Millennium Ice Island was about to appear. Countless feelings of yearning swelled in her heart: If only I could enter it too!

In the distance, plumes of powerful auras shot toward the sky—the combined pressure emanating from more than ten Sacred Beast Kings.

Since they were a hundred li away, they made no effort to conceal their presence. Those dozen or so most formidable presences in the North Sea entangled together, causing all nearby life forms to tremble and retreat as far as possible.

Although the Sacred Beast Kings possessed intelligence comparable to humans, they were equally self-interested. Even knowing that only by joining forces could they contend with the Kirin Beast that had suddenly appeared in the distance, once all the Sacred Beast Kings were assembled, they simultaneously began to issue low growls.

They communicated in the unique manner of Sacred Beasts, though the process of interaction was often unpleasant, leading to minor, localized brawls being a frequent occurrence.

However, in this particular situation, all the Sacred Beast Kings were remarkably restrained; at least, they did not initiate infighting.

After some unknown period of deliberation, these Sacred Beast Kings finally reached a degree of tacit understanding. They did not immediately launch an assault toward the direction where the Qilin Beast was located. This was because too many of their companions had already vanished in that place that filled them with dread and trembling.

They continued to wait, knowing that as the fluctuations of Heaven and Earth energy accelerated, every Sacred Beast King sensing this change would travel uncounted miles to arrive here.

They intended to amass even greater power, to ensure that the terrifying, foreign Sacred Beast would be utterly annihilated.

Yet, what they didn't expect was that half a day later, reinforcements did arrive—but they were not allies from the North Sea. Instead, they were a group of vicious, brutal human experts wielding the flesh and inner cores of the Sacred Beasts to fuel their own cultivation.

Ps: It is October 2nd. White Crane will still deliver five chapters. Requesting monthly tickets, thank you...