A flash of white light shimmered high in the sky, seemingly a warning for everyone to halt. He Yiming and the others immediately stopped obediently. Even the notoriously short-tempered Qilin Beast, White Horse Lightning, and Liu Changju dared not make a rash move at this moment.

For none of them wished to incur the wrath of a Divine Artifact, to be struck down by it at this final juncture would be the most utterly unjust fate.

Yuan Lixun gasped in surprise. The imitation Divine Artifact light in her hand grew intensely bright, transforming into a massive white serpent that coiled around the circular mirror hanging in the sky.

Astonishingly, the circular mirror offered no resistance, allowing itself to be enveloped by the luminous white serpent. Faintly, a ripple of Heaven and Earth power spread outward, washing over the spot where He Yiming and the others stood.

For a moment, they exchanged glances, disbelief etched in their eyes.

The Qilin Holy Lord hesitated, then spoke, "Sirs, do you not feel... that this Divine Artifact seems profoundly content?"

His words were abrupt, yet everyone understood perfectly. The aura emanating from the Divine Artifact, the Ice Crystal Mirror, carried an undeniable sense of deep satisfaction.

Of course, this sense of contentment did not originate from them, but was projected outward by the Ice Crystal Mirror itself.

Zi Duli gave a slight cough. "Ancient records state that Divine Artifacts possess sentience, no different from human beings. It is proven true."

He Yiming nodded slightly. Among these people, he was the only one with experience dealing with Divine Artifacts. He had long ago verified this truth through his interactions with the Nine Dragon Furnace. However, the nine fire dragons within that furnace, having lived for untold ages, were undoubtedly arrogant and cunning old fiends, far less accommodating than the Ice Crystal Mirror.

The group cautiously advanced a few more steps. The feeling of menace had completely vanished, a realization that thoroughly set their minds at ease.

With the protective light of the Divine Artifact Ice Crystal Mirror drawn away, they smoothly arrived before the Ice Island.

It was an island entirely swathed in white snow and ice. They ascended into the sky, hovering above the now-stabilized altitude to gaze down. After a moment, they were forced to accept an undeniable fact.

Before them stretched a vista of blinding white—nothing but ice and snow, and upon the island, seemingly merged seamlessly with the frozen expanse, there was no sign of any entrance, cave, or mountain path.

He Yiming had already gleaned much about the legends of the Ice Island from Bing Xiaotian and Di Shitian. According to the deductions of past predecessors, even after breaking through the artifact's protective light, they would still have to shatter the white icy armor before them. Perhaps only by piercing this vast whiteness could they discover the marvel hidden within.

The Qilin Holy Lord slapped his Qilin Beast. The mighty, peak-tier Sacred Beast opened its maw, and a thick beam of light, tinged with gold, descended from the heavens, slamming fiercely into the ice armor.

Facing this enigmatic Ice Island, no one dared to underestimate it. The Qilin Holy Lord immediately engaged in Man-Beast Unity, releasing his most formidable power without reservation.

Ji Mofan Shu’s eyes flickered slightly, and the thought of taking action was instantly dismissed.

While his lightness skill and concealment arts might be unrivaled in the world, in terms of sheer brute force assault, he was a shade weaker. It was better to hide his limitations than to expose them clumsily.

Following a tremendous crash, disbelief spread across everyone’s faces.

All present could clearly sense the power unleashed by the Qilin Holy Lord’s Man-Beast Unity. This was unequivocally a full-strength strike from him. At the Human Dao realm, even He Yiming alone would hesitate to meet such a force head-on.

Yet, such an immense blow was entirely absorbed by the Ice Island, not even causing a single flake of snow to dislodge.

Everyone drew a sharp, cold breath, expressions of weary bitterness crossing their faces.

Although Yuan Lixun had successfully diverted the Divine Artifact's light, if they could not breach the ice and snow blockade before them, their venture would ultimately end in failure.

Bing Xiaotian snorted in frustration. "Sirs, let us combine the might of the Five Elements."

Di Shitian and the others nodded slightly. Having long established their understanding, the positions occupied by the five as they ascended subtly formed a diagram of mutual generation among the Five Elements.

Starting with Bing Xiaotian, the divine power of Water surged forth tempestuously. Followed by Ao Borui’s power of Wood, Liu Changju’s power of Fire, Zi Duli’s power of Earth, and finally, Di Shitian’s power of Metal.

The five streams of elemental divine power, having cycled through mutual generation, reached an extreme peak of potency, entirely coalescing into the power of Metal before exploding downward from the heavens.

A massive light-axe, appearing capable of splitting heaven and earth, materialized between the five of them. After only a momentary pause, this axe tilted downward and struck the mountain peak with devastating force.

A reverberation several times louder than the previous impact echoed out. The axe, forged from the combined might of five supreme experts, was indeed extraordinary. Though it failed to cleave the incredibly solid mountain peak in two, it nonetheless carved a colossal gash into the ice.

A flicker of joy crossed everyone's face. With just a few more strikes like that, surely they could carve a passage into the island's interior before their divine energy was exhausted.

However, an unbelievable event occurred abruptly. The ice and snow covering the island began to flow and rearrange themselves with startling speed. As if receiving an implicit command, they surged toward the fissure with full force. In the blink of an eye, the gash was entirely filled by the endless snow, leaving not a trace behind.

In the sky, the onlookers watched, dumbfounded. Even seeing it firsthand, they could scarcely believe their eyes.

The Divine Dao, truly, was bizarre, unfathomable, and beyond explanation.

Di Shitian looked up, his gaze settling on He Yiming. With a wry smile, He Yiming responded, "Let me try."

The Divine Dao Condensation Blood Man standing behind him drifted forward, positioning itself high above the mountain peak, directly opposite the impact zone.

The hearts of the gathered company tightened, for they knew this was their final hope. If even the might of the Divine Dao could not breach this magical island's defense, their only recourse would be to retreat.

The power of Heaven and Earth surged and condensed, seemingly in an instant, within the hands of the Divine Dao Condensation Blood Man.

He casually made a sweeping motion, a simple pull and drag, devoid of any unnecessary flourish.

A massive fissure erupted on the island amidst a deafening roar, sending shards of rock and ice flying. The entire mountain peak shuddered, and a perfectly straight cross-shaped mark appeared upon its surface.

A flash of exhilaration crossed the eyes of the onlookers. The power of the Divine Dao was indeed incomparable to ordinary might; even the Five Element Cycle executed by Bing Xiaotian and the others, lacking the mobilization of Heaven and Earth power, paled in comparison.

Yet, the smiles on their faces froze quickly. Despite the immense destruction wrought by the Condensation Blood Man's strike, it still failed to shatter the mountain peak entirely.

The surrounding ice and snow began to churn once more. The entire Ice Island acted like a gigantic living organism, continuously mending the damage it had sustained.

The light vanished from the eyes of Bing Xiaotian and the others, replaced by utter despair.

If even the Heaven and Earth power channeled by the Divine Dao Condensation Blood Man achieved no lasting effect, was it truly impossible to enter this time?

Ji Mofan Shu suddenly spoke up. "Let us pool our strength for one more attempt."

The Qilin Holy Lord snorted. "Do you think it will be useful?"

Ji Mofan Shu ignored his scorn, calmly stating, "The greater the force we strike with, the wider the gap will initially be, and the slower the ice and snow will replenish. I have a feeling that if we can cleave the peak open in a single strike, we will surely succeed."

He Yiming’s expression shifted slightly. He looked at the Ice Island, which was already regaining its original shape, and sighed deeply.

He had been reluctant to expose his final trump card, but now it seemed unavoidable. Otherwise, their massive mobilization would certainly end in failure.

"Let me try one more time," He Yiming stated gravely, adding, "Together with the puppet."

Everyone present paused momentarily, their gazes towards him tinged with suspicion. Could his solitary strength truly surpass the combined efforts of everyone else?

The Heaven and Earth power here was so dense it seemed infinite. Although the Divine Dao Condensation Blood Man had unleashed its power twice already, the ambient Heaven and Earth energy showed no discernible decrease.

Under the watch of the assembly, the Divine Dao Condensation Blood Man once again raised its arm high, and the boundless Heaven and Earth power surged toward it.

Almost simultaneously, He Yiming also raised both his hands, though his posture was distinctly different from the puppet's. He held both hands flat before his chest, extending his thumbs and forefingers to form a small, peculiar rectangle.

Instantly, an equally potent wave of Heaven and Earth power converged upon him. The speed and sheer volume were in no way inferior to that gathering around his puppet.

Every eye widened. Only then did they realize that He Yiming’s power had reached a level where he touched the very edge of the Divine Dao, able to draw in, compress, and release the might of Heaven and Earth.

A massive radiance flared simultaneously from both figures.

The Divine Dao Condensation Blood Man executed its usual sweeping motion, while from the space between He Yiming’s two hands, an enormous, suffocating beam of light shot forth.

This light, bearing an indescribable momentum, blasted downward, striking the mountain peak viciously.

Two distinct methods, yet unleashing World-shattering might of equal caliber, were unleashed together—a force so overwhelming it surpassed everyone's imagination.

After the light subsided, the awestruck group discovered that an entire section of the mountain peak had been cleanly scoured away, revealing a dark, gaping entrance.

The combined force of those two streams of Heaven and Earth power was capable of destroying the heavens and the earth; even the white ice armor of the island could no longer resist.

A rumbling sound emanated from the Ice Island, distinctly different from before.

A voice, imbued with the ancient mustiness of millennia, exploded like heavenly thunder.

"Welcome. Please, enter..."

Ps: Tomorrow will still be five chapters. The secret of the Ice Island will be officially unveiled.

Three days, forty-five thousand words—this pace is truly pushing the limits of my life force. I plan to dedicate the entire seven days of National Day holiday to writing, with ten thousand five hundred words updated daily. Brothers, please check your reading list. If you still have monthly tickets available, please cast them for Bai He. Thank you...