Their gazes flickered in different directions. Including He Yiming, they simultaneously noticed the strange looks cast by those around them. These looks were filled with the dread of the unknown and suspicion—expressions they rarely allowed to surface.

Before arriving at the North Sea, every one of them stood as the pinnacle expert of the Human Dao; there was virtually nothing left in this world capable of inspiring genuine terror in them.

Perhaps only the looming approach of their mortal lifespan's end could stir ripples of fear in their otherwise tranquil hearts.

Their desperate push to enter the Icelandic land, while certainly driven by the desire to advance to the Divine Dao, had a deeper, underlying cause: the urgent need to extend their already maximally depleted vital lifespan.

Yet now, as that voice, rich with the flavor of ages past, reached their ears, their hearts began to thump erratically, filled with deep unease.

In that instant, what were they but the awe-inspiring, peak Ninth Heaven experts of the Human Dao? They felt reduced to mere fledgling martial artists, clumsy novices just beginning their journey.

Bing Xiaotian sighed deeply and uttered, "What is destined to be ours, is ours; what is lost, is lost. Let us go."

As his words slowly faded, a profound, subtle shift occurred in the atmosphere among them, and the strange quality in their eyes gradually settled back into calm. They looked at one another, sharing a brief moment of shared frustration tempered by good-natured mockery.

They had experienced far too much on this single day.

The Divine Dao Condensing Blood Man’s might over the heavens and earth had, in one swift move, annihilated eighteen Saint Beast Kings. The Thousand-Year Icelandic Land had erupted from the void in a display of absolute shock, nearly dragging half their company into the vortex of dark power during the process. Then came the appearance of the divine artifact, the Ice Glaze Mirror, and Yuan Lixun’s effortless redirection of its divine light, culminating in He Yiming exhibiting power far exceeding all prior imagination.

All these events had utterly shattered the established understanding of these Human Dao pinnacle experts.

Under such circumstances, even with their formidable mental fortitude, they felt a deep sense of helplessness and despondency.

More importantly, no one could have ever conceived that after forcing open the Icelandic Land, they would hear the actual human language spoken from within.

Hearing that simple greeting sent a chill down everyone’s spine.

The Thousand-Year Icelandic Land had appeared only after the Divine Dao vanished, and the Divine Dao had been gone for a full five millennia.

Although the total number of human experts on the continent fluctuated across different eras, the variation could never be too drastic. In all history, the maximum number of individuals who had successfully repelled the Northern Frontier Ice Fields and the Ice Sea Saint Beast Kings to reach the Thousand-Year Icelandic Land before was barely a dozen.

However, no one had ever managed to penetrate the blockade of the divine artifact, the Ice Glaze Mirror; its formidable divine light had strangled every sliver of hope in the cradle.

Therefore, every major sect possessed detailed historical records confirming that over these five millennia, not a single person, or indeed, not a single creature, had managed to enter the Icelandic Land as intended.

But at this moment, a human voice had been transmitted from within. What did this imply?

It implied that someone had managed to live for over five thousand years...

And it was certain that this unseen elder was definitively a figure from the legendary Divine Dao era.

Faced with such an ancient, undying anomaly, the Human Dao pinnacle experts gathered in the sky naturally felt their hearts seize with fear, their composure completely undermined.

Yet, they were, after all, experts of the Ninth Heaven. Once some of these peak Human Dao powerhouses had managed to sort out their thoughts and offer minor counsel to recalibrate their minds, they began to rally once more.

This was the true strength and willpower of the Human Dao pinnacle experts; without such tenacity and perseverance, they could never have cultivated to such a height amidst the severely harsh external conditions.

Almost in unison, the crowd descended towards the opening below. Their target was that gaping, pitch-black maw, and nothing that lay ahead could halt their determined advance.

On the ground, Yuan Lixun’s eyes flashed with a strange light. Biting her delicate teeth, the Five Elements Feather Robe rippled with power, guiding her as she too flew toward that opening.

He Yiming gently patted the lightning-wreathed white horse beneath him, intercepting her mid-air.

Yuan Lixun’s expression remained calm, yet the resolve in her eyes showed no sign of yielding. In that moment, He Yiming vaguely felt that the woman before him seemed somewhat unfamiliar, yet she stirred an excitement and agitation within his heart.

With a light sigh, He Yiming extended his hand. Yuan Lixun smiled faintly, returning the gesture, placing her delicate, slender hand into his palm.

With a gentle tug, he pulled her onto the horse’s back. However, a faint, swaying ribbon of cold white light immediately shattered the sense of warmth that had begun to bloom in He Yiming’s heart.

His gaze tracked the white light cluster hovering above them, and He Yiming asked quietly, "Lixun, this thing isn't going to crash down on us, is it?"

Yuan Lixun pondered seriously for a long moment, then offered an apologetic smile. "I don't know."

He Yiming let out a long breath. Anyone with a divine artifact hanging directly over their head, an artifact utterly beyond control, would likely feel the same way he did.

His grip tightened slightly on the Five Elements Ring in his hand. He pressed his legs against the horse, and White Lightning, the steed, furtively glanced upwards before finally turning toward the black hole below.

Having transformed twenty Thunder Shock Talismans into pure energy, it had gained the ability to fly. Still, it preferred the familiar sensation of galloping across the continent. But in a crucial moment, it could indeed soar across the firmament.

Precious Pig burrowed into Yuan Lixun’s embrace, apparently discerning that under the threat of the Ice Glaze Mirror, Yuan Lixun’s protection was still the more reliable refuge. As for He Yiming… a temporary relocation didn't quite count as betrayal.

By now, the others had already entered the black hole. The only ones unaffected by the general surge were Hundred and Eight and the Divine Dao Condensing Blood Man.

These few formed a new contingent and finally plunged into the mysterious Icelandic Land, a place so dark that even He Yiming’s sharp vision could discern nothing.

The air around them felt viscous, as if they were passing through some kind of membrane, lending a truly strange sensation.

Of course, He Yiming was certain there was no moisture here, so whatever they passed through was definitely not a waterfall or similar phenomenon. Furthermore, the instant they traversed that barrier, He Yiming lost all sense of the presence of Hundred and Eight and the Divine Dao Condensing Blood Man.

Only after the Divine Dao Condensing Blood Man followed them in did that familiar connection reappear beside him.

He Yiming exhaled deeply, his expression exceedingly strange. The substance they had just penetrated possessed such miraculous power that it could even sever the mental communication between him and the Divine Dao Condensing Blood Man. Such an ability was utterly beyond imagination.

After all, since the Divine Dao Condensing Blood Man’s consciousness resided within He Yiming’s mind, as long as the puppet was not completely destroyed, He Yiming could always sense its location. While he couldn't know what it was doing, the precise coordinates were never mistaken.

This was precisely why, in the past, Jimo Fanshu entrusted the puppet to Hao Xue to travel toward the Southern Frontier.

But the sensation now made He Yiming realize that the space they had passed through must contain spatial energies accessible only to those of the Divine Dao.

A sudden burst of light illuminated the scene before him. He Yiming’s mind stirred, and he urged his mount. White Lightning immediately drove off its hind legs, leaping out of the darkness.

A breeze, cool and refreshing, swept over him, slightly calming his agitated mind.

He swept his gaze around. Bing Xiaotian and the others were all there. Everyone who could enter, had entered. And they, without exception, were the last to arrive.

However, those who had entered earlier clearly hadn't made any significant discoveries, as they were busy looking around, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings.

He Yiming did the same. He looked up and around, finally seeing that they stood in a desolate expanse of sand, stretching so far that the end was invisible. Apart from the fiercely dry wind scouring the sands, there was nothing remarkable.

The only thing that struck them as odd was a solid hill about a hundred paces to their left. Though this hill wasn't one of those soaring peaks that pierced the clouds, it seemed distinctly peculiar against the backdrop of the shifting sands.

But as newcomers, they naturally did not rush to explore immediately.

He drew his gaze back and asked solemnly, "Gentlemen, who was speaking just now?"

These people had entered before him; perhaps they had some insight.

Yet, Bing Xiaotian and the others simultaneously shook their heads, their faces also etched with a shared look of confusion. Evidently, just like He Yiming, they had failed to locate the source.

"Little friends, welcome to our domain."

That ancient voice resonated once more, this time emanating from the immediate vicinity. The sheer volume of the sound caused the very surrounding space to ripple slightly. Consequently, even these Human Dao peak experts could not pinpoint the origin of the voice.

Everyone’s expression changed drastically. They had exerted every ounce of their strength but detected no potent life force, indicating that this person's concealment technique was truly masterful—even surpassing the methods of the cold-sweating old assassin standing beside them.

"Senior, who might you be, and how should we address you?" Bing Xiaotian called out loudly. "If Senior permits, allow us juniors to pay our respects."

In the mortal realm, Bing Xiaotian was the utmost pinnacle expert, but here, he could only address the speaker as 'Senior' repeatedly. Because anyone capable of appearing in this place, regardless of their role, was worthy of those two words.

After a moment of silence, a faint, rustling sound arose near the group. This sound was almost inaudible at first, but it grew steadily louder.

Everyone felt a surge of quiet delight; they instantly understood that the speaker was preparing to reveal himself for a viewing.

He Yiming concentrated his hearing, immediately discerning the direction of the rustling. He turned his head, his eyes sharply focused, and his mouth slowly gaped open, wider and wider, without any pretense of composure...