At that very moment, every face wore the same expression of shock. Even the several Sacred Beasts, possessed of divine beast lineage, were no exception.

For they beheld a creature that existed only in legend.

The great mountain a hundred fathoms away began to move slowly, the increasingly loud 'hissing' sound emanating from that spot.

On the sandy ground, there should have been nothing but flowing desert, yet here stood a sudden peak. Though everyone found it strange, having already entered this bizarre place, seeing a mountain emerge from the sand—even a sea appearing within the sands—seemed scarcely worth a second thought.

But when this mountain suddenly sprang to life and slowly lifted into the air, even the most thick-skinned among them felt an intense, gut-wrenching jolt.

A colossal, unbelievable being began to reveal itself from the summit, ascending toward the sky. Gradually, the entire mountain rose, and the moment the creature was fully airborne, it blotted out even the sky directly overhead.

"Dragon..."

A dry sound escaped Bing Xiaotian's lips.

Across the lands of East and West, though their divine beasts differed, there was no dispute: the creature crowned as the foremost among all divine beasts was named "Dragon."

The measure of a Dragon's might, according to legend, had a very straightforward criterion: one looked at its sheer size.

The larger the Dragon, the greater its inherent power.

Yet now, as He Yiming and the others gazed up at this sky-obscuring Dragon wheeling through the heavens, everyone felt a sense of suffocation.

This Dragon was too immense; it surpassed the scope of what they could comprehend.

Among them, He Yiming and Ji Mofan Shu’s realization was the most profound. Both had previously encountered the Dragon-Snake at Ghost Cry Ridge, and Ji Mofan Shu had even fought it, resulting in mutual injury. They knew the terror and vastness of the Dragon-Snake.

But if the Dragon-Snake were here, compared to this giant Dragon soaring above, it would be nothing more than an underdeveloped hatchling.

After a long pause, the mountain on the sand surface finally vanished, leaving behind only a massive, bottomless crater. Even peering down from the rim gave a dizzying sense of infinite depth.

The giant beast displayed no overtly overwhelming divine might, but that hardly mattered now. With a frame of that magnitude, even if it knew nothing of the Divine Path, a simple descent from the sky would likely prevent any creature from retaining its shape.

Of course, experts skilled in burrowing were the exception.

Ji Mofan Shu drew a deep, ragged breath, muttering, "A Dragon... the Divine Path... the Divine Path truly exists."

His voice carried an indescribable excitement, one that even witnessing this terrifying spectacle could not fully mask.

This was the greatest shared sensation among them all.

Though they had entered the Ice Island and traversed a magical dimension, until this moment, seeing the Divine Path with their own eyes, they remained hesitant. Now, they finally believed.

The Divine Path was right before them...

"Respected Lord Dragon. The successor of the North Sea Ice Palace sends greetings." Bing Xiaotian bowed deeply, showing respect regardless of whether the giant Dragon could even perceive his minuscule form from the sky. He was the first to convey his goodwill.

Di Shitian, Zi Luli, Ao Borui, and Liu Changju followed suit.

When the Divine Path vanished in the past, these five major sects were at their zenith. Yet, overnight, all their Divine Path masters and elders disappeared, impacting them immensely.

However, through the writings left by their predecessors, they knew their disappearance was linked to the Ice Island, thus seizing this opportunity to leverage old connections.

Yet, they held little genuine hope.

After all, man and beast were separate; who knew if this Dragon recognized these sects? Moreover, after five millennia, their predecessors were surely long dead. Thus, they acted partly hoping to glean any clue about their elders' whereabouts, perhaps even to recover the legendary Divine Weapons or even Artifacts their ancestors had carried.

The Dragon in the sky stirred. Slowly, a massive head, almost mountain-sized, lowered from the high altitude. It was a head exactly like those depicted in Dragon legends. Its terrifying eyes, flashing with a faint crimson tint, peered down, seemingly locking onto every single person on the ground.

A shiver traced down He Yiming's spine. He tightened his grip on Yuan Lixun’s delicate hand, feeling the icy coldness of her skin. Suddenly, his scalp prickled, and his body trembled faintly. Vaguely, he sensed that the Dragon's gaze was fixed directly upon him.

It wasn't a fleeting glance, but a deliberate, substantial focus, which provoked such a strong reaction in him.

A force pulled his hand from Yuan Lixun’s, gripping it almost painfully. He Yiming flinched, turning to see her eyes filled with worry.

A strange calm settled over his heart. Under the Dragon's immense pressure, He Yiming completely let go of his fear.

Since he could not possibly resist this Dragon—if it wished him dead, resistance would be futile—why should he remain constantly anxious?

He let out a long breath, a relieved smile touching his lips as he nodded slightly to Yuan Lixun.

In that moment, their hearts seemed to merge, as if even their lives were intertwined.

The immense pressure gradually shifted. One Hundred and Eight's voice suddenly sounded in his ear: "This Dragon is paying close attention to us, and I feel a sense of familiarity with it."

He Yiming was slightly startled. He would never doubt One Hundred and Eight; that sensation of being watched was undeniably real.

"You know it?" He Yiming asked, barely concealing his disbelief.

"No, but it feels strikingly familiar," One Hundred and Eight replied calmly.

He Yiming felt a pang of emotion. Over the years of wandering with him, One Hundred and Eight had even learned to use the word 'feelings.' It was remarkable; he had become virtually indistinguishable from a human, at least in terms of complex thought processes.

The Dragon’s head hung motionless, seemingly contemplating some great puzzle, remaining silent. He Yiming and the others dared not disturb the ancient, terrifying being. The atmosphere settled into an eerie quiet.

After a long silence, the Dragon finally spoke. Perhaps it did not roar, but when it spoke, its voice became the only sound in the entire desert.

"In the Mortal Realm, the most powerful sect was the Five Elements Gate. Why have they sent no representative?"

Ao Borui quickly stepped forward. "Lord Dragon, this junior is a descendant of the Five Elements." He hesitated, as if needing to complete the account. "The Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land is the former Five Elements Gate."

The Dragon’s rumbling voice sounded again: "Why did the Five Elements Gate change its name?"

Ao Borui dared not conceal anything, recounting how, after the disappearance of the Five Elements Sect Master and the Divine Path Elders, the disciples scattered to pursue their own paths, severely weakening the sect's overall strength.

The others listened with envy. From the Dragon’s tone, it was clear it had a history with the Five Elements Gate. The former Five Elements Gate truly lived up to its reputation as the strongest lineage of ten thousand years, maintaining ties with such a being. Had the Divine Path not vanished for inscrutable reasons, the world would likely still be dominated by the Five Elements.

After a while, Ao Borui fell silent, having revealed the sect's history without embellishment or exaggeration.

A long sigh followed—a sound filled with endless lament, yet striking everyone like a series of thunderclaps, leaving them dizzy and swaying.

This terrifying sigh continued for a full quarter hour before subsiding. The faces of the human experts were pale; if the Dragon had sighed any longer, they might as well have collectively committed suicide.

Surprisingly, while the human masters looked drawn, the three top Sacred Beasts, possessing divine bloodlines, remained utterly unharmed and indeed seemed more spirited.

Bing Xiaotian and the others cursed inwardly but dared not show it on their faces.

And Yuan Lixun, the weakest among the group, miraculously suffered no ill effects. As the Dragon began to sigh, the artifact Ice Mirror, enveloped in white light, unexpectedly projected a beam of white energy, weaving a protective field around her. No matter how fierce the Dragon’s sigh, it could not penetrate this artifact's field.

However, He Yiming, holding Yuan Lixun’s hand, received no such benefit. The Ice Mirror clearly showed favoritism, excluding him from its protection, causing him to grumble internally.

"No glory lasts forever. The Five Elements Gate dominated for over five thousand years; that is remarkable enough," the Dragon’s voice drifted down faintly. "If Heaven wills the end of the Five Elements Gate, then no one can prevent it."

Ao Borui, though inwardly unconvinced, merely agreed. In this environment, he wasn't foolish enough to argue the point with a Dragon.

The Dragon’s tone suddenly shifted. "What of the strong ones from the West? Why have they not come?"

Bing Xiaotian bowed deeply. "Lord Dragon, the Western powerhouses have currently failed to reach the Ninth Heaven of the Human Dao peak, so they have forfeited the chance to come here."

Although the two great Western experts had fallen by He Yiming's hand, no one dared reveal this now, not even Ji Mofan Shu. They were unsure if speaking of it would invite disaster upon themselves.

The Dragon remained silent for a long spell, finally letting out another sigh that nearly drove everyone present to madness. Then it spoke: "You are... too weak..."

Ps: I went out today and just returned, so the update is a bit late, sigh... Fourth day, there are three days left for double monthly tickets, White Crane begs for monthly tickets...