Too weak?

To actually declare these powerhouses, who had already stood at the pinnacle of the Human Dao, as too weak...

If these words had been spoken in the outside world, no one would have hesitated to let the speaker experience the might held by the Nine Heavens, ensuring that the one uttering such arrogant remarks would either be forced to swallow those words back down their throat or be directly slain.

However, in that moment, the crowd exchanged bitter smiles. They gazed up at the enormous divine dragon overhead, their eyes filled with a deep, profound flavor of sorrow.

In comparison to this behemoth, merely receiving a judgment of "too weak" was already an astonishingly good outcome.

Below the Divine Dao, all are but ants.

Upon witnessing this giant dragon, their understanding of this saying deepened considerably.

"I am very curious how you managed to enter," the dragon's voice resonated once more. "Among you, there isn't even a single true member of the Divine Dao. Oh, and you task this little girl with attracting the divine artifact, the Ice Mirror? You people resort to such a tricky method..."

That booming voice, like thunder, roared incessantly, seemingly astonished that Yuan Lixun had been deployed for the task.

Bing Xiaotian and the others exchanged glances. This was a genuine divine artifact; without such a devious method, they would have had absolutely no chance of breaking through the blockade of the artifact's light.

After a long pause, the ancient-looking giant dragon finally ceased its rambling, inquiring with suspicion, "You only possess one Demigod-level puppet; how did you breach the ice mountain blockade and enter the barrier?"

Everyone's gaze simultaneously shifted towards He Yiming. Seeing no escape, He Yiming could only offer a wry smile. "Great Divine Dragon, your junior, the puppet, and I joined forces, simultaneously unleashing the might of Heaven and Earth, and thus narrowly shattered the ice mountain passage."

"You..." There was an indescribable quality in the dragon's voice that left everyone feeling uneasy.

"Hmm, your physique is quite unique. I never imagined that someone with such a constitution could emerge from the mortal realm, and you have already mastered sufficient power. But... why didn't you enter after ascending to the Divine Dao?"

He Yiming's expression subtly shifted. He replied with gravity, "Great Divine Dragon, it is because your junior still cherishes life and has no desire to die, which is why I have not yet advanced to the Divine Dao."

The massive head lowered from the high heavens once more, and this time, it descended even closer.

Those eyes, even larger than those of the Great Beast King, stared fixedly at He Yiming without any attempt to conceal their scrutiny.

Although the dragon still exuded no discernible powerful aura, He Yiming felt an incomparable, immense pressure. He dared not move even an inch.

Anyone stared down by such a being would surely feel the same way.

At that moment, He Yiming felt like a frog caught in the gaze of a venomous snake—not only did he lack the power to resist, but even the strength to flee was gone.

"What connection does ascending to the Divine Dao outside have with death?" The dragon's voice rumbled once more.

He Yiming breathed a long sigh of relief internally. Whenever the dragon spoke, everyone would be shaken until they felt dizzy. But if the dragon remained silent and instead fixed them with its stare, the pressure would be far more intense, enough to make anyone present collapse.

"Great Divine Dragon, the power of Heaven and Earth outside has dwindled to an extreme degree, incomparable to this place," He Yiming mused for a moment, speaking cautiously. "The outside world now lacks the fertile ground to nurture the Divine Dao."

The dragon blinked its huge eyes a couple of times, seemingly shocked by this unexpected revelation.

A colossal claw, not much smaller than the dragon's own head, extended from the clouds. Just as He Yiming and the others felt apprehension, believing the behemoth intended to make a move, it performed an action that left everyone stunned.

The tips of its five long claws began to tap against each other. This sight was not unfamiliar to these pinnacle experts of the Human Dao.

In the mortal world, there existed an ability called the Art of Divine Calculation. The most outstanding practitioners were the Divine Calculators from the Tianchi lineage.

However, whether it was him or other experts dedicated to the Way of Divine Calculation in various sects, they would always use their fingers to aid in their deductions. This was a special method of computation achievable only by grandmasters of Divine Calculation possessing extraordinary aptitude.

But now, judging by the sheer amplitude of the tremors in that unimaginably large dragon claw, if one were to shrink that claw a thousand times and transform it into a human hand, its movements would closely resemble the spasmodic finger-tapping of a human Divine Calculation master during intense computation.

Suddenly, the spasmodic claw halted. The dragon seemed to have calculated something, declaring, "So that is it. The Heaven and Earth power outside is so scarce that even the Divine Dao has been severed. No wonder your strength is so poor. Ah, in that environment, managing to cultivate to the Ninth Heaven is already an act of genius. If this were five hundred years ago, you would all be people of the Divine Dao."

He Yiming and the others were simultaneously startled. Their complexions became odd; this elder was truly ancient, even citing such a span of years.

Although the lifespan of Divine Beasts far exceeded that of humans, it was not infinite. Generally speaking, even the "Dragon," reputed to be the foremost Divine Beast, possessed a lifespan of only about ten thousand years. In this regard, the Black Tortoise, often considered the weakest among Divine Beasts, boasted the longest existence.

Looking at the incessantly chattering giant dragon above them, they simultaneously wondered, could this dragon truly be an aged one?

The dragon clearly remained unaware of the thoughts churning below. Otherwise, the first thing it would do would be to open its maw and exhale dragon breath, sweeping away all these minnows beneath it.

"Do not worry. If you cannot ascend to the Divine Dao outside, now that you are here, you will certainly be able to step into the Divine Dao with ease." The dragon's voice was filled with an inherent majesty; at that moment, even its thunderous volume seemed less grating.

Liu Changju raised his fist towards the sky in salute and proclaimed loudly, "Many thanks for your expectations, Great Divine Dragon." He then turned, exclaiming excitedly, "Everyone, since the Divine Dao vanished five thousand years ago, no new Divine Dao practitioners have emerged on the Eastern and Western continents. Why don't we compete to see who can first step into the Divine Dao?"

However, this statement, full of soaring heroism, failed to elicit a response from the others. Bing Xiaotian and the rest watched him with strangely fixed expressions.

Liu Changju paused, momentarily bewildered. "What is wrong with you..." He suddenly stopped speaking because he saw Zi Duli gently tilting her head up towards him. Following her gaze, he immediately spotted He Yiming. Instantly, his breast full of ambition and valor evaporated.

Compete with this monstrous anomaly on advancement speed?

Liu Changju finally understood why the others' gazes had suddenly turned so peculiar. He coughed lightly and waved his hand, electing to pretend he had never uttered that sentence.

Yet, at that very instant, the dragon’s voice, laced with astonishment, sounded again, and this time it was noticeably louder than usual.

The entire area resonated with the dragon's peerless, immense voice, as if this was not a barren sandy expanse but an infinitely echoing valley.

"Five thousand years? What did you just say..."

Liu Changju’s body trembled. His martial path was indeed powerful, but that depended on the comparison. In front of this dragon, a pinnacle expert of the Human Dao was virtually indistinguishable from an ordinary person.

With a bitter smile, the Liuli Cave Master, whose words had inadvertently caused trouble, replied helplessly, "Great Divine Dragon, it has been over five thousand years since the Divine Dao vanished in the outside world."

"Five thousand years? Impossible..." The dragon's voice erupted, bordering on a roar. "I calculated it; it has been at most five hundred years."

Amidst this powerful bellow, the minds of the onlookers swayed slightly. Although they were puzzled how this dragon had miscalculated the external time by a factor of ten, this was undeniably an unforgivable error.

Liu Changju managed to steady his mind somewhat and said with a tight throat, "Great Divine Dragon, truly, over five thousand years have passed outside. In all these years, no Divine Dao realm expert has been born on either the Eastern or Western continents."

The dragon seemed not to have heard the latter part of his words. A terrifying aura began to boil forth from its body.

The dragon had been exercising considerable restraint until now, deliberately withholding the aura befitting a Divine Beast. It feared that if it unleashed its Divine Dao aura in the presence of these small fry, it might terrify them into immediate death.

But upon hearing the elapsed time in the outside world, its composure shattered, and the suppressed aura boiled forth once more.

Immense pressure descended from above, unbearable, as if threatening to crush everyone into the very earth.

However, without any verbal exchange, none of them retreated. Even those possessing earth-burrowing techniques stood tall, rigidly resisting this sudden surge of power.

As the dragon had stated, they were the true elite among humanity, the very pinnacle figures. In the age of the Divine Dao, they would have been the foremost Divine Dao experts. Even though they had not yet ascended, their dignity forbade them from willingly abandoning resistance.

True Qi flowed ceaselessly around them, and even the Power of the Gods was released without reservation. Under this enormous, inconceivable pressure, harboring thoughts of conserving strength would be sheer suicide.

Rumble...

Violent explosions actually erupted in the air, originating from the forces converging from all directions, causing the very bones of the experts to audibly resonate. The pressure each individual bore had far exceeded their wildest imagination.

Yet, excitement and leaping light flickered in their eyes.

Having personally experienced the might of the Divine Dao, their resolve for the Divine Dao Heart became all the stronger. Sooner or later, they would certainly advance to the Divine Dao themselves, becoming beings like the great dragon.