The Qilin Saint Lord stood before the Qilin Beast, seemingly whispering something. Upon hearing it, he looked up in surprise, as if meeting the speaker for the first time. “Old Assassin, I misjudged you. I never expected you to have a passionate side.”

Jimo Fanshu replied coldly, “Do not misunderstand. I am not concerned with any Death Creatures. Hmph, your predecessors caused a disaster of cosmic proportions. It is only proper that they remain here to atone, but what does that have to do with this old man?”

The faces of the Qilin Saint Lord and the others flushed slightly. It was undeniable that among the powerhouses who had jointly opened this passage in the past were the ancestors of their respective great sects. If these Divine Path cultivators had not been restless and sought out some ‘Place of Life,’ such a calamity would never have occurred.

Now, all the Heaven and Earth energy from the outside world had been drawn in and sealed here, causing humans and spirit beasts to suffer a drastic reduction in strength from the lack of sufficient energy absorption. This might be Heaven’s severe punishment.

As successors to their sects, it was only right for them to remain and atone for the sins of their elders. But Jimo Fanshu bore no such obligation.

Liu Changju frowned slightly, sighing, “You speak the truth. Then, you may leave.”

Jimo Fanshu’s gaze turned icy. “I shall stay.”

The few looked at each other in bafflement, unable to fathom what the old assassin was thinking.

“My entire life has been spent wandering the world, solely to advance to the Divine Path. Now that opportunity is right before me, and I will not abandon it.” Jimo Fanshu’s cold eyes swept over their faces. “My reason for staying is different from yours. Do not confuse the two.”

Bing Xiaotian and the others felt an almost absurd urge to laugh and cry deep within their hearts. This old assassin had clearly made up his mind to remain, yet he insisted on finding a different, distinct reason for himself. His way of thinking was truly unconventional.

At that moment, everyone vaguely sensed that this old assassin seemed even more like an anomaly than the giant dragon.

Intentionally or unintentionally, the gazes of the group flickered toward He Yiming a few times before quickly withdrawing, resuming their conversation as if nothing had happened.

The topics they discussed were trivial matters, insignificant compared to the appearance of Bingdao and the momentous decision they faced. Yet, at this juncture, they seemed to have spontaneously developed a profound interest in these small things, as if deliberately forgetting He Yiming.

“Yiming, come back with me,” Yuan Lixun whispered softly. “This… is not your burden.”

The muscles in He Yiming’s face twitched slightly. It would be disingenuous to claim he was unmoved by Yuan Lixun’s proposal.

His kin awaited him at He Family Manor. If he were trapped here forever, unable to return, he could not imagine what the future of the manor would become.

He let out a long breath, looking at the pleading look in Yuan Lixun’s soft, beautiful eyes. He opened his mouth, and instinctively nodded.

An undisguised brilliance instantly erupted in Yuan Lixun’s eyes. In her heart, whether one could advance to the Divine Path or whether this passage could be guarded held no comparison to He Yiming’s safety.

As long as he could live out his years well, then everything would have been worthwhile.

As for whether those Death Creatures, yet unseen, were truly as formidable as the dragon claimed, what did it matter to them? This passage would seal itself again in a mere year. Given the strength the dragon had displayed, it might not guard it for centuries, but one year was certainly within its capability.

If they could survive this year, the next time Bingdao appeared would be a thousand years later, by which time they would all be dust. Whether these terrifying creatures would emerge from the passage to wreak havoc upon the world then would no longer concern them.

This was Yuan Lixun’s truest thought, and she expressed it without hesitation.

Yuan Lixun’s joy was openly displayed on her face. Although Bing Xiaotian and the others were talking nearby, half their attention was fixed on them. They couldn’t help but let out a light sigh, for they now knew He Yiming’s decision.

Inexplicably, no one blamed the decision. Everyone chose their own path, and they had no right to decide for He Yiming, who possessed comparable strength.

A sudden, brilliant light shone above Yuan Lixun’s head, emitting a soft radiance. The white light serpent she had used to bind the divine artifact, the Ice Mirror, was completely dissolved by this light.

This strange transformation immediately drew everyone’s attention.

At some unknown moment, the divine artifact, the Ice Mirror, detached itself from Yuan Lixun. But instead of attacking anyone, it slowly ascended high into the sky.

From within the surface of the Ice Mirror, an Ice Phoenix, sparkling with dazzling colors, abruptly flew out.

It was a phoenix seemingly carved from ice, yet it looked utterly lifelike. It flapped its long wings in mid-air, soaring freely in the sky.

He Yiming tilted his eyes up slightly. The Nine Dragon Furnace contained nine fire dragons, and the Ice Mirror held one Ice Phoenix. The power of these guardian soul beasts—one fire and one ice—was unexpectedly immense.

Moreover, he strongly suspected that the Ice Mirror currently held more than just this one Ice Phoenix, or perhaps other powerful entities as well.

With a loud, soft crack, the Ice Phoenix exploded before their eyes. A vast, spreading ripple instantly burst into the void. Slowly, when this ripple completely subsided, a wondrous, mirror-like space appeared in the sky.

He Yiming and the others watched this scene in astonishment. Although they did not understand why the Ice Phoenix had acted this way, they all vaguely guessed that whatever happened must be related to the giant dragon.

The sky suddenly brightened, and a patch of dense, oppressive dark clouds materialized in the mirror-like expanse above. This cloud mass churned, gradually drawing nearer.

Finally, they saw the true form of the dark cloud mass.

It was a terrifying creature never before seen. It possessed a body similar to an ape’s, but its neck sprouted a repulsive, fly-like head. Its long proboscis twitched incessantly, and its compound eyes glowed with a faint red light.

Everyone gasped. At that moment, even without explanation, they knew what these things were.

Death Creatures. Such horrifying things must be the Death Creatures spoken of by the dragon and the Hundred and Eight.

The scene in the sky suddenly shifted, seeming to elevate to an extreme height.

Below them unfolded a vibrant valley teeming with life, covered in trees and flowers, complete with flowing water and waterfalls. Familiar and unfamiliar life forms combined here, creating a beautiful landscape akin to a terrestrial paradise.

Yet, disaster descended from the heavens. The black cloud, composed of Death Creatures, flew in from a distance. They reached this paradise, and these monsters, roughly human-sized, opened their huge mouths, plunging their ferocious proboscises into every living thing.

From massive beasts to tiny ants—they spared nothing.

Once the living things were consumed, they turned their attention to the flora. After these terrifying, robber-like entities swept through, every tree and blade of grass vanished.

But the calamity was not yet over; it had only just begun.

They plunged into the waterfalls, entered the water, and burrowed into the earth.

The water gradually dried up, swallowed by their seemingly bottomless stomachs. The geography of the place changed drastically, and at an astonishingly rapid pace.

The moisture in the soil disappeared; all nutrients were sucked out by those horrific feeding tubes, leaving behind only dry sand—sand incapable of nurturing life again.

These terrifying creatures emerged from the ground and continued their advance. In their compound eyes, there was no trace of emotion; they were like demons born purely for destruction, devouring everything in their path.

The scene in the sky slowly shrank. The individuals among the Death Creatures became indistinguishable, but the hearts of the onlookers were gripped with dread.

Because they saw that this was a continent. Half of it was lush green, pulsating with life. But the other half was covered by countless advancing black clouds.

These clouds expanded and spread at a visible rate, constantly devouring the diminishing green expanse. After an immeasurable time, when the last speck of green was completely obscured, the entire continent was filled with these horrifying Death Creatures.

Then, they spread toward the sea. Even the ocean, capable of containing and encompassing everything, began to slowly wither. They spread like a plague, carrying desolation to every corner of the world.

Clustering together, they piled upon one another, emitting a piercing, harsh screech reminiscent of ghosts crying and wolves howling.

A flash of light occurred before their eyes, and the mirror in the sky vanished without a trace, revealing the massive body of the dragon coiled high above.

No one spoke. A shade of terror and solemnity lingered in everyone’s eyes.

If they had initially lacked understanding of the Death Creatures, they now possessed the most direct comprehension after witnessing what they had just seen.

In their ears, they could still clearly hear the final, grating screams of those terrifying entities—a piercing howl capable of sending chills straight to the core of one’s soul.

The dragon’s voice slowly echoed through the sky: “This is everything we witnessed after entering this world. They destroyed everything and rushed toward the passage. Back then, we had nowhere to retreat. We sacrificed everything to hold the entrance to the passage. Today, you… do you have a way out?”

Ps: It’s the fifth. The double monthly ticket period ends in the last three days. Please offer your support, thank you…