This was something Hundred and Eight had secretly pressed into his hand before leaving—an item whose nature even He Yiming did not know.

He took off the tracker pinned to his chest and tried calling out, "Brother Bai, Brother Bai..."

After a long silence, no sound returned.

This had never happened before; previously, no matter the environment, as long as he called out, a response was guaranteed. Now, there was only silence. This proved that he had truly lost contact with Hundred and Eight and the others.

However, this was largely within He Yiming’s expectations. The moment he passed through the Ice Island, he had lost the ability to sense the mental intentions of the Divine Path Coagulated Blood Man. Therefore, he knew that along this short path, he must have passed through some kind of spatial discontinuity; he and Hundred and Eight were no longer in the same space, meaning communication was naturally impossible.

After a moment of consideration, He Yiming placed the small circular object in his hand onto the tracker.

The strange event indeed occurred: the circular object immediately melted into a pool of golden liquid and enveloped the tracker.

Then, Hundred and Eight’s voice sounded.

“He Yiming, I will find a way to close the passage.”

He Yiming’s expression shifted slightly. “Is that you, Brother Bai?”

“Yes, and no.”

He Yiming’s eyes widened, then he realized the device couldn't see his expression, so he blurted out, “Who are you, exactly?”

“I am a signal terminal of Hundred and Eight, possessing all his memories and some of his computational abilities,” the tracker slowly stated.

“What… what abilities do you possess? Can you help me deal with the Death Creatures?” Although He Yiming didn’t fully grasp the situation, he quickly accepted the device’s existence.

After all, He Yiming was long accustomed to Hundred and Eight’s various eccentricities.

“I can provide consultation, but I cannot assist you in combat,” the signal terminal replied calmly.

He Yiming sighed softly toward this incomplete version of Hundred and Eight. “Alright then, can you truly close this passage?”

“There is an over eighty percent chance of success.”

He Yiming’s face changed slightly. “When?”

“Within a year. It should be closable before the Ice Island vanishes. Otherwise, we must wait for the next opportunity when the Ice Island appears.”

A mix of joy and worry washed over He Yiming’s face. “If you close this passage, will we be permanently trapped here?”

“No. If you return near the passage entrance after ten months, you should be able to withdraw safely before it closes.” The signal terminal paused, then added, “If Yuan Lixun and Bao Zhu meet the standards I require, there will be no issues whatsoever.”

He Yiming’s eyes immediately lit up. He finally understood why Yuan Lixun, White Horse Lightning, and Bao Zhu had obediently left—it was because Hundred and Eight had made them a promise.

Upon hearing that Hundred and Eight was confident in closing the passage and could ensure He Yiming and the others’ escape, Yuan Lixun and the others naturally complied without hesitation, grasping at this last straw like a drowning person.

Of course, only a bizarre character like Hundred and Eight could earn such widespread trust. If anyone else had said the same thing, no one would have believed them.

But Hundred and Eight was different; everyone had witnessed his conduct. His marvelous nature was difficult to match even among those of the Divine Path.

Yuan Lixun and the others' trust in him was far from baseless.

Taking a deep, cool breath, He Yiming let the shocking news settle in his mind. He spoke in a deep voice, “Brother Bai, even the Giant Dragons couldn't close this passage. Why are you able to do so?”

The signal terminal remained silent for a long time before responding in a mechanical, emotionless synthesized voice: “This passage was originally opened by me. Only I can calculate the key points for its closure.”

The muscles in He Yiming’s face twitched several times, his gaze gradually turning indignant.

So the true culprit was right here…

Hundred and Eight’s origins were utterly mysterious. He Yiming had initially suspected he came from some overseas island, but as his horizons broadened, he realized that was impossible. However, by then, their relationship had become so tacit and friendly that He Yiming had stopped dwelling on the matter.

Now, He Yiming finally understood that the passage’s initial creation was all thanks to Hundred and Eight.

“Brother Bai, why didn’t you close this passage completely back then?” He Yiming complained with resignation.

“When I first arrived here, my energy was completely depleted. It took me several thousand years to fully recover, so I was truly powerless,” the signal terminal seemed to deliberate before adding, “However, the passage was already closed at that time. If those people hadn't reopened it, this situation wouldn't have occurred.”

He Yiming sighed deeply, speechless. Hundred and Eight had traveled through this passage to arrive here, but he had left behind a loose end he hadn't managed to sever. During the period he spent recuperating, someone from the Divine Path discovered this loose end and managed to reopen it by gathering the collective power of all Divine Path practitioners in the world. It was truly hard to blame him for that.

Shaking his head, He Yiming temporarily set these thoughts aside, but he firmly noted that he must return to the passage entrance within ten months, before it closed. If Hundred and Eight succeeded in sealing it and he failed to keep his appointment, crying later would be useless.

Flipping his wrist, he tucked away the mutated tracker.

This device could only provide consultation; it couldn't fight alongside him like Hundred and Eight could. Therefore, he had to preserve it carefully and not toss it away like a broadsword.

He turned his gaze; only the Divine Path Coagulated Blood Man and the Cloud Mist Clone remained in the sky.

However, the Cloud Mist Clone’s mass had already shrunk by more than half. Although it still maintained He Yiming’s appearance, proportionally, it resembled a small boy of five or six.

He let out a soft laugh. He Yiming knew this was because with every fierce engagement, the Cloud Mist Clone lost a bit of its moisture when it attacked. His body was formed from the condensation of a flask of water into mist. Now that the mist’s moisture was continuously dissipating through combat, his volume naturally decreased.

With a slight wave of his sleeve, the Cloud Mist Clone instantly exploded, transforming into a sheet of water vapor in mid-air that vanished instantly into the swirling yellow sand.

Yet, when He Yiming’s gaze fell upon the Divine Path Coagulated Blood Man, his expression suddenly changed drastically.

He sensed that the intensity of the power emanating from the Coagulated Blood Man seemed fundamentally different from before. An intention surfaced in his mind, rapidly linking with the Coagulated Blood Man’s own intent.

He Yiming’s astonishment deepened. Even his own mental power seemed to have multiplied dozens of times over. Such immense mental force was now in no way inferior to the nascent Intent Body he had just formed.

He Yiming’s expression became difficult to read as an unbelievable thought crossed his mind. Could it be that during his recent advancement, even this Divine Path Coagulated Blood Man had benefited immensely, transforming into a Divine Path puppet capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with him?

This was not mere speculation; it was a deduction based on the aura radiating from the Coagulated Blood Man. Both the mental power within his mind and the energy flowing between the one hundred and eight relics inside the Coagulated Blood Man indicated one thing: the power it wielded had surpassed the peak of the Human Path, reaching the true Divine Path realm.

The greatest evidence was that what flowed between the relics was no longer the standard power of the Coagulation Technique, but the Divine Power of Blood—the very same force wielded by Jimo Fanshu.

He swallowed hard, finding it slightly difficult to adapt to this suddenly immensely powerful Divine Path Coagulated Blood Man. Who knew how this entity had advanced? Such a silent evolution was enough to strike fear into anyone.

He attempted to issue an attack command in his mind. The next instant, the Divine Path Coagulated Blood Man immediately raised its hand and made a light sweeping gesture.

A divine ability far more potent than before manifested instantly. Poor ground, where massive craters had yet to fill, instantly gained another enormous, cross-shaped pit.

He Yiming’s expression grew exceedingly strange. He was finally certain: the Divine Path Coagulated Blood Man had evolved into a true Divine Path powerhouse. Before attacking, it hadn't needed to gather energy from heaven and earth, yet the power unleashed was genuine Heavenly Might.

Wielding heavenly authority with every gesture—this was the sole standard for a Divine Path expert.

Casting a doubtful glance at the impassive Divine Path Coagulated Blood Man, a sentence suddenly echoed in He Yiming’s mind—that Divine Dragon had once said the Coagulated Blood Man’s might extended far beyond his initial realm.

His eyes brightened slightly. He Yiming held considerable respect for the old dragon’s foresight. Moments later, he largely grasped the reason. The center of the Divine Path Coagulated Blood Man’s brow held a true Divine Path relic, and even its auxiliary relics were genuine Grand Relics.

The power it possessed was certainly not limited to the Human Path pinnacle level; one could glimpse this merely by observing that it could unleash Heavenly Might even when restricted to the Human Path peak. The reason it couldn't display its full strength was likely due to the limitations imposed by his own cultivation level. Only when He Yiming himself advanced to the Divine Path could the Coagulated Blood Man unleash the power it was inherently meant to possess. He Yiming, caught in the moment, had been blind to this, but the old dragon saw it at a glance.

He Yiming’s heart instantly eased, feeling as if a massive burden had been lifted, and a happy smile broke across his face. No wonder he had always felt something was slightly off about the Divine Path Coagulated Blood Man, even sensing repression in its intent. It turned out that its power couldn't be fully unleashed, which accounted for that feeling.

A look of satisfaction crossed his face. Anyone would be ecstatic to gain a Divine Path puppet as an ally.

“Boom…”

A tremendous fluctuation of power suddenly erupted from a distant location. He Yiming paused, squinting toward it, but saw nothing. After a moment of contemplation, his body shot out like an arrow loosed from a bow, flying abruptly in that direction…

Ps: Entering the Divine Path realm. Seeking monthly tickets for the Divine Path! Last day, thank you…