A massive brilliance flickered in an open space. As the light dissipated, Ao Borui, the master of the Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land, appeared abruptly on the ground.

This place was a stretch of sand, and Ao Borui surveyed his surroundings with sharp eyes, but the swirling sandstorm was too severe; even his keen vision could not penetrate the distant haze. Suddenly, a strange sound reached his ears, accompanied by an icy coldness, like something from the very depths of hell, rushing toward him, instantly tightening every nerve in his body.

In the sky, several shadows zipped toward him at incredible speed. When Ao Borui clearly saw what these entities were, his expression drastically changed.

For these were the terrifying, all-destroying death creatures he had witnessed in the aerial projections. However, unlike the projections, these death creatures were not walking on the ground but flying through the air.

Among them were two blue monsters covered in carapace-like skin, and six red ones. Ao Borui immediately tensed up, awaiting the confrontation.

He was unaware that the Divine Dragon had implemented a differentiated approach when using its spatial powers. He Yiming and the Divine Dao Coagulated Blood Person had naturally been sent together.

The other six individuals were casually divided into two groups and deposited at the edges of the region where these monsters frequently appeared. The reason for sending them there was naturally to force them into constant, brutal combat with the monsters—a method akin to forcibly accelerating growth—to achieve the Divine Dao Realm in the shortest possible time.

Of course, if Bing Xiaotian and the others had not already experienced such bizarre trials and remained stuck at the Human Dao Peak for hundreds of years, the Divine Dragon would never have made such a decision. Appearing on the outer perimeter of the monster clusters meant they would initially encounter only the lowest-tier monsters, with the strength of the foes increasing only toward the end.

With this adaptation process, coupled with the strength of Human Dao Peak experts and their mutual coordination, they should, in theory, be able to cope. But Ao Borui had been teleported directly by the Divine Dragon into a central region where the death creatures were abundant.

Here, the lowest-grade monsters were exceedingly rare, but high-level death creatures were everywhere. To immediately face the red-armored and blue-armored death creatures was a severe test of one’s limits of survival.

Fortunately, Ao Borui remained ignorant of the fate of the others. If he had known the true situation, he would likely have lost all courage to linger and would have sought every possible means to flee.

His figure flickering, Ao Borui shot into the mid-air. He let out a cold snort, and a dazzling radiance burst forth from him.

The legendary secret arts of the Five Elements Sect, once renowned across the world, erupted from his hands like brilliant fireworks. Soon, he was astonished to discover the immense power of these monsters.

The blue-armored creatures, in particular, possessed strength no less than that of an ordinary Venerable, coupled with impossibly hard carapaces that defied a single-strike kill. Even more horrifying was their recovery mechanism: when a blue-armored monster sustained heavy damage, it would unhesitatingly grab a red-armored monster, drain it dry, and then almost perfectly restore itself.

Ao Borui’s heart filled with alarm, and his movements became increasingly cautious. After a quarter of an hour of entanglement, all the red-armored monsters were annihilated, and the blue-armored ones, deprived of companions to absorb for restoration, began to fall as well.

However, Ao Borui did not realize that this was merely the prelude to his nightmare. After one blue-armored monster emitted a piercing, sharp shriek, countless identical cries echoed back from every direction.

Ao Borui’s face grew utterly grim, for he instantly knew he was trapped in an extremely perilous location. This place was the very stronghold of these monsters.

Realizing this, Ao Borui made an instant decision: he fixed upon a single direction and flew with all his might, determined to escape this place before the countless monsters could fully converge. Though Human Dao Peak experts were inherently proud individuals, after witnessing the might of these red and blue-armored creatures, only an absolute fool would choose to stand and fight them to the death.

Yet, Ao Borui was a step too slow. Just as he began his desperate flight, more than ten silver-white monsters converged on him from all sides.

These creatures were faster, their carapaces harder, and their strength far greater, filling him with a sense of utter helplessness. If it had been one-on-one, or one-on-two, or even one-on-three, he was confident he could use various means to dispatch them—perhaps paying a considerable price—but escaping would not have been an issue.

But with more than a dozen of these silver-white monsters, he was trapped like a bird in a cage, unable to spread his wings. His heart raged with indignation and shock.

Despite his desperate resistance, he began to suspect that the Divine Dragon might have actually intended this as a scheme to have him killed by proxy. An hour later, Ao Borui bore several wounds, his face contorted into a horrifying grimace.

He knew this time he was doomed. He gritted his teeth, summoning all his true Qi and divine power, his entire body enveloped by an aura of terrifying might.

In that moment, he was prepared to detonate his vital energy, intending to take at least two of these fiends down with him in death. However, a force that seemed to originate from beyond the heavens gently touched his chest, and all his surging true Qi immediately subsided.

While he could still wield his divine weapon freely, the prospect of self-detonation was now a mere fantasy. Ao Borui’s face turned pale.

These monsters were too powerful; they even possessed a means to suppress vital energy... But as soon as this thought crossed his mind, he knew something was wrong.

For a figure emerged as if coalescing from the void, instantly standing before him. This person was exceptionally tall.

Although both were suspended in the air, Ao Borui was certain this man stood at least half a head taller than himself. The man stood with his back to Ao Borui, his broad shoulders exuding an aura as majestic and imposing as towering mountains and ridges.

His heart trembled slightly. This was the first time, since ascending to the Human Dao Peak, that he had felt this way toward another person.

The figure extended a hand and made a few light gestures. As his fingers moved, the silver-white monsters that had been causing Ao Borui such torment exploded one by one in the sky.

In mere seconds, all the hundreds of death creatures of various types vanished, not a single one escaping. Ao Borui stared at the scene, slack-jawed.

The shock in his heart defied verbal description. What level of martial cultivation was this?

Was this person even human...? The figure slowly turned his head.

It was a tall man with an austere and cold countenance, his eyes shining like twin stars. Ao Borui shuddered and quickly bowed, "Thank you, Senior, for saving my life." Having witnessed this person’s power, he was certain that this must be one of the Divine Dao experts of the human race who had entered this place in ancient times.

The man nodded slowly. "Who are you?

Where do you come from?" His voice was somewhat hoarse, and his speech seemed halting and fragmented, almost as if he were struggling with infant speech. Ao Borui paused briefly, then understood.

This person likely had not spoken to anyone for many years. The thought that these individuals had managed to survive in such a terrifying environment for over five hundred years sent chills racing down his spine.

He dared not delay and quickly replied, "Senior, this junior is Ao Borui of the Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land. Today, when the Ice Island appeared, this junior and several friends fortunately entered this place." "Ice Island?" The man’s tone held a hint of joy.

"Finally, someone has advanced to the Divine Dao and broken the barrier to enter. But your martial cultivation is so poor—did you come in here seeking death?" Ao Borui’s expression became remarkably peculiar.

He hastily recounted in detail the scarcity of Heavenly Dao energy in the outside world and his encounter with the Divine Dragon. The man fell silent for a long time before realizing the profound changes that had taken place in the outside world.

What shocked him even more was the staggering ten-to-one time differential between the two realms. After a long pause, the man sighed deeply.

"Five thousand years. Time truly flies.

Young man, the techniques you used just now when fighting—they seem to have some connection with the Five Elements Sect, yes?" After five thousand years, coupled with the shifts in the Heavenly Dao energy, the cultivation methods practiced by the various sects must certainly have changed from what they once were. But no matter how much they changed, the core techniques would carry on, so the man’s recognition was not surprising.

Ao Borui’s heart stirred, and his deference increased. "Senior, the former Five Elements Sect has been renamed the Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land.

This junior is the current Sect Master." The man’s eyes brightened, and his demeanor immediately softened somewhat. "Is the Five Elements—the Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land—still the greatest sect on the Eastern Continent?" Ao Borui’s expression instantly dimmed.

"Senior, the foremost sect on the Eastern Continent now is the Lingxiao Treasure Hall." "Lingxiao Treasure Hall? Hmph.

How could a mere Lingxiao Treasure Hall possibly rise above the Five Elements Sect?" The man snapped in anger. "You fool, how did you manage the sect?" Ao Borui lowered his head further.

"Senior, the former Sect Master of our sect vanished along with two Divine Dao Elders, leaving no designated successor. Consequently, the various Elders within the sect disagreed about the leadership and engaged in fierce conflict, leading to the eventual disintegration of the sect.

If not for the presence of the Divine Tree Master, I fear even the Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land could not have been preserved." The man’s face shifted several times, and a flicker of remorse crossed his eyes. Ao Borui cautiously inquired, "May I ask Senior's name...?" The man let out a cold snort.

With a flip of his wrist, a ring of light shot skyward, emitting a five-colored radiance. Ao Borui’s eyes widened, and his voice trembled almost involuntarily: "The Five Elements Ring, the Five Elements Ring..." "This old man is Ao Minxing, the last Sect Master of the Five Elements Sect." The man’s voice boomed like thunder.

"Our Ao family ancestor founded the Five Elements Sect with his own hands, and it was allowed to perish under my watch. This old man truly fails to face the ancestors." Ao Borui remained stunned for a long moment before falling to his knees mid-air, bowing deeply.

"Unfilial descendant Borui pays respects to the Old Ancestor." Ao Minxing sighed deeply. "It is not that you are unfilial, but that I am unfilial." He took deep breaths.

"You are my descendant from five thousand years later; you must not disgrace the Ao family’s name. Over the next six months, you will follow me deep into the enemy's nest.

You must advance to the Divine Dao, no matter the cost." Ao Borui was overwhelmed with joy and surprise, shouting loudly, "Yes!" Ao Minxing reached out and grabbed Ao Borui, and the two figures swiftly vanished from their spot, heading toward the regions where more death creatures lurked. Subtly, Ao Borui began to guess why the Divine Dragon had sent him here alone.

However, he could never fully comprehend why this giant dragon showed such special regard for the Five Elements Sect.