However, upon hearing this sound, everyone except the Divine Dao Puppet felt a flicker of suspicion and bewilderment.

From the nature of the footsteps and the faint aura emanating from them, He Yiming and Mou Zilong were certain that the newcomer was not some Death Creature, but a human.

Yet, in this environment, only He Yiming, and Mou Zilong whom he had forcibly dragged along, possessed strength reaching the Pseudo-God Realm, or perhaps accompanied by a powerhouse of that caliber, would dare to enter.

But judging by the sound and the subtle aura, they discerned that this person's strength hadn't even reached the Void God Realm, let alone the Pseudo-God Realm.

Mou Zilong’s intent instantly transmitted: "Brother He, is this one of the people who entered this place with you?"

"It must be, but I can't place who it is," He Yiming admitted with a frown.

Mou Zilong glanced at him in surprise, but under the effect of the Light and Dark Eyes, he could only perceive a human shape shrouded in a strange light curtain, unable to make out He Yiming’s expression.

The prowess of a pinnacle Human Dao expert was not solely displayed in their martial cultivation. Any person slightly familiar with them could instantly guess their identity simply by hearing their footsteps or sensing their aura. This was basic competency for every martial cultivator; failing to master it after advancing to the pinnacle Human Dao meant one was unworthy of reaching such heights.

Of course, this level of recognition usually applied only to those with whom a pinnacle Human Dao expert was intimately acquainted. For strangers, they would certainly not pay such close attention.

However, everyone newly arrived in this area were the strongest individuals from their original worlds. To suggest that He Yiming would forget or overlook their circumstances was unbelievable.

Yet, that was precisely what happened. He Yiming’s brow was deeply furrowed, his mind cursing internally—how could he not remember having such a companion?

He rapidly filtered through everyone who had entered in his mind, not even sparing Yuan Lixun, but regrettably, he still could not place the owner of this aura and footfall, merely sensing a vague familiarity.

The area where they fought was a relatively large platform, sizable even within the cave, likely the lair of that green monster. Thus, the space ahead and behind them was quite open. Although green mist still hung in the center of the platform, it did not prevent He Yiming from directing their gaze towards it.

The first person to appear was a middle-aged man, his clothes tailored fittingly, his face set in solemnity, seeming profoundly interested in the surroundings.

"Brother He, this is Ao Minxing, the former Sect Master of the Five Elements Gate, who wields the divine artifact Five Elements Rings. He was one of the first to advance to the Pseudo-God Realm," Mou Zilong’s voice immediately turned serious. In his heart, however, there was a shade of quiet jealousy.

If facing He Yiming no longer stirred feelings of envy, then facing the last Sect Master of the Five Elements Gate roused his defiance. As an independent cultivator, the resources he obtained for cultivation were incomparable to Ao Minxing's. If granted the same conditions, he was confident he could have reached the same height as Ao Minxing.

A shadow flickered, and another person emerged from behind Ao Minxing.

The moment this person appeared, He Yiming’s eyes widened. This was none other than Ao Borui, the current Sect Master of the Five Elements Gate. Compared to before, however, Ao Borui seemed utterly transformed, having undergone a heaven-and-earth-shattering, incredible metamorphosis.

The arrogance was gone from his face; his eyes were sharp, sparking like a freshly drawn blade. His demeanor and habitual movements were vastly different from before. If He Yiming hadn't been certain of his identity, he might have believed he was encountering Ao Borui's long-lost twin brother.

"Brother Mou, this is the current Sect Master of the Five Elements Gate, Ao Borui. He seems to have cultivated some special technique, as his own aura and martial path have been greatly affected, even his footsteps sound different from before," He Yiming transmitted his thoughts.

Ao Minxing’s eyes suddenly brightened, then betrayed a trace of doubt. His sharp gaze scrutinized the area in detail, as if sensing something.

He Yiming and Mou Zilong were startled and dared not exchange any further telepathic communication. Although they were protected by a peculiar energy, they instinctively half-closed their eyes, drawing their life auras down to the absolute minimum.

The Divine Dao Puppet, of course, needed no instruction from He Yiming; it naturally possessed almost no life aura to begin with, nearly indistinguishable from the Hundred and Eight forms, so exposure would certainly not implicate it.

"Ancestor, is something amiss here?" Ao Borui asked in a deep voice.

If even Ao Minxing couldn't detect He Yiming and the others, Ao Borui, who had not yet advanced to the Divine Dao, was even less likely to notice.

Ao Minxing’s brow furrowed slightly. "I seemed to sense a fluctuation of intent just now, but it vanished when I tried to sense it carefully."

He Yiming inwardly marveled. To detect even the fluctuation of intent—this man truly lived up to his Pseudo-God Realm status. But this level of acuity was perhaps too exaggerated.

Ao Borui’s expression hardened. "Ancestor, are there people lurking here?"

Ao Minxing let out an arrogant smile. "Naturally, no one can hide from my sight." He paused, his gaze drifting toward the green toxic gas with a slight solemnity. After a moment, he commanded, "Borui, retreat ten feet back."

Since entering this place, Ao Borui had fully understood the horror of these monsters. Hearing his Ancestor issue such a cautious order, he swiftly retreated until he was over ten feet away before stopping.

Ao Minxing extended one hand and waved it gently. A sharp tearing sound abruptly echoed as a section of the stone wall was violently cracked open.

He Yiming and Mou Zilong felt their hearts pound. Although this strike didn't hit their hidden location, it landed terrifyingly close. Feeling the immense power sweep past them nearby, their nerves tightened.

What Ao Minxing did next, however, made the two of them inwardly curse him bitterly. The last Sect Master of the Five Elements Gate swept his large sleeve, and a blast of sheer protective wind swept up the residual green mist clinging to the ground, blasting it entirely into the newly formed opening in the stone wall.

Inevitably, some of the green toxic gas spread during this action, which was precisely why Ao Minxing had commanded Ao Borui to retreat so far.

Watching the nerve-wracking green miasma churn past right under their noses instilled a chilling dread in even the most thick-skinned observer. Though they knew Ao Minxing was not acting because he had seen through their concealment, they couldn't help mentally railing against him.

In a moment, the vast majority of the green mist had flowed out beyond the stone fissure. The remaining residue possessed little killing power. The crack in the stone wall slowly sealed itself, cutting off all the toxic fog.

Ao Minxing’s gaze shifted, his brow deeply furrowed. "Borui, swallow a Five Elements Anti-Toxin Pill and come here."

Ao Borui was slightly shocked. The Five Elements Anti-Toxin Pill was one of the sect's most precious medicines. Although named an Anti-Toxin Pill, its true function was to cure all poisons. For his Ancestor to require him to take such a pill just to cross suggested the toxicity of that green mist was severe.

He quickly retrieved a jade bottle, placed a pill in his mouth, and approached. Standing near Ao Minxing, he caught a faint, sweet scent that caused his head to spin slightly. Fortunately, the pill's effects were already kicking in, and bolstered by his Human Dao pinnacle cultivation, he managed to avoid disgracing himself on the spot.

"Ancestor, what is this thing?" he asked in horror.

"This is a mutated monster," Ao Minxing said, pointing to the green monster on the ground that was now split in two, his expression grave. "If I am not mistaken, this is a poison-gas variant. Its body is saturated with deadly venom; even I dare not approach it."

Ao Minxing nodded slightly, a flicker of fear crossing his eyes. If even a Pseudo-God Realm expert dared not draw near, then He Yiming certainly wouldn't risk it.

On the ground, aside from the two thoroughly shredded corpses of the monster, only two golden proboscises remained. All other monster remains had been dissolved by the toxic mist into green liquid, which eventually evaporated into the same green gas.

Ao Minxing glanced at the two golden proboscises with some regret. "A pity, these two mouthparts are unusable." This object was contaminated with deadly venom; though bold and high in cultivation, he dared not risk handling it.

Holding his breath and remaining perfectly still, He Yiming suddenly sensed something amiss. He glanced down at his hand; another brighter red dot had appeared at the center of the jade disk he held. The brightness of this new dot seemed to rival that of Ao Minxing.

He now understood that after the Light and Dark Eyes entered this world, they could no longer display specific imagery or clearly count overlapping red dots. They could only reveal particularly significant entities and the individuals with the strongest cultivation among them. Therefore, this new red dot likely represented not a Death Creature, but a powerful human expert who had also entered this realm.

"Boom..."

A massive cracking sound erupted from another stone wall, which then split open, revealing two people and one beast—it was Ma Yu and the others whom He Yiming had encountered outside. However, their expressions at this moment were exceedingly grim, especially the white tiger, whose eyes were wide, the 'King' character on its forehead vividly lifelike, its entire being radiating fierce killing intent.