Even upon the frigid expanse of the North Sea, the multitude of Sacred Beasts could sense the intensely frozen essence contained within.

White Horse Lightning and Treasure Pig simultaneously shivered; the biting cold instantly recalled their harrowing ordeal in the Huhehot mountain range, where Treasure Pig had been frozen solid, only rescued an hour later. From that day forward, neither beast would willingly step foot inside a cave again.

Now, the moment this chest was opened, they felt an unnerving sense of having returned to that icy den.

Treasure Pig let out a few soft snorts, then leaped onto White Horse Lightning’s head in a single bound, clutching tightly to its single horn as if doing so somehow guaranteed safety.

Bailingba surveyed the scene with indifferent eyes. With a slight wave of his hand, the floating frost dissipated completely in mere moments.

Only then did everyone finally see clearly what the chest contained.

Inside were five syringes. Four were merely the thickness of a finger, but the fifth was monstrously large.

Within each syringe was a cerulean fluid. Under the harsh sunlight of the North Sea, this liquid shimmered with an incomparably strange radiance. The glow seemed imbued with immense magical power, capable of sinking directly into the mind, leaving one utterly intoxicated without realizing it.

However, Bailingba allowed neither Yuan Lixun nor the gathered beasts the chance to succumb to the enchantment. He spoke in a deep, solemn tone, "These are elixirs I have refined. They will be of great assistance to you. Inject these into your bodies, and you will have the opportunity to ascend to the Divine Path."

Old Qilin was the first to recover. It slowly shook its head. "It is impossible here, because the elemental energy of this realm is far too sparse."

Dragon Snake opened its enormous eyes, posing a seemingly bizarre question.

Ever since arriving at this location, it could clearly sense the vast power saturating the world—a concentration so dense that even the summit of Ghost Cry Ridge was far inferior.

Yet, Old Qilin claimed the world energy here was thin…

Dragon Snake could not fathom what place in the world could possibly boast elemental power far surpassing this location if this level was considered sparse.

Raising its terrifying, massive eyes, Dragon Snake stared fixedly at the towering island, the words of Treasure Pig echoing in its mind: perhaps the legendary, supreme elemental force truly resided on that island.

"You are mistaken," Bailingba’s cold voice cut through their thoughts. "I have studied the Divine Path; my understanding of it is no less than yours. In truth, the prerequisite for advancing to the Divine Path is the requirement of immense energy. The strongest energy in this world is not on the island, but rather…" He suddenly thrust out his hand, pointing toward the colossal white stone suspended in mid-air. "This is the supreme energy source."

A faint tremor ran through Yuan Lixun and the others; all gazes fixed upon the white stone, growing hot with desire.

"Are you absolutely certain?" Old Qilin asked slowly.

"Yes, and you can ascertain it too," Bailingba’s cold gaze locked onto the beast. "With your inherent talent, bloodline, and abilities, you should be able to verify my claim."

Old Qilin hesitated, then slowly nodded, offering no further objection.

Bailingba turned back, retrieving one syringe from the chest. "Injecting this fluid into your system will ignite your latent potential. Your cells will begin to divide and merge toward their optimal configuration. At that point, you will require vast amounts of energy—the power of this white stone. Therefore, absorb it. Absorb as much as you can, until you either become a Divine Beast… or fail."

"How does one absorb the energy of this place?" Old Qilin inquired, its eyes blazing.

"Consume it," Bailingba’s emotionless voice echoed across the ice.

Yuan Lixun frowned slightly. As Sacred Beasts, they could naturally swallow the white stone chunks, but for a human, this seemed nearly impossible.

Bailingba turned back. "Miss Yuan, you do not need to eat it. I can convert the necessary energy for you."

Yuan Lixun finally let out a sigh of relief. Trying to imitate the Sacred Beasts and swallow the material directly felt beyond her capability.

"Brother Bai, since these elixirs can directly promote one to the Divine Path, why did you never mention it before?" Yuan Lixun suddenly pressed.

Bailingba’s eyes brightened momentarily. He replied slowly, "I forgot."

Yuan Lixun and the beasts exchanged bewildered glances. If anyone other than Bailingba had uttered those words, no one would have believed them. Yet, somehow, coming from his mouth, no one doubted him—not even the colossal Dragon Snake.

Taking out a small syringe, Bailingba asked, "Who goes first?"

A flash of white light followed as Lightning bolted to the front, standing quietly before Bailingba.

Compared to Treasure Pig, White Horse Lightning’s relationship with Bailingba had never been truly harmonious, but years of shared experience told it one thing: this enigmatic figure would never lie, and there was likely nothing in this world capable of defeating him.

"Thwack…"

Silence descended. The needle Bailingba stabbed down with fiercely bent upon impact, unable to pierce White Horse Lightning's tough hide.

"Your hide is too dense," Bailingba stated coldly. "Make a hole yourself and return."

White Horse Lightning blinked its large, beautiful eyes. It was the first time its formidable hide had ever been a source of trouble. Yet, it did not retreat. Lowering its head, it used the sharp spike of its horn to pierce its own foreleg.

The horn’s power proved superior to the skin, finally creating a bloody aperture. However, as one of the world's supreme magical beasts, its regenerative ability was unparalleled; little blood was lost, and the wound began to knit together with astonishing speed.

Bailingba moved like lightning. The syringe was swiftly plunged into the opening, and Bailingba used a hand chopped into a blade shape to shear off the now-bent needle tip.

In mere moments, all the fluid entered the horse’s body, and the wound was already practically healed.

Bailingba withdrew the syringe, efficiently swapping it for another, and said expressionlessly, "Treasure Pig."

Treasure Pig huffed twice, approached, opened its mouth, and bit itself in great agony. However, this wound was significantly smaller than the horse’s had been.

Qilin Beast hesitated, then slowly stepped forward. It was the first time in its long life it had performed such an act of self-mutilation, yet it harbored no complaint for the sake of reaching the Divine Path.

After the three normal syringes were used, just as Yuan Lixun was about to step forward, Bailingba produced the largest syringe.

This vessel far exceeded the size of the previous three, and the volume of fluid inside was unbelievably vast. The thought of injecting that much liquid—enough to drown a person—made one’s scalp tingle.

Yuan Lixun immediately paused. Seeing this enormous syringe, all eyes shifted toward the massive serpent.

Dragon Snake muttered something, its thunderous voice echoing far out, but no one could discern its meaning.

Its massive body shifted slightly, and it swam closer. Yet, its sheer size was such that once it drew near, there was no longer room for anyone else to stand.

Faced with such a behemoth, Bailingba seemed momentarily helpless. He turned. "Lightning, you take responsibility for making an entry point for it."

A flash of white light erupted as Lightning drove its horn into Dragon Snake’s flank, puncturing a large hole. Its horn sunk nearly to the base, yet even this small wound was negligible to the serpent; it showed virtually no reaction.

Of course, if White Horse Lightning had used its electrical attack at that moment, the result would have been vastly different.

Bailingba raised the syringe, which was much larger than his own body, and began injecting the fluid into the serpent. Moments later, Dragon Snake’s terrifying recovery ability manifested; the hole rapidly began to close, at least on the interior, where the blood flow ceased entirely.

Withdrawing the syringe, Bailingba remained impassive. "Again."

White Horse Lightning once more drove its horn into the great serpent’s flank, a faint trace of blood appearing near the tip of its horn.

Though the amount of elixir Bailingba had prepared was immense, compared to Dragon Snake’s sheer volume, it was negligible. Just as a single cup of water, enough to quench thirst, could drown an ant, all the liquid, enough for a human bath, caused no significant reaction in the serpent.

Yuan Lixun walked slowly forward, arriving before Bailingba. Only one syringe remained in the chest.

A faint sound, like the murmur of an insect, reached Bailingba’s ear.

"Brother Bai, if we inject these elixirs and still fail to reach the Divine Path, what will be the consequences?"

Bailingba's movements paused slightly. His eyes gleamed as he looked silently at Yuan Lixun, offering no answer to the question.

A knowing smile slowly spread across Yuan Lixun’s face. "I am ready."

She rolled up her sleeve, revealing a pale, tender arm. Her powerful Ice Martial cultivation had rendered her skin as white as jade, seeming to catch a bright sheen in the sunlight.

Bailingba slowly moved the syringe toward her arm. "You won't regret this?"

Yuan Lixun turned back to gaze at the mysterious ice island, murmuring, "I will not regret it…"

The elixir slowly flowed from the syringe into her arm. Bailingba’s voice sounded close to her ear, "I am the same as you."

Yuan Lixun started slightly. She looked up, gazing at Bailingba’s jewel-like, glittering eyes with confusion, unable to grasp the true meaning of his statement.