Two clear white trails streaked across the sky. He Yiming gazed into the distance, asking with suspicion, "Brother Mou, shouldn't we be looking for the human Divine Path experts? Is finding that Divine Dragon useful to you?"

Mou Zilong’s mouth split into a wide grin. "Rest assured, Brother He. Ever since the human Divine Calculators perished fighting the monster swarms, that Divine Dragon has become the Divine Calculator for all Divine Path experts. Furthermore, it is the oldest among us and holds immense prestige. As long as our Mutated Thunder Spears gain its approval, everyone else will surely beg you for assistance." As he spoke, he lowered his voice slightly. "The power of the Divine Dragon is unfathomable. If it is willing to speak up for you, even Ao Minxing would think twice before making things difficult for you."

Only then did He Yiming realize the scheme Mou Zilong was hatching. He looked at the veteran Divine Path expert with gratitude, yet a strange feeling stirred within him.

Evidently, this Divine Dragon held a lofty and righteous position in Mou Zilong’s heart, even serving as a pillar of support. This emotion must have accumulated over the past five hundred years. Yet, for some reason, He Yiming always felt a sense of dread towards the Dragon, preferring to keep his distance whenever the slightest possibility arose.

However, considering the matter seriously now, the sheer volume of pseudo-god realm Light energy contained within tens of thousands, perhaps even over a hundred thousand, Thunder Spears made him drool uncontrollably. He could no longer voice any objection.

He knew this opportunity would be singular; once the Hundred-and-Eighth closed the passage, he would have no other chance to absorb the Divine Light power.

In the distance, a dragon's roar echoed faintly, filled with both inquiry and warning.

He Yiming’s heart constricted. He knew the Divine Dragon had already detected their presence. But what astonished He Yiming was that he couldn't discern any trace of the Dragon.

In his memory, the Dragon’s size was beyond comprehension; a body vastly larger than a serpent that could be seen at a glance. But no matter how far he strained his eyes, there was no sign, which only deepened his wariness.

"Brother He, the Divine Dragon is just ahead." Mou Zilong nodded slightly to He Yiming, then raised his head and let out a long, soaring cry. Every top expert’s cry had its own distinct character; Mou Zilong, being forthright, sent his roar soaring straight toward the heavens without the slightest deviation.

"I know it's you; stop making noise." The Dragon's massive voice carried across the distance.

Mou Zilong’s face flushed slightly, and he gave He Yiming a wry nod.

In truth, after several centuries of interaction with the Divine Dragon, such informal greetings and calls had become routine. It was only because He Yiming was present today that Mou Zilong felt a touch of awkwardness.

"Lord Divine Dragon is a fair elder. As long as you gain his recognition, no one here dares touch you," Mou Zilong whispered again. "However, Brother He, you must not work for free this time. You absolutely must accept one-tenth of the Mutated Thunder Spears, or the two individuals who previously forged the Thunder Spears might bear a grudge against you."

He Yiming’s eyebrows lifted slightly, and he nodded slowly.

He Yiming didn't particularly care about the pseudo-god realm expert wielding Light power, as offending him was already a certainty. But he was unwilling to provoke the other pseudo-god realm expert, who specialized in artifact refinement, for no reason.

Since both of them accepted one-tenth as their fee, he shouldn't break the established rule arbitrarily.

"Mou Zilong, why have you returned now? Come back in another month," the Dragon’s voice traveled from afar.

He Yiming’s mind stirred. This Divine Dragon was preventing Mou Zilong from returning to the passage mouth. Moreover, when they first arrived in this world, only the Dragon guarded the passage; all other human Divine Path experts and Divine Beasts were nowhere in sight. Now, it seemed this was no accident.

"Lord Divine Dragon, your humble servant has come today with an important matter for your judgment. This issue is of crucial importance to our resistance against the army of Death Creatures," Mou Zilong called out loudly.

Immediate silence followed. After a long pause, the Dragon’s voice finally sounded slowly: "You may approach."

Mou Zilong turned back and winked at He Yiming. "Brother He, old brother is indebted to you this time." He chuckled. "According to our agreement, we can only return once every half-year or so, mainly to exchange necessary items and ask for the forging of Thunder Spears. Besides that, everyone must hunt Death Creatures outside as much as possible to alleviate the immense pressure that occurs once every century."

He Yiming nodded slowly, gradually beginning to understand. It wasn't that others were unwilling to return, but rather that the Divine Dragon had established a rule: everyone must hunt Golden Monsters outside during the specified time to acquire more Golden Mandibles and forge more Thunder Spears.

This was all preparation for future battles. Sustaining this routine for hundreds of years was truly remarkable.

Looking ahead, He Yiming had a faint feeling: without this powerful Divine Dragon holding sway, it was unlikely these Divine Path experts could have remained here with such dedication for centuries, with not a single one returning.

A thought suddenly struck him. "Brother Mou, since everyone cannot return, why don't you let me return early?"

Mou Zilong patted his shoulder. "You've just entered from the outside, and your strength isn't considered top-tier, so you naturally don't fall under this exception. However, if you returned, and Ao Minxing challenged you in his personal capacity, even Lord Divine Dragon would find it difficult to intervene."

A cold glint flashed in He Yiming’s eyes. The Divine Dragon certainly possessed unparalleled authority here, but it couldn't suppress every single dispute. Thus, when someone issued an open challenge, the Dragon could only turn a blind eye.

After a brief exchange, they finally reached the passage entrance—the very place where He Yiming had entered.

However, upon arriving, He Yiming’s eyes widened. He stared at the Dragon coiled on the ground, his expression filled with utter disbelief.

In his memory, the Giant Dragon’s size was unparalleled, definitely the largest Divine Beast he had ever encountered. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to compare it to a mountain range.

But the Divine Dragon before him had undergone a complete, earth-shattering transformation.

Gazing at the Dragon sprawled on the ground, its body when fully extended not even reaching ten zhang, He Yiming was utterly speechless.

So, this creature knew the art of size transformation. Was the immense size displayed during their last meeting purely to give them a show of dominance?

"He Yiming, congratulations on your breakthrough," the Dragon’s voice sounded slowly.

He Yiming's expression grew even stranger. "Thank you, Lord Divine Dragon. Purely fortunate."

Upon approaching, the Dragon's voice, like its size, had diminished significantly, no longer making his ears feel the thunderous roar required for listening.

At this moment, He Yiming was finally certain that during their first encounter, the Divine Dragon’s display of immense size was absolutely intentional...

"Mou Zilong, what is the matter? Speak quickly."

Mou Zilong's expression tightened. "Lord Divine Dragon, Brother He and I hunted Golden Monsters outside and obtained mandibles, which he personally forged into Thunder Spears."

The Dragon visibly paused. "So you are also skilled in the art of forging, a Forging Grandmaster? Remarkable."

He Yiming repeatedly shook his head; his forging skills hardly qualified for the title of Grandmaster.

Mou Zilong continued, "Lord Divine Dragon, the Thunder Spears refined by Brother He are extraordinary; their power is at least three times greater. Moreover, once pierced into a monster, they generate a violent explosion. The shrapnel produced possesses powerful penetrating and destructive force. We have tested this many times; if used in a dense monster swarm, it can instantly kill four or more Golden Monsters."

The Dragon’s head immediately lifted high, its eyes flashing with brilliant light. This immediately reminded He Yiming of the Hundred-and-Eighth, wondering if this creature could bring him that massive surprise.

Mou Zilong drew a Mutated Thunder Spear and tossed it directly toward the Divine Dragon.

Although the Dragon's size was currently quite small, compared to a human, it was still an insurmountable behemoth.

Just as He Yiming expected the Dragon to use telekinesis, he saw it extend one massive claw and seize the Mutated Thunder Spear.

With a thunderous crash, the Mutated Thunder Spear exploded under the immense impact force.

Beneath the Dragon's giant claw, a deathly energy mixed with light and shadow flickered and spread outward.

He Yiming’s expression shifted slightly. He knew the potency of the Mutated Thunder Spears he forged. If this Dragon was overconfident, it was likely to suffer a heavy blow.

However, what left him dumbfounded was that after the energy dissipated, the Divine Dragon’s giant claw remained completely unharmed, its surface still gleaming with a dark, brilliant sheen.

Taking a deep, cold breath, He Yiming finally understood why this Divine Dragon held such supreme status among so many Divine Path experts.

Strength. When dealing with experts of the Divine Path realm, eloquence was useless; only overwhelming power was the true reason for everyone’s compliance.

At this moment, infinite ambition surged within He Yiming’s heart. If he possessed such strength, why would he harbor such trepidation?

Mou Zilong seemed accustomed to this. He asked gravely, "Lord Divine Dragon, this spear can not only be reforged, but given enough time, Brother He can modify all the previous Thunder Spears."

The Dragon retracted its hand, nodded heavily, and said, "Indeed, this matter is significant and cannot be delayed."

Subsequently, its body began to expand continuously. A moment later, it reverted to that massive form, stretching so far it was impossible to see its end.

"Roar..."

A roar that shook the heavens echoed far into the distance, propagating throughout the entire world in a peculiar manner, reaching incredibly far...