Liu Mu nodded deeply, his eyes filled with relief, and after a long pause, his expression abruptly shifted. "Yi Ming, you forged this entirely by yourself?" "Yes." "The power within this does not seem to be purely the power of light." "The pure power of light within has been guided out by your disciple; what is sealed inside now is the combined power of light and darkness," He Yi Ming stated in a deep voice.

However, his words were intentionally ambiguous; he only mentioned guiding the power of light out, deliberately obscuring where it was directed. Liu Mu and the others naturally assumed he had dispersed the light energy into the outside world, never imagining he had absorbed and stored such power within his own Dantian.

"You... have mastered the combined power of light and darkness from the West?" Liu Mu asked, a mixture of surprise and joy in his voice.

Mou Zilong chuckled, interjecting, "Brother Liu, you underestimate Elder He too much. He is an unprecedented genius, not only proficient in the Western combined power of light and darkness but has even mastered the genuine Five Elements Great Reincarnation Flower, lost to the East for thousands of years." Liu Mu gasped, looking intently at He Yi Ming.

He Yi Ming nodded with a wry smile; of course, he wouldn't deny it. Mou Zilong's lips moved slightly, naturally revealing He Yi Ming's current age to Liu Mu.

This Divine Path powerhouse from the Northwest Heavenly Pool lineage stared in stunned silence for a long moment before uttering four words with profound emotion: "There is a successor." Mou Zilong watched from the side, feeling a warmth in his heart. He shook his head slightly; as an independent cultivator, the possibility of gaining such an outstanding disciple was infinitesimally close to zero, so he rationally abandoned that unrealistic notion.

He Yi Ming hesitated slightly. "Ancestor Master, the situation outside is quite complex now; please allow your disciple to report in detail." Without waiting for Liu Mu's permission, he related the most crucial matter—the time distortion—and the general circumstances.

Though Liu Mu possessed extraordinary composure, even he was left utterly dumbfounded at that moment, not much better than the others. While they had been trapped here for five hundred years, meaning the passage of five hundred or even five thousand years outside would have little bearing on them, the first time hearing this news still carried an incredible sense of absurdity.

Of course, Liu Mu would never suspect He Yi Ming of lying; after all, several people had entered this place this time, all peak Human Path experts filled with arrogance. To have them collectively deceive him was practically impossible.

A long howl sounded again from the distance, and shortly after, a person flew over quickly—an elder with a ruddy complexion whose robes shimmered brilliantly, flashing with an unusual light as he moved swiftly. He Yi Ming recognized at a glance that the garment must be a Divine Artifact.

He recalled the process of meeting these Divine Path powerhouses; it seemed that apart from the independent cultivator Mou Zilong, almost everyone else wore Divine Artifacts. It was precisely for this reason that these clothes had withstood five hundred years without decaying.

He sighed inwardly; Divine Path experts backed by established sects and solitary Divine Path experts were truly on entirely different levels. "Brother He, this is Bao Yanzhu from the Lingxiao Treasure Hall," Mou Zilong said, his expression tinged with envy.

"The former Lingxiao Treasure Hall was merely a newly risen sect with a Divine Path expert. Who would have thought that after five thousand years, it would replace the Five Elements Gate as the foremost sect in the world?

Truly incredible." He Yi Ming felt a great stir in his heart. In five thousand years of sweeping worldly changes, he wondered what the future held for the He Family Village.

Bao Yanzhu's martial cultivation had not reached the Pseudo-Divine realm but hovered within the Void Divine realm. Upon learning the news from the outside world from He Yi Ming, he clearly showed an expression of ecstatic joy.

Although these were all veteran Divine Path experts with immense martial cultivation, having lived in isolation in one place for five hundred years, receiving news from the outside naturally stirred longing, causing them to swing between great elation and sorrow. However, their self-control was exceedingly formidable; after a brief moment, they recovered from that frenzied surprise.

When he too tested the might of the Mutated Thunderbolt Spear, he unhesitatingly agreed to He Yi Ming's request, and regarding the one-tenth reward Mou Zilong had taken the liberty of suggesting, he consented without batting an eye. Subsequently, several more people arrived one after another.

Besides the couple Ma Yu and his wife and the Two-Winged White Tiger, there were two distinct experts from the West. Bao Yanzhu now knew that He Yi Ming was the Chief Guest Elder of their own sect, so his attitude toward him was markedly different.

Upon seeing the two newcomers, he quietly introduced them: "Elder He, these two are Luke, the Speaker of the Western Dark Council, and Sidney, the Western Freedom Fighter." He Yi Ming's eyes flickered slightly. The Speaker was tall, with a remarkably prominent aquiline nose, and his cultivation had reached the Pseudo-Divine realm.

As for the Freedom Fighter, he was clad head-to-toe in a full-face suit of armor. Though his face couldn't be seen, the aura emanating from him suggested his cultivation was at the Void Divine realm.

Mou Zilong’s expression suddenly turned quite grim. He murmured low, "Brother He, the situation is unfavorable." He Yi Ming was greatly puzzled.

Though his time interacting with Mou Zilong was not long—only four months—their similar temperaments had forged a strong sense of kinship. Hearing him speak with such gravity made even He Yi Ming feel a hint of apprehension.

"What's wrong?" He Yi Ming also lowered his voice. Mou Zilong surveyed their surroundings.

"Seven of the human Divine Paths have arrived; three are still missing." "So what?" Mou Zilong gave a bitter smile. "Brother, you may not know, but there are only ten human Divine Paths here currently: five at the Pseudo-Divine realm and five at the Void Divine realm.

Now, seven have arrived, and the other three are Leopold, the Pope of the Western Divine Temple, Ao Minxing of the Five Elements Gate, and Wei Jinshun." He Yi Ming's eyebrows jumped slightly; he now realized that the remaining three could all be considered his enemies. A flavor of indescribable bitterness crossed Mou Zilong's eyes.

"Brother He, have you forgotten? Before we came here, you also sensed that one Void Divine realm expert had broken through to the Pseudo-Divine realm?" He Yi Ming finally understood the implication; his heart hammered forcefully, and he felt a faint bitterness in his mouth.

"Brother Mou, are you saying the one who advanced to the Pseudo-Divine realm is Wei Jinshun of the Five Elements Gate?" Mou Zilong nodded slowly, their gazes filled with helplessness. At that moment, Liu Mu was explaining the effects of the Mutated Thunderbolt Spear to the others.

Everyone's attention was fixed on this super Divine Weapon, and they failed to notice the shifting expressions on their faces. He Yi Ming's mind raced.

"Brother Mou, why are there only ten Divine Path experts here? Where are the experts from the Totem Clan, the North Sea Ice Palace, and the major aristocratic families of the past?" Mou Zilong shook his head, his tone infinitely sorrowful.

"Five hundred years have passed; we have lost more than half our number. If you newcomers hadn't appeared this time, we wouldn't have been able to hold on much longer." He Yi Ming's expression shifted slightly.

No wonder that divine dragon had been so excited to see the group arrive, even disregarding the absence of human Divine Path figures—this place truly lacked fresh blood. Several furious roars echoed from afar, and the sky was instantly obscured by a vast shadow.

Everyone stopped talking and looked up. Two enormous dark shapes suddenly appeared in the air, confronting each other as they slowly descended.

He Yi Ming's eyes brightened; these were two Divine Beasts. One was the Eastern Divine Beast, the White Dragon, and the other, with a fat body and a pair of immense wings, was the Western Divine Beast, the Dragon.

Mou Zilong gave a wry smile. "These two are competitive, but since entering this place, they haven't separated, which is quite a strange thing." On the ground, a sudden tremor began, shaking with a remarkably steady frequency.

He Yi Ming's expression changed slightly, a flicker of doubt in his eyes. It sounded like a massive, heavy entity was rushing toward them.

A moment later, a giant golden ape sprinted from the distance toward them. Although it wasn't flying, its speed was no less than the flight of human Divine Paths; with every stride of its legs, it instantly crossed ten Zhangs of distance.

Its body was immense, yet its movements were unbelievably agile. Even He Yi Ming was slightly startled upon seeing this Divine Beast.

If he wasn't mistaken, this should be the legendary Behemoth, a Divine Beast that had vanished in the West. "All Five Great Divine Beasts are here," Mou Zilong murmured quietly.

"They still manage to arrive a step faster than us humans." He Yi Ming was slightly taken aback. "Brother Mou, are there only five Great Divine Beasts here?" Mou Zilong nodded solemnly, no hint of joking in his expression.

He Yi Ming's face showed a mixture of suspicion and uncertainty. "Brother Mou, how many Divine Beasts originally entered this place?" Divine Beasts have far longer lifespans than human Divine Paths.

In five hundred years, some human Divine Paths might reach their limit, but it was absolutely impossible for many Divine Beasts to have perished here due to old age. Mou Zilong's expression darkened.

"The number of human Divine Paths and Divine Beasts who entered previously was roughly equal, around thirty each." He sighed deeply. "This is everyone from the known world—apart from the rumored Divine Island in the outer sea, which no one has ever seen, both humans and Divine Beasts, they are all here." Hearing this, a look bordering on laughter and tears crossed He Yi Ming's face.

The grand lie of the past, a lie of eternal life, actually managed to net every Divine Path expert in the world—it had to be called a monumental tragedy. However, putting himself in their shoes, even He Yi Ming couldn't be certain if he could have rejected such a supreme temptation.