"Roar..." The golden Behemoth beat its chest, letting out a massive bellow. The Winged White Tiger, the Eastern White Dragon, and the Western Great Dragon roared back, unwilling to be outdone.

For a moment, the combined roars of the four divine beasts echoed ceaselessly across the desolate expanse. He Yiming frowned slightly.

Although he was not intimately familiar with these four divine beasts, he could discern something from their exchange. Their relationship was clearly strained; while not outright hostile, a mutual lack of respect was undeniable.

Suddenly, an impossibly powerful pressure descended from the heavens, causing the divine dragon guarding the entrance to the passage to lift its head. The moment it raised its head, the other four divine beasts instantly fell silent, ceasing their display of might.

He Yiming felt his heart pound. Among the four beasts was a White Dragon, yet the disparity in status between it and the dragon guarding the entrance was vast.

This made it clear that the divine dragon securing the passage was the true paramount divine beast. Mou Zilong shook his head with a sigh, remarking, "If the Divine Dragon Lord possessed such authority back then, the tragic demise of over twenty divine beasts might have been averted." He Yiming took a sharp, cool breath.

The news of more than twenty divine beasts falling was utterly staggering. Seemingly catching his confusion from his expression, Mou Zilong whispered, "These divine beasts are different from our human Divine Dao practitioners.

They rely on their thick hides and scales, possessing immense brute strength, which led to arrogance and disdain for cooperating with us. Upon arriving here, they acted independently.

This dispersion of power resulted in them being individually defeated by those Death Creatures, with over twenty perishing during the very first incursion." He Yiming's expression grew increasingly grave. Generally, divine beasts of the same rank possessed power surpassing human Divine Dao practitioners of that tier.

Unless the human practitioners held world-shattering divine artifacts, the divine beasts were essentially invincible within their own echelon. Yet, the loss of over twenty divine beasts during the initial entry forced He Yiming to re-evaluate the strength of these Death Creatures.

Mou Zilong shook his head, abruptly shifting the topic. "However, it was fortunately their rashness that allowed us to understand the strength and nature of those Death Creatures.

This knowledge ultimately enabled us to unite and, over ten years, annihilate the majority of them. Furthermore, for the second confrontation a century later, we had prepared sufficiently, preventing panic." He Yiming nodded slightly, though inwardly he lamented the cost.

The number of Divine Dao experts and divine beasts who first entered this place must have been around sixty. Within five centuries, only a quarter remained.

Yet, this sacrifice bought five thousand years of peace for the world; perhaps it was the self-atonement of those Divine Dao powerhouses. Glancing toward the passage, He Yiming asked quietly, "Don't you wish to return?" Mou Zilong’s eyes filled with bitterness.

He murmured, "Until this passage is sealed, none of us have the face to return, nor can we." He Yiming opened his mouth, unsure how to offer comfort. Suddenly, a wheel of light erupted in the sky, and a Western elder descended through a sheet of white brilliance.

Witnessing such an extravagant entrance, He Yiming immediately recognized the man's identity. Besides His Holiness the Pope of the Western Pantheon, no one else would maintain such flair in this environment.

Seeing that familiar white radiance, He Yiming experienced a peculiar sense of seeing Franklin again. It had to be admitted that those who inherited a specific lineage and specialized in a singular discipline often shared striking similarities in certain aspects.

"Leopold, you've arrived," Luke chuckled heartily. "I have good news for you." Leopold remained composed.

"Lord Luke, what good news might you possess?" He Yiming's gaze flickered between the two men, instantly sensing the sharp tension and veiled hostility between them. Recalling the relationship between the Western Pantheon and the Dark Council, he understood these two could never be allies.

Although they were currently sharing hardship here, these two natural adversaries could never be truly close. This was partly due to the factions they represented, but primarily because the cultivation methods they practiced were fundamentally antithetical.

Luke flicked his hand, tossing out a Thunderbolt Spear. Leopold caught it, his eyes sweeping over the Thunderbolt Spears held by everyone else before settling on the one in his own hand.

He instantly knew that whatever his old rival Luke wished to discuss must relate to these weapons. Quietly sensing the mutated Thunderbolt Spear in his grip, his expression shifted drastically.

He exclaimed, "Impossible! What is the meaning of this?" Luke outwardly displayed a hint of scorn, yet inwardly, he was equally astounded.

He and Leopold cultivated the ultimate disciplines of Darkness and Light, respectively. Therefore, others couldn't immediately perceive the nature of the power contained within, but they keenly felt the astonishing sensation that could only arise from the merging of Light and Dark essence.

Yet, even Luke could not fathom who in this world could fuse two such utterly opposing forces into one. A long cry echoed across the horizon once more—a sound full of vitality, carrying an almost unconcealed aura of dominance.

To unleash such inherent majesty before so many Divine Dao experts required not only immense courage but also power commensurate with that bravery. Three figures arrived sequentially in the sky.

He Yiming immediately recognized Ao Minhang and Ao Borui, but between them was a middle-aged man clad in peculiar robes. His face was pale as parchment, suggesting poor circulation, but his eyes shone with inner brilliance, and his aura was overwhelmingly potent—undoubtedly a powerhouse at the Pseudo-God realm.

The faces of those below showed various reactions, and even the divine beasts frequently turned their gaze toward the middle-aged man. Mou Zilong, Bao Yanzhu, Yuan Juan, and Sydney all displayed undisguised admiration mixed with a trace of deeply concealed jealousy.

Among the current ten veteran Divine Dao experts, only five were previously Pseudo-God realm. With this newcomer ascending to the Pseudo-God realm, he had widened the gap between himself and these four.

This separation was not just in martial cultivation but also in rank and status. "Brother He, this is Wei Jinshun of the Five Elements Sect.

All members of the Five Elements Sect have advanced. Truly, the foremost sect in the world," Mou Zilong sighed softly.

He Yiming’s eyes shifted toward Bao Yanzhu. If all these men were allowed to return, it would be terrible news for the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, currently the preeminent sect in the East.

Two Pseudo-God realm experts could never be rivaled by the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, which possessed only one Void God realm practitioner. Perhaps within a year, the title of the foremost Eastern sect might genuinely change hands.

"Divine Dragon Brother, you summoned us in such haste; what instructions do you have?" Ao Minhang stated solemnly. The Divine Dragon weakly pointed toward the assembled group.

"Ask them." Liu Mu laughed heartily, flicking his wrist. Three of the mutated Thunderbolt Spears still stuck in the ground suddenly flew out, hurtling toward Ao Minhang, though not at an overwhelming speed.

Ao Minhang and his two companions waved their hands lightly, easily securing the three golden divine weapons. A hint of confusion crossed their faces as they wondered what Liu Mu was doing.

Gently brushing the shaft of the mutated Thunderbolt Spear, Ao Minhang’s expression abruptly changed. "Brother Liu, this item seems different." Liu Mu burst into loud laughter.

"Of course it's different! Brother Ao, this was not created by myself or Leopold, but is the masterpiece of the newly appointed Divine Dao Elder of our Tianchi lineage." "He Yiming?" Ao Minhang’s face turned cold.

Liu Mu paused, slightly surprised. "So Brother Ao also knows Elder He." His gaze drifted to Ao Borui.

"This must be the Divine Dao Elder of the Five Elements Sect. Brother Ao, won't you make an introduction?" Ao Borui immediately stepped forward, bowing deeply to the assembly.

"This junior is Ao Borui, Sect Master of the Five Elements Sect, greeting all esteemed seniors." In the outside world, a man of his standing could command kings and dictate nations, holding the very destiny of the entire Eastern nation in the hands of a few peak experts. But in this moment, he held no arrogance, for he knew that before these figures, he lacked the means to dominate as he once did.

"The Five Elements Sect has worthy successors, producing many Divine Dao masters. Congratulations, Brother Ao," Liu Mu offered with a smile.

Ao Minhang replied with a cold expression, slowly saying, "Brother Liu flatters us. The Divine Dao Elder of your Tianchi lineage is truly overflowing with genius; it seems the title of 'Number One in the World' might soon fall to your sect." A flicker of pride crossed Liu Mu’s face, but it quickly vanished.

"Brother Ao, now that we are all here, none of us plan on leaving. Whether the 'Number One in the World' title falls to one or another seems rather irrelevant now." Silence fell over the group.

If they were forever barred from leaving, the title of the foremost sect might hold little difference for their respective factions. Just as the Five Elements Sect housed two Pseudo-God realm experts, they were still utterly suppressed by the Lingxiao Treasure Hall outside, unable to reclaim the designation of the East’s premier sect.

A moment later, Liu Mu shook his head and began detailing the advantages of the mutated Thunderbolt Spear. As one of its creators—without his forging expertise to reinforce the seal on the mouth piece, he could not have infused the Light power within—his words carried absolute weight.

Perhaps because everyone had finally gathered, Mou Zilong produced the corpse of a silver-white monster, allowing everyone to witness the true power of the mutated Thunderbolt Spear firsthand. After observing the staggering explosion, everyone’s eyes were filled with shock and excitement.

Possessing such potent divine weapons would make dealing with the overwhelming waves of golden monsters significantly easier.