The Divine Dragon blinked its massive eyes. "Wei Jinshun," it rumbled, "I expect your transaction to be finalized after these Thunderbolt Guns have been modified."

Wei Jinshun hesitated for a moment, bowed deeply to the Divine Dragon, and then stepped back.

Whether he willed it or not, at this moment, he dared not confront the Divine Dragon directly.

Although among all the Human Godhood experts, Ao Minxing, who possessed the Divine Artifact Five Elements Ring, was undoubtedly the most powerful, even he could not claim to defeat this ancient Divine Dragon, whose age was unknowable.

If that were not the case, the one guarding the passage now would not be this Divine Dragon, but Ao Minxing himself.

The Divine Dragon slowly shifted its massive body, its voice booming, "He Yiming, you have one month. I expect all the Thunderbolt Guns to be modified by then."

He Yiming’s gaze swept over the spatial ornaments. If these items fell into his own world, they would surely incite countless conflicts, with innumerable experts fighting tooth and nail to acquire even one. Yet, at this moment, they lay quietly before him, as if awaiting inspection by a general, stirring a strange emotion within him.

Everyone turned their attention to him. These Godhood experts sensed the subtle fluctuation of intent, knowing He Yiming was currently counting the number of Thunderbolt Guns among the spatial objects.

Though they were all intensely curious about the hidden cards held by others, not a single person dared to make any rash move.

Moments later, a smile touched He Yiming's lips. "Esteemed Divine Dragon, please rest assured. In one month's time, I will deliver the required number of mutated Thunderbolt Guns."

The Divine Dragon nodded with satisfaction. It extended a thick, sharply clawed limb and tapped once into the empty air before it.

Countless grains of sand and stones rose from the ground. The sudden, unnatural stillness in the air within this space suggested a powerful force was resonating, causing the ambient energies to stir and warp in peculiar ways.

Slowly, a miraculous scene unfolded before them.

The earth and sand that had risen began to accumulate, gradually taking the shape of a massive structure, about ten feet high.

This was a house constructed entirely of gravel, its interior and exterior radiating a peculiar shade of yellow. With dimensions exceeding thirty feet in length and width, the interior space was vast—more than enough for He Yiming, or indeed, all the Human Godhood experts combined.

Naturally, such a structure was far too low for a Divine Beast, so everyone understood implicitly that this dwelling was prepared for He Yiming’s use.

He Yiming’s expression shifted slightly. The moment the Divine Dragon raised its hand, he had felt the immense surge of Earth elemental power, vibrating at a specific, unique frequency that was clearly performing miracles beneath the surface. For He Yiming, this was utterly novel.

It turned out that the application of divine power wasn't limited to combat; the Earth element could instantly coalesce a massive habitation.

However, this was a completely new domain for He Yiming. With his recently advanced Godhood cultivation, grasping such profound principles was beyond his current ability.

His thoughts raced, attempting to capture and record that peculiar subterranean frequency, but alas, that desire remained unfulfilled. These concepts were too esoteric and inscrutable for the bewildered He Yiming; without any foundational knowledge, he could not grasp their deeper mysteries.

Bao Yanzhu sighed with evident awe. "Since my master passed away, such exquisite control over Earth elemental power is something only the Divine Dragon can possess."

The others nodded slightly, clearly agreeing with his assessment.

He Yiming’s mind stirred, immediately recalling the visions he had sensed within the Tongtian Pagoda in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall. He suddenly understood that the founding patriarch of the Lingxiao Treasure Hall must have possessed similar divine abilities in the past.

"He Yiming, you may enter now," the Divine Dragon boomed, its voice carrying an unquestionable majesty. "The Thunderbolt Guns are crucial to us; please apply yourself diligently." It then turned its head, its gaze falling upon Ao Minxing. "For the next month, I wish for no one to disturb him."

After a moment of contemplation, Ao Minxing stated gravely, "Brother Divine Dragon, rest assured. Ao is not one to disregard propriety."

He Yiming observed coolly from the side, having grasped the general dynamics between these humans and beasts.

Those few Divine Beasts generally acted independently; except for the Twin-Winged White Tiger, the others did not travel alongside the Human Godhood experts. However, they displayed sufficient reverence toward the Black Divine Dragon, never opposing its decisions.

Though He Yiming did not know what methods this Black Divine Dragon had employed, achieving such compliance must have followed a fierce struggle; otherwise, these Divine Beasts would hardly be such obedient children.

The Human Godhood experts, by contrast, appeared significantly more chaotic. Despite fighting side-by-side for five centuries, they were rife with internal conflict, lacking anyone with absolute authority.

Of course, Ao Minxing was undoubtedly the most powerful among the humans, both in his inherent strength and the influence of the Five Elements Sect, rendering him unmatched. This accounted for the Divine Dragon’s marked courtesy toward him.

Liu Mu, with a grave expression, approached He Yiming. He asked seriously, "Yiming, is the Five Elements Sect's Divine Artifact, the Five Elements Ring, truly in your possession?"

He Yiming quickly replied, "That is not the Divine Artifact Five Elements Ring, but merely a rough embryo of the ring—at most, a replica artifact."

Liu Mu nodded slowly, a faint smile touching his lips. "Go then. As long as you didn't steal it from the Five Elements Sect, it is yours."

Though his words were not forcefully delivered, every person present was a figure of consequence, and each heard clearly that Liu Mu was resolved to stand firmly behind He Yiming, regardless of the cost.

He Yiming nodded gratefully, turned, and entered the house that had risen from the earth, slowly closing the door behind him.

Witnessing his entry, Ao Minxing let out a cold snort. "Brother Liu, should your sect's Divine Artifact be lost, I wonder what your choice would be."

Liu Mu turned, meeting Ao Minxing’s gaze without yielding an inch. He said calmly, "If it is an artifact obtained from someone who sought to murder this old man, I certainly would not offer it up empty-handed."

Ao Minxing's lips twitched. "This old man seeks nothing for free; I merely propose a trade."

Liu Mu laughed heartily. "Brother Ao, allow this old man to ask in turn: if someone wished to trade for your natal divine weapon, the Five Elements Ring, would you agree?"

Ao Minxing's face instantly darkened. His gaze flickered, and he sensed a wave of latent hostility gathering around him.

The Five Elements Sect was formerly the foremost sect. Even here, they were the only faction boasting two Godhood experts, and with the Divine Artifact Five Elements Ring in hand, Ao Minxing was recognized as the strongest among the Human Godhood experts. Consequently, a subtle trend emerged among the others to unite against him.

However, under these circumstances, no matter what they thought, besides Liu Mu, no one else would speak up to defend He Yiming.

A faint aura of killing intent seeped from Ao Minxing’s body. While this presence held no overt murderousness, it carried an overwhelmingly oppressive sensation.

Liu Mu let out a cold hum. He knew that retreat was impossible at this juncture. Even if he knew he was no match for Ao Minxing one-on-one, he absolutely could not allow the future hope of the Tianchi lineage to be destroyed. After all, in this world, if he did not stand up for He Yiming, no one else would dare incur the wrath of an absolute powerhouse like Ao Minxing for his sake.

An equally potent aura radiated from Liu Mu’s surroundings. The two auras met mid-air, sparking minute but rapidly brightening flashes of friction.

Their expressions were grave, yet true killing intent was absent from their projected forces. Facing a formidable external enemy, they naturally could not engage in a fight to the death, but for Godhood experts, a spar was not uncommon. Using this pretext to settle personal grievances was a matter even the Divine Dragon could not easily forbid.

"Everyone, let's calm down. We can discuss these matters after Elder He has finished modifying the Thunderbolt Guns," Ma Yu suddenly stepped forward, positioning himself subtly beside Liu Mu, and spoke with a slight smile.

Everyone froze. Even Liu Mu had not anticipated Ma Yu would intercede, much less clearly align himself with Liu Mu's side.

Ao Minxing’s eyes flashed, and he slowly retracted his imposing aura. To unilaterally yield in a confrontation with an equal-ranked expert was a major taboo for a martial cultivator, yet he carelessly withdrew his pressure, then swept his voluminous sleeve and turned to leave.

In a one-on-one contest, he was confident of defeating everyone and every beast except the Black Divine Dragon, but incurring the collective wrath of the others would lead to an incomparably miserable fate.

Mou Zilong sneered internally. Had he not overheard a conversation involving Ma Yu and the others at a previous location, even he might have felt a surge of gratitude. But now, he was merely interested in watching the spectacle unfold.

Liu Mu breathed a sigh of relief. He offered Ma Yu a grateful smile; despite their separate agendas, their relationship rapidly warmed.

Leopold suddenly spoke up. "Sect Master Ao, please wait a moment."

Ao Minxing and the others paused. Ao Borui dared not show any disrespect. "Senior, what are your instructions?"

"Haha, this seat merely wishes to know precisely who has entered this domain this time, and whether any Godhood experts from our Divine Hall are present."

Luke and the others’ eyes lit up, and they unhesitatingly gathered around Leopold. At this moment, they were intensely eager for news from the outside world.

Ao Borui offered a wry smile and slowly recounted everything he had learned in detail. Although his account was as objective as possible, devoid of personal bias, the expressions of the listeners slowly began to change.

Mou Zilong sighed inwardly. When He Yiming emerged, he would find that everything had shifted. Perhaps the number of those harboring malice toward him would only increase.