The passage leading to the outside world was guarded by several God-level powerhouses and mighty Divine Beasts, their faces utterly devoid of expression. However, if He Yiming were present, he would surely cry out in astonishment.

For among these figures, besides the long-established veterans, there were three newly ascended God-level powerhouses: Liu Changju, Ji Mofan Shu, and the Qilin Holy Lord.

At this moment, the three of them frequently glanced toward the sealed sand house. After they all advanced to the God level, Ma Yu and his wife appeared before them and escorted them here. After conversing with Yuan Juan and Ao Borui, they had a general understanding of the events that had transpired during this period, and they were truly and wholeheartedly convinced of He Yiming’s capabilities.

Never mind that he had ascended to the God level within a single day of entering this place; even now, less than a year had passed since his breakthrough to the God realm, yet he was regarded with such immense importance by all God-level experts. Even these Pseudo-God realm powerhouses were willingly waiting outside the sand house for him to emerge.

This honor was unimaginably vast.

A strange notion surfaced in the minds of the three: why was the gap between individuals so immense?

In the distance, another burst of mighty Heaven and Earth pressure erupted. Upon sensing this power, a trace of a smile appeared on the faces of both the new and veteran God-level powerhouses.

“That’s everyone,” Bao Yanzhu laughed heartily. “You youngsters have truly done well, ascending successfully in such a short span of half a year.” He sighed deeply, remarking, “Our human race indeed produces a continuous stream of geniuses. As long as there is sufficient Heaven and Earth energy, anything is possible.”

The Two-Winged White Tiger let out a loud sneeze. “Your humans are indeed good, but we Divine Beasts are even stronger. If the external Heaven and Earth energy were abundant, our Divine Beast population would certainly outnumber yours.”

Bao Yanzhu grinned, but in his heart, he added a counter-thought: Unless all you Divine Beasts volunteer to become studs, your numbers will never surpass those of human God-level experts.

Of course, this thought he only allowed to grumble silently within his own mind, daring not to voice it under any circumstances.

A quarter of an hour later, Bao Yanzhu frowned deeply, muttering, “Why haven’t they arrived yet?”

Mou Zilong chuckled. “Don’t worry, Brother Bao. With Brother Liu personally going out to meet them, there absolutely won't be any mishaps.”

Bao Yanzhu nodded slightly, his face showing no worry either. “It’s been hundreds of years since I last saw descendants of my sect; I was simply being overly anxious.”

Ever since everyone was summoned here by the Divine Dragon and learned of the specific changes occurring outside, each person’s mindset had shifted subtly.

The expressions of the three powerhouses from the West were far from pleasant. Although Ao Borui had not targeted He Yiming, he had certainly not hidden the fact that he had slain the two peak Human Dao Ninth Heaven experts from the West.

Although Leopold and Luke said nothing out loud, their gazes were decidedly unfriendly. As for the other Western God-level expert, Sidney, while not belonging to those two factions, as a fellow Westerner, he felt a touch of shared sorrow for the unfortunate ones.

Yuan Juan from Glazed Island and Liu Mu from the Celestial Pool lineage had departed earlier. They were secretly providing protection for the Human Dao peak experts who were undergoing the Asura Path trial for those two pairs. Naturally, all of this was conducted covertly; otherwise, this high-pressure method of Asura Path training would lose its greatest effectiveness.

As a result, in the single month following the Qilin Holy Lord's ascension to the God level, the other five also finally broke through successfully. With this, the eight Human Dao peak experts who had entered this place had finally all ascended to the God level.

This remarkable success rate caused everyone to click their tongues in amazement and offer continuous praise.

One must realize that even during the God realm era, such a high success rate would have been impossible. This clearly demonstrated that the eight people who entered this time were true favored children of heaven, dragons among men.

Finally, a fierce sound of breaking air echoed from the distance. Four God-level figures arrived in quick succession. The one leading them was Liu Mu, a Pseudo-God realm expert, and trailing behind him were three first-time God-level experts, clad in ragged clothes and looking mentally exhausted, carrying a mixture of vigilance, excitement, and nervousness as they reached the gathering.

Bao Yanzhu immediately stepped forward to greet them. Among these three newly ascended God-level experts was the current Sect Master of the Lingxiao Treasure Hall; it would have been strange if he remained completely unmoved.

After Di Shitian and the other two arrived, they finally learned the identity of Liu Mu, who had led them here, and quickly approached to pay their respects. After a period of bustling reunion, everyone settled back into their respective positions. However, it was noticeable that sects with older God-level elders present tended to cluster together, subtly forming small groups of varying sizes.

Suddenly, all conversation ceased. In unison, heads turned toward the sand house.

There, a door formed entirely of sand slowly parted, and a God-level expert, appearing excessively young compared to everyone else, stepped out with a measured pace.

Mou Zilong felt a surge of joy and was about to step forward, only to halt abruptly.

Vaguely, he seemed to perceive that He Yiming was somewhat different from how he had been a month prior. He was not the only one with this feeling; everyone present, save for the six newly advanced God-level experts, felt the same.

The month spent refining the Thunderclap Spear had not merely enhanced the spear’s might; He Yiming himself had undergone a fundamental, bone-deep transformation.

There were no fools among the assembled group. They immediately guessed that He Yiming must have reaped massive rewards during this past month. Yet, what utterly baffled them was this: did refining the Thunderclap Spear truly offer such a tremendous boost to one’s Martial Dao cultivation?

Smiling faintly at the crowd, He Yiming extended a hand and waved gently. Ten spatial artifacts flew like lightning back into the hands of their original owners.

Everyone directed their consciousness into the spatial artifacts. While they knew He Yiming would never deceive so many people under such circumstances, the contents of these items were intrinsically tied to their very lives, and no one dared to treat them with the slightest carelessness.

With a slight flick of his wrist, everyone, including Ao Borui, casually drew a mutated Thunderclap Spear. They carefully probed the spear with their spiritual intent. A moment later, expressions of satisfaction surfaced on their faces.

However, the smiles of the two Western God-level powerhouses looked somewhat unsettling, and what struck He Yiming as strange was that Leopold and Luke were no longer confronting each other but had moved closer, seemingly forming some unspoken agreement.

Sensing several unfriendly gazes, He Yiming sighed inwardly. He understood that these people from the West must have learned about the deep-seated feud between him and the two Western elders, which was why the two had set aside a dispute and enmity spanning hundreds of years and were vaguely joining forces.

He lifted his gaze to the sky, still shrouded in swirling yellow sand, but He Yiming’s heart slowly sank.

He could feel an invisible power gathering and coalescing around him. If they remained in this world indefinitely, perhaps this power would never erupt. But if, several months later, they found an opportunity to return and sealed the passage, what would the consequences be?

For a moment, He Yiming’s expression turned grim. Even after immersing himself in the Pseudo-God realm light power for a month and significantly increasing his strength, he could not prevent a chill from creeping into his heart.

“Good, everything is in order. Thank you, Elder He,” Bao Yanzhu said cheerfully.

When He Yiming’s gaze fell upon him, it held a hint of strangeness.

This elder was oblivious to the calamity awaiting them months hence, which was why he could find joy amidst hardship now. But if he knew that they would have a chance to leave in a few months, perhaps the smile on his face would also fade.

After all, if everyone left together, the balance of power across the entire world would be reshuffled, and the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, with only its Void God realm experts, could never again hold the undisputed position as the foremost sect in the East.

“Elder He, your secluded cultivation this time has yielded abundant rewards,” Wei Jinshun suddenly chimed in with a smile. “Not only has the Elder acquired over ten thousand mutated Thunderclap Spears, but his personal cultivation has also soared. Truly cause for congratulations.”

He Yiming’s eyes lifted slightly, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

The Five Elements Gate was unwilling to wait even a moment longer. It seemed the Five Elements Ring held supreme status in their eyes.

“Brother Wei overpraises me; I merely had a slight insight,” He Yiming replied coolly.

Wei Jinshun’s expression darkened slightly. These individuals who had recently entered from the outside world and advanced to the God level now addressed the established God-level experts, especially those in the Pseudo-God realm, with the honorific of ‘senior.’ Yet, He Yiming maintained a casual demeanor, even arrogantly addressing him as a peer. While this did not violate the unspoken rules among God-level experts, it was deeply unsettling.

He snorted coldly. “Elder He, I, Wei, wish to propose a transaction with you.”

“Please state your terms, Brother Wei,” He Yiming said with a faint smile.

Wei Jinshun’s eyes sharpened. “Brother He must know that the Five Elements Ring is our sect’s divine artifact, and under no circumstances can it fall into the hands of an outsider. Therefore, it must be retrieved.”

The complexions of Liu Mu, Bao Yanzhu, Di Shitian, and Zi Duoli all turned quite displeased. The Five Elements Gate’s actions were utterly tyrannical.

He Yiming’s smile remained unchanged. “Then, Brother Wei means to say…”

Wei Jinshun’s face became solemn. “The Five Elements Ring has historically been the divine weapon wielded by our sect’s (Sovereign Master). Currently, the divine weapon held by Borui is not the Five Elements Ring. Therefore, we hope to reach an agreement with you for a trade.”