It seemed to sense the expression on He Yiming's face. The Divine Dragon chuckled, "You are honest. In truth, the more powerful and elevated in status beings—be they human or Divine Beast—become, the more intensely they cherish their lives. Given even the slightest chance, they are unwilling to die."

He Yiming thoughtfully considered these words. Just as the Divine Dragon stated, those who held the greatest power and highest status were precisely the ones who stood at the apex of the world.

Below the Divine Dao, all were mere ants.

This statement was the most potent illustration of that reality.

They stood above, commanding wind and rain, omnipotent; no one wished to relinquish a life that allowed them to view the vast majority as dust motes.

Even a powerhouse of the Divine Dao was no exception.

The stronger the individual, the more fragile their resistance to eternal life—or perhaps, since beings of the Divine Dao and Divine Beasts had ostensibly nothing left to desire in this world, this sudden piece of news ignited their sole remaining interest.

It was precisely this near-ethereal pursuit that trapped all the most powerful entities in this world, eventually leading them to open a pathway of death, and compelling them to guard this location steadfastly for centuries.

After a long pause, the Divine Dragon patiently waited for He Yiming to finish his contemplation. It spoke slowly, "I wish to know, when will the Hundred and Eight be able to seal the passage?"

He Yiming hesitated for a moment, finally replying, "In another three months, he should succeed."

"Will we be able to leave then?"

"Anyone guarding near the passage will have a chance to leave," He Yiming considered, not making an absolute declaration.

In truth, if it were up to He Yiming's own desires, he would only take a select few out, leaving the three from the West and certain individuals from the East behind forever. However, since the Divine Dragon had seen through his intentions, such a plan was now impossible.

"Excellent." The Divine Dragon let out a sigh filled with profound relief. Receiving this news, even it could not suppress a wave of uncontrollable, strange emotion.

For hundreds of years, it had believed it would never move from this spot again, yet now, hope was not entirely extinguished.

"He Yiming, this news must remain confidential. Absolutely no one must know in advance," the Divine Dragon regained its composure after its moment of excitement. Its formidable self-control startled He Yiming. "If this news leaks, I guarantee that these individuals will cease actively engaging the Death Creatures and instead focus every effort on preserving their own strength."

He Yiming nodded silently. Even without the Divine Dragon's admonition, he would not speak carelessly. In fact, had this Divine Dragon not deduced the matter itself, He Yiming would have kept even it in the dark.

"Lord Divine Dragon, you did not summon me here merely to instruct me on this matter, surely?"

The Divine Dragon shook its massive head. "Certainly not. I summoned you because I wish to make a trade with you."

He Yiming cast a peculiar glance at the Dragon. When he had first arrived here, he had faintly detected a thread of hostility and apprehension emanating from it. But upon seeing the Heaven and Earth Sacred Fruit, that hostility vanished instantly, and the Dragon's attitude seemed to have executed a complete one-hundred-and-eighty-degree reversal.

"Please, tell me."

"You have visited the lair of the Death Creatures. What is your assessment of the situation there?" the Divine Dragon inquired softly.

He Yiming paused momentarily. "The Death Creatures there are immensely powerful, and their numbers far exceed those outside. It is best to avoid that place unless one possesses Pseudo-God realm cultivation."

"You speak correctly." The Divine Dragon lowered its voice. "I need you to infiltrate that location and, when the great army of Death Creatures arrives a month from now, use the power of the Five Elements to activate the Nine Dragon Furnace and burn the entire place to ashes."

He Yiming’s face immediately turned grim. Although he had infiltrated the lair once and escaped unharmed, he had learned from Mu Zilong that once all the Death Creatures' reinforcements arrived, the location would be teeming with the most terrifying of their kind. To venture there would be unthinkable, not just for him at the Void God realm, but even for all the Divine Dao powerhouses combined.

Taking a deep breath, He Yiming stated, "Lord Divine Dragon, please forgive me, but I cannot agree to your request."

"Why?"

"Because this is a certain death trap," He Yiming admitted without hesitation. "Forget about whether my current martial cultivation allows me to sneak in; even if I managed to enter, after unleashing that firestorm, my life would surely be left behind there."

The Divine Dragon chuckled lightly. "Rest assured. If I ask you to go, I have confidence in safeguarding your life." It paused. "Of course, I will not have you risk your life for nothing. I will offer you sufficient benefits."

He Yiming shook his head. "Lord Divine Dragon, the danger there is simply too great. Please find someone more capable."

After a moment of silence, the Dragon's voice finally turned cold. "He Yiming, if I were to accompany you, would you then trust me?"

"You would go too?" He Yiming asked, surprised. A torrent of thoughts spun rapidly in his mind. After a moment, he inquired, "Lord Divine Dragon, the passage is about to close. We only need to stand guard here for a few more months. Why risk such danger to destroy their lair?"

The Divine Dragon spoke calmly. "Precisely because the passage is about to close is why this must be done."

He Yiming's expression turned frigid. He stated heavily, "Why?"

The Divine Dragon hesitated for a long time, seemingly sensing his resolve, before finally explaining, "Because I need the remnants left after you burn their lair. That item is extremely important to me."

He Yiming was startled. He immediately recalled the bizarre nature of the Death Creatures' lair. That thing was indeed unprecedented. Clearly, this Divine Dragon knew its origin and purpose.

To acquire something that a being such as the Divine Dragon would risk such immense danger for—its value must be truly staggering.

Seeing He Yiming remain silent, the Divine Dragon continued, "Do you not wish to hear the benefits I have prepared for you?"

He Yiming’s mind raced. He knew the offer would contain terms tempting enough to stir his heart, but acquiring them would necessitate staking his life.

"Please elaborate."

"Firstly, I can help you forge the Five Elements Ring into a true Divine Artifact."

He Yiming laughed dismissively. "Lord Divine Dragon, you have seen the inner cores from the Five Elements World. Do you truly believe I still require assistance?"

The Divine Dragon scornfully retorted, "The Five Elements Ring is the foremost Divine Artifact under heaven. The mutual generation and restraint of the Five Elements within it are not easily mastered for forging. Even with five Super Inner Cores in your possession and your Five Elements Physique, if you act alone, the probability of forging the Five Elements Ring into a Divine Artifact is less than ten percent."

He Yiming's expression shifted unpredictably. He had never imagined the odds were so low.

He looked intently at the Divine Dragon, yet faintly sensed that the Dragon was not deceiving him.

"Lord Divine Dragon, since the Five Elements Ring is so difficult to ascend to the Divine Artifact level, why was Ao Minxing so confident?"

"That is because he also possesses a Divine Artifact, a Five Elements Ring. Furthermore, he possesses the inner cores of five top-tier Sacred Beasts. With a genuine Divine Artifact acting as the guide, coupled with the appropriate cores, activating the latent Soul Power within becomes highly probable," the Divine Dragon explained placidly.

"If you were to perform the forging, how would you proceed?" He Yiming asked seriously. "You do not possess the Five Elements Ring either."

"I do not possess the Five Elements Ring, but I can gather sufficient Heaven and Earth Power for you," the Divine Dragon slowly clarified. "I can tell you that I, too, possess the Innate Five Elements Physique."

He Yiming's eyes widened. He scrutinized the Divine Dragon for a moment but could not penetrate the Dragon’s true aptitude or strength.

The Divine Dragon snorted coldly. "In addition to helping you forge the wondrous Five Elements Ring, I can also guide your martial cultivation, allowing you to bypass detours, and ultimately guaranteeing your advancement to the True God realm."

All of He Yiming's movements froze; even his heart seemed to stop beating in that instant.

The True God realm—the implication carried by those three words was utterly staggering.

Although He Yiming himself had often contemplated this possibility, and even Liu Mu and others had whispered in private that with He Yiming's age and talent, advancing to this legendary realm was highly likely, no one had ever dared to give him a definitive assurance.

Even though his current displayed talent far surpassed that of the two former Human Dao True God realm experts, until he actually reached that threshold, no one could guarantee his success.

Breathing deeply, He Yiming forced himself to calm down. "How can you guarantee it?"

"In my possession, there is a Book of the Divine Dao. It contains the daily cultivation insights recorded by the Five Elements Ancestor after reaching the Pseudo-God realm. You are human, and like him, you possess all Five Elements. As long as you cultivate strictly according to the contents of this Book of the Divine Dao, you are guaranteed to advance to the Pseudo-God realm within a hundred years at most, and the True God realm within three hundred years at most."

He Yiming's eyes gleamed faintly. "The cultivation insights of the Five Elements Ancestor—why did they fall into your hands?"

"He entrusted them to me for safekeeping, tasking me to find a Divine Dao successor with the Innate Five Elements Physique. Unfortunately, for thousands of years, no such physique has ever appeared within the Five Elements Sect."

Only then did He Yiming realize with a flash of understanding why this Divine Dragon had so often favored and protected the Five Elements Sect—there was such a deep connection behind it.

However, when faced with absolute stakes, this Divine Dragon had abandoned the Five Elements Sect and was even willing to hand this book over to him.

"He Yiming, this book records the experiences of the Five Elements Ancestor in his final ascent to the True God realm. I guarantee you, with your talent and aptitude, cultivating according to the book's contents will lead to an unfettered success." It paused. "This is a path to advancement without deviations. If it weren't for the fact that, over thousands of years, no second person with a suitable physique has appeared besides you, it would never have fallen to you."

Ps: I have to go see a movie tomorrow night. It’s a ticket given by the school, so there will only be three chapters, sigh...