Beneath the earth, the very same expanse of soft, yielding sand lay. In this environment, no life could possibly conceive or thrive.

He Yiming vaguely understood why he disliked this place, why he instinctively resisted using his earth-drilling technique here; it was because the conditions here were drastically different from the outside world.

He let out a soft sigh, yet his body moved like a gliding fish, relentlessly boring downward.

All around him, countless grotesque compound eyes watched the two companions who had clearly strayed from the correct path. Yet, from start to finish, not a single eye paused to obstruct or question them. For these lowest-tier creatures of death, their sole purpose was singular: to advance, advance, and advance further, until their very mass submerged every corner of this world.

As for what the two lost companions intended to do, their desiccated minds would never conceive of it.

Underground, the temperature gradually began to rise, and only by reaching this depth had He Yiming finally managed to shake off those terrifying and repulsive monsters. Because at such profound depths, only the Divine Dragon and he alone could infiltrate.

"The subterranean temperature has dropped even lower," the Divine Dragon’s voice suddenly echoed.

This was not the Dragon speaking aloud, but rather transmitting its thoughts via pure intent.

He Yiming paused slightly. "The temperature underground?"

"Indeed. These death creatures continuously devour the life force of this sphere. If one day even the heat beneath disappears, this sphere might not be able to sustain itself." The Divine Dragon spoke slowly.

He Yiming frowned deeply; he truly could not grasp the Dragon's meaning.

The Divine Dragon let out a self-deprecating laugh. "You don't understand yet, but I trust there will come a day when you do."

He Yiming’s eyes lit up, and he quickly inquired, "When will that be?"

The Divine Dragon fell silent instantly. After a long pause, it spoke softly, "Strive forward. You will reach that level."

"Pseudo-God Realm?"

The Divine Dragon chuckled a few times, then abruptly accelerated, rushing forward with great speed.

He Yiming dared not lag, immediately matching his full pace, though his heart fluttered with unease. This Divine Dragon spoke in riddles; could it be that even the Pseudo-God Realm was insufficient to grasp the meaning of those words, and that one needed to...

The thought struck him, and his heart hammered violently. If he surpassed the Pseudo-God Realm, he would enter the pinnacle of the Divine Path: the True God Realm. Did he require the strength of a True God to comprehend the true meaning of that statement?

He had the urge to ask, but recalling the Dragon's identity and their relationship, he ultimately suppressed the notion.

Traveling underground was indeed significantly slower than moving through the air, and even with He Yiming’s strength, he could still perceive the incessant rustling sounds of the death creatures crawling overhead. These sounds were continuous, layer upon layer, seemingly endless. Even with He Yiming’s current composure and martial attainment, being subjected to these conditions caused the hairs on his body to stand erect, his heart pounding with dread.

He would rather face them in an all-out battle above ground than merge with these monsters and be counted among them.

However, glancing at the Divine Dragon ahead, He Yiming ultimately quashed that rebellious thought. If even the Dragon did not object to this method, then what right did he have to complain?

After an indeterminate amount of time, the Divine Dragon finally stopped. He Yiming instantly felt a powerful wave of intent surge upward, sweeping towards the surface.

Having dealt with these monsters for so long, He Yiming knew that although they possessed infinite numbers and formidable strength, they lacked organized consciousness or intent. Thus, when a Divine Path expert scanned them with intent, they remained oblivious.

However, their sheer numbers were overwhelming—so vast they were inexhaustible and could never be completely eradicated. This was why the two sides were locked in this protracted entanglement until the present moment.

"They... they have indeed arrived," the Divine Dragon's voice resonated in He Yiming's mind once more.

He Yiming could endure no longer. He released his own intent, pushing it through the earth, past countless layers of death creatures, finally reaching the surface.

Then, a wave of chilling coldness surged up from his core.

He saw it: suspended in the sky, a colossal floating object, so vast its edges were completely beyond sight.

Hanging down from this floating mass were thousands upon thousands of black streamers. More of the lowest-tier death creatures were sliding down these tethers. Their movements were agile and orderly, like battle-hardened lions that had undergone countless drills, showing not a hint of disorder.

Simultaneously, from this impossibly huge structure, death creatures of every conceivable color were ascending. Some hovered around as guards, but the majority plunged into the lair below. Naturally, a portion also flew directly toward the distant horizon; what lay in that direction was obvious without needing to ask.

The only impression this massive object gave He Yiming was its size—an incomprehensible, boundless vastness. This scale exceeded the limits of human imagination; even transforming into the longest Divine Dragon, one would appear as insignificant as a mere infant before it.

"Lord Divine Dragon, are they descending from this thing?" He Yiming’s intent trembled slightly upon witnessing the scene.

This was not due to cowardice, but an instinctual reaction. Even Divine Path experts, possessing immense power, would still feel shock and awe when confronted with something that utterly surpassed the limits of conception.

"Yes. They descend from this thing. And they do so once every hundred years," the Divine Dragon stated calmly.

He Yiming forced his heart to settle and asked, "Does this object possess offensive capabilities?"

"Of course. During our first encounter, after all the death creatures descended from it, it actively attacked us."

He Yiming’s heart began to race faster. He knew the Divine Dragon and the others must have defeated it, but what baffled him was how they managed to achieve victory against such a foe. Merely considering its volume presented an indescribable pressure; dealing with this surely surpassed the capabilities of a Pseudo-God Realm expert.

"Lord Divine Dragon, how did you defeat it?"

"Defeat?" The Divine Dragon scoffed. "Between us and the death creatures, there is only life or death; there is no concept of victory or loss." It paused. "In our first meeting with this thing, we were caught completely off guard. Over ten Divine Path experts perished because of it. However, it ultimately failed to escape this sphere. We completely shattered it, reducing it to a wreck."

He Yiming nodded slightly, yet harbored considerable doubt. Could an entity truly be killed simply by sacrificing ten Divine Paths?

The Divine Dragon suddenly posed a question: "Guess where the remains of this slain thing went?"

He Yiming froze, his mind racing. Suddenly, a flash of insight struck him. "The Monster Nest?"

"Correct. You are quite perceptive," the Divine Dragon said with satisfaction. "I am certain we killed it, but its corpse transformed into the Monster Nest. I tried countless methods, yet I could not refine it. But this time, I finally can."

He Yiming’s expression flickered sharply. He asked slowly, "If you must refine it, might I ask why, Lord Divine Dragon?"

The Divine Dragon pondered for a moment. "Since you will be the one undertaking this task shortly, I shall tell you. Within this nest lies a Core. Only by completely refining the surrounding structure will it reveal itself. And this Core is extremely important to me. Do you comprehend?"

He Yiming hesitated. "Lord Divine Dragon, you are aware of the might of the Nine Dragon Furnace. If we were to directly incinerate this Core..."

"Do not worry. That Core is impervious to blades and spears, immune to water and fire. To destroy it using the Nine Dragon Furnace is utterly impossible," the Divine Dragon asserted proudly.

He Yiming remained silent. Although he did not know the Dragon’s ultimate purpose for the Core, he understood its immense importance to the Dragon, otherwise, it would not expend such great effort to deal with this matter.

"There must be a King of the death creatures overseeing this place, which is why these monsters move with such strict order," the Divine Dragon sneered. "However, now that I have arrived, their neat arrangement will descend into chaos."

He Yiming paused, recalling the various scenes of fighting the death creatures. He immediately stated, "Among these monsters, there must be some intelligent entities commanding the hordes from the rear. And there must be more than one of them."

The Divine Dragon laughed heartily. "You see things clearly. Every time these monsters launch an offensive, once they have expended two-thirds of their strength, they are certain to abandon their objective and retreat, awaiting a future resurgence..." Its voice carried a faint, bitter note. "But precisely because of this, we have never been able to eradicate them entirely."

He Yiming understood the situation, yet he felt helpless regarding the creatures' tactics. After the reinforcements arrived once every century, these monsters would launch desperate, suicidal attacks—a process that could last an unknown duration. But when they failed to breach the Divine Paths after exhausting two-thirds of their power, they would withdraw and disperse, waiting for the next century's reinforcements. During this lull, the Divine Path experts would strike out everywhere, eliminating as many monsters as possible to lessen the burden of the next massive assault.

This cycle had repeated itself, much like a reincarnation. The Divine Dragon and the other Divine Path experts had endured this pattern for five full cycles.

The Divine Dragon shifted its body, and a faint aura of dominance spread from it.

"You can prepare to act now. I will guard you while you do so."