This wasn't merely because Bai Lingba had helped it achieve the Divine Dao realm; the primary reason was that it had personally experienced over a thousand years of the world’s power scarcity, making it deeply aware of how profoundly such power limitations affected the Divine Dao realm.

Furthermore, having possessed the power of the Divine Dao, to lose it again would be an outcome it found even more unacceptable than death.

It was like an ordinary person who could endure poverty, carefully saving every copper coin when funds were tight. But once that pauper suddenly acquired billions and experienced the life of a tycoon, they would absolutely refuse to return to their former environment.

The Dragon-Serpent held this exact sentiment at this moment. Thus, when its gaze fell upon the white stone again, the greed in its eyes had completely vanished, replaced instead by a thread of apprehension.

Bai Lingba seemed to see through the Dragon-Serpent’s thoughts and smiled faintly, "There are two ways to obtain the power of the Divine Dao. One is to enter the passage and fight alongside He Yiming and the others. The other is to help me seal the passage."

The Qilin Beast let out a soft roar. "Mr. Bai Lingba, we will exert every effort to help you seal the passage, please rest assured." It paused, then added, "If we ultimately fail, we will enter the passage and fight alongside them. At that point, given our Divine Dao realm, Lord Divine Dragon should not refuse us."

The Dragon-Serpent hesitated, caught in an internal conflict between entering the passage to retain its divine abilities but losing its freedom, and staying outside with bodily freedom but gradually losing its divine powers.

After a long while, it let out a thunderous sigh, having already tacitly made its decision.

Its sole pursuit in life had been to advance to the Divine Dao. While being trapped on Ghost Cry Ridge for a millennium was partly because the environment there was perfectly suited for its growth, the main reason was that it fulfilled the long-cherished aspiration of generations of the Dragon-Serpent clan.

Ascending to the Divine Dao was the single wish passed down through several generations of the Dragon-Serpent lineage. Now that it had succeeded, it would not abandon it again.

"Brother Bai, what must we do?" Yuan Lixun asked softly.

"I have selected five locations," Bai Lingba stated gravely. "The five of you will guard those spots. If you detect any fluctuation in space, immediately absorb the might of heaven and earth, use the most powerful force of the world to attack. Under no circumstances must you allow the spatial fluctuation to expand its range."

Yuan Lixun and the others’ eyes brightened, their anticipation for Bai Lingba deepening.

"Can our strength endure?" the Qilin Beast asked calmly.

Although it had become a Divine Beast, it had witnessed the power of that passage—something even the combined might of all previous Divine Dao masters could not close. To say it felt no apprehension would be a lie.

Bai Lingba nodded slightly. "I have calculated that with your strength, you should be able to manage." He paused. "I will prepare some white stones for you. With this reserve of power, there will absolutely be no issue."

The Qilin Beast finally settled down. Though minor doubts still lingered in its heart, it had no other choice but to trust Bai Lingba.

With another heavy sigh, the Qilin Beast remarked, "If we had invited a few other Divine Dao masters beforehand, we would have greater certainty."

Bai Lingba waved his hand. "When I begin sealing this passage, the energy used will be extracted from the white stones. Only beings who ascended to the Divine Dao by absorbing the energy of the white stones can suppress these spatial fluctuations. So, even if you invited that Divine Dragon here, he would only be able to watch from the sidelines."

The Qilin Beast’s eyes widened, and its gaze shifted back to the massive white stone, filled with awe.

Bai Lingba extended his hand, his arm as sharp and unstoppable as a blade. He swept it left, right, up, and down a few times. The enormous white stone had already been divided into four smaller pieces by him. While each piece was not much compared to the whole, the Dragon-Serpent and the others knew the immense power contained within these four fragments—enough to sustain them for a considerable time.

Turning back, Bai Lingba said, "Miss Yuan, you already possess the divine artifact Ice Ling Mirror. Your speed in absorbing the power of heaven and earth and recovering strength far surpasses ordinary Divine Dao masters, so I will not prepare white stones for you."

Yuan Lixun nodded lightly. "Brother Bai, rest assured."

She gripped the Ice Ling Mirror tightly, as if the divine artifact itself could grant her immense strength—and in truth, it was her greatest reliance at this moment.

Bai Lingba nodded slightly and named the five positions.

Soon after, the one person and four beasts soared into the air, departing far away, settling firmly at varying distances from the Ice Island. The farthest stood twenty miles away, while the nearest was only about five miles distant.

Bai Lingba checked each one individually. At this critical juncture, he could not tolerate even the slightest error.

Once the last individual stood precisely in their assigned spot, Bai Lingba returned before the Ice Island. He looked at the massive island that had manifested out of thin air, a flicker of active light shining in his eyes.

Reaching out, he grasped the white stone, which was many times larger than his own body, and slowly ascended into the sky.

Although the white stone was massive in volume, its weight was as light as a feather; only a gentle application of force was needed to lift it aloft.

Looking down from the sky, the Ice Island remained shrouded by a shell of white armor. Waves of powerful, almost substantial aura radiated from the island. Any life form below the Divine Dao realm would feel an innate dread upon sensing this presence.

Of course, even if the aura below were several times stronger, it would not affect Bai Lingba in the slightest. Yet, a profound and complex emotion subtly surfaced in his eyes.

Emotion—something that should never have existed—abruptly appeared within his calculation sequence, nearly causing him to crash instantaneously.

His eyes grew brighter, and his calculation speed increased exponentially...

After a long time, his physical form began to change slowly.

His body became softer, like a mass of liquid mercury, slowly flowing through the points of contact with the white stone and merging into it.

Liquefaction—this was his ultimate ability.

The power within the white stone was indeed immense, the very essence of this world, a product condensed from countless strands of the power of heaven and earth.

In his world, energy blocks could be refined through certain methods, resembling this white stone. Just a tiny energy block was sufficient to sustain his activities for many years under normal circumstances.

However, artificially refined energy blocks could never compare to those naturally generated. Even within Bai Lingba’s vast memory banks, he could not recall any energy block whose volume surpassed this gigantic white stone before him.

Even he could not fathom why such a massive energy block could coalesce in this world.

But there was one thing he was certain of: only by extracting the power from this energy block could the unintentionally opened spatial passage be sealed.

Opening a spatial passage required an unimaginably vast amount of energy. Bai Lingba had never known that a passage could be forced open relying solely on the inherent power of living beings, without depending on machinery.

The beings of this world were truly terrifying.

However, opening was easy; closing was difficult. Even after opening it, they had tried every means to close it but remained unsuccessful. This was not only because they could not deduce the precise location required to seal the passage, but the greatest reason was that the energy needed to close the passage exceeded their ultimate capabilities.

And now, absorbing the essence of this world to become the unparalleled white stone was his only hope and choice.

His body thinned, becoming more delicate, slowly integrating into every spatial recess of the white stone.

At this moment, the consciousness he generated grew fainter and fainter, flickering like a strobe light. He had a feeling that once this flickering ceased, it would mark the moment his consciousness vanished entirely.

To close the passage, the entirety of the white stone's power had to be deployed, leaving nothing behind. To deploy every last bit of the white stone’s power, the energy within had to be controlled with absolute precision.

Besides him, no other person or divine beast could achieve this.

He dissolved his body into countless fragments, completely merging into the white stone. His calculation sequence fell silent; within every corner of his structure remained only a single directive:

Release the power within the white stone—release every last trace of it, without reservation...

The next instant, colossal currents of energy began to surge above the Ice Island. This was a power mightier than the very might of heaven and earth. They descended upon this world with unparalleled dominance, shattering the existing equilibrium completely.

Countless wrinkles appeared in the void; everything, including the Ice Island, began to ripple like disturbed water.

The power of space was destroyed in that moment, and the stable passage became unsteady, seeming as if it could rupture at any second.

At that juncture, Bai Lingba's final, tenacious shred of lingering intent, like a candle flame in the wind, wavered for a long time before finally extinguishing. That wisp of faint smoke rising carried fragments of his memory as it dissipated.

In that final moment, a strong, seemingly non-mechanical mental fluctuation echoed across this space.

It seemed to be searching for something, lingering over something, but ultimately, it drifted away with the wind...

Ps: My friend Little Sharp Blade has released a new book! Supreme Over All The Tianyuan Continent of swords and mortality, the pinnacle of existence: Heaven-rank powerhouses, a realm unseen for a thousand years! This is an era on the Tianyuan Continent where the strong emerge generation after generation. Will rebirth lead to a mediocre existence, or the rise of a supreme sovereign? Across the vast firmament, deep within the boundless seas, tides of battle surge. Fists shake the heavens, feet trample the earth—Only I am Supreme. Little Blade’s books always have a great market and are highly readable; Bai He is extremely optimistic about this one ^_^ Friends, please take a look; like Dongzi’s Covering the Heavens, this will not disappoint you.