He Yiming’s heart hammered fiercely against his ribs. In that instant, he finally grasped Liu Mu’s true intent.
This veteran powerhouse from the Heavenly Lake lineage had discerned some underlying purpose behind the Divine Dragon’s actions, and thus, at this critical juncture, he was willing to risk offending the Dragon just to ensure He Yiming’s immediate departure.
Though Liu Mu was immensely powerful, his years were weighing heavily upon him; for the Heavenly Lake lineage, he represented the splendor of bygone eras.
But He Yiming was different: a Divine Path expert not yet thirty, and one who had mastered the strongest martial arts of both East and West. What heights might his future achievements scale?
He Yiming symbolized the future glory of the Heavenly Lake lineage.
This elder, hailing from the Northwest Heavenly Lake branch, had chosen the future of his sect at the most crucial moment!
He Yiming drew a deep breath, and the momentary weakness and timidity vanished without a trace. Within his body surged blood and divine power that felt almost at a boil, and even his gaze had become resolute.
However, before he could utter a word, the Divine Dragon preempted him: “I have my reasons for keeping He Yiming here; you cannot substitute for him.”
Liu Mu pressed his attack without pause, but the aura emanating from him grew increasingly fierce: “Brother Dragon, Yiming is the future of my Heavenly Lake lineage. Forgive me, but I cannot abandon him.”
His voice was decisive, leaving absolutely no room for negotiation.
Luke and the remaining Bimon beasts, though silent, betrayed a distinct undercurrent of anxiety in their movements. If internal conflict were to erupt at this final pass, even they wouldn't know how to proceed.
Truthfully, their instincts screamed for them to strike down Liu Mu immediately. But a Pseudo-God realm expert was not so easily slain. If he unleashed a desperate final strike, potentially causing the dimensional passage to collapse prematurely, the consequences would be unacceptable for them.
The Divine Dragon snorted: “Fool, I mean him no harm. I am keeping him behind so I can unleash the Heaven and Earth Devastation, allowing him to comprehend that very power. If you insist on staying, I don’t mind letting you taste it too.”
Liu Mu’s eyes lit up with a mixture of joy and shock: “Really?”
The Dragon expelled a plume of searing breath from its nostrils. Under normal circumstances, it might have simply exhaled fire directly, but now it said coldly: “When have I ever lied? You may stay, but I can only protect one person.”
Liu Mu’s face flushed slightly. “I apologize for the offense.” He glanced at He Yiming, gave him a weighty nod, and then vanished into the passage like a bolt of lightning.
“You all should go as well,” the Divine Dragon stated curtly.
Luke and the beasts dared not delay. They swiftly turned and entered the passage that shimmered like disturbed water.
He Yiming’s mind was a whirl of surprise. He had initially suspected the Divine Dragon harbored ill intentions, but judging by the preceding conversation and the look of intense envy in the eyes of Liu Mu and Luke as they departed, this seemed to be anything but a disadvantage.
With the collective attacks and distractions of the others gone, the multitude of death creatures surged forward, seemingly intent on drowning the Divine Dragon, He Yiming, and the Divine Path Puppet in their numbers.
But at that precise moment, a vast, unimaginable power erupted from the Divine Dragon’s form—a power that possessed the nature of a domain, yet seemed imbued with something fundamentally different.
He Yiming’s eyes snapped wide open, his mind filled with overwhelming shock.
Around them, countless death creatures of every description burst apart. The radius of this effect instantly expanded from ten feet to a hundred, then a thousand…
Within this thousand-foot span, a vortex representing absolute death materialized. Innumerable death creatures, upon entering this zone, immediately detonated, shattering into dust and vanishing into thin air.
It was as if, in that instant, billions of mutated Lightning Spears had shot out into every inch of space in all directions, instantly slaying every intruder.
He Yiming’s jaw hung open. He stared, dumbfounded, at the spectacle unfolding before him. Even seeing it firsthand strained his belief.
What kind of power was this? The Dragon’s mere aura and domain were enough to annihilate these things. Compared to this, even the Fiery Domain that had once manifested within him paled in comparison.
The time he possessed the Fiery Domain was undoubtedly the most frenzied and powerful period of He Yiming’s life. Within a hundred feet of him, monsters would ignite into flame, and he possessed an inexhaustible supply of energy, capable of vaporizing swathes of creatures at will.
At that time, he had truly believed himself invincible, capable of melting even the Divine Dragon if it approached him within the Fiery Domain.
But now, having witnessed the true might of the Divine Dragon, he realized he had merely been a frog in a well. The sheer power this Dragon commanded was far beyond anything he could have previously conceived.
“Sense it carefully. I will only unleash this power once,” the Divine Dragon’s voice resonated slowly.
All suspicion had completely dissolved from He Yiming’s heart. He stood tall, his expression deferential: “Thank you, Lord Divine Dragon.”
The Dragon chuckled, yet for some inexplicable reason, a chill still crawled down He Yiming’s spine.
Even though he understood that the Dragon’s actions would bring him immeasurable benefit, he could not completely relax his guard. A faint thread of fear and an indescribable hostility lingered deep within him.
The Divine Dragon extended one massive claw. Upon it, five distinct colors slowly began to manifest.
He Yiming’s expression shifted slightly. He could clearly sense it: this was the pure power of the Five Elements, and it was vastly stronger than his own command over them.
The Divine Dragon had once claimed to possess the rarest Five Elements Body among Divine Beasts. He Yiming had always been skeptical, but seeing these five-colored lights now, and sensing that overwhelmingly powerful elemental force, all doubt vanished.
“Lend me your Five Elements Ring for a moment,” the Dragon stated abruptly.
He Yiming’s eyes widened instantly. The Five Elements Ring was no longer the imitation artifact it once was; it was a true Divine Artifact that possessed its own core consciousness.
Once an artifact recognized a master, as long as the master lived, it could never submit to another.
With He Yiming standing right beside the Dragon, even if he willingly lent the ring, the Dragon could not wield it smoothly. Only by slaying He Yiming on the spot and forcibly seizing it could the Dragon utilize the artifact.
“When you are ready, let your intent flow in,” the Dragon’s voice sounded again. “I want to show you the true potential of the Five Elements Ring.”
The Dragon’s words seemed to carry a captivating, irresistible magic, stirring He Yiming’s heart profoundly.
He Yiming was deeply devoted to the power of the Five Elements, especially the various abilities granted by the Five Elements Ring—he wouldn't miss an opportunity to use them. And after listening to the Dragon’s explanation, he finally understood the beast’s intention.
It was not a ploy to steal treasure by force, but a genuine desire to instruct him on how to utilize the Ring’s power.
He extended his wrist, and the same five-colored radiance flickered as He Yiming retrieved the Five Elements Ring.
Even though He Yiming held the Ring to amplify his strength, his five-colored glow still could not compare to the immense power displayed by the Divine Dragon. However, by this point, He Yiming had become largely immune to the Dragon’s overwhelming might and no longer found it surprising.
A colossal surge of intent streamed toward him. After a brief hesitation, He Yiming immediately opened his mind. He settled his own consciousness, allowing his intent to completely immerse itself within the Five Elements Ring, fusing with the artifact’s core spirit.
Only in this state could He Yiming cooperate with the Dragon without the artifact resisting or hindering the Dragon’s infusion of power.
He Yiming allowed this because he was certain that if the Dragon wished him harm, a single casual swipe of its claw would be enough to overwhelm him. Therefore, the Dragon would not resort to such a flimsy excuse to act against him. The only thing that truly puzzled him was the Dragon’s consistently strange attitude toward him, which he could not shake off.
The massive intent poured into the Five Elements Ring, and the surrounding ambient power of heaven and earth swiftly coalesced.
As this power began to surge, all of He Yiming’s other thoughts vanished; he was completely submerged in this overwhelming force.
This was the power of the Five Elements—five distinct energies forming a single, colossal whole. Each element was a part of this entirety, yet also seemed entirely independent.
It was much like the human world, composed of countless individual lives, yet those individuals possessed their own interests and demands, making true unity impossible.
He Yiming’s heart leaped; he suddenly experienced this sensation.
The Five Elements power was not merely strength; it imparted a feeling of life.
Faintly, He Yiming finally grasped why the power unleashed by the Divine Dragon was so immense: the force it commanded possessed life.
This was living energy; the Five Elements of heaven and earth were, in essence, a singular, marvelous living entity.
Under the Dragon’s guidance, He Yiming felt a fleeting contact with this living energy. Though the sensation was ethereal and utterly beyond his current capacity to truly grasp, the feeling was undeniably real.
His mind snapped, and he instantly returned to awareness.
He then discovered that after flowing through the Five Elements Ring, an even greater power had been successfully unleashed.
The awe-inspiring might drawn from the forces of heaven and earth had somehow ceased. The entire space fell into profound silence.
But at this moment, an absolute absence of sound descended.
Whether it was the wind that never rested, or the terrifying death creatures in the distance, everything was frozen motionless.
Because at this specific instant…
The entire expanse between heaven and earth was enveloped by an immense, dominating power.
The Divine Dragon raised the Five Elements Ring high. The dazzling, multi-hued light exploded outward, like the rising sun instantly casting a thousand feet of brilliance across the land…
Ps: Last five days remaining. Asking for Monthly and Recommendation tickets, sigh… We are almost out of the Land of Death. Let this be the final plea for tickets before we leave.