Those Divine Path experts with their own Sects, like Ao Minxing, regarded the situation with envy. In this world, let alone Divine Beasts, even Sacred Beasts are rarely willing to submit to humans and become the guardian beasts of a Sect’s lineage.

Although Southern Border’s Liuli Island was immensely powerful, the Sect lacked a guardian Sacred Beast, so when the White Tiger agreed to accompany Yuan Juan, it was undoubtedly a colossal piece of luck—a windfall capable of stunning anyone. “Sect Master Liu, we intend to return to Liuli Island.

What are your thoughts on this arrangement?” Yuan Juan inquired with a gentle smile. Although Yuan Juan’s current strength far surpassed that of Liu Changju, the attitude she projected was markedly different from Ao Minxing’s; she displayed considerable respect for Liu Changju, the current Sect Master of Liuli Island.

Liu Changju was overjoyed. He immediately stepped forward, bowed deeply, and said, “Elder Yuan, should the three of you grace Liuli Island with your presence, it would truly be the fortune of our Sect, blessed by the ancestors.” Ma Yu laughed heartily, clasped his hands in a salute to the assembled company, grasped Yuan Juan’s hand, and turned to leave.

Back in the Land of Death, they had originally intended to seize the Nine Dragon Furnace from He Yiming. However, after witnessing He Yiming’s strength and potential, and noting that the Divine Dragon had specifically left him behind to comprehend the Great Dao, they understood that their hopeful scheme was now completely impossible.

Since that was the case, they abandoned any further pursuit and chose instead to withdraw. Such decisive and swift action was not something just anyone could manage.

The White Tiger moved away leisurely. Its pace did not appear quick, yet it vanished like lightning, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Liu Changju offered a brief apology to the remaining group and followed on, beaming with delight. Ao Minxing shook his head slightly.

Although he desperately wished to recruit a Divine Beast for the Five Elements Sect, he knew it was fundamentally out of the question. With only a sigh, he turned and departed with Wei Jinshun and Ao Borui.

After these three parties left, the area immediately felt much emptier. Qiu Chen patted the great head of the Qilin Beast.

That this peak Sacred Beast had also advanced to the Divine Path was an absolute surprise. He glanced around and offered his farewells as well, but in his heart, he had made a firm resolution: upon returning to the Totem Clan, he would immediately seal the mountain and enter seclusion, forbidding any disciples from venturing out.

The world had changed drastically; numerous Divine Path experts had manifested globally, marking the end of the era where merely reaching the peak of the Human Path guaranteed dominance. Until both he and the Qilin Beast advanced to the Pseudo-God realm, they would absolutely not venture out to provoke others.

Bao Yanzhu and Zi Duli exchanged a look, a faint trace of worry flickering in their eyes. However, the subject of their concern was difficult to voice.

Zi Duli stepped forward and asked, “Brother He, are you still willing to serve as an Honorary Elder for our Lingxiao Treasure Hall?” This question carried significant weight. He stared intently at He Yiming, feeling quite nervous internally.

He Yiming let out a soft laugh. “Brother Zi, I regard Zhan Yi as a brother, and Elder Hao Tong had already shown me great kindness before…” He paused briefly, then spoke solemnly, “This He is not some ungrateful wretch who forgets favors.” Zi Duli finally relaxed, a smile flickering across his face.

“In that case, this old man is relieved.” Bao Yanzhu chuckled loudly. “Brother He, if you have time in the future, feel free to visit Lingxiao Treasure Hall often.

Frequent interaction prevents us from becoming strangers!” He Yiming nodded firmly. “Brother Bao, don't forget, this He is also an Honorary Elder of Lingxiao Treasure Hall; I am practically half a host here.

We can hardly be considered two separate families.” Bao Yanzhu slapped his forehead, laughed several times, and turned to leave with Zi Duli. Ji Mofan Shu was quite a unique figure here.

He stepped forward, bowed to everyone in a full circle, and quietly departed without a word. Though he, too, had now ascended to the Divine Path, his standing in the current world could not be compared to what it once was.

The Nine Netherworld and the Totem Clan would likely enter deep cultivation for the next several centuries, withdrawing entirely from worldly conflicts. Bing Xiaotian gave a wry smile.

“Lixun, will you return to the Sect with me, or visit your relatives in the Northwest first?” Yuan Lixun hesitated for a moment. “Sect Master, Lixun wishes to return home first to pay respects to my parents.” Bing Xiaotian nodded.

“It is only natural after so many years away from your family. However, since you have now gained the recognition of the divine artifact, the Ice Mirror, you must not slacken in your Martial Path cultivation.

Strive to advance to the Pseudo-God realm as soon as possible.” Yuan Lixun responded softly. The Ice Mirror circled around her once before melting into her body.

Bing Xiaotian nodded toward the others and bid them farewell. Among the Divine Path experts who had journeyed to the Land of Death, there were also elders from the Northern Border’s Ice Palace, but they had perished.

However, since Yuan Lixun had obtained the Ice Mirror’s approval and possessed the strong support of He Yiming, the Northern Border’s Ice Palace would remain a significant power in the future, not to be underestimated in the slightest. The Divine Dragon roared once more.

The other three Divine Beasts exchanged glances and let out a deafening bellow before flying off into the distance. However, He Yiming was surprised to see that the Eastern White Dragon and the Western Divine Dragon were heading in the same direction.

In the Land of Death, these two Divine Beasts had been rivals, but outside that dreadful place, they seemed to have developed a mutual respect. Where they were going in the South, He Yiming could only guess.

Of course, after five thousand years, their former residences were likely unrecognizable. The body of the Dragon Snake writhed slightly, slowly retreating backward until it melted silently beneath the Ice Sea.

Although its ferocity was terrifying after advancing to the Divine Path, in the span of a moment, so many Divine Path experts had appeared. Especially the Divine Dragon that emerged last, which filled it with a growing sense of dread.

The serpentine nature is inherently Yin, even after ascending to the Divine Path. Thus, once most of the Divine Path experts had departed, it too stealthily slipped away.

Its instincts and spiritual sense warned it that the Divine Dragon was immensely dangerous, and the farther away it was, the better. In an instant, the vast majority of the Divine Path figures had departed, leaving only the Tianchi lineage, Mu Zilong, and He Yiming’s party.

The Divine Dragon, however, remained coiled high in the air like an emperor, its thoughts inscrutable. After a long while, it turned its head, fixing its gaze upon the Bao Zhu’s body, which stretched over ten zhang long.

Bao Zhu shivered. Although it had also advanced to the Divine Path, its naturally timid and cautious disposition was hard to change.

If it faced an opponent of negligible power, it would feel no fear. But facing the profound gaze of the Divine Dragon left it with a sensation of being utterly seen through, scrutinized down to its core, a chilling feeling.

Its body flickered as it habitually hid behind He Yiming. However, Bao Zhu’s body was now vastly larger, rendering its attempt at concealment largely ineffective; it remained firmly under the Divine Dragon’s scrutiny.

He Yiming looked toward the Divine Dragon with surprise. In his perception, the Dragon seemed to bear no malice toward Bao Zhu; the divine light in its eyes suggested mere curiosity.

A thought stirred in his mind. This little fellow, Bao Zhu, had always possessed incredible, supreme luck.

Not only the Dragon Snake and the Qilin Beast regarded it differently, but perhaps the Divine Dragon felt the same way now? “Lord Divine Dragon, this is my dear friend Bao Zhu, whom you have met before,” He Yiming said with a slight smile.

“He has just advanced to the Divine Path and understands nothing. If he could receive your guidance, he would be eternally grateful.” The Divine Dragon let out a low chuckle, seemingly having fathomed He Yiming’s thoughts.

After a significant period of deliberation, it finally stated, “Very well. I find this little one agreeable, so I shall lend him a hand.” A beam of divine light abruptly coalesced on the Dragon’s forehead.

Then, with a flash of light and shadow, it shot like lightning toward Bao Zhu. Though Little Bao Zhu tried desperately to evade it, the speed of this light-shadow was far too swift.

Moreover, Bao Zhu was clearly unaccustomed to its current immense body, causing its movement to lag by a fraction of a second. The light-shadow struck it squarely on the forehead and submerged within.

The White Horse let out a soft whinny, subtly tinged with a note of envy. Bao Zhu’s enormous body instantly froze.

Its large eyes stared ahead, unblinking, but He Yiming noticed that its gaze lacked any focus. It seemed lost in thought, wandering outside its own body, or perhaps just blankly stunned.

Yet, everyone knew that once it awoke, there would be tremendous benefits awaiting it. Indeed, after only a brief moment, Bao Zhu’s eyes began to regain their clarity.

Traces of sheer joy started to emanate from those eyes. Clearly, it had comprehended something, and whatever it was, it had brought it considerable happiness.

A colossal surge of Heaven and Earth power erupted from its body, and the surrounding energies frantically converged upon it. He Yiming and the others watched with keen interest, wondering what new abilities or miraculous skills it had acquired in this short span.

The surging Heaven and Earth Power intensified, and Bao Zhu’s physical form underwent an earth-shattering transformation. Under the convergence of this energy, the massive body, originally over ten zhang long, began to slowly shrink.

Although the rate was not fast, and the process seemed clumsy, it was undeniable that it was steadily diminishing in size. He Yiming and the others watched Bao Zhu, dumbfounded.

While there were many Divine Beasts in this world, thus far, the only one capable of freely altering the size of its body seemed to be the Divine Dragon itself. Aside from it, even the other four Divine Beasts that had reached the Pseudo-God realm could not freely manipulate the dimensions of their forms.

This was an innate talent, a gift exceedingly rare even among Divine Beasts. Bao Zhu had undoubtedly possessed such a talent, but with the Divine Dragon's assistance, it had mastered it ahead of schedule.

Soon, Bao Zhu continued to shrink, its massive form of over ten zhang gradually receding to ten zhang, then five zhang, until finally reverting to its original appearance. He Yiming and Yuan Lixun exchanged a look of shared shock and elation.

Now, apart from the two deer antlers atop its head, Bao Zhu was indistinguishable from its former self.