He Yiming’s confident smile slowly faded. Under Mou Zilong’s rather strange gaze, he grew increasingly awkward.

“Brother He, the one you just called for must be the renowned Bai Lingba, right?” Mou Zilong chuckled. “When Lord Shenlong emerged, he mentioned that the one re-sealing the passage this time should be this peerless master.” He paused, then asked with a peculiar tone, “But Brother He, I heard Ao Borui and the others say that this Mr. Bai Lingba seems to be a man of humble origins, just like this old man. So, where did he learn the Way of Divine Calculation?”

The Way of Divine Calculation, much like the Martial Dao, demands excellent heritage and extraordinary talent; otherwise, one should never dream of achieving anything. Furthermore, the Way of Divine Calculation places even greater emphasis on the transmission of knowledge. If someone were to master it without a teacher, the probability would be negligible.

He Yiming was momentarily stunned. “Brother, how do you know Mr. Bai Lingba is proficient in the Way of Divine Calculation?”

Mou Zilong stated matter-of-factly, “Back then, the foremost Divine Calculator of the Divine Path and the foremost Divine Calculator of the Divine Beasts joined forces, spending an entire year meticulously calculating at the North Sea just to pinpoint the entrance to the passage. However, after entering, they could not calculate the location where the passage sealed itself off. We dared not attack recklessly for fear of expanding the passage, making it uncontrollable in the end, so we were forced to delay it indefinitely.” He sighed deeply, “If that Mr. Bai Lingba hadn't calculated the closing point of the passage entrance, then no matter how great his abilities, he wouldn't have been able to seal the passage smoothly.”

He Yiming nodded in sudden realization; so that was the reason behind it.

Mou Zilong shook his head and wagged his chin. “If only Mr. Bai Lingba had entered the passage with us back then, we could have sealed it completely, rather than lingering there for five hundred… five thousand years.” Saying this, he suddenly slapped his forehead and laughed, “I’m getting old and muddled. How old is Mr. Bai Lingba? He couldn't possibly have lived for five thousand years.”

He Yiming’s expression instantly became exceedingly strange. He broke out in a cold sweat, fearing that Bai Lingba had indeed lived for far more than five thousand years.

However, he absolutely could not utter these words even if threatened with death.

Even a powerhouse of the Divine Path could not possess a lifespan of five thousand years. If everyone now knew that Bai Lingba was acquainted with the former Divine Calculator of the Divine Path, and that their destination was Bai Lingba’s homeland, who knew what uncontrollable events might unfold.

Mou Zilong scanned his surroundings but found no trace whatsoever. He asked suspiciously, “Brother He, is Mr. Bai Lingba truly here?”

He Yiming said solemnly, “Brother Bai is certainly here. If not, who sealed this passage?”

Mou Zilong nodded slightly. “If so, why did I not sense him?”

He was quite confident in his own strength; unless the other party was a Divine Path expert of a higher tier, he should surely have detected a clue.

He Yiming was also muttering inwardly; this fellow Bai Lingba hid himself too well. So many Divine Path powerhouses, yet not one could locate his trail.

“Brother Mou, rest assured, Brother Bai has always disliked meeting outsiders. So hiding is his usual habit. I will call him out now,” He Yiming said, shaking his head.

He soared into the air, flying to mid-sky. A splash of golden light erupted beneath his feet, the brilliant radiance obscuring his figure so those below could not clearly see his movements.

He gently pressed the tracker on his chest. This tracker seemed to possess greater capabilities now than before, as more elements had been integrated within it.

“Brother Bai, where are you?” He Yiming murmured softly.

After a long moment, no sound emerged from the tracker.

He Yiming’s figure in mid-air slowly stiffened. He abruptly realized that the strength in his body seemed to have been drawn away by something, rendering him incapable of even the slightest movement.

For some inexplicable reason, an unspeakable sense of panic arose in his heart and rapidly expanded.

Ever since Bai Lingba handed him this tracker, it had become their most reliable tool for contact.

Except for when contact was severed by entering the Land of Death, whenever He Yiming called out, Bai Lingba would respond accurately in the shortest possible time.

This had become the norm.

Yet, this time, after he made the call, Bai Lingba remained utterly silent, without the slightest response. This caused He Yiming, who was accustomed to Bai Lingba's presence, an unparalleled sense of shock and terror.

As a newly ascended expert of the Divine Path, he should no longer fear anything. But at this moment, an irrepressible sense of dread filled his heart.

Fear. He was indeed afraid. Vaguely, he seemed unwilling to delve deeper into this feeling, yet he knew even more certainly that he must find Bai Lingba.

With a flicker, He Yiming vanished from mid-air and reappeared on the ground.

By now, his face was faintly ashen, and a deep chill permeated his body.

Mou Zilong was about to inquire, but upon seeing his expression, he involuntarily shivered and swallowed the question back down.

“Li Xun, how did Brother Bai seal the passage?” He Yiming asked in a deep voice.

Yuan Li Xun was slightly taken aback. This was only the second time she had seen He Yiming wear such a terrifying expression.

Back in Kaorong Nation, when her face suffered an indelible whip mark, the boundless rage beneath He Yiming’s calm exterior had been palpable. At that time, he was like a volcano on the verge of eruption, making it terrifying to approach.

But now, although He Yiming’s exterior was barely composed, the aura emanating from him was even more frightening.

Taking a deep breath, Yuan Li Xun immediately replied, “Brother Bai took the vast majority of the White Stones, saying he needed to use their power for the spatial seal.” She paused, then asked, “Yiming, has something happened to Brother Bai?”

“I don’t know…” He Yiming shook his head blankly. “I can’t contact him, nor can I sense his presence.”

Although the White Stones were precious, they were far less important to He Yiming than Bai Lingba was. Therefore, he cared nothing for the loss of the White Stones, only feeling extreme anxiety over Bai Lingba’s lack of response.

Yuan Li Xun’s expression subtly shifted. Inexplicably, a strange vision flashed through her mind.

When the space she guarded was completely stabilized, she seemed to see above the ice island, the massive White Stone shattering into pieces, flying like cannonballs onto the distant ice surface, blasting craters of various sizes, and sinking into the sea.

She didn't understand why this memory suddenly surfaced, but upon hearing the news of Bai Lingba’s disappearance, this vision became even clearer in her mind.

Mou Zilong finally stepped forward. “Brother He, has Mr. Bai Lingba gone missing?”

He Yiming managed a weak smile. “Brother Mou, please forgive my rudeness. Brother Bai might be delayed by some matter, so he temporarily cannot come out to meet us.”

This statement was clearly self-consolation, as even he didn't believe it.

However, despair had not completely taken hold in his heart, because repeated experiences had taught him that Bai Lingba was an indestructible fellow; even if riddled with countless wounds, he could regenerate automatically.

It was precisely because of Bai Lingba’s incredible and unique constitution that He Yiming firmly believed he could not possibly die.

“Yiming, when the passage was sealed, the massive stone Brother Bai used suddenly fractured and scattered across the surrounding sea,” Yuan Li Xun hesitated. “At that time, I had a strange feeling, as if that wasn't the White Stone, but rather Brother Bai himself…”

Yuan Li Xun’s tone paused slightly, as this feeling was truly too horrifying to recount.

However, He Yiming’s face gradually grew grim. White Stone—Bai Lingba!

His eyes suddenly lit up. “Where are those scattered White Stones?”

Yuan Li Xun pointed towards the surrounding sea surface. “The White Stones fell into the sea and are lost.”

He Yiming took a deep breath. His feet suddenly sank. The ice beneath him had inexplicably melted, and a small circular hole appeared on the ice layer, dropping him directly into the seabed.

Mou Zilong looked at the ground in bewilderment. He truly could not fathom He Yiming’s thoughts. Could the shattered White Stones be connected to Bai Lingba’s disappearance?

He Yiming opened his eyes and searched the sea. At this moment, his sole worry was not knowing where the fragments of the White Stone had scattered. If they had fallen to the seabed, there was still a chance to retrieve them. But if they were swept into the spatial vortex that occurred when the ice island vanished, he would have no recourse.

Staring into the distance in the water, there was no trace. Just as he was at a loss, the tracker on his chest suddenly sprang to life.

He Yiming rejoiced inwardly, like a drowning man grasping the last piece of straw; regardless of whether the straw could save his life, he would clutch it tightly and never let go.

He Yiming pulled out the tracker. This object slowly transformed in the sea, eventually becoming a tiny, miniature version of Bai Lingba.

However, this miniature Bai Lingba clearly lacked its former liveliness and intelligence; its movements were stiff and slow.

He Yiming understood clearly that this must be because something had happened to Bai Lingba’s main body, leading to the small figure becoming like this.

The miniature Bai Lingba suddenly swam in a specific direction, but its speed was agonizingly slow.

He Yiming followed behind it. Within mere breaths, he confirmed the direction it was heading, so he reached out, pulled it into his hand, and his body twisted like a large fish, instantly shooting away.

Not long after, he began to sense an extremely faint light.

He Yiming’s eyes immediately brightened. He was extremely familiar with this light, as it was the light of the White Stone. Only, the power within this particular White Stone was almost completely depleted, and its white glow was so dim it was barely discernible.