The sea here was not deep, barely two hundred zhang. At this depth, the white stone was suspended, unable to reach the heavens above or the seabed below.

He Yiming hesitated for a moment, then released the miniature version of Bai Lingba he was holding.

As expected, the small Bai Lingba immediately swam over and clung tightly to the surface of the white stone.

He Yiming's heart hammered against his ribs, his expression growing exceptionally grim. He already had a faint, dreadful suspicion of why. Bai Lingba had indeed harnessed the power within the white stone and successfully sealed the passage, but concurrently, Bai Lingba must have paid an unimaginably steep price.

The power contained within the white stone was truly terrifying; even a fraction of it was sufficient to restore a top-tier Sacred Beast to full strength and heal all its injuries. Less than a tenth of its power could even forge five God-level experts.

If that was the case, what kind of catastrophic might would be unleashed when the entirety of the stone's energy was ignited?

In He Yiming’s estimation, perhaps only that unfathomably deep Divine Dragon possessed the requisite qualification to summon and command such a magnitude of power.

Yet, it was clear that as Divine Beasts, the most they could do was consume the white stone to enhance their abilities or mend their wounds. To fully draw out the power contained within was far beyond the limits attainable even by a Divine Beast.

At this point, He Yiming was certain: Bai Lingba must have employed an exceptionally unique method to channel the stone’s energy, but in the ensuing cataclysm of its collapse, his very body must have disintegrated along with the breaking of the stone.

He reached out and gently pressed his hand upon the white stone. An indescribable wave of sorrow washed over his soul.

Vaguely, a strange image materialized in his mind.

Bai Lingba’s form gradually merged into a colossal white stone. In that instant, He Yiming felt as though he was receiving some lingering imprint of information left upon the stone by Bai Lingba—he seemed to be experiencing what Bai Lingba had felt at that moment.

In Bai Lingba’s world, specific, complex machinery was required to release the power of the white stone. But here, there was absolutely no possibility of procuring such apparatus.

Therefore, Bai Lingba had chosen the ultimate recourse: using his own body as the conduit to unleash the energy.

Although this was undeniably the only viable method to excite the white stone’s power in the current environment, when Bai Lingba’s physical form endured such a colossal shockwave and purification of energy, everything that constituted him would be utterly erased.

His memories, his body, even his abilities—all of it would be assimilated into the white stone, forever inseparable.

When the power within the stone was largely depleted, it finally fractured and collapsed into the sea. Bai Lingba’s body likewise scattered completely into countless fragments, dispersed throughout the Northern Sea.

Even though Bai Lingba possessed an immortal body, once it was divided into innumerable pieces and deprived of its core energy, restoration became impossible.

His lips trembled slightly; He Yiming finally grasped the entire tragic sequence of events.

This was the final message Bai Lingba had left upon the world. And the only one capable of receiving this transmission was He Yiming, who had spent many years alongside him.

Perhaps, this was Bai Lingba’s ultimate explanation.

He did not know when his hand had slowly withdrawn from the white stone, but in his mind, scenes that would be etched into eternity flashed by in rapid succession.

The first meeting with Bai Lingba—that statue-like puppet.

At the foot of Mount Heng, Bai Lingba intervened, driving back the invading Totem Clan, and subsequently followed him for ten thousand li, extinguishing the Totem Snake and Wolf tribes entirely.

At the main peak of Tianchi, Bai Lingba used his unique charm to lure the Treasure Pig down the mountain, while he himself emerged as the ultimate beneficiary.

Within the Lingxiao Hall, Bai Lingba deliberately drew Jin Zhanyi’s attention, serving as a decoy, which allowed He Yiming to successfully infiltrate the Tongtian Pagoda and steal the Book of the Divine Path. And it was only thanks to Bai Lingba’s aid that he managed to preserve the Book of the Divine Path permanently through a special method.

In the Eastern Plains, at Ghost Crying Ridge, under the surveillance of Bai Lingba’s Clairvoyant Eyes, He Yiming discerned the conspiracy of Hao Xue and the others, ultimately ascending to the Venerable realm.

From Penglai in the East Sea, to the Shenyu Clan, and even when subsequently escaping the clutches of the Yellow Springs Ancestor and traveling to Glazed Island in the Southern Border, Bai Lingba remained constantly by his side, dedicating everything to him silently, without complaint or regret.

Even after He Yiming reached the pinnacle of the Human Dao and entered the Land of Death, Bai Lingba had still aided him one final time in this manner.

He Yiming’s heart pounded faster and faster; his eyes gradually flared crimson, and an ineffable, suffocating fury surged upward from his chest.

The temperature of the surrounding seawater began to rise slowly. His body felt like a massive furnace, unconsciously releasing immense thermal energy.

He Yiming clenched his fists, his heart inexplicably filled with hatred.

Death Creatures. If not for those Death Creatures, Bai Lingba would not have been injured while sealing the passage.

His gaze grew redder, his heartbeat accelerated, and an undeniable killing intent rapidly permeated the area.

Marine life nearby sensed this aura of murder; they fled in a desperate scramble toward the distance. Some weaker or injured creatures, unable to withstand the pressure of the killing intent, simply burst apart and died.

Although the colossal beings and spirit beasts had long since fled due to the appearance of the Sacred Beasts, many mindless marine creatures still inhabited this locale.

Thus, within the span of a short quarter of an hour, the surrounding seawater was dyed a pale shade of red.

He Yiming’s body trembled slightly. He sensed a subtle dread, yet he could not restrain the infinite murderous intent within his core.

If the passage were still open now, he would not hesitate for a second to turn back, plunge into the tunnel, and confront the hordes of monsters with his greatest power, slaying them all until he was utterly exhausted or consumed.

But his reason screamed at him: the passage was sealed. Even with the divine abilities of a Dragon, he could never reopen it by himself.

Moreover, even if he did force it open, there was no guarantee he could return to that terrifying Land of Death. His deep-seated resentment was destined to remain unvented.

It was precisely because of this that the killing intent surrounding He Yiming gathered denser and denser, reaching a point where he felt he might lose control entirely, even developing an urge to annihilate everything around him.

Suddenly, an icy coldness struck his back.

Although He Yiming’s mind was consumed by murderous rage, his movements were swift. He thrust his hand backward, and the malevolent fire emanating from him exploded out like lightning.

Behind him, an incomparably powerful ice-elemental force rushed forward. Every molecule of seawater touched by this power instantly solidified into thick slabs of ice. However, when this force reached He Yiming’s vicinity, it became utterly ineffective.

The seawater temperature here was too high. Near He Yiming, the intense heat was enough to boil and vaporize the water. If this were not the depths of the Northern Sea, but instead a shallow stream, one would witness the astonishing spectacle of the entire waterway boiling and churning.

As He Yiming’s palm struck out, massive heatwaves rolled downward, shattering the mystical ice energy without the slightest contest.

The chilling aura behind him immediately recoiled, seemingly attempting to flee, but He Yiming, consumed by fury, would not let it go so easily.

His body shot forward like a cannonball from its muzzle, slamming into the retreating energy. All around him, the air was shrouded in fiery crimson.

Both parties moved with incredible swiftness. In mere moments, He Yiming burst through the seabed, shattered the ice layer, and arrived upon the surface of the ice sheet.

Sudden, brilliant light flooded his vision. The sunlight streaming from the sky instantly dazzled his eyes.

“Crack…”

A wave of intense cold surged around him, instantly drawing moisture from the air to condense and form a massive block of ice, freezing him entirely within it.

All of He Yiming’s movements abruptly ceased. The powerful freezing essence poured into his body relentlessly, seemingly intent on turning him into an ice sculpture.

An ordinary person struck by such an icy blast would instantly perish. But He Yiming was different. The temperature of his body's surface was incredibly high, akin to the sensation he experienced in the past when absorbing vast amounts of heat while burning monster lairs, creating a scorching domain around him.

Of course, the malevolent fire stoked by He Yiming’s rage could not compare to a true Domain of Scorching Heat.

On his person, it was merely a feverish burning, not the manifestation of a true Domain’s might.

Thus, as the freezing essence invaded his body, He Yiming shivered violently, experiencing a sensation akin to taking an ice bath on the hottest day of summer—a powerful, exhilarating refreshment.

Then, he sensed several familiar auras lingering nearby.

Slowly, within this world bathed in sunlight, He Yiming’s murderous intent gradually receded, and reason returned to command his senses.

Shaking his head, the blood-red tint faded from his eyes.

With a slight movement of his hand, the ice encasing him emitted sharp cracking sounds and instantly shattered. With a casual wave of his sleeve, the ice fragments seemed to gain purpose, tossed back through the opening in the ice sheet.

The glittering shards floated on the water, reflecting the brilliant sunlight and casting dazzling colors across the surface.

He Yiming raised his head. Before him stood Yuan Lixun, her face etched with profound worry.

He tugged at the corner of his mouth, managing a strained smile. "Thank you."

The one capable of wielding ice power to cool him down in such a crisis could only be her.

A flicker of relief crossed Yuan Lixun’s eyes. "Yiming, Elder Mou said your inner fire was running rampant; if we hadn't acted quickly, you might have suffered a qi deviation. That’s why I used the Ice Mirror to freeze you."

He Yiming gave a soft acknowledgement, nodding gratefully toward Mou Zilong. Yet, though the madness had subsided, his heart remained profoundly chaotic and his emotions deeply low; he truly lacked the will to speak.

P.S.: Bai He doesn't write tragedies, so to avoid one, please grant me your monthly tickets...