"Brother Jin, it's you who has come personally," He Yiming strode forward quickly. Grasping his hand, he burst into hearty laughter.

With He Yiming's martial cultivation, had he paid the slightest attention, he would have long since distinguished Jin Zhanyi from the crowd. However, in the presence of Di Shitian, a fellow Daoist God, He Yiming exhibited considerable restraint.

After all, Di Shitian was the current Sect Master of the Tianchi lineage, while He Yiming was merely a Daoist God Elder within the sect. To observe the Sect Master with his divine sense would surely be an act to embarrass the leader on the spot. He Yiming understood such matters of social grace, so he never imagined that the envoy from the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, whom the Divine Calculator and others spoke of, would actually be Jin Zhanyi.

With a slight smile, Jin Zhanyi's face clearly betrayed a sense of relief and profound feeling.

He Yiming had already advanced to the Daoist God realm, yet he remained this enthusiastic towards him, no different from before. This feeling was truly wonderful.

Gripping the hand tightly, Jin Zhanyi said, "Elder He..."

He Yiming waved his hand, displeased. "You are still Elder Jin; keep things simple and speak plainly about why you are here."

Jin Zhanyi managed a wry smile. "Alright, I came this time to invite you to move East and lend us your backing."

He Yiming's eyes brightened. He exclaimed in surprise, "No way, it's only been a year, and the Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands can't hold back any longer?"

He was no fool; when Ao Minxing and Bao Yanzhu emerged, he had sensed a strange atmosphere. He knew that the current Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands would certainly not be content to remain subservient to the Lingxiao Treasure Hall. In the East, a great struggle was surely brewing. For the title of the foremost sect in the world, Ao Minxing and the others would not easily let the matter rest.

But only about a year had passed; was Ao Minxing acting too hastily?

Jin Zhanyi shook his head helplessly. "The gap in our strength is too vast; the fact that they could endure for a year is already quite remarkable." His gaze flickered towards Di Shitian and the other man, without any attempt to conceal his meaning. "If our Lingxiao Treasure Hall also had a Pseudo-God realm expert standing guard, they might be more wary. But unfortunately, our previous Sect Master entered the Land of Death, perished while attacking a monster's nest, and even his accompanying divine artifact was devoured by the monsters, so..."

He Yiming's heart tightened. The death creatures were capable of devouring divine artifacts—that was indeed beyond his expectation. However, this threat had been resolved, and the chance of encountering such things again was minuscule, negligible.

"In the present East, perhaps only Senior Ma Yu can offer some resistance against the Five Elements Gate, but that venerable elder has gone to the Glazed Island in the Southern Border, clearly indicating his unwillingness to interfere with Eastern affairs," Jin Zhanyi fretted. "As things stand, the Five Elements Gate is destined to dominate. No other power can contend with them."

He Yiming also sighed softly. This was the reality: without interference from other regions, no force in the East could challenge the Five Elements Gate. The past tripartite balance maintained by the Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands, the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, and the Nine Netherworld had been completely shattered.

"What do they intend to do?" He Yiming asked coldly.

"The power of heaven and earth is gradually returning to normal. The Divine Tree of the Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands has been nourished by immense heaven and earth energy and will bear fruit again after five thousand years. Sect Master Ao Borui has already sent word, inviting our Daoist Gods from the Lingxiao Treasure Hall in six months to taste the Divine Fruits."

"The Divine Tree has borne fruit?" The Divine Calculator murmured in admiration. "Although our five factions each control one of the five elements, the one most beneficial to our sect is undoubtedly the Ancestral Tree God of Wood."

He Yiming frowned slightly. "What use are the Divine Fruits borne by the Divine Tree?"

"The Divine Tree is the world's foremost strange tree, possessing unparalleled life essence," the Divine Calculator expressed with envy. "The fruits it bears have miraculous effects, such as cleansing the marrow and improving physique. For us cultivators, consuming them also brings immense benefits to martial progress."

He Yiming's heart stirred. "What if a Post-Heaven cultivator consumes them?"

He knew that in the eyes of experts like the Divine Calculator, only those in the Pre-Heaven realm could truly be called cultivators. As for Post-Heaven cultivators... were they even considered cultivators by those at the peak of the Daoist God and Mortal realms?

The Divine Calculator let out a knowing smile. "Elder He, you have many relatives; it is wise to make plans early."

He Yiming chuckled twice, unsurprised that the Divine Calculator had seen through his intentions. Before this elder, whose divine calculation skills bordered on the monstrous, he had never intended to conceal such a matter.

"According to historical records, the life essence within the Divine Fruits has a miraculous effect on all humans. If a Post-Heaven cultivator consumes them, they can similarly cleanse their marrow, improve their physique, and gain at least ten years of longevity," the Divine Calculator stated calmly after a moment's consideration.

He Yiming's eyes instantly lit up—a greedy, unnerving brilliance.

Di Shitian coughed lightly. "Yiming, the Divine Tree is a divine object of heaven and earth, naturally sentient. You must not act rashly."

He Yiming’s expression sobered, and he quickly agreed, though he was clearly not discouraged. "Elder Divine Calculator, how many fruits can the Divine Tree yield?" Having witnessed the sheer immensity of that tree himself, he truly could not fathom the number of fruits it might bear.

The Divine Calculator pondered for a moment. "The Divine Tree does not bear many fruits, perhaps only about a hundred each year."

He Yiming’s brow immediately furrowed deeply. A hundred sounded like a lot, but considering the population within the Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands, that number would be far insufficient even if distributed entirely internally. If he wanted a substantial amount of Divine Fruits, he was likely at a loss for how to proceed.

Di Shitian and the Divine Calculator exchanged a glance, a wry smile flickering in both their eyes. Perhaps only He Yiming would dare to covet the fruits of the Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands' Divine Tree at this time. However, recalling the powerful force displayed by the He Family Estate yesterday—equivalent to the presence of six Daoist God experts—they vaguely felt that He Yiming might indeed be qualified to entertain such ambitions.

"Brother Jin, how do you plan to handle this?" He Yiming composed himself and asked.

Jin Zhanyi’s expression grew solemn. "Sect Master and Elder Bao will certainly attend the invitation. However, our number of Daoist Gods is too small, so the Sect Master ordered me to invite you to lend support. Since you are a guest elder of our Lingxiao Treasure Hall, no one will find fault with this."

He Yiming nodded slightly. To be frank, if he were pitted against Ao Minxing, who also possessed a Five Elements Ring, he would certainly be forced to flee for his life. But if he were determined to escape, Ao Minxing likely wouldn't be able to touch him either. Thus, his apprehension toward the Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands was far less than before.

"Brother Jin, for this small matter, you could have just come to me directly." He Yiming casually glanced in the direction of Di Shitian and the other man.

Jin Zhanyi shook his head, his tone serious. "Brother He, while you are a guest elder of our sect, you are more importantly a Daoist God Elder of the Tianchi lineage. Therefore, this must have the approval of Sect Master Di Shitian."

Di Shitian smiled faintly. "Our Tianchi lineage shares a friendship of several thousand years with the Lingxiao Treasure Hall; this matter is naturally no issue." He paused, then added, "However, He Yiming is now not only a Daoist God Elder of Tianchi, but also the next Sect Master of this sect."

Jin Zhanyi started slightly, then smiled. "Brother He, congratulations." He was not surprised by this outcome in the least. Any sect possessing a prodigy like He Yiming would unhesitatingly name him the next Sect Master. If the Tianchi lineage dared to replace him, that would be truly unbelievable.

He Yiming waved his hand wryly. Currently, his interest in the Pseudo-God and True God realms far surpassed that of the Tianchi Sect Master title. Still, he knew that sometimes, circumstances left one with little choice.

He gave Jin Zhanyi a look and said, "Sect Master, Brother Divine Calculator, Brother Jin and I have not met in many years. We shall go and share a few drinks. You two have traveled a long way, please rest well."

Di Shitian let out a soft laugh. "Go ahead." Just as He Yiming and Jin Zhanyi were about to reach the doorway, he suddenly called out, "Yiming, when you go to the Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands this time, if possible, bring a few Divine Fruits back for us to taste."

He Yiming nearly stumbled. To attempt to seize even a portion of the Divine Fruits that yielded only a hundred annually—that difficulty seemed exceedingly high.

Leaving the area with Jin Zhanyi and returning to his room, Jin Zhanyi suddenly lowered his voice. "Brother He, in the invitation issued by Ao Borui this time, besides us, even the Yellow Springs Ancestor from the Nine Netherworld has been invited. Furthermore..." His voice dropped even lower. "...Senior Ma Yu has a high probability of returning to attend this event."

He Yiming was slightly taken aback. "Ao Borui actually invited Ma Yu?" Since leaving the Ice Island Passage, Ma Yu had gone to the Glazed Island in the Southern Border; in a sense, he had actively distanced himself from the conflicts and grievances of the East. If Ao Borui sent an invitation to Ma Yu, He Yiming truly could not fathom what these people were thinking.

Jin Zhanyi gave a wry smile and shook his head. "The Five Elements Gate certainly wouldn't do that, but Senior Ma Yu is unwilling to see the Five Elements Gate dominate. Thus, he has sent people to contact Patriarch Bao. He will attend as a loose cultivator."

He Yiming finally understood. He felt a surge of emotion: the might of the Five Elements Gate had clearly begun to threaten the nerves of everyone. It was likely not just the Divine Calculator and the others making covert moves; even the figure in the Southern Border was not standing idly by. As for the Northern Border... the current strength of the Ice Palace was indeed lacking, which is why they maintained a low profile. If they also had a Daoist God realm expert holding the line, their presence would not be absent from this event.

The two men had not met for years. After a long conversation, they parted ways. Before He Yiming could fully sort out the current relationships among the many Daoist God experts in the world, Chu Haozhou cheerfully knocked on his door.

Ps: Just got home from eating hotpot, running a few minutes late. Please, dear brothers and sisters, do not hold it against me. At least I managed to get it done before eight o'clock, sweat...

It's the last day; if you have any monthly passes, please don't hold onto them—cast your votes! Thank you!