"I can't stand to watch this any longer; why don't you step up and teach him a lesson." Ao Minhang and the other two couldn't help but curse Ma Yu's deep cunning in their hearts. Knowing that this man was here specifically for He Yiming, the three of them felt a flicker of secret delight.

Although He Yiming was only at the Void God Realm, the strength he possessed, coupled with the numerous Divine Path powerhouses surrounding him, made him a hornet's nest no one wished to stir. For this slow-witted Westerner to challenge him, regardless of the outcome, would be a great fortune.

Moreover, they were certain this incident would not end here. If they could drag the entire Western world into it, pitting the Western and Northwestern powerhouses against each other, thus preventing He Yiming and his group from intervening in Eastern affairs, it would be the best possible scenario for the Five Elements Sect.

However, Ma Yu's remark had now dragged them into the affair, placing upon them a responsibility they simply could not shirk. Although they disliked the Western powerhouse, even harboring some hostility, they were even more unwilling to step up for He Yiming.

Yet, similarly, if they were to simply stand by and watch in the Grotto-Heaven Paradise, it would be a massive blow to the prestige of the entire Five Elements Sect. At a time when they were striving by every means possible to restore the sect's former glory, such an event was absolutely intolerable.

Ao Minhang nodded almost imperceptibly. Ao Borui immediately laughed, "Esteemed Edwin, you have traveled thousands of miles from the distant West and must be quite weary.

A challenge at this moment is against propriety; let us speak of it another day." His words were a clever deflection; as long as this Divine Path expert from the West did not engage He Yiming within the Five Elements Sect, they would almost welcome a fight to the death between the two men. Edwin's expression turned grave as he slowly rose, a surging aura erupting from his body.

It was a fierce, combative energy, an aura that pierced straight toward He Yiming like the sharpest sword in the world. Ma Yu and the others revealed strange looks on their faces, yet rejoiced inwardly.

Although this Edwin possessed immense power, he clearly did not understand the relationships between these Divine Path powerhouses in the Eastern world. In fact, not only was Edwin completely ignorant of these matters, but upon entering the Eastern Continent, he was unaware that the world had already changed drastically since he left his homeland.

Believing himself to have advanced to the Divine Path, he naturally expected to roam the Eastern Continent unchecked, viewing any force blocking his path as mere ants. But when he arrived here and saw so many Divine Path experts, his eyes widened.

It was precisely this vast disparity between reality and imagination that threw his mind off balance, leading him to make a decision that was ill-considered. Ao Borui's face rapidly darkened.

He had been so clear in his subtle hints, yet Edwin still chose to act now. If he were truly allowed to engage He Yiming in combat, it would undoubtedly be a profound humiliation for the Five Elements Sect.

Without a second thought, he swept his sleeve, and an aura as tangible as matter surged forth, forcefully intercepting Edwin’s powerful surge of energy. The two powers collided violently in the void, creating fierce ripples.

Shockwaves splashed outward in all directions. This was merely a contest of auras, yet it generated such terrifying might.

The battles between Divine Path experts were indeed incomparable to those at the Human Dao realm. Ao Minhang let out a fierce snort, his voice striking the hearts of the crowd like a massive iron hammer.

Edwin, especially, paled. Yet, to everyone’s surprise, this Western Divine Path expert, who had arrived alone, did not take this opportunity to back down.

Instead, with a flick of his wrist, a greatsword shimmering with golden light materialized in his hand. At this moment, not only were the Divine Path experts of the Five Elements Sect, including Ao Minhang, visibly furious, but even Ma Yu and Bao Yanzhu wore expressions of utter astonishment.

In front of so many Eastern powerhouses, this man dared to draw a Divine Weapon... Was this person a madman or an imbecile?

However, what they did not know was that Edwin himself was inwardly bewildered, staring at the longsword in his hand with utter confusion, as even he could not fathom why he had been unable to restrain himself and drawn the divine artifact. He was unaware that when he received the consciousness inheritance from that person on the Isle of the Gods, he had gained more than just experience and memories; his very temperament had been profoundly influenced.

In that person's era, he had dominated the world, hailed as invincible. While the numerous Divine Path experts here placed immense psychological pressure on him, the temperament he had inherited was instantly triggered.

It was only when the sword appeared in his hand that he vaguely felt his reaction had been excessive. But things had progressed this far; whatever he intended to say now was too late.

Ao Borui, his face grim, stepped forward decisively. A peculiar long staff appeared in his hand, and he thrust it straight toward Edwin's chest.

Among the three Divine Path experts of the Five Elements Sect, only his intervening would barely qualify as not bullying the weak. Edwin seemed slightly stunned, but his reaction was swift.

He lightly parried with his treasured sword, causing a splash of afterimages in the space. The sword light coalesced before him into a glaze-like radiance, abruptly blocking Ao Borui’s staff.

Then, these countless rays condensed into a single point, striking the center of the staff. Time seemed to pause for the blink of an eye, and then the wooden staff in Ao Borui's hand exploded.

The scattered shockwaves became even more potent, whipping up a whirlwind throughout the entire valley. Ao Borui let out a sharp cry, his face extremely grave.

The sheer power displayed in the opponent’s first move was enough to shatter his divine weapon, and this imposing force surged continuously, counter-attacking. At this moment, he felt an overwhelming sense of peril; this seemingly casual sword strike contained a might he could scarcely comprehend.

The energy of heaven and earth around him suddenly churned. Divine Path experts engaging in combat on the continent always had many reservations; no one dared to unleash the might of heaven and earth indiscriminately.

This was because the slightest action by a Divine Path expert could cause immense destruction to the surroundings. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, they avoided fighting on the mainland, let alone within the internal territories of major sects.

However, the situation had spiraled completely out of control. To defend against that suddenly immensely powerful sword strike, Ao Borui disregarded the environment.

The immense energy of heaven and earth he instantly absorbed was staggering—something only a true Divine Path expert could achieve. The total amount of heaven and earth energy absorbed by He Yiming and the Divine Path puppet before they advanced to the Divine Path was less than a tenth of what Ao Borui currently commanded.

With a slight wave of his wrist, the massive might of heaven and earth was unleashed. In that instant, the entire valley echoed with a rumbling sound—the cosmic changes caused by the power condensed by the Divine Path just before its eruption.

Ao Minhang hesitated, his gaze flicking towards the towering divine tree that pierced the clouds. Seemingly receiving some confirmation or guidance, he did not intervene to stop the attack.

In fact, the Divine Path power capable of changing the color of heaven and earth in the outside world was subtly sealed within the valley by a certain force. Although this power was neither diminished nor dispersed, it could not leak outside the valley.

Furthermore, even inside the valley, this power caused no disturbance whatsoever to the Divine Tree. That colossal force, capable of effortlessly destroying peaks, acted merely like a gentle breeze, causing the Divine Tree no harm whatsoever.

The vast power was contained around Edwin. The Western Divine Path expert who had just exhibited such might, splitting Ao Borui's divine weapon, suddenly seemed dazed, allowing the terrifying power of heaven and earth to envelop him unimpeded.

Everyone was inwardly shocked; even Ao Borui, who had struck without mercy, felt a trace of regret. Could this person truly be mentally unstable?

If Edwin were to be killed instantly like this, the retaliation from the Western Divine Path experts in the future would fall upon the Five Elements Sect, not He Yiming. However, just as the massive might of heaven and earth was about to engulf him, he calmly extended his longsword.

Instantly, golden light erupted, divine majesty surging like the sea. A strange and powerful force spread from that longsword.

The surrounding space immediately began to undergo a peculiar fluctuation; this power was somehow rearranging the spatial composition around Edwin. An bone-chilling coldness rose in everyone's hearts.

Upon seeing this expanse of golden light, an irrepressible, intense fear surged through everyone. Among them, only the experts of the Pseudo-God Realm could withstand this power.

Yet, their expressions were filled with shock, for they knew that this was the power of a Domain, a power that only Pseudo-God Realm experts could release. The colossal might of heaven and earth, upon entering that sphere of golden light, began to fragment bit by bit.

This power, seemingly capable of destroying heaven and earth, failed to create even a ripple within the world enveloped by the golden glow. The power of the Domain was as imposing as a mountain, unshakeable; as vast as the sea, insurmountable.

Silently, the heaven and earth might released by Ao Borui completely dissipated. Edwin’s eyes flashed with sharp light.

He thrust his sword forward, immediately creating a spectacle of blazing radiance. That golden domain followed his sword, becoming dazzling and piercingly bright within the valley.

Ao Borui’s face turned pale. The moment the opponent manifested the Domain, he knew things were dire.

Given the disparity in their tiers of power, he stood no chance of victory. Seeing the golden light about to engulf him, he scraped his feet on the ground and retreated swiftly as if flying.

But at that very moment, He Yiming, with an expression of shock and bewilderment, inexplicably waved his hand. A mass of equally dazzling and piercing five-colored light suddenly erupted between Edwin and Ao Borui...

Ps: Four updates today, requesting minimum monthly votes, sigh... Striving for White Crane to make the top six.