In the Oriental Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands, the terrain was naturally blessed with inherent splendor and beauty.

Within the mountain ranges, an ancient tree, ten thousand years old, stood evergreen and vibrant.

Under the divine tree’s protection, the environment here was exquisite, filled with birdsong and fragrant blossoms, resembling an earthly paradise.

However, at this precise moment, everything changed.

When Edwin unleashed his sword strike, forcefully dissolving the celestial might summoned by Ao Borui, the domain's power immediately surged outward, causing the entire space to writhe with an almost audible groan.

Ao Minxing and Wei Jinshun still held back, confident that as long as they remained within the Valley of Ten Thousand Trees, the sheer potency of the Divine Tree guaranteed that no unforeseen accident could occur.

Yet, they failed to anticipate that an accident would indeed happen.

He Yiming chose this very moment to strike proactively.

As if by chance, a stream of five-colored light flared to life between Ao Borui and Edwin.

The instant this radiance began to bloom, the intertwined auras of the two combatants were instantly severed; this beautiful cluster of light succeeded in completely separating the pair in a single beat.

Although neither was truly willing to fight to the death, the sheer magnitude of the power displayed by He Yiming’s Five Elements Ring compelled them to view him with newfound respect.

“The Flower of the Great Samsara of Five Elements?” Edwin retreated several paces, holding his sword defensively across his chest. All arrogance from his previous pushback against his foe had vanished, replaced by a grave expression fixed upon He Yiming.

“Hmph…” A chilling voice emanated from Ao Minxing.

The sudden, forceful arrival of He Yiming and the others, the inexplicable intervention of the Western powerhouses, and now He Yiming’s unexpected move—

Everything that had transpired that day had drastically slipped beyond the old man’s control. Despite his profound composure, a tempestuous fury began to rage within his heart.

Suddenly, with a mere flick of his hand, an identical five-colored light ignited in the void.

This was power—a pure, overwhelming force.

Edwin’s eyes narrowed; he instantly sensed extreme danger and instinctively brought his longsword up to guard his chest.

Just as he completed the motion, the five-colored light in the space shot toward him with blurring speed. Ao Minxing had not deployed the divine artifact, the Five Elements Ring; he had merely used the colossal divine energy within his own body to condense and release the Flower of the Great Samsara of Five Elements.

On this point alone, the sheer scale of his power already surpassed He Yiming’s previous display.

With a thunderous crash, specks of golden light flickered around Edwin. Despite the immense strength of his domain, astonishingly, his golden domain power could not completely nullify Ao Minxing’s Flower of the Great Samsara of Five Elements. Under this clash of titans, he was forcibly thrown back several yards.

He Yiming’s expression shifted slightly. Ao Minxing’s opening move immediately revealed the true might of a Pseudo-God Realm expert. Compared to that, Wei Jinshun’s previous performance now seemed utterly negligible.

This, then, was the true foremost master of the Human Divine Path.

It was no wonder that even the combined strength of Ma Yu, the Twin-Winged White Tiger, and Yuan Juan dared not easily provoke him; this lay at the root of the matter.

Ao Minxing retracted his wrist, and the five-colored light in the void vanished without a trace. Yet, there was no hint of triumph on his face.

Given his stature, engaging a newly ascended Divine Path expert in such a manner offered nothing worth boasting about.

With a cold snort, Ao Minxing stated dismissively, “Relying on the might of a divine artifact, you narrowly won a single exchange; it hardly signifies anything extraordinary.”

The onlookers stiffened, their gaze falling upon the golden greatsword in Edwin’s hand, filled with secret astonishment. No wonder Ao Borui had crumbled upon contact—the opponent held a super divine artifact of such devastating power.

Edwin swung his golden greatsword, and a sheen of golden light re-coalesced, enveloping him. The space around him seemed imbued with some strange, inherent power, slowly extending exploratory feelers outward.

Ao Minxing chuckled darkly, “Edwin, your divine artifact merges with you so perfectly that you can even stimulate the artifact domain. Truly impressive. But alas, the artifact domain is ultimately inferior to a true Divine Path domain. If you still refuse to see reason, you seek only your own demise. Should I strike again, I promise no mercy will be shown.”

Edwin hesitated, but the memory of the old man’s overwhelming blow just moments ago filled him with unease. Where on earth had these Easterners crawled out from, that he had never heard of them before?

However, his gaze shifted, settling once more on He Yiming, and he raised his sword light, proclaiming, “Respected Sir, I have come to the Eastern World solely to find Lord He Yiming and demand justice from him. Beyond that, I harbor no intent to make an enemy of the entire Eastern World. Therefore, I ask that those uninvolved refrain from interfering.”

There was a degree of insincerity in his words. When he first set foot on the Eastern Continent, he had been brimming with arrogance, ready to unleash his sword and paint the rivers with blood in a general slaughter. Otherwise, he wouldn't have immediately rushed heedlessly toward the location of the Five Elements Sect upon hearing of it.

But now, standing before so many Divine Path experts, he certainly could not confess his initial intentions and invite death; he could only narrow his focus onto He Yiming.

“Hmph, this is the vital ground of the Five Elements Sect, not your Western Temple,” Ao Minxing said smoothly. “You strike about wantonly here, treating us as nothing. But out of respect for the hundreds of years I spent with Leopold, I shall let this pass this once. I order you to depart immediately.”

Though dissatisfied with Edwin’s conduct, he was even less willing to shoulder the blame for He Yiming, so his intention was merely to expel the intruder.

The golden light on Edwin’s greatsword slowly receded. He watched He Yiming quietly and said, “Lord He Yiming, the Five Elements Great Samsara Flower you just displayed is indeed worthy of being called the supreme technique of the Eastern World. If you are willing, I humbly request the honor of challenging you.”

He was clever; he conspicuously omitted any mention of the identical technique performed by Ao Minxing. Having witnessed the elder’s terrifying strength, he absolutely dared not instigate another large-scale conflict.

He Yiming smiled faintly, “Since Lord Edwin insists, this junior can only oblige.”

In the eyes of Mou Zilong and those close to He Yiming, confusion brewed. Based on their understanding of He Yiming, his actions today were utterly inexplicable.

The White Lightning Steed suddenly neighed sharply. It advanced with graceful steps, its beautiful large eyes filled with murderous intent. Around its body, faint, pale-purple electrical tendrils flickered, initially darting about like tiny purple snakes before gradually coalescing into a massive purple lightning python, invoking a deep sense of terror from the core of one’s being.

Sensing the potent lightning energy erupting from the White Lightning Steed, Edwin’s expression subtly changed. His longsword glowed anew, the golden domain power poised for release. Facing one of the world’s most formidable forces, he dared not show the slightest slackening.

Mou Zilong burst into loud laughter, “Lord Edwin, this is my Brother He’s companion divine beast. If you challenge him, be prepared to face his Man-Beast Union technique.”

Ma Yu and the other Eastern experts all revealed knowing smiles.

While He Yiming did possess the record of defeating the Pseudo-God Realm expert Wei Jinshun in the Land of Death, that Wei Jinshun had only just entered the Pseudo-God Realm and had yet to fully solidify his own domain. Defeat under those circumstances did not prove that He Yiming truly possessed the strength to challenge opponents across major tiers.

Although Edwin currently presented as a Void God Realm expert, he had unequivocally manifested the power of a domain.

Faced with such a demonstrable gap in capability based on rank, even the most optimistic observer did not favor He Yiming’s prospects. Thus, they wholeheartedly welcomed the White Lightning Steed stepping forward to interfere.

Edwin snorted coldly, “Are your Eastern Divine Path experts planning to gang up on me?”

Mou Zilong shook his head repeatedly. He said earnestly, “Lord Edwin, you hail from the Temple; surely you remember this history.” He smiled broadly, “When our Eastern world’s foremost expert, the Ancestor of Five Elements, went west to challenge your people, who did your Temple send to meet him in battle? Was it not the Dragon Knight?”

Edwin’s movement momentarily froze, and even his imposing aura seemed to diminish slightly.

Mou Zilong’s smile grew even brighter, “May I ask, who won that confrontation back then?”

A flash of heated anger crossed Edwin’s eyes. He took a deep breath, suddenly swung his longsword, and declared loudly, “Very well! Let me experience Lord He Yiming’s Man-Beast Union.”

He Yiming smiled faintly, slowly stepping forward. He gently patted the White Lightning Steed’s neck, and it obediently retreated a few steps to stand behind him.

“Lord Edwin, this is, after all, the vital ground of the Five Elements Sect; this is not a suitable location for a duel,” He Yiming said unhurriedly. “Please, follow me.”

He nodded toward the three experts of the Five Elements Sect, then abruptly soared into the air, flying toward the distance. Treasure Pig immediately leaped onto the White Steed’s back, and the two divine beasts followed closely.

Edwin gave a cold snort. Having issued the challenge, he certainly harbored no fear. A flash of golden light erupted, and he gave chase.

Immediately after, almost all the arriving Divine Path experts exchanged glances. They simultaneously took to the air and flew away into the distance. Yet, faintly, a hint of a smile touched the eyes of every single one of them.

In mere moments, the entire valley was left with only the three Divine Path experts of the Five Elements Sect.

The three of them stared out at the empty valley, their faces deeply somber.

This gathering had been meticulously planned for a long time. Despite the unexpected emergence of He Yiming and his group, they had remained overwhelmingly confident in their ability to control the situation.

After all, the undeniable fact remained that the Five Elements Sect possessed two Pseudo-God Realm masters.

But the sudden arrival of the Western powerhouse, Avinbin, had completely derailed their careful scheme. Over a year of painstaking planning had gone up in smoke.

Ao Minxing roared in frustration, “We should go too…”

With flashes of movement, all the Divine Path masters vanished from the valley, leaving only the mortal disciples standing wide-eyed, looking around in bewilderment.