The instantaneous stalemate between two completely disparate forces was broken immediately, the victor decided in that single moment.

The golden radiance intensified, while the violet ice domain unleashed by He Yiming began to melt away rapidly, much like snow beneath the scorching sun.

Under the purifying power of the Light Domain, the purple ice domain proved astonishingly fragile, crumbling at the slightest resistance.

He Yiming’s expression darkened slightly. His figure flashed again, retreating far faster than the golden light itself. Simultaneously, the Five Elements Ring on his hand began to slowly spin, as if agitated by a massive stimulus, causing all five elemental powers to unleash their maximum might.

Everyone watching gaped, their eyes nearly popping out; before the two domains collided, no one had imagined that He Yiming’s ice domain would be so utterly weak.

However, only He Yiming himself knew that his so-called ice domain was far from true domain power. It was merely the manipulation of the innate purple ice energy within him, amplified fivefold using the water element from the Five Elements Ring to manifest a domain-like effect.

It was essentially a spatial region imbued with potent freezing capabilities, lacking the unique divine effects inherent to a true domain. While a power of the same level entering this area would naturally be affected by the intense cold, the moment it encountered genuine domain power, its true nature was laid bare.

A mere superficial illusion of a domain could naturally not compare to the blazing domain he had once released, nor the Light Domain emanating from the opponent’s golden greatsword.

Yet, He Yiming had prepared for this; condensing the ice power was merely a diversion intended to buy himself precious time. His real trump card lay in a full-force strike from his two divine artifacts.

Now, under Edwin’s immense pressure, He Yiming held nothing back. He poured every ounce of his divine power into the Five Elements Ring. As the ring spun ceaselessly, the power of Heaven and Earth surged violently.

The intensity of this surge instantly reached its zenith, vastly exceeding the established limits of a Void God Realm expert, even dangerously approaching the true capabilities of a Pseudo-Divine Realm powerhouse.

A faint crackling sound erupted around him. The seawater below slowly depressed under the colossal pressure, the entire space suffused with an unimaginably immense weight. Within this pressure, however, a trace of scorching, brilliant crimson—the absolute antithesis of the ice power just displayed—began to manifest.

The mere absorption of Heaven and Earth power had already induced such a profound celestial anomaly; one could only imagine the sheer, terrifying might of the Worldly Authority He Yiming would unleash next.

Edwin’s demeanor grew exceptionally grim; the hint of a sneer that had previously graced his face had vanished without a trace. It was only now that he understood: while this young man had not mastered true domain power, he was by no means an ordinary Void God Realm expert one could dismiss lightly.

The golden light on the greatsword intensified, becoming profoundly rich. Within that golden area, Edwin appeared detached from the world, existing as a singular, isolated entity.

Any celestial anomaly that approached his golden domain was instantly nullified, vanishing into nothingness.

In the method they chose to channel Heaven and Earth power, the two men had selected opposite extremes.

Of course, Edwin was not neglecting the absorption of world power. The speed and quantity he drew in were hardly inferior to He Yiming’s; however, this was entirely due to the miraculous function of the golden greatsword in his hand, not his personal capacity to gather the energy. Thus, his visible display appeared far less earth-shattering than He Yiming’s cataclysmic mobilization.

Witnessing the unique divine abilities each now commanded, the observers shared a collective feeling: the next true clash between them would undoubtedly be the decider.

Subtly, the crowd instinctively retreated backward. In their hearts, the power these two wielded far surpassed that of typical Void God Realm experts; they surely possessed the strength to contend even with true Pseudo-Divine Realm powerhouses.

The surrounding atmosphere grew steadily heavier. White Horse Lightning and the Treasure Pig bristled with readiness, yet they did not recklessly advance to assist, for He Yiming had long instructed them never to interfere unless facing a life-or-death crisis.

Though this battle between divine path masters had reached a critical juncture, to call it a moment of life or death would be self-deception.

Suddenly, a thunderous, massive roar echoed across the distant sea surface.

The sound was profoundly strange, seeming not to originate from a throat but resembling the whistle of a projectile slicing through space at incredible velocity. Yet, in everyone’s memory, they could not recall any arrow possessing such formidable acoustic power.

The golden light abruptly surged higher. He Yiming’s heart tightened; the already peaked momentum within him solidified and grew heavier, the five-times-amplified power coiled and ready to strike.

Even a domain had its limits. What He Yiming was now employing was the combined force of his two divine artifacts, the Nine Dragon Furnace and the Five Elements Ring. The resulting might far surpassed the ceiling of the Void God Realm. Even a true Pseudo-Divine Realm expert might struggle to gather such colossal power, especially considering the opponent’s domain was merely an evolution derived from a divine artifact.

The two titans met, evenly matched, locked in a narrow pass, the moment poised for explosion…

However, the power that was fully prepared and seconds from release suddenly halted at that instant.

Because in He Yiming’s eyes, the mass of golden light did not charge forward; instead, it instantly retreated.

Edwin, who held the apparent upper hand by possessing the domain power, chose to actively withdraw.

This left He Yiming deeply perplexed, while simultaneously increasing his wariness and apprehension. His immediate assumption was that the opponent was nurturing an even more powerful hidden move, deliberately luring him into attacking first.

Once this thought solidified, He Yiming’s posture became rooted like a mountain. His eyes locked onto the golden radiance, while his consciousness spread out, meticulously probing every inch of the surrounding space—truly focusing his entire being to the extreme.

Mou Zilong and the others secretly nodded, greatly admiring He Yiming’s measured composure.

Under such circumstances, a cautious and steady approach was paramount; not the slightest recklessness could be afforded.

Yet, to everyone’s astonishment, after retreating a considerable distance, the massive golden light suddenly diminished significantly. Edwin called out from within the gold: "Lord He Yiming, you are undoubtedly the foremost young powerhouse of the Eastern World, and I rank first among the young experts of the West. A battle between us should not fade into obscurity like this."

The lightning and thunder surrounding He Yiming immediately calmed. His expression shifted to one of profound oddity.

What was this Edwin doing, becoming so needlessly theatrical at such a crucial moment?

"What exactly do you want?" A cold voice suddenly rang out as Ao Minxing spoke with a deeply shadowed expression.

Seeing the expressions of the three from the Five Elements Sect, the onlookers inwardly suppressed smiles. While their departure held an element of worry for He Yiming, it was also intended to disrupt the Grand Banquet.

At this point, whatever purpose the Five Elements Sect had for hosting the Immortal Fruit Banquet was clearly rendered impossible. Ao Minxing naturally harbored deep hatred for Edwin, the chief instigator.

Edwin inclined his head toward him and stated proudly, "The Western and Eastern Worlds have maintained an excellent tradition for nearly ten thousand years: every generation of newly ascended Venerables gathers in the Southern Sea to determine supremacy. Lord He Yiming, I concede that you possess the qualifications to fight me, but I desire this confrontation to occur before the assembled powerhouses of the world."

He Yiming’s eyebrows arched slightly. The killing intent surrounding him gradually subsided, and the vast Heaven and Earth power simultaneously began to recede.

"Edwin, the battle in the Southern Border three years ago—was it not your Western Temple that violated the pact and disrupted the order?" he remarked with a dry chuckle.

Edwin’s face flushed slightly, a rare occurrence. He bowed halfway, saying, "We were indeed in the wrong that time. Therefore, this time, you may decide the time and location of the battle. Furthermore, apart from ourselves, we can allow this grand assembly to proceed."

He Yiming’s heart stirred. Jin Zhanyi had expended immense effort preparing for the contest to seize the title of the foremost Venerable of the world against the Western powers. But unexpectedly, in the Southern Border, the entire competition had been thrown into chaos by Franklin before a single exchange even took place.

If this contest were to resume, it would be excellent news for the Lingxiao Treasure Palace. At least among the younger generation, they could establish superiority over the Five Elements Sect.

More importantly, He Yiming himself currently lacked absolute certainty of victory against Edwin’s domain power, so he certainly would not object to buying some time.

The surrounding Heaven and Earth power gradually returned to tranquility. Anyone witnessing this understood He Yiming’s decision.

"Edwin, three years ago, we met at the Star Island in the Southern Border. Regrettably, the martial contest between the Eastern and Western Venerables could not take place then," He Yiming's voice carried far. "Let us reconvene at the Star Island in the Southern Border one year from now, and there, we shall decide who the true strong one is."

A flash of light appeared in Edwin’s hand, and the golden greatsword vanished. The moment he sheathed his sword, the surrounding domain space dissipated.

"Lord He Yiming, one year hence, the Venerables and witnesses of our Western World will await you on Star Island, and we shall return victorious," he stated, bowing halfway in the air, before turning and flying rapidly toward the distant horizon.

This time, no one followed in pursuit.

Even the trio of Ao Minxing, who harbored intense resentment for Edwin, had never considered using this opportunity to detain him.

While the Western World was now vastly inferior to the Eastern World in overall strength, the Western Temple possessed Leopold, a genuine Pseudo-Divine Realm powerhouse. Even Ao Minxing was reluctant to create such a troublesome, intractable enemy.

Of course, if the onlookers knew that this man had not returned to the West at all, but had arrived directly from the outer seas—that the high-ranking figures of the Western World were not only unaware of his current whereabouts but perhaps did not even know of his very existence—the situation might have unfolded quite differently.

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