Both displayed expressions of surprise, exchanging glances. Sun Taozhen's face clearly betrayed his shock. That brute of a man appeared to be a Mid-tier Strongman, possessing strength a full measure above Zhu Heyuan.

Though cultivators of the Central Plains and the Earth Clan Strongmen of the East Sea belonged to utterly distinct systems, there were parallels. Low-tier Strongmen were roughly equivalent to Qi Refining stage cultivators who had activated a Low-tier Divine Power Talisman.

Mid-tier Strongmen were akin to Foundation Establishment stage cultivators under the effect of a Mid-tier Divine Power Talisman. Should a High-tier Strongman appear, their power would be somewhat terrifying. Yet, there were also many differences.

Cultivators excelled most at manipulating immortal arts and magical artifacts for ranged offense and defense. Although cultivators possessed extremely swift movement techniques, often augmented by protective grasses, they were extremely reluctant to engage in close-quarters combat.

The Earth Clan Strongmen were the precise opposite; possessing no spells and unable to manipulate artifacts, they relied solely on innate divine strength to fight fiercely, making them exceedingly suited for brutal, close-range engagements. Moreover, this divine power seemed inexhaustible, as if tireless. Ye Qin observed this scene before the stone hall, feeling surprised.

Since arriving at the East Sea, Ye Qin had heard considerable information regarding the Earth Clan on islands like Glazed Island. From what he heard, the Earth Clan tribes in the East Sea were relatively weak, far inferior in scale and might to the powers of the cultivation world. The chance of a Strongman possessing the "Divine Power" talent among the Earth Clan was as pitifully low as the chance of a cultivator in the Central Plains possessing a spiritual root. Furthermore, the Earth Clan population was smaller, and their level of enlightenment far behind the Central Plains.

He already knew that in this small Earth Clan tribe on Chisong Island, the maiden Bai Xiuer was a Mid-tier Strongman, and the brute before him was also a Mid-tier Strongman. For a small Earth Clan tribe with a population barely exceeding a thousand to already possess two Mid-tier Strongmen—this strength was frankly excessive. After all, among the thousands of mortal residents of Great Desolation Island from the Central Plains, only a dozen or so Qi Refining stage cultivators had ever appeared. Ye Qin’s gaze settled on the stone hall situated at the highest point of the valley.

This stone hall, constructed from massive white rocks tens of feet long, was starkly simple, yet it stood out sharply within the valley. Though the stone doors were wide open, the interior was utterly silent, imbued with an ineffable, mysterious aura. "Brother Sun, do you know the origins of this small Earth Clan tribe on Chisong?" Ye Qin inquired calmly.

"I am unclear. I only know this tribe migrated here a few years ago. I even took the trouble to investigate once; their tribal elders reside within this stone hall, and their strength surpasses even the Great Chief's. As for where they came from, I truly do not know," Sun Taozhen shook his head.

"Acting against such an Earth Clan tribe whose origins are unknown—aren't you worried about inviting trouble? Perhaps they have even more powerful backing…" Ye Qin rolled his eyes, speaking dismissively. "I will be leaving this place soon enough, so it matters little to me. But if you remain on Great Desolation Island, escaping trouble will be difficult."

Sun Taozhen cautiously considered this possibility, sinking into thought. After a long pause, he sighed, "My lifespan is drawing short; I care not about inviting trouble. I only hope to obtain the Malevolent Spirit Pills from this tribe on this trip; the rest must be left to fate."

While the two were speaking, the Earth Clan Great Chief and the Zhu brothers, He Yuan and Jiang, had already clashed. The Jiang brothers intervened in time, intercepting the Earth Clan Great Chief who was viciously attacking Zhu Heyuan.

Jiang Yichun and Jiang Yiqiu displayed a joint attack technique. Each brother manipulated a Low-tier Metal-element flying sword and an Earth-element flying sword, respectively. The two swords moved like spirit snakes, one attacking and one defending, their movements precise and methodical.

Logically, their combined strength was considerable; if they fought smoothly, defeating the Earth Clan Great Chief was achievable. But fate is unpredictable.

The Earth Clan Great Chief charged down like a berserk beast, his speed as swift as lightning. The heavy saber in his hand danced like a surging tempest, brutally hacking toward them. In the span of a breath, he closed the distance with the Jiang brothers, pressing almost against them. One dark slash cut through, shattering the synergy of their combined attack, their flying swords having no time to defend.

The Jiang brothers were instantly awestruck by the Great Chief’s reckless, ferocious fighting style. They were unwilling to trade their lives for this Earth Clan Strongman’s. They refused to fight to the death, while the Great Chief clearly did not value his life at all. The Jiang brothers were naturally at a severe disadvantage, chased about haphazardly around the stone hall, completely unable to coordinate.

Of course, if the Jiang brothers had ascended into the sky on their swords, the Earth Clan Great Chief would have been helpless against them. But they were unwilling to abandon their flying swords and flee.

Three early Foundation Establishment cultivators fighting a single Mid-tier Earth Clan Strongman—if they were forced to flee to the sky by a Strongman who only knew brute force, they would lose too much face. Ye Qin and Sun Taozhen observed the battle from mid-air; the two brothers could not afford such humiliation. "Blazing Fire True Art—Mountain of Blades, Sea of Fire! Does a mere Earth Clan Chief dare act so presumptuously before Zhu Heyuan? See how I burn you to death!"

With the support of the Jiang brothers, Zhu Heyuan finally weathered the assault, a vicious look crossing his face. He rapidly formed complex hand seals, consuming nearly half the magic power in his body to unleash the fire-element spell he had recently mastered, launching it toward the three locked in battle.

In an instant, the spiritual fire energy in the area surged. A rolling tide of fire, covering an area dozens of yards wide, swept toward the three combatants like rolling blades. Where the fiery waves passed, even the ground rock was scorched to ash.

Protected by their protective shields, the Jiang brothers naturally feared this sea of fire little; at most, it would consume some of their magic power. This wide-area fire wave should pose a greater threat to the unprotected Earth Clan Great Chief. Yet, what happened next moved Ye Qin, Sun Taozhen, and the other cultivators once more.

That imposing brute was clearly battle-hardened and understood the severity of the flames; being scorched would not be pleasant.

He let out another roar that startled the valley. Following this, his muscles violently trembled, his bones cracking audibly as they snapped. Chunk after chunk of muscle swelled, veins of blue and red burst forth, and his skin took on a faint bronze luster. Suddenly, the dark blade light he wielded enveloped his entire body. Then, planting his feet, he shot toward Zhu Heyuan with lightning speed, moving as fast as a streak of phantom light.

The blade wave slashed through layers of fire like a fierce storm, cutting directly through the continuous sea of flames. The strike, incredibly fast, aimed down madly at Zhu Heyuan.

Zhu Heyuan, having just unleashed the fire wave, had not yet stabilized his internal energy. He was smugly imagining the brute reduced to charcoal. He never expected the brute to arrive so quickly. He dared not meet the blow head-on, instinctively flashed away, crying out for aid, dodging the brute's furious blade—"Crack!"

A dazzling flash of light sliced through. The hard rock ground was marked by a chasm ten yards long and two to three feet deep, the sides of the fissure incredibly smooth. This was merely the graze of the blade edge; a direct hit would likely have split even a hundred-yard boulder in two. The brute's divine power had erupted, perhaps even surpassing its previous peak.

Seeing the danger, Zhu Heyuan fled quickly, narrowly avoiding the frontal assault. However, he was still grazed by the blade edge. The red light of his Fire-element Protective Shield dimmed rapidly, fine cracks appearing with a 'snap.' He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, cold sweat prickling his spine. The Jiang brothers also showed shock. But for them to admit defeat now was impossible. The three hurriedly controlled their respective Gold, Red, and Yellow flying swords, haphazardly slashing toward the brute.

The Earth Clan Great Chief's burst of power seemed finite; the bronze sheen on his body had dimmed somewhat. However, his life-risking nature had not changed in the slightest.

He neither dodged nor retreated. With several swift chops, he batted away the sharpest gold light and the fiercely burning red flying sword. Then, incredibly bold, he stretched out his left palm to snatch at the thickest, heaviest yellow flying sword.

That somewhat less sharp Earth-element flying sword was grasped in his hand. The sword's yellow light flickered violently, shaking fiercely, yet it could not break free from the iron grip. The sword's light quickly dimmed, shrinking to a small yellow sword only about an inch long.

Seeing that he had seized an artifact, the Earth Clan brute laughed triumphantly. Although he could not use magical artifacts, capturing a cultivator's weapon was a significant feat. Jiang Yichun, Jiang Yiqiu, and Zhu Heyuan were all stunned speechless.

That Low-tier Earth-element flying sword, though less piercing than other types of swords, was still a magical artifact. It failed to sever the Earth Clan brute’s wrist; it only managed to draw some blood. The toughness of the Earth Clan Great Chief's physical body was actually comparable to a Low-tier magical artifact.

The brute taking possession of Jiang Yichun’s Earth-element flying sword left the observing cultivators nearly speechless. In the blink of an eye, the Jiang brothers and Zhu Heyuan were once again chased all over the valley by the brute.

Ye Qin feigned surprise, marveling internally at the terrifying divine power and physical resilience of the Earth Clan. After considering for a moment, however, he shook his head subtly.

Although the Earth Clan Great Chief possessed astounding divine power, relying solely on brute force and a heavy black iron saber, he could keep the Jiang brothers and the others entangled for so long, and even seize a Low-tier artifact. Nevertheless, this was the extent of his strength.

If the Jiang brothers and Zhu Heyuan had been bolder, less hesitant, or if they had faced a slightly stronger Mid-tier Foundation Establishment cultivator, a single sword strike could have claimed his life. There would have been no need for such a protracted struggle.

His cautious gaze remained fixed on the monotonous stone hall at the highest point of the valley.

Within that stone hall pulsed an aura that seemed ready to burst forth.

He was certain that even stronger Earth Clan Strongmen remained inside the stone hall.