A group of Earth Clan strongmen, armed with spirit blades and swords, burst from the bluestone houses lining the alley. Even the two cultivators, slow-witted as they were, realized they had been trapped, lured into this narrow passage for an ambush by the young lady of the Earth Clan.

The burly man’s initially excited and greedy expression vanished, replaced by shock and fury. For a dignified Foundation Establishment cultivator to be ambushed by a mere band of impoverished Earth Clan members—what audacity! He slapped his waist pouch, and a pale green flying sword magical artifact shot out.

But at such close range, there was simply no time to deploy a magical artifact properly.

The burly man stamped his foot, recoiling sharply to buy himself time.

Yet, the young lady of the Earth Clan sprang up, covering the distance to the burly man in a single bound. With a fierce swing of her Bird Iron Spirit Fork, she carved an arc, striking the man squarely in the chest with a thud.

The burly man instantly felt a tearing, agonizing pain across his sternum. He looked down in horror to see his protective shield pierced, the sharp spirit fork embedded deep in his chest, followed by the sickening sound of bone and flesh grinding within his body.

"Damn it all!"

A gaping hole was blown into the burly man’s chest, blood erupting in a spray. Severely wounded, he instead became ferocious. He pointed a finger, sending the low-grade flying sword he had just launched hurtling directly toward the young Earth Clan lady.

The young lady showed no fear. She arched backward to dodge the flying sword, then immediately slammed both palms onto the ground. With a twist of her slender waist, her pair of snow-white jade legs transformed into two white wind-blades, sweeping horizontally forward.

The burly man never anticipated such an unconventional attack from the young Earth Clan lady. He failed to evade the sweep of her legs, and with a snap, snap, he convulsed as if struck by lightning, bending unnaturally before being flung several yards away. He crashed to the ground, his waist bones and flesh completely shattered, blood pooling beneath him; he would never rise again.

The young Earth Clan lady did not cease her assault. Even without a physical body, a cultivator still possessed other means of expression. Allowing no future trouble, she soared forward with a flying kick, stomping down hard onto the burly man's head, crushing it into a splash of crimson brain matter.

"Mid-stage Strongman!"

The short, dark-faced cultivator following behind sucked in a sharp breath, his face etched with terror. Only a Mid-stage Strongman of the Earth Clan could deliver such a terrifying blow of raw power. Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator, without protection, could not withstand a full-force strike from a Mid-stage Strongman with sheer physical might alone. As a mere first-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator, how could he possibly contend with a Mid-stage Strongman, especially trapped within the narrow confines of the alley?

His complexion turned ashen. The fact that this Earth Clan woman dared to ambush two Foundation Establishment cultivators here clearly meant she was no ordinary foe; she intended to devour them whole and leave no survivors.

In his shock and horror, he spun around, desperate to flee, but a large crowd of Earth Clan members was already surging toward him.

In his terror, the short cultivator desperately commanded his magical artifacts, hacking wildly at the Earth Clan strongmen, trying to carve a bloody path out of the cramped alley.

However, there were simply too many Earth Clan strongmen here. Nearly twenty of them, clad in tattered, coarse cloth shirts, swarmed forward, completely sealing off his surroundings. They flung themselves at him recklessly, battering his protective shield with their crude weapons. Several utterly fearless Earth Clan strongmen even discarded their spirit blades, leaping forward to embrace his legs and feet with brute force, hindering his control over the flying sword; their raw strength made it nearly impossible to break free.

Bai Xiuer, having finished with the burly man, turned to see the short cultivator locked in desperate combat with the Earth Clan strongmen. A sharp glint flashed in her eyes. She gave a fierce shake of her Bird Iron Spirit Fork, and a streak of dark light flashed.

Thwack!

The short cultivator, trapped in the center of the encirclement, was pierced clean through, sending large plumes of scarlet mist spraying out. His protective shield shattered, and he staggered momentarily. The Earth Clan strongmen roared with delight, and within moments, they hacked the Foundation Establishment cultivator into a mess of bloody pulp with their blades and swords.

Pitiable were those two Foundation Establishment cultivators; before they could escape the alley, they were confusedly slain by the relentless flurry of blades and spears wielded by a pack of Earth Clan members.

After the bloody skirmish, two low-tier Earth Clan strongmen lay dead, and several others were gravely wounded. In this chaotic alley, the lives of the Earth Clan members held no value, and no one mourned the fallen.

The two cultivators, however, carried numerous storage pouches and valuable items. The Earth Clan strongmen eyed the spoils hungrily but dared not touch them.

Bai Xiuer stepped forward, efficiently retrieving all the valuable goods and storage pouches from the bodies of the two Foundation Establishment cultivators.

She tore open the storage pouches, spilling out spirit stones, a few low-grade magical artifacts, and various materials, looking quite satisfied.

"Here, divide it up. Brothers who were injured, take a little extra."

She claimed half of the spirit stones for herself, distributing the remaining spoils among the Earth Clan strongmen.

"Thank you, Sister Xiu!"

The group of low-tier Earth Clan strongmen rejoiced, snatching up the loot and dividing every last bit.

Ye Qin, concealed from view, stood watching the scene from a distance.

He had initially worried about whether Bai Xiuer could manage to survive in Xianque City, but seeing this display, he could only offer a wry smile. Bai Xiuer seemed to have established herself as the leader of this small faction of low-tier Earth Clan strongmen in the chaotic alleys, engaging in the business of robbery and murder.

He realized his worries had been entirely excessive.

Even without his presence, Bai Xiuer would surely thrive in Xianque City.

Furthermore, judging by the swiftness with which she eliminated those two early Foundation Establishment cultivators, her divine power seemed to be growing rapidly; even a third-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator could not withstand the crushing impact of her legs. While the element of surprise played a role, it was testament enough to the terror of her divine strength.

It seemed Xiuer’s power had risen considerably over these short two years.

He decided to let her remain in Xianque City; there was no need to disturb her.

With this thought, Ye Qin shook his head and prepared to depart.

Just then, he noticed Bai Xiuer, clutching her bag of spirit stones, humming an unrecognizable little tune as she confidently left the chaotic alley, seemingly heading somewhere.

Ye Qin felt a flicker of curiosity: what was Bai Xiuer planning to do with the stolen spirit stones?

He followed her discreetly from afar.

Bai Xiuer navigated the labyrinthine alleys, finally emerging into a different, bustling district of Xianque City. This area was vibrant, filled with cultivators and Earth Clan people. Patrol teams of cultivators occasionally passed by; this was clearly not the squalor of the chaotic alleys.

Bai Xiuer stopped before a large pavilion specializing in selling spirit pills.

"Ten low-grade Blood Spirit Pills!"

She slapped the cloth bag containing the spirit stones onto the counter with a crisp sound.

"Miss, buying Blood Spirit Pills again? You bought several just a few days ago. Ten more now? Your master must really dote on you," said a sales attendant from the spirit pill shop, glancing at Bai Xiuer’s beautiful figure with a suggestive chuckle.

"What? Do you have an issue with me buying spirit pills? Should I inform your master?"

Bai Xiuer fixed the attendant with a sharp glare.

"No, no issue! Miss Xiu, please pretend I said nothing."

The attendant hastily waved his hands, retrieving ten low-grade spirit pills from the cabinet for Bai Xiuer. An Earth Clan girl as beautiful as Bai Xiuer, clearly wealthy, must be a maid to some cultivator with deep connections within a Celestial Palace in the city. A mere shop attendant would never dare offend her.

Blood Spirit Pills consumed by Earth Clan strongmen were actually quite rare in Xianque City. Few alchemists bothered to refine them.

However, as the premier great city of the East Sea, many cultivators from the major immortal cultivation families residing there were willing to spend generously on their Earth Clan attendants. Thus, some alchemists saw opportunity and dedicated themselves to cultivating Blood Spirit Fruits to refine and sell the pills. Since Blood Spirit Fruits grew extremely slowly, most of what was available were low-grade Blood Spirit Pills. Naturally, this was a niche market, with only the larger spirit pill shops stocking them.

"Hmph, you wouldn't dare!"

Bai Xiuer took the Blood Spirit Pills and carefully tucked them away. She left the pill shop and walked along the busy thoroughfare. She sensed something faintly behind her, suddenly looking back, but saw nothing.

Puzzled, she doubted someone was tailing her. She darted through several blocks rapidly but failed to spot any follower.

Confused, Bai Xiuer slipped into a small alley and vanished from sight.

About half an hour later, she returned to the chaotic alleys and entered a small courtyard.

The surrounding alleys housed ragged Earth Clan members, and the small courtyard held numerous low-tier Earth Clan strongmen. The youngest members were barely a dozen years old, while the eldest were fifty or sixty. Upon seeing Bai Xiuer, everyone parted respectfully, clearly holding her in high regard.

Bai Xiuer proceeded into the inner quarters of the courtyard, happily swallowing a Blood Spirit Pill, then settling into a formal, cross-legged meditation posture.

"Sister Xiu, you are truly amazing. You took down two Foundation Establishment Immortals! In our area, Sister Xiu has the strongest divine power."

"News of us taking down those two Foundation Establishment cultivators has spread. The small gangs of Earth Clan strongmen from the Seventh Street are preparing to pledge allegiance to us. If they join, our Bai Clan collective will have nearly a hundred low-tier strongmen."

Several young Earth Clan boys, perhaps ten years old, rushed into the inner quarters, chattering excitedly, their faces alight with admiration.

"Naturally. I am the young matriarch of the Bai Clan lineage." Bai Xiuer maintained her meditation posture, a proud look on her face as she addressed the boys. "Shangua, stop lazing around and sleeping all day; follow me and cultivate!"

"We Earth Clan strongmen can't cultivate immortal arts like the Immortals. Doesn't sleeping increase divine power just as well? Why bother with such hard meditation?"

Shangua and the other young Earth Clan members immediately looked crestfallen.

"The reason we Earth Clan strongmen are so weak is precisely because we don't cultivate. If we all cultivated like the Immortals, why would we be inferior to them?" Bai Xiuer’s tender face held an unusual light, but her words faltered, and a fleeting image of a man in white flashed through her mind.

She had always believed her natural divine talent was exceptional, unsurpassed within the Bai Clan, and that one day she would become the tribe's strongest strongman.

But meeting that man in white had shown her just how weak she truly was.

She remembered flying over the vast sea on the Bird Cloud Barrier for nearly a year; she had been nearly driven mad by boredom, yet he remained completely unmoved, sitting in meditation and cultivating day after day.

With his strength, even if surrounded by a school of Winged Fish Demons, he could break out, far surpassing Earth Clan strongmen like her. Yet, he showed no inclination to stop cultivating.

It was that year crossing the sea, watching his monotonous, daily cultivation, that she suddenly understood.

Her talent meant nothing.

He would never stop. If she couldn't rapidly enhance her strength using Blood Spirit Pills, she would never catch up to his pace. Compared to him, she would only fall further and further behind, to a point where she could never hope to see him again.

The thought brought a strange wave of panic to Bai Xiuer's heart.

Ye Qin remained hidden outside the courtyard, standing silently for a long time.

Seeing Bai Xiuer consuming pills and meditating to cultivate filled him with an inexpressible surprise and shock.

Bai Xiuer risked immense danger to rob Foundation Establishment cultivators, then used the stolen spirit stones entirely to purchase Blood Spirit Pills, all for the purpose of enhancing her divine power?

He fell into contemplation.

When Elder Bai first tried to entrust Bai Xiuer to him as his attendant, Ye Qin had been reluctant, not wanting the burden or the drain on his time and energy. Thus, he only promised to bring her to the East Sea Islands.

Now, it seemed Bai Xiuer was not foolish; she understood the importance of cultivation. Although her method of acquiring spirit stones—by robbery—was rather "unimaginable," it at least demonstrated her genuine desire to cultivate and advance her divine power, even if she hadn't found the correct path yet.

"Ah!"

"Bad! Immortals are attacking! Quick, run!"

Suddenly, fierce commotion erupted from the distance down the alley, punctuated by the clash of metal and the sounds of slaughter. Chaos broke out among the Earth Clan members in the alley.

A young Earth Clan guard stationed outside the courtyard burst through the gate, stumbling into the inner rooms, shouting in panic, "Sister Xiu, it's bad! Immortals are coming to attack!"

"Who are they?" Bai Xiuer’s expression turned icy as she sprang to her feet.

"It’s the Immortals from the Ghost Head Society—dozens of them! There are five or six Foundation Establishment Immortals, plus a group of Qi Refining Immortals. We robbed them of some goods on North Street half a month ago, and they found out. They're here for revenge! We can't fight them, run!" the young Earth Clan man yelled frantically.

Bai Xiuer’s face registered alarm. Her current strength could not stand against five or six Foundation Establishment cultivators.

She quickly led the group out of the residence.

Outside the courtyard, a clamor had already erupted: "Quick, surround them! Don't let a single Earth Clan strongman escape from here!" Five Foundation Establishment cultivators, wearing the black uniforms of the Ghost Head Society, led dozens of Qi Refining stage cultivators, who had already rushed into the alley, cutting down numerous low-tier Earth Clan members, and surrounded the small courtyard.

Bang!

The leading black-clad figure, a high-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, kicked open the door and charged in with his followers.

"You must be Sister Xiu of the Bai Clan collective! We finally cornered you!"

The leader scanned the area, spotting Bai Xiuer, and sneered. He coldly waved a hand at the other Foundation Establishment cultivators and the dozens of Qi Refining cultivators behind him. "Kill everyone else! Leave only this little girl alive!"

"Sister Xiu, run!"

The twenty to thirty Earth Clan strongmen inside the courtyard cried out in anger and desperation, stepping forward to block Bai Xiuer, recklessly charging the Qi Refining cultivators with their blades and spears. Several flying swords sliced into the fray. In just one exchange, the Earth Clan strongmen suffered heavy casualties and began a rout.

Bai Xiuer's beautiful face twisted in distress. She swiftly drew the two black iron spirit forks from her waist and retreated rapidly. She knew she could not contend with five or six prepared Foundation Establishment cultivators; escape was her only option. A sharp pain gripped her heart; the Bai Clan collective she had painstakingly built up over nearly a year was facing annihilation.

At that moment, a cold snort echoed.

An immense spiritual pressure descended. The Foundation Establishment cultivators and dozens of Qi Refining cultivators in the courtyard suddenly felt as though they had plunged into an ice cellar; their expressions drastically changed. The terrifying spiritual pressure instantly forced the Qi Refining cultivators to their knees.

"Core Formation Ancestor!"

The Foundation Establishment cultivators were paralyzed with terror. Before they could even muster a thought of resistance, they saw a dazzling golden light erupt within the courtyard, followed by a series of sharp crackling explosions.

A white shadow flashed out of the courtyard.

When the intense golden light faded, Bai Xiuer was gone.

The arrogant black-clad leader of the Ghost Head Society, the high-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, had been atomized into a cloud of bloody mist.

The few Foundation Establishment cultivators and the Qi Refining cultivators slowly regained their senses, staring at each other with faces full of dread and panic. They were not fools; even the simplest mind could grasp that this Bai Clan collective was protected by a Core Formation Ancestor and was not a force they could provoke. Someone shrieked, "Mother of Heaven!" and the entire group of cultivators frantically bolted from the courtyard, vanishing in an instant.

Only a group of stunned Earth Clan strongmen remained, holding their spirit blades and swords, completely at a loss.

A short time later, Ye Qin emerged directly from the teleportation array in Xianque City, appearing in Baifu City in the Northern Islands.

Ye Qin walked ahead, hands clasped behind his back, his expression unreadable.

Bai Xiuer followed, her beautiful face filled with grievance, keeping her head down and daring not utter a word. She secretly glanced at Ye Qin’s back. After two years apart, seeing him again brought an indescribable joy. However, having just stirred up immense trouble, she dared not show any excitement.

"Cheating, deception—you’ve learned quite a few things these past two years. How many cultivators have you killed in these years, angering so many people who want you dead?" Ye Qin sneered.

"Not that many..." She occasionally sought out spirit stones.

Bai Xiuer meticulously counted on her slender, onion-like fingers, but couldn't keep track. In her heart, she secretly thought that it wasn't her fault; after he left, she had no spirit stones, so she had to 'borrow' them from others.

Seeing her aggrieved expression, Ye Qin found it hard to be too harsh.

"Causing trouble everywhere, you will eventually be killed. You stay in Baifu City for now. Find a Qingdan Workshop in Baifu City—an alchemy workshop—and look for a cultivator surnamed Shen. Ask him to arrange some rough work for you in the refinery. The spirit stones earned will be less, but it should be enough for your needs. If I happen to visit Baifu City occasionally, you hand over the spirit stones you earn directly to me, and I will refine Blood Spirit Pills for you. It will save a lot of money and won't be any worse than going out to rob people."

"Alright." Bai Xiuer’s face lit up with pleasure.

Ye Qin arranged for Bai Xiuer to work at the Qingdan Workshop to prevent further trouble. He suddenly remembered something: "By the way, you are an Earth Clan member. How much do you know about the Sea-Plundering Tribe of the Earth Clan?"

"The Sea-Plundering Tribe? I know a little."

When Bai Xiuer mentioned this tribe, a look of disgust crossed her face. "Elder Bai used to tell me frequently about the major tribes of the Earth Yan. This Sea-Plundering Tribe is one of the ten great tribes of the Earth Clan, extremely powerful. However, they frequently attack other tribes, so many Earth Clan tribes detest them."

"Oh? The Sea-Plundering Tribe often engages in banditry? Is that so?" Ye Qin asked, intrigued.

"Of course. Before the cultivators arrived in the East Sea, the major Earth Clan tribes often engaged in large wars, causing countless casualties. This Sea-Plundering Tribe also holds a deep feud with my Bai Clan. But that was a long time ago."

Ye Qin began to understand. Just as the Central Earth Cultivation World experienced great bloody conflicts, the Earth Clan tribes also had numerous clashes and grudges. Strife was the same for both cultivators and the Earth Clan.

"What is special about the Sea-Plundering Tribe?"

"The Sea-Plundering Tribe excels at naval warfare. Among us Earth Clan members, if we have experience, we try to avoid fighting them at sea."

Upon returning to Baifu City, Ye Qin visited the Purple Sword Palace.

After repairing his Silver Armored Guards, he felt more confident about the expedition against the Earth Clan tribes. Before that, he absolutely needed to join the Purple Sword Palace. Otherwise, as an unattached rogue cultivator, he would have no chance of participating in the campaign against the Earth Clan tribes.

After discussing matters with Zhou Yi, the young master of the Purple Sword Palace, he formally joined the Purple Sword Palace, becoming one of its cultivators.

Zhou Yi was overjoyed by Ye Qin's arrival.

Subsequently, Ye Qin returned to Huoyin Island.

There were nearly ten months remaining before the expedition.

On Huoyi Island, Ye Qin and Huangfu Bing'er cultivated peacefully, making their preparations.

Although the ninth-tier Silver Armor Guard had been repaired, Ye Qin did not want to casually deploy this ultimate trump card, lest he attract unwanted attention from other cultivators. He would only use it at the absolute most critical juncture, when life or death hung in the balance.

Thus, preparing several other means of attack was absolutely necessary.

The Yellow Dust Sand, which had previously piled up into a small mound within the Earth Mansion, had now condensed significantly into a small handful of mud. This small handful of Yellow Dust Sand Mud was tens of thousands of years old and solidified to an astonishing degree.

He spent three hours at sea daily, hunting sea beasts to acquire the elemental essence from the required Earth-element Demon Cores. Since these cores were still insufficient, he went directly to Baifu City and commissioned some Foundation Establishment cultivators there to hunt lower-tier Earth-element sea beasts to obtain the necessary cores.

Once fully prepared, Ye Qin began melting the Yellow Dust Sand Mud into a yellow liquid within the island using the Samadhi True Fire. He then refined the elemental essence from the Earth-element Demon Cores and integrated it into the Yellow Dust Sand Mud, forging his fourth Earth-element Nascent Soul Magic Tool.

Meanwhile, in between her cultivation sessions, Huangfu Bing'er helped him prepare a full set of Ice-Fire Silk Armor protective magic tools, link by link. She also procured some high-tier talismans in Baifu City. Although she felt a degree of worry, since Ye Qin was set on going, she could only offer her full support.

Both were busy, making as many preparations as possible for this expedition against the Earth Tribe tribes.

Time sped by.

In a blink, ten months passed.

After spending several months in refinement, Ye Qin finally forged the fourth Nascent Soul Magic Tool—the Yellow Heaven Profound Dust Sword—just before the main forces of the Heavenly Dao Alliance set out for the Earth Tribe territories.

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