That stout barbarian, clad in bronze-ringed beast armor and standing atop the head of a massive beast, looked down upon the dozens of Purple Sword Palace cultivators floating in the sky with undisguised contempt. He roared, "In my life, I have slain countless Immortals. Who dares trespass upon my Jing Clan territory?! Even a Golden Core Immortal will be slain. Who wants to fight this chieftain!"
His furious shout boomed like rolling thunder.
The giant man swung his thick, massive arm, the mottled, ancient green halberd in his grasp—a weapon brimming with primordial aura—pointed toward the sky. A surge of intense, pale-green baleful energy spewed forth from the halberd tip, coalescing into a swirling vortex of green.
That incomparably potent, jade-green baleful energy seemed to solidify as it shot toward the heavens.
The Purple Sword Palace cultivators felt a terrifying pressure bear down on them. Their vital energy surged, and their very souls trembled with apprehension. They were jostled and sent reeling backward by the aggressive green miasma, forced to retreat far from the barbarian's aura.
Seeing the timid cultivators of the Purple Sword Palace instantly repelled over a hundred zhang, the burly barbarian burst into raucous laughter, immensely pleased with himself. The seventh-tier Raging Sea Beast beneath his feet glared with eyes like bronze gongs, its tail slamming against the waves, kicking up sprays dozens of zhang high and churning the sea into murky chaos.
The Jing Clan strongmen riding sea beasts across the surrounding waters watched their leader repel a group of Immortals with a mere wave of his hand. They too began to laugh without restraint, shouting boisterously in their native tongue, interspersed with a few clumsy phrases of Central Lands dialect.
Zhou Yao saw the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Purple Sword Palace recoil back toward their ships. She cursed them as useless under her breath. Hearing the vulgar clamor of the barbarians further enraged her, turning her delicate face deathly pale.
When Ye Qin observed the hulking chieftain and over a hundred barbarian strongmen appear, his expression, conversely, settled into calm. A high-ranking barbarian warrior appearing here posed little direct threat to him.
He had ample leisure to contemplate his next move.
The few vessels were clearly a lure, designed to draw the assembled Immortals together. And now, these mounted barbarian sea riders had encircled the nearby waters, preparing for a siege.
This was undoubtedly an ambush.
Even with Zhou Yao, a first-layer Golden Core cultivator from the Purple Sword Palace, engaging the giant, it would be, at best, a difficult stalemate. And the seventeen Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Purple Sword Palace stood no chance against over two hundred mid-tier barbarian warriors.
The odds of victory in this battle were extremely low. If they fought immediately, the Purple Sword Palace would suffer heavy losses—Ye Qin did not factor himself into this assessment, as he had no intention of acting yet.
He hadn't even located the main lair of the Jing Clan yet, and the subsequent campaigns would likely be long. Moreover, after defeating this barbarian tribe, the division of spoils would almost certainly lead to disputes among the Golden Core cultivators.
When it came to claiming treasures, no one would yield; it would all depend on individual capability.
To successfully snatch the Jing Clan's sacred relic—the tenth-tier spiritual herb, the 'Dark Solitude Lotus'—from the thirty-nine Golden Core cultivators of the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Alliance, he needed to conserve his strength by every possible means.
Compared to those Golden Core rivals, he did not regard this Jing Clan with much concern.
It wasn't that he underestimated the Jing Clan.
Though powerful, the Jing Clan was an enemy laid bare before all the cultivators, an open foe, usually easier to deal with.
But the thirty-nine Golden Core cultivators—those were hidden competitors. He didn't even know which of them would contend with him for the 'Dark Solitude Lotus.' Even Zhou Yao might eventually turn her hand against him in contention.
He did not wish to waste energy fighting these barbarians to the death and depleting his own strength.
Ye Qin had never placed much importance on winning or losing; retreating was no great matter. He glanced toward the distance, calculating whether it would be better to immediately withdraw and rendezvous with the cultivators from the Treasure Gathering Palace and the Wide Speech Palace following behind—which would greatly increase their strength—before turning back to engage these mounted barbarian sea riders.
However, Ye Qin had clearly underestimated the determination of Zhou Yao and the Purple Sword Palace cultivators to fight.
Just as he was considering the most advantageous direction for a breakthrough, he was shocked to find that the Purple Sword Palace cultivators had already engaged the barbarians.
"Purple Sword disciples, heed my command! Form the Great Five Elements Sword Formation! Kill them! Let's see what these barbarians are capable of that makes them utter such arrogant words!"
Zhou Yao’s eyes seemed ready to spit fire as she ground her teeth, pointing at the sea riders below.
Immediately, fifteen cultivators flew out from the Purple Sword contingent, dividing into three small groups of five. Each tossed out a high-grade flying sword—one of metal, one of wood, one of water, one of fire, and one of earth—perfectly forming three Great Five Elements Sword Formations. They then charged toward the barbarian sea riders on the water.
Qian Zhitian and Chu Ting, both Foundation Establishment cultivators, were unable to join a formation and remained aloft to observe the battle.
Seeing this, Ye Qin felt a pang of surprise.
He had always believed the Great Five Elements Sword Formation could only be wielded by a single cultivator. He hadn't known that the Purple Sword Palace's version could be jointly formed by multiple people. Each cultivator controlling one sword significantly lowered the difficulty of manipulating the formation.
However, Ye Qin quickly grasped a potential issue.
With more cultivators involved, coordinating the formation became a matter of synchronicity; it likely required extensive practice to achieve perfect mental unity, which was far less seamless than a single cultivator controlling the Great Five Elements Sword Formation as naturally as an arm moves.
Brilliant light flashed across the sea as the three sword formations composed of the Purple Sword Palace cultivators clashed with the group of over two hundred sea riders.
Zhou Yao was not idle either. She patted her storage pouch, releasing three small swords that pulsed with varying colored light. In an instant, these five small swords expanded into five colossal, ten-zhang-long blades, radiating brilliant light as they encircled her.
Standing tall in the air, she formed hand seals with her slender hands, looking down upon the burly chieftain below with an air of arrogance and disdain.
Even if this was an ambush, so what?
As a Golden Core cultivator, protected by five top-grade flying swords forming the Great Five Elements Sword Formation, her destructive power was immense. She could slay barbarian warriors one by one, even if ambushed, and force her way through.
She held no fear of the high-ranking warrior.
The stout barbarian atop his beast’s head suddenly narrowed his eyes, a look of gravity replacing his bravado. Veins bulged on his arm as he gripped the ancient green halberd tightly, focusing entirely on Zhou Yao's five flying swords, leaving him no time to mind the surrounding skirmishes.
Golden Core upper-stage cultivators’ flying swords were not easily trifled with; one slip could cost him his life. Seeing that both sides had engaged, Ye Qin could only watch helplessly.
"Great Five Elements Sword Formation...!"
Zhou Yao shouted, weaving hand seals and swiftly channeling a thread of white spiritual power onto the body of the metal-element flying sword.
This top-grade metal sword, imbued with immense spiritual power, suddenly flared, projecting an arm-thick beam of golden light toward the top-grade water-element sword. The water sword reciprocated with an arm-thick blue beam directed toward the wood sword. The wood sword projected a green beam toward the fire sword. The fire sword shot out a fiery glow toward the earth sword. The earth sword unleashed a yellow radiance toward the metal sword.
The light cycled once, and the formation was set.
The five beams of light, like five long threads, linked the five flying swords into one massive formation, integrating offense and defense with crisscrossing sword energies.
"What?!"
The burly chieftain’s expression instantly changed. He was seasoned in battle, having crossed paths with many cultivators, and was clearly not ignorant of arcane arts. Recognizing the change in the five swords, he cried out in alarm.
Zhou Yao completed her spell and pointed a jade hand, launching all five swords. They transformed into five streaks of startled, long dragons, plunging toward the massive barbarian.
On one side, a cultivator in the upper stage of Golden Core controlling five flying swords simultaneously; on the other, a high-ranking barbarian warrior wielding an ancient green halberd and controlling a seventh-tier sea beast. They began a fierce battle upon the sea.
The range of the Great Five Elements Sword Formation was vast, encompassing over a hundred zhang in circumference, directly enveloping the stout chieftain and the Raging Sea Beast, trapping both man and beast within the formation’s confines.
"See how I break your sword formation!"
The chieftain sneered, stomping his foot. With a whoosh, he leaped up, his green ancient halberd darting like a spirit snake toward one of the flying swords.
Barbarian strongmen excelled at overpowering enemies with brute force. If the Golden Core cultivator had only used one sword, perhaps he could have resisted. But with his spiritual power distributed across five swords, destroying just one would render the formation useless.
He intended to use sheer power to smash the formation.
Clang!
A deafening sound echoed.
The tip of the green ancient halberd struck the tip of a metal-element flying sword with surprising precision. Hit hard, the metal sword vibrated violently, its light rapidly dimming. However, a stream of yellow light from the earth-element sword instantly poured into the metal sword, causing it to blaze brightly again and repel the green halberd.
The chieftain’s arm felt slightly numb.
At first, he didn't notice much, but after several repeated attacks that were all repelled, the chieftain nearly lost his grip on the halberd, feeling a severe headache coming on.
The luminous flows of the five swords were integrated; no matter which sword he attacked, the light from the other four immediately reinforced it. It was as if he were simultaneously fighting five swords.
The burly chieftain and his monstrous beast were trapped within the Great Five Elements Sword Formation, struggling left and right, yet unable to break free from its restraint for a long time.
In the entire sea area, only Ye Qin, Qian Zhitian, and Chu Ting, the two Foundation Establishment cultivators, remained as spectators. "Senior Ye, please lend an assist to Martial Aunt Zhou." Chu Ting's cultivation was limited; she only saw the fierce engagement between Zhou Yao and the chieftain but couldn't discern who held the advantage. Worried that Zhou Yao might lose, she anxiously turned to Ye Qin. "No need. Your Martial Aunt Zhou currently holds the upper hand. If I intervene now, she might become annoyed."
Ye Qin spoke calmly.
Zhou Yao had proven her strength by securing third place in the island seizing competition involving numerous Golden Core cultivators using the Great Five Elements Sword Formation. Though arrogant and willful, it didn't mean she was foolish. She wouldn't dare lead the Purple Sword disciples to rampage here without considerable skill and confidence. Without this Great Five Elements Sword Formation, she might have followed Liao Xiaozhi of the Wide Speech Palace, advancing slowly with her subordinates, rather than engaging the barbarian sea riders in a massive slaughter.
Seeing Ye Qin refuse to act, Chu Ting dared not press the matter, her face etched with anxiety. Qian Zhitian shot Ye Qin a strange look, inwardly feeling a degree of disdain. Although Senior Ye was a Golden Core cultivator, his skill in the Great Five Elements Sword Formation must be far inferior to Martial Aunt Zhou’s. He was likely making excuses to avoid embarrassing himself.
After a short exchange, the tide of battle finally shifted.
The chieftain's tactics were simple: constantly striking the flying swords with his ancient halberd, using brute force. He exerted all his strength, landing the tip of the green ancient halberd precisely on the tip of a green flying sword. The sword vibrated violently, its light dimming noticeably. Then, a stream of blue light from the water-element sword injected itself into its body, allowing it to recover.
But the problem lay precisely here.
Although the green flying sword's brilliance remained, where its tip contacted the halberd, a faint, hairline crack appeared with a crisp kacha sound.
The chieftain's keen eyes spotted this tiny, subtle flaw, and he was instantly overjoyed.
The quality of this green flying sword was inferior to his green ancient halberd. If he pressed the attack, he could completely shatter the sword.
Zhou Yao’s expression immediately changed, and she secretly groaned. She didn't know what material the green ancient halberd was made of, but it was sturdy enough to crack her top-grade wood-element artifact.
"Lady Zhou, do you require my assistance?"
Ye Qin saw this and frowned. It seemed Jing Bo had found a way to break the formation. Knowing Zhou Yao's intense pride, he suspected she would be reluctant to accept his help, so he asked before acting, to avoid sowing unnecessary resentment.
"No need! A mere high-ranking warrior, I can finish him myself!"
Zhou Yao gritted her teeth, her face already slightly pale. She rapidly poured spiritual power into manipulating the five swords, struggling to hold on. She quickly tried to shift the wood sword away, using the harder metal and earth swords to restrain the chieftain's green ancient halberd.
However, the chieftain was unexpectedly swift and nimble, dodging with lightning speed across the confined space, avoiding the metal and earth swords. His green ancient halberd was exceptionally tricky, striking every time like a thunderbolt, aimed squarely at that single wood-element flying sword.
After several dozen strikes, the crack in the top-grade wood sword widened, and the light of the Great Five Elements Sword Formation became unstable.
It seemed this Great Five Elements Sword Formation was about to be broken by the burly chieftain.
Ye Qin’s expression shifted between confidence and doubt as he considered his options. His gaze sharpened, and finally, a look of resolve crossed his face. He suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a single Purple Southern Bright Flame Sword. It transformed mid-air into a twenty-zhang-tall giant sword, howling as it plunged into the battle above the Great Five Elements Sword Formation, aiming down at the chieftain, who was on the verge of breaking out.
The chieftain, already straining to escape the formation, was terrified to see a ferocious fiery sword suddenly appear before him. He hastily swung his ancient halberd to defend.
Boom! The chieftain was forced back into the sword formation by a massive surge of power, immediately besieged once more by the Great Five Elements Sword Formation. Ye Qin had smacked the chieftain down with one sword blow, but then immediately stopped, withdrawing the Southern Bright Flame Sword and resuming his cold stance on the sidelines, letting Zhou Yao and the chieftain continue their fight.
Zhou Yao, clinging to her pride, refused to ask Ye Qin for help. Seeing him actively intervene, she was secretly pleased, but when she observed his action, she was instantly enraged.
"Be decisive! Either don't intervene at all, or just strike him down! What is the meaning of batting him back into the formation? Are you trying to watch me fight this barbarian to exhaustion?"
Zhou Yao cursed him inwardly in her fury. If she endured a few more attacks, her wood sword would likely shatter.
Ye Qin saw Zhou Yao frantically struggling to control the formation, a hint of mockery playing on his lips. The burly barbarian chieftain, meanwhile, was so frustrated he felt like spitting blood.
Just as cultivators could not discern the strength of the barbarian warriors, the warriors also struggled to gauge the true power of the cultivators. Experienced barbarian warriors could deduce some clues from a cultivator's aura, magical artifacts, and other indicators to gauge their status.
Thus, he had immediately recognized Zhou Yao as a Golden Core cultivator.
Yet, Ye Qin wore completely ordinary clothes, his aura was unremarkable, and he gave no indication of being a Golden Core expert; moreover, Ye Qin hadn't even deployed a proper artifact initially. The chieftain’s intuition had categorized Ye Qin as a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
The chieftain had always believed Zhou Yao was the only Golden Core expert present. He hadn't anticipated a second one.
As a result, Ye Qin’s sudden deployment of a fire sword and that single striking blow nearly broke him. The chieftain choked down an immense surge of stifled frustration that he couldn't expel.
With a Golden Core cultivator like Ye Qin present, fighting them was an impossibility, even if he fought until he vomited blood.
"Sister Yao, I'm here!"
In the distance, a dazzling golden light approached. The booming voice of the fat man from the Treasure Gathering Palace could be heard shouting urgently from afar. The Treasure Gathering Palace had finally arrived after the Purple Sword Palace had been fighting the barbarians for nearly half a day.
The burly chieftain glared venomously at Ye Qin, then with a plop, plunged deep into the sea and fled rapidly. With the chieftain gone, the sea riders all retreated.
The Purple Sword Palace cultivators, however, were under heavy assault from projectiles—iron-tipped spears hurled by hundreds of barbarian warriors—and could only defend, unable to pursue them into the depths.
Zhou Yao was furious. She led a pursuit for a short distance but found that the sea-plundering tribe had sunk into the water and vanished.
Seeing she couldn't catch them, she turned back, staring angrily at Ye Qin. She had never found anyone so petty and detestable. She had merely looked down on him slightly before, and he had used the opportunity to deliberately set a trap, employing such insidious tactics that she was publicly humiliated and her artifact nearly destroyed.
Ye Qin pretended not to see her or look in her direction.
He mused to himself: Unless he used his full power, capturing the chieftain was almost impossible. He had no desire to fight the burly chieftain head-on.