Aside from the forty Golden Core vice-captains already charging into the battlefield, another forty main Golden Core captains remained on the island, situated about ten li from Stone City—some soaring mid-air on their artifacts, others resting on the ground, observing the battle and assessing the defenses of Stone City.

Ye Qin’s expression was placid as his gaze occasionally swept over the assembled Golden Core cultivators, silently gauging their strength in preparation for seizing the sacred artifacts of the Earth Tribe within Stone City after its fall.

Although the fighting ahead was not smooth, most of the main Golden Core captains remained composed, occasionally exchanging words, showing no hint of impatience despite the temporary disadvantage in battle.

Encountering difficulties during the campaign against the Earth Tribe was entirely within their expectations. As an intensely demanding live-fire exercise, some casualties among the Foundation Establishment cultivators were inevitable. The only question was the magnitude of the difficulty and the extent of the losses.

"The Earth Tribe within this Stone City appears quite strong; they possess not only might from the Sea-Plundering tribe but also those from the Bone Bow tribe. This City of Devouring likely harbors quite a few valuable treasures."

"Heh, Brother Li speaks the truth. I wonder which sacred artifact of the Sea-Plundering or Bone Bow tribes Brother Li has his eye on? I shall endeavor to avoid it when the time comes, lest we clash over it."

"Haha, what kind of talk is that, Brother Xu? Once Stone City is breached, it will be based on each man's own capability. Why be so polite?"

A gray-robed elder and a ruddy-faced middle-aged man exchanged banter in relaxed tones.

These two mid-stage Golden Core cultivators from the Heavenly Demon Alliance were the two strongest present among the Alliance's expeditionary force, standing at the fifth and fourth layers of the Golden Core stage, respectively. They paid scant attention to Stone City, nor did they spare much thought for the other Golden Core cultivators. They brazenly began discussing the division of the sacred artifacts, acting as if they alone were qualified to contend for them. In reality, even if they hadn't spoken of it, the other Golden Core cultivators would have regarded them with caution due to their superior cultivation base, as early-stage Golden Core cultivators formed the majority here, making mid-stage individuals quite rare.

Ye Qin glanced at the pair before turning his cool gaze back to examine the defenses of Stone City.

The entire Stone City was built into the mountainside of the island's main peak, appearing as a seamless whole, complete with city walls and a dense array of towering stone spires.

Though lacking protective arrays established by Immortals, the massive presence of Bone Archers stationed atop these soaring spires, combined with the terrifying attack power and extreme range of their bone arrows, granted Stone City formidable defensive capabilities.

No matter which direction one attacked from the island, they would face coverage from at least several thousand bone arrows.

Ye Qin’s gaze settled upon the very summit of the peak.

If there was any blind spot regarding the arrows, it could only be at the very top of the mountain—the location of the mountain pass from which vast plumes of blue mist erupted. This pass was at a considerable height, with sparse stone spires and scattered bone arrows.

The arrows shot by the Bone Archers within Stone City would have significantly weakened by the time they reached this elevation.

Seizing the mountain pass first, and then attacking downward from the peak's entrance, should make capturing Stone City relatively easier. However… "The Earth Tribe has built their city here for a long time; they must have anticipated this possibility and likely have countermeasures in place."

Ye Qin thought rapidly. "Brother Ye, do you think this Stone City can be taken in this round of attacks?" Liao Xiaozhi appeared beside Ye Qin at some unknown moment, asking with some concern.

Although Ye Qin had never held a position as Supreme Leader, he had participated in the great battle at Ling Song City and understood a fair amount about warfare. Taking such a large city with just one or two initial assaults was extremely difficult. He shook his head, "Yan and Yu are currently only probing the strength of the Earth Tribe. It is not yet time for all-out attack. They have already scouted out part of the strength of the Sea-Plundering Tribe, and over ten high-ranking mighties from the Bone Bow tribe have been forced out. Once the situation in Stone City is sufficiently mapped out, Yan and Yu will likely order a full offensive for the decisive battle. I estimate they will secure the city."

"How much capability can a mere Earth Tribe Stone City possess to stop eighty of us Golden Core cultivators?! If you ask me, if we had charged in a single surge, we might have taken Stone City by now. Why bother with all this tedious probing?"

Jin Zhongshan, the stout, plump man, dismissed Ye Qin’s assessment.

The vice-captains mingled among hundreds of Foundation Establishment cultivators, launching a fierce wave of attacks against Stone City under the pressure of over a dozen high-ranking Bone Archers. They managed to destroy dozens of the outermost stone spires.

However, perhaps due to the excessive delay mid-attack, which drained significant magical power, they could not withstand the torrential volley of bone arrows raining down from within the city. Dozens of Foundation Establishment cultivators were lost, and several Golden Core cultivators were even gravely injured, with one fatality. They were quickly forced to retreat once more.

"Brother Yan, we only reached the outer perimeter of Stone City and failed to penetrate inside. Besides the dozen or so high-ranking Bone Archers stationed at the city gates and twenty or more senior mighties from the Sea-Plundering tribe, we have found no other high-ranking mighties inside the city for now."

The vice-captains reported the situation of Stone City to Yan Hao and Yu Weifeng.

"From what I know, the Ten Great Earth Tribes hold considerable grudges against each other. Unless they are fighting Immortals or Demons, they rarely interact, let alone reside together. For such a large Earth Tribe Stone City to be simultaneously occupied by major tribes like the Sea-Plundering and Bone Bow tribes, there must be something unique about this place. It’s unlikely that such a location would only be guarded by a mere twenty or thirty high-ranking mighties."

Yan Hao listened to the report, his face grave, as he gazed at the distant Stone City, pondering thoughtfully.

"Brother Yan, are you suggesting these Earth Tribes are hiding their true strength? What reason would they have for concealing their power?" Yu Weifeng expressed surprise.

"That is unclear; we will only know the reason after conquering Stone City."

In the center of Stone City stood a towering stone structure.

"Great Shaman, the Immortals have retreated again. It seems they cannot break through this time and will be defeated. It has been a long time since our Earth Tribe defeated Immortals on a battlefield of this scale. If this news spreads, it will surely greatly boost morale within our tribes," the Saintess said with a delighted, somewhat excited tone.

"Defeat? We are not just aiming to defeat them."

The old man in the blue robe frowned.

He turned and spoke softly to the ten high-ranking leaders from the Sea-Plundering and Bone Bow tribes standing behind him. "Today, we shall annihilate these Immortals in the Blue Mist Archipelago; no single Immortal must be allowed to escape. This time, my Shaman Tribe will take the lead in the main assault. Sea-Plundering Tribe, surround the surrounding sea area; any Immortal who falls into the water must be killed. Bone Bow Tribe, hold the city defenses strictly; do not allow the Immortals to breach the walls. Furthermore, notify Yan Xing; his tribe must be ready to strike at any moment to pursue fleeing Immortals."

The group of Earth Tribe leaders surrounding the blue-robed elder were all startled. Among the Ten Great Earth Tribes, many possessed considerable fighting strength, but what the Earth Tribe people revered most was the Shaman Tribe.

"Yes, Great Shaman!"

The Great Leaders showed utmost respect before relaying their respective orders.

"Saintess, prepare to act." The old man in the yellow robe spoke.

The Saintess nodded slightly. Over ten Shaman Tribe shamans, clad in long robes, emerged from behind the stone spires and stood behind the Saintess.

From the ancient city, a faint, ethereal chant began to resonate, slow and deep. This chanting seemed imbued with a magical quality.

While the Golden Core cultivators were still speculating on the number of high-ranking mighties inside the city and debating how to breach it, they suddenly heard the ethereal chanting drifting from the distant Stone City. For a moment, they exchanged bewildered glances. Why were the Earth Tribes suddenly chanting? Although cultivators muttered incantations when casting spells, this was entirely different from that strange chanting.

The chanting was profoundly bizarre. Some Foundation Establishment cultivators tried to block their ears with spiritual power, yet they could still hear the chant clearly.

Soon, the azure seawater surrounding the island began to ripple faintly, and the spiritual energy of the water surged, forming waves on the surface. In just a few breaths, these ripples rapidly expanded, transforming into surging waves several feet high.

"This is wrong! This is the Shaman Tribe's Sacrifice Shaman Art—the Tidal Wave Technique! This is an ultra-range Shaman Art; the sound can cover an area of fifty li or even farther!"

Yan Hao, seeing the change on the sea surface, suddenly realized something, his face transforming drastically. He had previously followed senior cultivators to campaign against the Earth Tribe and had witnessed the terrifying, strange chanting sorcery of the Earth Tribe Shamans.

"The Shaman Tribe?"

"Brother Yan, you mean the Sacred Tribe of the Earth People, masters of Shaman Arts?"

The Golden Core cultivators cried out in shock.

The vast majority of the Golden Core cultivators present had never fought against Shamans of the Earth Tribe Shaman Tribe. However, most of them had heard of the Shaman Tribe's renown. They were the only Earth Tribe capable of matching cultivators in terms of magical power.

Even Yu Weifeng was shocked.

The Shaman Tribe was the smallest in population among the Ten Great Earth Tribes.

The Earth Tribe Shamans did not possess the talent of "innate divine strength," but rather a different marvelous talent for "chanting," allowing them to invoke and manipulate spiritual energy over vast areas. The power of their Shaman Arts was in no way inferior to the spells cast by cultivators.

In the annals detailing conflicts between cultivators and the Earth Tribe, the Shaman Tribe was recorded in detail.

Every encounter between cultivators and the Shaman Tribe resulted in extremely heavy cultivator casualties.

It was just that the Shaman Tribe population was minuscule, and through the long centuries of war between cultivators and the Earth Tribe, the Shaman Tribe's Shamans had suffered immense losses, appearing less and less frequently in the East Sea.

Yet, a small contingent of Shaman Tribe Shamans had appeared in this Stone City.

As for some sundry matters, I will endeavor to maintain a daily update toward the end of June.

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