Ye Qin collected the Southern Brightest Blazing Fire Sword and the Yellow Heaven Thick Earth Small Sword, two divine artifacts. He paused for a moment, then descended towards the mountain pass. Li Peijun, Xu Zhen, and several other Golden Core cultivators were locked in fierce combat with several high-level strongmen and a horde of mid-level strongmen; he did not join the fray, instead searching around for the whereabouts of Great Shaman Wuyun.

Ye Qin cared little for the life or death of this Earth Clan Great Shaman, but the marvelous shamanic arts had greatly surprised him. These Earth Clan techniques were entirely different from the immortal arts of the cultivators, yet possessed their own peculiar efficacy.

Suddenly, an ineffable sense of crisis welled up in Ye Qin’s heart. He looked towards the mountain pass and witnessed a scene that shook the soul.

Rumble! The island, covering hundreds of miles, began to shake violently. The earth convulsed, peaks fractured, and boulders cascaded down. Stone walls and towers built halfway up the mountain collapsed in swathes, sending countless Earth Clan members screaming as they tumbled into the abyss.

Accompanied by a heaven-shaking roar, plumes of magnificent blue mist erupted from the mountain pass, expanding manifold. They formed a colossal blue pillar of vapor several miles wide, shooting toward the high heavens and dyeing the entire sky a deep sapphire, even casting the island in a profound blue hue.

The Golden Core and Foundation Establishment cultivators engaged in battle with the Earth Strongmen turned back in horror, stunned into immobility by this sudden, drastic change.

The Foundation Establishment cultivators flying in mid-air, along with numerous Sky Cavalry Strongmen, were caught in the blast wave from the pass eruption. Their flight became unstable, and they plummeted onto the island's peaks. A few cultivators too close to the pass were hit directly by the raging column of energy, vanishing instantly into the unknown reaches swept away by the surge. Even the assembled Golden Core cultivators dared not approach the pass rashly given the sheer momentum.

“It is open! Five hundred years! The undersea passage to the Langya Secret Realm has finally reopened! Our Earth Clan has waited five hundred years, and finally, hope has returned. This time, no matter the cost, we must cultivate a Saint for our Earth Clan.”

Great Shaman Wuyun, previously missing from the Earth Clan throng, reappeared, gripping his black wooden staff, positioning himself very close to the mountain pass. He gazed with rapturous joy at the intensely spewing blue mist, an expression of extraordinary excitement breaking across his face, usually as cold and stiff as a dead fish.

“Great Shaman, did you not say it would take several more months to open? Why has this passage opened early?”

The Saintess stared at the violently erupting pass, trembling, awed by its immense power. She stood beside Great Shaman Wuyun, accompanied by several other Shamanic Division wizards, all looking upon the pass with deep reverence.

“I am unclear. Perhaps the calculation was flawed; the timing of the passage opening is notoriously difficult to gauge accurately. Never mind that; since the passage is open, we must enter immediately, traverse the tunnel, reach the Langya Secret Realm, and seize the initiative. We cannot let the strongmen of other tribes snatch the fruits first.”

Wuyun quickly recovered from his ecstasy and turned to the Saintess. “Wu Yiqing, you, the nominal Saintess, are still merely a high-level Shaman. Many tribes do not respect you. Only by reaching the Langya Secret Realm and advancing to become a Saint Shaman can you truly claim the title and compel all Earth Clan tribes of the East Sea to submit to you.”

“But what about the thousands of mid-level strongmen from our four major Earth Clan tribes? Their strength is insufficient to pass through the tunnel. And those cultivators—should we defeat them first before entering the passage?” the Saintess asked anxiously.

“Ignore them; we enter the passage first. This island will soon be annihilated by the seismic activity. All who remain here will be swallowed by the sea waves,” Wuyun stated coldly.

After its initial torrent, the blue mist spewing from the pass quickly subsided.

Wuyun, leading the Saintess Wu Yiqing, disregarded the danger and plunged into the mountain pass.

Numerous mid-level Earth Strongmen gathered at the pass, hesitating with fear.

Liang Gong, the Young Chief of the Bone Bow Tribe, rushed to the pass at top speed and peered down; Great Shaman Wuyun and the Saintess were nowhere in sight.

His face grew icy, harboring barely concealed fury.

“That old shaman tricked me! He said this passage wouldn't open for at least another half a year before leading to the secret realm—damn him! All high-level Bone Bowmen of the Liang Clan, follow me! We cannot let the Shamanic Division wizards get there first!”

He turned and shouted at the gathered Bone Bow tribesmen, hoisting his giant Demon Flood Dragon Bone Bow onto his back, and leaped into the pass. Over thirty high-level Bone Bowmen from the Bone Bow Tribe swiftly followed their Young Chief.

Over twenty high-level strongmen from the Sky Cavalry Tribe, led by Yan Xing, mounted their demonic birds, whistling as they dove, tearing through the clouds, and filing into the pass.

Following them, over fifty high-level strongmen from the Sea-Gliding Clan, including Jing Bo, arrived and jumped without hesitation.

In the blink of an eye, almost all one hundred living high-level Earth Strongmen on the island rushed to leap into the unfathomable depth of the pass. The mid-level Earth Strongmen, however, did not jump. This undersea passage was extremely perilous, beyond the survivability of mid-level strongmen.

The island's violent shaking continued; this small island began to collapse and sink amid the tremors.

The Earth Clan stone city was reduced to vast ruins by the vibrations, gradually being swallowed by the sea. To the despair of the remaining Earth Clan members, a short while later, a group of cultivators unleashed the Tidal Wave Art, summoning colossal waves tens of feet high around the area, smashing numerous large ships near the island down to the seabed.

Escaping the island had become nigh impossible for them. The war between the Earth Clan and the immortals had already ceased; all remaining mid-level Earth Strongmen were desperately trying to flee the sinking island.

The cultivators were bewildered by the sudden calamity and momentarily had no time to concern themselves with the scattered, fleeing Earth Strongmen.

Seeing the high-level Earth Strongmen plunge into the pass, the assembled Golden Core cultivators finally reacted and flew to the mountain pass. The blue mist had greatly diminished. They looked down into the bottomless chasm, exchanging puzzled glances.

“Why did those Earth Clan high-level strongmen jump down into the pass?”

“This pass seems bottomless; it must lead somewhere, right?”

The cultivators murmured amongst themselves, but none dared to descend. That large group of high-level Earth Strongmen jumping down certainly had a reason, yet these cultivators knew nothing of it, fearing unforeseen disaster, thus hesitating to follow.

“Brother Yan, what do you make of this?” Yu Weifeng looked toward Yan Hao.

“The major Earth Clan tribes never live communally. They built cities on this island, guarding it, likely for a specific purpose. That purpose must lie within this pass. Since those Earth Strongmen dared to descend, why shouldn't we follow? Are we, the Golden Core cultivators, somehow inferior to these Earth Clan high-level strongmen?” Yan Hao pondered deeply before speaking.

“Indeed!”

“Since those high-level Earth Strongmen dared to jump, they must have confidence they won’t be throwing their lives away needlessly. Even if there is danger below, it shouldn't be fatal to them.”

The assembled Golden Core cultivators nodded upon hearing Yan Hao’s assessment.

Among the murmuring Golden Core cultivators, two figures watched the bottomless pass in silence, deep in thought.

Ye Qin glanced at Shi Hanyang and sent a faint mental message: “Brother Shi, it seems the Earth Clan’s four major tribes indeed built their stone cities here to guard this pass. If they possess any secrets, they are all inside this tunnel. See how dangerous this pass looks?”

“By my calculation using the Myriad Evolution Technique, an anomaly is manifesting in the Blue Mist Small Archipelago area. Combined with the actions of these Earth Clan high-level strongmen, it is certain the anomaly lies within this pass. Based on my years of experience, the blue mist eruption suggests a massive natural cavern below, connecting to the deep sea, forming an undersea passage. We might encounter sea beasts, but the danger likely won't exceed that of the Imperial Tomb in the Earth’s Core. It is worth the risk.” Shi Hanyang rapidly deduced the possibilities.

Ye Qin nodded. Shi Hanyang, a grand master, possessed an incredibly broad knowledge base, mastering astrology, formations, mechanisms, geomancy, and numerous other fields. He trusted Shi Hanyang’s judgment regarding his capabilities.

Just then, Yan Hao drove his three azure banner flags to shield himself, transforming into an azure light that plunged into the pass. Following him, Yu Weifeng produced a yellow ruler, which became a yellow streak of light shooting toward the pass. The other Golden Core cultivators followed suit, successively throwing themselves into the tunnel.

Ye Qin also retrieved a water-attribute magic treasure, the Water Shell Spirit Pearl, gripping it secretly. Simultaneously, riding the Yellow Heaven Dust Gathering Sword, he dove down, piercing through the dense blue mist, and entered the pass.

“Sister Zhou, Sister Liao, something feels wrong. There’s no need for us to go down; we should leave this place!” The large fatty Jin felt a prickle of apprehension staring at the black maw of the pass.

The strength of the Earth Clan tribes in the Blue Mist Small Archipelago was beyond his expectation. The Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Treasure Gathering Palace suffered heavy casualties, and even he was nearly injured in the fight. Since the island was almost sunk, and the mission to subjugate the Earth Clan tribes was accomplished, there was no need to court further danger.

“Sister Liao, let’s go down too.” Zhou Yao, seeing Ye Qin descend controlling his Nascent Soul artifact, felt a pang of annoyance but ignored Fatty Jin’s persuasion. She told Liao Xiaozhang, then flew out on a dazzling blue, water-element flying sword artifact, soaring toward the pass.

Liao Xiaozhang glanced at Fatty Jin with an expression of helplessness, said nothing, and followed Zhou Yao down.

Fatty Jin stared wide-eyed, resigned. The three of them always deferred to Zhou Yao; whatever she did, the other two followed. Muttering a few complaints, he could only control his artifact and fly down after them.

The Golden Core cultivators had come to conquer the Earth Clan to gain benefits. Before obtaining those benefits, they were naturally unwilling to leave easily, and nearly all of them entered the pass.

The Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Alliance suffered devastating losses, over half perishing. The remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators circled above the island for a while, then, unwilling to enter the dangerous pass, flew away in confusion, returning to the East Sea Archipelago.

Several hours later, the island gradually sank beneath the waves.