All the Golden Core cultivators gathered in an open area at the foot of the peak, either sitting cross-legged or clustered in small groups, discussing something with anxious expressions.

Ye Qin felt puzzled as to why these cultivators had stopped here instead of proceeding further. However, being one who always preferred to avoid unnecessary trouble, he decided to stop as well. He found an open spot at the foot of the mountain with Zhou Yao, Liao Xiaozhang, Pan Shuang, and the rest of his squad members, settled down, and began meditating to recover the magical power depleted during their journey.

Jin Zhongshan couldn't stay still. He moved into the crowd of cultivators, looking around and inquiring everywhere. His big mouth asked incessantly, "Why has everyone stopped here? Why aren't we moving on? Also, where did those Earth Tribe warriors go? Didn't we agree to go to the Langya Secret Realm? Why is everyone stopped here?"

"Brother Jin, haven't you seen the passage ahead? It's blocked by a high-ranking Earth Tribe warrior. We can't get through. We have to pass through this passage to enter the Langya Secret Realm." Jin Zhongshan knew many of the cultivators present, including several acquaintances, and soon some began chatting with him.

"With so many Golden Core cultivators gathered here, what high-ranking Earth Tribe warrior could possibly block the way?"

Jin Zhongshan was greatly shocked.

He looked toward the peak ahead. The mountain extended infinitely upward above the sea, towering into the heavens. The seabed was already extremely deep, covered by ten thousand feet of water. From the seabed, one could not see the summit; this peak must be several tens of thousands of feet high.

On the rock wall at the foot of the peak, a narrow fissure, just wide enough for two or three people to pass through, split open as if cleaved by divine might, leading deep into the mountain's core for several thousand zhang.

The cultivator rolled his eyes and said, "To enter the Langya Secret Realm, this narrow fissure is the only way in; there are no other routes. Look, over there at the end of this passage, there's a Sea-Prowling Earth Tribe warrior!"

While Jin Zhongshan was talking with the other cultivators, Ye Qin overheard their conversation and glanced toward the fissure passage.

Deep inside, on the other side of the passage, stood a warrior clad entirely in black armor, holding a massive silver spear five zhang long. He was riding a jade-colored sea beast that resembled a horse crossed with a bow, holding the reins in one hand, standing still with a cold expression.

The rest of the Golden Core cultivators were blocked on this side of the passage, unable to pass.

Ye Qin was slightly surprised.

The Earth Tribe warrior's attire was reminiscent of an armored cavalry general from a county in the Central Continent. The difference was that his mount was an extremely rare sea beast, and he wielded a giant silver spear forged with mythril, commanding the respect of every Golden Core cultivator present. Not just anyone dared to stand alone, spear planted, arrogantly facing down so many Golden Core cultivators.

Zhou Yao, Liao Xiaocui, and the others showed surprise. Having lived in the East Sea Archipelago for a long time, they knew far more than Ye Qin and immediately recognized the warrior's origin.

"What kind of sea beast is that mount? It looks like a horse without legs; why does it look so strange?" Ye Qin asked, having little knowledge of sea beasts.

"That is a Sea Demon Horse. This one should be a ninth-tier, advanced Golden Core level Sea Demon Horse. They are inherently proficient in most water-elemental spells. Among all sea beasts, they are the most successfully tamed high-level mounts by the Earth Tribe warriors. They possess immense combat strength, yet their temperaments are docile, following commands like an extension of the arm. Crucially, they will never betray or turn on their masters, remaining loyal until death," Zhou Yao said with admiration.

"Such a sea beast actually exists!" Ye Qin murmured softly in surprise.

It was well known that demonic beasts were inherently violent. Even when tamed by cultivators, incidents of betrayal or turning on their masters were common. Especially for lower-tier cultivators, they frequently met their end devoured by the beasts they had tamed. Sometimes, if a demonic beast was wounded in battle, it would even actively flee.

"A demonic beast that doesn't betray or turn on its master would definitely be highly sought after by cultivators. But I've never seen such a Sea Demon Horse for sale in the markets of White Float City," Ye Qin wondered further.

"That's simple. The sea is very unsafe. Most cultivators prefer terrestrial beasts and rare birds as mounts and rarely use sea beasts for transport. Moreover, this Sea Demon Horse is exceedingly rare and difficult to keep alive. Currently, only the Earth Tribe's Sea-Prowling Tribe can raise and tame a small number. Naturally, you won't see them in the marketplaces," Zhou Yao replied casually.

Ye Qin nodded slightly and pondered for a moment. "Then what about the origin of that warrior?"

"As for that warrior, he is a Sea Demon Horse Rider, a position reserved only for high-ranking warriors from the Earth Tribe's Sea-Prowling Tribe who possess supreme divine strength! These Sea Demon Horse Riders appeared during the ancient wars between the cultivators and the Earth Tribe clans. But their numbers were tiny, and they suffered massive casualties on the battlefield. They rarely appear now, and by this time, they have almost faded into obscurity," Zhou Yao expressed with a hint of regret.

"A single Sea Demon Horse Rider like that is at least equal in strength to a late-stage Golden Core cultivator. His formidable power is probably enough to kill any one of our early-stage Golden Core cultivators here. Only a Sea Demon Horse Rider could possibly block the combined onslaught of the sixty or seventy Golden Core cultivators present; no other Earth Tribe warrior could manage it."

Ye Qin finally understood. There was only one Sea Demon Horse Rider opposing them, yet there were sixty or seventy Golden Core cultivators here. Despite the opponent's strength, he dared not rush forward rashly. He was merely holding the opposite end of the passage, preventing the Golden Core cultivators from passing, buying time for the other Earth Tribe warriors to plunder the rare treasures growing within the Langya Secret Realm before the cultivators could seize them.

"We have been blocked here for over two hours. Those Earth Tribe warriors have already entered the Langya Secret Realm. If we delay further, all the rare treasures inside might be completely emptied by them! Won't we have come for nothing?" Yan Hao roared in frustration, extremely displeased with the stalemate.

"Brother Yan, there's nothing we can do about it. We've already sent people to charge in over ten times, but we couldn't drive away this Sea Demon Horse Rider, and we even injured five or six cultivators in the process. This matter cannot be rushed," Yu Weifeng advised helplessly.

"Keep charging! I refuse to believe one man can withstand the combined assault of sixty or seventy of us Golden Core cultivators taking turns!"

Under Yan Hao's direction, soon two more Golden Core cultivators from the Heavenly Demon Alliance charged into the narrow passage, unleashing their flying swords to attack the Sea Demon Horse Rider, attempting to break the blockade.

But the Sea Demon Horse merely flicked its nose, spitting out a stream of cold, dark liquid. The entire passage instantly felt like plunging into an abyss, the cold biting deep into the lungs. This cold was not the cold of ice, but a chilling, sinister aura.

Earth Tribe warriors relied purely on brute strength and generally did not use magic. However, his mount was a high-level water-elemental demonic beast, proficient in water spells.

The two Golden Core cultivators rushed into the passage, their faces quickly turning pale and their bodies stiffening. Their speed dropped drastically to less than a tenth of their original pace. Not only did their movements become sluggish, but the flow of magic within their bodies also slowed immensely. They exchanged horrified glances, seeing the shock in the other's eyes. But clenching their teeth, they continued to charge forward, maneuvering their magical artifacts to attack the Sea Demon Horse Rider.

"Two cultivators at the first or second layer of Golden Core dare to show off! I, Jing Hun, was killing people before you were even born," the Sea Demon Horse Rider declared coldly. With a sudden movement, he flicked his silver spear forward, causing it to illusionally transform into two spears, which precisely tapped the tips of the two flying swords. With a flip of his wrist, surging divine power erupted and vented through the giant silver spear, concentrating at the spear tip, striking the tips of the two flying swords like a flash of lightning.

"Clang, clang!" Two sharp reports echoed. Lines instantly appeared on the sword bodies, and the two flying swords exploded into countless fragments of magical artifacts.

The two Golden Core cultivators were horrified, their expressions drastically changing. They cried out internally, "Even high-grade magical artifacts are destroyed in one strike. What can we use to fight this Sea Demon Horse Rider? We might lose our lives and fortunes trying. It's better to be cautious."

Feeling fearful and timid, the two Golden Core cultivators dared not approach within fifty zhang of the Sea Demon Horse Rider again. They cast few spells and, after a short while, feigned defeat and retreated. This couldn't be blamed on their incompetence; retreating when facing a Sea Demon Horse Rider capable of contending with a late-stage Golden Core cultivator was hardly shameful.

"Trash!"

Yan Hao's continuous furious roars could be heard as he spared no expense to order the cultivators to press the attack. "Hurry up, you two, take your positions! Whoever captures this Sea Demon Horse Cavalry will receive a heavy reward: fifty thousand low-grade spirit stones, one high-grade magical artifact, and merit recorded for this operation against the Earth Tribe!"

Ye Qin's small squad watched the battle inside the passage from a distance. Knowing it would take considerable effort to pass through this narrow corridor, they decided to rest in place, not rushing to move forward.

Jin Zhongshan circulated through the crowd of cultivators, gathering information, and returned excitedly.

"Brother Ye, don't you have the Pink Haze Magic Pearl? If you take it out and shoot a ray of rosy light, even that Sea Demon Horse Rider will be instantly immobilized, unable to move. Then I can use my Golden Ingot to smash him, and we might kill him! Not only will we receive the reward of one hundred thousand spirit stones, but we will also achieve a great merit for the Heavenly Dao Alliance. Let's join forces to eliminate him; we can split the reward and merit evenly!" Jin Zhongshan whispered excitedly.

Ye Qin glanced expressionlessly at Jin Zhongshan, saying nothing, still meditating indifferently. His demeanor clearly indicated he had no interest in Jin Zhongshan's proposal.

Jin Zhongshan became annoyed. He was offering a well-intentioned suggestion for cooperation; he should at least get a reply.

"Sit down and don't cause trouble," Zhou Yao said irritably. "Look around at all the Golden Core cultivators here from the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Alliance Immortal Palace; every one of them possesses countless rare treasures. Do you really think no one here can deal with that Sea Demon Horse Rider? They just don't want to reveal their true strength; they are all hoping others will make the move first. Besides, who cares about low-grade spirit stones and high-grade magical artifacts? If they were truly sincere, they would offer high-grade spirit stones and top-tier magical artifacts, and perhaps more cultivators would exert themselves. If that Yan fellow offered a Primordial Spirit Artifact or a Dharma Treasure as a reward, this passage would have been cleared long ago; why the delay? He himself lacks sincerity, so don't expect others to have it."

"Sister Yao is right. The descendants of sect masters and giants like Yan Hao and Yu Weifeng, don't they all carry powerful treasures but have yet to reveal their trump cards? They are definitely harboring selfish motives," Liao Xiaozhang added. "Furthermore, the rosy light inside Brother Ye's Pink Haze Magic Pearl is almost depleted; it can probably only be used two or three more times. It's better to save it for use once we enter the Langya Secret Realm. Inside the secret realm, everyone will likely fight fiercely to snatch the rare treasures. This magic artifact will be of great use then. If nobody else is rushing, why should we?!"

Upon hearing this, Jin Zhongshan suddenly understood why Ye Qin hadn't bothered responding to him. "Oh, then let's just wait here slowly and see how long we have to wait before we can enter that Langya Secret Realm." He immediately quieted down and stopped stirring up trouble elsewhere.

The five members of the squad meditated in place, just waiting.

This period of time was not entirely wasted. Ye Qin took this opportunity to carefully observe the magical techniques and methods used by the surrounding Golden Core cultivators, mentally estimating each cultivator's favored spells and overall strength. Once they entered the Langya Secret Realm, he would likely have to compete with the cultivators present for the rare treasures. It was certainly the right time to pay close attention to his rivals.