Despite his aged, stooped appearance, Jiang Ling unleashed the formidable flying swords imbued with the power of Xunban Zhou, aiming directly for the necks of the two high-ranking Earth Clan strongmen.

However, the six strongmen guarding the eighth bend of the stone tunnel were surprisingly quick. They were all seasoned high-ranking warriors, and despite being caught off guard by Jiang Ling's sudden strike, they did not descend into panic.

The foremost two high-ranking strongmen were enveloped by the immense and terrifying killing aura emanating from Jiang Ling's azure and blue flying swords. The chill seemed poised to pierce their very necks, causing them to realize their grave danger. In their haste, unable to mount a proper defense, they stamped hard on the stone floor and swiftly retreated, attempting to escape the fatal blows.

The four strongmen behind them, wielding their dark-iron long pikes and sharp blades, transformed into several whirling cyclones, charging toward Jiang Ling, who stood dozens of feet away. Among them, one high-ranking strongman intercepted the "Azure and Blue" flying swords teeming with endless killing intent, while the remaining two lunged directly at Jiang Ling himself.

In just a single exchange, the first two strongmen managed to escape Jiang Ling's surprise attack, still shaken and unable to counterattack. The other two had blocked the swords, and the remaining two were already pressing their offensive against Jiang Ling.

"The high-ranking strongmen of the Sea-Plundering Tribe are indeed formidable. It seems their coordinated combat techniques are well-practiced. With my Golden Core Stage Fourth Layer cultivation, facing six alone, even a surprise attack won't grant me any significant advantage."

Jiang Ling, finding his initial assault inconclusive, was inwardly alarmed. "If these high-ranking strongmen manage to close the distance, my life might be in danger."

Despite the peril, he harbored no thought of retreat. He was not the only cultivator present here.

Zheng Chenghui and Shi Hanyang, charging closely behind, were equally experienced in combat. Although they were a beat slower than Jiang Ling, they were not far behind, launching their full-power attacks almost simultaneously.

Shi Hanyang channeled his spiritual energy, causing a dazzling golden light to erupt. With a booming shout, he unleashed two streaks of golden light. One, a massive, blinding sun wheel, was overwhelmingly dominant; the other, a smaller moon wheel, appeared faint and dim, carrying an aura of spectral, murderous chill. They split to intercept the two strongmen who were closing in on Jiang Ling.

Shi Hanyang’s initial move immediately nullified the first wave of counterattack from those two high-ranking strongmen.

While the situation wasn't completely overturned to their advantage, the six high-ranking strongmen’s hope of achieving victory with a single counter-charge was dashed. It was now certain that a bloody battle would ensue if either side wished to kill the other.

The six Earth Clan high-ranking strongmen inwardly lamented their situation.

They had already expended a significant amount of divine power earlier to clear the nine-bend stone tunnel, slaying over twenty seventh and eighth-tier demonic beasts that infested it. They were too depleted to continue fighting, which was why they remained to guard this section instead of advancing to the final chamber.

The great chieftain of the Sea-Plundering Tribe was leading seven other high-ranking strongmen into the Ninth Bend stone tunnel, striving to seize the Ziyou Lotus from the guarding demonic beasts.

These six men could only barely hold off these few Golden Core cultivators by relying on their coordinated assault. If the battle dragged on, their divine power wouldn't last even half an incense stick's time.

In the instant the stalemate held, Zheng Chenghui finally made his move, tossing out his drum—a drum made of grey hide. The drum floated into the middle of the stone tunnel, struck by a hammer made of bone. Nine grey ox skulls encircled the drum, their visages grim and terrifying.

"Is that the Little Sun Ox Drum?"

"Bad news! We can't hold this position. Quick, retreat to the Ninth Bend stone tunnel!"

The six Earth Clan strongmen recoiled in horror upon seeing Zheng Chenghui's drum artifact. Their look of sheer terror surpassed anything they might show when facing a ninth-tier demonic beast.

A dull thump echoed.

The white bone struck, sending rings of yellow magical energy rippling throughout the entire eighth bend, stunning every cultivator and strongman locked in combat.

Struck by the drum sound, the blood in the six high-ranking strongmen's heads instantly surged, muddling their senses. Their veins swelled, eyes turned crimson, white mist puffed from their nostrils, and they became wildly frenzied, their divine power surging by at least twenty to thirty percent.

This strange drumming sound had unlocked their greatest divine potential, but in the same breath, they lost all composure. With their minds clouded by hot blood, they charged maniacally at Jiang Ling, Shi Hanyang, and the others without regard for defense.

Jiang Ling and Shi Hanyang were pleased rather than alarmed. Although the Earth Clan strongmen's divine power had spiked, their broken formation and lack of coordination actually made them easier to handle.

Jiang Ling furiously urged his magic power; the azure and blue Nascent Soul flying swords pulsed with great light, expertly weaving past the dark-iron pikes held by the strongmen, exploiting the openings. With a sharp sizzle, the two high-ranking strongmen were cleanly severed in half by the flying swords on the spot.

Shi Hanyang was even more brutal; his sun and moon twin-wheel Golden Artifacts smashed down, cracking and snapping the strongmen’s dark-iron weapons one after another.

The combined might of the three Golden Core cultivators instantly shattered the defensive formation held by the six high-ranking strongmen, resulting in more than half of them being killed or wounded.

All of this transpired in the blink of an eye.

Ye Qin finally entered the eighth bend, but before he could even act, he was chagrined to discover that there was no need for him to intervene; the battle was already reaching its conclusion.

Soon after, the last few frenzied high-ranking strongmen were slain by Jiang Ling and Shi Hanyang.

In truth, even without Zheng Chenghui's drum artifact, they would have soon fallen due to the depletion of their divine power. The drum sound merely hastened their demise.

Hearing the drumming, Ye Qin felt his qi and blood surge. He swiftly circulated his magic power, executing the "Zhou" Art to suppress the near-boiling fervor, and looked towards the drum artifact with astonishment.

This drum artifact could incite bloodlust and affect mental clarity, functioning similarly to his Heavenly Sound Silk Sword in principle.

"Brother Zheng, what is the connection between your drum and the legendary Ancient Sun Ox Drum?"

Jiang Ling recalled his flying swords, suppressed the rising heat in his blood, and turned to ask Zheng Chenghui with surprise. He had initially assumed it was an ordinary battle drum artifact, but it proved to be far more potent.

"It is said that during the ancient Immortal-Demon War, cultivators of the East Sea sounded a Sun Ox Drum artifact possessing great divine power to fight the Demon race, slaying countless demon cultivators and shaking the entire East Sea. However, that drum vanished long ago. I wonder what connection the Sun Ox Drum has with yours? Is yours crafted from the remnant hide of a Sun Ox?"

"Brother Jiang jesting," Zheng Chenghui said gravely. "The Sun Ox Drum is an ancient artifact; how could I possess such a profoundly powerful artifact?"

Zheng Chenghui’s expression turned serious as he quickly explained, "This Little Sun Ox Drum is a battle drum artifact crafted from the hide of the Little Sun Ox from East Sea's Thunder Mountain. Although it looks very similar to the Sun Ox Drum, its power is less than one-hundredth of the original. It is merely an auxiliary high-tier artifact."

Then, Zheng Chenghui elaborated on the differences between the Sun Ox and the Little Sun Ox.

Jiang Ling, Ye Qin, and the others quickly understood.

The difference between the Sun Ox and the Little Sun Ox was just one character, yet they were two entirely different spirit beasts. The former was an ancient fierce beast from the Desolate Era, possessing nine heads, a body the size of a mountain, and blood qi like an ocean; it had long become extinct in the cultivation worlds of the Central Lands and the East Sea.

The latter, however, was merely an ordinary high-tier spirit beast, rumored to possess a very faint lineage of the Sun Ox bloodline, hence the name Little Sun Ox. These high-tier spirit beasts could be found on Thunder Mountain in the East Sea.

The two creatures were worlds apart: one as brilliant as a star in the heavens, the other as common as mud beneath the earth.

The quantity of Little Sun Oxen was limited. Cultivators from Thunder Mountain harvested their hides to craft and sell the Little Sun Ox Drum artifacts at high prices. Zheng Chenghui happened to pass by Thunder Mountain, learned of such an artifact, and acquired a pair of Little Sun Ox Drums at a high cost.

"Oh, Thunder Mountain still has Little Sun Oxen carrying the Sun Ox bloodline?!" Jiang Ling exclaimed. "That explains it. I observed that your drum lacks the potent aura of the ancient Sun Ox Drum. That ancient artifact possessed great divine power that cultivators like you and I, at the Golden Core stage, could never wield. It is rumored that the Sun Ox Drum requires a Nascent Soul cultivator to strike it, its sound capable of traveling five hundred miles. Once struck, low-tier demonic beasts within that five-hundred-mile radius instantly explode and die, and even demon cultivators fall into a frenzy of surging blood qi, becoming chaotic and scattered."

He looked at the hide drum in Zheng Chenghui’s hand, noting its ordinary appearance, and nodded. "This Little Sun Ox Drum can likely only affect an area of one or two hundred feet. Its power cannot compare to the true Sun Ox Drum. It's useful against the Earth Clan strongmen, but certainly useless against the Demon race."

Ye Qin, listening from the side, asked curiously, "Brother Zheng, since the Sun Ox Drum was meant to combat the Demon race, why is your Little Sun Ox Drum so effective against the Earth Clan strongmen?"

"The Sun Ox Drum artifact is actually effective against our cultivators, the Demon race, the strongmen, and demonic beasts alike—it stirs the blood and clouds the mind. However, we cultivators usually master one or two Heart-Clearing Arts to prevent qi deviation during cultivation. Using these arts, we can suppress blood qi and lessen the impact of the drum sound, maintaining a calm mind amidst the noise. But the Demon race and the Earth Clan strongmen do not possess such arts. That is why the Sun Ox Drum became an ancient artifact of great divine power specifically used by ancient cultivators to counter the Demon race."

Zheng Chenghui smiled, "As for the Earth Clan strongmen, in the beginning, the ancient cultivators and the Earth Clan tribes formed an alliance to fight the Demon race together. The ancient cultivators never used the Sun Ox Drum against the Earth Clan strongmen. That Sun Ox Drum only appeared a few times during the Immortal-Demon War before vanishing. Later, when the alliance between cultivators and the Earth Clan tribes dissolved, some cultivators began using the Little Sun Ox Drum against the Earth Clan strongmen. For this campaign to conquer the Earth Clan tribes, I intentionally brought this pair of Little Sun Ox Drums, and as expected, they proved effective."

"I see."

After hearing this explanation, the astonishment on Ye Qin's face gradually faded.

This Little Sun Ox Drum artifact had a distinct weakness: as long as one was prepared beforehand, it was difficult to be ensnared by it. It was of little use in direct combat against other cultivators, only effective against Earth Clan strongmen and demonic beasts.

For such a high-tier artifact, Jiang Ling, Ye Qin, and Shi Hanyang felt little interest. After the initial surprise wore off, they did not pursue the matter further.

Jiang Ling glanced coldly at the strongmen corpses on the ground and stated, "The Ziyou Lotus is in the Ninth Bend stone tunnel. There are still many high-ranking Sea-Plundering Tribe strongmen inside, currently battling the guarding beasts. The fact that they didn't come out to support us after such a commotion suggests their numbers are stretched thin. We are likely facing a fierce battle inside. Everyone, be extremely careful. We are few in number; if we lose even one, our entire endeavor might fail. Bring out whatever artifacts, magical treasures, or spirit beasts you possess; do not hold back."

With that, Jiang Ling slapped the spirit beast pouch at his waist and released a seven-tier, eight-clawed octopus, its entire body dark green. This massive octopus, easily dozens of feet wide, occupied more than half of the stone tunnel.