The sudden deaths of two high-level strongmen instantly brought a measure of calm to Jing Bo, the second leader of the Jing Clan tribe, pulling him back from the surge of hot blood. “Great Leader, we can’t hold on much longer!

This Dark Profound Water Turtle is too strong, and its shell is too hard. We can’t break its carapace, nor can we withstand its heavy blows.

Jing Hun, let’s retreat now, or all the tribesmen who entered this secret realm will be wiped out!” The crimson in Jing Bo’s eyes faded, and realizing the direness of their situation, he shouted out in alarm. “Hold them off!

We must seize the sacred item, the Submerged Lotus, no matter what. The Submerged Lotus is essential for refining our clan’s ‘Innate Sacred Elixir.’ Once we possess the Innate Sacred Elixir, we can unlock the talents of our strongmen, and our strength will increase tenfold, a hundredfold.

Whether our Sea-Plundering Tribe can become the most powerful among the Ten Great Tribes of the Eastern Sea hinges entirely on this sacred artifact.” Jing Hun roared, his massive silver spear furiously lashing out at the four Golden Core cultivators surrounding him, attempting to slay them and break through the encirclement to rescue his tribesmen. But this was merely wishful thinking.

Breaking through the heavy siege in a short time was utterly impossible. The Great Leader’s command could not be defied.

Jing Bo dared not lead his tribesmen in retreat. He could only grit his teeth and continue leading the assault on the Dark Water Profound Turtle.

Gripping his azure ancient halberd tightly, he bellowed and leaped into the air, abruptly stabbing down toward the Profound Turtle with his weapon. The azure ancient halberd transformed into a beam of incomparably domineering azure light, shooting forth.

“Clang!” The azure ancient halberd struck the turtle’s shell with immense force. The sheer divine power drove the Profound Turtle nearly a zhang deep into the stone, and a wave of azure malevolence erupted from the halberd.

The incredibly hard turtle shell was clearly marked with a crack spanning over ten cun. The boundless azure malevolence, following these fine fissures, permeated every corner of the shell.

“Hiss!” The azure malevolence seemed to have wounded the Dark Water Profound Turtle within, which immediately let out a piercing shriek. A ninth-rank Golden Core late-stage Profound Turtle possessed a terrifying degree of shell defense; it could not be shaken by ordinary attacks.

That Jing Bo could inflict a crack on the shell of a ninth-rank Profound Turtle demonstrated the terrifying might of that single strike. Yet, this wound was still insufficient to seriously injure the Dark Water Profound Turtle.

Angered, the Profound Turtle’s **body actually extended from within its shell. It opened its great mouth and, with a “Pfft!”, spat out a black Demonic Core.

Jing Bo, having expended all his strength, had not yet retracted his azure ancient halberd from the Profound Turtle when the pitch-black Demonic Core struck him squarely. He couldn't dodge it.

“Ah—!” A scream tore through the air. The entire burly figure was severely wounded by the Demonic Core; his chest cavity caved in, his abdomen burst open, leaving a scene of mangled flesh.

The azure ancient halberd clanged onto the ground, having lost its master. Jing Bo collapsed.

The remaining, still-shaken Sea-Plundering Tribe strongmen were even less a match for the enraged Dark Water Profound Turtle. After swallowing the Demonic Core, its **body immediately retracted into the shell, which began to spin rapidly.

The high-level strongmen of the Sea-Plundering Tribe were battered to death one after another by the furious Profound Turtle. After slaying the last high-level strongman, the massive shell finally stopped spinning, and a small head once again emerged from it.

Its cold little eyes fixed upon the four cultivators—Jing Hun, Jiang Ling, Ye Qin—and the Sea Demon Strongman engaged in fierce combat, then it ignored them. With a grand “Whoosh!”, it slipped into the cold pool at the center of the cavern and sank into the dark water.

This ninth-rank Profound Turtle already possessed a rudimentary intelligence that surpassed mere instinct. It had avoided fighting the high-level Sea-Plundering Strongmen within the cold pool, choosing instead to remain on the bank to prevent damaging the Submerged Lotus in the water.

It held no interest in the fierce battle between the four Golden Core cultivators and the Sea Demon Strongman; it merely guarded the few stalks of Submerged Lotus within the cold pool. It had claimed the spiritual resources in this pool as its exclusive possession, allowing no other demonic beasts or humans near the water.

As for the clash between the Golden Core cultivators and the Earth Tribe strongmen, it chose to watch with cold indifference, sinking into the cold pool to recover its demonic power. The balance of strength had suddenly shifted.

Even the Golden Core cultivators like Jiang Ling and Zheng Chenghui had not anticipated that these Sea-Plundering Strongmen would be defeated so quickly. Not only had they failed to kill the guardian demon beast, but they had instead been annihilated by the Profound Turtle.

“Brothers, put some heart into it! Only this Sea Demon Strongman remains.

Kill him, and we can focus our power on eliminating the guardian beast and successfully obtaining the Submerged Lotus.” Jiang Ling was filled with mixed joy and shock. “Hahahaha, Jing Hun, just wait for your death!

The Dark Water Profound Turtle has killed your seven tribesmen, leaving you completely isolated and without aid. Don't think that even though your Sea Demon Strongman is incredibly powerful and can withstand the siege of our four Golden Core cultivators; you won’t last much longer.

Today is your day to die!” Zheng Chenghui couldn't help but laugh wildly. This easy victory over the strongmen was largely thanks to his small Kui Niu Drum magical artifact; otherwise, it would have been a tough fight.

In contrast to the joy of Jiang Ling and the others, Jing Hun’s face was ashen, utterly disappointed. Besieged by four Golden Core cultivators and four spirit beasts, he could only watch as the high-level Sea-Plundering Strongmen, including leaders like Jing Bo and Jing Po, were slaughtered by the Dark Water Profound Turtle.

This foray into the Nine-Bend Stone Cave was a complete failure. Not only did they fail to obtain the Submerged Lotus, but they had lost over a dozen high-level strongmen from the Jing Clan branch of the Sea-Plundering Tribe who entered the Lang Ya Secret Realm—a devastating loss.

His divine power was nearly exhausted. Trying to seize the Submerged Lotus by himself had become nearly impossible, and he began to harbor thoughts of retreat, planning to break through the encirclement and flee.

Just as Jing Hun conceived this thought, an unexpected change occurred. “Swish, swish!” The sound of robes fluttering cut the air, and the figures of five Golden Core cultivators streamed into the cavern.

The leading figure, a thin young Golden Core cultivator clad in black, let out a sound of surprise upon seeing the fierce battle and the corpses of the strongmen within the cavern. “No wonder there were so many corpses of Golden Core demonic beasts in the outer stone cave.

It turns out Brother Jiang and Brother Zheng arrived earlier… Hmm! And look, a Sea Demon Strongman.

Quite a few of the Earth Tribe high-level strongmen have died here.” The black-clothed cultivator’s gaze finally settled on the cold pool in the center of the cavern and the lotus plants resting within it. Four lotus plants grew in the cold pool.

Two of them had not yet reached maturity and had not flowered; their leaves bore a thin layer of frost. One had just bloomed, its five-colored petals dazzlingly radiant, capturing the attention of Yan Hao and the other four Golden Core cultivators.

And one was already mature, having produced a cluster of seed pods. The black-clothed cultivator was overwhelmed with surprise and delight.

“Yan Hao!” “Why is he here too!?” The expressions of Jiang Ling, Zheng Chenghui, Shi Hanyang, and the other cultivators changed drastically at almost the same moment. It was Yan Hao and the team of Golden Core cultivators he led—five in total, all at the first or second layer of the Golden Core realm.

While the number of cultivators was small, their strength nearly matched that of Jiang Ling’s team. Jiang Ling and his group immediately sensed trouble.

The arrival of Yan Hao’s team meant an additional faction had appeared to contend for the Submerged Lotus. The amount of spiritual items Jiang Ling and his group could obtain would surely be cut by half, perhaps they wouldn't get anything at all.

Nine Golden Core cultivators vying for the Submerged Lotus in this place would likely be too many. This was a situation they were absolutely unwilling to witness.

Only Ye Qin’s expression remained unchanged. His target was not the most conspicuous parts of the Submerged Lotus—the seeds, the flower, or the receptacle.

Obtaining just one inconspicuous lotus root section would mean complete success for him. Jiang Ling and Yan Hao, along with the others, were after the seeds, holding little interest in the roots, making them easy to seize without contention.

Therefore, he could easily snatch the root. Although surprised, he felt little emotional fluctuation regarding Yan Hao's appearance and quietly observed the development of the chaotic situation.

Yan Hao watched the four cultivators and the Sea Demon Strongman fighting fiercely, his expression shifting between shadow and light as his eyes flickered, as if he were considering something: should he directly move to seize the Submerged Lotus, or should he first kill the Sea Demon Strongman? “Brother Yan, help me kill this Sea Demon Strongman.

Afterward, we will divide the spiritual resources in this cave together.” Jiang Ling was anxious but dared not show it. They had surrounded Jing Hun, the Sea Demon Strongman, but couldn't kill him swiftly due to the protection of the Blood Qi Barrier.

If he wanted to stop Yan Hao, he couldn't spare the hands to do so. “Brother Yan, ignore them; let them fight.

Let’s go straight for the Submerged Lotus!” a short, stout Golden Core cultivator beside Yan Hao urged anxiously, seeing Yan Hao hesitate. Yan Hao was certainly not the type of cultivator to ignore a clear advantage.

In the brief moment of hesitation, he had calculated the course of action most beneficial to him. Once he made up his mind, his eyes darted around, and he burst into loud laughter: “Brother Jiang was ahead of me in finding this Nine-Bend Stone Cave; you arrived quite early.

However, arriving early is not as good as arriving at the opportune moment. I need this Submerged Lotus to present to the Old Ancestor for his eight-hundredth birthday.

I must take it first, and I will thank Brother Jiang another day. Move immediately to seize the Submerged Lotus!” Saying this, Yan Hao unhesitatingly ordered the cultivators in his small team.

The four Golden Core cultivators accompanying him immediately rushed toward the cold pool. “Yan Hao, don’t push it too far!

If we scatter, and I don't get it, you won't either,” Jiang Ling roared in fury, his gray-white beard trembling. “Hmph.

Brother Jiang, why don't you take your time wrestling with this Sea Demon Strongman. We will take the Submerged Lotus,” Yan Hao retorted.

Yan Hao paid no heed to Jiang Ling's anger, leading his team of five Golden Core cultivators into the cavern to harvest the Submerged Lotus from the cold pool. He did not believe Jiang Ling would dare attack him.

The four Golden Core cultivators of Jiang Ling’s team inside the cavern were instantly enraged. How could cultivators like Jiang Ling, Zheng Chenghui, and Shi Hanyang stand by and watch the fruits of their two bloody battles fall into the hands of Yan Hao’s Heavenly Demon Alliance Golden Core cultivators?

“Brother Jiang, they intend to swallow the Submerged Lotus whole. There is no such easy deal.

We would rather not kill the Sea Demon Strongman than let them have it,” Zheng Chenghui exclaimed with unusual anger. “Kill them!

This matter cannot be resolved peacefully; we must kill Yan Hao. If he dares to snatch the treasure, I dare to kill him!” Shi Hanyang’s eyes gleamed menacingly, his imposing aura fully displayed.

“Brother Ye, what about you?” Jiang Ling turned his grave face toward Ye Qin. Ye Qin’s strength was second only to his; if they were to fight, Ye Qin’s willingness to act was crucial.

Ye Qin did not hesitate and nodded his head. It was impossible to back down now; it was difficult not to become enemies with Yan Hao.