Under the protection of the Cloud Screen, Zhou Yao, Jin Zhongshan, Liao Xiaozhang, Pan Shuang, and other Qingyue Kaiji cultivators watched the three Golden Core cultivators suddenly appear over the sea with vigilant eyes, cautiously guarding against any surprise attack the other party might launch at any moment.

"Brother Ye, in the East Sea, cultivators primarily earn spirit stones for daily practice by hunting demonic beasts, seeking heavenly treasures, alchemy, artifact refining, and similar means. Those who focus on finding heavenly treasures for spirit stones are usually called Treasure Seeking cultivators. Those who rely on hunting demonic beasts are generally known as Beast Hunting cultivators. Treasure Seeking cultivators can be found almost everywhere in the East Sea, searching for valuable rare artifacts. Moreover, most of them are exceedingly greedy and will stop at nothing to seize a treasure. In my humble estimation, the unusual massive eruption at the Blue Mist Archipelago a couple of days ago likely lured them here to investigate whether a rare treasure has appeared."

Seeing that Ye Qin was unclear about the origins of these three Golden Core cultivators, Zhou Yao whispered softly from behind Ye Qin.

"Oh, if that's the case, these three Treasure Seeking cultivators appearing in this sea area must be looking for the location of the Langna Mystic Realm!" Ye Qin's heart stirred upon hearing this, and he glanced warily at the old man in the yellow robe, the burly man, and the young cultivator.

The violent tremors that suddenly struck the Blue Mist Archipelago yesterday, opening the passage to one of the three great mystic realms of the Earth Clan—the Langna Mystic Realm—would certainly attract the attention of cultivators passing through this area, and the news would spread rapidly.

The situation regarding the Langna Mystic Realm absolutely could not be kept secret for long.

Since these three Golden Core cultivators appeared here, it was likely that many outside cultivators had already learned of the anomaly at the Blue Mist Archipelago, and might even know that the Langna Mystic Realm had opened.

Soon, large swarms of cultivators would rush over.

Ye Qin knew clearly that if not for his group of eighty Golden Core cultivators from the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Alliance, who had, by sheer coincidence, broken into the newly opened Langna Mystic Realm while carrying out a large-scale punitive expedition against the Earth Clan tribes of the Blue Mist Archipelago, they would not have been able to enter in time to seize heavenly treasures before the outside cultivators discovered it. Now that he was leaving, the outside cultivators were just arriving at the location.

Ye Qin knew the identities of the three Golden Core cultivators, including the old man in the yellow robe, and their purpose for coming to this sea area, which made him even more cautious.

He carried several powerful treasures on him, including the Great Divine Ability ancient artifact, the Ga Niu Drum, the Minor Divine Ability ancient artifact, the Xun Lei Ancient Mirror, and the Chi Jiao Sword, as well as the spirit root bone of a twelfth-tier venomous dragon. Each of these items could stir up significant waves in the East Sea cultivation world, so he could not afford to let his guard down.

"So, fellow Daoists are here for treasure hunting. I brought a few younger generations from my family to hunt demonic beasts and gain experience in this sea area, but I haven't seen any treasures emerging nearby."

Ye Qin shook his head and smiled faintly at the old man in the yellow robe.

Then, Ye Qin recalled carefully, as if remembering something, and spoke hesitantly, "However, thinking about it now, yesterday, I did indeed see a large cluster of islands emitting blue mist that shot straight up into the sky. But this blue mist did not last long; it was quickly scattered and vanished by the strong winds over the sea. I estimate it might have been toxic smoke erupting from an underwater volcano. I had several family disciples with me, so for safety, we dared not approach to investigate."

"Oh? Which direction was the sky-piercing blue mist the young friend mentioned?" The old man in the yellow robe's eyes flashed, and a hidden joy flickered between his brows. He quickly asked, his expression clearly somewhat tense, indicating he cared greatly about the matter.

"It was in the sea area to the east, about five or six thousand li away. There's a cluster of islands there, and Earth Clan tribes reside on them. The location where the blue mist erupted seemed to be on the island. You just need to go take a look, and you'll know."

Ye Qin's expression remained normal. He gestured toward the east, revealing the location of the Blue Mist Archipelago without showing any sign of abnormality. After all, he was leaving this place; it made no difference to him who went to the Blue Mist Archipelago to seek out the Langna Mystic Realm.

"There are Earth Clan tribes on those islands?"

The old man in the yellow robe's eyes glittered with a strange light. Staring at Ye Qin, who was composed and showed no tension or fear when facing the three of them, he couldn't help but feel slightly surprised.

"Brother Ge, the news that has been buzzing throughout the East Sea for the past two days—that the Langna Mystic Realm, one of the three great mystic realms of the Earth Clan, has emerged—is indeed true! The passage to the Langna Mystic Realm appears in a different location every time it opens, and very few cultivators know the exact position. I didn't expect us to find the location here. The realm is already open, and time is short. We must hurry there immediately. Perhaps we can still break into the realm and pick the spiritual medicines that have grown for five hundred years or more inside," the burly man in the green shirt exclaimed happily, urging the old man in the yellow robe.

The old man in the yellow robe spun his cunning eyes and stroked his thin, sparse beard. He could sense that Ye Qin was not lying, but he always felt Ye Qin seemed to be concealing something from him.

The old man in the yellow robe subtly signaled to the young cultivator in white beside him, asking the young cultivator to test the waters.

The young cultivator in white had been seeking treasures under the old man in the yellow robe for ten years and shared a tacit understanding. Upon seeing the old man's look, he immediately grasped his intention.

"Brother Wei, don't be hasty!"

The young cultivator stopped the overly impulsive burly man in the green shirt, then said coldly to Ye Qin, "Little brother, you aren't trying to trick us, are you?"

"What kind of talk is that?"

"You said there are large Earth Clan tribes on those islands, right? These large Earth Clan tribes in the East Sea are not to be trifled with; they have many high-level warriors. The few of us Golden Core cultivators are certainly no match for them. If we provoke the Earth Clan tribes and get entangled with their high-level warriors, the consequences could be disastrous. Why don't you lead the way and take us to see those islands? If we find any rare treasures on the island, the four of us will share them equally. We won't treat you unfairly, how about it?"

"You want me to act as your cannon fodder?! You already know the location of the islands; whether you go or not is your business. Please excuse me; I won't accompany you!"

Ye Qin immediately frowned, his expression becoming incomparably stern, and an immense, suppressed rage hinted within his icy tone.

With that said, light flashed beneath his feet. He mounted the Cloud Screen artifact, carrying Zhou Yao and the other three, transforming into a streak of dark light several zhang wide, shooting up a hundred zhang high, and rapidly flying northward.

The old man in the yellow robe, the burly man, and the young cultivator in white were all stunned. They hadn't expected Ye Qin to leave so abruptly and failed to intercept the Cloud Screen in time.

The old man in the yellow robe watched the receding dark light, frowning in confusion.

"Brother Ge, is there something wrong with this person?" the young man in white asked curiously.

"This person initially maintained a composed and indifferent expression, then became angry and left abruptly. But I always feel that his anger seems to be feigned; he was just looking for an excuse to leave as quickly as possible and avoid contact with us. He must be hiding something!"

Although Elder Ge said this, he couldn't figure out what was being concealed, and his confusion deepened.

"Brother Ge, do you think they might have come out of the Langna Mystic Realm and are carrying treasures, which is why they are unwilling to interact with us?" the young cultivator in white speculated after a moment of thought.

"Brother Zhu, surely not. Among those five people, only one has the cultivation of an early-stage Golden Core; the rest are juniors at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment. If they dared to enter a perilous place like the Langna Mystic Realm, they wouldn't even know how they died! Do they have the courage to enter the Langna Mystic Realm to seek treasure?" the burly man in the green shirt said in surprise.

"Otherwise, why are they leaving in such a hurry?! We aren't fierce demons or hungry ghosts; is there any need to be afraid? Tell me, why are they running away?" the young cultivator said coldly.

The burly man in the green shirt also couldn't figure it out. After thinking for a while, he shouted, "Why guess? Let's chase after them and see! If they carry great treasures, we'll force them to hand them over. If not, forget it; it won't take much effort either."

"That works. Let's pursue and question them! It's better to suspect and pursue than to miss out. Killing one Golden Core cultivator is much easier than venturing into the perilous Langna Mystic Realm. This deal is worth it. Chase!"

Elder Ge stopped overthinking, said fiercely, and threw out his flying sword, pursuing the dark light.

One Golden Core cultivator and four ninth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivators posed no threat to the three of them, who were all Golden Core cultivators.

Three streaks of light rapidly flew across the East Sea surface.

Although the Cloud Screen was incredibly fast, Ye Qin needed to carry the four weaker Foundation Establishment cultivators while flying with the artifact, which clearly dragged down their speed. The three Golden Core cultivators—the old man in the yellow robe, the burly man, and the young man in white—although starting later, were gradually catching up on their swords.

"They are catching up; they must have malicious intentions. They will catch up in a moment. Miss Zhou, you and the others return to White Float City first. I will stay here to hold them off for a little while."

Ye Qin sensed the rapidly approaching auras. He looked back, saw the pursuers, and his expression immediately became solemn. He cursed inwardly, then quickly instructed Zhou Yao and the others.

"Brother Ye, there are three Golden Core cultivators against us. They are all at the second or third layer of Golden Core, and the old man is even at the fifth layer. None of them are weak. Can you fight them?" Zhou Yao was extremely worried.

"It's fine. Even if I can't defeat them, they won't be able to harm me. You all stay here; I have concerns that prevent me from fighting with my full strength. You should leave first; I will engage them briefly, and I will find you later," Ye Qin said calmly.

"Alright, Brother Ye, please be extremely careful."

"We will return to White Float City first!"

Zhou Yao, Liao Xiaozhang, Pan Shuang, and Jin Zhongshan looked at each other and nodded. They knew that staying would only be a hindrance. Having entered the Langna Mystic Realm alive with Ye Qin, they naturally knew Ye Qin's strength far surpassed that of ordinary early-stage Golden Core cultivators and had extreme confidence in him.

The four of them threw out their flying swords one after another, burst out of the Cloud Screen, transforming into four streaks of colorful light, flying north rapidly on their swords.

Only Ye Qin remained suspended in the air, hands behind his back, waiting quietly for the arrival of the three treasure-seeking cultivators, buying enough time for Zhou Yao and the others to escape.

The three Golden Core cultivators were very fast; they arrived within two hundred zhang of Ye Qin almost in a flash and stopped.

"Hee-hee, you brat actually have the nerve to stay behind alone to fight the three of us—truly brave! Old Wei admires you. If you survive today, Old Wei will make you a friend!"

The burly man in the green shirt was surprised to see Ye Qin stay alone, attempting to confront the three Golden Core cultivators, and couldn't help but offer great praise. The three of them didn't pursue Zhou Yao, Liao Xiaozhang, and the others, but swiftly surrounded Ye Qin.

Experienced Golden Core cultivators naturally knew that defeating a Golden Core cultivator was easy, but killing one was not simple. It usually required two or three Golden Core cultivators working together to have a high probability of surrounding and killing them without giving the opponent a chance to escape. They also didn't have time to split forces to chase after Zhou Yao and the other four.

Ye Qin looked at the three of them, who were poised as if victory was certain, and inwardly sneered. A mere three Golden Core cultivators wanting to surround and kill him—they underestimated his strength too much.