The long-robed elder with yellow eyebrows glanced at the streak of cyan light that had vanished on the horizon, then looked over the dozen or so surviving Golden Core cultivators from the Wanluo Palace scattered around the barren island. His brow furrowed deeply, a barely suppressed anger simmering beneath his naturally imposing demeanor.

Of this group of mid-to-late stage Golden Core cultivators from the Wanluo Palace, only Wang Shiwei and about ten others remained alive; the rest had either been utterly destroyed or grievously wounded and crippled.

He didn't know precisely what had transpired here, but observing the aftermath, he could make a few educated guesses.

"Th-Third Elder, how did you arrive?"

Wang Shiwei looked up, a mixture of surprise and terror in his eyes, shrinking back from the elder with the yellow eyebrows.

"Nonsense! Do you think I wouldn't come?" the yellow-browed elder roared. "The moment I received the report that you were leading a group of Golden Core cultivators to ambush and kill Junior Elder Ye of the Purple Sword Palace at the Blood Sand Stronghold, I dropped everything urgent and rushed here at top speed!"

"I was initially worried that if you didn't clean up your tracks properly, you might leave behind some clue that would allow the Purple Sword Palace to petition the Heavenly Dao Alliance Elder Council, accusing our Wanluo Palace of slaughtering fellow Daoists of the Alliance. I certainly didn't want our Palace to suffer misfortune and lose the chance to contend for the Northern Sect Master position!"

"Haha! But I never imagined that by the time I arrived here, I would see this result! It seems you failed to kill that elder from the Purple Sword Palace. But you, this entire contingent of thirty Golden Core cultivators, have been more than half wiped out by him! Ha! Truly magnificent work!"

The elder stared at Wang Shiwei, laughing in his fury until his chest felt ready to burst.

"Third Elder, please let me explain! I monitored Elder Ye for a full ten years and finally seized this opportunity when I found him arriving at the Blood Sand Stronghold with two companions. I immediately gathered the Wang clan's Golden Core cultivators and rushed here to surround and kill him, intending to eliminate this future threat from the Purple Sword Palace. It was supposed to be a guaranteed success! Not a single piece of information would leak out!"

Wang Shiwei hurriedly and anxiously explained, "But no one knew he would command a small divine ability-grade warship! He started bombarding us the moment he appeared; we didn't even have time to flee! This was clearly a trap."

As Wang Shiwei spoke, a realization struck him, his eyes suddenly blazing with certainty. Gritting his teeth, he spat out, "Yes, this must be a trap set by the Purple Sword Palace! How could Elder Ye possibly possess a warship? That vessel must belong to the Purple Sword Palace, and Elder Ye merely piloted it, deliberately luring me here to murder my Wanluo Palace's Golden Core cultivators! Perhaps there are Nascent Soul cultivators aboard that ship as well. I must go report this to the Heavenly Dao Alliance Elder Council—report them for framing fellow Daoists!!"

Wang Shiwei's declaration convinced not only himself but also the dozen surviving Golden Core cultivators of the Wanluo Palace, who nodded in agreement, finding the logic sound. The warship must have had a Nascent Soul cultivator directing things from aboard to dare slaughter their Golden Core cultivators so recklessly.

"Report? You still want to report to the Heavenly Dao Alliance Elder Council?!"

The yellow-browed elder roared in fury. With a sweep of his hand, he delivered a resounding slap to Wang Shiwei's face.

Slap—!

Wang Shiwei was stunned senseless. He clutched his face, blood gushing from his mouth, having lost several teeth, yet he dared not utter a sound. He merely hung his head, fierce resentment and hatred gleaming in his eyes, utterly unyielding.

"What exactly do you intend to report? That you led a group of Golden Core cultivators to pursue Elder Ye of the Purple Sword Palace at the Blood Sand Stronghold, failed in your pursuit, and instead walked into his ambush? Are you afraid the Purple Sword Palace lacks a reason to deal with us, or are you worried the Wanluo Palace will become a laughingstock among the East Sea cultivators!"

The yellow-browed elder cursed him vehemently. "You wastrel! Don't assume that just because you are the Young Palace Master of Wanluo Palace, you will definitely inherit the leadership. If you bring catastrophic trouble upon the Palace, there are plenty within Wanluo Palace who can replace your position!"

"Hmph. I used to think highly of you, believing your methods were ruthless, decisive, and flawless, which is why I supported your future ascension to the Palace Master seat. Now, you've lost dozens of Wang clan Golden Core cultivators. Do you have any idea how many Wang clan Golden Core cultivators we have that can sustain such a massive loss! When we return, you will confess your crime to the Palace Master yourself!"

"The Third Elder's teachings are correct!"

Wang Shiwei, still nursing his face, was rendered completely speechless.

"However, speaking of which, Junior Elder Ye is merely a Golden Core cultivator; it is impossible for him to possess a warship. There must be some Nascent Soul Elder from the Purple Sword Palace aboard that ship, orchestrating this entire affair! Intentionally luring you fools into their trap! If the Purple Sword Palace dares to lure and slaughter my Wanluo Palace's Golden Core cultivators like this, this matter cannot be dropped! I will never forgive them!"

The yellow-browed elder's face darkened as he clenched his fists fiercely. "The next time a Purple Sword Palace cultivator falls into my hands, they will pay dearly!"

"Third Elder, should we pursue them?! Perhaps we can still catch that warship. With your skill, you should be able to handle a low-tier warship!" Wang Shiwei asked cautiously.

"Hmph, pursue what? That small divine ability-grade warship flies even faster than I do! How are we supposed to track its whereabouts from the Blood Sand Stronghold? Let's go, return to Linhai City first. We will report this to the Palace Master and devise a plan later! Elder Ye fled, but the Purple Sword Palace cannot escape. This debt must be repaid! I will settle the score not just with Elder Ye, but with the entire Purple Sword Palace!"

The yellow-browed elder, seething with rage, flicked his sleeve and transformed into a streak of rainbow light, speeding away.

The remaining Golden Core cultivators exchanged glances, their morale completely crushed. They helped the injured cultivators and headed toward the teleportation point back from the Blood Sand Stronghold. They had arrived full of confidence for a grand sweep, only to retreat in utter defeat. They could only wonder what punishment awaited them upon their return.

......

After Ye Qin and the other two left the barren island, they steered the Great Wing Warship, fleeing rapidly into the distance.

The Great Wing Warship possessed immense speed and maneuverability; even a Nascent Soul early-stage cultivator riding a small divine ability flying sword would find it difficult to keep pace.

After flying for a full day, constantly changing direction, Ye Qin detected no residual aura of a pursuing Nascent Soul cultivator and finally let down his guard completely.

The Sea of Blood was vast and boundless; searching for two or three cultivators within it was truly like seeking a needle in a haystack—entirely impossible. Unless the Nascent Soul cultivator from Wanluo Palace was foolish, they wouldn't engage in a fruitless, endless chase.

Ye Qin then turned his attention, along with Huangfu Bing'er and Bai Xiu'er, to diligently searching for an island suitable for their cultivation and tribulation ascension after coming to the Blood Sand Stronghold.

Since piloting the Great Wing Warship consumed a significant amount of spirit stones, after flying for a day and passing through an area infested with sea beasts, Ye Qin recalled the warship and switched to piloting the Dark Cloud Screen for aerial travel.

They continued like this for over ten days.

Apart from occasionally spotting one or two cultivators in the initial few days, they truly saw very few people treasure-hunting or beast-hunting here. In such remote locations, the chance of cultivators clashing over rare demonic beasts was extremely low. Naturally, if danger arose, there was no hope of another passing cultivator stopping to offer assistance.

Ye Qin compared his Star Fixing Disk with the sea chart and realized the trio had arrived at the edge of a sea region centered around the Blood Sand Stronghold.

The sea chart indicated that the demonic beasts frequenting this area were of low grade, and there were a few minor spirit islands scattered about. However, such spirit islands rarely housed long-term residents. After all, this was the Sea of Blood, not the East Sea; it was inherently unsafe for cultivators.

"Husband, the spirit energy saturation on these islands isn't even as good as our Fire Mist Island in the East Sea. But, if I set up a few more Spirit Gathering Formations I just learned, it should be just enough for our cultivation needs," Huangfu Bing'er said, her slightly fatigued face brightening with joy as she saw small islands with subtle spirit veins appearing across the vast sea.

"Sister Bing'er, are we close? Ah, I'm getting sick of staying on this Dark Cloud Screen all day! I'd rather be back in Bai Fu City, at least there I can take out my frustrations on the strongmen there!" Bai Xiu'er, slumped on the Dark Cloud Screen with a gloomy expression, instantly became cheerful at the news, wishing she could leap off immediately.

Ye Qin merely offered a faint smile and said nothing.

Suddenly, within the range of his divine sense, a colossal island spanning a thousand li appeared, remarkably rich in spiritual energy.

"Let's go check out that island. If it's suitable, I will cultivate there until the ninth layer of the Golden Core realm and prepare for ascension!"

Ye Qin pondered briefly, then urged the Dark Cloud Screen into full speed toward the gigantic island.

......

As Ye Qin and the others approached, they couldn't help but be astonished.

This massive island was not only spiritually abundant but also displayed wisps of cooking smoke curling into the air.

Smoke implied activity; likely, there were people on the island. And they probably weren't cultivators, as cultivators subsisted on spirit pills, eschewing mortal cooking. Even alchemy or artifact refining wouldn't produce this kind of smoke.

The most likely inhabitants were mortal commoners.

There was another possibility: the Earth Tribe.

Once, the East Sea islands were the dominion of the Earth Tribe, whose presence was extremely widespread, even extending to numerous tribes within the Sea of Blood. It was only later, as the East Sea became territory claimed by cultivators, that cultivators habitually overlooked their existence.

By the time Ye Qin and the trio hovered above the island, the situation below was perfectly clear.

The island featured rolling hills. Halfway up the mountainside, numerous robust, dark-skinned, bare-chested Earth Tribe men, clad only in animal skins, were strenuously digging into the mountain rock. Even some low-grade demonic beasts, harnessed with ropes, were hauling these excavated stones to various locations around the island.

There were no obvious structures on the island. Besides the Earth Tribe members excavating the mountain interior, others were hunting wild beasts along the coastline and gathering fruit inland.

However, near the entrances to the caves carved into the mountain's core, there were conspicuous sentry posts constructed from towering rows of giant logs. Some Earth Tribe members, armed with bows and arrows, spears, and blades, stood guard on these posts, observing the surroundings.

"Oh? This gigantic island is inhabited by quite a few Earth Tribe members?"

"It seems the Earth Tribe here lives mostly inside the mountains?"

Huangfu Bing'er also clearly perceived the situation on the giant island, exclaiming in surprise. "These native Earth Tribe members once occupied the East Sea islands; it's not surprising to find some tribes in the Sea of Blood. Few cultivators or demon cultivators frequent this area, and the demonic beasts here aren't particularly strong, making it relatively suitable for the Earth Tribe to survive on the island. I just wonder how large the tribal community here is."