“Pills worth a billion spirit stones?” The Earth Giant, Kuitu, his enormous eyes visibly lighting up, had learned much of human culture from the enslaved humans. While not an expert, he was acutely aware of the immense value of pills priced at a billion spirit stones. Such a resource was monumental, even for a major sect like the Yinsha Sect, let alone the Earth Giant clan, whose medicinal resources were notoriously scarce.

In the past, even when they unearthed spirit-rich medicinal herbs, the Earth Giants would typically swallow them raw. This practice wasted the majority of the medicinal properties and often proved dangerous due to improper ingestion methods. After all, many heavenly and earthly treasures possessed vastly different medicinal natures, and without proper harmonization through other ingredients, they could cause self-harm. The human race, however, possessed remarkable imitation abilities, learning from various races and even innovating, often surpassing the original inventors in many aspects. Take alchemy, for instance; though humans originated from the Celestial Clan of the Immortal Realm, they had now forged their own distinct path in refining pills, employing incredibly subtle techniques. Many professional alchemical sects and families possessed extraordinary methods, capable of maximizing the efficacy of various elixirs to their utmost potential.

This was, in fact, a somewhat unavoidable predicament. When the Celestial Clan held sway, the world’s resources were abundant, negating the need for meticulous conservation. By the time humanity rose to prominence, the world had already begun to wane, and rare heavenly and earthly treasures were increasingly difficult to find. This necessity drove them to study the art of alchemy with extreme precision. Experience proved humanity to be a remarkably resilient species. Yet, the intricate craft of alchemy proved exceedingly challenging for the somewhat clumsy and unrefined Earth Giant race.

Not only was Kuitu greatly astonished, but even Le Dong’s sworn brother, Yanshi, found his breathing rapid, his eyes widening larger than water vats.

This situation clearly illustrated the immense allure of billion-spirit-stone pills for a medium-sized Earth Giant tribe. Kuitu finally managed to gather himself from the shock, bursting into ecstatic joy. “Excellent, this Chief agrees to your terms. Furthermore, if you lose to me, you only need to pay the billion spirit stones’ worth of pills, and I will spare your life.” In that instant, Kuitu’s favorable impression of Le Dong soared. Having interacted with humans, he understood the potent effects of these elixirs and desperately craved more finished products, which promised an immediate elevation in his tribe’s overall strength. He clearly regarded the billion-spirit-stone pills as already within his grasp.

“Whether you spare my life or not, Brother Kuitu, is for you to decide. However, I ask that you clearly state what happens if you lose.”

“How is that possible?” Kuitu shook his head like a rattle drum, a hint of amusement in his demeanor. “How could this Chief possibly lose? You are merely a mere early Nascent Soul human cultivator. I have crushed many cultivators of your meager strength in my lifetime.”

“With Brother Kuitu’s understanding, one must calculate defeat before victory. Since this is a wager, there must be a possibility of losing. Is there any such thing in this world as a guaranteed win?” Le Dong stated calmly, unmoved. “Since Brother Kuitu is so certain of his victory, why not set a proper stake? If, by some chance, you lose to me, how will you handle the consequences?”

Kuitu roared with laughter. “Human cultivator, this Chief will not lose to you. However, as you say, terms must be laid out. As previously mentioned, if this Chief loses to you, your life is mine to command.”

“Excellent. Let us seal it with a clap of hands.” Le Dong casually extended a palm, manifesting a massive, dark handprint. Kuitu paused for a moment, then heartily slammed his colossal palm against Le Dong’s magical handprint, establishing the oath between them.

Le Dong made no further demands. Though the Earth Giants were reckless and impulsive, they were undeniably honorable when it came to oaths. For someone like Kuitu to break his vow would likely be more difficult than simply killing him.

Once the oath was sworn, the people of the Stone Rock Tribe quickly gathered, including many elite warriors Kuitu had brought along.

The throng of giants squatted on the ground like small earthen mounds, murmuring amongst themselves. Naturally, some of the elders of the Stone Rock Tribe recognized Le Dong and began introducing him to the others, recounting the great kindness Le Dong had shown their clan. This drew forth expressions of both admiration and regret from many of the Earth Giants.

Indeed, not only the later arrivals but even the oldest members under Yanshi, who had received immense favors from Le Dong, were pessimistic about his chances. Furthermore, Qian Chang and others, whom Le Dong had placed in the Stone Rock Tribe to assist the Earth Giants, rushed over. Upon hearing the news, they all displayed looks of profound surprise. However, Qian Chang maintained absolute faith in Le Dong. Although he couldn't grasp how Le Dong had advanced to the Nascent Soul realm in such a short time, nor how he possessed the means to overcome Kuitu, a mid-stage Nascent Soul expert—a being who had once defeated a late-stage Nascent Soul demonic beast.

Yet, Qian Chang knew one thing for certain: Le Dong never undertook anything without assurance. Based on his understanding of Le Dong, he knew the human must have had a winning margin. Back in the boundless seas of Zhaozhou, Le Dong had given him countless surprises and achieved countless unexpected feats. If he dared to slay a Golden Core cultivator while only at the Foundation Establishment stage, what miracle couldn't he accomplish? Perhaps at his current early Nascent Soul level, Le Dong could even dispatch a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

Unfortunately, no matter how well Qian Chang understood Le Dong, he dared not speculate wildly about the Soul Transformation level powerhouses Le Dong had previously vanquished. Moreover, due to various circumstances, more than one Soul Transformation expert had met their end by Le Dong’s hand.

The battle with the Earth Giants proceeded without any elaborate ceremony. After a brief consultation, they engaged immediately.

“Hahaha, human cultivator, why not surrender honestly now and hand over those billion spirit stone pills.” Kuitu appeared somewhat arrogant, confident of an easy victory. He thrust his massive hands upward, summoning a colossal spear nearly ten zhang long. With a single stride, he moved as if shrinking the distance with his steps, appearing beneath Le Dong, the spear tip whistling fiercely as it stabbed directly toward him.

Such a massive stone spear was wielded in Kuitu’s hands as easily as a fine embroidery needle, handled with smooth, natural fluidity. Clearly, Kuitu had devoted countless hours of strenuous effort to this type of combat. Le Dong felt an instant barrage of spear shadows, each one aimed precisely at his heart. Recognizing this, he couldn't help but feel invigorated; this Kuitu truly possessed skill, executing the giant spear technique to a level far exceeding the refined mastery expected of an Earth Giant. Giants were renowned for their strength and earth-based magic, often lacking in delicate finesse.

Instead of using the Rear Wing technique, Le Dong’s figure flashed, leaving behind a trail of afterimages, each one strikingly similar to his own form, making it temporarily impossible to discern the true Le Dong. The Ghost Shadow Evasion, one of the signature escape arts of the Yinsha Sect, had been mastered by Le Dong over many years to the point of perfection. Merging it with his slight comprehension of Space Laws, the resulting Ghost Shadow Evasion truly made him appear like a phantom, shadowy and multilayered.

The succession of spear shadows pierced through all of Le Dong’s illusions. But Le Dong’s true body had already arrived behind Kuitu. With a casual flick of his finger, a Medial Fire Bomb, the size of a kaolou fruit and burning with dense green flames, shot forth. The Medial Fire Bomb was also a fundamental spell of the Netherworld system. Yet, often in the hands of powerful cultivators, even basic spells could unleash tremendous might.

The Nether Flame was one of the common sources of fire in the world, yet it possessed an exceptionally peculiar nature: it consumed the souls of living beings, making it exceedingly venomous. Clearly, Kuitu was a well-informed Earth Giant and a formidable powerhouse. With a cold snort, he casually slapped his giant hand downward, swatting the Medial Fire Bomb away as if flicking away a fly, a look of disdain on his face. With his mid-stage Nascent Soul strength, how could a mere Nether Fire possibly harm him?

With a muffled boom, the Medial Fire Bomb shattered in his palm. The pale green flames settled on his rock-like rough palm. Instead of extinguishing as Kuitu expected, they began to burn with an unnerving strangeness. They spread with bizarre intensity, like a wildfire, instantly creeping up his arm toward his head.

Kuitu’s expression shifted. He realized that if the Nether Fire managed to cling to his substantial Nascent Soul, even at his mid-stage mastery, he would suffer a great loss. He hastily channeled his Earth True Essence to force back and annihilate the flames, expending considerable effort. He felt a deep sense of alarm; this human cultivator, daring to stake his life against him, clearly possessed considerable methods. Kuitu vaguely sensed that the spells wielded by this human named Lei contained a trace of the Space Law. His Medial Fire Bomb was also incredibly peculiar. To deal with him, he might need to bring out his true power.

“Clever boy, I shall let you witness our Earth Giant clan’s understanding of the Law of Earth.” Kuitu had previously attempted to comprehend the Law of Space but never found the correct method. However, due to the Earth Giants’ innate genius regarding the Five Elements’ Earth, they possessed a significant advantage in comprehending the Law of Earth. He immediately swung his long spear, and a dense, pure, earth-yellow mist billowed forth around him.

The mist swirled with the wind, continuously rotating. In just two or three breaths, it condensed into a Stone Puppet no smaller than Kuitu himself.