Chapter Fifty-Five: Tremors Across the Land

Yi Tian shot across dozens of yards in a flash, the Golden Scale Sword radiating searing, destructive sword energy as it sliced through the air toward the giant.

With a furious roar, the giant swung his meteor hammer, true energy surging from his body, causing the weapon to glow with a hazy light as it hurtled forth with terrifying might to meet Yi Tian's strike.

Steel clashed with a deafening ring as Yi Tian’s sword struck the meteor hammer. Sparks flew in all directions, and the powerful collision sent waves rippling through the void around them. The scalding heat of Yi Tian’s pure Yang true energy was so intense that sweat streamed from the giant's body; his hair and skin were nearly seared to ash by the scorching waves.

Yi Tian himself was forced to stagger rapidly backward by the giant’s tremendous strength, his palm nearly split open from the impact.

Battle!

Yi Tian’s fighting spirit surged. In the next instant, his figure darted forward like lightning, launching another assault on the giant.

The two clashed fiercely. The overwhelming heat of pure Yang true energy was so oppressive that within a radius of over ten yards, ordinary warriors could not endure it, as if they had been thrown into a blazing furnace.

Even ninth-tier warriors could not withstand the scorching energy for long.

Yet the giant’s body was incredibly resilient, and beneath the burning of Yi Tian’s true energy, he showed little sign of weakness. Though his hair had been reduced to ash and his skin was bright red, his combat strength remained unshaken, his vitality as formidable as ever—a terrifying sight.

Even Yi Tian, locked in mortal combat with the giant, could not help but marvel at his opponent’s physical might.

He knew well that, though he had always tempered his own body as if it were a weapon with pure Yang true energy, strengthening himself further and further, he was still outmatched by this little giant before him.

Sword and hammer rang again and again, their battle clearing the surrounding area as none dared approach within dozens of yards.

Yi Tian, at early eighth tier, was locked in a struggle with a late ninth-tier giant, holding his own—a fact that left the nearby tribal warriors, especially those who knew Yi Tian, finding it hard to believe.

Had Yi Tian slain the giant with archery, they might have accepted it, as the tribe’s Divine Arrow Technique was truly formidable, capable of taking the lives of even higher-tiered warriors.

But while their archery was fearsome, in close combat the members of their tribe were no different from common warriors.

Yet here was Yi Tian, relying only on his robust true energy, engaging in a deadlocked melee with a prodigy of the late ninth tier, without employing any martial skills—this was truly astonishing.

Moreover, the true energy Yi Tian unleashed was unimaginably scorching and domineering, as if celestial fire itself was burning.

Not even the true energy of ninth-tier peak warriors could match such ferocity and strength.

As Yi Tian and the giant of the Dark Skeleton Band fought savagely, the three grand elders of the Wu Clan and the left and right Guardians of the Black Dragon Society were seized by terror. In the blink of an eye, the combined forces of their three factions—over ten thousand warriors, more than two hundred high-tier fighters, and eight ninth-tier powerhouses—had attacked, yet now, they suffered devastating casualties; nearly all the high-tier warriors were massacred, and two ninth-tier experts had fallen as well.

The Yibo Tribe’s strength had far exceeded their expectations.

Now, they suffered grievous losses, and even their own lives were in jeopardy.

Escape!

At that moment, they fought desperately to break free.

Yet, the second and third tribal elders and four others intercepted them, barring their escape.

For their enemies, the Yibo Tribe knew but one word: kill.

In this world, mercy toward one’s foes was the height of folly.

Finally, the Wu Clan’s fourth elder, Wu De, was slain by two tribal elders working in tandem.

With one Wu Clan elder dead, the two elders joined other battle groups. The balance shifted; even as the Wu Clan elders and the Black Dragon Society’s Guardians fought with desperate fury, unleashing their martial skills, they could not turn the tide and were killed by the combined assault of several tribal elders and eighth-tier warriors.

Yi Tian’s duel with the giant soon reached its conclusion.

With a final roar, the giant’s body twisted violently. At last, under the unrelenting burn of pure Yang true energy, his body gave out; flames erupted from within him, turning him into a man of fire. In moments, he was reduced to a pile of ash, leaving behind only his pair of scarred, nearly ruined superior spirit weapons—the meteor hammers.

It turned out the giant had not been unscathed by the pure Yang true energy; he had merely suppressed the damage until, reaching his limit, it erupted all at once.

All the ninth-tier warriors were annihilated.

Without high-tier warriors, the enemy forces quickly collapsed under the assault of the tribe’s elite. Casualties soared, and only a scant few hundred managed to escape.

The battle lasted less than half an hour.

The Yibo Tribe lost over a hundred and seventy warriors—a heavy toll—but compared to the near-total annihilation of the combined forces of the Wu Clan, Black Dragon Society, and Dark Skeleton Band, they had every reason to be proud.

Afterward, the tribe learned from prisoners the cause of this alliance’s attack.

It turned out that the attackers believed the Yibo Tribe had discovered some great treasure and, driven by greed, intended to wipe them out and divide the spoils.

Upon learning the truth, the tribal leaders breathed a sigh of relief.

The secret of the large-scale primal vein mine had not been leaked—a stroke of luck amid misfortune.

Nevertheless, the recent changes in the tribe had drawn the attention and suspicion of other powers, catching the predatory eyes of the Wu Clan, Black Dragon Society, and Dark Skeleton Band of Black Dragon City’s eight great families.

This weighed heavily on the tribe’s minds.

After his battle with the giant, Yi Tian reflected on his triumphs and shortcomings.

In that fight, had his body not been tempered and greatly enhanced, he would not have survived the giant’s assaults—his body would have collapsed.

Crash!

A table carved from fragrant wood was smashed to splinters by Wu Shigong’s palm.

He had just learned from his surviving family warriors that their three-sided force of more than ten thousand had been utterly defeated, with heavy losses and three of the clan’s elders slain. His face turned ghostly pale.

This time, nearly all the Wu Clan’s forces had been wiped out—a devastating blow for a family that had only just begun to recover its strength.

“It seems I must report to the Grand Elder,” Wu Shigong muttered, his expression grim.

He had been the chief proponent of this campaign, and now the Wu Clan’s strength was crippled. Once the Grand Elder was informed, he might not even retain his position as clan chief.

The Black Dragon Society and Dark Skeleton Band also received the shocking news.

The Three Kings, the highest authorities in the Black Dragon Society, were alarmed. Normally, they would not appear unless the matter was vital, but this time, the loss of two Guardians and over five thousand members was a serious blow.

The Dark Skeleton Band, with their Blood God and Ghost God yet to return, was thrown into uproar.

The news of the three major factions’ joint attack on the Yibo Tribe—and their subsequent disastrous defeat—spread rapidly among all the powers of Black Dragon City.

Although the action had drawn little attention at first, once the battle broke out, it could not be concealed. The Wu Clan and their allies could not keep it secret.

Their plan had been to create an accomplished fact—destroy the Yibo Tribe, divide the treasure, and, even if others learned of it later, they would be powerless to reclaim it.

Yet nothing had gone as they wished.

At the same time, word spread through various channels that the Yibo Tribe might have discovered a treasure.

This rumor swept Black Dragon City, filling its streets and alleys.

Everyone speculated about the nature, value, and abundance of the supposed treasure.

Thus, the Yibo Tribe became the focus of attention for all powers in Black Dragon City. Even some powerful, solitary high-tier warriors turned their eyes toward the tribe.

Yet at the eye of the storm, the Yibo Tribe showed no reaction.

Situated at the edge of the Fulong Mountains, far from Black Dragon City and its surrounding powers, they were spared much trouble.

Old Chieftain Yi Du and the great tribal elders secretly rejoiced.

Though news of their treasure had spread, it was still only within the confines of Black Dragon City.

In this world, tales of treasures surfacing are never in short supply—truth and falsehood intermingled, countless beyond number.

What may be esteemed as treasure by the great factions of Black Dragon City might be worthless in the eyes of ancient noble families and venerable sects who have endured for millennia. Even the old aristocratic families of Jingmu County might pay it little heed.

Unless it was the ruins of an ancient sect or the legacy of a true powerhouse reemerging to shake the world, it was unlikely to attract the attention of forces beyond Black Dragon City.