Under Wu Tan's instructions, the barbarians stacked the dead bodies of their fallen members over the lava. Although the lava was still hot enough to burn the bodies, it would take some time, enough for the barbarians to cross over.

When everything was ready, Wu Tan and others began sending their men. When only a few of them were left, Wu Tan turned to An De.

"Brother An De, how about we join forces to deal with those outsiders?" Wu Tan took a step forward and said with a humble tone.

An De, who had just finished collecting their dead, was stunned upon hearing Wu Tan's words. He still hadn't gotten over the fact that Wu Tan and others used the bodies of their dead men as a bridge. So when Wu Tan spoke, he thought he heard it wrong and couldn't even react for a moment.

"These outsiders are a scourge," Wu Tan said, "If we don't get rid of them, they will destroy everything we care about—"

"Shut up! Just shut up!" An De roared at Wu Tan, he was so angry that he wanted to tear him up. "Y-you… Why didn't you think of this before? You want us to pretend as if nothing happened?"

"Brother An De, although we have our contradictions, we must unite against these outsiders," Wu Tan said. "Besides, don't you want to retrieve the scroll? As long as the An Tribe is willing to help, we can consider sharing the scroll."

"You don't have to worry about An Tribe's affairs," An De snorted. The scroll belonged to the An Tribe. Who did Wu Tan think he was to share it with them? An De ignored Wu Tan and others and instead led his men to retreat from the mountain base.

Wu Tan and others watched them go, but didn't stop them.

While the other tribes climbed the mountain, An De and his team of barbarians rushed back toward their tribe.

"Brother, do we give up just like this?" one of the barbarians asked.

"Give up?" An De sneered. "No way! But with those outsiders and other tribes present, it will be difficult to grab the scroll," he said. "The scroll won't run away. It's better to let them fight against each other and save our strength. " An De looked at the top of the mountain and his eyes became gloomy. "There's something we must deal with first… "

An De and his team increased their speed and soon their figures disappeared into the forest.

On the mountain, the cultivators and barbarians were rushing towards the crater. The cultivators were the first to reach the destination on their flying swords.

Hundreds of cultivators encircled the crater, and the sky became densely packed with them. But aside from the pool of overflowing lava, there was nothing to see.

"Where's the fire-spirit?"

Several cultivators were disappointed, but nobody was willing to give up just like that. One after another, they took out their devices that could help them with treasure hunting. And the results came soon.

"There's something inside the lava!" someone exclaimed.

"The fire elemental aura in the crater has been steadily increasing," another cultivator said.

"Those barbarians didn't lie," one cultivator exclaimed, "there's indeed a treasure here."

More and more people confirmed the results with their own methods.

Something was brewing inside the lava. The concentration of fire elemental qi was steadily rising and hadn't reached its limit. No one could confirm the existence of a spirit, but this was enough for them to know that there was a treasure hidden inside.

Everyone's spirits rose, but since the treasure hadn't been born yet, they could only wait.

A few astute cultivators realized the seriousness of the situation and controlled their enthusiasm. They settled down and began to meditate and recover their spirit to the peak. Some began to set up arrays, others began to charge their talismans. A few cultivators, mostly the solo ones, receded in the background and then disappeared. Whether they really left or were just hiding, only they knew.

An air of oppression soon hung over the entire crater, like a keg of powder that could explode at any moment.

At this time, a handsome youth wearing a robe made of expensive brocade, stepped forward and said in a loud voice, "Everyone, can you please listen to a few words I have to say?"

Several people looked at him and sneered. Many pretended not to hear him. But the youth was unfazed and continued to talk.

"The treasure's existence has been confirmed," the youth said. "It has yet to make an appearance, but once it does—how do you plan to decide its ownership?"

It was as if a silent bomb had exploded.

The atmosphere had been peaceful so far, but everyone knew it was a facade. Once the treasure came out, everyone would turn against each other and grab the treasure.

But even though it was the truth, these words shouldn't have been said. Everyone glared at the youth.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" a youngster snorted. He was the closest to the youth and was annoyed since his line of sight was blocked because of him. "Get the—" he was about to say more when he saw the embroidery of a three-legged golden crow on the robes of that youth. "You… are you from?" He gulped and pointed at the insignia of the golden crow with a trembling finger.

The youth looked at everyone and sneered, "Golden Crow Clan, Ya Huan."

The Golden Crow Clan! Several people gasped and took a step back.

The Golden Crow Clan was one of the top powers from the Central Continent and could be ranked in the top five.

Once Ya Huan revealed his identity, the cultivators around him became restrained, some even had the heart to retreat. Especially the cultivator who had just confronted him, he panicked and couldn't wait to find a hole to drill himself into.

However, not everyone was cowed by the reputation of the Golden Crow Clan.

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"Is the Golden Crow Clan Planning to swallow the treasure just by relying on a few words?" A thin youth snorted. "According to the rules, anyone can contend for an ownerless treasure."

"Well said!" Another person stepped forward and stood next to the thin youth, facing Ya Huan. "Even if you are from a big family, you have to play by the rules. If you don't want others to fight for the treasure against you, you have to compensate."

Ya Huan looked at the two youths. "You two are?"

"Five Elements Sect, Hong Bai," the thin youth said. He wore a white robe with an insignia of a five-colored lotus on his chest.

Everyone looked at Hong Bai in surprise. The Five Elements Sect—another top power. No wonder he dared to speak against Ya Huan.

"Dan Sect, Fu Shen," the second youth said. He had the insignia of a cauldron on his chest.

A silence followed this introduction, but the tension in the air was even more palpable. The reputation of the Dan Sect was even more resounding than the Five Elements Sect and Golden Crow Clan.

Everyone looked at Fu Shen with awe.

Once Hong Bai and Fu Shen stepped forward, everyone felt they had grown a backbone.

So what if Ya Huan was from the Golden Crow Clan? Could he hog the treasure alone? What's more, as per the rules for the secret realm, everyone had a chance to compete for a treasure. As long as nobody died, it was a fair game.

"Yes, if you want us to leave, compensate first," that youth who had been scared stiff by Ya Huan, shouted.

"Haha, you want us to leave just a few words?"

"Even if it's the Golden Crow Clan, they can't be so brazen."

"Yeah…"

The cultivators began to shout one after another.

Ya Huan looked at the emboldened faces of everyone and his face twitched. If he had to compensate everyone, he would be bankrupt. With Hong Bai and Fu Shen taking the lead, he had no way out.

"Everyone," Ya Huan said, "you misunderstood my intentions."

Everyone looked at Ya Huan and sneered, not believing him.

"No!" Ya Huan sweated seeing everyone's skeptical expressions and coughed. "Just think about it. Once we fight among ourselves, even if you are the final winner, then what? You still have to face them." He pointed in the distance.

Everyone looked in the distance and saw hundreds of barbarians marching toward them, and their faces turned ugly. Nobody had the confidence to face the barbarians alone. Blinded by their greed, they had almost forgotten their existence.

Even if someone grabbed the treasure, it would be hard to escape. Other cultivators would definitely not help—it would be a blessing if they didn't gloat at their misfortune.

The crowd fell silent. Nobody was in the mood to taunt Ya Huan anymore.

"So what are you suggesting?" Hong Bai asked.

"We are not like those muscle heads, are we?" Ya Huan glanced at everyone and said. "There's no need to fight amongst ourselves. How about we get rid of those barbarians first?"

There was truth in Ya Huan's words. Only when the barbarians were gone, could they compete for the treasure in peace.

Hong Bai and Fu Shen looked at each other and then at Ya Huan.

"Your suggestion is good," Fu Shen said. "But I have a condition. Only those who help eliminate the barbarians can compete for the treasure, others can buzz off."

Several people nodded in approval, nobody wanted to work as a horse for others. If they exhausted themselves killing barbarians, only to find other people grab the treasure—could anyone tolerate it?

"Agreed." Hong Bai didn't have any objections. "But let's make it so that those who kill the most barbarians will get the first shot at the treasure." With this everyone would try their best to kill the barbarians.

Ya Huan narrowed his eyes. "It seems Brother Hong is very confident."

"What?" Hong Bai sneered. "Afraid?"

"Afraid?" Ya Huan chuckled. "It's just to my liking. Just… " he looked at Fu Shen. "It will inconvenience Brother Fu."

Everyone knew the Dan Sect focused on pill refining and rarely fought. This condition was unfair to them.

"I have no opinion," Fu Shen said, much to everyone's surprise.

"Since Brother Fu Shen agreed, there is no need to waste any more time," Ya Huan said and turned to the rest of the cultivators. "Everyone, it's your turn to make a decision."

"Jiang Clan, Jiang Chen… willing to participate," a guy said.

"Xie Family, Xie Lin… ready to contribute… " another said.

One by one, people stepped forward. At this time, the background of the several cultivators became apparent. Announcing their background wasn't just to show their agreement—it was a veiled threat. If anyone wanted to break the agreement later, they had to weigh the consequences.

The cultivators who didn't have a strong background stood out like stray dogs and kittens. Many lone cultivators were embarrassed and simply left. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell, even if these solo cultivators participated, could they beat those with a strong background? They would just end up as free labor.

While the cultivators were discussing, the barbarians from the four tribes reached the crater.

Ya Huan looked at the barbarians and sneered, "Everyone, it's time to perform."

Hong Bai, Fu Shen, and others looked at each other and nodded. People quietly took out talismans and other weapons and began to charge them.

Wu Tan and other barbarians who had just reached the crater heard Hong Bai's words and frowned. They looked at the outsiders who were all staring at them with evil in their eyes and had a feeling of walking into a tiger's den.

"Things are not right," Wu Tan frowned. Before he wasn't worried about the cultivators. Their number was high, but they weren't united. Now the number of the cultivators facing them had reduced by half, but they were all facing them together. Wu Tan's expression turned solemn, "Prepare for a fight. We must grab the initiative."

"Hmph!" Gu Zhu and other barbarian leaders snorted and started instructing the barbarians behind them.

The crowd of barbarians spread. The archers fell behind while those with melee weapons rushed forward.

"Attack!" Ya Huan and Wu Tan shouted almost at the same time.

In the next instant, the night sky was dazzled with fireworks. Brilliant lights flew toward the barbarians.

The volley of arrows by the barbarians couldn't stop the magic arts, and the group of barbarians were bombarded.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A huge ball of fire hit a barbarian and turned him into a crisp…

A frost ball turned another into an ice sculpture…

A blade of wind chopped a couple to pieces…

In the first exchange, the cultivators had the upper hand. The barbarians seemed to be just rushing forward to their deaths. Dozens of barbarians died without a complete body, but it didn't deter the rest. Instead, they used their bodies as meat shields and protected those behind them.

Cultivators' firing of spells was devastating, but also short-lived. Once the initial round was over, there was a long delay. How could the barbarians miss such a chance?

The spells in the sky were replaced by a rain of arrows and spears.

Shua! Shua! Shau!

An arrow penetrated the eye of a cultivator on a flying sword, another pierced the throat…

A spear lodged into the abdomen of another…

"Aargh!" The sky was soon filled with cries. Not everyone had high-level defensive treasures. They were the first to get hit. Several others saw the plight of their fellow companions and panicked. Some tried to dodge the projectiles on their flying swords, but in their haste, they crashed into several of their companions.

"Shit! Are you blind?" a cultivator screamed. He was about to cast a spell but was disturbed. He lost control of his spell and instead of launching it at the barbarians, the spell exploded in his face…

Boom!

The shockwave knocked dozens of cultivators, they lost their balance and crashed into others initiating a chain reaction.

In just a few moments, dozens of cultivators became victims.

The unlucky ones fell directly into the crater—the rest crash-landed in front of the barbarians.

The tables had turned.

Originally, the cultivators had an advantage with their numbers. Coupled with their ability to fly and cast magic, they had absolute superiority. But one mistake, and it threw them off completely. Flying in the air, which was their greatest advantage, became their worst nightmare.

"Kill!" The barbarians jumped onto the fallen cultivators before they had the chance to stand up.

"No, don't—argh!"

Several cultivators begged for mercy, but their pleas only met sharpened blades. The barbarians were even ruthless against themselves, would they pity their enemies?

"Retreat! Retreat!" Someone screamed in panic. Several cultivators were scared by the barbarians' charge and attempted to escape.

Panic settled in and the cultivators completely lost their cool, resulting in even more mistakes.

It was chaos.

Unlike the barbarians, the cultivators had little experience in group battles. They had just assembled, weren't familiar with each other, and lacked the tacit understanding the barbarians had. Once they made a mistake, they were overwhelmed by the barbarians' assault.

In contrast to the cultivators, the barbarians were like well-oiled killing machines, harvesting lives at every step…

Amidst the chaos, nobody noticed that the three people responsible for the battle had silently disappeared.