The massive stone house, about five times the size of stone houses from other clans of Thunder Tribe, is constructed of pitch-black rocks that emanate an unsettling and oppressive current of energy, further intensified by the thunderous sounds of lightning in the surroundings.

Four Thunder Clan warriors clad in chitinous 'armor' have been watching Zhu Bufan and his companions with vigilant eyes ever since Lei Hong entered the stone house. Judging by the fluctuations of Primordial Qi emanating from these four guards stationed outside the door, all of them are cultivators at the peak of Bone Forging. Just the doorkeepers for this clan leader are cultivators at the peak of their stage—just how powerful is this clan leader?

Lei Hong didn't delay this time and soon came out. He nodded at Zhu Bufan and the others, then said to everyone: "The Clan Leader invites you in."

Passing through the main gate, Zhu Bufan and the others entered the stone house built of black rocks. Contrary to what they imagined, the interior of the stone house was far from rudimentary. Four dark, circular pillars stood in the corners, supporting the hefty roof. The furnishings inside were simple but not crude, with golden beast hides spread on the floor that were softer and smoother than the finest carpet. The skulls of various demon beasts hung on the walls, filling the room with an aura of grim killing intent.

"Please sit, humans." said a middle-aged man of the Thunder Clan, right at the front of the stone house, as Zhu Bufan and the others came in.

The body of the middle-aged Thunder Clan man was exceptionally burly and strong, his blue hair like lightning, and the Thunder Light dancing in his eyes seemed powerful enough to burst forth, shooting towards Zhu Bufan and the others with palpable intensity.

Different from other members of the Thunder Clan, the middle-aged man was adorned with many strange stone ornaments, and he was draped in a purple-blue beast hide. What caught Zhu Bufan's attention the most was the necklace around the Thunder Clan middle-aged man's neck, made up of crystal-clear jade beads the size of a baby's fist. Zhu Bufan could clearly sense the Spiritual Energy fluctuations from the jade beads in the necklace.

"Are those the Sealing Thunder Clean Jade?"

Seeing these transparent, crystal-clear jades with what appeared to be blue lightning threads at their core, Zhu Bufan immediately thought of the Sealing Thunder Clean Jade that Yue Lan had mentioned to him before, and he vaguely understood the specialty of these jades.

When it comes to Spiritual Energy, in fact, medicinal materials or resources of different ranks contain Spiritual Energy to varying extents. The higher the rank, the stronger the Spiritual Energy. However, the energy contained within these medicinal materials and mineral ores is formed over many years and, even though they are powerful, it cannot be directly extracted except through special means—methods that would completely destroy these materials and yield only a small amount. It's akin to a powerful cultivator; you can defeat him, but you cannot easily seize his Primordial Qi for your own. That's the principle.

But the Sealing Thunder Clean Jade is different. Even from such a distance, Zhu Bufan could clearly feel the Spiritual Energy within the Sealing Thunder Clean Jade was flowing, not merely emanating like other materials. This meant that one could guide and absorb this flowing Spiritual Energy, and from this sensation, the Spiritual Energy within the Sealing Thunder Clean Jade was so pure that it could almost immediately be converted into usable Primordial Qi upon absorption.

"It remains to be seen how much Spiritual Energy these Sealing Thunder Clean Jades can store. If it's a lot, it would be invincible." Thinking this, Zhu Bufan resolved to do whatever it took to get a batch of Sealing Thunder Clean Jade!

"The Clan Leader has heard that it was you who stepped in just in time to help Lei Hong and his men repel Priestess Luo. Without your help, the three of them would have likely become souls lost to Priestess Luo. The Clan Leader here expresses his gratitude for your saving our three young warriors from the Thunder Tribe." As he spoke, the Thunder Clan Leader nodded slightly to Zhu Bufan and the others seated on the soft beast hide mats as a gesture of thanks.

"As for your wish to pass through the Earth Gate, Lei Hong has also told the Clan Leader about it. Though the Clan Leader is inclined to help you, I fear the Chief of the Electric Flash Tribe will not agree. If they resolutely refuse to let you pass, then the Clan Leader has no way out, as our Thunder Tribe itself is at war with the Electric Flash Tribe. So, guaranteeing your safe passage through the Earth Gate is something that the Clan Leader does not dare promise." After expressing gratitude, the Thunder Tribe's Clan Leader finally spoke about the passage to the third-layer gate, but his tone suggested he was not too keen on helping Zhu Bufan and his group.

"Oh? Clan Leader, aren't both your tribes esteemed members of the Thunder Clan? Do you still fight against each other?" Upon hearing the Clan Leader's words, Wang Hui asked with a hint of curiosity.

The Thunder Clan Leader eyed Wang Hui, felt the fluctuations of Primordial Qi emanating from him for a moment, and then spoke with a meaningful smile, "War, actually, is nothing strange, right? After all, your human race is the one most fond of initiating wars, isn't it?"

A single sentence from the Clan Leader of the Thunder Clan left Zhu Bufan and the others speechless. Indeed, their own human race was most fond of fighting amongst themselves, so what was so strange about the Thunder Clan doing the same?

"Actually, in addition to our Thunder Tribe and the Electric Flash Tribe, there are many other tribes within the Thunder Clan. However, in terms of strength, it's our Thunder Tribe and the Electric Flash Tribe that are the largest. We have always wanted to defeat each other to become the largest tribe and then unify the Thunder Clan. It's just that the strength of both sides is evenly matched, and we have not been able to determine a winner."

Zhu Bufan and the others were somewhat surprised that the Clan Leader of the Thunder Clan was so forthright about their situation. However, Zhu Bufan soon began to mock himself. It was quite obvious that there were only two reasons for others to be so generous in sharing. The first reason was that they believed even if you knew about these things, it was of no importance; after all, you couldn't stir up any major trouble, which is why they told you so bluntly—in the end, it was merely for you to listen.

The second reason was that once you listened, you were truly getting on the bandit's ship - you would either have to help or become an enemy. However, from the Clan Leader's indifferent gaze and considering the attitude of those from the Thunder Clan towards them along the way, this possibility was almost zero. Given the pride of the Thunder Clan and their exclusion of humans, it was impossible for them to let humans join their unification war.

Obviously, besides Zhu Bufan, others also more or less understood the Clan Leader's intentions and showed a helpless smile. They smiled because they felt belittled and also because they feared that the path to the third layer through the Earth Gate might not be smooth.

"Clan Leader, if I have the ability to give your tribe an advantage in the war within the Thunder Clan, then, would you consider letting us reach the Earth Gate and go to the third layer?" After a prolonged silence on both sides, Zhu Bufan suddenly raised his head and spoke to the Clan Leader of the Thunder Clan.

"Hmph! In our Thunder Clan's own battles, we neither need nor will we allow any outsiders to interfere. You better not have such thoughts! Otherwise, do not blame us for being merciless!! Or do you look down upon our Thunder Clan's holy war?" Indeed, upon hearing Zhu Bufan say he could help the Thunder Tribe, the Clan Leader was obviously very angry, and even thought Zhu Bufan was intentionally belittling their Thunder Clan. The pride of the Thunder Clan people was obvious!

"Hehe, Clan Leader, I think you have misunderstood my intentions." While others, except for Emperor Yan, frowned or were surprised by Zhu Bufan's words, Zhu Bufan himself smiled slightly and said: "Does the Clan Leader know what these are?"

"This is? A Jade Talisman? Could this be the legendary Jade Talisman? I've only ever heard of these things in the records of our ancestors!" The Clan Leader suddenly became a bit excited after taking a close look at the Jade Talismans that Zhu Bufan had levitated over with his Primordial Qi for quite some time.

"Yes, these are indeed Jade Talismans!" Seeing the intense excitement of the Clan Leader, Zhu Bufan knew that his guess was correct. There were indeed no Artifact Refiners in the Thunder Clan. Otherwise, if an Artifact Refiner had just slightly refined those carapace armors, they wouldn't look so ugly. Of course, in the Thunder Marsh Layer, the Thunder Clan itself was a race that could only use thunder and lightning, so naturally, there would be no Artifact Refiners.

"What do you mean by this?" After carefully admiring Zhu Bufan's given Jade Talisman for a long time and feeling the flame Spiritual Energy rippling within it countless times, the Clan Leader finally spoke to Zhu Bufan, his tone lacking the high and mighty pride, clearly somewhat interested in what Zhu Bufan had said.

"Clan Leader, as you know, these Jade Talismans, when thrown during a battle, can result in a rather strong attack. If your warriors are equipped with these Jade Talismans when fighting against the warriors from the Electric Flash Tribe, wouldn't your chances of victory be much higher?"

"Human! Do not deceive us. We of the Thunder Clan are not unaware! These Jade Talismans are extremely rare artifacts, how could they possibly be available in large quantities..." The Clan Leader only got halfway through his sentence before his voice trailed off, as he clearly saw Zhu Bufan taking out a large number of Jade Talismans from his Storage Ring. The sheer quantity astonished not only the Thunder Clan's Clan Leader but also Wang Hui, Grand Steward Liu, and Yue Lan, all of whom stared wide-eyed at the Jade Talismans in Zhu Bufan's hands and scattered on the ground.

"Human, you win." After a long silence, the Clan Leader of the Thunder Clan eventually said: "These fishers are completely sufficient as a reward for me to escort you to the Earth Gate. Rest assured, I promise you, you will be able to successfully reach the third layer through the Earth Gate." After a sigh, the Clan Leader finally made a promise.

"Hehe, Clan Leader, don't be hasty. Actually, I would like to make a trade with you. The trade's compensation will be Elixirs, which I expect you're even less unfamiliar with. We can provide a lot of high-quality healing Elixirs to the Thunder Tribe. Moreover, I can also spend some time refining some Weapons and Armor for the Thunder Tribe during this period. In return, we hope to exchange for some Sealing Thunder Clean Jade. What do you think, Clan Leader?"

"You mean, you also have a large number of Elixirs?" Upon hearing Zhu Bufan's words, even the Clan Leader could no longer keep his composure and stood up abruptly with a 'whoosh', staring wide-eyed at Zhu Bufan.

"Hehe, because besides being an Artifact Refiner, I am also an Alchemist." Not denying the Clan Leader's words, Zhu Bufan maintained a proud smile and bowed to the Clan Leader.

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