Guixu Secret Realm, Black Tortoise Trial

Xuanwei felt like a firefighter, and one with a constitution that attracted fire at that! It had only been a few days since things calmed down in the East Sea, and now another secret realm connected to the "Eye of the Netherworld" and the Black Tortoise Armor had appeared? Was this Primordial World trying to spice things up for him because it thought he was too idle lately?

"Teacher, is something the matter?" Mo Yuan, who was diligently leveling the land, noticed the change in Xuanwei's aura and stopped his work, asking with concern. Although the young man's cultivation was still shallow, his mind was sharp, and he paid special attention to Xuanwei, his "teacher."

Xuanwei looked at his disciple's clear eyes (which also held the self-awareness of a laborer), sighed, and patted his shoulder (the touch of Immortal Qi). "It's nothing, you continue with your work. Your teacher might be away for a few days. Take good care of the Medicine Garden, cultivate diligently, and don't slack off. If there's an urgent matter, you can seek out Master Brother Duobao or Senior Sister San Xiao."

He gave a few simple instructions, taught Mo Yuan the basic formation control spells for the Medicine Garden, and then, without further delay, transformed into a beam of light and headed straight for Three Immortal Island. Mo Yuan was left watching the direction his teacher had departed, clenching his fists, his eyes filled with the determination to cultivate hard and help his teacher.

Arriving at Three Immortal Island once more, Xuanwei clearly felt that the atmosphere on the island was more somber than usual. The immortal cranes no longer cried out leisurely, and the spirit beasts also seemed somewhat agitated. Yunxiao, Qiongxiao, and Bixiao were already waiting at the Tide-Listening Pavilion. Besides them, there was another person—it was Senior Brother Luo Xuan, who had led the patrol of the East Sea before.

"Junior Brother Xuanwei, you're here." Yunxiao maintained her usual cool demeanor, but there was an unshakeable solemnity between her brows.

"Senior Sister, Senior Brother Luo Xuan." After bowing, Xuanwei asked impatiently, "What exactly happened? Why did that secret realm resonate with the Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor?"

Luo Xuan took over the conversation. He was more hot-tempered and direct, his voice filled with indignation. "Hmph! It's those bald donkeys from the Western Teachings! The grand formation they set up before, although its core was shattered by Senior Black Tortoise's palm, the residual formation foundations and spatial nodes were not completely annihilated. I don't know what secret method they used, but they actually triggered an ancient spatial fold in the deep sea, forcibly opening a temporary secret realm entrance!"

He paused and continued, "When I and a few junior brothers were patrolling nearby, we discovered that the space at the entrance was extremely unstable, emitting a Dao Rhyme that was ancient, chaotic, and carried the aura of Guixu's annihilation. Even stranger, the piece of Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor you gave me (Xuanwei had simulated the tortoise shell's aura for Luo Xuan to perceive earlier to confirm the situation) vibrated on its own when it approached the entrance, transmitting a strong resonance and... a sense of 'summoning'!"

Bixiao eagerly added, "We suspect that the secret realm forcibly opened might be related to the 'Eye of the Netherworld' guarded by Senior Black Tortoise! It could even be an affiliated minor world or a trial ground around the Eye of the Netherworld! The Western Teachings stumbled upon it, or rather... they were aiming for it all along!"

Xuanwei's heart trembled violently! The Eye of the Netherworld, that was a Primordial forbidden land that even Saints spoke of with dread, rumored to be the place where heaven and earth return to silence and all things end, and also the boundary between the Primordial World and Chaos! The Black Tortoise clan had guarded it for generations, its importance was self-evident!

Could the Western Teachings forcibly open a secret realm related to it? Had they been planning this for a long time, or had their luck (or misfortune) truly reached this point?

"Senior Sister, Senior Brother, you mean..." Xuanwei vaguely guessed their intentions.

Yunxiao looked at him, her cool eyes flashing with sharp light. "This secret realm appeared due to the residual methods of the Western Teachings and is closely related to Senior Black Tortoise. Officially, we must investigate clearly to prevent the Western Teachings from using this to cause trouble and harm the Primordial World. Privately, this is your opportunity. Senior Black Tortoise bestowed the Dao Pattern Armor upon you, and this armor resonates with the secret realm, indicating that you have a connection to this place. Perhaps you can gain more secrets about the Black Tortoise inheritance within, or even... find a way to accelerate the hatching of those three Black Tortoise Eggs."

Accelerate hatching? Xuanwei's eyes lit up! This was an irresistible temptation! Those three "egg-devouring beasts" consumed a considerable amount of Chaos Qi and Wood Element Vitality every day. If they could hatch sooner, not only would he have more powerful fighters (or mounts?), but he would also save a large sum on "baby formula"!

"Senior Sister is right! This secret realm must be investigated!" Xuanwei's resolve instantly solidified. "When do we depart?"

"There's no time to delay!" Luo Xuan suddenly stood up. "That entrance is extremely unstable, and we don't know how long it will last. Although the Western Teachings have temporarily retreated, it's hard to guarantee they won't return, or attract other coveters. We need to enter as soon as possible!"

Bixiao, even more excited, took out the Golden Flood Dragon Scissors. "I've been waiting for this! Let those bald donkeys know that touching our Intercepting Sect's things comes with a price!"

Qiongxiao was relatively calm. "The situation within the secret realm is unknown, so we must be cautious. We need to be prepared for the unexpected."

All five were decisive individuals. After a brief preparation, they left Three Immortal Island again, riding their escape lights, and sped towards Liubo Immortal Island in the East Sea.

Along the way, Xuanwei could clearly feel the Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor in his embrace (integrated into his body) vibrating more intensely as they drew closer. The sense of "summoning" transmitted became clearer and stronger, even faintly guiding their direction.

Arriving at that familiar sea area once more, they saw from afar a spatial vortex suspended in the air above the sea, constantly twisting, its edges flashing with unstable golden and black light! The seawater around the vortex was a strange gray-black, emitting a heart-palpitating aura of annihilation, characteristic of the power of Guixu! And at the center of the vortex was a deep darkness, as if leading to an unknown abyss.

"It's there!" Luo Xuan pointed at the spatial vortex. "We tried to approach, but were blocked by a powerful repulsive force. Only your Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor, Junior Brother Xuanwei, could resonate with it. Perhaps... only those who hold this armor can enter safely."

Upon hearing this, Xuanwei took a deep breath and fully activated the Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor! Buzz! A heavy, ancient, dark light imbued with the intent of suppressing prisons and calming the seas surged from within him, enveloping his entire body.

Indeed, as he approached the spatial vortex, the powerful repulsive force instantly disappeared, replaced by a gentle pulling force. The darkness at the center of the vortex seemed to transform into a gateway, opening its embrace to him.

"I'll go first!" Xuanwei nodded to his four fellow disciples and, without further hesitation, transformed into a beam of light and plunged into the dark gateway.

San Xiao and Luo Xuan watched anxiously from outside, ready to provide support at any moment.

After a familiar sensation of spinning and spatial distortion, Xuanwei landed on solid ground (it felt like stepping on some kind of hard crystal). He steadied himself and cautiously surveyed his surroundings.

This was not the dark seabed or chaotic ruins he had imagined, but an... incredibly vast, strange, and dead world!

The sky was an eternal, hazy gray, devoid of sun, moon, or stars. Only countless shattered, glass-like spatial fragments floated, refracting bizarre light. The ground was composed of a black crystal that seemed to absorb all light, cold and hard. In the distance, faintly visible were some colossal, mountain-like... bones? They appeared to be the remains of some ancient giant beast, exuding a suffocating pressure.

The air was filled with extremely pure, yet also containing extreme death and destruction, Water Element Qi and Earth Element Qi, and... wisps of even purer Chaos Qi! The Chaos Qi here was more ancient than what he had transformed, closer to the origin!

"Could this... be a minor world formed from the corpse of a fallen Chaos Demon God? Or... a residual fragment space after the Eye of the Netherworld devoured all things?" Xuanwei was shocked.

He attempted to circulate the incomplete parts of the Black Emperor Water Sovereign Fist and the basic techniques of the "Black Tortoise Prison Suppressing Pattern." He found that the dense Water, Earth Element Qi, and Chaos Qi in this place greatly enhanced his cultivation! It was even better than what he had expected from the "Supreme Pure Dao Comprehension Pool"! Of course, the prerequisite was being able to withstand the pervasive erosion of the deathly stillness and destructive Dao Rhyme.

[Environment Analysis: High concentration of Chaos Qi, Water Element Qi, Earth Element Qi, and Guixu Annihilation Dao Rhyme coexist.]

[Hint: This place is extremely suitable for cultivating Black Emperor Water Sovereign Fist, Black Tortoise Prison Suppressing Pattern, and Chaos Heaven-Opening Art. However, one must simultaneously resist the erosion of Guixu Dao Rhyme, otherwise there is a risk of assimilation.]

[Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor Resonance Direction: Due North, presence of high-intensity energy source and... life reaction?]

Life reaction? There were still living beings in this dead world?

Xuanwei's heart stirred. Following the guidance of the Dao Pattern Armor, he cautiously moved towards the north. He dared not use his escape light; the space here was extremely fragile and chaotic, and flying recklessly could lead to being cut by spatial fragments or being caught in turbulent currents.

Walking on this black crystal ground, he could feel faint suction forces coming from beneath his feet, as if the earth itself was absorbing his energy. He had to divert a portion of his attention to circulate his techniques to resist this erosion.

Along the way, he saw some strange sights: rivers formed from pure Water Element, yet exuding icy deathly energy; clusters of earth-yellow crystals like sharp swords plunged into the ground; and even some broken, ancient-style stone tablets, inscribed with unrecognizable runes, emitting an aura of the same origin as the Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor.

"This place... seems to have experienced a fierce battle?" Xuanwei guessed. The giant beast skeletons and broken stone tablets all spoke of past turmoil.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, a huge canyon appeared ahead. Deep within the canyon, faintly visible was an ancient-looking altar constructed from black crystal, seemingly integrated with the entire land! Around the altar, dense Chaos Qi and Water-Earth Element energy permeated, and the resonance of the Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor reached its peak at this moment!

The source of the summoning was on that altar!

Xuanwei's spirits lifted, and he quickened his pace, heading towards the depths of the canyon.

However, just as he was about to step into the canyon—

"Roar!!!"

A low, majestic roar, as if from the depths of the Nine Netherworlds, suddenly erupted from the shadows on both sides of the canyon! Immediately after, two colossal beasts, formed entirely of black crystal, appearing neither entirely turtle nor snake-like, with Guixu deathly energy and Water-Earth spiritual light entwined around them, slowly revealed their forms. Their cold pupils locked onto Xuanwei!

Their aura had reached the peak of Mysterious Immortal! And they carried a pure killing intent, born for battle and guardianship!

"Black Tortoise... no, they are... guardian puppets condensed from the power of Guixu combined with the primal Water and Earth elements?" Xuanwei's pupils contracted, and he instantly understood.

This secret realm was indeed not easy to enter! To approach the core altar, one must first pass the trial of these guardian puppets!

He took a deep breath, feeling the fighting spirit emanating from the Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor in his embrace, and the urge of the Black Emperor Water Sovereign Fist and Black Tortoise Prison Suppressing Pattern within his body. His eyes sharpened.

"It seems I have no choice but to fight..."