Secret Realm of the Netherworld, Black Tortoise Trial

Xuanwei felt like a firefighter—and one born with the talent for starting fires! The Eastern Sea had only just calmed down for a few days. Why had another secret realm connected to the "Eye of the Netherworld" and the Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor appeared? Was the Primordial World finding him too idle lately and coming up with new ways to give him thrills?

"Master, is something important happening?" Mo Yuan, who had been diligently leveling the land, sensed a change in Xuanwei's aura. He stopped working and asked with concern. Though the youth's cultivation was still shallow, he was sharp-minded and especially attentive toward Xuanwei, his "master."

Seeing the clear look in his disciple's eyes—and the self-awareness of a wage slave—Xuanwei sighed and patted his shoulder with an immortal touch. "It's nothing. Keep working. Your master may be leaving for a few days. Watch over the Medicine Garden carefully, cultivate diligently, and don't slack off. If anything urgent happens, seek out Senior Brother Duobao or Senior Sisters San Xiao."

After giving a few simple instructions and teaching Mo Yuan the incantation for controlling the Medicine Garden's basic restrictions, he wasted no more time. He transformed into a streak of light and headed straight for Three Immortal Island. Mo Yuan watched his master depart, clenching his fists, his eyes filled with determination to cultivate hard and be of help to his master.

Upon arriving at Three Immortal Island again, Xuanwei immediately sensed that the atmosphere was more solemn than before. The immortal cranes no longer cried leisurely, and even the spirit beasts seemed restless. Yunxiao, Qiongxiao, and Bixiao had already been waiting at Tide-Listening Pavilion. Besides them, there was another person—Senior Brother Luo Xuan, who had previously led the patrol of the Eastern Sea.

"Junior Brother Xuanwei, you're here." Yunxiao still wore her usual cool expression, but an unshakable gravity lingered between her brows.

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

Luo Xuan took over. He had a fiery and straightforward temperament, and his voice carried indignation. "Hmph! It's those bald donkeys from the Western Teachings again! The core of the summoning formation they set up before was shattered by Senior Black Tortoise with a single slap, but the remaining formation foundation and spatial nodes were not completely destroyed. Who knows what secret art they used, but they actually stirred up an ancient spatial fold in the deep sea and forcibly opened a temporary entrance to a secret realm!"

He paused before continuing. "When several junior brothers and I were patrolling nearby, we found that the space around the entrance was extremely unstable. It gave off an incredibly ancient and chaotic Dao Rhyme carrying the aura of Netherworld annihilation. Even stranger, the fragment of Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor you gave me—when you had me sense the tortoise shell's aura to confirm the situation—began trembling on its own as it approached the entrance. It transmitted a powerful resonance and... something like a summons!"

Bixiao quickly added, "We suspect that the secret realm forcibly opened there is likely connected to the Eye of the Netherworld guarded by Senior Black Tortoise! It may even be a subsidiary small world or trial ground on the outskirts of the Eye of the Netherworld! The Western Teachings either stumbled onto it by accident, or... this was what they had been after all along!"

Xuanwei's heart shook violently. The Eye of the Netherworld was a forbidden land of the Primordial World that even Saints avoided mentioning. It was said to be where heaven and earth returned to silence and all things met their end—the boundary between the Primordial World and Chaos! The Black Tortoise clan had guarded it for generations. Its importance went without saying!

The Western Teachings had actually managed to forcibly open a secret realm related to it? Had they planned this long ago, or had their luck—or rather, misfortune—reached such an absurd level?

"Senior Sisters, Senior Brother, you mean..." Xuanwei vaguely guessed what they intended.

Yunxiao looked at him, sharp light flickering in her cool eyes. "This secret realm appeared because of the Western Teachings' remaining methods, and it is closely connected to Senior Black Tortoise. For the greater good, we must investigate it clearly and prevent the Western Teachings from using it to cause harm to the Primordial World. For your own sake, this is an opportunity. Senior Black Tortoise bestowed the Dao Pattern Armor upon you, and now it resonates with this secret realm. That means you have an affinity with this place. Perhaps you can uncover more secrets of the Black Tortoise inheritance within it, or even... find an opportunity to speed up the hatching of those three Black Tortoise Eggs."

Speed up their hatching? Xuanwei's eyes lit up! This was an irresistible temptation! Those three "egg-devouring beasts" consumed no small amount of Chaos Qi and Wood Element Vitality every day. If they could hatch sooner, not only would he gain three powerful fighters—or mounts?—but he could also save a huge sum on formula money!

"Senior Sister is right! This secret realm must be investigated!" Xuanwei instantly made up his mind. "When do we leave?"

"The sooner, the better!" Luo Xuan rose abruptly. "The entrance is extremely unstable. We don't know how long it can remain open. The Western Teachings may have retreated for now, but there is no guarantee they will not return, or that other covetous parties will not be drawn here. We must enter as soon as possible!"

Bixiao excitedly summoned the Golden Flood Dragon Scissors. "I've been waiting forever! Let those bald donkeys know that touching something belonging to our Interception Sect comes at a price!"

Qiongxiao was comparatively calm. "The situation inside the secret realm is unknown. We must proceed with caution and make preparations against any danger."

The five were all decisive people. After making brief preparations, they left Three Immortal Island once more, riding streaks of light toward Liubo Immortal Island in the Eastern Sea.

Along the way, Xuanwei could clearly feel the fragment of Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor in his chest—fused with his body—trembling more intensely as they drew closer. The sensation of being summoned also became clearer and stronger, even faintly guiding him in a direction.

When they reached that familiar sea region again, they saw from afar a spatial vortex hovering above the ocean, constantly twisting, its edges flashing with unstable golden and black light! The seawater around it was an eerie gray-black, exuding a heart-palpitating aura of annihilation—the unmistakable characteristic of the Netherworld's power! At the vortex's center lay profound darkness, like an abyss leading into the unknown.

"That's it!" Luo Xuan pointed at the spatial vortex. "We tried approaching it, but a powerful repulsive force stopped us. Only your Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor can resonate with it, Junior Brother Xuanwei. Perhaps... only one who possesses this armor can enter safely."

Hearing this, Xuanwei took a deep breath and fully activated the Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor! Buzz! A heavy, ancient black radiance bearing the intent of suppressing prisons and stabilizing seas surged from his body, enveloping him.

Sure enough, when he approached the spatial vortex, the powerful repulsive force vanished instantly. In its place was a gentle pulling force. The darkness at the vortex's center seemed to transform into a doorway, opening its embrace to him.

"I'll go first!" Xuanwei nodded to his four fellow disciples. Without further hesitation, he transformed into a streak of light and plunged into that dark portal.

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

After the familiar sensation of spinning heaven and earth and warped space, Xuanwei's feet touched solid ground—it felt like he was standing on some sort of hard crystal. He steadied himself and warily surveyed his surroundings.

This was not the dark seabed or chaotic ruins he had imagined, but a... vast, bizarre, deathly silent world!

The sky was eternally gray. There were no sun, moon, or stars, only countless shattered spatial fragments floating like glazed glass and refracting strange light. The ground was formed from black crystals that seemed to absorb all light, cold and unyielding. In the distance, he could vaguely make out enormous mountain-like... bones? They appeared to be the remains of some ancient colossal beast, radiating a suffocating pressure.

The air was filled with incomparably pure water-element and earth-element qi, yet they carried the extreme intent of deathly stillness and destruction. There were also wisps of even purer Chaos Qi! The Chaos Qi here was older and closer to the source than what he could convert himself!

Could this be a small world formed from the corpse of some Chaos Fiendgod after its fall? Or... a fragmentary space left behind after the Eye of the Netherworld devoured everything? Xuanwei was deeply shaken.

He tried circulating the incomplete Black Emperor Water Sovereign Fist and the foundational method of the Black Tortoise Prison Suppressing Pattern. He discovered that the abundant water-element qi, earth-element qi, and Chaos Qi here greatly enhanced his cultivation! The effect was even better than he had expected from the Supreme Pure Dao Comprehension Pool! Of course, that was only if he could withstand the corrosion of the omnipresent Dao Rhyme of deathly stillness and destruction.

[Environmental Analysis: High concentrations of Chaos Qi, water-element qi, earth-element qi, and Netherworld annihilation Dao Rhyme coexist.]

[Notice: This place is highly suitable for cultivating Black Emperor Water Sovereign Fist, Black Tortoise Prison Suppressing Pattern, and Chaos Heaven-Opening Art. However, one must also resist the corrosion of the Netherworld Dao Rhyme, or there is a risk of assimilation.]

[Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor resonance points north: A high-intensity energy source and... a life reaction?]

A life reaction? There were living creatures in this deathly silent world?

Xuanwei's heart stirred. Following the Dao Pattern Armor's guidance, he carefully headed north. He did not dare fly. The space here was extremely fragile and chaotic, and flying recklessly could easily get him sliced apart by spatial fragments or swept into turbulent currents.

As he walked across the black crystalline ground, he could feel faint pulls of suction rising from beneath his feet, as though the earth itself were drawing in his energy. He had to devote part of his attention to circulating his cultivation technique and resisting the erosion.

Along the way, he saw many strange sights: rivers condensed from pure water-element qi that nonetheless exuded icy death qi; yellow crystal clusters thrust upside down into the earth like swords; and even ruined stone tablets in an ancient style, carved with unrecognizable runes and radiating an aura from the same origin as the Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor.

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

After an unknown amount of time, a massive canyon appeared ahead. Deep within it, he could vaguely see an altar built from black crystal, ancient in design and seemingly fused with the entire land! Around it swirled Chaos Qi and water-earth elemental power so dense they could hardly disperse, while the resonance of the Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor reached its peak!

The source of the summons was atop that altar!

Xuanwei's spirits rose. He quickened his pace and headed deeper into the canyon.

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

ROAR!!!

A low, imposing roar, as though it came from beneath the Nine Netherworlds, suddenly rang out from the shadows on both sides of the canyon! Immediately afterward, two enormous beasts slowly emerged. Their bodies were made entirely of black crystal, their forms neither quite tortoise nor quite serpent, and Abyss of Return Death Qi and Water-Earth Spiritual Light coiled around them. Their icy pupils locked firmly onto Xuanwei!

Their auras had astonishingly reached the peak of the Mysterious Immortal realm! Moreover, they carried a pure killing intent born solely for battle and protection!

"Black Tortoise... no, guardian puppets formed from the power of the Netherworld combined with the origins of water and earth..." Xuanwei's pupils contracted as he understood at once.

This secret realm truly was not so easy to enter! To approach that core altar, he first had to pass the trial of these guardian puppets!

He took a deep breath, feeling the fighting intent transmitted by the Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor in his chest, as well as the restless stirrings of the Black Emperor Water Sovereign Fist and the Black Tortoise Prison Suppressing Pattern within him. His gaze sharpened.

"Looks like there's no avoiding a fight..."