Black Water Tempering Body, First Glimpse of Guixu

Facing the two guardian puppets before him, formed from Abyss of Return Death Qi and Water-Earth Spiritual Light, both exuding the pressure of a peak Mysterious Immortal, Xuanwei felt like an unlucky thief who had stumbled into someone's backyard and was cornered by guard dogs. Fight them, and they were powerful and had the advantage of terrain. Don't fight, and there was clearly something good on the altar behind them. Moreover, the Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor was constantly "urging" him on, like a child eager to go home for dinner.

"I'll go all out! It's the perfect time to test out my newly acquired Spiritual Power!" Xuanwei steeled himself, and the incantations for the Black Emperor Water Sovereign Fist and the Black Tortoise Prison Suppressing Pattern within his body instantly circulated to their limit! At the same time, he quietly activated the power of the Chaos Bead, not for direct attack, but to amplify his control over Water and Earth elemental Qi and to resist the pervasive erosion of the Abyss of Return Death Qi.

"Roar!"

The puppet on the left, resembling a giant turtle with a black crystal mountain on its back, attacked first! It stomped its foot, and the entire canyon seemed to tremble. Numerous sharp black earth spikes erupted from beneath Xuanwei's feet like bamboo shoots after a spring rain! The heavy Wutu Earth power and Abyss of Return Death Qi contained within them were enough to easily tear through the protective Immortal Qi of an ordinary Heavenly Immortal!

"Black Tortoise Prison Suppressing, Freeze!"

Xuanwei dared not delay. His hands moved rapidly, drawing upon the Wutu Source Core within him and the rudimentary understanding of the Prison Suppressing Pattern he had just gained, condensing a thick, dark-glowing earthen wall before him! A phantom image of a black tortoise vaguely swirled on the wall's surface, exuding a stable, mountain-like aura.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The earth spikes fiercely impacted the earthen wall, emitting dull, heavy thuds! The wall shook violently, cracks appearing on its surface, but it ultimately managed to block the wave of attacks. Xuanwei was pushed back several dozen feet by the recoil, his Immortal Qi body fluctuating, and he inwardly marveled, What incredible power!

However, the other puppet, resembling a black tortoise, incredibly agile, had already silently circled to his side and spat out a stream of dark gray water! This was no ordinary water flow, but highly condensed Abyss of Return Black Water, containing extremely potent corrosive and annihilating properties. Wherever it passed, even space let out a "sizzling" mournful cry!

"Black Emperor Water Sovereign, Defend!"

Xuanwei hastily changed his strategy, circulating the water-controlling techniques from the incomplete Black Emperor Water Sovereign Fist, attempting to form a barrier with the surrounding Water elemental Qi. But he had clearly underestimated the dominance of the Abyss of Return Black Water! The Water elemental Qi barrier he condensed dissolved and disintegrated like ice and snow under a scorching sun the moment it came into contact with the black water!

Seeing the black water arrow about to hit him, Xuanwei was terrified, almost resorting to activating the Chaos Bead's domain or crushing a life-saving talisman!

At this critical juncture, the Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor in his embrace suddenly vibrated, and a purer, more ancient aura of the Black Tortoise Source emanated from it! Simultaneously, certain obscure points in his sea of consciousness regarding the Black Emperor Water Sovereign Fist suddenly became clear!

So that's it! Water has no constant form, and the Abyss of Return is also water! How could the Black Emperor, who commands all waters, fear this Abyss of Return Death Water?!

As if divinely inspired, Xuanwei abandoned the idea of forcibly resisting. Instead, he circulated his incantation, his hands drawing an arcane arc, as if to embrace the incoming black water arrow! His Immortal Qi attribute instantly adjusted, simulating a trace of the same origin as the Abyss of Return Black Water, yet with a deeper essence—it was the Black Emperor's authority to rule all waters and encompass all return to silence!

Hiss--

The black water arrow, capable of annihilating a Mysterious Immortal, upon touching the arc drawn by Xuanwei's hands, behaved like a returning bird to its nest. The violent annihilating power instantly became docile, obediently merging into the arc, transforming into pure Water elemental Qi and Abyss of Return Dao Rhyme, which Xuanwei carefully guided and absorbed!

Although he only absorbed a minuscule amount, Xuanwei immediately felt as if his Immortal Qi Source had been tempered by a force of extreme cold and stillness, becoming more solid. He gained a deeper understanding of Water-elemental Qi, especially this type of negatively charged Water elemental Qi, and his proficiency in the Black Emperor Water Sovereign Fist also surged!

It can be like this?! Xuanwei was both surprised and delighted! This Abyss of Return Black Water was deadly poison to others, but to him, who bore the Black Emperor's legacy (incomplete) and the Black Tortoise Source (Dao Pattern Armor), it was a tonic?!

The tables had turned!

The two guardian puppets clearly hadn't expected their prey to be able to "consume" their attacks, and their movements momentarily faltered.

Xuanwei seized the opportunity and went on the offensive! He no longer simply defended but combined the Black Emperor Water Sovereign Fist and the Black Tortoise Prison Suppressing Pattern. His movement was like a phantom as he closed in on the black tortoise puppet. His fist, interwoven with dark light and water vapor, carried a force that was both heavy and flexible, smashing fiercely towards its vital point (energy core)!

"Black Water Prison Suppressing Fist!"

Boom!

The fist's power erupted, and the force, mixed with the characteristics of the Abyss of Return Black Water, instantly invaded the black tortoise puppet's body. Its black crystal armor emitted sounds of cracking under unbearable strain. Its massive body was sent tumbling backward, its aura noticeably weakened!

Seeing this, the giant turtle puppet let out an enraged roar. Its colossal body, like a mountain, crushed towards Xuanwei, attempting to crush him with absolute force.

"Excellent! A perfect chance to practice the defensive capabilities of the Prison Suppressing Pattern!"

Xuanwei neither dodged nor evaded. He combined the recently absorbed Abyss of Return Black Water power with his own Wutu Source, fully activating the "Black Tortoise Prison Suppressing Pattern"! Dark, complex patterns, clearer than before, appeared and flowed on the surface of his Immortal Qi body, as if cloaking him in armor condensed from Abyss of Return Black Water and Wutu Essence!

RUMBLE!!!

The giant turtle puppet crashed fiercely into Xuanwei, unleashing a world-shattering roar! The terrifying shockwave shattered a significant portion of the black crystal on both sides of the canyon!

However, as the dust settled, Xuanwei's figure remained firmly planted in place! The dark patterns on his body glowed and flowed, dissolving and even partially reflecting the terrifying impact force of the giant turtle puppet! Although his Immortal Qi core vibrated violently and his consumption was immense, he had ultimately withstood the full-force collision of a peak Mysterious Immortal!

"Awesome!" Xuanwei felt the surging power within him and his deeper understanding of the Spiritual Power, letting out a long roar! This kind of head-on confrontation, tempering Spiritual Power on the brink of death, was far more efficient than secluded cultivation!

The two guardian puppets seemed to realize that this "intruder" was not to be trifled with and possessed power from the same origin as them. They exchanged glances and slowly retreated, melting back into the shadows on both sides of the canyon, disappearing. The cold sense of being locked onto also dissipated.

"Did I pass?" Xuanwei breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if he had completed a difficult probationary assessment. He didn't dare to be careless, quickly recovering his consumed energy while warily approaching the black altar deeper in the canyon.

The closer he got to the altar, the denser the Chaos Qi and Water-Earth elemental Qi became, almost forming tangible mist. The altar itself was not ornate, constructed entirely from the light-absorbing black crystal, inscribed with ancient runes similar to those on the Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor. In the center was a sunken pool.

Inside the pool was not ordinary liquid, but... a pool of liquid black gem, constantly churning, emitting extreme coldness and Abyss of Return Dao Rhyme—Abyss of Return Black Water! And it was the purest Source Black Water!

The resonance of the Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor originated from this pool of black water!

[Detected "Abyss of Return Source Black Water Pool"! Contains the purest Abyss of Return Annihilation Power and Chaos Water Element!]

[Warning! Energy level too high! Direct contact carries the risk of complete assimilation and annihilation!]

[Hint: You can use the Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor and the Black Emperor Water Sovereign Fist incantations to attempt slow absorption and refinement, tempering your physical body (Immortal Body) and divine soul, greatly enhancing your resistance and control over Water-elemental Qi, Earth-elemental Qi, and Abyss of Return Dao Rhyme!]

Tempering my Immortal Body and divine soul?! Xuanwei looked at the pool of heart-pounding black water and swallowed (a non-existent) saliva. This stuff looked ten thousand times more terrifying than sulfuric acid; could it really be used for "bathing"?

But the desire and guidance from the Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor could not be faked. Moreover, he could feel that if he could successfully refine this pool of black water, his Black Emperor Water Sovereign Fist and Black Tortoise Prison Suppressing Pattern would definitely be elevated to a whole new level! He might even be able to touch upon the mysteries of the "Abyss of Return" Law through this!

Fortune favors the bold! I'll do it!

Xuanwei gritted his teeth. First, he activated the power of the Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor to its limit, forming a solid dark-glowing protective armor on his body. Then, he cautiously extended a wisp of Immortal Qi into the black water pool.

Hiss--!

Like a red-hot iron rod plunged into ice water, that wisp of Immortal Qi was instantly worn away by more than half by the terrifying annihilating power contained within the black water! Intense pain surged through the connection, making Xuanwei's consciousness tremble!

But he gritted his teeth and endured, simultaneously circulating the trace of "encompassing silence" he had just comprehended from the Black Emperor Water Sovereign Fist, guiding the remaining, initially "tamed" black water power, to slowly flow back and merge into his own Immortal Qi Source.

The process was extremely painful, like being sliced by a thousand knives, or being thrown into an ice prison to endure eternal stillness and death. But his Immortal Qi Source, under the tempering of this extreme power, was indeed becoming more condensed and pure at a visible rate. A deep black stream of light faintly appeared within it, and his resistance to Abyss of Return Dao Rhyme clearly increased.

[Immortal Qi Source Purity Increased! Resistance to Abyss of Return Annihilation Power +10%! Understanding of Black Emperor Water Sovereign Fist greatly improved!]

[Detected host coming into contact with the core Dao Rhyme of the Abyss of Return... Chaos Bead resonates faintly... Beginning to record and analyze fragments of the Abyss of Return Law...]

The Chaos Bead was alerted too? Xuanwei's heart leaped with joy. He further calmed his mind, enduring immense pain as he slowly absorbed and refined the precious Abyss of Return Source Black Water.

Time seemed to lose all meaning in this silent, dead secret realm.

After an unknown period, when Xuanwei felt his Immortal Qi Source was almost saturated and the absorption efficiency of the black water began to drop significantly, he slowly stopped his cultivation.

At this moment, although his Immortal Qi body was still at the early Heavenly Immortal stage, its condensation and inherent strength were likely comparable to a late Heavenly Immortal! More importantly, he now contained a trace of pure Abyss of Return Black Water Source within him, causing his control over water elements, especially negative water elements, to skyrocket! The Black Emperor Water Sovereign Fist had directly advanced to the Minor Accomplishment realm!

"This trip to the secret realm was worth it!" Xuanwei felt the changes within himself, filled with delight.

However, just as he was about to examine the other runes on the altar to see if there were any other gains--

Hum!

The Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor in his embrace vibrated violently again! But this time, it no longer transmitted a "summon," but a... hurried "warning"!

At the same time, the entire secret realm space suddenly shook! From the direction of the already unstable spatial entrance in the distance, a powerful energy fluctuation carrying Buddhist chanting emanated!

An arrogant yet triumphant voice, tinged with smugness, faintly reached him through the spatial barrier:

"Haha! So it's here! As expected of a treasure land destined for my Western Teachings! Fellow Daoist inside, please come out for a chat and share this great opportunity!"

Xuanwei's face instantly turned grim.

The Western Teachings! They had actually found a way to stabilize the entrance, and they had tracked him down this quickly?!