The Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Pearl was sent into the depths of Abyss.
Lu Chen did not rush to refine it.
An Innate Spiritual Treasure capable of suppressing water fortune would inevitably cause a huge disturbance when fused with the Abyssal Womb Membrane.
The Frost Phoenix Lineage had only just entered the outer city, and Dragon-Suppressing Pass was still adjusting its inner and outer defenses.
Refining it rashly might cause the water veins within the inner realm to riot.
So Lu Chen first had Lan Shuang, Lady Mingzhu, Ancestor Xuan Jia, and the Sea-Swallowing Soul Pearl sort through Abyss's water veins together.
Lady Mingzhu was responsible for identifying the spiritual veins.
Ancestor Xuan Jia was responsible for stabilizing the foundations.
The Sea-Swallowing Soul Pearl was responsible for guiding the Northern Darkness Water Aura.
Lan Shuang used the Book of Cause and Effect to record the changes in the water veins everywhere.
If this scene were to spread to the outside world, it would absolutely leave countless Water Clan members dumbfounded.
The Black Pearl Clam Lady.
A Great Luo of the Turtle Clan.
A remnant soul of a ferocious beast.
These forces had actually gathered solely to assist Lu Chen in refining a Sea-Calming Pearl.
Yet in the eyes of Abyss's various clans, everything was perfectly normal.
The Emperor wanted to refine a treasure.
Naturally, the Myriad Clans of Abyss had to cooperate.
Watching them bustle about, Lu Chen felt quite satisfied.
Having people work for him really was nice.
He only needed to wait for the final result.
Three hundred years later.
All the main water veins in the Inner Realm of the Abyss had been sorted out.
Beneath the Northern Darkness Dao Palace, an enormous water-vein array diagram appeared.
At the center of the diagram was where the Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Pearl would merge.
Lu Chen's Abyss Dharma Body slowly condensed.
This time, he did not hide himself completely.
All the clans of Abyss knew that the Emperor would refine the Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Pearl and allow Abyss to advance another step.
Countless living beings gathered outside Abyss City and knelt from afar toward the Northern Darkness Dao Palace.
Lan Shuang stood before the array diagram, her expression solemn.
"The thirty-six old clans of Abyss, fifteen new clans, the Black-Shelled Turtle Tribe, and the Frost Phoenix Lineage are all prepared."
"Please, Emperor, refine the treasure."
Hearing that long list of clans, Lu Chen felt somewhat complicated.
Without realizing it, Abyss had grown to contain so many people.
Forget it.
First, refine the treasure.
The Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Pearl slowly rose.
A dark blue radiance illuminated the entire Inner Realm of the Abyss.
Lu Chen's Primordial Spirit guided the Abyssal Womb Membrane, slowly connecting it to the Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Pearl.
Boom!
The instant the Sea-Calming Pearl entered the array, the entire Inner Realm of the Abyss shook violently.
Countless water veins burst forth from underground.
Originally, there had only been a few spirit pools, lakes, and tiny rivers around Abyss City.
But as the Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Pearl merged into the womb membrane, the hazy gray space in the distance began to crack open.
Vast expanses of water rapidly evolved from nothing.
It was not ordinary seawater.
It was an entirely new body of water imbued with the aura of Abyss, the water fortune of Northern Darkness, and the power of the Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Pearl.
Lan Shuang's breathing stopped for an instant at the sight.
"The inner realm is expanding."
Delight appeared in Lady Mingzhu's eyes.
"The waters have evolved!"
Ancestor Xuan Jia stroked his beard, his expression shaken.
"This is no longer an ordinary Grotto-Heaven."
"Abyss... is evolving toward a minor world."
The Sea-Swallowing Soul Pearl floated in the air and said softly, "This old turtle really is as outrageous as ever."
The Book of Cause and Effect flipped open on its own.
New terrain began to be recorded.
Northern Darkness Sea.
This was the first true inland sea within the Inner Realm of the Abyss.
The Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Pearl hung at the center of the Northern Darkness Sea, suppressing its water fortune.
Newborn spiritual veins formed at the bottom of the Northern Darkness Sea, stretching in every direction.
The boundary of the Abyssal Womb Membrane continued expanding as well.
Three hundred thousand li.
Five hundred thousand li.
One million li.
In the end, the entire Inner Realm of the Abyss expanded to a radius of one million li before gradually stabilizing.
Countless Abyss beings watched in rapt fascination.
They had witnessed the birth of a sea with their own eyes.
To many beings, this was practically equivalent to the creation of heaven and earth.
The Frost Phoenix Lineage had only recently entered Abyss, and they were left speechless for a long time.
Feng Li looked at the Northern Darkness Sea, and the last trace of doubt in her heart completely vanished.
She had originally worried that Abyss's strength was only temporary, that it might not truly be able to shelter the Frost Phoenix Lineage in the future.
But now, seeing the inner realm evolve, seeing the Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Pearl suppress the water fortune, and seeing a minor world gradually take shape, she finally understood that Abyss's potential far exceeded her previous imagination.
This place might truly be able to avoid the Dragon-Han Cataclysm.
It might even avoid the greater calamities of heaven and earth that lay further in the future.
Feng Li said softly, "The Frost Phoenix Lineage came to the right place."
Ao Lie stood at the Outer Gate of Dragon-Suppressing Pass and also sensed the changes brought by the Inner Realm of the Abyss's expansion.
The Outer Gate Array Imprint on his body became even more stable.
Dragon-Suppressing Pass was connected to the Abyssal Womb Membrane, and its defensive power rose accordingly.
Ao Lie remained silent for a long time.
"Abyss is growing stronger and stronger."
Han Jue stood beside him, his eyes shining.
"This is only the beginning."
Ao Lie looked at him.
"You're quite confident."
Han Jue grinned.
"Because the Emperor has not truly emerged from seclusion yet."
Ao Lie's heart trembled slightly.
That was right.
For all Abyss had developed to this day, Mysterious Abyss Emperor's true body had never emerged from seclusion.
With merely a few casual moves while in seclusion, he had allowed Abyss to reach its current scale.
What if one day the Emperor truly emerged from seclusion?
Ao Lie suddenly did not dare think any further.
In the depths of Abyss.
Lu Chen sensed the expansion of the inner realm and felt exceedingly pleased.
An inner realm spanning one million li.
The Northern Darkness Sea.
The Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Pearl.
These were all genuine sources of security.
The larger the inner realm, the better he could hide.
The more stable the water veins, the harder it would be to breach the Abyssal Womb Membrane.
If Nuwa truly came looking for him in the future, he would have more room to maneuver.
The system's voice rang out.
"Congratulations, Host, for completing the first water-domain evolution of the Inner Realm of the Abyss."
"The Abyssal Womb Membrane has advanced into a prototype Abyss Minor World."
"Reward: the third-layer fragment of the Chaos Shell-Shedding Method."
Lu Chen's mind shook.
The Chaos Shell-Shedding Method again!
He immediately immersed himself in comprehending it.
The third-layer fragment was even more profound than the second layer.
If the second layer allowed him to transfer part of his karma onto the Old Shell.
Then the third layer began to involve "Old Shell Fate-Bearing."
Fate-bearing.
These two words carried enormous significance for Lu Chen.
In the future, when Nuwa severed the Black Tortoise's four legs, it was fundamentally something demanded by fate.
After heaven collapsed, the Four Extremes needed pillars.
The Northern Sea Black Tortoise was chosen by the Heavenly Dao to become material for Heaven Mending.
If Lu Chen could have the Old Shell bear this destiny, his true body would have a chance to escape from fate.
Of course, the third layer was only a fragment for now.
It was far from sufficient.
But the direction had become incomparably clear.
Lu Chen was so excited he nearly wanted to roll over.
Fortunately, he restrained himself.
Beside the Abyss Sea Eye, he could not roll around carelessly.
What if he shattered another remnant soul of a ferocious beast? Then he would have to spend half the day explaining it.
While Lu Chen comprehended the Chaos Shell-Shedding Method, Lan Shuang was outside the Northern Darkness Dao Palace announcing Abyss's new regulations.
The Abyss Minor World had expanded, and the Northern Darkness Sea had been born.
The distribution of the clans also needed to be replanned.
Following Lu Chen's earlier offhand remark about "allocating land according to merit," Lan Shuang established new allocation rules.
Each clan could be assigned outer-city residential areas, Spirit Fields, water domains, and cultivation abodes according to its contributions, Merit, population, cultivation, and responsibilities.
Those with merit could enter the inner city.
The Realm Guard, Academy, treasury, Bureau of Cause and Effect, and Bureau of Calamity Avoidance all had corresponding merits.
As soon as these rules were announced, the clans of Abyss became even more energized.
In the outside world, resources had always been allocated solely based on strength.
Powerful clans occupied spirit mountains.
Weak clans drank whatever dregs remained.
Now, Abyss allocated resources according to merit. As long as weak clans were willing to work, follow the rules, and earn merit, they too could obtain stable places to cultivate.
To them, this was no different from heaven and earth being overturned.
Lady Mingzhu took the opportunity to propose establishing a true Abyss Treasury.
Previously, the treasury had merely stored items contributed by the various clans.
Now that the Abyss Minor World had evolved, spiritual veins had increased, and the Northern Darkness Sea was producing resources, the treasury had to officially become a bureau.
Lan Shuang sought Lu Chen's instructions.
At first, Lu Chen hesitated somewhat.
A treasury sounded like something every proper faction was supposed to have.
But then the system prompt sounded.
"Detected that the Abyss Treasury is about to be established. Please choose."
"First, establish the Abyss Treasury and centrally manage the inner realm's resources. Reward: increased foundation of the Abyssal Womb Membrane."
"Second, refuse to establish a treasury and avoid deepening the factionalization. Reward: one Wealth-Averting Talisman."
"Third, make all resources the Host's private property. Reward: Prototype Treasure-Gathering Basin."
Lu Chen decisively chose the first option.
The third was absurd.
What did he need so many resources for?
It wasn't as if he needed them to show off.
The second reward was obviously useless.
The first was the safest.
The stronger the foundation of the Abyssal Womb Membrane, the greater his sense of security.
"The treasury may be established."
"Resources will be temporarily stored in Abyss."
"None may be embezzled."
Lady Mingzhu's eyes instantly filled with emotion.
"The Emperor does not take the wealth of the ten thousand tribes and is willing to use the treasury to sustain all living beings of Abyss."
"With such breadth of heart, Mingzhu is in awe."
Lu Chen: "..."
His heart was not that broad.
He simply found it troublesome.
But no one would believe that explanation if he gave it.
The Abyss Treasury was officially established.
Lady Mingzhu was appointed head of the Treasury Bureau.
The Mystic Clam Tribe was responsible for inventorying spirit pearls, water jade, spirit ores, spirit herbs, and artifact-refining materials.
All resources were recorded in the Register of Ten Thousand Tribes and the Book of Cause and Effect.
Those who contributed could exchange their merits for rewards.
With this system in place, order in Abyss grew even more stable.
All the tribes could clearly see what they gave and what they could receive.
Watching Abyss become increasingly orderly, Lu Chen finally felt a measure of relief.
Although Abyss was becoming less and less like a simple cave dwelling for secluded cultivation,
at least everything was becoming safer.
As long as nothing major happened, it could keep developing like this.
However, major events in the Primordial World had never stopped just because Lu Chen wanted to sleep.
Several hundred years later.
Outside Dragon-Suppressing Pass, a Dragon Clan edict arrived from the direction of the Eastern Sea.
That edict had not been issued by the Blackwater Dragon Palace.
It came from the Dragon Clan Main Lineage.
The signatory was a Sea Patrol Envoy under the Ancestral Dragon.
Ao Xuan.
The edict's contents were simple.
Abyss had sheltered fugitive Dragons, detained Dragon bloodlines, and privately occupied the spiritual treasures of the Northern Sea Water Mansion.
The Mysterious Abyss Emperor was ordered to travel to the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace within a thousand years to explain himself.
Otherwise, the Dragon Clan Main Lineage would personally come to Abyss to demand an accounting.
When the message reached Lu Chen,
he was preparing to go back to sleep.
After hearing it, the whole turtle went numb.
"The Dragon Clan Main Lineage?"
"I knew it."
"After dealing with the Blackwater Dragon Palace, even bigger Dragons were coming."
"Can these days still be lived?"