NOVPUB"You don’t know about us, the Black Tortoise Clan?"
"Truly lacking in knowledge."
"Our Black Tortoise Clan is one of the Four Great Ancient Races, standing alongside the Dragonfolk Clan, the Fierce Tiger Tribe, and the Winged People Tribe, with a formidable reputation, and you don’t know that?"
The members of the Black Tortoise Clan spoke in a grave tone.
By now, they had come close enough for their appearances to be clearly seen.
They were not very tall.
Each member of the Black Tortoise Clan had an average height of around one and a half meters, with one meter sixty being considered a small giant within the clan.
At first glance, they resembled people carrying turtle shells.
Upon closer inspection, one would find that the turtle shells of the Black Tortoise Clan were connected to their bodies, forming an exoskeleton.
Furthermore, the bodies of the Black Tortoise Clan were covered in scales.
They looked indestructible.
Hearing the introduction of the Black Tortoise Clan, Shi Lei and his companions all showed surprised expressions and exclaimed in unison, "The Dragonfolk Clan is also one of the Four Great Ancient Races?"
"Are you surprised?" the leading Black Tortoise elder of the Quasi-Saint Level asked.
"There are people from the Dragonfolk Clan in our Sect," Shi Lei explained. "And he is my Junior Brother."
"Dragonfolk? Impossible! Many years ago, the Dragonfolk were all wiped out, and even the Winged People Tribe and the Fierce Tiger Tribe vanished without a trace. How could there still be Dragonfolk?"
The Black Tortoise elder shook his head repeatedly.
"Why not? Our Junior Brother Long is a genuine Dragonfolk. Perhaps, you remembered wrongly, and the Dragonfolk did not go extinct but instead were passed down."
Shi Lei argued.
The Black Tortoise elder furrowed his brow, "Then tell me, what characteristics do you see in the Dragonfolk you encountered?"
Shi Lei thought for a moment and said:
"Our Junior Brother Long’s Dragonfolk have two forms, one is the human form, and the other is the True Dragon Form."
"And the True Dragon Form is divided into two stages: the Dragon Transformation Form and the True Dragon Form."
"How about that, am I not right?"
"And our Junior Brother Long, he can enter the second stage of the True Dragon Form."
At this point, Shi Lei ceased to speak
because the eyes of these Black Tortoise Clan members were all alight with excitement.
"It really is the Dragonfolk!"
"But, the ancestral land of the Dragonfolk was destroyed, and all their people were cursed in their bloodlines; it’s impossible for them to have survived. So, what exactly is happening?"
"Could it be that many years ago, a Great Power intervened and preserved the heritage of the Dragonfolk?"
The members of the Black Tortoise Clan looked at each other.
Some even speculated.
"Maybe that’s it! In our place, there are still tens of thousands of Dragonfolk!" Shi Lei said.
"Tens of thousands? That’s not much," the Black Tortoise elder shook his head. "Our Black Tortoise Clan rules over the entire Ocean Star, with countless billions of our people, far surpassing the number of Dragonfolk."
"That many?!"
Shi Lei and his companions were so shocked they almost spat blood.
"The whole Ocean Star is really yours? But why wasn’t there any mention of the Black Tortoise Clan on the previous star charts?"
Shi Lei couldn’t help but further inquire.
"Our clan guards the Heavenly Venerable’s Hall day and night, slumbering deep in the ocean; how could you possibly know about us?"
"Heavenly Venerable’s Hall!"
Shi Lei and his companions were surprised again.
"You know of the Heavenly Venerable’s Hall?" the Black Tortoise elder raised an eyebrow and asked Shi Lei.
"Of course, we know. The Heavenly Venerable is the strongest in the Heavenly Dao Realm, who wouldn’t know? We are very curious, is the Heavenly Venerable’s Hall that you speak of personally crafted by the Heavenly Venerable?"
Shi Lei, driven by curiosity, quickly inquired.
The Black Tortoise elder shook his head:
"We only know it’s called the Heavenly Venerable’s Hall, but as to who created it, no one knows. As for our Black Tortoise Clan, we are the guardians of the Heavenly Venerable’s Hall."
Shi Lei pursued the matter, "Can we go and see?"
"Yes," the Black Tortoise elder nodded.
With a whoosh! 𝑛𝘰𝑣𝑝𝑢𝑏.𝘤𝑜𝘮
Everyone dived into the deep sea, descending three thousand yards, passing through rock tunnels, and after a long descent, the world before them suddenly opened up, as if entering the inner world of the earth’s crust.
Below was a vast inner world.
Amongst it, the water flowed in reverse, gushing upward and forming countless cascading waterfalls that looked utterly magical.
Enveloped by these waterfalls stood a majestic hall with the words "Heavenly Venerable’s Hall" elegantly inscribed on the plaque. Dragons and phoenixes danced around the characters, giving it a high air of grandeur.
"This is the Heavenly Venerable’s Hall."
The Black Tortoise elder pointed at the grand hall.
"Can we go inside?" Han Yonghui asked eagerly, rubbing his hands together in excitement.
"To enter the Heavenly Venerable’s Hall, you must pass through three barriers. Once all are cleared, you may enter," said the Black Tortoise elder.
"It seems this is a test," Shi Lei remarked.
"Elder brother, shall we try it? If we pass the test, we might enter the Heavenly Venerable’s Hall and possibly obtain powerful inheritances," Han Yonghui suggested with a smile.
"Yes, I want to try too," Shen Yu nodded.
"I already possess the Heavenly Bow Holy Body; what I lack is hardship and discipline. However, entering the Heavenly Venerable’s Hall to have a look would also be good," Zhang Tianyuan too desired to explore the hall.
"The test is hard, with a maximum duration of one month. Do you really intend to participate?" The Black Tortoise elder asked solemnly, a grave expression on his face.
As the guardian of the Heavenly Venerable’s Hall, he was well aware of the difficulties of the three challenges.
A slight misstep could turn one mad.
"Absolutely!"
Shi Lei and the others said unanimously.
"Then follow me!"
The Black Tortoise elder led them to an ancient black altar nearby the Heavenly Venerable’s Hall. Pointing to the several raised stone pillars on it, he said:
"Each stone pillar represents a position."
"Sit cross-legged atop these stone pillars, surrender to your senses to perceive the surroundings, and you can officially begin the test."
"There are three barriers in total."
"The first, the Heart Demon Barrier. You must struggle against your heart demons, and only by conquering them can you pass."
"The second is Enlightenment. This stage is quite peculiar; it can make you feel utterly lost. To pass, you must see clearly the path you wish to follow and navigate through this confusion."
"The third is a Hundred Years as Mortals."
"This stage is the hardest."
"Your consciousness will enter a world where you live out life as a mortal, deeply comprehending ordinary existence. Allegedly, you need to perceive for a hundred years to conclude."
"As for whether someone can pass the final barrier, no one knows."
Hearing this, Shi Lei and the others looked perplexed.
"Elder, aren’t you the guardian of the Heavenly Venerable’s Hall? Even you don’t know how to pass?" Shi Lei could not help but ask.
"No one has ever passed the final stage, so don’t get your hopes too high. However, just passing the first two stages can help you rid yourselves of heart demons and clear your path—that, in itself, is an incredible opportunity," explained the Black Tortoise elder.
"That makes sense!"
The four disciples stepped forward, each landing on a stone pillar to sit cross-legged, their minds immersed in the surroundings.
The next moment.
They were all enveloped in a special radiance, like a shield—so robust that even a Supreme Saint couldn’t break it.
In a trance.
Shi Lei found himself back in his childhood, sitting at the summit of Misty Peak, staring into the distance at that aged silhouette.
His body shuddered.
"Master... Master!"
Shi Lei stared at the silhouette, his eyes filled with excitement, and dashed forward.
"No, this is false!" His foot had barely lifted when his body stiffened, "The master has passed away, the one before me is a heart demon!"
His tone was very firm.
At that moment, the aged silhouette slowly turned around, revealing a kind and gentle old face.
"Shi Lei, I am your master!"
The old Sect Leader of Misty Sect grinned, sending an electric shock through Shi Lei.
"No, you are a heart demon!"
Shi Lei, resolute, closed his eyes.
...
Shenzhou, Misty Sect.
Ye Feng opened his eyes and looked towards the Northern Starry Sky Domain, sensing a strange aura there.
"What’s that?"
Ye Feng muttered and vanished into thin air.
[PS: Went to a joyous wedding today, so just two releases for now. Will make it up tomorrow or the day after!]
