The Void domain experts’ faces were filled with envy as they looked at the black tortoise.

Before, they had only thought it to be a bit strange, but they hadn’t been aware of how special and powerful it actually was.

Just earlier, they had witnessed it activating its Evernight bloodline talent with Nie Tian’s help, plunging heaven and earth around it into utter darkness.

Even though they had observed from afar, the ultimate darkness had still shaken them deeply.

Dark power was one of the few powers in the universe that was very special. Only certain Demons, black phoenixes, and black dragons would be born with the ability to wield it.

Very few human cultivators could understand and practice dark power.

However, Dong Li had somehow mastered the method to practice dark power. On top of that, she had also gained this mysterious black tortoise, like a tiger that had grown wings. (Idiom: might redoubled)

In the future, as her cultivation base improved, her compatibility with the black tortoise would be bound to improve, allowing her to display a more terrifying battle prowess.

WHOOSH!

The black tortoise crouched lazily by Dong Li’s feet, as if it was digesting the numerous dead seventh grade outsiders it had devoured.

In a profound way, Dong Li established a soul connection with it.

Moments later, her eyes lit up as a faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

According to the information she had just received from the black tortoise, she had learned that Nie Tian had activated his bloodline talent, burned his own Blood Essence, and fused a copious amount of life power into it.

Such life power seemed to have had the effect of accelerating the black tortoise’s upgrades!

Nie Tian’s residual life power would interact with the seventh grade outsider corpses it had devoured, allowing it to advance to the eighth grade within a short period of time.

Dong Li could feel its genuine joy.

“It’s hard to believe that bastard’s flesh power has such an incredible effect...” she muttered inwardly.

Immediately afterwards, she sent a soul message to the black tortoise. “Rest assured. When you come to the point where you’re ready to break through your bloodline shackles, I’ll find him and force him to give you the nourishment you need to finish the upgrade.”

After hearing these words, the black tortoise suddenly grew excited, and kept rubbing its head against Dong Li’s ankle in an affectionate way.

With a cold smile, Dong Li rolled her eyes at it. “It seems that you’re sensible enough to know who’s the boss.” 

SHEW!

Nie Tian suddenly flew out from under the rubble, with one blood-colored aura after another streaming into his body from different directions like red spiritual snakes.

With every blood-colored aura that disappeared into him, the flesh aura he emanated grew a bit more intense.

As soon as Nie Tian flew onto the Star Boat, a misty starlight ward formed around it. “Come on! Let’s move out to our last target!”

BANG! BANG!

At the same time, two blood strings dragged the corpses of an eighth grade Demon and an eighth grade Phantasm onto the Star Boat, giving rise to loud crashes.

Enveloped in the ward, Nie Tian refined the flesh auras he had gained, turning them into Blood Essence.

“The flesh power within the corpses of eighth grade Demons and Phantasms is indeed much richer than what was in the corpses of the eighth grade Lizardmen!” Nie Tian marveled inwardly.

Even with Life Drain, he couldn’t drain them of all of their flesh power within a short time.

But now, time was of the essence. Nobody knew whether the outsiders at the eighth spatial tunnel would find out about their arrival.

To spare them any potential trouble, Nie Tian didn’t dare to waste any time, and urged everyone to move out.

People were rather surprised to see him drag two dead eighth grade outsiders onto his Star Boat.

Jing Feiyang and the other experts knew that Nie Tian was a man of many secrets, and that he wouldn’t give them explanations every time something happened. Therefore, they figured they had better not ask.

Nie Tian rapidly pointed out the direction for everyone and flew off into the distance. Though full of questions, the others followed along.

Several days passed...

Nie Tian recovered all of the Blood Essence he had used in the previous battle with the flesh power he channeled from the corpses of the eighth grade Demon and Phantasm.

However, there was still flesh power left within the Demon’s corpse.

Seeing that he had ended his cultivation, Dong Li leaned over and said with a sweet smile, “That lazy thing of mine is hoping to eat the outsider corpses.”

Surprised, Nie Tian looked down, and saw the black tortoise staring unblinkingly at the two outsider corpses with its beady eyes.

“Okay. Why not?” Nie Tian said without hesitation.

Upon receiving his permission, the black tortoise opened its mouth without waiting another second.

Even though its mouth wasn’t large at all, it looked like a black hole after it opened wide. Mysterious black light could be seen flashing across and swirling in the depths of it, as if it could devour anything.

The two outsider corpses vanished into it in the blink of an eye, as if they were pulled into it by some gravitational force.

Nie Tian examined its belly with rapt attention, and discovered that it didn’t bloat in the least. He couldn’t help but wonder where the outsider corpses had gone.

After devouring the corpses of the two eighth grade outsiders, the black tortoise finally seemed satisfied as it crawled back into Dong Li’s sleeve with sleepy eyes.

...

Two months later.

In the frigid mountain range where Nie Tian and the others had been, large pieces of ice started rolling down a nondescript mountain of ice.

Inside the mountain of ice, an ancient teleportation portal was somehow activated, giving rise to loud rumbles.

WHOOOOSH! WHOOOOSH!

An enormous ice phoenix that glowed with frosty light flew out of the strange-looking teleportation portal, along with a dragon that was wreathed in an acidic, poisonous mist.

Both of them howled and soared skywards.

An hour later, they covered every corner of this frigid area, and eventually landed in the place where the three ice mountains had been razed to the ground.

The ice phoenix slowly morphed into its human form, revealing her to be none other than the eighth grade ice phoenix Nie Tian had seen in the Realm of Maelstrom.

The only difference was that she was now at the ninth grade.

The gigantic dragon also transformed into an old man.

The ninth grade ice phoenix seemed somewhat surprised as she said, “All eighteen members of my clan are still buried in this area. Not a single one is missing. But the fresh, snow-covered Demon and Phantasm corpses indicate that our information was right, and outsiders did come here recently. What’s weird is that not only did they fail to take our dead clan members away, but they all died here instead.”

The dragon in the form of an old man pondered for a while before saying, “Someone must have come here to kill these outsiders. But they didn’t take the remains of your clan members away. This is a bit strange...”

“Who do you think they were?” The ninth grade ice phoenix asked in a humble manner.

Gazing up into the sky, where an immense vortex could be seen, the old man said, “People from the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace...

“Powerful experts from the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace found this continent and set up spell formations a long time ago.  Now, after regathering the energy of Heaven and Earth after hundreds of thousands of years, this continent has already recovered from the damage of that war.

“All I know is that powerful experts from the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace have been here. But they didn’t seem to intend to take this continent right away, but instead, they left portals behind. It seems that they plan to take it someday, but not now.”

“If what you say is true, and members of the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace killed those outsiders, why didn’t they take the remains of my people?” The ninth grade ice phoenix asked, looking confused.

“Perhaps that one has something to do with it.” The old man seemed uncertain.

The ninth grade ice phoenix was taken aback. “Don’t tell me that it came to some kind of arrangement with the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace.” 

The old man sighed. “That appears to be the case. Back in the day, if the outsiders hadn’t acted rashly and awakened it from its slumber, the top continent wouldn’t have shattered so easily, causing them to suffer a sound defeat and forcing them to abandon their homeland.”

After a moment of pondering, the ninth grade ice phoenix said, “We had made a deal with it, according to which, it’s responsible for protecting the remains of our people.  Could it be possible that it asked those Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace members to come here for that cause?”

“I suppose we’ll have to find and ask the people from the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace to find out the truth,” The old man said.

The ninth grade ice phoenix nodded slightly. “Do you know where they might be?”

“That desert!” The old man said with a determined look in his eyes. “Since the outsiders discovered the secret of this place, they must have discovered the desert where my people were buried too. Since they were here, they definitely wouldn’t leave my people alone. If we go there now, we may actually see those stupid bastards!”

After a brief communication, the ice phoenix and poisonous dragon headed out without delay.

After resuming their original forms, they flew across the sky at full speed, and vanished in the same direction Nie Tian and the others had left in.

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