Following that flowing streak of dark green, Tai Yin's eyes narrowed slightly, piercing through the murky, dark current.

"A turtle?"

Seeing the true form of this dark green mass, Tai Yin blinked in surprise.

It turned out that the source of the dark green color was, in fact, a colossal turtle, as large as a small hill.

Its limbs were like pillars, paddling clumsily in the water, gliding aimlessly.

And those dark green hues were from the water-grass-like growths covering its body.

Could this giant turtle be the path to the land of the Exotic Treasure?

With a shift in expression, Tai Yin was just about to approach the turtle.

But before he moved, he remembered Cheng Junie, who had been following him all along.

He couldn't take him there.

Scratching his eyebrow, Tai Yin subtly glanced at Cheng Junie beside him, a murderous glint hidden in his eyes.

However, to suppress the greedy dragon just now, he had expended a huge amount of his True Gang. And he didn't possess the vast, seemingly infinite True Gang of his original body, which could be squandered recklessly. With the power he currently had, it would probably be very difficult to eliminate Cheng Junie. After all, he was in the Blood-Stained Realm. His life level had already completed its ascension; those with Initiate Realm methods were very difficult to kill!

Maybe... I should try to erase him directly?

His pupils instantly turned pitch black; Tai Yin was itching to act.

Beyond normal Dharma Gate techniques, his "Taiyin's Infinite True Scripture" possessed a Divine Marvel of erasure. If timed precisely, it might just be possible to erase Cheng Junie of the Blood-Stained Realm. But...

After a moment of thought, Tai Yin retracted the terrifying power brewing in his eyes.

He hadn't come all this way just to kill people. The Treasure of this land of Exotic Treasure was his true goal. Besides, his original body was on its way. There was no need to rush.

Once his original body arrived, with its terrifying volume of True Gang, it could manipulate the water within hundreds, if not thousands, of miles to create an irresistible pressure. That would be a pressure in the tens of billions! Heh, what could the Blood-Stained Realm do against that!

Glancing at Cheng Junie, Tai Yin chuckled, slowly retracting the murderous intent in his heart.

"What are you laughing at?"

Feeling an inexplicable unease from Tai Yin's sudden laugh, Cheng Junie's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

If it weren't for the unclear situation and the dangers lurking everywhere, he would have already slain this demonic cultivator.

"Because I felt like it."

Rolling his eyes, Tai Yin propelled himself forward to catch up with the gigantic turtle paddling through the eerie waters.

The turtle was massive, its back covered in lush, dense, water-grass-like growths.

Landing on the turtle's back, Tai Yin thoughtfully examined the shell beneath his feet.

Although this turtle is enormous, the scutes of its shell are of a normal size, and this shape...

Measuring the shape and size of the scutes beneath his feet with his hand, Tai Yin's expression changed as he flipped his hand and took out the mysterious Bone Armor.

"Indeed! They're identical!"

Comparing the shape of the turtle's scutes with the Bone Armor, Tai Yin's eyes lit up.

This mysterious Bone Armor is very likely a piece from this giant turtle's shell. Perhaps...

"Cheng Junie, go look. See if there's a piece of shell missing from this turtle's back that matches this." Tossing the Bone Armor in his hand, Tai Yin turned and said to Cheng Junie.

Narrowing his eyes, Cheng Junie slowly drew his giant Sword, which was wreathed in blazing flames and pulsed with a golden-red Divine Light.

"Not going to look? Then we'll just wait. I'm not in a rush, anyway."

Completely unfazed by Cheng Junie's threat, Tai Yin sat down cross-legged.

Stall for time? He was more than happy to. In these waters, if he wanted to leave, Cheng Junie definitely couldn't kill him. One's patience wears thin while the other's grows. Let's see who gets more anxious.

Having accurately gauged Cheng Junie's weakness, Tai Yin tucked his hands into his sleeves and slowly circulated his Black Water True Skill, recovering his spent True Gang.

"Half each," Cheng Junie said, his heart sinking slightly as he observed Tai Yin's completely unperturbed appearance. He proposed the compromise.

He understood this demonic cultivator must have some backing, or he wouldn't be so brazen. For now, he could only endure this momentary frustration.

Cheng Junie thought, Heh, little brat. Just watch how I, your Daoist senior, will lead you to your doom step by step.

Hearing Cheng Junie's concession, Tai Yin smirked inwardly, a sinister smile in his heart. He smoothed his sleeves and slowly rose.

"Alright then. I've never met anyone so keen on haggling over every detail."

Cheng Junie, who was about to turn away, froze. After a moment of silence, the sound of teeth grinding could be heard. He then went to search his half of the turtle's back.

Working together, they quickly covered most of the vast, broad turtle shell.

CLICK—

With a soft sound, Tai Yin's foot found empty space; he had stepped into a depression.

Found it.

Bending down to look at the missing piece in the shell, Tai Yin took out the mysterious Bone Armor and compared them.

Indeed, a perfect fit! It seems only by returning this piece of shell to its place can we reach the true land of the Exotic Treasure.

Relaxing his palm, Tai Yin placed the mysterious Bone Armor back into the depression.

HUM—

The next moment, the giant turtle beneath their feet shuddered violently. A radiant, dazzling light gradually emerged from its hollow, vacant eye sockets.

"ROAR—"

As if awakening from an endless slumber, the giant turtle arched its neck and let out an earth-shattering, heaven-shaking cry.

And this cry was like a dragon's roar!

The water boiled, churning restlessly!

The awakened giant turtle, after emitting that long, melodious, echoing cry, began to paddle its limbs, ending its aimless glide.

It plunged straight down into the deeper, more serene waters below.

"Hold on tight."

An ancient, resonant voice echoed in their ears at the same time, and Tai Yin and Cheng Junie exchanged startled glances.

BOOM—

The transition from stillness to motion was abrupt and total!

The awakened giant turtle floored it, its massive body instantly becoming an afterimage as it shot forward.

In an instant, hundreds of terrifying shockwaves, each dozens of meters wide, erupted through the water, thundering and surging, sweeping out in all directions.

The sudden shift from extreme stillness to extreme speed nearly threw Tai Yin and Cheng Junie off.

"Is this body of water a bottomless abyss?"

Seeing that despite the giant turtle's incredible speed, they still hadn't arrived after diving for so long, Tai Yin's and Cheng Junie's expressions grew increasingly grim.

The water pressure here had reached an indescribable level.

Even Tai Yin, who diligently cultivated the Black Water True Skill, felt a trace of pressure.

Cheng Junie, who was not adept at underwater techniques, grew even more silent as the Magic Artifact on his wrist—a string of eighteen carved golden beads—began to shatter, one by one.

Another quarter of an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

Tai Yin had already sat down cross-legged, circulating the Black Water True Skill to resist the terrifying, crushing water pressure from all around.

The golden bead Magic Artifact on Cheng Junie's wrist had completely shattered, and a jade tablet on his neck was also showing cracks.

He now had only three protective Magic Artifacts left on him.

Haven't we arrived yet...?

Forcing his eyelids open a sliver, Tai Yin frowned.

The distance is too great, and with the layers of obstruction from these strange waters, my mystical connection with my original body is becoming intermittent.

Just as Tai Yin showed hesitation, preparing to abandon this Treasure hunt and tell his original body not to come, a patch of incomparably brilliant, dazzling, and warm light suddenly appeared ahead.

It was as if a bright sun had risen in these dark, turbid underwater depths!

"We've arrived," came the giant turtle's voice, tinged with emotion.

Tai Yin and Cheng Junie simultaneously rose and looked ahead.

An incredibly spectacular and majestic Crystal Palace unfolded before their eyes.

It was situated in this fathomless expanse of water, like a dazzling pearl embedded in the deep sea.

The Crystal Palace was towering and solemn, constructed from countless transparent, glistening crystal stones, exuding an air of the world's ultimate nobility.

The entire complex seemed forged from ice and crystal, shimmering with endless light.

Each crystal stone emitted a five-colored, brilliant radiance, as if divinely carved by nature into various wondrous shapes.

Through the transparent walls, they could see schools of fish swimming about, their scales flashing with myriad colors under the refracted crystal light.

"This is... the Dragon Palace!?"

Gazing at the incredibly magnificent Crystal Palace before him, Tai Yin's eyes reflected its brilliant, flawless light.

"Unbelievable. To think that a Dragon Palace is hidden here, at the springhead of the Nu River," Cheng Junie murmured, his eyes wide with shock.

Dragons!

The Heaven and Earth main character of the Primordial Era, the supreme of All Clans!

Everything related to this race was filled with words like noble, powerful, sacred, and invincible.

The existence of the Dragon Clan was powerful yet mysterious.

Ever since the Ancient Times, when the complete history of the Human Race began to be recorded, the presence of the Dragon Clan was known only through various Dragon Blood descendants, Dragon Taoist Methods, and mere fragments of descriptions about the True Dragon Clan.

As for actual, living True Dragons, no one had ever truly seen one.

Yet now, before Tai Yin and Cheng Junie, lay a genuine Dragon Palace.

"Will there... be a True Dragon here?" Cheng Junie couldn't help but ask, gazing at the crystal Dragon Palace.

"No."

The giant turtle shook its head, a touch of dimness and sorrow appearing in its eyes.

"This is merely an auxiliary palace of the True Dragon Clan, not the true Dragon Palace. Only True Dragons are qualified to see the real Dragon Palace."

"It's better if there are no True Dragons. Otherwise, wouldn't we have come for nothing?" Tai Yin said, his handsome face eager, hands tucked into his sleeves.

That brat really didn't lie to me. This land of Exotic Treasure, guided by the Bone Armor, is actually an auxiliary palace of the Dragon Clan.

"Rumor has it the Dragon Clan is inherently avaricious. Even if this is just an auxiliary palace, there must be earth-shattering wealth and Treasures inside."

Cheng Junie involuntarily took two steps forward, incessantly rubbing his palms, trying to suppress the greed in his heart.

He diligently cultivated the "Nanming Lihuo Sword Skill," but this Sword technique required the exclusive Nanming Li Fire Sword to unleash its full power. For years, he had rushed about, exhausting favors and his family fortune, yet he still hadn't gathered all the materials to forge the Nanming Li Fire Sword. Perhaps this Crystal Palace before him could help him fulfill this lifelong aspiration.

Just as Tai Yin and Cheng Junie were stirring with eagerness before the crystal auxiliary palace, a terrifying pressure, powerful enough to make the entire expanse of water tremble and churn as if rivers were upturned and seas overthrown, suddenly swept over them.

At the same time, hundreds of thousands of points of light appeared above—an endless, overwhelming swarm of greedy dragons, like a massive underwater tide, numerous enough to devour a small country in an instant.

Amidst the greedy dragons, a tall figure wearing a dragon robe, his face naturally imposing without any sign of anger, and his entire being exuding billowing Dragon Power, was rapidly approaching at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"It's the Flood Dragon King!"

Having crossed swords with the Flood Dragon King before, Cheng Junie instantly recognized this oppressive aura.

"Why is he here?"

Tai Yin's expression also changed. If a Dao Expert intervened, even his original body's arrival would be useless. Could it be that all this hard work was just to pave the way for someone else?

Just as Tai Yin's and Cheng Junie's faces turned grim, the old turtle beside them spoke leisurely,

"This auxiliary palace is sacred ground. Mixed-blood Dragon Race members... are forbidden entry!"

A sharp light suddenly burst from their eyes. Tai Yin and Cheng Junie exchanged a look, then bowed in unison to the old turtle.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior!"

With that, both of them instantly dashed towards the crystal auxiliary palace at the fastest speed of their lives!

...

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.