Mu suddenly stood up from his meditation spot, and a sharp, somewhat surprised glint flashed in the eyes of the four Black Tortoises within the cavern.

Not just Yan Hao and the other cultivators, but even he, standing guard far outside the cave entrance, could very clearly sense the overwhelmingly desolate aura emanating from those four Black Tortoises, an aura that sent a chill down the spine.

The entire cavern was enveloped by this terrifying aura of absolute stillness, making the eight Golden Core cultivators present feel as if they were being suffocated by immense pressure.

The Octopus writhed its several-zhang-long thick tentacles in agitation, producing strange crackling sounds as it continuously shrank back, trying desperately to keep its distance. As a sea beast of the water element itself, its power was far inferior to that of the Black Tortoises, and it held the black water in extreme awe.

The spider face of the Green Demon Spider was contorted in rage, its mandibles clicking out sharp hisses, yet it dared not charge forward.

But Shi Hanyang’s Sixth-Tier Fire Scorpion fared the worst; its cultivation hadn't even reached the Golden Core stage. It was so terrified by the horrifying aura of extinction that it slumped down weakly, its very limbs trembling.

“What kind of water is this? Just its mere presence is this potent?”

Ye Qin gazed solemnly at the black water, a sudden thought sparking in his mind, followed by a violent jolt. A startling realization surged uncontrollably through his consciousness:

“Black water. Could this possibly be the Celestial One Nether Water?”

“The Purple Jade Ancient Scrolls describe the form of the Celestial One Nether Water, a raw material for artifact refining, as a type of black spiritual water. It can be used to forge the final primordial spirit flying sword of the Great Five Elements Sword set—the Celestial One Nether Water Sword. This sword possesses unimaginable might; even a late-stage Golden Core cultivator wielding this water-element flying sword could shake the entire cultivation world.”

“However, the Purple Jade Ancient Scrolls only state that Celestial One Nether Water is the supreme raw material for forging water-element flying swords; they never mentioned that this water is so overwhelmingly domineering, nor did they describe its aura.”

“Another possibility is that the Purple Sword Divine Lord, being an Nascent Soul cultivator, didn't find the aura of this black water particularly formidable, considering it merely a material for forging swords.”

“I am only at the first level of the Golden Core stage, so naturally, I can’t compare to the Purple Sword Divine Lord. Therefore, I naturally find the aura of this black water terrifying.”

“But this is all speculation. Whether this black water is truly Celestial One Nether Water must be verified by taking a sample and carefully comparing it against the records in the Purple Jade Ancient Scrolls. Perhaps it is some other kind of spiritual water.”

Having reached this conclusion, Ye Qin hesitated for no moment. He immediately issued a divine sense command, ordering the Golden Core Skeleton Demon to leap forward and shield him. The Golden Core Skeleton Demon, unlike its usual arrogance, lowered its head obediently, appearing quite uneasy.

This black water was too bizarre; Ye Qin had no idea of its origin.

If those few Black Tortoises were to charge toward him, he would undoubtedly let the Golden Core Skeleton Demon fight them in his place without a second thought.

Simultaneously, Ye Qin quickly drew several Earth Evasion Talismans and leaped to the cave entrance, preparing for any sudden change.

Should the Golden Core Skeleton Demon suffer any mishap, he would turn tail and flee immediately. A Golden Core Skeleton Demon could be captured again if lost, but he had no intention of risking his own life to test the power of this black water.

It wasn't just him. Jiang Ling, Shi Hanyang, and Zheng Chenghui all stared toward the few Black Tortoises inside the cavern, their eyes filled with suspicion and inquiry, as they retreated towards the entrance.

They had likely all come to the same conclusion: if the situation turned unfavorable, they would prioritize escape.

“Brothers, why is this black water so strange? Does anyone know its origin?” Shi Hanyang called out in alarm.

Ye Qin remained silent.

Although he harbored a suspicion about the black water, he was unwilling to voice it. If this truly was the Celestial One Nether Water, he was determined to obtain it.

He had already acquired the four swords representing Gold, Wood, Fire, and Earth for his Great Five Elements Sword set; the only missing component was the raw material for the Water element—the Celestial One Nether Water. Once the Great Five Elements Sword set was complete, it could form an offensive and defensive array, dramatically boosting his strength.

At the very least, among cultivators at the Golden Core stage, he would rise to the top echelon of power.

“Ordinary water is either corrosive water, venomous water, or filthy water, usually black or deep blue in color, or it is purely spiritual water, extremely cold, appearing blue or greenish-blue.”

“But this black water possessing such a deathly still aura, I have never seen before. Capable of extinguishing all life force, it resembles the corrosive corpse fluid of Brother Ye’s Skeleton Demon. However, that corpse fluid is permeated with Yin-evil death energy, which is clearly different from this spiritual water that is neither positive nor negative, yet full of annihilating energy, like the black water.” Jiang Ling shook his head, thinking for a moment before stating solemnly.

His experience was vast, but he still didn’t know what this water was. After all, the cultivation world of the East Sea held countless spiritual entities, and it was impossible to memorize them all, especially rare and obscure ones.

“Could this be the legendary Styx Water? Ancient legends speak of the Netherworld deep beneath the earth, where a Styx River flows. The water in the Styx River can sever all life force; no living creature can thrive near it. Only ghostly entities can move within the Nether Water. This Langya Secret Realm is deep beneath the sea, and the Nine-Bend Stone Cave is located in the extreme Yin area of the Langya Secret Realm. Do you think this place could connect to the underground Netherworld? This pool…” Zheng Chenghui showed a look of fear.

“Nonsense! The Netherworld is merely a vague, ancient legend, not to be trusted. No cultivator from the East Sea has ever visited the Netherworld. No one knows where the Netherworld is,” Jiang Ling flatly dismissed the idea. However, his face had turned slightly pale.

Evidently, he couldn't be absolutely certain that this cold pool connected to the legendary Netherworld.

If this place truly connected to the legendary Netherworld, the entire East Sea cultivation world would face a catastrophic calamity. The spectral ghosts of the Netherworld legends were certainly not something the ordinary cultivators of the East Sea could contend with.

“I don’t think it’s possible either. The Void-Blossom Lotus is a spiritual object that can grow in this black water, becoming an extremely rare, top-tier spiritual treasure in the East Sea cultivation world. Furthermore, the Black Tortoises can lurk and cultivate at the bottom of the pool; they are clearly demonic beasts, not ghostly entities.”

“This indicates that the black water in this pool is definitely not the legendary Nether Water, but some other spiritual water that we simply haven't encountered,” Shi Hanyang quickly asserted.

“If this black water isn't Nether Water, then what is it?” Zheng Chenghui asked doubtfully.

Both Jiang Ling and Shi Hanyang were unable to offer a definitive answer.

Ye Qin listened from the side, his expression shifting rapidly as his mind raced.

While Jiang Ling, Zheng Chenghui, and the other Golden Core cultivators were speculating about the nature of the black water, the situation inside the cavern had drastically changed.

Under the control of the Ninth-Tier Black Tortoise, the four Black Tortoises formed from the black water erupted in waves of dark, gloomy radiance, splitting up to pounce upon Yan Hao, the Green-Faced Cultivator, and the other four Golden Core cultivators of the Heavenly Demon Alliance.

“Everyone, be careful! Let’s test their power first! Watch my Vermilion Gold Magic Blade!” Yan Hao roared.

He let out a sharp cry, spitting out a vermilion-gold magic blade—a primordial spirit artifact. The blade shot out, sweeping across the air to unleash a sharp blade light over twenty zhang long, aimed directly at the head of a Black Tortoise.

“Yes!”

The other three Golden Core cultivators dared not delay, all unleashing their fire-element flying swords, metal-element flying swords, and various other magic artifacts toward the Black Tortoises.

However, what happened next left them dumbfounded, nearly speechless with shock.

The five or six high-grade and top-grade magic artifacts unleashed by the cultivators, manifesting as various colored rainbows, struck the Black Tortoises directly.

The four Black Tortoises suddenly opened their massive mouths and engulfed all the artifacts, emitting a hissing sound of erosion. These artifacts still possessed some spiritual sentience and struggled violently, trying to break free from the black water.

Yan Hao tried to control his magic blade but was horrified to discover that his divine sense could no longer control his primordial spirit artifact.

In that instant, the connection of divine sense between the Golden Core cultivators and their artifacts was completely severed by the black water, stripping them of control. They could only watch helplessly as their artifacts were swallowed.

Soon, the four Black Tortoises spat the artifacts back out.

When the artifacts reappeared, their spiritual sentience was entirely gone. They had become dull, lusterless scrap items, covered in cracks. They clattered, fell to the ground, and shattered into dust.

“Ah!”

Yan Hao’s eyes widened, and he cried out in disbelief, nearly vomiting blood from sheer rage. His Vermilion Gold Magic Blade, a primordial spirit artifact that cost him immense wealth to refine, was instantly ruined without achieving any result.

The Black Tortoises paid no mind to their horror and continued to maneuver the four Black Tortoises, aggressively closing in on Yan Hao and the others, their attacks sharp and intent on utterly annihilating the four.

Yan Hao and the others dared not stand their ground to meet the assault; they frantically fled and dodged the attacks of the four Black Tortoises within the narrow cave.

If merely touching the black water could turn a primordial spirit artifact into junk in an instant, their physical bodies would surely crumble instantly, leading to the destruction of body and soul.

The cave exit was completely blocked by the four cultivators led by Jiang Ling.

They were forced to flee and evade the attacks of the four Black Tortoises in the confined space, constantly in peril.

The terrifying nature of the black water caused even the four observing Golden Core cultivators—Jiang Ling, Ye Qin, Shi Hanyang, and Zheng Chenghui—to change expression, exchanging uneasy glances.

“No wonder this Ninth-Tier Black Tortoise can dominate the Nine-Bend Stone Cave in the Langya Secret Realm, a place teeming with high-level Golden Core demonic beasts. Its own strength is already formidable, but what is truly terrifying is this black water,” Ye Qin frowned, inwardly startled.

The black water, dark and annihilating, couldn't be penetrated even slightly by divine sense, and it could strip artifacts of their spiritual nature. This terrifying effect completely stifled them.

Let alone Yan Hao and the other four Golden Core cultivators; even if all eight Golden Core cultivators in the cave attacked together, they might not be a match for the four Black Tortoises.

Unless they could directly kill the Ninth-Tier Black Tortoise.

These four Black Tortoises formed from the black water were controlled by the Black Tortoise’s demonic power. As long as the demonic beast was killed, the black water would naturally return to the cold pool.

[Ti: Dear reader, the current chapter has reached the last page of this book]