A chill radiated from that black bead, startling the three of them into sharp awareness. Immediately following, streaks of black light shot out, freezing every beauty unfortunate enough to be struck into shards of ice that shattered instantly, even the crimson mist of blood being thoroughly encased in frost.

The figure of Hanba was violently flung backward out of the void, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood, clearly having sustained heavy damage.

Zhurong, Tianwu, and Goumang simultaneously let out cold snorts, raising a single hand to strike toward the trio. Hou Yi, meanwhile, had already nocked an arrow to the Setting Sun Divine Bow, aiming it directly at the black bead.

The dark light emanating from the black bead actually manifested in the void as a colossal Black Tortoise. When the great hands of Zhurong, Tianwu, and Goumang struck the Black Tortoise, they only managed to disturb its surface with rippling waves.

“It’s actually a Black Tortoise Inner Core…” Sensing this aura, Goumang gasped in astonishment.

“Not just a Black Tortoise Inner Core; a complete Black Tortoise Divine Soul is sealed within that core… Furthermore, this Black Tortoise’s divine soul has merged perfectly with this little brat’s own soul. Marvelous, simply marvelous! Aren't those Qi Refiners always boasting about being the righteous path? Aren’t they the ones who despise us for bio-modifying creatures the most? How is it that they have merged a human soul with a Black Tortoise soul? Could they be attempting to forge a Second Nascent Soul?” At this moment, Xuanming, whose entire body was covered in bone spurs, also stepped out from the void. His deep, somber eyes were fixed directly upon that black jewel.

Ye Jingyu, Nibai, and Taotie also materialized in the void, completely surrounding the trio of Xuanmiao. Even with a powerful magic artifact like the Cloud-Piercing Shuttle, escaping would prove somewhat difficult.

Hearing Xuanming so bluntly expose his secrets, Xuanmiao Tianjun’s expression turned grim. Years ago, his master, Lingxu Daoist, along with several other Immortal Saints, had joined forces to slay a divine Black Tortoise that had lived for untold ages. They sealed its divine soul within its inner core and gifted it to him, originally hoping he would refine it into his Natal Magic Treasure. However, Xuanmiao felt refining it into a Natal Treasure would be too great a waste, so he refined it into a Second Nascent Soul instead. This Second Nascent Soul inherited the Black Tortoise's defining characteristic: a penchant for sleep. It remained in a deep slumber, showing no sign of awakening even when Xuanmiao’s physical body was destroyed. It was only today, when his Primordial Spirit faced a fatal threat, that it awoke to automatically defend its master. This was his greatest reliance, his ultimate trump card. Even his master, Lingxu Daoist, hadn't discerned the truth, yet this opponent saw through it in a single breath—how could he not be shocked?

Xuanming had dedicated his life to studying the divine soul. An Immortal’s Nascent Soul was merely a more advanced form of divine soul. The number of Immortals and divine beasts he had slain throughout the years was countless; how could he possibly fail to recognize the intricacies of such soul integration?

“Stop wasting breath on chatter. This shell is formed from the Nascent Soul—do you have a way to break it?” Zhurong scoffed from the side. The original body of that Black Tortoise must have been incredibly powerful; the might contained within this divine soul and inner core was so immense that even with its automatic defense activated, their current strength found it difficult to breach. No wonder Xuanmiao risked such a catastrophe to refine it into a Second Nascent Soul. With such a formidable Nascent Soul guarding him, even dying would become a difficult proposition for him.

“Heh heh, if that Black Tortoise’s original body were still present, I would naturally be powerless. But this is merely the divine soul? Heh heh…” Xuanming flashed a cunning smile before speaking, “Breaking this shell won't be difficult. But let’s settle the terms first: I want that Black Tortoise Divine Soul and this little brat’s Nascent Soul. As for the Inner Core, that goes to Little Ye. Having a Black Tortoise Inner Core like that will be enough for him to condense the Water-Element Golden Core, bringing his cultivation to the Cosmic Level. I don't want to have my own advancement constantly slowed down because of his sluggish progress. As for the rest, you all can decide amongst yourselves…”

Zhurong, Tianwu, Goumang, Hou Yi, and even the frostbitten Hanba nodded in agreement. Due to Ye Jingyu’s constrained cultivation, their own speed of advancement had also significantly decreased. As long as Ye Jingyu’s strength could be rapidly increased, they wouldn't care about keeping anything for themselves...

Seeing Ye Jingyu and his group carve up Xuanmiao and his companions as spoils of war with just a few words, the three of them were filled with rage. However, currently trapped within the grand formation, their strength was severely weakened, rendering them completely incapable of matching their opponents. All they could do now was look for an opportunity to flee.

Just as Xuanmiao was contemplating whether to self-detonate his Second Nascent Soul to blast his way out, Xuanming made his move. Without uttering any incantations, he simply reached out with one hand. That seemingly illusory great hand passed effortlessly through the energy construct of the Black Tortoise and clamped directly onto the black Black Tortoise Inner Core. Xuanmiao felt a sharp pain in his heart; his Second Nascent Soul had completely lost contact with him?

This… How was this possible? This was the Second Nascent Soul he had cultivated for countless years; how could it be severed so easily?

“Quick, strike!” At that moment, Xuanming’s shout rang out. Zhurong, Tianwu, Goumang, Hou Yi, Hanba, and even Nibai, Little Taotao, and Ye Jingyu attacked almost simultaneously. They all understood that Xuanming hadn't truly severed Xuanmiao’s connection to his Second Nascent Soul. After all, it was someone else's Second Nascent Soul; if it could be cut off so easily, no one would bother cultivating one. He had merely used some secret technique to temporarily immobilize the Second Nascent Soul.

The black light dimmed, and the massive phantom image of the Black Tortoise vanished instantly. The group’s combined attacks landed almost concurrently upon the white Cloud-Piercing Shuttle. This shuttle was merely an artifact for travel; how could it withstand the onslaught of so many? The entire Cloud-Piercing Shuttle exploded into pieces...

With the Cloud-Piercing Shuttle destroyed, Xuanmiao, Hanbing Daoist, and even Qianyun Daoist all knew this was the moment to fight desperately, lest they lose even the chance to do so.

Xuanmiao had exhausted his magic artifacts; he could only try to recall his Second Nascent Soul. Hanbing Daoist, however, pulled out another black, pyramid-shaped iron block and immediately launched it. The black iron block transformed into a massive pyramid mountain that hurtled down toward Ye Jingyu and the others. To further augment the artifact’s power, Hanbing Daoist spat out several mouthfuls of blood. Qianyun Daoist, meanwhile, produced a cloud-bed that shimmered with five-colored light, completely enveloping the trio. He then produced a bronze ancient cauldron, identical to the one Xuanmiao had summoned previously, and hurled it directly at Ye Jingyu and his group...

“You want to compete with me over the number of artifacts? Do you think you can win?” Seeing that the three were still fighting to the death at this juncture, Ye Jingyu was utterly enraged...