After the black-hole space was destroyed, everyone reappeared in the sky above the Obsidian Tortoise Temple. Yet the shock in their hearts was indescribable—one by one, they stared at Evan Chu as if he were a monster, unable to believe he had actually destroyed a spatial black hole.
At that moment, two people quickly flew toward the spot where the Second Elder had been blasted away. Having been sent flying hundreds of meters, it was obvious the Second Elder was now gravely injured—after all, an attack that could shatter a spatial black hole was far beyond what his defenses could withstand.
Right now, the Second Elder’s massive body lay motionless on the ground, not moving at all. All the spikes jutting from his tortoise shell had snapped off, and even the shell itself was now cracked—something that had never happened before. It was only now that everyone truly realized how terrifying Lord Frostbane’s strength was.
Evan Chu glanced at the crowd and said, his voice cold and full of challenge, “This time I spared his life out of respect for your Temple Master. If anyone else thinks his strength is so great, I’m happy to spar with them too—but next time, it might mean real death. Don't think I'll go easy twice.”
His voice wasn’t loud, but it was clear as day to everyone present. None of the Obsidian Tortoise Clan experts dared utter a word—the Second Elder’s strength was easily top three in the clan, and if even he couldn’t withstand a single move, the rest didn’t even need to try.
“Lord Frostbane, you really don’t hold back, do you? You’ve actually injured my Second Elder so badly—he won’t recover for decades at this rate. So tell me, how do you plan to compensate the Obsidian Tortoise Clan?” the Temple Master said at this moment.
Evan laughed, a hint of wild pride in his voice. “I’ve already given you plenty of face—you know my temper. Just say what you want. If I’ve got it on me, I won’t be stingy. But don’t test my patience.” With that, he landed on the ground, his stance unyielding.
The Temple Master glanced at the now human-shaped Second Elder and said, “Take him to a secret chamber for healing. Foolish guy—if even I can’t match Lord Frostbane, what chance did he have? Let him suffer a bit; maybe it’ll stop him from causing trouble everywhere.”
Only now did the crowd truly grasp just how terrifying this youth’s strength was. What baffled them was how someone who hadn’t even formally stepped into the first layer of the Saint Martial Realm could possess such overwhelming power—the Second Elder was a genuine Sixth Layer Saint Martial expert.
“So when will you take me to see the Soaring Feather Young Lord? I’m really running out of time—I need to get to the Netherworld as soon as possible,” Lord Frostbane said seriously.
"Wait two more days. He's at a critical breakthrough right now. Once he finishes, I'll let him leave with you—but first, you have to agree to one condition. Otherwise, the Obsidian Tortoise Clan won't let this go." The Temple Master said.
“Spare me the small talk. What do you want me to agree to? I rarely promise anyone anything—if you want something from me, it’d better be worth it. You’re really taking advantage this time,” Evan laughed, his eyes sharp.
"You’re going to the Netherworld for the Netherghost Violet Orchid, right? When you return, I want you to help me wipe out the Mystic Whale Clan. The Mystic Ice Sea is completely under their control now—we can only hide inside this Mystic Ice Tortoise, which severely limits our growth." The Temple Master said helplessly.
"The Mystic Whale Clan? Are they really that strong? Things seem pretty good here—why do you still want to go out?" Evan asked, already amazed by the Mystic Ice Tortoise’s wonders and not wanting to ask any more about it.
"Let’s talk in the secret chamber—some things are best kept from others." The Temple Master said, heading straight for a side hall, with Evan following closely behind.
Watching the two of them leave, the other Obsidian Tortoise clansmen were all stunned. One of them said, "Lord Frostbane is actually that strong? If he helps us deal with the Mystic Whale Clan, maybe we really do have a chance to win."
"You’re too optimistic. The Mystic Whale Clan has tons of experts, and now all the other races in the Mystic Ice Sea have submitted to them—even the Mystic Flood Dragon Clan. Only our Obsidian Tortoise Clan is left.
I’ve heard the Mystic Whale Clan’s patriarch has already broken through the Saint Martial Realm and reached the Venerable Martial Realm. How could someone like that possibly be defeated? We shouldn’t get our hopes up—better to just stay put and keep quiet," another said, his tone full of bitter resignation and the weight of countless lost battles.
Evan and the Temple Master entered a secret chamber. Inside was a Stellar Cultivation Chamber identical to the one Evan had seen at Heavenly Dragon Academy, with the Big Dipper pattern overhead—but the Stellar Power here was dozens of times denser.
"Lord Frostbane, do you think our Obsidian Tortoise Clan is pathetic, always hiding inside the Mystic Ice Tortoise? Honestly, we have no choice. This Mystic Ice Tortoise isn’t a real demon beast—it was formed when ten-thousand-year Mystic Ice gathered over millions of years. For some unknown reason, it became able to move and turned into what you see now."
At the same time, the flow of time inside changed as well, turning this place into the Obsidian Tortoise Clan’s holy land. According to ancient clan records, the Mystic Ice Tortoise was remodeled by some great expert, but who that person was remains a mystery,” said the Temple Master.
“It really is incredible. But if you’ve lived in hiding here for tens of thousands of years, why do you still want to go out? And what’s the deal with the Mystic Whale Clan? With your defense, are you really afraid of them?” Evan asked, his voice tinged with disbelief and stubborn refusal to accept defeat.
“Heh, Lord Frostbane, you’re not from the Mystic Ice Sea, so you don’t know the Mystic Whale Clan. Their bodies are dozens of times larger than ours, and their defense is nearly as strong. If you tried to kill a Mystic Whale at your current strength, you’d need half a day of nonstop attacks just to finish one off,” said the Temple Master.
“Why is that? Is it because they can’t take human form, or are they just insanely strong?” Evan said, a bit unconvinced.
“They really are insanely strong. The current patriarch has broken through to the Venerable Martial Realm, but that’s not the main thing—their bodies are so huge that it’s almost impossible to hit a vital spot. That’s why they’ve become the overlords of the Mystic Ice Sea,” the Temple Master explained.
“That’s really something. Just how big are these Mystic Whales, anyway? Your Obsidian Tortoise Clan isn’t exactly small—could they really swallow you whole?” Evan asked.
“Once a Mystic Whale reaches the Saint Martial Realm, its body can be thousands of meters long. With a casual sweep of its tail, an iceberg vanishes instantly. What’s really terrifying is that Mystic Whales don’t even need the Netherghost Violet Orchid to break through to the Saint Martial Realm—so there are lots of Saint Martial experts among them,” said the Temple Master.
Evan was shocked all over again—a body thousands of meters long, what did that even mean? He was about to speak when the Temple Master said, “I hope you’ll help me destroy that clan after you return from the Netherworld. The Mystic Ice Sea holds countless precious spiritual herbs—I can’t let them keep it all to themselves.”
"That’s going to be tough. Didn’t you say the Mystic Whale Clan already has Venerable Martial experts? I’m no match for that!" Evan said, his tone equal parts frustration and burning defiance. Challenging the Venerable Martial Realm was courting death—even if this was the first time he’d heard the term, anyone could guess what it meant… but deep down, Evan was already itching to shatter that so-called ceiling.