"No need to ask so many questions. You'll understand everything once we get there. My master is waiting for you." The gigantic tortoise said.
Evan Chu felt lost in a fog. The fact that he’d run into a tortoise inside the Mystic Ice Tortoise’s body was strange enough—especially since this tortoise could speak human language. Judging by its aura, it was probably a member of the Obsidian Tortoise Clan. But what really threw him was the idea that the Obsidian Tortoise Clan actually lived inside the body of a Mystic Ice Tortoise. The whole situation was so bizarre, it made his head spin.
Evan Chu didn’t hesitate and asked the tortoise, "You’re from the Obsidian Tortoise Clan, aren’t you? I never expected to find your people living inside a Mystic Ice Tortoise. This is honestly beyond surprising."
"There are plenty more surprises where that came from. Just follow me." The tortoise said, not bothering to look back as it swam swiftly ahead.
Evan followed, using his Watershift transformation to glide through the water. Soon the tortoise stopped ahead and said, "This is the Obsidian Tortoise Clan’s Teleportation Gate. Step through, and you’ll be on our territory."
With that, the tortoise vanished right before Evan’s eyes. He sensed a surge of energy—just as the tortoise had said. Without hesitation, Evan stepped into the invisible portal.
A tremendous pulling force swept him away. In the blink of an eye, Evan found himself in a place filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, surrounded by lush trees—much like when he first visited the White Tiger Clan.
Evan was utterly confused. Logically, this should still be inside the Mystic Ice Tortoise’s body, but there was land and trees here—things that needed sunlight to grow. How was that possible? Everything about this place was so mystical, it defied belief.
Soon, several figures appeared before Evan. One of them said respectfully, "Lord Frostbane Sect Master, please follow me! The Temple Master is waiting for you in the main hall."
Temple Master, you can’t be serious—telling him to go easy on me? You’re giving him way too much credit. Honestly, I’ll be surprised if I don’t finish him off in one blow. I really don’t get your thinking.
Evan didn’t bother asking how they knew he was the Frostbane Sect Master. If they could recognize him at a glance, they must have information or someone had mentioned him before. What he couldn’t guess was what the Obsidian Tortoise Temple Master wanted to say to him.
He walked down a path paved with some unknown kind of stone, and soon a magnificent golden hall appeared before him. At each side of the entrance stood a stone platform, both carved with tortoise images.
Above the hall’s grand doorway, four flamboyant characters read “Obsidian Tortoise Temple.” On either side of the entrance, two middle-aged men in white robes stood motionless, like ancient, unyielding pine trees.
Inside, Evan saw a dozen or so clan members staring at him, their eyes filled with curiosity and disdain. Just then, a middle-aged man in red robes descended from the high seat at the front of the hall.
The man laughed as he saw Evan. "Frostbane, you’ve finally come! It’s been nearly ten thousand years since we parted ways on the Divine Battlefield. It’s taken you long enough to get here."
Seeing the man, Evan’s mind spun—he tried to recall who this was. He knew this had to be the Obsidian Tortoise Temple Master, but the memories from the Divine Battlefield days were just fragments, and he found himself genuinely confused and unsettled.
Evan remembered the White Tiger Clan and Vermilion Bird Clan members well, but had no impression of the Obsidian Tortoise Clan at all. He could only reply vaguely, "You really are hard to kill. Ten thousand years and you’re still alive."
The crowd in the hall was clearly offended by those words. Their faces darkened with anger, and one couldn’t help but shout, "How dare you speak to our Temple Master so rudely! Don’t forget, this is the Obsidian Tortoise Clan—not your Frostbane Sect. Watch your mouth!"
Evan paused, then said, "Heh, what’s wrong with joking between old friends? Why do you have to butt in? Isn’t that right, Obsidian Tortoise?"
"I knew your mouth would still be as unruly as ever." The Temple Master said to Evan, then glared at the man who’d spoken up. "When I’m talking with Lord Frostbane, what business is it of yours to interrupt? You have no manners—aren’t you afraid of being laughed at?"
The man wanted to argue, but after seeing the Temple Master’s glare, he swallowed his words and stood there, his face still full of anger.
Evan asked, "How did you know I’d come to the Obsidian Tortoise Clan? And where exactly is this place? I doubt we’re still inside the Mystic Ice Tortoise’s body, right?"
"Come up here and sit, Frostbane. Let’s have a proper talk between brothers. I know your memories haven’t fully awakened, so I’ll have to repeat some things. Back in the day, you were a regular guest of the Obsidian Tortoise Clan—otherwise, why would my clan members recognize you?
Besides, this really is inside the Mystic Ice Tortoise. Its true body is far beyond your imagination. Once, we made it fully stretch out, and it took us a full day and night of flying just to see it all. What you’ve seen is just the tip of the iceberg." The Temple Master explained.
Evan was absolutely stunned. This body was a thousand times, no, ten thousand times larger than the one he’d seen before. Even if he mastered every technique in the Frostbane Sword, killing it would be impossible; maybe only the peerless experts in the Xuanyuan Imperial Palace could pull that off.
"How did you know I was coming to the Obsidian Tortoise Clan? And how do you know my memories aren’t fully awakened? You’ve really got me confused here." Evan asked, ignoring what others thought.
"Our Obsidian Tortoise Clan has the power of divination. Recently, I specially cast a divination and learned that an old friend would be coming, so I ordered the Mystic Ice Tortoise to swallow you and bring you in. In the past, you didn’t call me ‘Obsidian Tortoise’—you called me ‘Little Wu.’ From your expression when you arrived, I could tell you were still curious about this place, so I knew your memories hadn’t fully recovered." The Temple Master explained.
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Evan finally realized what he’d missed and gave a wry laugh. "Then you probably know my real reason for coming to the Obsidian Tortoise Clan. Tell me—how’s the Soaring Feather Young Lord these days?"
"Kid, don’t get ahead of yourself. If you want to take our Young Lord, you’d better prove you have what it takes! From what I see, you’re still stuck at the Divine Martial Realm, yet you dare spout off in here. Believe it or not, I could crush you with a single palm!" an elder suddenly barked.
Evan didn’t respond, just glanced at the elder. But the Temple Master snapped, "Second Elder, you’re talking too much. Lord Frostbane is our clan’s most honored guest, and you dare be so rude? Go face the Wall-Facing Cliff and reflect for ten years!"
One wrong word and it’s ten years of punishment—this Temple Master was truly formidable. The Second Elder, still furious, protested, "Temple Master, why should this guy be allowed to take the Young Lord? His cultivation is so weak, I refuse to let him take him unless he can defeat me. Otherwise, I won’t accept it!"
The Temple Master glanced at Evan but said nothing, while the other clan members spoke up, all agreeing that Evan’s strength was too low to take the Soaring Feather Young Lord.
The hall erupted in debate. Some wanted Evan to fight the Second Elder, others suggested he first battle the clan’s strongest disciples, and only if he won could he challenge the Second Elder.
Evan knew the Temple Master was waiting for his response, so he gave a small, cocky smile. "I don’t usually put on a show for others, but if you all think I’m weak, there’s nothing more to say. I’m taking the Soaring Feather Young Lord with me, one way or another—don’t force my hand."
"Heh, that’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in ten thousand years. If you don’t dare fight me, just leave the Obsidian Tortoise Clan now. We don’t welcome the weak here. I don’t care who you are—only the strong deserve my respect. If you can beat me, I’ll have nothing to say. If you’re too scared, get lost!" the Second Elder sneered.
Evan shot the Temple Master a look. "Is this really how you Obsidian Tortoise Clan treat your guests? It’s not that I don’t want to spar—just worried I might kill him by accident and you’ll pin it on me."
"Frostbane, I may be the Temple Master, but some things require everyone’s agreement. The Young Lord is one of those matters. If it were anything else, I’d agree without hesitation. I think you should accept the duel—and remember to show mercy." the Temple Master said.
In truth, he was curious to see how strong Evan had become after all these years. He knew all about Evan’s reincarnation, and the Obsidian Tortoise Clan’s divination arts were second to none.
"Temple Master, you can’t be serious—telling him to show me mercy? You’re giving him way too much credit! I’ll be lucky not to kill him outright. I really don’t get your thinking." the Second Elder said, full of doubt.
"Out of respect for your Temple Master, I’ll let you off with your life. I know the Obsidian Tortoise Clan’s defenses are famous. If I beat you, does that mean I can take the Soaring Feather Young Lord with me?" Evan asked.
"If you defeat me, of course you can take our Young Lord to open the Netherworld gate. But if you lose, get out of the Obsidian Tortoise Clan immediately," the Second Elder replied contemptuously.
Evan glanced at the others in the hall and said, "Do you all agree with what the Second Elder said? I’m sure your Temple Master does, but I want to hear your opinions."
"As long as you can beat the Second Elder, of course we’ll keep our word. The Obsidian Tortoise Clan’s promises are ironclad—unlike you humans, who are all scheming, faithless little men," one of them said.
"Good. In that case, let’s head outside. Today I want to see for myself just how strong the Obsidian Tortoise Clan’s defenses really are." Evan said, and with a flash, he left the hall…