The black tortoise’s bloodline was at the eighth grade. It relied on dark power and flesh power to make advances in its bloodline.

Dong Li was well-aware of this.

The dark stone that had been obtained from the Demon realms carried the profound truths and origin of dark power. It could also gather dark power on its own. This made it a supreme dark treasure.

It had provided both her and the black tortoise with great help.

Even though it had played an important role in the black tortoise’s bloodline upgrades, the strengthening of its body was also necessary if it wanted to make further advances in its bloodline.

“This ring of holding...” As a thought entered Dong Li’s mind, an enormous Ancientbeast corpse floated out of the ring.

The black tortoise instantly grew excited.

“That’s a ninth grade Scarlet Turtle!” Hua Mu exclaimed, staring at the red turtle that was the size of a mountain peak. Mysterious fiery patterns could be seen on its vast shell, as if the gigantic Ancientbeast corpse was still blazing.

“Ye Wenhan got that ninth grade Scarlet Turtle out of the depths of the Heaven Span Pavilion’s vault,” Jing Feiyang explained. “Its heart was carved out and sealed within a special vessel. As you know, the intact hearts of ninth grade spirit beasts and outsiders have to be contained via special means. Otherwise, they might find a way to come back to life.”

“So it’s a chelonian Ancientbeast. No wonder you’re so excited.” Dong Li muttered.

“Your tortoise is wreathed in dark power, while that Scarlet Turtle is a fire-attributed Ancientbeast...” Jing Feiyang said, looking baffled.

“What it needs is not the Scarlet Turtle’s flame power, but rather the flesh power that remains in its flesh and blood.” With these words, Dong Li pondered briefly, then nodded at the black tortoise.

Seeing this, the black tortoise skipped with joy.

WHOOSH!

Its body instantly expanded a thousand times over.

In the blink of an eye, it became as huge as the Scarlet Turtle.

Jing Feiyang and Hua Mu looked at it with rapt attention, and felt that even though the black tortoise was only at the eighth grade, it seemed to be more mysterious than the dead ninth grade Scarlet Turtle.

The dark magical patterns on the black tortoise’s shell seemed to form a natural spell formation that looked like a bottomless abyss. Only by looking at them, people would feel deeply disturbed, as if their souls were sinking.

The black tortoise stood on the back of the Scarlet Turtle, with its giant feet tightly adhering to the Scarlet Turtle like magnets.

SHEW!

It took the Scarlet Turtle and flew off to find a secluded floating meteor to refine its residual power.

“You won’t have a problem if I take that Scarlet Turtle, right?” Dong Li asked.

Jing Feiyang laughed. “Nie Tian shares everything with you. Besides, you’re his fiancee. That tortoise of yours is amazing. It’ll be a good thing for you and Nie Tian if it gets stronger.”

He had witnessed the black tortoise’s amazing abilities on the floating continent.

Back then, it had unleashed its dark power to create ‘Evernight’, which had left a deep impression on him.

For a moment, he had even suspected that the black tortoise carried a Star Behemoth bloodline.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Corpses of ninth grade Ancientbeasts that were the size of mountains, along with Demons, Phantasms, Birdmen, and Blackscales, were taken out from within the rings of holding one after another.

More than a dozen of them floated to Nie Tian’s side.

FZZZ!

Translucent and sparkling strings that were as scarlet as blood shot out of Nie Tian.

Nie Tian activated Life Drain once again.

Jing Feiyang and Hua Mu’s expressions flickered.

“Such strong flesh power!”

“The intensity of his flesh aura is even higher than that of most eighth grade outsiders and Ancientbeasts!”

As far as they knew, Nie Tian’s bloodline had only entered the eighth grade recently.

However, none of the eighth grade Ancientbeasts or outsiders they had ever encountered had impressed them the way he did.

Jing Feiyang seemed somewhat worried. “More than a dozen ninth grade Ancientbeast and outsider corpses... Even without their hearts, they contain a tremendous amount of flesh power. Can Nie Tian really absorb all of their residual flesh power? Won’t such massive power overwhelm him?”

Hua Mu’s expression grew complicated.

He had been here for some time. He had witnessed numerous spirit beast and outsider corpses be drained of their residual power and rapidly decay.

However, Nie Tian had never shown any sign of reaching the end of his cultivation session.

It seemed to him that, like a bottomless pit, Nie Tian could absorb however much flesh power he was given.

Dong Li smiled heartily. “Don’t worry. Nie Tian can take it. I guess there are positive sides to this Gupi crisis. Ancient great sects like the Five Elements Sect, the Void Spirit Society, and the Heaven Span Pavilion would only be willing to contribute their ninth grade Ancientbeast and outsider corpses at times like this.”

Jing Feiyang took a moment to think, and asked, “Will these be enough?”

Dong Li shot a glance at Nie Tian. After a moment of pondering, she said, “I doubt it.”

Jing Feiyang was flabbergasted. “Even these won’t be enough for him?”

Dong Li nodded slightly.

“If that’s the case, how about I return to the Realm of Maelstrom and tell people Nie Tian’s experiencing some unforeseen event in his secluded cultivation, and will need far more flesh power materials than this?” Jing Feiyang suggested.

“Sure, try to squeeze as many high-grade spirit beast and outsider corpses from the ancient great sects as possible,” Dong Li agreed. “Only they have large numbers of ninth grade ones.”

Jing Feiyang nodded, and left in a hurry.

...

Two weeks later.

Every realm in the Domain of Green Woods had fallen.

All of the surviving Qi warriors had sailed as far away from the Domain of Green Woods as possible on their ancient starships, as Fei Yiming had.

Dead silence now reigned over the Domain of Green Woods. Not a single life could be found in it anymore, human or spirit beast.

All of them had been poisoned to death by Gupi’s toxic miasma.

A few of its neighboring domains, including the Domain of Frigid Frost, where the Ice Soul Divine Sect was based, were enveloped in anxiety and fear.

Group after group of Saint domain experts did what Ling Bingyun had done, and rushed to the Realm of Maelstrom to express their urgent need to see Nie Tian.

However, Jing Feiyang and the others refused them all.

After learning that Ji Yuanquan, Ye Wenhan, and other God domain experts were also in the Realm of Maelstrom, they went to see them in succession. By either crying or kneeling, they begged them to solve this Gupi crisis for them.

Ji Yuanquan and Ye Wenhan, who were at their wits’ end, couldn’t stand their endless begging and had to leave the Realm of Maelstrom.

Before leaving, they communicated with Jing Feiyang one last time. They decided to dig deeper into their sect’s stock of high-grade spirit beast and outsider corpses, and have them shipped here in secret, hoping that Nie Tian would come out of his secluded cultivation soon.

With Wu Ji missing, they could only place all of their hopes on Nie Tian.

...

Ancientbeast and outsider corpses surrounded Nie Tian like mountain peaks made of flesh and blood.

Numerous strings of qi and blood pierced into them like sparkling blood-colored thread.

Sitting in their midst, Nie Tian looked like a spider that had knitted a huge web with crimson blood strings!

Qi and blood could be seen flowing through them into Nie Tian’s body.

THUMP! THUMP!

Nie Tian’s heart drummed so heavily that it caused Dong Li discomfort.

Dong Li, Master Blood Spirit, Hua Mu, and Li Langfeng, those who were the closest to Nie Tian, were now gathered in this place.

They were worried about him.

Months later, grimy blood oozed from Nie Tian’s pores to form a thick and hard layer over his entire body.

It enveloped Nie Tian like a cocoon.

Even his face couldn’t be seen anymore.

The only things that could be seen were the crimson blood strings that were still transfusing flesh power into him.

Hua Mu cast his gaze down and said in a low plain voice, “It’s been a long time. It’s been almost a year since he came here to practice cultivation. During this time, not only we, but people from the Void Spirit Society, the Five Elements Sect, and the Heaven Span Pavilion have also provided him with a tremendous amount of materials that contained rich flesh power.”

After hearing his words, everyone glanced around, and discovered that the majority of the spirit beast and outsider corpses around Nie Tian had been drained of their flesh power, and were rotting away.

They almost couldn’t see any unused corpses around him.

Master Blood Spirit took a deep breath and said, “The amount of the flesh power Nie Tian has consumed during the past year is astronomical. Even when I attempt to break through into the God domain, I probably won’t consume as much flesh power as he has.”

He practiced the Blood Refining Incantation, which relied on all kinds of blood.

As a late Saint domain expert, he would attempt to advance to the God domain sooner or later. Even he found that the amount of flesh power Nie Tian had consumed exceeded his imagination.

Master Blood Spirit sighed in admiration. “Twenty-seven ninth grade Ancientbeast and outsider corpses... Even though they lost some of their flesh power when they died and had their hearts carved out, they were still ninth grade grand patriarchs. Nie Tian’s bloodline is only at the eighth grade. The fact that he has absorbed such a tremendous amount of flesh power and hasn’t exploded and died is a miracle.”

Dong Li smiled. “How many miracles has he worked so far?”

Her words got everyone thinking, complicated expressions gradually filling their faces.

After a while...

The Spirit Pearl Nie Tian had left floating in the dim starry river suddenly blossomed with misty cyan light.

The whole area was enveloped in misty cyan light, making everyone feel like they had come to the netherworld.

WHOOSH!

Rich, pure Phantasm Qi poured out of the Spirit Pearl as the five evil gods flew out, baring their teeth and brandishing their claws.

Dong Li was baffled. “What’s happening with that Phantasm treasure?”

SHEW!

The black tortoise, which had disappeared with the Scarlet Turtle for quite some time, suddenly returned, wreathed in what looked like a huge black cloud.

A soul message then came from it.

Dong Li shuddered. “You’ve entered the ninth grade?!”

The black cloud scattered, and the black tortoise revealed itself.

It had become five times as large as before!

“W-what are you sensing?” Dong Li asked, looking astonished.

“I’m sensing it too. Something is wrong.” Master Blood Spirit frowned, instantly activating his blood domain.

The black tortoise and Master Blood Spirit’s warnings made everyone nervous, as if they were facing formidable foes. Li Langfeng hastily said, “Yu Suying and Mo Qianfan are still in the Realm of Maelstrom. I’ll go back and get them!”

BOOM!

As soon as he said these words, the teleportation portal on the meteor exploded.