Chapter 2064: Uninhabited Sea

Zhang Xuan was stunned when the other party made such a request. He quickly shook his head, saying, "This... I'm truly sorry, but I'm accustomed to a carefree life. I fear I lack the competence to be a sect leader!" It wasn't that he didn't want the position; rather, he was already the leader of the Myriad Beasts Gate, and taking on another role felt rather awkward.

"If you're truly incompetent, then I don't know what that makes me..." Sect Leader Kuixiao said with a bitter smile. He had been helpless against the Black-backed Turtle, yet Zhang Xuan had easily tamed it. "If you claim to be incompetent, what does that make me?"

"We implore Elder Liu not to decline!" Elder Fengqian also said, cupping his fists.

Zhang Xuan frowned. "This..." First the Myriad Beasts Gate, and now the Seven Star Pavilion... Was it truly so difficult to simply be an elder? Was excellence a fault? He mused that perhaps the Transcendent Cloud Sword Pavilion was better, where he could be a simple elder without the burden of leading a sect.

Seeing his hesitation, Sect Leader Kuixiao explained, "Pseudo-god realm experts have limited lifespans and cannot protect the sect indefinitely. However, a pseudo-god realm immortal beast can. The Black-backed Turtle, in particular, lives for thousands of years. If you become the sect leader and it guards the sect, the Seven Star Pavilion will be secure for millennia to come..."

"I see..." Zhang Xuan nodded. So this was their true intention. He was destined to enter the Temple of Gods sooner or later to find Luo Ruoxi; the Upper Heavens were merely a temporary stop. If the Black-backed Turtle could truly guard the Seven Star Pavilion, then leaving it with them after his departure would be no issue. After all, his rapid breakthrough to Immortal Monarch, acquisition of a pseudo-god realm artifact, and ability to tame this turtle were all due to their contribution.

With this thought, he hesitated briefly before saying, "I don't mind becoming the sect leader, but... I'm accustomed to a leisurely life and may not be able to manage many affairs..."

"That's no concern at all!" Sect Leader Kuixiao's eyes lit up upon his agreement, and he chuckled. "The sect leader's role is simply to deter malevolent forces. All major and minor sect affairs will be handled by the Grand Elder; you needn't worry about them!"

Elder Fengqian retrieved his flat boat, and the three of them boarded it, swiftly flying back towards Star Tracking Island.

Back at the Seven Star Pavilion's branch residence on Star Tracking Island, Zhang Xuan once again released the Black-backed Turtle from his beast pet pouch. After having it draw a small amount of its blood, he sat cross-legged. With a flick of his finger, a drop of the blood vaporized and surged into every pore of his body.

A surging sensation enveloped him. As the blood entered his body, a powerful aura instantly activated all his muscles. Zhang Xuan immediately felt an immense power surge into his meridians, flowing through his dantian and causing his initial Immortal Monarch realm strength to rapidly inflate. His face alternated between flush and pale as he continuously circulated his immortal power. A moment later, Zhang Xuan's body tensed. "No," he realized. "Without an Immortal Monarch realm cultivation technique, even immense power is useless..." He had believed that with the blood of a pseudo-god realm immortal beast, he could force his way to a higher realm, similar to his previous breakthroughs, even without a specific technique. Now, it was clear it wasn't that simple. Attempting to do so might cause him to explode before his cultivation could even advance.

"Since I can't advance my cultivation, I'll nourish my physical body first!" Knowing that further advancement was impossible, Zhang Xuan gave up that attempt. The Black-backed Turtle's greatest strength lay in its defense, and its essence blood was highly nourishing for the physical body. He controlled the power, letting it circulate throughout his form, and his physical body grew progressively stronger. An hour later, his physical strength was already comparable to that of a peak Immortal Monarch.

Zhang Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief and retrieved the iron chain he had previously stored in his ring. With the assistance of Little Yellow Chicken's devouring ability and the threat of revealing its flaws, it didn't take long for the iron chain to be successfully refined.

"You'll be 'Little Turtle Turtle', and you'll be 'Iron Chain'!" Zhang Xuan declared, naming the two pseudo-gods.

The Black-backed Turtle and the Iron Chain were speechless.

Having completed these tasks, he released the Flood Dragon and his other beast companions. "This is pseudo-god realm blood," he announced. "Each of you will get ten drops. Whether you can break through or advance will depend on yourselves." With a flick of his finger, he sent over the Black-backed Turtle's essence blood. These beasts had all reached the peak of the Immortal Monarch realm and possessed powerful bloodlines; he was curious to see the effects of consuming pseudo-god realm immortal beast blood. It would be ideal if they could also break through to the pseudo-god realm, but if not, there was no real loss. The Flood Dragon and the Nine-headed Heavenly Phoenix Beast were all full of gratitude, eagerly swallowing the essence blood. Two hours later, although their cultivation had significantly improved, they still hadn't broken through the final barrier. It seemed becoming a pseudo-god was indeed not so easy; otherwise, there wouldn't be so few experts of that level.

Seeing that they couldn't break through, he put them back into his beast pet pouch and released the Black-backed Turtle again. "How did you manage to break through to the pseudo-god realm, and where did it happen? Please recount the details," Zhang Xuan asked. He hadn't killed the creature, but instead tamed it, precisely for this information. Having encountered the divine bloodstones before, he had always suspected a connection to Luo Ruoxi.

"I broke through in the Uninhabited Sea..." the Black-backed Turtle replied directly, without concealment.

"The Uninhabited Sea?" Zhang Xuan questioned.

"Yes, it's about a million kilometers from here," the Black-backed Turtle explained. "It's a vast, empty expanse of ocean with no islands or human presence, which is how it got its name."

Zhang Xuan frowned. "That far? And how were you able to break through? Isn't it impossible to reach the pseudo-god realm without entering the Temple of Gods?"

"It is indeed impossible to break through to the pseudo-god realm without entering the Temple of Gods," the Black-backed Turtle explained. "However, about two months ago, I accidentally swallowed a drop of fresh blood, which allowed me to succeed..." Zhang Xuan's fist clenched. "Fresh blood?" he pressed. "Yes, a pseudo-god realm expert appeared in this sea region," the Black-backed Turtle elaborated, recounting the incident in detail. "I'm not sure what ritual they performed, but then cracks appeared in the sky, and a figure descended. That figure seemed injured at the time and spilled a lot of blood onto the sea surface... I, along with several other peak Immortal Monarch immortal beasts, consumed it and successfully broke through."

Zhang Xuan's voice was filled with urgency. "A figure? What did she look like? Do you know where she went?"

"It was a woman, but her exact appearance wasn't clear..." The Black-backed Turtle replied, looking rather embarrassed. "I don't know where she went either. After consuming the blood, I fell into a coma, and when I woke up, I possessed pseudo-god realm strength. As for the precise mechanism of the breakthrough, I truly don't know." It genuinely didn't understand how it had attained its pseudo-god state. It later surmised that it must be connected to the woman who descended from the sky; perhaps she was a true deity, which was why her blood had such potency, allowing it and other peak Immortal Monarch realm beasts to directly advance upon consumption.

"Was her appearance like this?" Zhang Xuan asked, and with a flick of his finger, Luo Ruoxi's true form and figure appeared before him.

"I really can't remember... it's like I saw it and then instantly forgot," the Black-backed Turtle shook its head. It could distinctly recall the figure descending from the sky, but when it attempted to recall the specific facial features or physique, it found its memory completely blank. Perhaps this was a divine technique.

Dismissing the image, Zhang Xuan stated, "Take me to this Uninhabited Sea you spoke of!"

The Black-backed Turtle was startled. "That place isn't just home to me, a pseudo-god realm immortal beast; there are others... it's extremely dangerous!" Although it had broken through to the pseudo-god realm, it wasn't the strongest in the Uninhabited Sea. Those who had consumed more of the blood were even more powerful. Even true pseudo-god experts dared not enter; its master's journey there would likely be fraught with peril.

"I know, but I must go!" Zhang Xuan offered no further explanation. For the creature to have directly broken through to the pseudo-god realm, it must have consumed divine blood. Two months ago in this realm's time would equate to over six hundred days, or roughly two years, in the Master Teacher Continent. The timing perfectly aligned! This deity who descended from the heavens was very likely Luo Ruoxi. Only by going there himself could he confirm it.

"Alright..." Seeing his master's unwavering resolve, the Black-backed Turtle recalled the Little Yellow Chicken that could devour it and the pseudo-god realm weapon, feeling a considerable ease. Its massive head finally nodded.

"Let's go!" Zhang Xuan couldn't wait another moment. He mounted the Black-backed Turtle's back, sent a voice transmission to Sect Leader Kuixiao, and they flew directly towards the Uninhabited Sea. As a pseudo-god realm expert, the Black-backed Turtle moved through the water with lightning speed. A journey of over a million kilometers, which would typically take a peak Immortal Monarch expert at least a full day, was completed in less than half a day under its full acceleration.

Suspended in the air, Zhang Xuan gazed at the Uninhabited Sea before him. Just as the Black-backed Turtle had described, there was no sign of a single person or island for thousands of miles around; only endless seawater merged seamlessly with the sky. The water here was not the typical blue found elsewhere, instead exhibiting a faint reddish tint, as if infused with blood. "This area was once blue," the Black-backed Turtle explained. "But ever since that figure's blood dripped into it, it has remained this way for over two months, without returning to normal..."

Zhang Xuan's body shimmered as he entered the seawater, simultaneously activating his Eye of Insight for careful observation. The faint red hue of the water and its abundant spiritual energy gave the impression of a secluded paradise. All the sacred beasts, immortal beasts, and plants here were significantly stronger and more spirited than those in other sea regions. As the Black-backed Turtle had suggested, this was likely related to the deity's blood. Swimming to the seabed, he indeed discovered several stones tinged with a deep crimson color. These were precisely the divine bloodstones he had encountered before. Their number wasn't vast, and most lacked the pure power of the previous one he had seen. He casually picked up a piece; upon touching it, a book appeared in his library, its description identical to the earlier one.

After observing the relatively limited area of the reddish water, Zhang Xuan asked, "Where exactly did that figure appear at the time?"

"It's... directly to the south," the Black-backed Turtle replied, its face flushing slightly. "However, Master, I advise you not to go there. That place is occupied by the Flood Shark Triad; they drove me out myself..."

"The Flood Shark Triad?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

"They are the overlords of the Uninhabited Sea," the Black-backed Turtle explained. "Three Flood Shark Beasts. Even when they were at the peak of the Immortal Monarch realm, they were incredibly powerful, and I was no match for them. Back then, my defense was strong, and I kept to myself, so we coexisted peacefully... But after consuming the blood, they all broke through to the pseudo-god realm, becoming even more formidable. With their numerical advantage, they insisted on taking my previous territory. I couldn't defeat them, so I had no choice but to leave."

Zhang Xuan's face darkened. "You mean... all three of them are pseudo-god realm?"

Yesterday, I took a 7:30 AM flight to Hangzhou for the Online Writer's Conference, only arriving at 7:30 PM. I've been in Hangzhou these past few days and will then head to Shanghai. I've been incredibly busy.