I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

The sword light swept across a small satellite lake. Lin Che's gaze swept across the lake surface, where several colorful low-level spirit fish swam leisurely in the clear water, creating ripples.

Without lingering, he flew straight to the main lake area of ​​Shattered Star Lake on his sword.

This is the true heart of Shattered Star Lake.

A vast expanse of water unfolds before your eyes, about five miles wide from east to west and eight miles long from north to south, its surface shimmering with tiny sparkles in the sunlight.

Around the main lake, six smaller satellite lakes are distributed like stars surrounding the moon.

From a great height, the entire lake group resembles a fallen star, surrounded by a ring of tiny stardust, hence the name "Shattered Star Lake".

In the middle of the vast, misty lake, the outline of an island appears and disappears amidst the water vapor and ethereal mist—that is the island in the heart of the lake.

Even though Lin Che was already at the Foundation Establishment stage and his eyesight far surpassed that of ordinary people, the hazy mist that enveloped the island seemed to carry a certain power that blocked divine sense, preventing him from seeing the specific situation on the island.

He tried to extend his divine sense over there, but even with his powerful spiritual sense covering a maximum range of three miles, the situation deep within the island was still shrouded in mist.

However, at the edge of the three-mile radius, he had already discovered three enormous alligator turtles with shells that looked like they were covered with thick rocks, lurking in the shallow waters of the lake shore. The energy emanating from them was that of a demonic being at the Qi Refining stage.

"Alligator snapping turtle..." Lin Che understood.

Going deeper, there must be even stronger individuals, and their numbers are probably no less than those of others.

He doesn't want to clash with the entire alligator snapping turtle population for the time being.

A solution would inevitably be a protracted war, which would expose our full strength, and the fluctuations in the battle would certainly attract the attention of other forces.

At that time, the secret of this island in the middle of the lake will probably be lost.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Che made his decision and forcefully broke through!

With the extreme speed of the Shadow Chasing Rune on the Azure Star Sword, even though the Ironclad Alligator Turtle is quite fast in the water, it might not be able to catch up with him when he is flying at full speed on the sword.

First, land on the island to investigate. If things are not going well, then use your speed to evacuate from other directions.

The lake is vast enough that it's difficult for the alligator snapping turtle population to gather quickly enough, and a small number of individuals cannot stop him.

Recalling the Illusionary Crystal Seeking Beast, Lin Che formed a sword incantation with his hands and let out a low shout.

"rise!"

The Azure Star Sword emitted a clear and melodious sword cry, carrying him as a streak of azure light, shooting straight toward the island in the center of the lake.

The next moment, he activated the Shadow Chasing Rune on the sword with all his might, and his body seemed to be enveloped by a wisp of breeze, and the speed of the flying sword suddenly doubled!

Like a blue lightning bolt tearing through the sky, it pierced through the misty water vapor on the lake's surface.

Correspondingly, the rate at which the body's true essence is consumed also increases dramatically.

The three armored crocodile turtles at the Qi Refining stage immediately sensed the uninvited guest. They raised their heads, and water-based demonic power quickly condensed in their mouths. Three solid water arrows shot out with a whooshing sound!

However, the water arrow was far slower than the flying sword enhanced with the Shadow Chasing Rune, and could only land futilely on the lake surface behind Lin Che, creating several huge splashes of water.

Lin Che paid no attention to this, and the speed of his sword light did not decrease.

However, just as he reached the middle of the lake, a strange thing happened!

Two thick, earthy-yellow spiritual lights suddenly rose from the lake below, like two huge light shields, and quickly enveloped him!

In an instant, Lin Che felt a sudden heaviness around him, as if invisible shackles were binding him, and his flying speed abruptly decreased.

"Supernatural power, as immovable as a mountain!"

Lin Che immediately recognized this as the innate ability of the Ironclad Alligator Turtle.

This supernatural power can draw upon the earth's energy to create a gravity field, slowing down enemies within it and allowing the user to direct some of the impact they receive into the earth. It is truly an excellent means of defense and control.

If a group of armored alligator turtles were to use their attacks together, the resulting gravitational field would be a headache even for cultivators in the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Just as his speed was limited, two even larger armored crocodile turtles, whose demonic power had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, emerged from the lake below. Their huge mouths opened, and high-pressure water cannons, highly compressed and containing terrifying power, were already formed. With a piercing whistling sound, they blasted at him from the left and right!

Lin Che remained calm in the face of danger. With a thought, the immovable runes on the Azure Profound Star Sword instantly lit up, and a solid and heavy sword energy barrier, flowing with an earthy yellow halo, instantly unfolded to protect him.

"Boom! Boom!"

Two high-pressure water cannons slammed into the sword energy barrier, producing a dull thud and exploding into a cloud of water mist. The barrier trembled violently, yet it steadily blocked the attack.

Taking this opportunity, Lin Che once again activated the Shadow Chasing Rune with all his might. The cyan sword light suddenly broke free from the uncomfortable gravity field.

On the subsequent journey, sporadic attacks continued to come from the lake, with water arrows and ice spikes flying one after another, but none of them could stop this unstoppable blue-clad figure.

Finally, the sword light pierced through the dense mist and spiritual energy, landing steadily on the land of the island in the middle of the lake.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, Lin Che immediately unleashed his full divine sense.

Within the island's boundaries, the force that blocked divine sense seemed to have weakened considerably, allowing his divine sense to cover the entire island.

Almost instantly, he pinpointed the source of the intense spiritual energy fluctuation to the central area of ​​the island.

He rushed over, and the sight that came into view made his gaze freeze.

There, a seemingly ancient cave dwelling, marked by the passage of time, was built against the mountain. The concealment array at its entrance appeared to have loosened due to its age, causing a corner of the cave dwelling to be exposed, from which a pure and powerful spiritual energy fluctuation was faintly revealed.

"An ancient cultivator's cave?" Lin Che frowned slightly, his heart filled with vigilance.

Judging from the appearance of this cave, it has obviously existed for countless years.

He had no idea whether it was empty, or contained a sleeping old monster, or some terrifying restriction left behind, so he did not approach rashly.

Just as he was observing intently, a faint yet ancient emotional fluctuation suddenly emanated from the Heart of Ten Thousand Beasts.

Lin Che was startled and retreated several feet without thinking.

He soon discovered that the fluctuation did not originate from inside the cave, but from the "hill" next to the cave that was covered with countless tangled, unidentified vines.

The vines were so thick that they almost completely covered the objects below.

The moment his gaze fell upon them, those vines that had been still for countless years suddenly began to tremble slightly.

Immediately afterwards, amidst the falling dust and fallen leaves, a thick, long neck with mysterious gray-white patterns slowly emerged from under the vines.

At the top of the long neck is a huge and majestic head, shaped like a tortoise but not quite, with more of a dragon-like appearance, and even two slight protrusions on the top of the head.

On that head, a pair of eyes that seemed to hold the weight of a thousand years slowly opened.

His eyes initially held a bewilderment and a sense of vicissitude, as if he had just awakened from a long sleep, but they quickly regained their clarity, becoming deep, calm, yet carrying an undeniable air of authority.

Lin Che's pupils contracted slightly, and he felt a chill run down his spine.

His intuition was right; a powerful demonic beast was indeed lurking here!

Moreover, upon seeing its physical characteristics, a name immediately flashed through Lin Che's mind.

"A Whirlpool Dragon Turtle?!"

He was greatly surprised.

The being before us is none other than the rare spirit beast, the Vortex Dragon Turtle, possessing a third-tier superior bloodline!

This is far superior to those second-tier mid-grade bloodline ironclad alligator turtles outside; to be precise, the two are not even the same species.

What shocked Lin Che even more was that although the other party had just woken up, the fluctuations of spiritual energy around him were subtle and restrained, and his internal energy was contained. There was no sign of disorder caused by his sleep. This control over his own power undoubtedly showed that his cultivation had reached the perfect stage of Foundation Establishment!

Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Che's mind stirred, and crimson gold light and crimson flames flashed simultaneously. The Heavenly Sacred Sparrow and the Crimson Flame Tiger had been summoned, guarding him on the left and right sides.

As soon as the two spirit beasts appeared, they felt the powerful pressure from the ancient being in front of them and immediately entered a state of high alert for battle. The Crimson Flame Tiger even let out a low warning growl.

However, the vortex dragon turtle did not launch an attack.

It simply gazed calmly at Lin Che with its wise eyes, which seemed to have seen through the vicissitudes of life, its huge head tilting slightly as if it were pondering something.

Seeing this, Lin Che's heart stirred slightly, and he raised his hand to stop the Crimson Flame Tiger, which was already poised to attack and whose body was beginning to blaze with flames.

He tried to activate the heart of all beasts, gently conveying his thoughts to the beast, attempting to communicate with it, which exuded an air of antiquity.

"Hello..." Lin Che began, but found himself at a loss for words.

On the contrary, the vortex dragon turtle's eyes flashed with surprise and a knowing smile.

A peaceful yet ancient, yet exceptionally clear and complete thought, like a gentle stream, slowly flowed into Lin Che's heart: "Ah, young cultivator, hello."

The completeness and fluency of this thought confirmed to Lin Che once again that the other party had extremely high intelligence and that its spiritual power far exceeded that of ordinary Foundation Establishment demon beasts.

"You... came here because of the spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from this cave, right?" The vortex dragon turtle's thoughts came again.

Lin Che nodded and responded telepathically, "Indeed, senior, are you here to guard this cave?"

The vortex dragon turtle shook its enormous head slightly, its eyes revealing a hint of reminiscence and complexity: "Yes, and no."

This cave dwelling was actually where my master used to cultivate in seclusion.

However... he had already ascended to immortality eight hundred years ago.

Since then, I've lived here, so I guess you could say I'm looking after this house for him.

It slowly revealed its origins.

It turns out that this vortex dragon turtle has lived for 1,200 years. Almost from the moment it gained sentience, it followed its master to this Shattered Star Lake and witnessed the creation of this cave from nothing.

After its master passed away, it settled and multiplied in this place. Today, Shattered Star Lake can be considered the family territory of its lineage. Many of the armored alligator snapping turtles in the lake have traces of its bloodline.

However, no offspring have emerged who can truly inherit its pure bloodline.

"Time flies, years pass like an arrow... In the blink of an eye, so much time has passed."

The Whirlpool Dragon Turtle raised its head and looked up at the sky, which was shrouded in mist, and let out a long sigh that contained endless感慨 (gǎnkǎi - deep feelings of regret or reflection) about the passing years.

Although turtle-type spirit beasts are known for their long lifespans, this one ultimately failed to break through to the Golden Core stage. Twelve hundred years is the limit of lifespan for a Foundation Establishment stage turtle, and it is clear that its time is not far off.