I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

Lin Che stood silently, gazing at the enormous, lifeless body of the Vortex Dragon Turtle, his heart filled with a mix of emotions.

After a long silence, he sighed softly, his voice echoing clearly on the tranquil island in the lake: "Alas, even if one embarks on this path of seeking the Great Dao, how many among the masses can truly break free from the shackles of lifespan and attain that elusive immortality?"

This sigh is both a farewell to the Whirlpool Dragon Turtle and a warning for one's own path.

He quickly suppressed his emotions, and a resolute and fervent light rekindled in his eyes.

Now, he holds two second-tier spiritual veins, and the foundation for the family's development is in place!

The spiritual veins in the outside world can be used to build family residences, while the mirrored secret realm within the Hidden Mulberry Tree is an excellent secret place for cultivating rare spiritual plants and hatching high-level spiritual beasts.

A clear and hopeful blueprint is slowly unfolding in his mind.

Despite his surging emotions, he did not forget the solemn atmosphere of the moment.

He composed himself, his expression becoming solemn. He then activated the Heart of Ten Thousand Beasts, sending a gentle thought to the armored alligator snapping turtles in the lake, who were immersed in sorrow:

"Gentlemen, before the passing of the Whirlpool Dragon Turtle, did it designate anyone to succeed it and lead the clan's affairs?"

The sudden voice that rang in their hearts startled the previously dejected and sorrowful alligator snapping turtles.

They looked at each other, their huge heads showing a human-like confusion, as if trying to confirm that they were not hallucinating.

These alligator snapping turtles are all enormous, with shells about ten feet in diameter, resembling miniature mobile fortresses.

Their carapace is dark brown, composed of thick, metallic-looking bony plates with rough, sturdy edges, exuding a sense of power.

Its head resembled that of a crocodile, covered in scales. Its limbs were thick and covered with keratinous scales. In its yellowish-brown pupils, there was still a trace of grief, yet it remained composed.

A moment later, several alligator snapping turtles near the shore seemed to receive some kind of command and slowly swam to both sides, making way for a waterway.

A large alligator snapping turtle, significantly larger and with a more robust aura than its kind, slowly swam out of the waterway and came to rest on the shore.

The spiritual energy emanating from its body had clearly reached the peak of the mid-stage Foundation Establishment, but it was limited by the constraints of its second-tier mid-grade bloodline, making it difficult to advance further.

Lin Che examined it closely and discovered that its calm, earthy-yellow eyes, besides sadness, also contained a solemnity and wisdom far exceeding that of its kind.

"Greetings, human cultivator." A steady and profound thought entered Lin Che's mind: "I usually handle all the affairs of the clan, big and small. What is it you wish to discuss?"

Lin Che nodded slightly and began to inquire in detail about the specific situation of the alligator snapping turtle population.

Through communication, it was learned that the entire group has a total of forty-nine members.

Among them, there are five in the Foundation Establishment stage, twelve in the late Qi Refining stage, fourteen in the mid-Qi Refining stage, and eighteen in the early Qi Refining stage.

In the wild, this is already a force to be reckoned with, and coupled with their troublesome innate abilities, it's no wonder that few cultivators dare to provoke them easily.

They possess two innate supernatural abilities:

Firstly, Immovable as a Mountain: When used, it can draw upon the earth's energy to form a yellowish-brown force field with a radius of five zhang around the body.

The increased gravity within the area greatly slowed down enemy movements.

At the same time, its body is connected to the earth, and it can channel 30% of the physical impact it receives into the ground, making it incredibly defensive.

What's more troublesome is that this force field effect can be superimposed on multiple alligator snapping turtles.

Secondly, the Mystic Water Armor: It can mobilize water spirit energy to cover a layer of flowing dark blue water armor on the heavy back armor, which can effectively resist and weaken various magical attacks.

The combination of these two factors makes the alligator snapping turtle an extremely difficult prey to gnaw on; once a protracted battle ensues, it is enough to drive most attackers to despair and retreat.

Next, Lin Che asked about their usual food sources and cultivation methods.

The answer I received was quite pitiful.

"The main problem is... slumber." The clan leader's thoughts carried a hint of helplessness.

It turns out that food is scarce in the Shattered Star Lake area, and they can only rely on the sparse aquatic plants at the bottom of the lake and the spiritual fish and shrimp that grow naturally in the lake and have little spiritual energy to survive.

Because the spiritual energy dissipated from the Hidden Spirit Vein is limited, the number of aquatic products in the lake is not large. They cannot even be overfished and must be allowed to reproduce and grow before they can be caught in moderation.

Most of the tribesmen can only cultivate by sleeping on the water eye.

During his flight on his sword, Lin Che also explored Shattered Star Lake and several surrounding satellite lakes. The spiritual fish there were rich in spiritual energy but were probably not very tasty.

It is evident that these seemingly powerful monsters lead extremely impoverished lives.

Lin Che immediately straightened his expression and promised in an extremely firm tone, "Chief of the Ironclad Alligator Turtle Clan, please rest assured that after I establish myself here, I will guarantee the food supply for the clan, ensuring that every member is well-fed. In addition, I will do my best to provide you with spiritual resources that will help you grow and break through."

Upon hearing this, not only the clan leader, but also the armored alligator snapping turtles behind him who were listening intently exchanged bewildered glances, their massive turtle faces filled with doubt.

Having grown accustomed to a frugal lifestyle, they could hardly imagine what it would be like to be "well-fed" and "possess cultivation resources."

The clan chief remained silent for a moment, then blinked his heavy eyelids, conveying a restrained message: "Alright, I've remembered your words."

It chose to follow the dying instructions of its ancestors, temporarily suppressing its doubts and leaving everything to be verified in the future.

Through the Heart of Ten Thousand Beasts, Lin Che clearly sensed the deep-seated distrust in the other party.

He didn't offer much explanation; sometimes, actions speak louder than words.

"In the coming days, we will need to remain vigilant and protect this lake and islands."

If other cultivators intrude, we must assemble immediately to defend against them.

I need to go out for a while to make some necessary preparations, and then I will return to officially begin building our home, Shattered Star Lake.

The armored alligator snapping turtle patriarch nodded his massive head calmly, indicating that he understood.

After making the arrangements, Lin Che once again activated the pivot jade tablet of the Cloud Mist Locking Array. Dense mist rose up, completely isolating the island in the middle of the lake from the outside world, just like before.

After doing all this, he retrieved the Heavenly Sacred Sparrow and the Crimson Flame Tiger, and his figure transformed into a streak of azure sword light as he left the island in the middle of the lake.

Right now, he has a crucial matter to attend to immediately: in accordance with the development decree of Chuyang City, he must officially register the development order for this unclaimed land of Shattered Star Lake under his own name!

The sword flashed and quickly returned to the cave connected to the earth fire.

Lin Che waved his hand to remove the concealment array at the cave entrance.

Inside the cave, Su Wanwan, who had been sitting cross-legged on a blue stone to regulate her breathing, immediately sensed something and opened her eyes.

After a period of rest and taking medicine, her previously disordered breathing has calmed down, her pale cheeks have regained some color, her wounds have healed completely, and she has even changed her tattered light purple Taoist robe into a simple and elegant dress.

Upon seeing Lin Che, she immediately stood up, her face showing obvious anxiety, and quickly stepped forward, saying, "Senior! Something bad has happened! When I was circulating my energy just now, I vaguely sensed that there was a layer of strange medicinal powder that was extremely difficult to detect around me!"

This is probably the Chen family's backup plan!

I'd heard before that members of the Chen family are implanted with a secret technique that, upon death, automatically emits an invisible and odorless tracking mark, allowing family members to track them down using special methods! We're probably in danger!

Lin Che frowned slightly upon hearing this.

He immediately used his divine sense to carefully scan his entire body, but found nothing unusual.

Without doubting Su Wanwan's words, he understood that this was probably her incompletely awakened "Herbal Affinity Spirit Body"'s unique perception of spiritual herbs.

His gaze sharpened, a glint of gold flashing deep within his eyes. His even more refined and powerful divine sense, mixed with a wisp of the primal power of the Phoenix Blood True Fire, swept over his body once more.

This time, he keenly noticed it!

Some extremely tiny, strange powders, almost blending into his own aura, were adhering to the fibers of his robes.

"It's alright, I can handle it," Lin Che said in a deep voice.

With a slight thought, the power of the Phoenix Blood True Fire swept over his entire body like the most precise broom. Under the sacred aura of the flame, the strange medicinal powder melted away like ice and snow, emitting a very faint, fishy odor before being completely annihilated.

Immediately afterwards, he released a gentle divine sense, which brushed over Su Wanwan's entire body like a breeze.

"Don't resist," he whispered.

Su Wanwan felt a warm and powerful force enveloping her entire body, her cheeks flushing slightly as she stood there somewhat awkwardly.

The next moment, she vaguely smelled a similar odor emanating from herself, which quickly dissipated under the caress of that warm power.

"Is it... all done?" she asked softly, her eyes filled with anticipation.

"Yes, it's resolved." Lin Che withdrew his divine sense and nodded affirmatively.

Su Wanwan breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Lin Che with admiration.

Even she, who often deals with spiritual herbs, was helpless, but the senior solved it with a mere gesture. He was truly amazing!

"To prevent you from being targeted by the Chen family again, I will now teach you a secret technique to change your appearance and conceal your aura."

Lin Che took out a prepared jade slip and handed it over, "This is the Thousand Illusions Formless Technique. Cultivating it to the first level will allow you to change your appearance, and to the second level will allow you to change your form."

This is the secret technique he practiced to conceal his identity.

Then, he took out a light gray cloak with a hood from his storage bag: "This is the Phantom Cloak, a first-grade high-quality magic artifact. When activated, it can blur others' perception of you and hide your true appearance. You can use this to conceal yourself until you master the secret technique."

This magical artifact was used by him before he obtained the secret technique, and he never used it again after practicing the Thousand Illusions Formless Technique.

It's perfect for the young girl; there's no time for her to slowly learn the secret arts now.

Su Wanwan was both surprised and delighted. She accepted the jade slip and cloak with both hands and bowed deeply to Lin Che, saying, "Wanwan thanks you, Senior!"

Without refusing, she understood that this was what she needed most right now, and she could repay the kindness of her seniors slowly in the future.

"Without further ado, let's head back to Chuyang City now. I need to handle the registration for expanding our territory." Lin Che said, patting his spirit beast pouch. A flash of azure light appeared, and the magnificent Wind-Stepping Spirit Steed appeared on the open ground.

The Wind-Treading Steed, which hadn't been out and about for a long time, excitedly snorted and shook its head, its intelligent amber eyes curiously surveying its surroundings.

It then affectionately nestled next to Lin Che, nuzzling his arm with its head, and a cheerful thought echoed: "Master! We can finally come out! Are we going to run a long way this time? I can't wait to run like crazy!"

Lin Che smiled and stroked its pale blue, smooth, satin-like fur, feeling the vibrant energy and desire within it: "Alright, don't rush. I've found you a super big place where you can run wild as much as you want, but you'll have to wait a while!"

Upon hearing this, the Wind-Treading Spirit Steed's eyes brightened even more, and it excitedly pawed at the ground a few times, the airflow generated from its hooves stirring up some dust.

"Alright, calm down." Lin Che patted its neck and turned to Su Wanwan, saying, "You can ride it to Chuyang City later; it will be much faster."

However, when he looked at Su Wanwan, he couldn't help but be taken aback.

The girl stared blankly at the Wind-Treading Steed, her clear almond eyes now red and brimming with tears, on the verge of sobbing.

She bit her lower lip tightly, seemingly trying her best to suppress some kind of surging emotion.