Eternal Cultivation Of Alchemy

The Black Tortoise palace was built upon a massive cavern with giant natural holes that made for pathways, no different than a corridor in most palaces. The water inside there was serene, surprisingly lacking much murkiness or any element.

The water was as neutral as it could be.

As Alex passed through them, surrounded by his guides, he looked at the giant obsidian buildings that housed the residents of this palace. Despite appearing to be a natural crystal formation, Alex could see that it was anything but that.

The palace was clearly built with intent, each crystal appearing at the right spot. At that point, he began wondering if the crystal itself was natural.

“We have a way to create these crystals,” the snake answered. “No clue who made the artifact though, but it’s been in the family since the time of our progenitor. We bring it out from time to time to make some repairs, but that’s it!”

Alex raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected these crystals to be the result of an artifact. If he had to guess, he would’ve assumed that it was the result of someone using the Dao of Crystals to make them.

The snake continued speaking, explaining how the palace was structured.

“The palace sits on a giant crater. It is believed that something massive struck this place eons ago, creating not just the sea but also these cavernous regions. The progenitor then sought to create the palace in this land, starting right at the center of the crater.”

“Over time, the palace had extended outwards as more buildings were added to the palace. The majority of the Black Tortoises now live in the inner region that we call the True palace, and the rest live in the outer region we call the False Palace.”

Alex nodded slowly. “If everything connects, how do you differentiate where the True palace ends and where the False one begins?”

The snake laughed. “You’ll see.”

And Alex did. There was an almost obvious change in the palace as everything suddenly started heading further below. He had arrived at the edge of the crater and was now moving down toward the center.

He couldn’t see the crater itself, as the palace covered almost everything to a level, but he could tell he was getting deeper now, and that was where the True palace lay.

Alex stared around in awe, finally noticing more Black Tortoises than the entire way here. Both snakes and tortoises covered the pathways, all going about their daily life. Few stopped by to look at Alex, but not because he was a human, but because he was accompanied by Lingkai.

They were left watching as Alex was taken through winding routes through the caverns, finally arriving before a large crystal gate underwater, surrounded by many reptilian and amphibian guards. None looked to be a Black Tortoise, so Alex could only guess that they were the palace guards.

The gate crept open, a low hum pervading the surroundings. The giant crystal gate only opened large enough for Alex to slip through.

“The Matriarchs are waiting for you inside.”

Alex took in a deep breath by reflex and stopped when only water filled his lungs. He quickly expelled the water out and made his way through the gate.

The inside was surprisingly bright, not just because of the glowing shells and corals, but also giant lamps that hung from each corner of the room. The room had no definite shape to it, but two rows of giant chairs, carved out of granite, sat on either side of the room. At the front were two chairs, with both occupied by two beasts.

On the left was a black snake whose scales barely glistened despite

the light surrounding her. And on the right was a black tortoise with a pristine shell, sitting with her arms and head out of it.

Aside from their figure, however, he saw a ridiculous amount of blue and brown energy leaking off their two bodies. He had barely seen that when the matriarch was in her human form, but now, in the regular form with no concealment, her true power as a Celestial was laid bare for Alex to see.

And it was enough to stun Alex.

The realization that before him sat two Celestials, both of whom were of the same mind, was enough to make him wonder just how strong

they really were.

He quickly bowed toward the two, belatedly remembering why he

was there. “Greetings, Matriarchs.”

“Hmm,” the tortoise half of the matriarch spoke up. “You look weaker

in person.”

“I told you, sister, his cultivation base is weak. It’s easy to underestimate him because of that,” the snake half explained.

“Still, he is the Sun God, huh? Even if his cultivation base was high, I would’ve likely still underestimated him,” the tortoise said. “Has Lingkai explained what you are going to have to do?”

Alex nodded. “I’ve been given the details.”

“Good. How quickly can you start?”

Alex thought for a moment. “I haven’t interacted with Black Tortoise blood beforehand, so I’ll need some time to inspect it. I’ve been told that you’ve gathered a massive amount of blood, which I hope hasn’t been mixed together.”

“No, they’re kept separate. Bloods tend to not mix well together after all,” the snake matriarch said.

“That is perfect. I can begin assessing the blood right away, and I should be ready in some time,” Alex said.

“Then you may leave. Lingkai will take you to your quarters. You don’t

have to be hasty and take all the time you need. You’re under no time

constraint.”

Alex smiled a little and nodded.

Sadly, he was indeed under a time constraint. He needed to go back

to the Fighting Island as soon as he could, or he wouldn’t be able to

help Pearl should he get into trouble.

Sadly, this took priority over Pearl passing the test, so Alex had to come here first.

But, he didn’t worry. They had talked things through regarding the current scenario, so Pearl knew what he would have to do should

things turn

dire.