Jiang Chen was surprised, but still calm. He looked down at the quickly moving sea turtle from above. The turtle would surely make a move after being alerted.

Normally, creatures like turtles weren’t aggressive, but turtles that had pursued martial dao were different.

Jiang Chen kept his guard up. He didn’t want to count on the creature’s good mood to keep himself safe. He had to be prepared. His instincts told him that the turtle was not to be underestimated.

Jiang Chen summoned the Vermilion Bird, Long Xiaoxuan, and Little White. He felt more confident with the three of them by his side.

“Haha, young lord Chen, what is this place?” As a divine entity, the Vermilion Bird was immediately alerted to the strangeness of the area.

Jiang Chen described what had happened. The Vermilion Bird nodded. After surveying the surroundings, its expression changed. It cast its sharp eyes at the giant turtle below. It then looked at Long Xiaoxuan and the White Tiger meaningfully.

“Have you noticed anything, Brother Long?” the bird asked pointedly.

Long Xiaoxuan frowned. “My bloodline seems to be boiling with emotion. There’s something about the turtle’s bloodline that causes a reaction in mine.”

The tiger was surprised as well. “I have a similar feeling. Something about the turtle isn’t right.”

They looked at the bird.

“This isn’t a simple turtle!” Abruptly, the bird shouted, “Watch out, it’s going to attack!”

Their conversation was cut short. A tail resembling a steel whip shot out from the creature’s rear end, the surface sectioned like it was armored. The thick tail whipped toward Jiang Chen and the others, almost collapsing space itself.

From the ocean rising to the sky, the ferocity of the attack didn’t diminish one iota.

With lightning reflexes, the Vermilion Bird extended its wings, obscuring the sun and shielding Jiang Chen and the other sacred beasts. It flashed to the side, dodging the powerful tail.

The hit left ghastly scars in the air. Jiang Chen and the others tensed, shocked by the demonstration of power.

Regular turtles had very short tails. Very few could use it to attack. To Jiang Chen’s knowledge, there weren’t any such turtles with this level of offensive power.

“Can it be...” Long Xiaoxuan blurted out in realization, “the sacred beast Black Tortoise?”

The dragon’s memory heritage surfaced suddenly. The epiphany led him to the right speculation.

The Black Tortoise!

Jiang Chen’s surprise was clear on his face, as was a hint of delight. He hadn’t expected to run into the Black Tortoise here!

“Are you sure, Brother Long?” Jiang Chen took a deep breath and verified in a low voice.

Long Xiaoxuan peered at the Vermilion Bird. “What do you think, Old Brother Vermilion?”

The bird smiled wryly. “It is indeed the Black Tortoise. The bloodline can’t be faked. The fact that our blood resonates with the turtle’s is strong enough proof. Such a depth of resonation isn’t possible without all four sacred beasts being present.”

Long Xiaoxuan nodded. “You’re right. Look, the turtle is sneaking a peek at us!”

Jiang Chen looked down. The creature’s head had been hidden in its shell, but it now reared its head proudly.

The Black Tortoise had a head that resembled a common turtle’s, but was actually a hybrid of a turtle and snake. Therefore, the Black Tortoise had a long, smooth neck, powerful and unbreakable like it’d been cast from metal.

It raised its head tall and proud, as if it was showing off to Jiang Chen and the others. However, there was a hint of confusion in its eyes. Its bloodline was resonating as well, a feeling that was completely foreign to it.

Jiang Chen confirmed that the beast was the Black Tortoise after taking a good look. Its appearance and power all match his knowledge of the sacred beast.

He could barely contain his excitement. He’d roamed through the world looking for the Black Tortoise, and now had stumbled upon it by chance!

Not too long ago, he’d been talking to the Vermilion Bird about the sheer power the four sacred beasts would create when gathered together. He’d been wondering how he was going to find the Black Tortoise.

The bird had said that the tortoise was present on the Myriad Abyss Island, but no one knew if the ancient rumors still held true. It had been more than two hundred thousand years since then. Things would’ve changed substantially.

That was why Jiang Chen hadn’t been that hopeful despite his eagerness to find the Black Tortoise. Luck played too big a part in this. He didn’t expect to run into the last sacred beast today!

“How is it that the tenth forbidden island is actually the Black Tortoise! Doesn’t anyone from the ten sacred lands know about this?”

He believed the ten sacred lands must be in the dark about this. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have risked offending the sacred beast.

The Black Tortoise was drastically different from regular turtles. It might not be as quick to fight as the White Tiger, but it also despised having its territory disturbed.

Sandplain Island was very close to the tortoise’s territory.

“Brother Vermilion, how strong is the Black Tortoise?” Jiang Chen transmitted.

“It’s on my level,” the bird said seriously. “And this is its territory. It won’t be easy to deal with it here.”

The bird added in assurance, “However, it’s the four of us against one of it. The odds aren’t in its favor. Don’t worry.”

Jiang Chen wasn’t worried. In fact, he was excited.

How was he going to win the Black Tortoise over? The sacred beast wouldn’t be easy to convince.

It was as powerful as the Vermilion Bird. Jiang Chen had only been able to move the bird’s heart with kindness because he’d run into it when it was at its lowest point.

The Black Tortoise was obviously full of life and far from desperate. He wouldn’t be able to win its approval in the same way.

“Let me talk to it first, young master,” said the Vermilion Bird.

“Alright,” Jiang Chen responded. Neither he, Long Xiaoxuan, or Little White was powerful enough to talk to the Black Tortoise on equal footing.

If the tortoise was a prideful one, it might ignore them completely. The Vermilion Bird was at least equal to it in power, making the tortoise more likely to talk to the bird.

“Try the diplomatic approach first, Brother Vermilion,” said Jiang Chen. “Try not to offend it and maintain peace if possible.”