Innate Immortal Seed

Chapter 275: Chapter 273: Tier 3 Dragon Turtle

SPLASH!

A small mountain rose from the center of Feiyue Lake. The water level surged, sending massive waves crashing in all directions.

The array overhead erupted with Spirit Light, and one blue beam after another suppressed the colossal waves, calming them.

”Halt!”

There must have been a gap in the array’s power, as one massive wave washed onto the shore and rolled toward White Jade Tower.

Bai Zichen let out a low shout. He held Genggeng in one hand, while his other hand extended, forming the shape of a Dragon Claw.

A crimson Dragon Claw descended from the sky, swatting the massive wave apart and turning it into countless droplets of water.

’A Tier Three Dragon Turtle. Such astonishing might... It’s just advanced, but it’s already no weaker than that Old Niu in Cyan Bull Valley. It seems its Dragon Race bloodline has awakened quite well.’

The small mountain slowly turned, and two lantern-sized eyes gazed over.

The Dragon Turtle slowly nodded its head, a flicker of human-like emotion in its eyes.

Then, it abruptly opened its massive maw. Countless fish and shrimp were swept into its mouth by the rushing current. Even a Tier Two Water Elephant was unable to resist the suction.

The creature let out a deafening bellow as it stumbled and was swallowed in a single gulp by the Dragon Turtle, which bit it in two.

Blood instantly stained the lake’s surface, and the Water Elephant’s room-sized Demon Body was devoured completely.

Having devoured countless tons of fish and shrimp in one go, the Dragon Turtle seemed to have replenished much of the Primordial Qi it had consumed during its breakthrough. It began to swim slowly around the Lake Heart Island.

The cultivators at Feiyue Lake were terrified. After all, this Dragon Turtle had not signed a Spirit Beast Contract.

Although it had an agreement to protect the Qingfeng Sect for five hundred years, who knew if it would go back on its word after advancing and go on a violent rampage.

Fortunately, no such incident occurred. After circling the area once, as if to establish its territory, the Dragon Turtle returned to its familiar spot.

It settled down next to the Lake Heart Island, making it seem as if Feiyue Lake now had twin islands.

’Now that it’s a Tier Three Demon Beast, the Dragon Turtle’s lifespan is difficult to calculate... After all, even Mortal Grade Turtle Species can live for a thousand years, to say nothing of one that has formed a Demon Pill and awakened its Dragon Race bloodline.’

Bai Zichen guessed that, barring any natural disasters or man-made calamities, the Dragon Turtle would have no problem living for three to four thousand years.

If it could become a Tier Four Name-Transformed Great Demon, it would be a true living fossil of the Cultivation Realm.

Even a Divinity Transformation Great Power couldn’t hope to compete with it in terms of longevity.

Five hundred years is a lifetime for a Core Formation True Man.

But for a Tier Three Dragon Turtle, it was likely just one-eighth of its long life, so it probably wouldn’t be too resistant to the idea.

”Greetings, Junior Martial Uncle Bai. The Dragon Turtle’s advancement has delayed the setup of the grand array at Celestial Thunder Cliff... In the next few days, I will contact the Mountain Gate, familiarize myself with that array, and strive to set it up as soon as possible.”

As the overseer of the Three Thousand Six Hundred Rings Water Smoke Array, Zhou Suqing would be alerted via her Array Plate whenever someone entered or exited the formation. That was how she was able to come to White Jade Tower the moment the Dragon Turtle completed its advancement.

”Now that this matter is settled, you can shift your focus back to your own cultivation... That Dragon Turtle possesses considerable Spiritual Wisdom. I’ll have a talk with it before I leave. I believe it will behave.”

The environment at Celestial Thunder Cliff is different from Feiyue Lake, so there’s no real hurry to set up the Mountain Protection Array.

However, how could a place presided over by a Core Formation Ancestor not have a Tier Three Array?

Even if Bai Zichen didn’t care, Gu Xisheng would surely urge them to erect the Grand Array.

In Bai Zichen’s eyes, Zhou Suqing had achieved Magical Power Perfection. The aura around her was in harmony with heaven and earth—natural and unrestrained.

One could say that in terms of her personal preparations for breaking through to the Core Formation realm, she was already at an impeccable stage.

There was no need to delay any further; doing so would only dull her edge and cause her confidence to wane.

”You’ve completed your Pill Discussion, so your chances of reaching Core Formation are already a cut above the rest. All your conditions are perfect, enough to make an attempt... If you’re short on contribution points, I can put in a word with Gu Xisheng and get you permission to purchase a Core Formation Spiritual Object in installments.”

A sect’s development cannot be sustained by just one or two powerful cultivators.

That would be purely parasitic, not a healthy, symbiotic growth.

If the Qingfeng Sect wanted to truly grow strong and be able to provide him assistance on his future cultivation path, it needed multiple Core Formation True Men who could hold up its reputation.

Zhou Suqing was currently the only Elder with a chance to attempt Core Formation. If she failed, it would be a very long time before the next candidate emerged.

”Thank you, Junior Martial Uncle Bai. I plan to formally enter seclusion next year and begin converting my True Essence.”

This was just Zhou Suqing’s personality. Even her approach to the Pill Discussion had been one of taking things as they come, neither grasping nor rejecting.

If no one had prompted her, she might have remained at the Foundation Establishment Perfect Realm for a long time, only taking that next step when she encountered a catalyst compelling enough for her to make up her mind.

”Good. I look forward to hearing the news of your successful Core Formation.”

Bai Zichen instructed the servant disciples at White Jade Tower to pack their things and report to Celestial Thunder Cliff. Then, he took Genggeng, boarded the Flying Ship, made a small loop, and deliberately paused for a moment above the Dragon Turtle’s head.

According to the map Tong Huan had provided, Song Lian’s exploration site was over four hundred li north of Feiyue Lake. They arrived in an instant.

’The Soul Lamp flickers on and off. He’s almost certainly dead... This isn’t like when Su Li’s Soul Lamp dimmed but always maintained a faint glimmer of light.’

Although he had agreed to Tong Huan’s request, Bai Zichen didn’t think there was any chance of finding Song Lian alive.

He had been missing for nearly ten years. Even if he hadn’t died at the very beginning, it was impossible for a mere Qi Refining Cultivator to survive for so long.

The reason the Soul Lamp still reacted, reigniting and glowing after a period of time, was likely due to a peculiar manner of death.

He spread out his powerful Divine Sense. With its current strength, the entire hill covered in dense vegetation was well within his grasp.

After one sweep, he quickly locked onto a Demon Beast.

Even though it was hidden deep in a burrow, lying quietly in a stone crevice, there was absolutely no way it could escape the search of his Divine Sense.

’So it’s an old acquaintance. The one that escaped from Feiyue Lake back then. It didn’t run far at all...’

Bai Zichen drew his sword and swung. A hundred-zhang-long Sword Mark plowed through the earth’s surface. With a RUMBLE of rock and soil, a calf-sized scorpion was pinned in place by the Sword Light that pierced deep into the ground.

Its tail thrashed wildly as it spewed out a cloud of yellow gas, enveloping its body.

It was the very same Tier Two Peak Demon Beast from when they first cleared Feiyue Lake—the scorpion that had been lurking in the shadows and escaped their encirclement when they weren’t paying attention.

Bai Zichen walked closer. The scorpion suddenly recoiled, and a glint of cold light shot out from its tail with lightning speed.

TING!

A large hand, white as jade and shimmering with a five-colored luster, reached out and caught the cold glint directly.

The cold glint, powerful enough to pierce metal and stone, made a sound like clashing metal in his palm.

He opened his hand to see a thin stinger several inches long, glowing with a faint green light.

The scorpion’s finishing move hadn’t even pierced his skin.

”A strike just like this killed our sect’s Elder Zhang, didn’t it... Today, I’ll take your life and avenge him.”

The Sword Light retracted. The scorpion twitched twice, and just as it assumed a posture to leap away, it collapsed, motionless.

The moment the Sword Light left its body, a slight vibration had already pulverized the scorpion’s internal organs into dust, yet no wound was visible on the outside, preserving the integrity of its Demon Body.

This was the Zhen Rune Technique, a skill Bai Zichen had mastered only after comprehending the True Enlightenment Sword Technique.

Against enemies below Tier Three, using it was as easy as lifting something heavy as if it were light—effortless.

He conjured a True Essence Giant Hand to collect the scorpion’s corpse and its poison stinger. As a Demon Beast that was just a hair’s breadth away from Tier Three, its body parts were all excellent materials for refining Spiritual Artifacts.

In the hands of an Artifact Refining Master, it could probably yield two or three Mid-Grade Spiritual Artifacts, or a single Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact.

’When I have some free time, I’ll use it for practice. I’ll consider it a success if I can make even a Low-Grade Spiritual Artifact... I’ll just toss it in my storage bag. If I come across a junior I take a liking to, I can give it away as a casual gift.’

Bai Zichen had found and dealt with the powerful Demon Beast Tong Huan had mentioned in an instant, but after sweeping his Divine Sense back and forth twice, he found no trace of Song Lian, neither in the sky nor on the ground.

’Could it be that this wasn’t the place he ultimately went missing? A pity I didn’t bring the Soul Lamp; I can’t confirm it.’

Bai Zichen had no desire to return and tell his disciple that he had slain the Demon Beast, but that the person he was looking for was nowhere to be found, alive or dead.

The Supreme Qingwei Sword Box appeared. The Moon Xuan Sword shot high into the sky, and boundless moonlight showered down upon the earth.

In that moment, it was as if day and night had been reversed, and the Taiyin Star had truly risen into the sky ahead of schedule.

Taking the matter so seriously, he pushed his As Clear as Daylight talent to its absolute limit. Its breadth and depth surpassed the range of his Divine Sense by more than just a small margin.

Several Demon Beasts hidden in the forest and underground were startled by the moonlight and took to their heels, fleeing in a panic.

The moonlight seeped in everywhere like flowing water, its range growing ever larger. Finally, he discovered a clue.

’It’s a standard-issue Low-Grade Storage Bag from the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall...’

Inside a cave, Bai Zichen pushed aside a pile of rubble and uncovered a storage bag that had clearly been deliberately buried.

He instantly broke the Spiritual Mark left on the storage bag. Inside, apart from a few dozen Spirit Stones, there was only a Jade Bottle and a broken piece of ancient bronze.

The Jade Bottle contained a wisp of Dragon and Snake Gang Sha. The ancient bronze piece looked like it had been broken off a great cauldron, and on it were two conspicuous talismans: the Flower Bird Talisman.

’The Dragon and Snake Gang Sha and this piece of ancient bronze, which looks like a handle, must have been the treasures Song Lian found on his exploration. But if he already had them, where did he go...?’

Bai Zichen was puzzled. Judging from the situation, the storage bag had clearly been hidden deliberately by Song Lian.

Did this mean the True Disciple had sensed danger, hidden his gains, and then led his pursuers elsewhere?

’There are actually Tribulation Cultivators deep in Black Mountain? Could the assailant have been a fellow disciple? Or perhaps not even a human cultivator...’

Feiyue Lake was already in Far Northern Black Mountain. It was nearly impossible for Loose Cultivators to come here; the area was frequented almost exclusively by Qingfeng Sect disciples.

If Song Lian had been attacked by a Tribulation Cultivator, then a fellow sect member was highly suspicious—someone who, overcome by greed, had posed as a Tribulation Cultivator.

Of course, it was also possible he had encountered a Demon Beast.

After all, judging by the fact that no one had searched through the pile of rubble afterward, the possibility of a Demon Beast being responsible was also quite high.

Deeper in the cave, the path split into a complex network of forks, which appeared to have been artificially modified.

However, a single sweep of his Divine Sense captured the entire layout of the routes and the situation within.

Several scattered remains had already been reduced to stark white bones, no longer resembling human forms.

The manner of death varied, but they all shared one characteristic: a large hole was torn open in their chests, as if something had crawled out from within their ribcages.

Furthermore, there were no storage bags or other belongings near the remains. The area was picked clean.

There were several sets of footprints on the ground, already covered by a layer of loose dust, but they were clearly not from the same time as the centuries-old remains.

’More than one person’s footprints, and no more than ten years old... Song Lian didn’t come here alone. It seems there was a conflict over dividing the spoils.’

Bai Zichen sighed. This was the greatest fear when teaming up to explore Secret Realm Ruins.

The human heart is insatiable. Companions who were calling each other brothers one moment could turn their blades on each other the next for the sake of a single Magical Treasure.