Han Li and the others had not anticipated that shortly after they steered their spirit boat away from the thunderstorm area, the thunder turtle hidden deep within the dark clouds suddenly sank its massive body, causing the surrounding black clouds to disperse instantly, revealing its true form.
The turtle’s colossal size was comparable to a mountain, its massive shell a deep gray color, yet shimmering with a metallic sheen, appearing incredibly smooth.
Strangely, only its four limbs were visible, with no sign of its head or tail, as if they were entirely retracted into its shell.
At this moment, the thunderstorm erupted in full force, engulfing the entire sky in a blue radiance. From the exceptionally bright heights, countless blue arcs of varying sizes rained down—some as small as a foot, others stretching over ten zhang in length—all crashing toward the ground with terrifying momentum. The thunderous roar drowned out all other sounds in the world.
Given the thunder turtle’s enormous size, it naturally absorbed countless arcs of lightning. Yet, as soon as these arcs made contact with its body, they vanished without a trace, as if swallowed by mud or drowned in the sea.
Even more astonishingly, the turtle’s body emitted waves of white light, and nearby lightning arcs that had fallen elsewhere were suddenly drawn toward it as if pulled by a powerful magnet, all redirecting toward its back. As a result, nearly half of the lightning arcs in the thunderstorm were forcibly absorbed by the turtle.
Its limbs moved slowly, as if it were thoroughly enjoying the tempest.
Suddenly, the giant turtle retracted its limbs into its shell for no apparent reason.
Almost simultaneously, a spatial ripple appeared nearby, and a streak of multicolored light shot out from the void. As the light faded, it revealed a massive skeletal bird, its body radiating a dazzling glow.
Though the skeletal bird was only about ten zhang in size, the aura it exuded was no less formidable than the thunder turtle’s. Even more shocking, two figures stood atop the bird’s head.
One was a towering figure, two zhang tall, enveloped in flickering black light. The other was of average stature, shrouded in a faint green mist, making their true appearances impossible to discern.
“Excellent, excellent. I never expected to encounter such a fine prey so soon after arriving here. The Ten-Headed Demon I’m refining still lacks some materials, and this thunder turtle will suffice,” one of the figures murmured as they gazed at the giant turtle.
“Brother Tianmiao, such treasures are shared among those who witness them. Since your Ten-Headed Demon only requires some bones, I’ll assist you in slaying this turtle, but the two thunder pearls inside its body shall be mine,” the other figure replied with a laugh.
“Hmph, Brother Xuanwu, you have quite the scheme. The most valuable parts of this turtle are those two thunder pearls. Do you really think you can claim them with just a few words?” The figure in the green mist snorted, clearly displeased.
“Tsk, tsk. Though the thunder pearls are marvelous, they’re of little use to either of us. I have another purpose for them. How about this—I’ll trade you a piece of qilin true spirit arm bone for the two pearls?” The taller figure seemed unwilling to argue further and directly proposed his terms.
“Another purpose? Ah, I nearly forgot. Brother Xuanwu’s mount is also a thunder turtle. You intend to use these pearls to nourish it and extend its lifespan, correct?” The green-mist figure suddenly realized.
“Since you understand, then you know that extending the mount’s lifespan benefits humanity greatly. It can serve as half a true spirit. If a war of extermination truly erupts, it will be a great asset to us both. Surely, Brother Tianmiao won’t stand in the way?” the tall figure replied leisurely.
“If Brother Xuanwu truly has such a need, I won’t play the villain. It’s settled then. But we must act swiftly and not delay our greater mission. We didn’t come here to gather rare treasures but to fulfill a critical task—eliminating the outlanders’ strongholds near Tianyuan City,” the green-mist figure said after some thought, reluctantly agreeing.
“Haha, we won’t delay anything. With our combined strength and this ancient phoenix puppet of yours, how long could it possibly take to slay a newly matured thunder turtle?” The tall figure laughed heartily before suddenly leaping into the air, fists clenched, and charging into the thunderstorm.
Moments later, a deafening explosion erupted from within the storm, followed by an equally terrifying beastly roar.
The figure standing atop the skeletal phoenix sighed and shook his head, seemingly exasperated by his companion’s fiery temper. But without hesitation, he formed a hand seal, causing the skeletal phoenix beneath him to rapidly expand, growing to over a hundred zhang in size in an instant. At his command, the phoenix plunged into the thunderstorm as well.
Immediately, the beastly roars from within the blue lightning grew even more furious, tinged with fear and despair.
…
Meanwhile, Han Li and the others continued their journey without pause aboard the Spirit Cloud Boat.
Whether the blood-mole youth’s words had been prophetic or not, over the next month, despite the boat’s considerable speed and effective concealment, they encountered danger repeatedly.
For instance, they were once suddenly caught in a bizarre crimson wind, which turned out to be countless grain-sized crimson insects. Had the group not reacted swiftly and broken free, the boat would have been devoured in moments.
Not long after, as the boat sailed on, the space ahead rippled, and a hundred-zhang-long, two-headed golden bird emerged. Radiating astonishing spiritual energy, it was clearly as formidable as the thunder turtle. The sight sent everyone’s hearts into their throats.
Whether the bird failed to notice the boat or simply deemed it too insignificant, it merely flapped its massive wings a few times before flying away, leaving Han Li and the others to exchange relieved yet wry smiles.
Having deeply experienced the perils of the wilderness, no one dared to cultivate in earnest anymore. Even in their chambers, most remained vigilant.
This caution proved wise, as their collective efforts allowed them to narrowly escape several subsequent dangers.
But luck eventually runs out.
One day, while the white-browed youth was on watch, Han Li, who had been studying talisman techniques in his chamber, heard an alarm. He rose abruptly, but before he could react, the entire boat shuddered violently, nearly knocking him off his feet.
Alarmed, Han Li felt the tremors intensify as eerie white light swirled across the walls, which began to crack apart. With a flick of his sleeve, a golden beam shot upward, blasting a hole through the ceiling. Transforming into a streak of azure light, he shot out, reappearing in the air twenty zhang away from the boat.
Other figures—Long Dong and the rest—also abandoned the vessel, fleeing just as it exploded with a thunderous boom, sending a gale-force wind surging toward them.
As seasoned cultivators, they easily withstood the blast, hovering in place as they stared at the wreckage. Apart from the white-browed youth, none knew what had destroyed their boat.
Yet their spiritual senses detected nothing amiss in the vicinity, leaving them bewildered.
“Brother Li, who attacked us?” Xiao Hong demanded urgently.
“Look below,” the white-browed youth replied coldly.
Following his gaze, they scanned the ground—and gasped.
Below stretched an endless mountain range, their boat having been caught between two peaks. Amidst the vibrant forest, a vast clearing housed a towering, sword-leaved purple plant, its spiked fronds reaching skyward.
Flanking it were two colossal creatures locked in a standoff: a fifty-zhang-long emerald lizard with black-spotted hide and blood-red horns, and a thirty-zhang-tall savage giant wielding a black club. The giant’s body was studded with countless silver-white eyes, each gleaming coldly.
Both adversaries intermittently glanced at the central plant. Curious, Han Li focused his senses on it—and recoiled in shock.
Amidst the sword-like leaves hung a cluster of grape-like purple berries, each fist-sized and exuding an intoxicating fragrance. Within each berry nestled a crystalline, dragon-shaped pit, lifeless yet radiating pure spiritual energy so potent that even sensing it invigorated Han Li’s very soul.
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