Chapter 1379: Thunder Turtle

Click to view text version

Qidian Genuine

At the forefront of fashion trends in 2010, IGOGO Fashion Hall presents explosive new arrivals in the trendiest men's wear, instantly captivating all women's attention! What are you waiting for? Come quickly!

Click to enter: shop33029571.taobao.com

Although Han Li's eyes were slightly closed, he wasn't truly meditating or cultivating. Instead, he continuously pondered various cultivation techniques he hadn't fully comprehended, turning them over and over in his mind. At the same time, he extended part of his divine sense to constantly monitor the area around the spirit boat, guarding against any sudden attacks from ancient beasts.

Over the next seven or eight days, the spirit boat, hidden beneath a massive cloud cover, encountered several other types of airborne beasts. However, it passed through these encounters without significant incident, overcoming them safely despite some alarms. These beast groups clearly did not possess the ability to see through the spirit cloud boat's restrictions, unlike the four-winged monstrous birds encountered previously.

In this manner, it was soon the ninth day of Han Li's watch. Around noon, as he got up to replace the spirit stones on the boat and was about to return to his meditation spot, he suddenly paused. With a turn of his head, a surprised expression on his face, he looked towards the front of the spirit cloud boat.

“How is this possible? How could such a thing appear here?” Han Li seemed to have sensed something, and his expression instantly turned grim. After muttering to himself twice, he suddenly let out a long whistle.

Although the sound wasn't loud, it was enough to rouse the other four individuals who were meditating in their quiet chambers. Moments later, several streaks of light shot out from the boat, and in a few flashes, they arrived beside Han Li.

“What happened? Brother Han, why did you summon us? Has some new danger appeared?”“What is that? Could it be...?”

The young woman and Long Dong appeared one after another and spoke. Xiao Hong's words were filled with questions, while Long Dong immediately noticed something and was astonished.

The white-browed youth and the girl also released their divine senses at the same time.

“What is that? Could it be a True Spirit-level existence?” the youth exclaimed.

Although the white-robed girl said nothing, her eyes showed profound horror.

Han Li, however, had calmed down by this point. Hundreds of miles away, high in the sky, within the range of his divine sense, a massive dark shadow, almost obscuring half the sky, was suspended.

Around the dark shadow, dark clouds swirled, faintly flickering with lightning and thunder. Below the dark clouds, countless gray hurricanes rose from the ground, resembling colossal pillars reaching from the earth to the sky. The occasional glimpses of a small part of the creature's body, covered in gray scales, only intensified the awe at its immense size, making it impossible to determine its true identity.

From a distance, the dark shadow appeared circular. Its colossal body and astonishing presence greatly resembled the True Spirit-level beings, said to be as large as mountains, from ancient legends. It was no wonder that upon seeing it, everyone on the jade boat changed their expressions drastically.

Just as everyone was filled with dread, a strange cry resembling a bull's roar echoed from the distant horizon. Immediately, a tremendous rumbling erupted, as if countless giant thunderclaps were exploding far away. Even from such a distance, the thunder continued ceaselessly, remarkably clear.

“That’s not a True Spirit; it’s an ancient beast called the ‘Thunder Turtle’. This turtle is said to be one of the largest ancient beast species in the Savage Realm. Typically, it only absorbs lightning from the sky using its body and doesn't actively attack other living beings. Of course, if provoked, it's an extremely formidable creature; at least a Body Integration stage cultivator would be required to face it directly.” The white-robed girl's expression relaxed as she heard the eerie roar, and she let out a long sigh of relief.

“A Thunder Turtle? The ancient beast said to be born from heavenly lightning? I’ve heard that this behemoth can expand its body indefinitely as long as there’s a supply of lightning, making it an incredibly mystical creature of heaven and earth. I even heard that the ‘Cen Ling’ giant turtle in the Human Race's Black Tortoise Realm, which possesses the power to carry cities, might be a Thunder Turtle. While this one in front of us is not small, it’s nothing compared to Cen Ling.” The young woman in the black dress also felt a sense of relief upon hearing it wasn't a True Spirit, and she uttered in wonder.

“Whether Cen Ling is truly a Thunder Turtle, we’re not entirely sure. But if it is, then the Thunder Turtle before us is probably less than one ten-thousandth the size of the Cen Ling giant turtle. Even so, if we were to anger this beast, our lives would still be in danger. It's better to avoid it!” Long Dong also said with a sudden smile.

“That’s true. In fact, this is quite a rare encounter for us. These Thunder Turtles usually stay submerged underground and rarely surface; ordinary people wouldn’t easily see one. When they do surface, it’s usually because... Oh no! If this turtle has appeared here, then a terrifying lightning storm is surely imminent! Brother Long, quickly pilot the spirit boat out of this area!” Xiao Hong nodded at first, but then suddenly remembered something dreadful. Her face turned instantly pale, and she cried out in alarm.

“A lightning storm?” Upon hearing this, everyone, including Han Li, turned pale.

Long Dong's face turned green, and his figure blurred, suddenly vanishing from his spot. The next moment, he reappeared on the bow of the boat, over ten feet away. Simultaneously, he flipped his hand, and a token-shaped magical artifact suddenly appeared in his grasp.

He rubbed the token with both hands, and the surrounding white clouds instantly dispersed and vanished. Then, the spirit boat suddenly lurched, sharply changed direction, and shot forward. Its escape speed increased by more than half, turning into a white rainbow soaring towards the horizon.

However, before the spirit boat had even traveled a few tens of miles, a layer of brilliant blue light suddenly appeared above the distant dark shadow. This light then seemed to be stimulated, rapidly spreading outwards in all directions, at an astonishing speed.

In just a few breaths, from the boat, they could already see a blue line on the horizon, accompanied by a tremendous rumbling, and countless flashes of lightning within it, resembling countless demons baring their fangs and claws, lunging towards them.

“I’ve long heard that the appearance of a Thunder Turtle is always followed by a lightning storm. This indeed proves true! Fellow Daoists, quickly lend me your strength!” The youth with the blood mole gasped, seeing the speed of the blue light, and shouted loudly.

He didn't need to say anything; the white-browed youth and the young woman had already seen the rapidly approaching blue light in the distance, and their expressions were far from good. Without hesitation, both formed hand seals, and dazzling spiritual light of various colors erupted from their bodies, swirling and flowing towards the jade boat beneath their feet.

Han Li and the white-robed girl also acted swiftly, making the same movements. Immediately, three streams of spiritual power surged into the spirit cloud boat! Their combined efforts were far superior to before. After a low hum emanated from the boat beneath their feet, it suddenly vibrated violently, and the scenery outside became completely blurred.

At extreme speed, the spirit boat transformed from a white rainbow into a streaking phantom. In just a few blurs, it traversed from one end of the horizon to the other.

Despite such speed, the blue line behind the spirit boat seemed to be no slower than the boat's top speed, relentlessly pursuing it. This filled Long Dong and the others with dread, realizing then that the rumored terror of the lightning storm was indeed well-deserved.

However, it was also fortunate that they joined forces, pushing the spirit cloud boat’s escape speed to its limit. If it had been an ordinary Spirit Transformation stage cultivator not skilled in escape techniques, they likely would have had no escape at all.

Of course, Han Li and the others were not ordinary Spirit Transformation stage cultivators; each possessed life-saving secret arts. Activating their individual secret escape techniques wouldn't necessarily be much slower than the spirit cloud boat's current speed. However, doing so would naturally come with severe side effects, either causing major qi depletion or significant loss of vital essence. In this perilous Savage Realm, no one dared to act so rashly. Therefore, this time, Han Li and the others truly worked together to pilot the spirit cloud boat, allowing it to escape tens of thousands of miles in one go.

Finally, the blue light behind them vanished, and the thunder could no longer be heard. Everyone felt a sense of relief, and as the spiritual light on their bodies receded, they withdrew their spiritual power. The spirit boat's speed immediately slowed down.

“That was close! This time, we truly owe it to Fairy Xiao’s quick reaction. Otherwise, even a slight hesitation, and we would have been caught in the lightning storm. While we might not have perished, it would certainly have been difficult to escape unscathed.” Long Dong’s expression finally returned to normal, and he smiled faintly at the young woman.

“I was just fortunate myself. Although the Thunder Turtle is quite renowned, not much is truly known about its habits outside. One of my clan's elders once single-handedly killed a Thunder Turtle, which is how I know a bit about them. Thunder Turtles typically hide underground, reluctant to surface unless they sense a lightning storm erupting, which is when they appear to absorb the lightning's power. However, it's also said that adult Thunder Turtles, these extraordinary creatures, produce two unique pearls: one to attract lightning and one to repel it. Their utility is said to be incredibly wondrous; even those without a lightning spirit root can easily manipulate lightning power if they obtain these pearls. The Thunder Turtle killed by my elder was only a juvenile, so those two unique pearls weren't obtained. Still, the Thunder Turtle's shell contains astonishing lightning power, making it a rare and excellent material for crafting lightning-attribute treasures. If powerful cultivators were to encounter one, they would probably be overjoyed instead.” Xiao Hong, however, gave a wry smile.

“For your elder to single-handedly hunt such a rare beast of heaven and earth, they must surely be one of your clan's esteemed elders. But for us Spirit Transformation stage cultivators, facing this turtle is merely a pipe dream. Escaping this ordeal is already a stroke of immense luck.” The white-browed youth, however, grimaced, seemingly still apprehensive about encountering the Thunder Turtle and the lightning storm.

“Indeed! Even if the Thunder Turtle is a treasure from head to toe, without cultivation at the Body Integration stage or above, one shouldn’t even dream of anything else. Moreover, once the lightning storm ends, this beast will submerge itself back underground, leaving no trace. Let’s go. I hope the rest of our journey will be smoother.” Long Dong nodded, his voice becoming somber.

Having only just entered the depths of the Savage Realm for a little over ten days, encountering such a mystical beast capable of killing them couldn't help but weigh heavily on his mind. After this ordeal, the others also clearly had no further interest in conversation. After exchanging a couple more casual remarks, they each returned to their quiet chambers.

Han Li, however, remained rooted to his spot. From start to finish, he had remained silent, not uttering a single word.

But after everyone had disappeared from the boat's bow, he looked up towards the direction where the lightning storm had erupted, his eyes flickering as he pondered something unknown.

After a long moment, he finally let out a soft sigh of regret. He then returned to the highest point of the jade boat and sat down cross-legged once more.