Chapter 135: Immortal... Immortal's Cave Abode?

Wu Shaoyi’s breath was still weak. "Are you a government soldier, or one of Lu Yao's men?"

He Lingchuan picked a black smudge from his temple. "A government soldier."

"You're not wearing armor. Not an ordinary foot soldier, are you?"

"No." He Lingchuan was impressed. He's almost dead, but his eyes are still so sharp? "I'm just an aide with the team."

He took the initiative. "It's a powerful great demon, so why do you call it the Crocodile God?"

"It came from the Northern Demon Kingdom to assist the Grand Master. In lake and river battles, as long as it led its followers, they would win nine out of ten times. The army worshipped it as the Crocodile God, often sacrificing cattle and sheep to it. Apart from the Grand Master, it normally... never communicated with humans. Anyone who offended it, whether friend or foe, would be bitten to death."

That's why, even though Wu Shaoyi knew the crocodile demon was intelligent, he had never considered speaking to it.

Reliance on past experience proved fatal.

He Lingchuan thought for a moment. The south had many marshes, and Bu Xin's rebel army often attacked water forts and port cities. "So it was Hong Xiangqian's spirit pet."

"Not a spirit pet." Wu Shaoyi slowly shook his head. "The Grand Master once showed it kindness, and it was merely repaying that debt; it wasn't a master-subordinate relationship. After the Grand Master's death, no one saw the Crocodile God again. We all thought it had returned to the north, but unexpectedly, it allied itself with Lu Yao."

He sighed deeply as he spoke.

If not for the giant crocodile's sneak attack, he would have taken Lu Yao's head by now, instead of lying here waiting to die.

He Lingchuan glanced at the giant crocodile not far away and suddenly understood how the fish tide rushing towards the lake shore last night had occurred. These giant crocodiles were clearly not as peaceful as the spirit turtle. He guessed that when the giant crocodile came out to forage, its powerful aura had terrified a large number of aquatic creatures into a frantic escape.

The fish tide actually indicated its direction of movement.

In other words, the giant crocodile was swimming towards the shore, while several unaware government soldiers were bathing in the lagoon. Just as they were about to become a meal for the crocodile, Lu Yao, not wanting to alert his enemies, personally entered the water and "persuaded" the crocodile king.

As for the giant fish he caught as a trophy, they must have either been scared unconscious or stunned by the giant crocodile.

"Oh, by the way, when we were retreating earlier, I don't know what magical artifact Lu Yao used to ambush us. It shattered my shield and killed my horse. I fell off the cliff, and that thing actually chased after me!" He Lingchuan recalled, still with lingering fear. "If I go outside, I don't know if I'll be ambushed again."

"You didn't get a clear look?"

"It was very fast, just a white blur, like... an arrow?" He Lingchuan wasn't sure.

"The Ghost Eye Bow," Wu Shaoyi murmured. "So Lu Yao also got the treasure from the Grand Master."

"What's that?"

"It's an arrow that can pursue and injure on its own, shot from the Ghost Eye Bow," Wu Shaoyi explained. "If it misses on the first shot, it can strike twice more, also known as 'three strikes with one arrow'."

"Three times in total?" He Lingchuan felt a little relieved. "Are you sure?"

"As you said, it shattered your shield, killed your horse, and then shot at you again below the cliff. With three strikes completed, you should be safe now."

Meanwhile, when He Lingchuan had been rummaging through the giant turtle, he noticed the divine bone necklace on his chest was glowing red.

Was this an indication of treasure within the turtle's body?

But after he searched it thoroughly, inside and out, the divine bone necklace was still glowing, which was strange.

Did it mean there was some hidden treasure on the turtle that he hadn't found?

Though it was time to leave, He Lingchuan was still uneasy, so he walked around the giant turtle again.

He noticed the red glow was sometimes strong, sometimes weak, as if it changed based on his position.

Wu Shaoyi asked him, "What are you doing?"

"Wait, something feels off." If the intensity of the divine bone necklace's red glow indicated proximity, then with the giant turtle right in front of him, there shouldn't be any change.

Could there be something unusual nearby?

He Lingchuan searched everywhere, holding up his candle. Finally, he found a gray clam shell on the ground not far from the turtle's foot, hidden in a hollow in the stone wall.

It was smaller than a coconut. In this light, anyone with slightly poor vision wouldn't be able to spot it at all.

Was it leftover food from the water spirit? Doesn't seem like it. The giant turtle has a large mouth; wouldn't it just crunch these clams whole?

He reached out to pry open the clam shell, but it wouldn't budge.

It was stubbornly shut.

The giant crocodile, not having rested enough, suddenly spoke, "What are you doing?"

He Lingchuan could only say, "There seems to be something else here." Something that could make the divine bone necklace glow must be a treasure, and he didn't want to miss it.

The crocodile demon flicked its tail, stirring the pool water with a splash. "There's a grotto behind the dead turtle."

Both men froze. "What?"

"It occupied a grotto. Otherwise, why would it nest in such a dark, small place?" the crocodile demon said. "I waited outside the grotto for a long time before I caught this turtle climbing out."

"A grotto? A grotto that legendary immortals possess. Are you sure?"

"Why don't you go in and see for yourself?"

This news was far more astonishing than the existence of the giant turtle or the Crocodile God itself. Filled with curiosity, He Lingchuan walked behind the giant turtle and reached out to touch the stone wall.

He had heard at least eighty, if not a hundred, legends of immortals, all of which spoke of their boundless powers. So, an immortal's grotto must be extraordinary, right?

He wanted to quickly take a look.

The uneven stone wall was solid, but when tapped, it sounded hollow.

Is this how a grotto opens? How ignorant. The crocodile demon pointed, "There's a shell in the corner, kick it."

Oh, this gray clam shell wasn't meant to be pried open, but kicked?

Who would have thought of that?

He kicked it with his foot, and the clam shell opened. At the same time, ripples like water appeared on the stone wall, and then an opening appeared.

Light shone through.

The crocodile demon closed its eyes and said, "Go in. It's very safe inside." Of course, it had been inside before.

Hearing this, He Lingchuan felt relieved enough to enter.

Inside, it resembled a small courtyard on a back hill. The sky was grayish, neither bright nor dim.

The rocks bore marks of long-term water erosion, suggesting it was once a pond, but now there wasn't a single drop of water. The ground was bare, the plants long dead and withered, with only a few dry grass stems clinging to the cracked earth, their original form unrecognizable.

Only the small courtyard still appeared relatively intact, though its appearance was entirely different from anything He Lingchuan had seen. It must have once been exceptionally luxurious, as he could still see traces of gold paint under the eaves, but much of the plaster had peeled off the walls.

There were drag marks in the sand on the ground, and half the fence had collapsed, suggesting either the giant turtle or the Crocodile God was responsible.

He Lingchuan entered the courtyard. The door was open, and inside, various furniture items were complete, though some had been knocked over. Scrolls were scattered everywhere, and a skeleton sat on a meditation cushion on the first floor.

He Lingchuan couldn't understand the characters on the book covers. He casually picked up a book, but as his fingertips touched the cover, the entire book turned to dust.

Is this it?

This is an immortal's grotto? How is it so different from his imagined ethereal, auspicious, and radiant immortal dwelling?

The dust was choking. He Lingchuan suppressed a sneeze, fearing he might blow away the other scrolls there.

Reading the books was out of the question. He squatted down to examine the skeleton on the meditation cushion.