Chapter 1727: Thunder Turtle

The Mortal Realm

The storm belt was perpetually dark.

Qin Sang flew forward alone, with no one to communicate with.

It was as if he was the only one left in the world. The howling of the storms and the eerie demonic sounds of the Heavenly Dao surrounded him, making him feel as though he were in an endless purgatory, enveloped by an infinite sense of loneliness, with no end in sight.

Soaring through the storms, Qin Sang's figure appeared small and fragile, like an insignificant black speck within a grey curtain. Any hurricane could have swallowed him whole, carrying him off to an unknown fate.

His figure flickered in and out of sight. Just when it seemed he was engulfed by a hurricane, he would reappear from ahead the very next moment. He wasn't swept away; instead, he had merely brushed past the hurricane, his movement technique honed to perfection.

Even in the past, when he and Liuli wielded the Ten Directions Earth-Splitting Divine Shuttle, they wouldn't have dared to be so reckless. Only a Spirit Transformation cultivator could move with such effortless ease.

Such movements had been repeated countless times, becoming almost instinctual for Qin Sang.

Most of his energy wasn't spent on dodging the hurricanes.

His right arm was raised, held horizontally across his chest, as a spirit sword the size of a dagger floated around his fingertips—it was the Grey Oriole Sword.

The Grey Oriole Sword, much like its master, was elusive. When the sword's shadow vanished, a small area within Qin Sang's palm suddenly became indistinct and chaotic, accompanied by flickering specks of light, as if a tiny patch of starry sky had been contained within his hand.

Clearly, Qin Sang was in the midst of comprehending the "Seven Constellations Sword Array."

The starry sky in his palm was merely an anomaly that had evolved during his comprehension, yet it was evident that it was far more complete than when he had trapped and killed the Great Demon Saint. It now possessed a hint of profound and boundless grandeur.

Over the past two decades, he hadn't wasted a single second, aside from time spent on recuperation. He had taken turns comprehending various secret arts and spell formulas, all of which showed significant progress.

However, his physical body was still not strong enough. The "Seven Masters' Buddha Seal" and the "Inner Lion Seal" didn't significantly boost his combat power, unlike the "Seven Constellations Sword Array," which had an immediate effect. Thus, Qin Sang prioritized comprehending the sword array.

Sword shadows flickered.

Qin Sang experienced the cycles of star formation and destruction, sensing the profound mysteries of the sword array's transformations. Just as he was about to lose himself in it, his mind suddenly stirred, startling him awake on the spot.

His expression subtly changed, and his eyes flashed with sharp light as he abruptly looked up.

The surrounding scenery held no novelty; everywhere he looked, grey hurricanes encircled him completely.

Between heaven and earth, the distant void was a profound darkness. The only real things he could see were the colossal waves whipped up by the hurricanes.

Forget human figures, flying birds, or aquatic beasts; he couldn't even spot an island.

Where had the stirring come from?

Qin Sang gazed ahead for a long time. Sensing something, his expression gradually turned solemn, but he didn't stop, merely reining in his aura slightly.

Before long, a faint rumble of thunder mingled with the deafening roar of the wind.

Here, thunder was not uncommon.

Since ancient times, wind and thunder had always accompanied each other. Over the years, Qin Sang had often seen dragon- and snake-like lightning streaking through the storms, but this thunder was different from heavenly lightning!

The moment he heard the thunder, Qin Sang's heart pounded, and a chill ran down his spine. He instinctively sensed danger!

"Could it be a fierce beast?"

Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly.

This was his twenty-fourth year in the storm belt, and it was the first time he had discovered traces of a fierce beast. Perhaps it was because he was getting closer to the Return to Emptiness.

Back then, two Spirit Transformation cultivators had led a hunt for fierce beasts, searching their souls after killing them.

The fierce beasts had lost their sentience and fallen completely into madness due to the Heavenly Dao's demonic sounds, yielding no useful information. It had proven to be a losing battle to provoke fierce beasts.

However, Qin Sang had always believed in seeing things for himself. If possible, he very much wanted to hunt a fierce beast personally, preferably capturing it alive.

Hunting fierce beasts in the storm belt was actually very disadvantageous for cultivators. This place was far from the cultivation world, and there were no nearby shelters, so one dared not exert full power during combat.

Especially now, with changes occurring in the Heavenly Dao and fierce beasts roaming everywhere, one had to conserve strength to deal with unexpected situations.

Qin Sang had an advantage over Saint Huiguang and Saint King Qinghu: the Jade Buddha protected him from the intrusion of the Heavenly Dao's demonic sounds, greatly reducing his worries.

He suddenly stopped in place, mused for a moment, then summoned his second Nascent Soul to restore his external avatar.

This wasn't to have his external avatar assist him in battle.

Although he hadn't yet seen the fierce beast, Qin Sang could sense a powerful threat, at least at the Spirit Transformation level. His external avatar's strength hadn't fully recovered, so it was best to have it guard the perimeter, confirm there were no other fierce beasts nearby, and then seize an opportunity to strike.

The external avatar nodded to his main body, then conjured the Snow-Treading Divine Blade. In its other hand, it held a demonic banner and flew off in a different direction.

With a flicker, Qin Sang headed straight for the direction from which the thunder came.

The thunder grew clearer and clearer.

Qin Sang finally heard it clearly: this was not thunder at all, but distinctly the roar of a fierce beast. However, as he neared the beast, he discovered there truly was lightning.

Within the gloomy storm, a bright ball of lightning was particularly striking.

Qin Sang activated his Heavenly Eye Divine Ability, finally discerning the fierce beast at the center of the lightning.

This fierce beast's innate divine ability was certainly related to lightning, as it was constantly surrounded by bolts of electricity. Its body resembled a turtle, round in shape, but far larger than any demon turtle Qin Sang had ever seen.

Its neck was long and slender, like a snake emerging from a tortoise shell. It had no four limbs, only a sharp, short tail.

Upon closer inspection, he realized it actually had no tortoise shell; instead, silver-white lightning formed a network of thunder, covering its body and creating a thunder armor.

Qin Sang recalled that similar fierce beasts were recorded in the ancient texts he had read.

Although not a demon turtle, due to its appearance, ancestors had named it the Thunder Tortoise. Unfortunately, there were no detailed descriptions of its divine abilities, only that it generated thunder with every breath, moved like lightning, possessed unparalleled might, and was impossible to contend with head-on.

However, the Thunder Tortoise before Qin Sang was somewhat different.

Qin Sang noticed that a large section of the Thunder Tortoise's round body was missing, with only lightning flickering in the gap. The flesh was incomplete, clearly a wound, as if a large bite had been taken out of it.

This was a potentially fatal wound, yet the Thunder Tortoise was still lively and energetic, indicating it was an old injury.

It was fortunate that it was an old wound; otherwise, Qin Sang would have to consider retreating immediately. Even facing this injured Thunder Tortoise, he still felt immense pressure and dared not relax.

How strong was the fierce beast that could wound the Thunder Tortoise to such an extent?

The Return to Emptiness was indeed a dragon's lair and a tiger's den!

Qin Sang sighed inwardly, no longer hesitating, and charged straight at the Thunder Tortoise!

It was difficult to perfectly conceal one's presence in the storm belt. As Qin Sang approached, the Thunder Tortoise quickly detected him.

*Crack!*

A sudden peal of thunder erupted.

This was the Thunder Tortoise's roar. Its slender head abruptly twisted, its bloodshot eyes flashing with madness and murderous intent.

In an instant, Qin Sang felt his vision engulfed in silver-white light, overwhelmed by dazzling lightning. A sense of crisis arose, and with a thought, black flames suddenly erupted from his body. Without hesitation, he activated his Fire Lotus, propelling the Vajra Fire Shield of the Mani Bead.

Qin Sang's figure vanished, leaving behind a black fireball in his place.

The Vajra Fire Shield and the lightning, one black and one white, presented a striking contrast.

*Boom!*

A bolt of lightning struck violently upon the Vajra Fire Shield.

The Vajra Fire Shield shook incessantly, with even tiny flames being dispersed, but demonic flames immediately replenished them, firmly blocking the lightning!

Hidden within the Vajra Fire Shield, Qin Sang instantly retreated a thousand zhang. He was unharmed, but the danger hadn't passed.

Before the lightning dissipated, a black shadow charged out from the light. The Thunder Tortoise surged before Qin Sang almost simultaneously with the lightning's arrival. Its terrifying physical body, accompanied by extremely violent thunder, left no doubt that it could crush everything in its path.

Even more terrifying, as the Thunder Tortoise charged, the heavens and earth seemed to press in. The dazzling lightning, though brilliant, only illuminated the area around the Thunder Tortoise, whose body resembled a colossal millstone formed from heavenly thunder, exuding terrifying might.

The sound of the storms was completely drowned out by the earth-shattering thunder, which roared like collapsing mountains, striking fear into the heart. Qin Sang was but an 'ant' at the foot of such a mountain!

Qin Sang's eyes flashed, and he chose not to contend head-on with the Thunder Tortoise.

The firelight dimmed, and then another bolt of lightning appeared. Simultaneously with the Thunder Tortoise's charge, Qin Sang surged madly in the opposite direction at an equally impressive speed—this was his Lightning Evasion technique.

With his cultivation breakthrough and physical body enhancement, Qin Sang could now withstand the backlash from the Azure Luan's lightning power. When he fully unleashed his evasion technique, his speed was naturally incomparable, likely unmatched among those of his cultivation level.

The lightning bolt instantly shot out of the battlefield, vanishing into the depths of the vast storm.

Yet, such swift evasion speed couldn't shake off the Thunder Tortoise.

The Thunder Tortoise had already fallen into madness. Once it fixed upon a prey, it wouldn't let go, dragging its massive body, transforming into a pillar of lightning several times larger than Qin Sang, fiercely and relentlessly pursuing him.

Qin Sang's heart sank. This Thunder Tortoise truly lived up to its nature as a fierce beast born of thunder; even with injuries, it still possessed such immense power. Unless he could incite primal fear within it, it would likely be difficult to escape.

However, since he dared to reveal himself, he was mentally prepared for this. The Thunder Tortoise's madness and loss of reason were its greatest disadvantages.

With this thought, Qin Sang's mind stirred, drawing the Grey Oriole Sword and silently activating a sword art.

In the gloomy storm, two bolts of lightning were in pursuit.

Suddenly, the seemingly smaller lightning bolt ahead vanished into thin air. Then, the surrounding space seemed to be covered by a layer of shadow, becoming dimmer and more desolate than outside, enveloping the lightning behind it as well.

The Seven Constellations Sword Array!

However, Qin Sang had only unfurled the sword array at this moment, not yet displaying its full might, with not a single speck of starlight.

If it were a cultivator of the same level, they would surely have been alarmed and would never have allowed themselves to be enveloped by the sword array, let alone charged into it willingly. Yet, the Thunder Tortoise's mind was filled with nothing but madness and murderous intent. Sensing no fatal threat, it charged into the sword array without hesitation, much like the manta ray that was led into the Five Elements Grand Array years ago.

The moment it entered the array, the scenery around the Thunder Tortoise drastically changed.

The omnipresent storms vanished, and the prey was gone. Instead, sword-stars began to rise all around.

Within the sword array, Qin Sang had split his spirit into seven sword-souls, each stationed at one of the seven constellations. His true body was hidden somewhere unknown, silently observing the Thunder Tortoise, operating the array. Specks of starlight gathered into a river, and the entire starry sky revolved around the Thunder Tortoise.

*Whoosh!*

A sword-star shimmered, transforming into a sharp sword carrying a piercing sword intent, and thrust towards the Thunder Tortoise.

*Boom!*

The Thunder Tortoise roared furiously. It had no patience to slowly search for weaknesses in the sword array, so it acted instinctively, spewing a lightning ball straight towards the sword-star.

The next moment, the lightning ball and the sword-star collided mid-air, starlight and lightning exploding with a roar, like a great sun igniting in the night sky, dazzling and brilliant.

Immediately following, with a furious roar, the Thunder Tortoise, incredibly fierce, appeared at the site of the explosion. It directly crushed through the 'great sun,' flattening its aftermath, its thunder armor merely quivering, with no visible wounds.

Within the sword array.

Qin Sang stood atop a sword-star, clearly witnessing this scene. He inwardly sighed at the Thunder Tortoise's ferocity. Just as he was about to wave his sleeve and continue activating the sword-stars to kill the enemy, his expression suddenly changed. He hastily switched to a different sword art, and his figure instantly vanished.

At this moment, the Thunder Tortoise was rampaging through the stellar river, like a meteor composed of lightning. Wherever it passed, sword-stars shifted, and the starry sky trembled, vividly demonstrating the principle of overwhelming force.

Just now, the Thunder Tortoise had suddenly changed direction, charging directly towards Qin Sang's main body!

Qin Sang's expression darkened slightly. The Thunder Tortoise was now acting purely on instinct, yet it hadn't been deceived by his sword-soul avatars, sensing the location of his main body within the array so quickly.

While his comprehension was still shallow and his mastery not yet complete, and he had inadvertently revealed his presence during the execution, it was understandable. After all, forming an array by oneself required attention to too many details.

However, this also showed how incredibly acute the Thunder Tortoise's spiritual senses were. Before its injury, it must have been at least at the Mid-Spirit Transformation stage!

*Boom!*

The sword-star Qin Sang had just stood upon was engulfed by a silver-white pillar of light, instantly shattering into pieces. The Thunder Tortoise appeared in its place, its slender head swaying erratically, searching for its prey.

It didn't notice that as it shattered the sword-star, the starry sky changed.

Having spent so much effort comprehending the Seven Constellations Sword Array, Qin Sang naturally possessed more than just this ability. Many transformations had yet to be revealed, and now it was entering another phase.

Qin Sang's main body moved continuously between the seven sword-souls, not merely for concealment.

There were different ways to deal with different enemies. The auras of the seven sword-souls appeared at each of the seven constellation positions, each seeming real.

"How did the prey multiply so much?"

Confusion flickered in the Thunder Tortoise's eyes, and its head darted around erratically, but its madness prevented it from thinking. It immediately chose the nearest aura and pounced.

Everything was within Qin Sang's expectations. As his thoughts flickered, the starry sky shifted, and the array's formation drastically changed. The Thunder Tortoise lunged towards Kui Constellation. Kui Constellation remained still, while Qin Sang arranged the other six constellations to encircle Kui Constellation completely.

The Thunder Tortoise plunged into the core of the stellar river. The stars above its head spun, suddenly becoming intensely bright. Dazzling starlight converged, invisibly forming a sword of light above the Thunder Tortoise, which then plunged straight down!

*Snap!*

As expected, the sword-star where the sword-soul avatar targeted by the Thunder Tortoise resided was instantly shattered. However, the power of the sword array's operation was already manifesting within the sword of light.

The sword intent was heaven-shaking, its sharpness unparalleled.

As the sword of light descended, the Thunder Tortoise roared furiously, lightning flashing wildly across its body as its thunder armor instantly expanded.

*Boom!*

The aftermath formed a ring of light that swept in all directions. All the sword-stars of the Kui Constellation trembled as if on the verge of collapse.

If it were another enemy, they might have used this opportunity to find a weakness in the sword array and break out.

But this was the Thunder Tortoise, deep in madness.

Before the aftermath could dissipate, Qin Sang's aura reappeared within the sword array. The Thunder Tortoise's attention was immediately diverted, and with a roar, it spun and charged towards another constellation.

Within the starry sky, swords of light formed one after another.

The purpose of this action was not only to gradually weaken the Thunder Tortoise's strength.

Qin Sang covertly activated his Poison Bead. Simultaneously with the light swords' attacks, toxic light separated and merged into the light swords. Together with the light swords, it infiltrated the Thunder Tortoise's thunder armor during the collisions, quietly invading its wounds.