Chapter 212: White Turtle
Chapter 212: White Turtle
“Speak. What was your original purpose for staying here?”
“Stop asking! If you’ve got guts, let’s fight fair and settle this!”
The man in green remained defiant, refusing to yield.
Cheng Lingyu sneered. “Fair? You’re at peak Soul Martial while I’m only in the Soul Martial Fourth Realm. How dare you claim that’s fair?”
He stepped forward, his supergravity field crushing the man in green to his knees. The man’s kneecaps cracked against the rocky ground.
The man in white’s robes disintegrated as his flesh tore, bones snapped, and meridian points ruptured—his physical body collapsing under the pressure.
“Stop! I’ll talk!” the man in white gasped. “We found treasures underground… planned to use the innate Eight Trigrams Compass after others left… that’s why we attacked you!”
Cheng Lingyu showed no surprise. “How unfortunate. I stayed for the same reason. Your deaths are simply heaven’s mockery.”
Another step. Both men screamed as their bodies exploded into gory fragments. Their fleeing souls were instantly devoured and refined by Cheng Lingyu’s Dreamy Magic Eyes.
After disposing of the corpses, Cheng Lingyu meticulously gathered storage rings and resources—leaving nothing behind. Prudence was his habit; though wealthy, he wasted nothing.
With the area cleared, Cheng Lingyu focused on retrieving the underground red gemstones. Lacking earth-moving techniques, he donned his high-quality treasure artifact—the Burrowing Armor—and sank into the ground.
Scouring a hundred-mile radius, he collected all 108 gemstones within an hour.
“This energy… underground fire’s spiritual liquid. Perfect for opening my Ten Cave Heavens.”
Storing the gems in his Spirit Cloak Ring, Cheng Lingyu resurfaced to track down Mu Hua and Lou Ri City’s disciples. Solitude suited him; no need to restrain himself around others.
After circling Stone Valley, he flew to a verdant mountain’s summit. Below, distant cultivators moved like ants amidst flickering firelight and divine glows.
The small world sprawled endlessly—mountains ribbed the land, canyons carved through plateaus, and lakes glimmered in unexpected hollows. Far beyond, a translucent barrier shimmered faintly.
The Source Pearl stirred in Cheng Lingyu’s palm without prompting, its three Patterns flashing as it detected treasures: “Spiritual herbs… Mine Sources… monster cores… artifacts. This ancient ruin overflows with riches.”
Smiling, he pocketed the pearl and veered left toward rugged peaks where spiritual herbs grew—natural treasures nourished by heaven and earth’s energy, valuable to all cultivators regardless of realm.
Though four thousand explorers roamed the ruin, most flocked to the central area. Cheng Lingyu’s mountain path stayed deserted save for occasional strange beasts—some docile, others lethally territorial.
At dusk, he entered a shadowed grove. There, glowing faintly in twilight, bloomed a peculiar flower—not medicinal, yet pulsing with spiritual energy.
Cheng Lingyu cautiously approached, ready to act, but noticed the strange flower moving.
“It can run?”
He was startled, though for a spirit flower, this wasn’t entirely impossible.
When Cheng Lingyu finally saw the plant clearly, he froze.
The flower wasn’t running on its own—it grew atop a white turtle’s shell.
In all his life, Cheng Lingyu had never seen a white turtle. Only a few feet long with a flower sprouting from its back, it defied imagination.
The turtle noticed him, tilting its head curiously without fear.
Its ink-black eyes glinted, emanating a strange disturbance.
Cheng Lingyu narrowed his eyes. His Dreamy Magic Eyes seized the disturbance and began deciphering it, but the process proved maddeningly complex.
After multiple failed attempts, frustration gnawed at him.
Pondering, he abruptly unleashed a cave heaven, releasing terrifying energy waves.
Instantly, the white turtle skimmed the ground like a shooting star.
Cheng Lingyu gave chase but fell behind until he activated the Heavenly Palace’s ultimate skill—Skywing Escape—slowly narrowing the gap.
Above him, a crimson cave heaven glowed like a furnace, devouring spiritual energy to fuel his relentless pursuit.
The turtle blinked in surprise. Despite its mastery of great ultimate skills, this human matched its pace.
Cheng Lingyu watched the turtle’s every twitch. When it glanced back, he detected the peculiar disturbance in its gaze.
His Dreamy Magic Eyes resumed analysis, still tangled in complexity. Just as failure loomed, a foreign thought vibration from the cave heaven fused into his eyes.
Suddenly, ripples shimmered in Cheng Lingyu’s pupils. His racing thoughts—once linear—now pulsed vertically, amplifying until they seized the elusive secret.
The disturbance in the turtle’s eyes morphed into a voice within his mind:
“Not bad, human. Your flight technique nearly rivals my Earthly Shrinking Technique!”
This was the meaning Cheng Lingyu had failed to grasp earlier. But when the Nine Ring Star Vortex emitted a wisp of thought energy into his Dreamy Magic Eyes, everything shifted.
Nine Ring Star Vortex, Divine Thought Kill!
This Star Soul’s spiritual achievements dwarfed comprehension. Though Cheng Lingyu had begun merging with it, his low cultivation level barred him from its two ultimate skills.
“Don’t run, white turtle!”
Cheng Lingyu called out, curiosity outweighing hostility.
“Only idiots stand still! Catch me if you dare!”
The turtle sped up, mocking him.
Left with no choice, Cheng Lingyu summoned the Cloud Boat. The spirit artifact tore through time and space, vaulting him ahead of the turtle.
With a startled yelp, the turtle pivoted nimbly.
Cheng Lingyu maneuvered the Cloud Boat, cutting off escape routes—yet the white turtle always slipped through.
In the end, Cheng Lingyu reluctantly gave up. He found a spot to hunt some wild game and started roasting meat over a holy fire.
Under the night sky in the deep mountains, flickering firelight illuminated the area.
Sitting beneath a tree, Cheng Lingyu tore off a piece of meat and ate it leisurely.
Suddenly, he froze mid-motion upon spotting a strangely familiar flower.
“White turtle, want some meat? Come here if you do.”
In the night’s darkness, a white turtle stared at Cheng Lingyu with curious hesitation.
“Relax, I won’t roast you.”
Cheng Lingyu relaxed completely, withdrawing his true essence and suppressing all energy fluctuations.
The white turtle circled nearby, observing cautiously before finally emerging from the shadows.
With a smile, Cheng Lingyu tossed meat near the turtle, which cautiously nibbled at it.
Amused by the turtle’s enjoyment, Cheng Lingyu ate another piece himself.
They shared the meal in silent companionship beneath the night sky.
Eventually, the white turtle moved across the fire and settled down, its strange flower rotating like a watchful eye.
Leaning against the tree, Cheng Lingyu asked with interest, “How long have you lived here?”
The turtle rolled its eyes. “I’ve lost count.”
“You can speak?!” Cheng Lingyu blurted out.
The turtle glared. “Nothing special. You’re just ignorant.”
Unfazed, Cheng Lingyu chuckled, “Why not explore beyond here?”
Sadness flickered in the turtle’s eyes. “I can’t leave.”
“But the small world’s exit is open now. You could join the wider world!”
“Nowhere beats this place.”
“Don’t you get lonely?”
“Transcendent Life is always lonely.”
“What’s Transcendent Life?”
“You’ll understand when older.”
Changing tack, Cheng Lingyu asked, “Why approach me? What if I meant harm?”
“My flower distinguishes good from evil.”
“How’d that flower grow on your shell?”
“Someone planted it to soothe my restlessness.”
“Xuan Star Saint?”
“Not him.”
“You know Xuan Star Saint?!”
After hesitation, the turtle nodded.
Cheng Lingyu gaped. Xuan Star Saint was ancient – existing ten thousand years before Tianyang Holy Emperor. This turtle was clearly equally ancient.