Chapter 164: An Ancient Turtle
Zheng Qian, Ye Dafu, and the others were escorted back to the Isle of Xiao by Ye Sanshui.
The moment they stepped onto land, Zheng Qian waved everyone toward a valley on the island.
"Where are we headed, Mr. Zheng? We're still wounded, and need treatment!" Ye Dafu cried out.
"If you want to live, you have to come with me. Quickly!" Zheng Qian shouted.
"What?" The cultivators didn't know what was going on, but they obediently followed behind Zheng Qian.
Before they split up at sea, Xiao Nanfeng had informed Zheng Qian of his preparations and given him a few talismans for controlling the Immortal's Destruction. He was well aware that, while they were visible at sea and within sight of strong cultivators of the Taiqing Island, the men tailing them wouldn't dare to make a move. Now that they were in the Isle of Xiao with foliage blocking any sight from afar, the men would have no such reservations.
Indeed, Mr. Qin had been following behind the cultivators, flying through the air and hiding amidst the fog. He stared at Zheng Qian and the others, waiting for them to head under cover. He smirked. "Zheng Qian, His Highness gave you an opportunity to serve under him, but you chose to follow Xiao Nanfeng instead, fool that you are!"
His body flickered as he chased after Zheng Qian. He watched as they entered a valley, following close by. The valley was lush with vegetation and there were no guards around, but Mr. Qin remained particularly cautious.
"Why did they head into this valley so urgently?" Mr. Qin wondered.
Suddenly, as he saw the huge Immortal's Destruction close by, his eyes lit up.
"Wonderful. I won't even have to waste time searching for the Immortal's Destruction." Mr. Qin leapt toward Zheng Qian.
"Who is it?!" Ye Dafu and the others shouted, sensing the imminent danger.
Zheng Qian blanched as he hurriedly retrieved a talisman for the Immortal's Destruction.
"You won't have time to use the Immortal's Destruction against me. Die!" Mr. Qin thundered.
He struck with incredible speed, confident that he would be able to take Zheng Qian down in time. Zheng Qian, scared stiff, fumbled in his fluster.
Just then, Mr. Qin felt a premonition of danger. He raised his head and saw a burst of golden light, replete with runes.
"What? Zheng Qian hasn't had time to activate the Immortal's Destruction..." Mr. Qin cried out.
The blade shot toward Mr. Qin, who dodged and was dealt only a glancing blow.
He fell to the ground and was just about to climb back up to continue his assault of Zheng Qian when a giant tongue enveloped him.
"What?!" Mr. Qin cried out again.
The tongue retracted, bringing Mr. Qin into Croak's mouth.
Croak swallowed him whole.
"What just happened?"
"What a frightening toad spirit!"
"Be careful, Mr. Zheng!"
Ye Dafu and his lackeys panicked as they attempted to protect Zheng Qian. Zheng Qian was likewise shocked when he saw Croak's massive form, but he quickly calmed down.
"Don't worry. On the way back here, Sir Xiao told me about this toad spirit, whose name is Croak. It was waiting here for the enemy to fall into our trap. That was Mr. Qin, I believe? Croak ate him," Zheng Qian informed everyone.
"Croak?" Ye Dafu and his group glanced toward the humongous toad spirit in shock.
"Xiao Nanfeng said that there would be a bad enemy here who would show up and attack you. I didn't think he would be so easy to take down!" Croak patted its stomach happily.
Zheng Qian smiled. He didn't explain that Croak had only had such an easy time because Zheng Qian was using himself as bait.
Beyond the Isle of Nalan, Warble slowly emerged from the depths of the sea. Fog shrouded it and covered its bulk as it waddled toward the ruined harbor. The huge commotion quickly alerted the guards around.
"Spiritbeast attack! Inform His Highness immediately!" one guard cried out.
Warble made a huge warbling noise that resonated through the air.
A spiritual attack propagated in the form of sound waves, momentarily stunning the guards. They cried out in pain as they clutched their heads, then fainted.
Warble ignored the guards and headed straight for the formation.
Strangely enough, the formation didn't impede Warble's advance. It passed straight through.
The moment Warble breached the formation, voices could be heard from afar. "There's something wrong with the entrance to the formation! Everyone there is unconscious. It's an enemy raid!"
By then, You Jiu had dealt with all the guards at the entrance to the formation.
"Warble, we have to move quickly. Don't let them send out a signal," You Jiu urged.
Warble struck with another ululating warble, causing the guards all around to shriek in pain once again. Even an Ascension-realm cultivator would be hard-pressed to withstand the barrage of sound, let alone the Immanence-realm guards. They quickly fell unconscious.
Warble leapt into the air, hopping all around and releasing more of its eponymous warbles.
Within moments, essentially everyone on the island fell prey to Warble's devastating sonic attacks. After that, there was only silence.
"Haha, aren't I strong?" Warble croaked happily.
You Jiu warned, "Be careful. Although Nalan Feng has brought the majority of his Ascension-realm subordinates along with him, there are surely a few left on the island. They may not be unconscious and might even be lying in wait for us. Watch out."
Warble nodded seriously. It flew into the air and carefully watched its surroundings, waiting for any cultivators to appear out of hiding.
Indeed, some Ascension-realm cultivators had been pretending to be unconscious as they clutched their heads in pain, clear-headed despite the sonic attack. They wanted to send word beyond the island, but after seeing Warble floating in the air and surrounded by mist, they didn't dare move.
Warble's frightening, bestial aura suppressed the entire island as You Jiu rushed toward certain specific locations on the island to steal all of Nalan Feng's accumulated wealth and treasures before rushing off toward the prison.
Within the prison were a large group of captives that Nalan Feng had captured. You Jiu quickly unchained and uncuffed them.
"Thank you, hero!" a few Ascension-realm captives rasped weakly.
You Jiu ignored them. The only reason he was releasing these captives was to cause trouble for Nalan Feng. Once they escaped, they would surely take revenge on him.
You Jiu continued toward his next target, a mountain cave which harbored the centerpiece of the formation. He intended on taking the formation of mist with him.
When he arrived at the mountain cave, he didn't rush inside. Rather, he flicked his hand at its entrance, releasing a cloud of white mist.
A pained cry came from within the cave.
You Jiu narrowed his eyes. Indeed, there were guards pretending to be unconscious within. He continued to manipulate his white mist, sending it further within the cave, as he walked inside. Within moments, he had dealt with all the guards.
When he saw the core of the formation for himself, You Jiu gasped.
Within the cave was a huge pit with a copper spike embedded into each of its five walls. The copper spikes were radiating beams of white light into the sky through a skylight-like hole at the top of the cave. The beams of white light manifested in the form of a huge formation.
Tied to the five copper spikes was a chain that was tethered to a turtle, its eyes shut as though in repose. It looked ancient and weathered. Its head and four limbs were all securely chained, and there was even a golden fist on its back. That fist gave off waves of scorching heat, as though suppressing the ancient turtle. The five copper spikes, along with the fist, seemed to be absorbing the turtle's essence and transforming it into the formation of mist that protected the island.
"What sort of formation is this...?" You Jiu gasped.
"Lad, were you intending on leaving with the formation?" a voice asked.
You Jiu's eyes widened as the ancient turtle slowly opened its eyes. "You're still alive?"
"Of course I'm still alive. You're not alone, are you? There's a spiritbeast outside with you? Good, very good! Pull out these draconic spikes and the formation will naturally disperse. Then, take it away along with me. I can't move at the moment. Bring me with you, and I'll provide you with a transformative opportunity," the turtle wheezed.
You Jiu hesitated for a long moment before sucking in a deep breath. "Alright, I'll take you with me."
In the end, he decided to do so. Regardless of whether the turtle was a blessing or a calamity, he believed that he would be able to suppress it with the Immortal's Destruction if he had to.
You Jiu pulled out the five copper spikes with a huge rumble, causing the formation of mist outside to dissipate. He rushed out of the cave with the five spikes and the ancient turtle.
Warble hesitated upon seeing You Jiu, not expecting that he would return with a turtle of all things.
"We leave now!" You Jiu shouted.
Warble helped shoulder his load, bringing You Jiu with it toward the distant sea.
As they fled, flares flew into the air above the Isle of Nalan. The cultivators who had been pretending to be unconscious hurriedly sent signals to Taiqing Island now that Croak's aura had disappeared—but by then, it was already too late.
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