The air seemed to congeal for a moment.
Phoenix Ritual, the venerable ancestor, had only seen Bailings and occasionally glanced at her Soul Beast. But with such a realm, a single look was enough to be etched in memory for eternity, not even a spark of lightning could be mistaken.
Phoenix Ritual turned her gaze to Cyan Thunder, only to see him gasping for breath. It wasn't until Little Girl completely merged with the Dragon Turtle's Egg that he slowly came to his senses.
A Soul Beast and its master are one; this is an ironclad rule. If a Soul Beast is killed, it can be reborn in the master's Sense Realm, though difficult and time-consuming, it's indeed possible.
Conversely, if the master dies, the Soul Beast cannot possibly survive alone. If the master perishes, the Soul Beast will be gone in an instant.
Therefore, the Toad's concern for Su He far exceeded Su He's own concern for himself.
The Little Girl appeared to be only sixty years old, and her mother was just over three hundred. In other words, Bailings' Soul Beast reincarnation must have happened within this century!
Was Bailings still alive a hundred years ago? Otherwise, reincarnation within a century would be impossible!
Unless she had a way to die and yet leave her Soul Beast behind until reincarnation!
Cyan Thunder turned to look at Su Huanian, opened his mouth to ask, but then thought better of it. Should he consider himself her quasi-great-uncle? Asking about someone's pregnancy and childbirth seemed somewhat inappropriate.
He glanced at Su He, his eyes filled with disdain. This fool didn't even know how to court a woman; some things could only be asked by a husband!
Cyan Thunder licked his lips, clearly struggling to hold back.
Su He, however, let out a sigh of relief and finally came to his senses. Looking up at Su Huanian, he saw her face pale, not from shock, but because she was already severely injured and had lost too much blood.
Su Huanian shook her head gently, "Who she was in her past life doesn't concern me, but in this life, she is my daughter."
Let the past be the past; this life is the only one that matters. Perhaps because she had memories of a past life, Su Huanian was rather open-minded about the situation.
Su He nodded in agreement.
He teleported behind Su Huanian, allowing her to lean against his Turtle Shell, and looked pitifully at Cyan Thunder.
Dear uncle, can you bear to watch and not help treat her?
Su Huanian chuckled softly and whispered to Su He, "Stop it! The two seniors have already treated my injuries. I'm just forcing myself to stay awake until Little Girl wakes up."
Little Girl had woken up an hour ago, initially merging with the source, but Su He was still crossing his Tribulation, so she couldn't rest.
"Lie down for a while?" Su He whispered, and Turtle Mountain emerged on his back, not hard and rugged, but somewhat soft. Controlling the external hardness was not difficult.
Su Huanian gently shook her head.
Everyone present was there to help Little Girl; how could she not understand the courtesy of hosting guests?
She struggled to speak but felt a breeze, and involuntarily closed her eyes. A feather from an Ice Phoenix floated down, gently lifting Su Huanian like a bed and carrying her to the stern of the Flying Boat, where a Cave Mansion had been set up without anyone noticing. The Phoenix feather carried Su Huanian into the Cave Mansion.
Phoenix Ritual's voice finally came through, gentle and kind, "Silly child, not everything needs to be endured by a mother. Otherwise, what's the use of having a father?"
She glanced at Su He, her eyes unexpectedly sharp.
Su He instinctively stepped back, crouching next to the pristine Dragon Turtle's Egg, and Phoenix Ritual's gaze softened.
Staying by his daughter's side every moment, that's what a father should do.
In the eyes of a Divine Beast, the world, power, cultivation… nothing is more important than their own offspring.
Thus, Feng Yiju's actions deserved a thousand cuts in their eyes!
Phoenix Ritual's gaze turned urgent again as she looked at Su He, and even Cyan Thunder's gaze became strange.
After some thought, Su He lowered his dragon head slightly and transformed into his peacock true form.
The two seniors probably wanted to discuss the issue of his second form.
As expected, Phoenix Ritual looked at the young bird with eager eyes, as if she wanted to wrap it in her talons and coil it around a few times.
Su He bowed his head slightly and said to Phoenix Ritual, "Senior, my second form was condensed out of necessity and has not yet entered the inheritance site. If the Phoenix Clan minds… if the Phoenix Clan minds…"
Before Su He could finish, Phoenix Ritual interrupted him, "Pah! What are you talking about? Call me Granny! Being able to condense a second form is your ability. The Phoenix Clan would be thrilled if the whole world could condense a phoenix form, but since ancient times, only you have."
She looked at the chubby young bird in front of her with a hint of affection, "Child, tell Granny, how did you condense this peacock true form?"
Su He looked at Cyan Thunder.
Cyan Thunder nodded, "It's alright, go ahead and speak. This senior should be your… real Granny!"
For Divine Beasts, lineage is fundamental. Whether or not they are born from one's own body is not so important. For example, in Cyan Thunder's eyes, Little Girl is Su He's own daughter, and not even the king of heaven could change that. She is a Little Turtle and should be protected by the Dragon Turtle clan. Let's see who dares to touch her!
Su He immersed himself for a moment, starting with the essence of the peacock he obtained from the prison ghost space, then talked about the Dragon God Sacrifice and the amnesia of the transformed beast, up to the battle with Teng Snake where he was trapped, and finally his second form breaking out of the shell.
Phoenix Ritual nodded, "I probably know about that peacock essence blood. It's been lost for tens of thousands of years, and I didn't expect it to be refined by someone! It's also fitting that it leaves a bloodline for my daughter."
She looked more and more pleased with Su He. Indeed, this was undoubtedly a peacock, but upon its appearance, its foundation and aura were not only on par with ordinary phoenixes but even surpassed them.
Initially, she thought it was the little Dragon Turtle's unusual talent, but now it seems that her daughter's essence blood is also particularly important, huh! A fourfold increase, surpassing the average Phoenix Clan, isn't that to be expected?
She looked at Su He, more and more satisfied. If the peacock wasn't the second form but the only true form, that would be even better.
"No wonder you crossed the Tribulation!" Phoenix Ritual chuckled, "You transformed into a wild goose during the lost Tribulation, and in the eyes of heaven and earth, you are clearly a wild goose proving the way of the peacock, achieving immortality, and crossing the Heavenly Tribulation is only natural."
She extended her wing and ruffled Su He's head gently, whispering, "Her name is Li! Yun Li!"
After a pause, she added, "Your mother—although I don't know if you recognize her, but by bloodline, she is. In thirty years, it will be the third anniversary of her passing. Will you go?"
One session is ten thousand and eight hundred years. Divine Beasts live long, and a thousand years are like a year. The anniversary is held once every session.
Su He nodded, "I'll go!"
With her essence blood condensing his second form, he now bore a part of karma. Regardless of whether he needed to seek revenge, if he didn't even attend the anniversary, it would truly be unjustifiable.
"Good child!" Phoenix Ritual ruffled Su He's head and stared into the southwest, lost in thought.
Beside her, Cyan Thunder, having heard Su He's explanation, was already looking in the direction of the Dust-Free Cover, snorting, "Dare to pick up the spoils of the Dragon Turtle clan? Tired of living, are you?"
With a wave of his claw, a scream came from afar, and the damaged Dust-Free Cover and the corpse of Teng Snake returned. The Dust-Free Cover fluttered in front of Cyan Thunder.
It was indeed targeted at the Dragon Turtle clan!
It must be a product of a certain lineage, with different covers targeting different species. The Dust-Free Cover, designed to draw out the true essence and strength of the Dragon Turtle, would be more convenient.
"Fenghuang Palace!" Cyan Thunder sneered, the news was indeed quick. It seemed that upon noticing the disappearance of seven Dragon Turtles and the absence of a Turtle Egg opening the sky, they dared to show off.
Or perhaps they wanted to force out a Dragon Turtle to see what they were up to?
Very well! As you wish!
Cyan Thunder raised his claw and tore through the air. With a crackling sound, space was torn apart, revealing the Fenghuang Great World on the other side, with palaces clustered above the nine heavens and fairies dancing.
It was like a magnificent scene from the heavenly palace.
"Cyan Thunders!" A furious shout came from the other side as a man in a python robe leaped up, blocking the other side of the space.
"Why has the Dragon Turtle clan breached the space of my Fenghuang Palace?" His voice was deep and sonorous, with an ancient undertone.
Cyan Thunder said nothing, just roared with divine might towards the spatial passage. The man in the python robe screamed, blood spurting from all seven orifices.
Instantly filled with horror, before he could speak, a Mountain God Seal slammed into him. Cyan Thunder's Mountain God Seal, a standard square seal, but with lightning flashing on it, burst into the Fenghuang Palace through the passage. It grew huge, as grand as a mountain, obscuring the sky and sun, and crashed down!
It was like the end of the world. Inside the Fenghuang Palace, panic ensued.
"It's too much!" An old voice came from inside the Fenghuang Palace, and another man in a python robe soared into the sky, pointing a scepter at the Mountain God Seal.
If the Mountain God Seal were to fall directly, this garden would no longer be preserved, let alone the palace ladies within.
The old man pointed with his scepter, intending to flick the Mountain God Seal away.
He was the former Xuanjing King of the Fenghuang Palace, one of the heritage of the palace. He had fought Cyan Thunder several times without falling behind. He knew Cyan Thunder's methods well and where to point to make it seem effortless to flick the Mountain God Seal away.
As soon as his scepter touched the Mountain God Seal, his face changed drastically. He felt the laws on the Mountain God Seal condense, and its power was many times greater than before.
In a hurry, he hastily summoned the palace formations to assist in the defense. But it was too late; with a burst of lightning, the Mountain God Seal exploded, pressing him straight down from the nine heavens and smashing into the garden.
Boom!
A muffled sound, the auspicious clouds were all dispersed, and the entire garden was instantly shattered, with debris falling towards the ground below the nine heavens.
Dust filled the air, taking half an hour to dissipate.
From the rubble, the former Xuanjing King's aged body burst out, looking up at the spatial passage above his head, his heart in turmoil, unable to calm down for a long time.
How long had it been since he fought with Cyan Thunder? The last time was when their little Turtle crossed the Tribulation, and Cyan Thunder arrogantly occupied the territory of the Bull-headed clan, controlling the Two Realms Battlefield.
At that time, Cyan Thunder had a burden, and he barely fought Cyan Thunder to a draw.
It had only been two years, and this Dragon Turtle had made such rapid progress—pah! It wasn't rapid progress, it was like a different Turtle!
His combat power had more than doubled! Wasn't it saying that if Cyan Thunder wanted to kill him, he could just come through?
He looked at Cyan Thunder in shock, only to see Cyan Thunder throw a broken bowl-like cover at him, shouting coldly, "Whoever did this, find out and bring your head to see me within three months. Otherwise, bear the consequences!"
After Cyan Thunder's reprimand, he flicked his claw, and a flash of lightning sealed the space.
He beat you up and then made you work, utterly domineering!
On the Flying Boat, the Camel glanced at Cyan Thunder, then at Su He, and involuntarily moved a few steps closer to Cyan Thunder, eyes full of stars.
Traitor!
Su He snorted at it.
Outside the Flying Boat, the space fluctuated, and two figures appeared. The Xuantian Sect Leader in camouflage stood beside a tall young woman who looked to be eighteen or nineteen but was Qian Qianzi from Qian River.
Xuantian Sect Leader laughed heartily, "I've seen the two seniors, and I've seen Daoist Liu Ru. On the way here, I met this Fairy who was rushing over, so I came with the Fairy."
Qian Qianzi bowed gracefully, her voice very pleasant, "I've seen the Dragon Turtle senior, the Ice Phoenix senior, and the two sisters."
Dai Rui giggled, "Sister speaks so nicely. Come to our shop someday, and I'll give you a sixty percent discount."
"Thank you, sister!" Qian Qianzi smiled.
Xuantian Sect Leader turned his head in disbelief and looked at Dai Rui, "I only get a thirty percent discount!"
The dignified Sect Leader only enjoyed a thirty percent discount, while a person he had just met was offered sixty percent?
Dai Rui looked at him seriously and said, "Because you don't speak nicely."
Xuantian Sect Leader felt a great pain in his heart, turned his head away bit by bit, and stopped looking at his own chief shopkeeper. He glanced at the site of the Tribulation Crossing and sighed, "That Feng Yiju, really killed by the Heavenly Tribulation?"
What a pity, such a good research material.
He looked at Phoenix Ritual and Cyan Thunder, "Do the two seniors know what race Feng Yiju belongs to? His primordial spirit has a single horn, and he can be reborn even if his life star is destroyed."
He had already scoured his mind for all the races on the way here, but still couldn't figure it out. He was the Xuantian Sect Leader, and there were few secrets in the myriad worlds that he didn't know.
If Fenghuang Palace really had such an ability, he couldn't possibly be unaware of it.
"A horn, rebirth, could it be the Yuanzun clan?" Cyan Thunder pondered for a moment and asked doubtfully.
Phoenix Ritual nodded and then shook her head, "It sounds like it, but the Yuanzun clan was destroyed by the worlds a million years ago, and it's impossible for any descendants to remain. However, we can start from here and investigate. If there are any remnants of the Yuanzun, they must not be left behind."
Cyan Thunder nodded, and the Soul Beast had already sent out orders to his own Jiaoren.
Qian Qianzi looked around and didn't see Su He, so she asked Cyan Thunder, "Senior, where is Daoist Su He?"
A chubby chick raised its wings high, "Fairy, I'm here."
Su He transformed back into his Dragon Turtle true form.
A Divine Beast's second form? Qian Qianzi's jaw dropped in shock. But she heard Su He ask, "Are Can-Chen senior and the others still on their way here?"
They were seniors he had never met in reality, only recently acquainted, but hearing the need, they immediately rushed over from across the great worlds. Su He was very grateful.
Although they hadn't fought together, the proper thanks were due.
"They're coming from across the realms, so it will be slower, but with the speed of the Battle Cultivators senior and Can-Chen senior, they should be arriving soon."
Su He nodded. He didn't know what would be an appropriate gift of thanks; he had no correct positioning for heavenly treasures. He could ask Liu Ru later.
Liu Ru managed all of Ji Feixue's affairs and was most adept at these matters.
The Flying Boat slowly descended to the ground, with several Ming King demonic images standing haphazardly below the mountain. Everyone stayed on the spot, waiting for Can-Chen and the Battle Cultivators, chatting casually and unknowingly discussing the Dao.
Aside from Su He and Qian Qianzi, everyone here was a top-notch powerhouse, belonging to different forces and walking different paths. A slight collision could spark different flames.
Cyan Thunder and Phoenix Ritual had lived for who knows how many tens of thousands of years, experienced and cunning. Human cultivators were active in thinking, each expressing their own views.
It was clearly winter, with snow all around, yet there was a fragrance of flowers.
As they discussed the Dao, visions arose, the snow melted, flowers bloomed, the sound of the Dao echoed, fairies danced, and spiritual beasts fluttered…
Even Qian Qianzi, a serious Traverse Heaven third layer, had acquired a lot of cultivation knowledge. Although she couldn't join the conversation, she listened intently.
Only Su He, blind as a bat, couldn't understand anything. The more he listened, the heavier his eyelids became, and he fell into a deep sleep without knowing when.
In his deep sleep, the Dragon Turtle's body unconsciously transformed into a peacock chick. Phoenix Ritual waved her wing gently, and a breath of air landed on him.
Having just crossed the Tribulation, although he didn't personally undergo it, his body truly reacted and began to grow wildly, needing a good long sleep.
***
He didn't know how long he had slept, but Su He was awakened by a loud explosion. When he woke up, he saw Can-Chen Daoist standing in front of a deep pit, looking embarrassed!
The day after the discussion, they arrived one after another. Although they didn't fight, they participated in a top-notch Dao discussion.
Time passed day by day in the discussions.
That day, as Can-Chen Daoist was discussing the Dao excitedly, he demonstrated in person, only to touch the Fairy Sword, which then exploded.
He looked innocently at the others; he wouldn't take the blame for this; it wasn't his sword that was refined!
Su He opened his eyes, shook his head to clear it a bit, and saw Su Huanian, dressed in white, who had woken up at some point, looking much better, sitting quietly beside him listening to the others discuss the Dao.
Sensing Su He waking up, she turned her head and smiled lightly, "You woke up just in time. Little Girl is about to hatch."
Su He looked at the giant egg beside her, and indeed, the life force within the egg was vigorous, ready to hatch.
"How long have I slept?" Su He asked quietly.
Su Huanian thought for a moment, "More than two months, I guess."
A two-month sleep, almost like hibernation. For Divine Beasts, sleeping was so forgetful. Time here was not valuable.
In two months In two months, Su He's peacock true form was no longer chubby and dull. It had begun to show the elegance of a young peacock.
As they were talking, a crisp sound of an eggshell cracking was heard.
Everyone turned their heads to see the giant egg wriggling, a crack forming, and then it became still again. The cultivators around were patient, sensing the vigorous life force inside the egg, they simply waited.
Only Su He and Cyan Thunders were breathing a bit hastily.
The crack in the eggshell released a strong Dragon Turtle aura… slightly intense!
A Divine Beast's eggshell is like a seal, blocking all probing. It's a protection for the life inside the egg. Forcibly breaking the seal to inspect with Divine Sense would inevitably harm the life within.
After a crack formed, the giant egg became calm again until two days later when the sound of breaking resumed.
"Crack!"
Another crack appeared, intersecting with the first, forming a twisted cross. Then, the eggshell moved, pushing open the crack to create an opening.
And then—a small, adorable dragon head poked out. It let out a milky cry, followed by its front paws, turtle shell…
The Dragon Turtle aura was no longer concealed, overwhelming everyone present.
The turtle shell was less than three feet in diameter, about the size of a single desk, dark in color, but with blue light bursting from the gaps in the shell and scales, with electric arcs shuttling through.
It bore a resemblance to Cyan Thunders.
Dragon Turtle—Nameless!
Looking at the Little Turtle, a name for the Little Turtle immediately came to mind in everyone's hearts, empty! It wasn't that a name couldn't be conjured, but that the Little Turtle didn't have its own name yet!
Cyan Thunders roared to the sky, laughing heartily.
Before entering the egg, it was a little person with Dragon Turtle bloodline. After two months of gestation in the egg, not only did it merge with Su He's paternal source, but it also absorbed the bloodline Bailings left in the egg.
The Little Girl hatched as a Dragon Turtle.
A pure-blooded Dragon Turtle! A true Dragon Turtle! The sky was filled with interweaving lightning, falling like rain. Heaven and earth rejoiced at the birth of another little Dragon Turtle.
The Little Dragon Turtle crawled out, looking at the joyful Su He and Cyan Thunders, then at the astonished Su Huanian, and let out a cry, taking a step and instantly reverting to the form of a three or four-year-old Little Girl, jumping into Su Huanian's arms.
Excitedly she exclaimed, "Mother, mother, I can turn into a turtle now!"
When she transformed into a human form, the Dragon Turtle aura disappeared, and Cyan Thunders, who was laughing and roaring wildly, suddenly froze, as if a thorn was stuck in his throat, unable to spit it out.
A perfectly good little Dragon Turtle, why would it have a human form? At this moment, he deeply understood the conflicted expression on Phoenix Ritual's face.
Proofreader&Editor: Lotas