Proofreader & Editor: Lotas
"Little brother, let's pull out Bai Ling and give her a good thrashing!" Ji Feixue suddenly turned around and said to Su He.
This person is so annoying, being friends with her is utterly joyless.
She's all mysterious and inexplicable, as if she knows all the secrets of the world but deliberately keeps you in the dark, and she even arranges everything, which is extremely irritating.
This bad habit of hers wasn't so severe when she was alive, but it has become more pronounced over these six thousand years.
"She's dead," Su He said.
Ji Feixue gave him a disdainful look: "Believe that?"
Such a claim could only be believed by the iron-headed fools of the Dragon Turtle clan—oh, I forgot, this is also a Dragon Turtle, with a snake growing on its body, I almost forgot what your surname is.
Su He fell silent for a moment: "Ghost!"
Ji Feixue giggled charmingly, her laughter causing the flowers to sway and the princess to tremble. After laughing, her figure trembled and turned into bubbles that scattered away, her whereabouts unknown.
These top beings of the heavens have ways of escaping that leave no trace. Not even a ripple in space.
"What should we do next?" the toad poked the spiritual snake on the turtle shell and asked.
The spiritual snake was no longer completely illusory; poking it now had a slight tactile sensation, but it was only slightly better than poking water.
"Consolidate my realm, leak information?" Su He said uncertainly.
The toad: "?"
You have mastered the secrets of the Dragon God Ritual, are you going to leak it out?
Su He slowly closed his eyes.
***
In Dongyun Mountain, the silly goose's eyes lit up. It changed direction and flew towards the Gate of Three Lives, its memory restored and its intelligence once again taking the high ground. It remembered what it had seen before.
Feng Yiju and Teng Snake were up to something.
He should notify Su Huanian and tell her to stay in the small world with Feng Yaya and not to travel. If possible, could he ask the Sect Leader of Xuantian Gate to make a trip to Dongyun?
It was only a matter of moments.
Ji Feixue and the Orient Loong God definitely weren't suitable; the Dragon God Ritual had just begun, and they couldn't possibly leave Yunmeng Marsh.
The goose flew swiftly, pushing its limits to cover two to three thousand miles in a day. The Gate of Three Lives was not far, and Su He would arrive in two days.
The gate to the small world was tightly locked, Su Huanian hidden outside, with Green Snake by her side. The two watched a white ape wandering aimlessly on the barren hill.
Changed monkeys, huh!
Originally, Feng Yaya had chosen a black ape as the carrier for the consciousness-transformed beast, but now it had become a white ape.
Su He flew over the white ape's head without disturbing her. Flapping his wings, he landed next to Su Huanian.
"Gaga~"
He called out twice before realizing that a consciousness-transformed beast was just an ordinary beast and couldn't speak human language. He was about to use his claws as a pen to write a note when Su Huanian already looked over. Her gaze swept over his eyes, and after a moment of shock, everything became clear, and she said with a gentle smile, "The Dragon God Ritual transformation requires you to blend into the beast herd and struggle through the life of an ordinary beast, not to return in a different body. That would defeat the purpose."
She stretched out her slender jade finger and lightly tapped. True essence condensed into a fairy sword, placed under the goose's belly, giving him no chance to explain, and whoosh, she took off into the sky with him.
Su He: "???"
"Gaga~ Ga~ Gaga!" Su He cried out in panic, but the sword turned into a beam of light, carrying him straight north at a speed far surpassing that of a flying boat.
In the blink of an eye, he crossed Dongyun and headed north. He was just an ordinary bird and couldn't even struggle; the wind pressed against his face, and his feathers were flattened against his body, turning him into a skinny chicken.
Inside Dongyun Mountain, Su Huanian's brows furrowed slightly as she looked at Green Snake: "Is he speaking?"
Su Huanian didn't understand beast language.
Green Snake opened her mouth, unable to translate the first two teasing words she said, only translating the latter: "Teng Snake and the Sect Leader are gathering together, I don't know what they're planning. He told us to immediately return to the small world with Yaya."
That bird, it must be the Dragon Turtle, right?
Su Huanian fell silent for a moment: "Then let's go back!"
There was a problem with Feng Yaya's transformation. After transforming, she was greatly rejected by the small world, constantly attacked by the beasts.
At first, Su Huanian did not intervene, letting nature take its course. But the bullying became more severe, until the initial black ape was attacked and killed.
After transforming into a white ape again, she was still attacked.
Out of necessity, Su Huanian quietly moved her outside the small world, where she was no longer attacked.
But compared to that, Teng Snake was much more dangerous.
Returning to the small world, they could only choose an island and eliminate the beasts that posed a lethal threat to the white ape in advance to ensure its survival.
It was uncertain how this transformation would affect the final outcome.
If it affected the outcome, they would have to try again, taking the risk of leaving this place with her and hiding far away until the transformation was complete.
Green Snake hesitated to speak.
Su Huanian looked over.
"How did you recognize that he was a Dragon Turtle?" It wasn't by understanding what the bird was saying; Green Snake would never recognize it, it was just an ordinary goose!
It even looked quite delicious.
Su Huanian shook her head gently: "I don't know."
***
Su He flew all the way, the sword beneath him not a real magical treasure but a condensation of true essence, which made it even faster. As he left Dongyun Mountain, the true essence was exhausted, and the fairy sword dissipated.
The goose flapped its wings and landed on the ground, surrounded by a vast expanse of bamboo forest. This place inexplicably attracted Su He.
No, it wasn't the bamboo forest attracting Su He, but Su He attracting the bamboo forest. It was like a little dog seeing its owner coming home.
The whole bamboo forest was cheering.
Su He carefully sensed it; the aura of the bamboo forest was somewhat familiar—the Yin Yang Jade Pendant!
After killing Lu Ming and Qiao Ling, a lotus flower with two connected blossoms grew from their bodies. When the flower fell and the fruit ripened, it became a pair of jade pendants, one Yin and one Yang, named Lovers.
The jade pendants were also blessed by dice, tripling their attributes.
The jade pendant is a key; a loving couple each holding one half can enter the Cave Mansion. Su He had no idea where the Cave Mansion was, and it turned out to be here.
Lu Ming and Qiao Ling could run away, but with their sixth step of Transcend Mortality and Enlightenment cultivation level, it would take at least three to four months to travel here by sword riding.
Su He looked around and didn't find any sign of a Cave Mansion. However, he saw an odd sight in the bamboo forest.
Several pandas were comfortably rolling in the bamboo forest, and two were fighting right next to Su He, one of them even had a piece of its ear bitten off.
Although clumsy, it was fierce. Su He only glanced at it, and the earless panda roared and charged at him. Its paw swung towards Su He.
Su He was furious: Damn you!
What does it biting you have to do with me? You're a vegetarian, why are you catching birds?
Su He flapped his wings and hurriedly flew up, but the panda stood on its hind legs, grabbed him with both paws, and pulled him down. Half of the goose's body was stepped on and torn outwards, and the goose screamed, meeting its end.
A deadly strike, and quite ruthless at that!
Above Yunmeng Marsh, Su He opened his eyes, stunned for a long while, and sighed.
He had survived half a year as a pure goose, but now that his memory was restored, he died…
Su Huanian owed him a life!
His eyes slowly closed, and his consciousness completely sank into the inner world.
The world was just beginning and was still immature. Although the inner world was vast at this moment, it was very fragile. Any outsider could enter and become a superhero, moving mountains and filling seas with ease.
The power of the Dragon Turtle comes from three sources: one is the Sense Realm's sea of consciousness that controls the power of the soul, the second is the Mind's Eye's True Blood that controls the physical strength, and the third is the Realm Pearl in the dantian that controls the power of the world.
The turtle essence that is usually consumed is actually a product of comprehensive condensation. It is condensed in the Realm Pearl, but it can't be formed by the Realm Pearl alone.
If we were to make an analogy, the soul is like fire, the body is like a water pot, and the Realm Pearl is like a pot lid. The steam condenses into water droplets on the lid only when the fire burns and the pot boils. Without the fire and water pot below, the pot lid itself cannot produce distilled water.
At this moment, Su He's turtle essence was tumbling, circulating through his meridians. With each circulation, the world's power contained in the true essence was enriched by passing through the Realm Pearl.
Su He was now consolidating his realm to fortify the inner world while ensuring that both true essence and the physical body carried the power of the world.
Consolidating the inner world is a painstaking process. It can't be completed in a short time, especially since the world's origin contained in the Heng Trigram was almost exhausted. At this moment, consolidating the inner world largely depended on the Dragon Turtle's breathing and absorption of the external spiritual energy.
With his consciousness returned, Su He completely immersed himself in cultivation.
Time passed day by day, from summer to autumn.
Nearly a year had passed since the Tribulation Crossing to become a Dragon Turtle, and for the first time, he experienced the sense of time of the long-lived species. It really felt like the world had changed with just a blink of an eye.
When he first arrived at Yunmeng Marsh, snow filled the sky. After a few blinks, he had experienced winter, spring, summer, and autumn, and the leaves outside had turned yellow.
A year passed, and the Mysterious Wasteland remained as quiet as usual, with the Dragon Turtle still not hatching.
However, all the Divine Beasts that participated in the Dragon God Ritual had returned. The grand ambitions of the adult Zeng had not been realized; not a single Divine Beast could transform for two years.
When the bell inside the Dragon Gate rang, the consciousness of all Divine Beasts returned.
Above Yunmeng Marsh, beast roars rose and fell.
Various beasts opened their eyes, some sighing, some rejoicing, and others indifferent.
Zeng stepped on the water and landed on the golden lotus next to Su He, growling at him: "Do you want to fight when we enter the Dragon Gate? There's no prohibition against fighting inside."
A Dragon Turtle that has opened the heavens is a real opponent, worthy of a full-on battle.
The Dragon God Ritual has three parts: the first is the ritual, which has nothing to do with the beasts and is completed solely by the Dragon Clan. The second is the consciousness transformation, which has ended. The third is the Dragon Gate.
This Dragon Gate is also a spatial gate, leading to an uncertain place, but it must be a place where the Dragon Ancestor has left traces.
The Dragon Clan will first pay homage and perform rituals, collecting the Dragon Ancestor's aura. Afterwards, all underage Divine Beasts can enter.
Places where the Dragon Ancestor has left traces are bound to be full of treasures. At the very least, influenced by his Dao rhyme, there will be several fixed treasures.
Longevity Stone Milk is one of them, one of the few treasures that can delay the dissipation of the origin. Su He's main reason for attending the Dragon God Ritual was also for this.
He shook his head at Zeng: "No fighting, no grabbing, no conflicts."
He came to the Dragon God Ritual only for the Longevity Stone Milk inside the Dragon Gate. Whoever stands in his way is no longer playing a game.
The Dragon Gate, after extracting the Dragon Ancestor's Dao rhyme, is very special. The outside world cannot detect it, and even divination can't help. If someone is killed inside, no one can calculate the cause and effect.
Unless their cultivation level surpasses the Dragon Ancestor.
A series of divine dragons returned from the Dragon Gate, coiling in the nine heavens. Only two underage dragons remained inside the Dragon Gate.
Entering the Dragon Gate to gather treasures is a benefit for the younger generation. Adult Divine Beasts will not enter, nor can they enter.
The dragons chanted long, signaling that the Dragon Gate was open.
Su He was the first to step into the marsh water, with waves lifting him straight into the Dragon Gate. After him, the sound of a phoenix's cry rang out, and the Rosefinch followed closely. The Kylin, Mu Dang, seemed to want to rush into the Dragon Gate, but his body was retreating. After retreating half a mile, he was swept into the Dragon Gate by the group of beasts.
Just as he entered the Dragon Gate, a tiger's roar was deafening.
Two golden dragons coiled in the sky, and beneath them, on the mountain peak, a white tiger looked up and roared. Opening its huge mouth, its roar shook the wilderness.
The white tiger was only a phantom, but its momentum was vast, not inferior to the two golden dragons.
The two golden dragons, one on the left and one on the right, summoned wind and rain, and the rain condensed into weapons attacking the white tiger. The white tiger, however, only had two moves. It opened its mouth and spat out a thunderball, which exploded in the clouds.
With a swipe of its giant paw, the sky was torn apart.
"Divine Beast?" Su He asked.
The Rosefinch, with flames burning on its body, stared at the white tiger with a warlike intent: "No!"
Zeng also swung its tail, ready to attack at any moment: "Since when do tiger species count as Divine Beasts? Tigers are only fit to be the kings of ordinary beasts."
Without a doubt, the "ordinary beasts" it referred to included Exotic Beasts—in the eyes of Divine Beasts, anything that isn't a Divine Beast is an ordinary beast.
Beside them, Mu Dang spoke for the first time, timidly saying: "But, but it's not an Exotic Beast either…"
That sentence exhausted all her courage, and after speaking, she immediately lowered her head, not daring to look at anyone.
The white tiger confronting and battling the golden dragons was neither a Divine Beast nor an Exotic Beast.
There are no tiger species among the Divine Beasts in this world. After Basalt truly emerged, Su He specifically went to the inheritance sea to look for information on the Four Holy Beasts.
There are records of the Orient Loong God; Qing Cang is indeed a genuine Orient Loong God. Not only does it have the surname Meng, but it is also a true blue dragon. Moreover, the Dragon Clan mainly consists of blue dragons, with as many as six. The rest are golden dragons, white dragons, and the like.
Regarding the Rosefinch, the records are vague. Among the ten great immortal gates of the Mysterious Wasteland, there is a Rosefinch Gate, which houses a Divine Beast Rosefinch.
But it is different from the Rosefinch Su He knows. That bird is only named Rosefinch, originating from the Phoenix Clan but connected to the lineage of Phoenix Clan traitors.
It is not accepted by the Phoenix Clan.
Basalt has no records at all. There is no such creature that is a fusion of two Divine Beasts until Bai Ling refined Teng Snake, creating a Green Snake. Now, the Dragon Turtle clan is still nurturing and merging, and apart from Su He, no turtle has hatched.
As for the White Tiger… there's even less to say! Not to mention a White Tiger Holy Beast, there aren't even any tiger species Divine Beasts!
There isn't even a rumor of a tiger species Exotic Beast reaching the Eclipse Realm.
Before, Su He didn't think there was too much of a problem. Different worlds have different cultivation paths, and naturally, they give birth to different Divine Beasts.
It's not like he's traveled to another world where the mythology is exactly the same as the legends of his previous life. That's not metaphysics!
Not to mention, this world doesn't even have a Heavenly Court or Underworld!
The world is vast, but how many secrets are there among the long-lived races? If there really were any, the Dragon Turtle clan would definitely know.
After discovering the "Reincarnation of an Immortal Sovereign" status on Su Huanian's mirror, Su He specifically collected information on this.
The Dragon Turtle clan's history clearly records an Immortal Sovereign, "Ming Jian Immortal Sovereign at Di Mountain." Ming is another Dragon Turtle ancestor ranked in the top thirty of the Hakutaku List, but… dead or alive, unknown! Di Mountain is the ancestral land of the Dragon Turtle, which Su He has not yet visited.
Having opened the heavens, it's time to visit the ancestral land when the elders awaken.
The Dragon Turtle clan recorded the Immortal Sovereign but had no records of the Heavenly Court or Underworld, let alone the Four Holy Beasts.
But here there was a White Tiger, although it seemed not to be a real creature, appearing translucent, like a soul or thunder.
The world behind the Dragon Gate is a place where the Dragon Ancestor left traces. The so-called traces mean either he had secluded himself here for tens of thousands of years or had a great battle here.
Yet, this place has a white tiger phantom that can withstand two golden dragons, which inevitably leads to speculation.