Proofreader & Editor: Lotas
The mountain wind was biting cold.
Autumn's presence grew stronger, leaves withered, and the grass wilted.
Su He was awakened by a toad slapping him repeatedly.
Barely opening his eyes, he heard the toad's croak beside his ear: "Wake up! Wake up! If you don't wake up, I will slice you up for soup."
Beside him, a radish-shaped spirit beast, imitating the toad, slapped Meng Xuan with its roots. Even the dragon's head was knocked askew.
A bat-shaped spirit beast in the distance glanced at the two, then at Meng Zhen beside it, unsure whether to slap its own master like they did.
Su He's dragon head moved, and he awoke to a wave of intense pain.
The four-point quality Heavenly Thunder Pearl really did wonders!
Since hatching, this was the most severe injury he had suffered. The pain was bearable, but upon internal inspection, his organs were damaged, though slowly healing. Even without special treatment, they would recover gradually.
"Why are you here?" Su He asked in his mind. The toad had actually run into the Dragon Gate.
"There was a transcendent fluctuation inside. The dragon clan reinforced the Dragon Gate, and when a dragon entered, I followed. What happened to you? Were you boiled?"
Su He didn't respond. What kind of water could boil him to this state? With his Water Manipulation Divine Ability, boiling and freezing water were just a thought away.
Water couldn't harm him.
Su He looked to the side; Meng Xuan was also slowly waking up. With a flick of his whiskers, he whipped the radish spirit beast aside. He seemed to be in better shape than Su He.
The little bat, seeing the turtle and dragon awaken, looked at its own tiny claws, hopped onto Meng Zhen, and started slapping.
"Wake up! Wake up! If you don't wake up, I will slice you up for soup."
Seeing no sign of Meng Zhen waking, it chirped anxiously, calling to the toad and radish.
The radish rolled on the ground, jumped up, and, full of loyalty, hopped over and began to slap Meng Zhen's head with its roots.
Su He broke into a cold sweat.
Among the two dragons and one turtle, Meng Xuan had the highest Cultivation Level, having opened two realms. He was a Dragon Turtle with innate strong defenses and a tenacious life force, so waking up quickly was normal, right?
Although Meng Zhen was older, he had only opened one realm and his defenses were not as strong as Su He's. It was normal that he didn't wake up the fastest.
"Let's leave the Dragon Gate first," Meng Xuan said weakly. They had been careless; Senior Can Chen had actually sold such a powerful Heavenly Thunder Pearl.
This pearl could be considered a treasure, and other than the ten great Immortal Sects, it could be the treasure of any Sect.
Was the senior coerced by the Flame Crow clan?
Su He tried and could barely manipulate water. But to fly such a distance to the Dragon Gate was definitely impossible.
The pain was minor; the main issue was the roaring in his head, the dizziness. He couldn't even focus his thoughts, let alone anything else.
He could fall unconscious at any moment.
He even had trouble distinguishing reality from illusion, as phantasms flashed before his eyes.
That's the downside of being a Divine Beast; when the physical body is injured, the spirit is too. And when the spirit is damaged, illusions are inevitable.
The bat continued to slap its master while listening to Su He and Meng Xuan's conversation. Its eyes lit up, it blocked the radish's slap, and leaped into the golden dragon's Sense Realm below. The golden dragon's eyes were still closed, but its body swayed and took flight.
Spirit beasts and their masters were one; the beasts could be ethereal or tangible and could merge into their master's mind. As long as the master allowed, temporary control of the body was possible.
Meng Xuan closed his eyes, and the radish burrowed into his brow.
The toad looked at Su He, a bit awkward. It had never controlled a Dragon Turtle's body before. Was today the first time?
Su He struggled to roll his eyes at it.
Injured as he was, who controlled his body if not a severely wounded shell?
Barely opening his external space, he threw out the Flying Boat and immediately fell unconscious again.
The toad curled its lips, dove under the Dragon Turtle, and with a flash, landed on the Flying Boat, then hopped beside the two golden dragons, sending them into the Flying Boat.
Taking out a handful of spirit stones, it was about to activate the Flying Boat.
In the clouds, a dragon's roar sounded, and a black dragon spiraled down. Looking at the three severely injured youngsters, its eyes were filled with murderous intent.
Before the toad could act, the dragon grabbed the Flying Boat, smashed through space, and emerged in front of the Dragon Gate. As soon as it flew out of the Dragon Gate, it let out a long cry.
Outside the Dragon Gate, many young Divine Beasts gathered, having hurried back one after another.
Several adult Divine Beasts surrounded the Dragon Gate, where the Hundreds of Beasts and the Flame Crow stood silently. It was clear that the Flame Crow had just woken up, still dazed. All its feathers had been plucked, and if not for the two eyes under its wings, it would be hard to tell that this bald chicken was actually a Divine Beast.
The elder Flame Crow, feathers bristling, watched a mature Flame Crow outside.
That was an adult Flame Crow who had come to attend the Dragon God Festival.
When the young Flame Crow was discovered, it had already left Yunmeng Marsh, transforming into a Flame Crow and hurriedly returning to Zhang'e Mountain.
Fear filled its eyes; it was being controlled. It had replaced the Flame Crow.
The Flame Crow had entered the Dragon Gate using its identity, and then an accident occurred inside. The black dragon descended, placing the Flying Boat on Yunmeng Marsh, and without blinking, stared at the adult Flame Crow.
That Flame Crow's expression was somber. The moment the Heavenly Thunder Pearl exploded, it knew something was wrong. Although it didn't know what had happened, it could feel its consciousness dissipating.
"Xuan Yuan, where are my young?" Xuan Yuan was the black dragon's title.
The black dragon snorted coldly, tossing out several broken Flame Crow feathers, with death energy clinging to them. These were feathers that had fallen after death.
The rest of the body had vanished in the explosion.
The beasts looked at each other. You looked at me, I looked at you. They imagined a drama unfolding, everything seemingly unspoken.
The Flame Crow controlled the young Flame Crow, hid its identity, and sneaked into the Dragon Gate. An accident happened inside, two young dragons and one young turtle Divine Beast were severely injured, and the Flame Crow died…
No matter how you looked at it, the Flame Crow was to blame.
The adult Flame Crow bowed its head slightly: "For this matter, my clan will give everyone an explanation." It collected the young Flame Crow's feathers, spread its wings, and was about to leave.
Xuan Yuan, however, leaped up and chased after it: "Fellow Daoist, perhaps you should stay for a while!"
The black dragon surged forward and instantly appeared beside the Flame Crow, coiling its body and taking the Flame Crow to an unknown location.
With the dragon's appearance, three Elixirs were shot out, turning into a cleansing rain that soaked the Flying Boat, drenching the turtle and two dragons.
The Elixir was extremely effective, visibly healing their wounds.
After a while, Su He slowly woke up, his head still throbbing and dizzy.
The two little golden dragons also struggled to wake up, both looking uncomfortable.
Looking around, there were various Divine Beasts, with only Ji Fei Xue, a woman in water-blue clothes, standing among the Hundreds of Beasts.
At this moment, the stunningly beautiful princess had a cold and untouchable demeanor. Standing there, she radiated a chilling aura, warning all creatures to keep their distance.
She seemed like an unconquerable ice queen.
"First, send the three of them back to recover separately. We'll discuss the rest later," a deep voice from an Orient Loong God said.
Meng Xuan was born in Yunmeng Marsh, and Meng Zhen also had his own palace here. Only Su He, who had not chosen a Cave Mansion since his arrival, had stayed on Shenfeng Mountain for a month before lying on the Golden Lotus until the Dragon Gate opened.
Ji Fei Xue's voice, cool and distant, said, "Send him to Qingling Garden."
That was her residence, where Bai Ling had lived, quite suitable for the Dragon Turtle.
"I'll go," the Orient Loong God, Qing Cang, coiled its body and swept up Su He, diving into the water.
Gu Luo had entrusted it to look after this little turtle, but it ended up with a severe injury, and the Orient Loong God felt somewhat remorseful.
Ji Fei Xue didn't speak, her lotus feet lightly touching the water as she followed.
Yunmeng Dragon King glanced around and bowed: "Excuse me, everyone, I'll follow and take a look."
Although they were family, Qing Cang and his aunt had always been at odds, having been beaten by her several times. Now, both seemed in a bad mood, and he hoped they wouldn't start fighting in front of so many guests from the myriad realms.
Everyone knew the situation of his family, and no one objected. The beasts returned the gesture: "We don't mind, Dragon King, please go ahead."
"Just go, just go!"
The Dragon King turned and followed.
Su He, coiled by the Orient Loong God, fell into the water, the marsh water gently lapping, bringing some comfort. He thanked Qing Cang and spoke politely.
But his mind was dizzy, and he had no idea what he was saying, though it was probably praise and thanks.
Basic manners, Su He still had them.
Only vaguely, he sensed the stunning princess had also followed, and he thanked her too, praising her, not knowing when he passed out again.
He slept deeply, but for a very short time, as if it was just a moment. He felt an eerie atmosphere upon waking.
He felt stiff and cold, as if not injured by an explosion, but frostbitten.
As his body warmed up, Su He opened his eyes.
He was now in a cool pavilion underwater, surrounded by swaying water plants and a sea of green.
This place, rich in water elements, was perfect for him to live in.
Outside the pavilion, several maids stood far away, not daring to look this way.
Directly in front, Yunmeng Dragon King stared at him dumbfounded. Qing Cang looked at Su He with huge dragon eyes, as if witnessing the end of the world.
Ji Fei Xue sat in the courtyard, her slender arm resting on the stone table, supporting her chin, looking at him with a smile that wasn't quite a smile.
The atmosphere was somewhat strange, as if the air itself was about to solidify.
A maid sneaked a glance at Su He, with admiration and sympathy. Liu Ru held a small Elixir furnace, seemingly about to deliver medicine, but was stunned at the archway, unsure whether to enter or leave.
Su He was clueless.
The toad's voice, reveling in his misfortune, came from within: "Pal, the Dragon King is asking you a question!"
Su He blinked at Yunmeng Dragon King.
The Dragon King's voice was gentle: "Young friend Su He, are you… really sure?"
???
Su He was utterly confused. What had he decided?
He shrank his head and quietly asked the toad: "I just passed out, what happened?"
His voice was very soft, but everyone present had sharp ears and heard him clearly.
A collective gasp followed.
Yunmeng Dragon King bowed to Ji Fei Xue: "Aunt, kill him!"
??
Damn it! Murder? What the hell did I do? I was severely injured and unconscious, and upon waking up, you want to kill me?
He was completely baffled.
The toad laughed loudly in Su He's mind: "Just now, these three brought you back, and you complimented them all the way, even revealing your true feelings."
"…" Could it be that in his confusion, he had said something outrageous?
The toad chuckled: "You mentioned the princess."
Su He looked at Ji Fei Xue, who raised an eyebrow and smiled, her other hand tapping lightly on the table. Her thoughts were inscrutable, but she seemed… in a good mood?
"…" Su He's heart skipped a beat: "Did I profess my love to her?"
The toad shook its head, and Su He breathed a sigh of relief. Good, he hadn't courted death. As long as it wasn't that, the Dragon Turtle clan could handle any other trouble.
But then he heard the toad's somber voice: "There's a word before 'love.'"
"…"
Su He looked incredulously at the toad, which nodded slightly, laughing heartily in his mind: "You were originally praising her, expressing gratitude. Then, without realizing it, you started bragging about yourself, asking the princess if you were worthy of a night of passion after crossing Tribulation and becoming a Dragon Turtle in a year, and opening the heavens in half a year…"
"…" Su He was dumbstruck.
Damn!
He was at a loss, forcing a smile: "So, the princess wants to kill me?"
Deservedly so! Damn it! Su He deeply suspected he would be the shortest-lived Divine Beast in history.
In the history of the Dragon Turtles, there would surely be a significant entry: There was a Dragon Turtle named Su He, who crossed Tribulation in a year, opened the heavens in half a year, and then, another half a year later, died.
Tell me, how should I die?
The toad shook its head again: "The princess agreed."
"…"
"…"