Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 799

Although glimpses of a body covered in gray scales could be seen through the dark clouds, its exact form remained unclear.

However, from a distance, the black shadow formed a circle, and its massive body and immense aura resembled a legendary True Spirit-level being [a powerful, mythical creature].

Then, a strange cry echoed from afar, shaking the sky, followed by a series of thunderous booms as countless lightning strikes exploded simultaneously.

“Hah, it’s not a True Spirit but a ‘Thunder Turtle,’ an ancient beast. I know that this turtle is one of the largest among the ancient beasts of the Barren Lands. It usually floats in the high sky, absorbing lightning, and rarely attacks other living beings first. Of course, once you provoke the Thunder Turtle, it’s difficult to deal with. Only a Combined Body cultivator [a high-level cultivator] would be able to face it head-on.”

After hearing the strange cry, Ye Ying sighed in relief and explained with a more relaxed expression.

“A Thunder Turtle? Isn’t that a legendary ancient beast born from the heavenly thunder? It’s a bizarre creature that can infinitely increase its size by absorbing enough lightning. I’ve heard that the giant turtle called ‘Chamryeong,’ which carries the city of the Xuanwu Realm, is also a type of Thunder Turtle. The one in front of us isn’t small, but it’s still far from that size.”

Xiao Hong also felt relieved that it wasn’t a True Spirit and clicked his tongue in amazement.

“Whether Chamryeong is really a Thunder Turtle is still unknown. But even if the Thunder Turtle in front of us is smaller, there’s no need to provoke it unnecessarily. It’s best to avoid it.”

Nong Dong said with a smile.

“That’s right. In a way, it’s a strange coincidence. Thunder Turtles usually lie dormant deep underground and rarely come above ground. Usually… Oh no, a Thunder Turtle in the sky means a lightning storm is about to strike nearby. Brother Nong, we need to move the ship away from this area quickly.”

Xiao Hong suddenly realized why the Thunder Turtle was floating in the high sky and shouted.

“Lightning storm!”

Upon hearing those words, the others’ expressions changed drastically. Nong Dong, his face pale, disappeared from his spot and reappeared at the ship’s bow, holding up a jade tablet-shaped magic tool.

As he held the jade tablet between his palms, the surrounding white clouds instantly vanished, revealing the jade ship.

The revealed Spirit Cloud Ship abruptly changed direction, cutting through the sky at twice its previous speed.

However, even before the ship could fly away, a brilliant azure aura appeared from the distant black shadow.

The azure aura seemed to be stimulated by something and suddenly spread in all directions at an incredible speed.

Soon, those on the ship could see with their own eyes the azure threads rushing towards them like the claws of a demon, accompanied by rumbling and crashing sounds.

“I forgot that a lightning storm always follows the appearance of a Thunder Turtle. Everyone, please lend your strength!”

Nong Dong gasped and shouted as the azure light rapidly approached. In fact, even without his warning, the others were already aware of the approaching blue light and were just as anxious.

The cultivator with the raised eyebrows and Xiao Hong immediately formed hand seals, emitting a dazzling light of spiritual energy into the ship beneath their feet. Han Li and Ye Ying also took similar actions almost simultaneously.

Soon, five streams of powerful spiritual energy were injected into the Spirit Cloud Ship.

Whoosh!

The jade ship trembled, and the surrounding scenery became blurred. The ship transformed into a white streak of light, moving at an extremely high speed, leaving afterimages behind.

However, even this could not surpass the speed of the azure threads, which continued to pursue them. They were experiencing the terror of the legendary lightning storm firsthand.

It was fortunate that the five Nascent Soul cultivators [a mid-level cultivator] were working together. If an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator had faced the lightning storm alone, it would have been impossible to imagine what would have happened.

Of course, they were not ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators, and each knew secret techniques or escape methods to drastically increase their speed.

However, doing so usually left aftereffects, causing significant damage to their vital energy or forcing them to vomit blood.

In the Barren Lands, where every step was like walking on thin ice, recklessly resorting to such methods was dangerous.

Fortunately, Han Li and his group cooperated with all their might this time, and the Spirit Cloud Ship safely traversed tens of thousands of miles.

Only then did the azure threads disappear, and the thunderous sounds behind them faded away. The cultivators breathed a sigh of relief and began to withdraw their spiritual power.

“That was dangerous. Thanks to Fellow Daoist Xiao’s quick reaction, we were safe. If we had been just a little slower, we would have been caught in the lightning storm. We might not have all escaped safely.”

Nong Dong regained his composure and greeted Xiao Hong with a smile.

“It was just luck. The Thunder Turtle is famous, but not much is known about its habits. I learned about it from a senior member of my clan who once defeated a Thunder Turtle alone. Thunder Turtles don’t show themselves easily, but when a lightning storm starts somewhere, they sense it and appear to absorb the lightning. And it’s said that a fully grown Thunder Turtle carries two beads inside its body. One attracts lightning, and the other allows it to avoid lightning, possessing miraculous powers. If a cultivator with a Thunder Spirit Root possesses these beads, they can easily wield the power of lightning.

Back then, the senior member of my clan didn’t manage to obtain the beads because the Thunder Turtle was still young, but even its shell contained immense lightning power, making it the best material for refining lightning-attribute treasures. Perhaps cultivators with high cultivation would be more excited than afraid to encounter a Thunder Turtle.”

“A senior who defeated a Thunder Turtle alone must be one of the elders. It’s a dream for Nascent Soul cultivators like us. We were lucky to survive this time.”

The cultivator with the raised eyebrows shook his head, still feeling the tension from being chased by the lightning storm.

“You’re right. Although the entire body of a Thunder Turtle is a valuable material, it’s not something that can be easily touched unless you’re a cultivator above the Combined Body stage. Moreover, once the lightning storm ends, it hides deep underground, making it impossible to find. Let’s go. I hope things will go smoothly from now on.”

Nong Dong nodded, his face slightly darkened. He felt weighed down by the fact that they had already encountered a powerful Thunder Turtle just ten days after entering the depths of the Barren Lands.

The others also seemed unwilling to talk further, exchanging a few more words before dispersing to their respective private rooms. However, Han Li, who had remained silent throughout, was still in his place.

Even after the others had left, he remained there, gazing in the direction of the lightning storm, lost in thought.

‘Sigh.’

After a while, he sighed as if in regret and returned to the top of the ship, sitting in a cross-legged position.

* * *

Some time after Han Li’s group had escaped the lightning storm area on the Spirit Cloud Ship, the Thunder Turtle’s body sank back into the dark clouds.

The massive body, resembling a huge mountain, was impressive, and its dark gray shell gleamed smoothly with a metallic luster.

The most peculiar thing was that only its four legs were visible, while its head and tail were nowhere to be seen. It seemed that they were all hidden inside its shell.

Boom! Boom boom! Rumble boom! Crack!

The lightning storm erupted, covering the sky with azure lightning. Countless lightning strikes fell like heavy rain, and the ground was devastated as if it had been bombed, with some strikes being the size of a ship and others reaching ten or more times that length.

It seemed that even the Thunder Turtle’s massive body would not be able to withstand so much lightning, but the azure lightning disappeared as soon as it touched the turtle’s body.

Even more mysterious was the fact that a white glow was emanating from the turtle’s body, attracting the lightning. As a result, half of the lightning storm was concentrated on the Thunder Turtle.

The Thunder Turtle slowly stretched out its limbs and thrashed about in the lightning as if it were refreshing. But suddenly, the turtle retracted its limbs and hid inside its shell.

A ripple formed in the air as a giant skeletal bird, radiating light from its entire body, appeared. Although this skeletal bird was only about ten or so feet in size, its aura was comparable to that of the Thunder Turtle, and two figures were riding on its head.

One was a giant whose entire body shimmered with black light, and the other was of average build, but his face was hidden by a green cloud.

“Excellent, excellent! To think we’d find such good prey as soon as we arrived. I was just running short on materials to refine the Ten-Headed Demon, but using the Thunder Turtle’s parts should be enough.”

One of them muttered happily, looking at the Thunder Turtle.

“Brother Tianmiao, there’s a rule that the one who finds it gets the first pick. Since you only need the skeleton to make the Ten-Headed Demon, you can have that. I’ll help you catch the Thunder Turtle, and I’ll take the two Thunder Cores inside its body.”

The other figure said with a smile.

“Hmph, Brother Xuanwu, you’re quick to calculate. To be honest, the two Thunder Cores are the most valuable parts of the Thunder Turtle, and you’re trying to take them with just a few words?”

The figure in the green aura snorted.

“Haha, although the Thunder Cores are miraculous, they’re not very useful to either of us, to be honest. I just have another use for them. So, how about we trade the Thunder Cores for the arm bone of a Qilin True Spirit [a mythical beast]?”

“Ah, I almost forgot. Brother Xuanwu’s Chamryeong is also a Thunder Turtle. You plan to feed it the Thunder Cores to extend its lifespan.”

“I’m glad you understand. If Chamryeong’s lifespan is extended, it will be a blessing for our entire human race. It can unleash half the power of a True Spirit, so it will be a great force in a major war where we might have to worry about extinction. Will you agree to my terms now?”

“Since Brother Xuanwu has said so much, I will agree! But we need to move quickly. We’re not here to collect treasures, we have an important mission. We need to quickly eliminate the strongholds set up by the alien races.”

The figure in the green aura reluctantly accepted the proposal.

“Hehe, with the two of us working together, and adding Brother Tianmiao’s puppet, how long do you think it will take to catch a mere adult Thunder Turtle?”

The giant figure laughed loudly and moved first, rushing into the lightning. A moment later, earth-shattering roars and the Thunder Turtle’s cries echoed through the lightning storm.

The figure standing on the skeletal phoenix shook his head. He looked as if he couldn’t do anything about his companion’s impatience.

As he formed a hand seal, the skeletal phoenix beneath his feet immediately expanded to a size of over a hundred feet and flew into the lightning storm. The beast’s cries, which had been filled with anger, gradually turned to fear amidst the blue lightning.

* * *

Meanwhile, Han Li’s group was still traveling non-stop on the Spirit Cloud Ship. Despite the Spirit Cloud Ship’s speed and excellent illusion techniques, they frequently encountered danger.

Suddenly, a crimson wind swept in, and upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a swarm of countless tiny insects. If they hadn’t fled like the wind in shock, the jade Spirit Cloud Ship would have been devoured without a trace.

Not long after, a spatial fluctuation occurred, and a bizarre, two-headed bird, a hundred feet long, appeared. Its entire body was golden, and it emitted an immense spiritual aura, making it almost comparable to a Thunder Turtle.

The bird either didn’t notice the Spirit Cloud Ship or was uninterested in such a small vessel compared to itself, and it flapped its wings a few times before disappearing. Han Li’s group was greatly relieved but couldn’t help but smile wryly.

Having experienced the terror of the depths of the Barren Lands, they couldn’t cultivate their techniques and remained on high alert even in their private rooms. Indeed, several sudden dangerous situations occurred after that.

However, their luck finally ran out.

That day, the cultivator with the white eyebrows was on watch.

Han Li, who was studying talismans in his private room, heard a warning whistle and was about to get up. But before he could leave, the massive ship shook violently and began to stagger.

Then, a series of loud booms followed, and the surrounding jade walls vibrated and began to crack.

Han Li’s face darkened as he flicked his sleeve, releasing a streak of golden light. It pierced a hole in the ceiling of the private room.

He flashed and transformed into a streak of blue light, soaring above the Spirit Cloud Ship.

At that moment, other streaks of light also quickly emerged. Nong Dong and the others, realizing that the situation was dire, had also escaped.

The moment they left, a massive explosion occurred, and the jade ship completely shattered, sending a gale of wind towards the group.