Chapter 24: Encountering the Turtle.
Chapter 24
The Yanshui Secret Realm, a mysterious and alluring place, only opens its long-dormant gates every ten years. This entrance is not permanently open, but only remains open for a period of ten days, waiting for those eager for adventure to step within. However, when the time runs out, the entrance to the secret realm closes again, and those who fail to escape in time will be trapped within the Yanshui Secret Realm, waiting for the next ten years for a chance to see the light of day again.
The entrance to this magical secret realm is located next to Yanshui City near the Demon-Suppressing Immortal Sect in the eastern part of the Wilderness. The environment there is quiet and picturesque, like a paradise.
The first person to discover the entrance to the secret realm was a casual cultivator.
During an ordinary and peaceful time, a casual cultivator in the Foundation Establishment stage stumbled upon a mysterious entrance. Filled with curiosity, he entered and was pleasantly surprised to find a broken, ownerless immortal weapon within, a glimpse of splendor forgotten in the long river of time.
With the broken immortal weapon in hand, he razed to the ground the entire clans of his enemies, two realms above him, achieving a revenge he had only dreamed of. This battle made his name, along with the broken immortal weapon, famous throughout the world.
The independent cultivator was also smart. He knew that he could not keep the damaged magic weapon, so he wanted to find a powerful sect to offer the broken magic weapon in exchange for cultivation resources.
Naturally, before he even set foot in the gate of a major sect, he encountered a series of thrilling battles to snatch broken immortal artifacts.
After a fierce struggle, the broken immortal weapon passed through many twists and turns, and eventually disappeared. A wandering cultivator was also captured, and the location of the entrance to the Yanshui Secret Realm was accidentally widely spread.
When everyone hurriedly arrived, they found the entrance to the secret realm sealed. Their disappointment was palpable. Various factions dispatched disciples to guard the area, awaiting the news that the secret realm would reopen.
One year, two years, three years...
As time passed, the number of guardians surrounding the secret realm dwindled, until all had given up. It seemed that many factions had concluded that the entrance to this secret realm was a one-time event, never to be reopened.
For ten years, the entrance to the secret realm remained sealed, with no one interested. However, in the tenth year, a disciple from the nearby Demon-Subduing Immortal Sect accidentally passed by and was surprised to find that the entrance to the secret realm had been opened.
Upon receiving the news, the leader of the Demon Subduing Immortal Sect weighed the pros and cons and sent a message to inform the major sects in the eastern part of the Desolate Territory. From then on, the secret realm, named Yanshui Secret Realm by the Demon Subduing Immortal Sect, opened every ten years and became a public secret realm for all major sects to visit whenever it was open.
The entrance to the Yanshui Secret Realm is located on the sparkling surface of a river called Yanshui. The Demon-Subduing Immortal Sect built a spacious square on the river bank. Disciples from various sects will wait in the square first, and then enter in turn after the entrance to the secret realm is opened.
After the Demon Subduing Immortal Sect took over the Yanshui Secret Realm, it had been successfully opened six times in a row. Each time, the major sects sent disciples to enter. They had now mastered the rigorous procedures arranged by the Demon Subduing Immortal Sect before entering the Yanshui Secret Realm.
In the eastern part of the Desolate Realm, numerous sects abound, but only four hold the greatest prestige and renown. These are the Amaterasu Sect, which holds the top spot; the Huamai Sword Sect, renowned for its unrivaled swordsmanship; the Guiyi Zhenguan Sect, which advocates the principles of the natural world and promotes the true nature of Taoism; and the relatively unknown Fumo Xian Sect, which ranks last.
At this moment, disciples from the other three sects had already gathered in the square, and only the disciples from the Amaterasu sect had not yet appeared.
“Here I come!”
Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted loudly, like a stone that caused a thousand ripples.
Everyone instinctively looked up and saw a cloud boat flying in the sky, like a magical creature from a fairyland. The cloud boat slowly approached the sky above the square, then gracefully descended, finally hovering steadily in a place specially prepared for the disciples of the Amaterasu sect.
“It’s always like this…”
The speaker had been to the Yanshui Secret Realm many times and was quite envious of the unique way the Amaterasu disciples made their entrances. While disciples from other sects had to rely on their own means to reach the area, the Amaterasu disciples always arrived aboard a cloud boat. The reason for this was that this cloud boat was uniquely owned by the Amaterasu sect.
Bu Xingjin quietly followed the crowd down the cloud boat, uncomfortably bearing the spotlight of everyone's attention. He followed the route arranged by the guide and stood in the position dedicated to the Amaterasu Sect in the square.
Over two hundred disciples from various sects gathered in the square, with the Amaterasu Sect holding the largest contingent, comprising slightly more than one-third. Close behind was the Demon Subduing Immortal Sect, which sent approximately seventy disciples. The Guiyi Zhenguan Sect had the fewest, with only a dozen or so. The remaining few dozen were disciples of the Huamai Sword Sect.
Bu Xingjin did not wait at the riverside for long. After a while, he caught a glimpse of a unique place on the river where white mist suddenly appeared. Behind the white mist, a fairyland-like world was looming.
In this scene of rolling white fog, a mysterious portal gradually emerged.
This portal towered majestically over the river, approximately three feet high and more than ten feet wide. At any one time, six or seven disciples could enter together.
Without being reminded, everyone knew that the entrance to the Yanshui Secret Realm was open.
Many disciples followed the order and entered first from the gate. It took less than an incense stick of time for more than 200 people to enter.
The square, which had been bustling just moments before, suddenly returned to tranquility. Only a few leaders from various sects remained standing, as if time had stood still.
…
Bu Xingjin walked in the middle, neither ahead nor behind, and entered the gate together with Zhao Siwen.
Suddenly, darkness enveloped the view. As the Douxing star shifted, Bu Xingjin had quietly arrived in the Yanshui Secret Realm, and Zhao Siwen beside him disappeared.
After the darkness dissipated, Bu Xingjin was able to glimpse the surrounding scene, but found himself in a quiet forest.
Deep in the forest, towering trees stood tall, their lush leaves blocking out the sunlight from the sky. Bu Xingjin felt a chilling and eerie atmosphere, as if someone or some other mysterious creature could attack him from behind at any moment.
This feeling made Bu Xing keep paying attention to his back at all times, and he would often glance back unconsciously.
Bu Xing looked around cautiously to confirm that he was the only one in this forest.
Bending down and gazing at the ground below, I saw layers of rotten leaves piled up like a mountain, as if no one had stepped into it for thousands of years and left a trace of dust.
"Why did you end up in such a hellish place?"
Bu Xingjin complained to Xiaoshu that it would be great if he could just be brought to the rare treasures he needed.
The little tree was speechless.
Bu Xingjin randomly chose a direction and walked forward, leaving marks on the tree trunks as he walked. He realized that in order to get out of this forest, he must first find the right direction, because it was easy to get lost here.
Although his fourth-day sign-in mission had been refreshed after midnight yesterday while he was still on the Cloud Boat, he had not yet completed it. Now that he had entered the secret realm, he urgently needed to make time to complete this mission quickly.
This sign-in task requires diving to a depth of at least ten meters underwater and maintaining a minimum stay of one minute.
Therefore, he urgently needed to find a water source at least ten meters deep as soon as possible.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, when Bu Xingjin raised his hand to leave a mark, he was surprised to find that the tree trunk had already been engraved with his previous mark.
What this means is self-evident: he got lost and walked back to where he started.
This wouldn't do. He had a lot to do, and he couldn't waste it all in this forest. Bu Xing carefully selected a large tree with lush branches and leaves, so tall that five or six people couldn't wrap their arms around it, and leaped up to climb it.
Bu Xingjin nimbly climbed to the top of the tree, looked around, and tried to find a path to the outside world.
In the other three directions, dense forest stretched endlessly, but in another direction, there was an area that stood out, where a large area of forest seemed to be missing.
Bu Xingjin decided to move in that direction.
In order to avoid getting lost in the vast wilderness, Bu Xingjin climbed a tree every time he walked a certain distance to determine his direction. When he came down from the tree for the fifty-third time, he found that he was not far from his destination.
Fortunately, after the two major events of bloodline advancement and successful foundation building, his physical fitness is now completely different from before, allowing him to withstand such hardships.
Bu Xingjin cautiously emerged from the woods, and what appeared before him was a large lake. In the center of the lake was a picturesque green island, which seemed like a paradise.
Around the lake, ripples shimmered on the clear water, where numerous animals and weak demonic beasts drank. He observed quietly and noticed two animals drinking together, within the hunting range of their natural enemies. Yet, rather than one fleeing or the other hunting, they coexisted harmoniously, a scene of natural beauty.
He was lucky enough. After observing for a while, Bu Xingjin found that there were no aquatic creatures in the water jumping out to hunt the creatures drinking water on the shore.
It looks like the lake should be safe.
Bu Xingjin decided to go into the water to complete the mission.
With his current level of cultivation, he can hold his breath underwater for a quarter of an hour. As long as there are no other dangers in the water, this task is very easy for him.
Bu Xingjin swam downstream. The water was so clear that he could see small fish swimming around him.
Soon, Bu Xingjin dived to a depth of ten meters. What he was worried about never happened. Nothing attacked him until the check-in mission was completed.
Bu Xingjin receives 1 broken ancient talisman fragment.
As I was about to leave, I accidentally noticed a little light peeking out from the mud at the bottom of the lake. The light was so faint that if I hadn't dived underwater and accidentally spotted it, I would probably never have noticed it.
The abnormal and special phenomenon caught Bu Xingjin's attention. He thought for a moment, then resolutely swam to the bottom of the lake, intending to uncover the mystery of the unknown object.
Looking at this process, it seems like he was lucky enough to come across something good?
Bu Xingjin gently brushed away the mud and took out the thing hidden deep inside.
Without bothering to see what it was, Bu Xingjin, who had been under the water for half a day, felt a little uncomfortable and decided to swim up to the shore to see what it was.
Bu Xingjin emerged from the water, clapped his hands down, and jumped up with the help of the force of the water. He came to the shore refreshed, scaring the animals and monsters that were drinking the water and making them flee in all directions.
The clothes he brought with him after transforming into a human had this advantage: they were water-resistant. The bamboo basket Zhao Siwen had given him also had a little bit of protection. When he went into the water, he took the small tree with him, and the small tree in the bamboo basket didn't get soaked at all.
Bu Xingjin took the item in his hand and examined it in front of his eyes.
It was a curved jade-like object that was more than a foot long. Bu Xingjin looked left and right but couldn't figure out what it was.
It looks like neither a weapon nor something that can be used as medicine. It cannot be broken or smashed and is extremely strong.
Bu Xingjin only felt that there was a very ancient aura on it, which should not be an ordinary thing.
In the end, he had no choice but to put it in his backpack to see if he could find a use for it later.
The mission has been completed. Next, we should focus on finding natural and precious materials to strengthen the tree's roots and vitality.
Bu Xingjin looked at the small island in the middle of the lake and planned to go up to see if there was anything good.
After careful calculation, Bu Xingjin plucked a handful of leaves and gently dropped a few into the lake. Then, he nimbly jumped onto them, continuing to throw leaves to increase his footing as he moved forward, using the slight buoyancy provided by the leaves to steadily advance.
Soon, when there were only a few leaves left in his hand, Bu Xingjin arrived at the island in the middle of the lake.
As soon as he stepped onto the island in the middle of the lake, before he could take a step, the island suddenly trembled.
The creatures on the shore seemed to sense the breath of some ferocious beast and disappeared without a trace in an instant.
Bu Xingjin swayed from side to side, trying to maintain his posture. His mind was filled with doubts, not understanding what had happened.
In an instant, the island in the middle of the lake experienced a violent earthquake, and Bu Xingjin was thrown into the blue waves like mud.
He floated lightly on the water, and wherever he looked, the island in the middle of the lake that was once covered by mud finally revealed its true appearance under the mysterious veil - it was actually a giant turtle.
People often say that a turtle's eyes are only the size of green beans, but in Bu Xingjin's eyes, the turtle's eyes were like two huge lanterns, which were intimidating.
Bu Xingjin realized that the situation was not good and quickly moved away from the huge turtle.
Who knows what happened to him?
He was just curious and wanted to go to the island in the middle of the lake to see if there were any precious treasures hidden there. However, why did he encounter such an unexpected predicament?
"Little grass spirit, why are you running?"
Bu Xingjin reached the shore without any hindrance, as if flowing like clouds and water. He breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself: This turtle doesn't seem to be hostile to him, otherwise he would never have been able to rush so far.
Hearing a dull sound like thunder, Bu Xingjin couldn't help but smile, and replied with a little trepidation: "I'm a little scared, senior."
"I'm just a turtle, there's nothing to be afraid of."
Guiyou stared at Bu Xingjin, but could not find any trace of familiar aura.
For years, it had been sleeping in this lake. Just now, a familiar scent awakened it from its slumber, bringing it back from its dream. But why couldn't it sense that familiar scent now?
Without a doubt, the crux of the matter must lie with this little grass spirit. The aura it had just sensed was also from the little grass spirit, but for some reason it could no longer sense it now.
The little turtle must be fearless. Who wouldn't be in awe of you, a turtle as strong as a mountain? Bu Xingjin muttered softly in his heart, but he didn't dare to say it out loud.
"My body is too big, right?"
"It was comfortable when I slept like this, but now it's not convenient when I wake up."
The turtle said this, and then began to shrink slowly, until it became smaller and smaller, and Bu Xingjin could not see it.
While he was still wondering what the turtle wanted to do, the turtle's voice suddenly came from the center of the lake.
"Little grass spirit, come and help me."
Bu Xingjin searched for the source of the sound on the shore.
"I haven't used magic in so long here that I accidentally became too small and forgot I was still in the middle of the lake."
After a long search, Bu Xingjin finally found a palm-sized turtle in the lake. The little guy was waving his limbs with all his might, swimming towards the shore with difficulty.
Bu Xingjin couldn't help but smile suddenly, but he was worried that laughing out loud would make the turtle unhappy. So he tried his best to suppress his smile, swam slowly to the turtle's side, and brought it to the shore.
"Laugh if you want to. Holding it in is bad for your health."
After getting ashore, the little turtle raised his head high on the ground and spoke to Bu Xingjin seriously.
The huge turtle shadow suddenly disappeared in Bu Xingjin's mind and was replaced by the somewhat confused little turtle in front of him.
Putting aside the question of whether he wanted to laugh or not, Bu Xing carefully changed the subject, squatted down, examined the little turtle, and asked softly:
"Senior, what can I do for you?"
Otherwise, why would she suddenly wake up from her deep sleep and shrink into such a small size, as if she wanted to follow him away?
"What year is it outside now?"
The little turtle asked with an air of seniority.
Bu Xingjin was stumped. To be honest, he had no information on this subject because he had no immediate use for it. So the little turtle was asking the wrong person.
"Senior, I have only recently transformed, and I don't know much about these things."
Bu Xingjin responded awkwardly.
The little turtle slipped and nearly fell. It had wanted to use this opportunity to let the little grass spirit know that it had lived for a long time and knew many secrets, and it would be of great benefit to him to follow him.
It turns out that he doesn't even know what era it is?
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The author has something to say: Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution between 2024-01-01 16:02:02 and 2024-01-02 16:27:29~
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