Turtle Shell Mystic Patterns, Nanny Contract

What did it feel like to be stared at by a Mysterious Female Ink Turtle as massive as a mountain, with eyes so cold they could freeze a primordial spirit to pieces?

Xuanwei could responsibly tell you: it was like an ant being held in Godzilla's mouth and inspected, all while worrying whether a single sneeze might blow it to nothing. His pitiful immortal qi body did not even dare ripple beneath that terrifying mental lock. It hung rigidly in midair as his thoughts frantically flashed: I'm doomed, I'm doomed, I'm doomed...

The San Xiao sisters tensed up at once. Bixiao had already drawn her Golden Flood Dragon Scissors, Qiongxiao's Dragon Binding Rope was poised to strike, and Yunxiao had pushed the Primal Chaos Golden Dipper's power to its limit. Her cool face was filled with gravity as she prepared to intervene at any moment. Though they knew that against a furious peak Grand Unity Golden Immortal Primordial Remnant Species, the three of them, even at the peak of the Mysterious Immortal realm, would probably not be enough.

Yet the expected thunderous strike never came.

The cold fury in the Mysterious Female Ink Turtle's enormous pupils slowly faded, replaced by an even deeper, more ancient scrutiny. Its consciousness was like a vast ocean, sweeping over Xuanwei again and again, lingering especially around his sea of consciousness—where the Chaos Bead resided—and the Remnant Seed of Jianmu rooted within the source of his immortal qi.

"Chaos... aura... and... Jianmu's vitality..." An ancient, heavy consciousness, laden with the vicissitudes of endless ages, rumbled directly through the minds of Xuanwei and the San Xiao sisters like muffled thunder, shaking their spirits. "Weak... yet bearing... an anomaly..."

Xuanwei's heart skipped a beat. So he had been discovered after all! This old turtle's senses were far too monstrous! The Chaos Bead possessed Heavenly Secret Shielding, yet it had still failed to completely conceal him!

He hurriedly suppressed the cowardly thought of whether he should cough up the Remnant Seed of Jianmu and return it, desperately circulating the Chaos Heaven-Opening Art and the Azure Emperor Longevity Art. He tightly restrained the auras of the Chaos Bead and the Remnant Seed of Jianmu while doing his utmost to convey a friendly—and humble—thought. "S-senior, please forgive me! This junior had no intention of offending you! Last time, I was truly forced into it and fled in panic. I absolutely had no designs on your treasure! That Remnant Seed of Jianmu crashed into... merged into this junior's body on its own..."

His explanation was half true and half false, carrying a sobbing tone—at least on the mental level—as he lowered himself as much as possible.

The Mysterious Female Ink Turtle's consciousness fell silent for a moment, as though it were processing his words, or perhaps weighing something. That enormous pressure still shrouded Xuanwei, leaving him unable to move.

"Your body... carries an aura... familiar... yet hateful... to me..." The old turtle's consciousness sounded again, with a trace of puzzlement. "Western... bald donkeys... disturbed my slumber... deserving death!"

Those words explained why it had destroyed the summoning array earlier, while also revealing its disgust toward the Western Teachings. Xuanwei secretly breathed a little easier. It seemed the old turtle's anger was mainly directed at the Western Teachings. For the moment, he was probably safe... right?

"Senior is most perceptive! The Western Teachings harbor sinister intentions and truly deserve death!" Xuanwei hurriedly went along with it, trying to build rapport. "This junior and my senior sisters came here precisely to sabotage their scheme!"

"Hmph." The Mysterious Female Ink Turtle snorted, seemingly accepting his explanation, though its massive pupils remained fixed upon him. "You... bear Chaos... and Jianmu... Though weak... your potential... is acceptable..."

Acceptable potential? Was that... praise? Xuanwei was a little bewildered. Why was this old turtle acting so strangely? It had not attacked or killed him, and was instead evaluating him?

"My descendants... require Chaos Origin... and innate Wood Element Vitality... for their incubation..." The old turtle's consciousness continued, carrying an unquestionable authority. "You... possess this karma... therefore, care for them... on my behalf..."

What?! Care for its descendants? Those giant jade eggs?!

Xuanwei nearly thought he had misheard! That turn had come far too suddenly, hadn't it? From a life-or-death crisis straight into entrusting him with orphans... no, with eggs?

"S-senior... are you saying... you want this junior... to help you... hatch eggs?!" Even Xuanwei's voice—his mental voice—trembled. He was immortal qi without even a physical body. How was he supposed to care for several eggs belonging to Grand Unity Golden Immortal-level Primordial Remnant Species? This was completely outside his field of expertise!

"Not hatching eggs!" The old turtle's consciousness seemed faintly displeased—perhaps it disliked his crude phrasing. "Rather... use your Chaos Origin and Jianmu vitality... to nourish them... accelerate their incubation... stabilize their foundations..."

A hint of helplessness flashed through its enormous pupils. "My true body... must guard the Eye of the Netherworld... I cannot leave for long... The spiritual qi here... can no longer support... their perfect hatching..."

Xuanwei understood at once. This old turtle had taken a fancy to the Chaos Bead within him—though it might not know exactly what it was, it could sense the Chaos Origin—and the power of the Remnant Seed of Jianmu. It wanted him to become a free high-end nutritionist and childcare nanny, using Chaos Qi and Wood Element Vitality to nurture its offspring!

What kind of situation was this?! He already had a Light Cocoon at home that devoured resources like a money pit, and now he was getting several even more advanced egg-devouring monsters? Did he even have enough resources for them all?

"Senior... this junior's cultivation is meager, and I can barely protect myself. This Chaos Origin and Wood Element Vitality are even more scant. I fear... I cannot shoulder such a great responsibility!" Xuanwei tried to struggle a little. He had no desire to be sucked dry by a few eggs.

"Hmph! Do you think I would use you for nothing?" The old turtle's consciousness carried a trace of pride. "My descendants, nourished by Chaos and Jianmu, shall receive supreme fortune! Once they hatch, you shall naturally benefit! Moreover..."

It paused, and a streak of black light shot from its forehead, instantly sinking into Xuanwei's immortal qi body!

Xuanwei felt a vast, heavy torrent of information containing endless water-element and earth-element Dao Rhyme surge into his mind! At the same time, a palm-sized black turtle shell, neither metal nor jade and covered in naturally formed profound patterns, floated before him.

"This is a fragment of the Black Emperor Water Sovereign Fist... and the foundational inheritance of my clan's Black Tortoise Prison Suppressing Pattern... I grant them to you for comprehension... They may help you... control water essence... temper your origin... stabilize your soul..." The old turtle's consciousness sounded. "This Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor... contains the power of one strike from me... In a crisis... it may protect you completely... You may also use it... to sense the condition of my descendants..."

The Black Emperor Water Sovereign Fist? The Black Tortoise Prison Suppressing Pattern? The Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor?!

Xuanwei felt even the core of his immortal qi tremble! This was the inheritance of the Black Emperor, one of the Five Innate Emperors! Though it was only a fragment, its value was immeasurable! There was also the innate Dao-pattern divine ability of the Black Tortoise clan, along with this turtle shell—effectively a portable one-time bodyguard token from a peak Grand Unity Golden Immortal!

This compensation... was frighteningly generous!

Sure enough, risk and reward went hand in hand! Being a nanny for a Primordial Remnant Species paid extremely well!

"Furthermore..." The old turtle's consciousness carried a warning. "Care for them properly... If anything goes wrong... even if Tongtian protects you... I can still... find you... and extract your soul to refine your spirit!"

Those final four words pierced Xuanwei's consciousness like ice awls, making him shudder.

Fine. This was not merely a high-paying job; it was a lifelong contract with threats attached.

"This junior... this junior will certainly do everything in my power and not fail Senior's trust!" What else could Xuanwei say? He could only accept with resignation, respectfully taking the Black Tortoise Dao Pattern Armor, which radiated a heavy pressure, into his body. At once, he felt his immortal qi become a little denser and more solid, as though he had gained an invisible layer of armor.

The inheritance information of the Black Emperor Water Sovereign Fist and the Black Tortoise Prison Suppressing Pattern was also deeply branded into his consciousness. Though he had no time to study it now, merely sensing its vast Dao Rhyme had already deepened his understanding of the water and earth elements considerably.

"Good." The Mysterious Female Ink Turtle seemed satisfied, and its massive head nodded slightly.

The next moment, it opened its mouth and spat out three tiny eggs, reduced countless times in size. Like jade carvings, they radiated dense life force and fluctuations of Chaos. Wrapped in a mass of pure Wood Element Chaos Qi, they slowly flew toward Xuanwei.

"Take them." The old turtle's consciousness carried an almost imperceptible weariness and anticipation. "When they hatch... you will naturally sense it..."

Xuanwei stared at the three jade eggs spinning before him, as though life pulsed within them, and felt his scalp—on a mental level—tingle. These were not eggs. They were clearly three living ancestors!

He cautiously wrapped them in immortal qi and stored them within the Chaos Bead's Mustard Seed Space. He even specially divided off an area, drawing upon the Chaos Bead's power and the vitality of the Remnant Seed of Jianmu to create a comfortable incubation environment for them.

After finishing all this, the Mysterious Female Ink Turtle gave Xuanwei a deep look. Its enormous body slowly sank into the deep sea and disappeared. The terrifying pressure vanished with it.

Only the still-shaken Xuanwei and the San Xiao sisters remained above the sea, along with several golden points of light fleeing miserably across the distant horizon—the three members of the Western Teachings.

"Whew... it's finally... over?" Bixiao patted her chest, lingering fear still in her voice. "Junior Brother Xuanwei, you've now... become that old turtle's... egg nanny?"

Xuanwei gave a bitter smile. Looking at the three ancestors in the Mustard Seed Space, greedily absorbing Chaos Qi and Wood Element Vitality, he sighed. "Senior Sister, please stop teasing me. I'm getting cabbage-selling money while worrying like I'm selling drugs."

Qiongxiao covered her mouth and laughed softly. "Junior Brother, your fortune is profound. To be entrusted with Senior Black Tortoise's descendants and granted such an inheritance is already an immense opportunity. It is only that... your cultivation resources may become even tighter in the future."

Yunxiao also nodded slightly and said coolly, "Fortune and misfortune depend upon each other. Make good use of this. We should not remain here long. Let us return to Golden Ao Island at once."

The four did not linger any longer, turning into escaping lights as they sped toward Golden Ao Island.

On the journey back, Xuanwei flew while inspecting the situation within the Mustard Seed Space. Nourished by Chaos Qi, the three Black Tortoise Eggs seemed extremely content, and the Dao patterns on their shells had brightened slightly. As for the Light Cocoon that had remained dormant all this time, after sensing the aura of the three Black Tortoise Eggs, it seemed to... twitch ever so slightly? It sent out an extremely faint ripple carrying curiosity and a hint of... competitiveness?

No way. They haven't even hatched yet, and they're already competing? Xuanwei grumbled inwardly, feeling that his path of childcare was destined to be anything but peaceful.

However, an even greater surprise was still waiting ahead.

Just as they were about to reach Golden Ao Island, the communication jade talisman from Daoist Duobao in Xuanwei's robes began flashing urgently once more!

He sent his divine sense into it, and Daoist Duobao's stern yet urgent consciousness instantly arrived:

"Xuanwei! Return immediately! The disturbance beneath the Medicine Garden has intensified! That Chaos aura... has suddenly become extraordinarily active and has even triggered an autonomous response from the Island Protection Array! What exactly have you... hidden underground?!"

Xuanwei: "!!!"

Ancestor Light Cocoon! Why are you causing trouble at a time like this too?! Did you sense the three new competitors and feel threatened?!

He felt as though he were about to split apart.