Teeth

The Golden Crow chased the Jade Rabbit; the Azure Moon yielded to daylight.

Days passed one by one. This time, Su He slept for quite a long while. He had no dreams and slept deeply.

Just like hibernation.

He had never expected to sleep so deeply, or for so long. Otherwise, he would have prepared properly.

Fortunately, the pool atop the mountain had tides as well, rising and falling twice each day. At high tide, he lay submerged in peaceful safety; at low tide, it allowed the sleeping Su He to breathe.

The winds atop the mountain were strong, scattering the scent of the Demon Transformation Fruit. To this day, no beast had climbed up.

The mountain was not tall, only a little over twenty zhang. It was covered in strange rocks where no grass or trees grew. Only around the summit pool stood a grove of Green Bamboo. Other than Su He, there were no large animals on the entire mountain. Not even rats came here.

The lotuses below the mountain had long since bloomed. Looking down from above, they formed a blazing red expanse, breathtakingly beautiful. There were only three or five Azure Lotuses in the mountain pool, still waiting in bud.

The climate here was abnormal. He did not know what month it was, whether summer or autumn.

Another day passed, and the sky Darkened. There was no moon tonight, and dark clouds blanketed the sky. Lightning and Thunder had begun at nightfall. Bolts of lightning tore through the heavens, illuminating the entire sky.

Birds returned to their nests, and beasts entered their dens.

Wind whipped up waves across the summit pool, while the tiles on the pavilion rattled.

When mountain rain was about to come, wind filled the tower.

In an instant, the wind became a gale. It snapped Green Bamboo and flung it against Su He Turtle's shell, knocking off a piece of shell that had been about to shed. Su He noticed none of it, curled inside his shell and sleeping deeply.

The wind howled for most of the night, and the thunder rumbled for A Long While. Then, in the latter half of the night, Heavy Rain came pouring down.

Dense raindrops pelted down with a furious crackle, mixed with hailstones.

The weather suddenly turned cold.

Every year, at the turn of summer and autumn, there would be Heavy Rain and even hail, and the temperature would plummet.

Three to Five Days before the Heavy Rain arrived, all beasts could sense it and would make preparations.

This year, he had been delayed by sleep.

Su He curled inside his shell without moving. He was cold-blooded; Even Though he had been awake, at a time like this he would have chosen to remain motionless at the bottom of the pool.

When the temperature was too low, his body felt numbed, and even his movements became sluggish.

Fortunately, where he was staying was safe, so even in deep slumber he did not need to worry about survival.

This Heavy Rain had brewed for a long time and fell with utter abandon. The torrential rain continued for seven straight days.

The summit pool had already filled to the brim, submerging half the pavilion. The Green Bamboo had not escaped either, all of it soaking in the pool. If it rained for another two days, the water would flow down from the mountaintop and form a waterfall.

After days of gloom, the sun finally tore through the Cloud Layer and shone down. Sunlight spilled over the pool, making the ripples shimmer in warm brilliance.

After rain came clear skies, and all things competed to glisten.

When Su He slowly awoke, he heard the roar of crashing waves.

After one sleep, the world had changed beyond recognition. Had there been a Heavy Rain? He swam to the edge of the mountaintop cliff and looked down. Listening Sea Lake had spread to the foot of the mountain—no, this mountain had become a towering isolated island upon Listening Sea Lake. Lakewater battered the rocks, producing rumbling booms.

A mountain flood?

Su He looked into the distance. The pond where he had once lived had vanished, completely joined with Listening Sea Lake.

Su He felt cold all over.

What had all that trouble been for? If he had not fussed about, he would already be in Listening Sea Lake This Time.

Sure enough, for turtles, stillness was Better Not To movement.

A fall into the pit made one wiser. From now on, he would be Immovable as a Mountain, steady as an old turtle.

Su He withdrew his gaze and Looked Towards his reflection in the pool.

He Didn't Know How Long Have I Slept. That half a snake had also been absurdly potent. Snake Heart Snake Gall entered his belly, a truly great tonic.

Su He had Changed greatly once more.

He had achieved the size of a manhole cover that he had long dreamed of. At this moment, his shell alone was only slightly smaller than an Eight Immortals table. His entire body was black and glossy, as though carved from black jade.

Most importantly, he had grown teeth! His turtle head now looked somewhat different from before. The hawk-like hook of his beak had vanished, and tiny sharp teeth had grown in. If those fangs grew larger, they would surely become far more ferocious.

He needed to eat more shrimp to replenish calcium and make his teeth strong. A turtle the size of an Eight Immortals table could be called a giant turtle no matter what. Having a mouthful of tiny baby teeth would be too ridiculous.

Thinking of shrimp made Su He hungry again.

He Didn't Know How Long Have I Slept. He only felt so hungry that even inside his shell seemed hollow and empty.

There was not even a single fruit on the mountain. He had to go down. Below the mountain was the expanded Listening Sea Lake, where everything should be available.

Just as Su He twisted his body, a mountain breeze blew over, carrying a faint scent of blood.

Mixed into the bloody smell was a trace of rot—the scent of an injured beast whose wound had become infected. The smell was drawing closer and closer.

Something was coming.

Su He retreated half his body into the pond, slightly drawing in his turtle head as he watched the direction from which the scent came.

A huge wolf limped and crawled up. Its fur was soaked through, and ferocity gleamed in Its Eyes. Its left hind leg was curled up, with a large chunk of flesh torn away. Soaked through by rainwater, the wound showed a terrifying white.

It was that Wolf King.

Su He Looked Towards Behind Her. There was no Wolf Pack.

He Didn't Know what it had experienced during this time to lose its entire pack. Or perhaps a new Wolf King had been born, and the Wolf Pack had driven it out, turning it into a lone wolf?

The Wolf King lowered its head and looked down at Su He. Its wolf eyes glowed dark green, filled with madness.

Though this turtle had Changed in appearance, it recognized at a glance that this was the Turtle Bastard that had stolen its Demon Transformation Fruit. The Demon Transformation Fruit had given it strength and allowed it to evolve.

All of this had originally been its! A Wild Wolf could not think that much, but its rage was no less intense.

The Wolf King roared and suddenly pounced at Su He.

Die! Bite him to death! Its changed size had emboldened Su He as well. He opened his mouth and took a huge gulp of water from the pool, then sprayed it straight into the face of the charging Wolf King.

The Wolf King's breathing caught, and it instinctively shook its head to Dodge.

At that moment, Su He's retracted neck suddenly shot out. He bit down on its neck, dragged backward, and pulled the Wolf King into the pond.

His newly grown teeth were incomparably sharp. They pierced its windpipe, and blood dyed the pool red. Bubbles gurgled from the Wolf King's neck. It tried to roll over and stand, but Su He pinned it beneath one foot. It struggled desperately yet could not rise.

Su He blinked.

So weak!

Before, one ordinary Wild Wolf had exhausted all his strength. Yet now, the Wolf King had no room even to resist. Was the Wolf King too weak from its injuries? Or had he grown stronger? Su He skinned and butchered the Wolf King. After eating his fill, he waited quietly for a while before slowly crawling down the mountain.

No matter what had happened to the Wolf Pack, it was surely gone by now. He Didn't Know how far the lakewater had spread, and its edge was no longer visible.

He wondered whether those crocodiles were still around.

Su He Didn't Know whether he could defeat crocodiles, but presumably the crocodiles Could Not Do Anything About him. With his hard shell and massive body, they should leave each other alone.

He could go down the mountain without worry.

The smell of the Demon Transformation Fruit on his body had faded considerably, so he need not fear becoming a target for all.

Only by going down the mountain to seize the food dice would he have room to put it to use. Staying on the mountain was safe enough, but it blocked the path of progress.

With a body like this, As Long As he did not swagger around beside those aquatic Exotic Beasts, he should stand undefeated.

And Beasts that had already Stepped Onto the Exotic Beast Dao Path had effectively cut off the path of demon transformation. They could not sense the Demon Transformation Fruit, so they would not come looking for it Proactively.

Evolve well, and strive to transform into a demon soon.

If he could Proclaim King and dominate Listening Sea Lake, that would be even better.

Even before the flood, Listening Sea Lake had a diameter of Over a Hundred li, and Elephant Water also passed through it. Azure Origin Sect was nearby, so there was no need to fear excessively powerful Exotic Beasts. It was truly a fine place to go.

Su He slowly crawled down the mountain. The lakewater churned, but he could see that it was safe beneath the surface. From time to time, broken trunks and shattered branches and leaves drifted past, presenting a scene of floodwaters sweeping through.

With a splash, Su He plunged into the water and swam toward the interior of Listening Sea Lake.

The water here was too shallow, only a person deep. Once the flood receded, it would still be shore—not a good place to settle down. Especially with Azure Origin Sect nearby, cultivators might come to deal with the flood. A few spell seals, and perhaps the floodwater would recede.

It would be safer to return to the old location of Listening Sea Lake. Su He paddled with all four limbs, half his glossy black shell exposed above the water.

After swimming less than half a li, a faint Sense of Crisis came over him.

Ripples stirred. Something was swimming toward him.