Ao Yun heard Mysterious Turtle call Ancestor Dragon a little loach, and a thousand grass-mud horses galloped through his heart. What kind of old fossil from what era is this, anyway?
Speaking of that, we have to talk about the Fierce Beast Era. Back then, Mysterious Turtle had awakened early. Although it loved sleeping, that did not stop its physical body from growing stronger. During the Fierce Beast Tribulation, it had only just entered the Hunyuan Realm, while Ancestor Dragon had yet to enter the Great Luo Realm. The Dragon Clan he led was not considered powerful among the four seas of the Primordial Desolation World. Mysterious Turtle had met Ancestor Dragon back then, and the difference in their sizes had been enormous. In Mysterious Turtle's eyes, wasn't Ancestor Dragon just like a loach?
Later, during the Fierce Beast Tribulation, many once-powerful clans suffered heavy blows. Only then did Ancestor Dragon rise with the tide, unify the four seas, and eventually become the lord of the Hong-Qilin Scales.
At this point, Mysterious Turtle's physical body had long since reached the Perfected Hunyuan Realm, while its primordial spirit was only at the Great Luo level. Recently, the periods during which it could remain awake had grown shorter and shorter. It could also sense that its body bore a certain Heavenly Mandate.
The body it revealed outwardly was only a few million li in size, but that was actually what it looked like after shrinking itself. If it completely released its full size, it might reach all the way to the heavens. Its body had the potential to attain Hunyuan Great Luo, but unfortunately, its soul could not bear it. If things continued this way, its physical body would crush its soul, leaving it with no path but death!
"Senior Mysterious Turtle, did something go wrong with your cultivation? Why have you been constantly asleep, unable to awaken your consciousness?"
"My soul and physical body have fused together. My body grew too quickly, but my soul couldn't keep up and has been suppressed, so I often have difficulty waking up.
I can sense that this physical body bears a certain Heavenly Mandate, which is why it keeps growing nonstop. I cannot stop it. The living beings from my era have all undergone Form Transformation and emerged into the world, but my Spirit and Flesh Unity has caused my physical body to suppress my soul. I cannot achieve balance, and I have never had the chance to undergo Form Transformation.
Now I want to break free from this physical body, but my soul has never been able to form a primordial spirit. As a result, my soul cannot escape the body's pull. I don't even know whether my soul can hold out until the moment the Heavenly Mandate arrives!" Mysterious Turtle of the North Sea slowly explained its situation. It now had fewer and fewer chances to awaken. Perhaps Jiang Yun's ability to rouse it this time was the one thread of life left in its fate, so naturally, it had to seize it tightly.
After hearing Mysterious Turtle's words, Jiang Yun understood its current predicament.
When Empress Nuwa repaired the heavens and Sect Master Tongtian cut off Mysterious Turtle's limbs to use as pillars supporting the sky, Mysterious Turtle's soul had probably already shattered, leaving only its true spirit within its physical body! Although the surviving true spirit reincarnated as Turtle Spirit Holy Mother, could she still be considered connected to Mysterious Turtle? If it had been the soul that reincarnated, there might still have been a day when it could recover its memories. That was why Mysterious Turtle's resentment later soared into the heavens, contaminating the spiritual energy and living beings of the northern world. After all, it had borne the Heavenly Mandate of supporting the sky since birth and had never been given a choice. Its physical body had grown too quickly for its soul to escape, all the way until it died beneath that Heavenly Mandate. How could its resentment not be immense?
Moreover, Mysterious Turtle's death ultimately benefited the reincarnated Turtle Spirit Holy Mother. Mysterious Turtle suffered the sin, while Turtle Spirit Holy Mother received the merit. What a miserable life.
"Senior Mysterious Turtle, have you ever considered using the Aura of Merit from the Heavenly Dao to separate your physical body and soul? With enough Aura of Merit, you might be able to find a sliver of hope!" Jiang Yun proposed a feasible solution based on Mysterious Turtle's condition.
It was indeed an excellent suggestion with a high chance of success. Mysterious Turtle's eyes lit up when it heard it. However, although it had transformed into an island and nurtured countless living beings over the years, earning some merit, it was probably far from enough to separate its physical body and soul.
"Your method is indeed feasible. Unfortunately, I have earned very little merit over the years, and it is nowhere near enough to separate my physical body and soul. If you can help me fulfill my wish, I am willing to establish a Heavenly Dao oath and submit to your commands from now on. What do you say?"
When Mysterious Turtle said this, Jiang Yun was overjoyed.
If he provided the merit to help it fulfill its wish, then the right to use Mysterious Turtle's powerful physical body could belong to the Western Teachings.
When Empress Nuwa repaired the heavens in the future, the matter could be handed over to Jieyin and Zhunti. That way, they could claim a considerable share of the merit for supporting the sky. Afterward, Mysterious Turtle would also receive a large amount of merit, and as long as it continued supporting the sky, it could reap merit endlessly.
Once Mysterious Turtle's mission of supporting the sky was complete, he could have its soul reincarnate and take the reincarnated body into his own sect. He would also gain the allegiance of a future bearer of great merit, while his own fortune and that of his sect would improve considerably. It was simply killing several birds with one stone. There was no loss—he had won big!
"This junior is willing to do everything in my power to help Senior Mysterious Turtle fulfill your wish."
Having made these calculations, Jiang Yun did not wait for Mysterious Turtle to establish the Heavenly Dao oath. He readily drew out all his own merit and sent it into Mysterious Turtle's body.
With the help of the merit, the connection between the physical body and soul finally loosened. They were no longer tightly bound together. As the Aura of Merit within its body was continuously consumed, Mysterious Turtle was extremely excited, yet it steadily peeled its soul away from its physical body step by step. When eighty percent of its Aura of Merit had been consumed, it finally separated its entire soul.
The remaining Aura of Merit enveloped Mysterious Turtle's soul, constantly nourishing and repairing the injuries caused during the separation while protecting its soul.
"Hahaha... I finally escaped this damned body!" Mysterious Turtle's soul vented the resentment it had accumulated over countless years in immense joy. The entire soul became incomparably light and clear the instant it left the physical body, as though it had just survived a deadly calamity and suddenly cast off every burden weighing on its heart.
At that moment, its gratitude toward Jiang Yun could not be expressed in words. No one could understand the repression and fury it had endured for countless years. If most of its soul had not been forced to sleep for much of the time, it probably would have been unable to endure it and dissolved itself long ago.
After venting its emotions, Mysterious Turtle hurriedly communicated with the Heavenly Dao and established a Heavenly Dao oath with Jiang Yun.
Mysterious Turtle's physical body and soul had now been separated, but Jiang Yun found himself troubled by how to take the physical body away. He wore a worried expression. His Inner World simply could not contain Mysterious Turtle's enormous body. Perhaps only the Primordial Desolation World could hold it.
Seeing his worried expression, Mysterious Turtle's soul asked him the reason. After hearing Jiang Yun's explanation, Mysterious Turtle laughed heartily and said, "What's so difficult about that? Although my soul has separated from my physical body, I can still control it."
With that, it drew its physical body into its shell and then slowly shrank it until it was only the size of a palm. It then floated beside its soul, guarding it.
Jiang Yun was greatly astonished by this sight. He had never expected Mysterious Turtle's physical body to shrink to such a small size. No wonder the body he had seen at their first meeting had only been a few million li in size, while its limbs could later be used to support the heavens. It seemed that Mysterious Turtle had controlled the size of its body before, which was why it had appeared to be only a few million li in size.
After Mysterious Turtle finished arranging its physical body, Jiang Yun took its soul, along with Ao Yun, who had watched the entire spectacle from the side in utter astonishment, and prepared to return to the Northern Sea Dragon Palace.
Although this journey to seek an opportunity had been full of twists and turns, the final gains had truly exceeded his expectations. At that moment, he was thinking that when he returned to Mount Sumeru, his teacher and martial uncle would probably be so shocked by what he had done that they would jump up.
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