Mystic Turtle Escapes

"How tragic!"

Xuan Qing silently mourned for Candle Dragon. This guy's head was truly made of iron!

After that attack, Mystic Turtle's aura weakened noticeably. It seemed the expenditure had been too great.

The Dragon Clan experts all sensed the change in Mystic Turtle's aura and began attacking its rear.

Xuan Qing saw that this would not do. If Mystic Turtle were truly driven into a corner and disregarded the lives on its back, every living being in the entire North Sea would die.

With a flash, he appeared before the Dragon Clan. The Green Lotus of Creation flew out and directly blocked every attack.

Seeing that someone still dared to help Mystic Turtle, the Dragon Clan redirected countless attacks, all of them hurtling toward Xuan Qing.

"Oh? You're really courting death!"

The Green Lotus of Creation revolved with azure light, and every attack aimed at Xuan Qing was reflected back. Countless Dragon Clan members were blasted into the seafloor.

Some experts dodged the attacks and turned to look at Xuan Qing.

"Fellow Daoist, are you declaring yourself an enemy of my Dragon Clan?"

"Oh, stopping you means becoming enemies with the Dragon Clan? Can you bear the consequences if Mystic Turtle goes all out? I'm saving your Dragon Clan's lives!"

Xuan Qing was furious. Were these Dragon Clan members really so brainless? If so many innocent beings died, how much Karmic Sin would the Dragon Clan have to bear?

Did Zu Long not teach his Clan Members? How could such a clan possibly have a future?

"Fellow Daoist, surely you jest. Mystic Turtle has already been beaten so badly that it cannot fight back. What danger could there be? Could it be you, Fellow Daoist?"

"Where is Candle Dragon? Why hasn't Candle Dragon returned yet? Is this how he taught you?"

"Fellow Daoist, there is no need to say more. If you wish to stop us, we must have a fight."

After saying that, the Dragon Clan experts were about to attack.

"Stop. Greetings, Fellow Daoist Xuan Qing."

Candle Dragon cupped his hands toward Xuan Qing, then turned to his Clan Members. "This is Fellow Daoist Xuan Qing. His strength is no less than mine. Let us hear what he has to say."

Candle Dragon did not know that Xuan Qing's strength had improved again. He still thought they were evenly matched.

"Mystic Turtle is stronger than I am. If it stops caring about the beings on its back and faces you with its full strength, think about how you would deal with it—and what would become of the North Sea.

"You cannot do anything to it, while it cannot fight with all its strength. This is destined to have no result. The only ones injured will be all the living beings of the North Sea."

When Candle Dragon heard this, he felt that Xuan Qing's words made sense. If they truly continued fighting, even if they managed to deal with Mystic Turtle, they would suffer grievous losses.

When he returned to the Dragon Clan, Zu Long would surely blame him. The entire Dragon Clan would also resent his decision. This was truly not worth the cost.

"Thank you for your guidance, Fellow Daoist. The Dragon Clan owes you a favor. Should you need anything in the future, you may seek the Dragon Clan's help."

"Forget it. It will be good enough if the Dragon Clan does not come looking for trouble with me. The Dragon Clan's attitude just now was nothing like yours—they attacked without even asking.

"Take my advice. Do not be so overbearing in the future. Leave yourselves some room to maneuver."

Xuan Qing ultimately still offered Candle Dragon a word of advice. Whether they listened was up to them.

"How did Fellow Daoist come here? This is not a prosperous place like the Eastern Continent."

Candle Dragon gave an awkward laugh and changed the subject.

"I should be asking you that. We saw a large gathering of Dragon Clan members in the East Sea, then heard that you had driven Mystic Turtle from the East Sea to the North Sea, so we came to take a look."

"Fellow Daoist does not know the reason behind it. Mystic Turtle's true body is so enormous, and countless living beings dwell upon its back. It absorbed much of the Innate Spiritual Qi of the East Sea. We had no choice but to drive it away."

Candle Dragon began airing his grievances to Xuan Qing as well.

Xuan Qing had no interest in listening to Candle Dragon's sob story. The Dragon Clan was so domineering and wanted to control the entire ocean; how could any living beings regard them favorably?

"Fellow Daoist Candle Dragon, may I ask you something? Does your Dragon Clan have an Azure Dragon?"

Xuan Qing intended to make plans regarding the Four Pillars of Heaven and Earth, so he took this chance to ask the Dragon Clan about Azure Dragon.

"How does Fellow Daoist know that our Dragon Clan has an Azure Dragon lineage? But I cannot help you with that. The Azure Dragon lineage severed ties with the Dragon Clan long ago."

"Ah! Such a thing happened? I've never heard of it. Did Zu Long not intervene?"

This was Xuan Qing's first time hearing of Azure Dragon's hidden history.

"The Azure Dragon lineage was born later than us, but they naturally cherish life and oppose our dominance over the Four Seas. We simply could not get along.

"The last time Zu Long discussed controlling the East Sea with Azure Dragon, Azure Dragon completely opposed it. The two parted on bad terms, and Azure Dragon led that lineage away from the Dragon Clan."

"Do you know where they went?"

"We only know the general direction. They headed toward the Extreme East."

It seemed Azure Dragon becoming one of the Four Pillars of Heaven and Earth was no accident. A peace-loving race was a rare species anywhere, especially in the Prehistoric Era.

While Xuan Qing and Candle Dragon were talking, Mystic Turtle saw that the Dragon Clan had stopped attacking and slipped away while they were unprepared.

"Thank you again for the information, Fellow Daoist Candle Dragon. We will not linger here. I hope that when we meet next time, Fellow Daoist Candle Dragon will not be in such a sorry state."

Xuan Qing turned and left the Dragon Clan, leading the others deeper into the North Sea in pursuit.

"Old Brother, are we going after Mystic Turtle?"

"No need. Let fate decide."

This time, Xuan Qing planned to visit the Eye of the North Sea. Legend had it that the North Sea contained the Return to Void. He did not know what kind of sight it was, but since they had come this far, how could he leave without taking a look?

After the Dragon Clan left the North Sea, Xuan Qing suddenly sensed an immense amount of Auspicious Qi converging upon him. He immediately stopped and began to examine it.

"Hmm? Where did such Auspicious Qi come from?"

Xuan Qing circulated the Law of Destiny, and thoughts of gratitude began appearing in his Sea of Consciousness.

"This is the Faith born from the gratitude and thanks of those living beings who were saved. Faith can gather Auspicious Qi?"

The Law of Destiny covered Xuan Qing's eyes, and Karma Lines appeared in the void. One end connected to himself, while the other connected to the living beings he had saved.

Xuan Qing had no need for these living beings' Auspicious Qi. The Law of Destiny transformed into a great blade and severed those Karma Lines directly.

With his current strength, he did not wish to become entangled in too much Karma. That Demon God of Karma might also be in the Prehistoric Era. If it discovered him, it might use these Karma Lines to make some scheme.

The Three Tribes gathered the various races and established powers for the sake of Auspicious Qi. If they learned that Auspicious Qi could also be gathered this way, would they go mad?

Xuan Qing thought it over. The Three Tribes would probably never discover this method. It would already be good if they did not regard the living beings of the Prehistoric Era as ants. Why would they ever save them?

Could this be how the Buddhist Sect came into being? When Jieyin and Zhunti saved living beings in the Western Lands, they discovered the wonders of Faith. They later founded the Eight Hundred Heterodox Paths and used the power of Faith to create the Golden Body of Faith.

However, this method also had a major drawback. Faith was poisonous. It was unlike the gratitude of these living beings now, which was exceedingly pure.

"Tut, tut. Faith truly is a strange kind of power!"

"Master, what did you just say? What is Faith?"

Seeing Xuan Qing standing still for so long, Qing Ya came over to check on him and happened to hear his words.

Seeing Qing Ya's puzzled expression, Xuan Qing gave a vague laugh and shifted her attention elsewhere. This method was not suitable for the people of Azure Nether Island, so he decided not to tell them.

Several people continued northward, and before long they reached a sea region formed by countless small islands.

The environment in the depths of the North Sea was truly extreme. The farther in they went, the lower the temperature became. Even sunlight could not reach this place. Much of the seawater had frozen into icebergs, with islands and icebergs linked together.

Without the sun's energy, plants and living beings were almost nowhere to be seen. Innate Spiritual Qi was sparse, making it unsuitable for cultivation. This place was even more desolate than the Northern Continent.

Xuan Qing smashed an iceberg with a single punch. Countless fish and shrimp scattered across the ground, while wisps of Innate Spiritual Qi drifted out. It turned out this place did not lack Spiritual Qi or living beings—they had simply been frozen into icebergs together with the seawater.

"Master, this place is perfect for barbecue! There's so much seafood, and we don't even need to catch it!"

Qing Ling excitedly gathered the fish and shrimp from the ice. Many of them were still flopping about.

"That's right, Old Brother. How many years has it been since we last had barbecue? Qing Ling, hurry and bring out the equipment."

Han Xi also ran over to set up the equipment with Qing Ling. Before long, flames rose up, and the scent of grilled meat spread across the ice.

Xuan Qing no longer needed to cook. Qing Ling and the others had become thoroughly skilled, and their cooking had even surpassed Xuan Qing's.

Seeing that there were not enough fish and shrimp, Qing Ling chiseled a hole in the ice and began scooping fish and shrimp directly from the sea. However, the opening quickly froze over again. After she chiseled it open several times, she had still caught very little.

Qing Ling became a little frustrated, and tears began to gather in her eyes.

Seeing Qing Ling like this, Han Xi stopped eating. She raised the Water Bell and smashed it directly against the ice. A huge ice hole appeared, and it did not freeze over even after a long while.

"That should do it." Han Xi clapped her hands.

"Crack, crack..."

Cracks began spreading around the ice hole, inching outward in every direction.

"Damn!"

Several people hurriedly rose into the air. They were only having barbecue, yet they had made such a huge commotion. Was this not tormenting people?

The destruction caused by Han Xi continued. Earthquakes and tsunamis swept outward, expanding across an ever-growing range. Many small islands were affected as well.

"Brother, did I cause trouble?"

Han Xi covered her eyes, too afraid to look at the scene before her.

The ice completely shattered. Strands of Innate Spiritual Qi turned into mist and began spreading across the sea, while countless broken islands and ice chunks drifted on the surface.

Suddenly, a stream of water swept past. The drifting ice chunks and islands froze once more, and the entire sea returned to how it had been before.

"Th-this... what kind of power is this?!"

Han Li immediately sensed the aura of the Law of Water.

She and Han Xi exchanged a glance, delight appearing in both women's eyes. There was a spiritual treasure here related to the Law of Water.