He sensed that this was the River of Destiny of the Primordial World. All beings who had yet to reach Daluo were struggling within the fate of the Primordial World.
Ordinary life forms had to at least break through to Daluo before they could come here.
Yet he had arrived by using the Great Destiny Technique!
A thought flashed through Shen Gui's mind. This was the key to resolving his Heavenly Tribulation.
Simply resisting the Heavenly Tribulation wouldn't work. Its cause and effect stemmed from his desire to "transform."
Until that cause and effect was resolved, he would have to endure the thunder indefinitely, unless he was willing to return to his turtle form.
Now, he would find the root of the problem in the River of Destiny and change it.
"Change fate, change fate!"
Soon, he saw the course of his own fate.
He wandered aimlessly through the North Sea. In the end, when heaven and earth collapsed, a being came to the North Sea, intending to cut off his limbs to mend the heavens. He fought back with all his might, but his limbs were severed, and he entered the cycle of reincarnation.
This must have been the fate originally meant for the "Giant Turtle."
Shen Gui tried to alter it, only to find that his power was insufficient. Meanwhile, the power within him was rapidly draining away.
"I'll add the Fate of Transformation first. I'll have to wait until I break through to Daluo before I can change the fate of being dismembered."
With a thought from Shen Gui, he used the Great Destiny Technique to forcibly add a new fate that had never existed before to the first "fate" he had been born with.
If he couldn't change the fate of being dismembered, then he would add the Fate of Transformation!
Just as Kunpeng thought Shen Gui was about to succumb to the seemingly endless, devastating purple lightning tribulation, and that all his efforts would end in failure...
After all, the power of the thunder still far exceeded the limits of the Taiyi Realm. Only a Daluo Sacred could withstand it.
A sudden change occurred.
The purple divine lightning that had been raging across the sky...
Without warning, it vanished in an instant, as though an invisible giant hand had cut off its source.
Then...
The thick, suffocating black thunderclouds that had covered the entire sky above the North Sea quickly dispersed, like snow beneath the sun.
The clear, cloudless sky emerged behind them.
Sunlight fell across the sea once more, illuminating the rising mist and casting shimmering rainbows across the water.
Were it not for the still-churning sea, steeped in the lingering aura of destruction, one might have thought the world-shattering tribulation had been nothing but an illusion.
This abrupt change...
Left Kunpeng, who had been watching intently, rooted to the spot. His sallow face was filled with bewilderment and confusion.
"What could have caused this?" His thoughts raced. "The killing intent of heaven and earth should allow no escape. How could it end so abruptly, like this?"
No matter how he tried to divine the cause, the Heavenly Secrets remained a chaotic blur. He couldn't see what had brought about this sudden change.
Just then, Shen Gui, who had transformed into human form, took a deep breath. He could clearly feel that his connection to heaven and earth had changed.
He circulated his divine sense and sensed the laws of the world around him. Then he faced the void and declared in a clear, resonant voice that carried into the unseen:
"Great Dao above! I am the Northern Darkness Mysterious Turtle. Today, I have transformed and attained the Dao as Guiyuan. From this day forth, my true name is Guiyuan!"
He knew that his transmigration had been strange in origin. Moreover, Patriarch Hongjun had yet to join with the Dao, and the Heavenly Dao remained incomplete.
It was safer to report himself to the supreme "Great Dao."
He had used the Great Destiny Technique to "add" the Fate of Transformation, which was a way of exploiting a loophole. By informing the Great Dao, he might reduce the uncertainties he would face in the future.
This declaration rang clearly in Kunpeng's ears as he stood there, still stunned.
Kunpeng came back to his senses and suppressed his countless questions. The Old Turtle—
No, Daoist Guiyuan—had truly succeeded in transforming!
With a movement, he appeared before Guiyuan and cupped his hands. "Congratulations, Daoist Guiyuan. You've survived the tribulation and finally attained a Dao Body!"
Guiyuan returned the salute. "Greetings, Daoist Kunpeng. Sorry for the trouble."
He wasn't very familiar with Kunpeng, but since Kunpeng seemed to have no ill intent, there was no need to antagonize him from the outset.
In the original Primordial World...
Kunpeng joined the Heavenly Court founded by Dijun, while the Mysterious Turtle remained in the Northern Abyss. That suggested Kunpeng and the Mysterious Turtle had gotten along fairly well in the North Sea.
Besides, they were both Innate Sacred beings of the Northern Abyss.
In truth, they were natural allies. Jieyin and Zunti, who were both born in the west, were another such pair. Though Zunti's birth had been brought about by Jieyin's compassion...
An Innate Sacred being was extraordinarily important to the region where he was born.
An Innate Sacred being was the incarnation of the Dao. Simply by existing, he could make the Great Dao clearer and increase the region's fortune.
Otherwise, why would the Western Two Saints roam the Primordial World so tirelessly, approaching everyone they met with the same line: "Fellow Daoist, you are destined for the west"?
Every living being in the Primordial World possessed fortune. The higher one's cultivation and the stronger one's Origin Foundation, the greater one's fortune.
The more of them gathered in one place, the more beneficial it was to that region.
The obvious effect was that, once others knew a region had many Innate Sacred beings, they would be willing to draw close and discuss the Dao with them.
That was fortune flowing back to the region.
Besides...
Now that they had both transformed and reached Taiyi, with the path to Daluo still unclear, having a fellow Daoist was better than having none.
However, the instant he finished speaking...
A vast, abstruse stream of information suddenly emerged from the depths of his soul and merged into his true spirit.
It was the Innate Inheritance he should have received when this Mysterious Turtle body was first born.
For some reason, it had only appeared now, after his transformation was complete.
Guiyuan quickly perused the inheritance. At its core were four words:
"Mysterious Turtle Supporting the Heavens."
The inheritance explained in detail how to draw upon the baleful energy of the North Sea's ley lines to temper his shell, how to push his defensive power to its limits, and how to bear the might of heaven and earth with his own body...
Everything in it seemed to be preparing him for the ultimate mission of "supporting the heavens."
"Good, good, good!"
Guiyuan couldn't help sneering inwardly.
"What a splendid scheme! Even the Innate Inheritance is meant to make me cultivate diligently, so I'll be ready to support the heavens one day? This Heavenly Mandate really leaves no stone unturned!"
The inheritance of "Mysterious Turtle Supporting the Heavens" contained insights into the Defense Dao.
For the Mysterious Turtle as he had originally been, with no external aid...
It might have been a supreme treasure, the only power he could rely on.
But for Guiyuan, who had returned from the Eternal Life World bearing the Three Thousand Great Daos, seen countless divine arts and wondrous techniques, and even attained the rank of an Immortal King...
This inheritance seemed utterly useless, even deeply ironic.
He had the Three Thousand Great Daos, along with all kinds of supreme divine arts formed from them. Thanks to Fang Laomo's generosity, he even knew the secret arts of the Creation Immortal King and Daoist Hongmeng.
This mere defensive technique of "Mysterious Turtle Supporting the Heavens"...
Was utterly tasteless to him. He might keep it as a reference for the future, but it could never be his primary path of cultivation.
After chatting for a while, Kunpeng prepared to leave.
After all, Guiyuan had only just transformed, and likely had things to take care of.
They could discuss the Dao another time and see if they could work out the path to Daluo.
Just as Kunpeng was about to depart...
Perhaps the Heavenly Tribulation had broken some restriction of heaven and earth. In the nearby waves...
A black flag, one chi and seven cun long, emerged.
Its aura was faint, yet it carried a sense of completeness. Just looking at it made one's divine sense reel, as though sinking into an endless sea.
Kunpeng's eyes gleamed. Guiyuan's gaze shifted.
Their eyes met briefly before both fell upon the small black flag bobbing with the waves.
The flag was one chi and seven cun long, its color as dark as ink. It seemed unremarkable, yet Daoist resonance flowed naturally around it. Looking at it made one's divine sense grow hazy, as though falling into an endless ocean.
An Innate Treasure!
And its grade was definitely no ordinary one!
Before you continue