A quarter of an hour later, Han Debiao led Han Changming and the others out of the cave. He released the Yellow Gourd, and it carried them high into the sky.
They had gained quite a lot this time. The most valuable find was undoubtedly the spirit-fruit tree, which they could transplant back to Red Shrimp Island.
It was the first time Han Changming had seen Han Debiao fight. No wonder Han Debiao was known as the foremost of the Three Heroes of the Han Clan. He had taken on a first-rank high-grade Demon Ape alone and beaten it so badly it couldn't fight back.
Two days later, they appeared above a stretch of sea, the Yellow Gourd carrying them swiftly through the sky.
"Eh, Mystic Water Turtles?"
Han Changying gave a soft cry of surprise and pointed toward a spot below.
Following the direction Han Changying pointed, they saw more than a dozen black turtles basking on the beach of a small island.
Mystic Water Turtles were social demonic beasts. They were rather timid and would flee at the slightest disturbance. However, they loved basking in the sun and would occasionally come ashore to do so.
Their shells were excellent materials for crafting defensive artifacts, while their meat could be used to cook delicious dishes.
"Don't startle them. We'll circle around and attack from all sides."
Han Debiao looked excited. He steered the Yellow Gourd down to the island, landing several hundred zhang from the Mystic Water Turtles.
Four clansmen slipped beneath the water and moved toward the beach from below, while three others advanced toward the turtles at a measured pace.
Wrapped in a blue light barrier, Han Changming sped through the seabed.
They didn't dive too deep, only three zhang down, to avoid running into second-rank demonic beasts.
Just as Han Changming and the other three were about to break the surface, one of the Mystic Water Turtles seemed to sense something and sounded an alarm. The dozen or so turtles scattered at once, rushing toward the sea.
The Mystic Water Turtles were all low-rank, first-rank demonic beasts, but they were extremely fast.
As water-attribute demonic beasts, they would be impossible for Han Changming to catch once they reached the sea.
"Stop them! Don't let them get away!" Han Debiao shouted.
Han Changming raised a hand, and five Earth Wall Talismans flew out. They transformed into ten yellow earth walls, each more than two zhang tall and about a foot thick, lining up to block the Mystic Water Turtles' path.
The turtles opened their mouths and fired water arrows at the walls.
Before long, the walls were pocked with a large number of finger-thick holes.
A dozen Crimson Fireballs came hurtling in and burst into a sea of red flames, engulfing the Mystic Water Turtles.
Though their skin was thick and their flesh tough, the turtles couldn't endure the scorching heat. Their mouths filled with a chorus of anguished cries.
More than a dozen gleaming artifacts flew in. Several turtles had their heads severed, while the rest withdrew their heads and limbs into their shells.
By then, Han Debiao and the others had rushed over.
Han Debiao gripped a red iron staff and brought it down through the air toward the turtles. A vast spread of crimson flames burst from the staff, and the blaze surged at once.
The Fire Cloud Staff was a first-rank high-grade artifact with an additional fire attack.
Han Changying and the others either cast fire spells or activated fire talismans to attack the Mystic Water Turtles.
The turtles' shells were their most valuable parts, so they could only use the intense heat to force them to stick their heads out.
Under the scorching flames, the turtles had no choice but to extend their heads. More than a dozen artifacts struck, easily severing them.
Before long, the flames died away.
"Changming, well done. I'll give you credit for this," Han Debiao praised.
If Han Changming hadn't activated five Earth Wall Talismans at once to block their path, the turtles might well have made it back to the sea.
An Earth Wall Talisman cost four spirit stones on the market. Han Changming had just spent twenty spirit stones, but fortunately, he was a talisman maker and could afford it.
Praised by his elder, Han Changming smiled.
"Quickly deal with the Mystic Water Turtles' bodies. Don't damage their shells."
The turtles were fairly large, and their bodies had to be processed before they could be stored in Storage Bags.
There were more than a dozen of them, so each person handled one. Han Debiao pitched in as well.
Han Changming walked over to a Mystic Water Turtle, grabbed its neck, and dragged out its corpse.
He slit open its belly with a dagger to see whether it had a spirit beast egg.
"Eh! Why is there a gourd here?" Han Changming exclaimed in surprise.
Inside the Mystic Water Turtle, he found a palm-sized Blue Gourd. It was tiny and gave off faint spiritual fluctuations, clearly marking it as an artifact.
Artifacts were occasionally found inside demonic beasts. The bodies of larger beasts might even contain the corpses of cultivators.
Han Changming didn't think much of it and put away the Blue Gourd.
Judging by its spiritual fluctuations, it was probably a gourd artifact used to hold liquids.
After they finished processing the Mystic Water Turtles, Han Debiao released the Yellow Gourd, and it carried everyone high into the sky.
Half a month later, they returned to Kuixing Market.
As soon as Han Changming walked into his room, he saw two turtle-like spirit beasts, each about a foot long, crawling around inside.
They had crocodile heads and tails, but their backs were covered by yellow turtle shells, making them look like a cross between crocodiles and turtles.
Han Changming looked toward a corner of the room. The two spirit beast eggs had already broken open.
"Alligator Turtle Beasts! They hatched so quickly." Han Changming was a little surprised.
The people from the Hundred Beasts Palace had said that spirit beast eggs usually took a year or more to hatch. Han Changming had piled Spirit Gathering Stones beside the eggs. The spiritual energy in a Spirit Gathering Stone was equivalent to that of a high-grade spirit stone, and it had taken only a little over a month for the eggs to hatch.
The moment Han Changming stepped inside, the two Alligator Turtle Beasts crawled toward him.
They were extremely fast. When they reached Han Changming, they cried out, seemingly hungry.
As it turned out, the cost of raising a spirit beast from an egg was about the same as raising one that had already hatched. The difference was that a beast hatched by its owner was naturally close to them, while a spirit beast that had already hatched only obeyed a cultivator because of the restriction placed on it.
If a spirit beast's rank exceeded its owner's, one raised from a young age was still unlikely to turn on its owner. But if a spirit beast had been tamed after reaching adulthood, it was far more likely to turn on its owner once its strength surpassed theirs. Without this drawback, high-rank spirit beasts would already be everywhere.
Couldn't a Golden Core cultivator capture a second-rank high-grade demonic beast, plant a restriction in it, and raise it for decades or centuries to obtain a third-rank spirit beast?
The Han Clan's guardian spirit beast was a second-rank high-grade Tiger Eagle. It had taken hundreds of years to raise it to that rank, and it had helped the Han Clan weather several crises.
Spirit beasts lived longer than cultivators, so cultivation clans and sects all raised them to guard their homes and compounds.
Alligator Turtle Beasts were carnivorous spirit beasts with powerful attacks.
Han Changming had previously hunted a group of Mystic Water Turtles and obtained some beast meat. He took it out, cut it into small pieces, and fed it to the two Alligator Turtle Beasts.
They were small, but they had hearty appetites. Fortunately, Han Changming had plenty of beast meat on hand, enough to feed them.
Once they'd eaten their fill, they raced around the room, playing with each other.
The real cheat had finally arrived. It wasn't overpowered, and Red Shrimp Island used a gourd artifact, so it made sense that the cheat was a gourd too.
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