The Booze-Loving Turtle

"Heh heh, here I come..." An irritating voice rang out.

From the air, Huang Tieyi could only see a streak of light approaching at incredible speed. "Watch out..."

Crash! The Sword Qi shield around Sword Douluo Chen Xin shattered. The Octagonal Shield Turtle's huge body spun several times through the air from the recoil before landing. It poked its head out, peered around, then craned its neck to look at the Blood Rhinoceros Steel-Armored Bull. "Humans, you're damn impressive..." Before it could finish, it withdrew completely into its shell.

Lei Zhenyun raised a hand and yanked Ning Fengzhi off the ground, holding him aloft. "Sword Douluo, you started this. Deal with it yourself. We're not helping."

"Thanks." Sword Douluo Chen Xin cupped his fists to Lei Zhenyun.

Moo! Just then, the Blood Rhinoceros Steel-Armored Bull spat a beam of blood-red light straight at Sword Douluo Chen Xin.

Sword Douluo Chen Xin swung the Seven Kill Sword. A massive wave of Sword Qi met the red light; the Sword Qi shattered, and the light dispersed.

The Blood Rhinoceros Steel-Armored Bull did not pause. It charged Sword Douluo Chen Xin so fast he had no time to dodge. With no other choice, he unleashed a burst of powerful Sword Qi to protect himself.

The impact sent Sword Douluo Chen Xin flying backward. Before he could steady himself in midair, he saw the Octagonal Shield Turtle poke out its head and blast a huge jet of water at the ground, lifting its body.

It rammed Sword Douluo Chen Xin with its shell, striking him squarely on the backside.

"Big brother, does this count as Sword Douluo getting it up the ass? That big turtle's devious as hell. The older it gets, the worse it gets!" Lei Zhenyun said, watching Sword Douluo with some sympathy.

Moo! The Blood Rhinoceros Steel-Armored Bull raised its forehooves and slammed them into the ground. A massive Blood Bull Phantom burst forth, charging at Sword Douluo Chen Xin, whose face was twisted in pain.

Chen Xin gritted his teeth and forced his body to twist in midair. A murderous aura surged around him, while endless Sword Qi spiraled and coiled into a tornado of killing intent that enveloped him. The howling blades of wind shredded the Blood Bull Phantom, and the violent air current sent the airborne Octagonal Shield Turtle tumbling backward.

"Seventh Soul Skill—Martial Soul True God! Ninth Soul Skill—God-Demon Dual Slash!" Shrouded in killing intent, Sword Douluo transformed into a gigantic Seven Kill Sword and flew up. One slash struck at the Blood Rhinoceros Steel-Armored Bull; another struck at the Octagonal Shield Turtle.

Sensing death, the Octagonal Shield Turtle's Soul Rings lit up one after another. "Invincible Divine Speed!"

Dazzling golden light enveloped its body. It blasted out another high-pressure jet of water and used the thrust to propel itself away. Its form blurred, and in an instant it had escaped hundreds of yards, evading the fatal strike.

Meanwhile, the Blood Rhinoceros Steel-Armored Bull faced the descending sword light but did not try to withstand it with its own body. It channeled its Soul Power, placing the corpses of dead Iron-Armored Rhinoceroses across the path of the Sword Qi.

The sharp sword light split the corpses in two, one after another, each one wearing down its force. By the time the giant sword's remaining power struck the Blood Rhinoceros Steel-Armored Bull, it had weakened considerably. It left only a shallow mark on the bull's thick hide and failed to inflict a serious wound.

Sword Douluo Chen Xin landed, his face pale as he looked at the Blood Rhinoceros Steel-Armored Bull. This was the first time he had combined his killing intent, Sword Qi, Martial Soul True God, and Ninth Soul Skill. The move had drained him enormously.

The Blood Rhinoceros Steel-Armored Bull watched Sword Douluo Chen Xin struggle to stand straight, his face pale. It pawed at the ground with its forehooves, plainly intending to charge in and finish him off.

"Come back..." An aged, commanding voice rang out. A rift opened in the sky, and a gigantic hand reached through, seized the Blood Rhinoceros Steel-Armored Bull, and took it away.

When the huge hand appeared, even Ling Yuan Douluo felt her soul tremble. She dropped helplessly and hit the ground hard. Fortunately, the hand had only come for the Blood Rhinoceros Steel-Armored Bull.

"What kind of being was that? I couldn't even summon the will to resist." Lei Zhenyun stared at the sky, now restored to normal.

"Exactly. Good thing it only took the Blood Rhinoceros Steel-Armored Bull, or we'd have been reduced to a bloody mist." Huang Batian pushed Huang Tieyi off him as he spoke.

(Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, offscreen: Good thing, my ass! Another bastard's coming to suck my blood, and this one's calcium-deficient too. How am I supposed to survive?)

Huang Tieyi surveyed the wreckage, then turned to the pale-faced Ning Fengzhi. "You from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, I suggest finding somewhere else to get your fourth Soul Ring. What kind of god-tier luck is this? Every target you run into is absurdly powerful. Keep looking here, and a Soul Beast might end you all."

Ning Fengzhi looked at Sword Douluo Chen Xin, who had expended a great deal of Soul Power. "Uncle Jian, let's head back first."

Sword Douluo Chen Xin clutched his chest and nodded helplessly.

Huang Tieyi took some food from his Space Ring and handed it to Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Ning Fengzhi. He took out more for his own people from Spirit Hall.

"You brat, I remember you always carry wine. Why aren't you bringing any out this time?" Lei Zhenyun grumbled.

"Grandpa Yun, after everything that happened today, you still want to drink?" Huang Tieyi took out a bottle of wine, resignation in his voice.

"Put the wine away. Safety comes first," Huang Batian said sternly.

"Yes, I'll listen to big brother." Lei Zhenyun reluctantly withdrew his hand.

"Hey, don't put it away, don't..." The Octagonal Shield Turtle's voice came from the distance.

Everyone looked over. The Octagonal Shield Turtle was strolling toward them at an easy, unhurried pace, its little eyes full of longing for the wine.

"What the hell? Why's that big turtle still here?" Lei Zhenyun felt the ground shake as he watched it approach. "I swear it's picking on me, strutting around because it's got a hard shell!"

"Human, this is a friendly exchange..." The Octagonal Shield Turtle walked up and grinned at Lei Zhenyun.

Huang Tieyi held out the wine flask. The Octagonal Shield Turtle caught it in its mouth, tipped back its head, and swallowed the wine before spitting the flask out. "Not bad. Tastes all right, but it's not very strong. Human boy, got any more? Give me some..." It licked its lips and smacked its mouth.

"Sure." Huang Tieyi pulled a large jar from his Space Ring, though its opening was still smaller than the turtle's head.

The Octagonal Shield Turtle flicked out its tongue to break the seal, then curled it around the entire jar and drew it into its mouth. It tipped back its head and guzzled.

When Huang Tieyi had been a Soul Beast in his sixth life, he had seen the Octagonal Shield Turtle scavenge Space Rings from dead Soul Masters and drink the wine inside. But he had never seen it drink with such abandon.

Crash! The wine jar hit the ground and shattered. "Do you know anything about that huge hand just now..."