The Giant Softshell Turtle

Thunder raged across the sky and fierce winds howled, slowing the fishing boat.

"Hmm?" Jiang Che looked toward a spot nearby.

Not far away, a merchant ship several times larger than the fishing boat rocked in the wind and rain, slowly sinking.

On its sail was a large character for Li.

"A merchant ship from the Li Family?"

After a moment's thought, Jiang Che said, "Sir, head over there and take a look!"

That man named Li Kuisheng had saved his life last time. This time, he would repay the favor.

Still, if he ran into serious trouble, Jiang Che would flee without hesitation.

He could repay a favor anytime, as long as he did not throw his life away doing it.

After much hesitation, the old fisherman steered toward the Li Family's merchant ship.

Only when they drew close did Jiang Che get a clear look at the entire merchant ship.

Its hull seemed to have taken a slap from some powerful Soul Beast.

Jiang Che's heart trembled. Anything capable of threatening a Li Family merchant ship had to be a Soul Beast at least a thousand years old.

"How could there be a thousand-year Soul Beast here?"

This was the outskirts of the Calm Sea Plain. A thousand-year Soul Beast appearing here was truly rare.

"Hey! What happened? Do you need help?" Jiang Che shouted at the top of his lungs.

Someone aboard the merchant ship shouted back just as loudly, "Our young master and young miss were dragged underwater by a Soul Beast! Are there any Soul Masters among you? It's a thousand-year Soul Beast!"

"As long as you're willing to help, our Li Family will pay five hundred Gold Soul Coins!"

The fisherman and the three young men all swallowed at the mention of five hundred Gold Soul Coins. That was nearly enough to buy all four of their lives.

They simply lacked the strength. Had they been Soul Masters, they would have jumped into the water to save them without hesitation.

This was the Calm Sea Plain. If a fishing boat dared to appear here, it surely had a Soul Master aboard to hold the fort.

The people on the Li Family merchant ship pinned all their hopes on Jiang Che's fishing boat.

If the young master and young miss died, everyone aboard their merchant ship would suffer a Soul Douluo's thunderous wrath.

Young master? Young miss?

If Jiang Che remembered correctly, the Li Family had only one young master and one young miss: Li Kuisheng and Li Qianqian.

But that puzzled Jiang Che somewhat. Why had the Li Family's young master and young miss gone out to sea to hunt Soul Beasts without a powerful Soul Master protecting them?

Jiang Che voiced his question.

The person aboard the merchant ship explained, "We came out to sea this time to help the young miss hunt for her first Soul Ring. Aside from the young master, we also had a three-ring Soul Elder!"

"That Soul Elder went to chase down a suitable Soul Beast for the young miss. A rainstorm struck along the way, and the Soul Elder still hasn't returned."

Two Soul Elders should have been able to walk all over the outskirts of the Calm Sea Plain. They could only blame their poor luck: not only had they encountered a storm, but they had also run into a fairly powerful thousand-year Soul Beast on the outskirts.

"Do you know exactly how old that Soul Beast is?" Jiang Che asked.

"Around two thousand years!" the person aboard the merchant ship replied.

"Two thousand years. With my current strength, defeating it isn't necessarily impossible." But it had to be in the sea. Although Jiang Che could move underwater, he had no experience fighting there at all.

Suddenly, an explosion rang out not far from the two boats.

Jiang Che knew this was the second Soul Skill of that man named Li Kuisheng.

At the sight, the Blue Silver Emperor appeared in Jiang Che's hand. After swallowing one of its leaves, he leaped into the churning seawater.

If Li Kuisheng could still fight, he felt they might stand a chance. Li Kuisheng was not weak.

The icy seawater, salty and fishy, instantly swallowed him.

Undercurrents surged like invisible giant hands tearing at his body.

Visibility in the murky water was less than an arm's length. Only when dazzling lightning struck did it briefly illuminate the roiling sea foam and the sinister shadows of the reefs around him.

Without his ability to move underwater, Jiang Che would surely have lost his bearings in the churning sea.

Moreover, the Qi Condensation Shield allowed him to sense everything within ten meters around him in the dark depths.

Jiang Che held his breath. The Qi Condensation Shield expanded like a bubble, bringing everything within ten meters into his perception.

His vision was a murky blur. Only the lingering light of lightning repeatedly splitting the sky briefly illuminated the outlines beneath the surface.

A second explosion rang out, closer than before.

Jiang Che sped toward the sound, somewhat slower than he would have been on land. Three Blue Silver Emperor vines extended from his palm, roaming around him like nimble snakes.

Ahead, the bright yellow light of a Soul Ring burst through the black seawater. As the light faded, Jiang Che caught sight of an enormous, disc-shaped shadow in the flash of a lightning strike.

It was a pitch-black giant softshell turtle. Sharp spines covered the edges of its shell, and its head protruded from beneath the shell, twisting on a snakelike neck.

Four or five meters beside it, Li Kuisheng was tightly ensnared by a whirlpool of twisting water.

Li Kuisheng was covered in blood, while Li Qianqian lay unconscious in the current beside him. Both were enveloped in a deep blue halo.

A purple Soul Ring appeared beneath Li Kuisheng's feet.

"Third Soul Skill, Sea Moon Pierces the Sun!"

Golden light exploded, and the giant softshell turtle recoiled a few steps in pain.

Li Kuisheng's face was already deathly pale, and bloody foam seeped from the corner of his mouth. When he raised his right hand again, the glow of his Soul Power was so faint it was barely visible.

At that moment, a blue-gold streak slipped silently through the undercurrent on the left.

From thirty meters away, Jiang Che sent six Blue Silver Vines shooting along the seabed reefs, like snakes lying in ambush in the murky water.

The giant softshell turtle's attention was entirely on the prey before it. Only when the vines coiled around the soft membrane between the base of its neck and its shell did it struggle violently and turn its head.

Too late.

Jiang Che had already lunged right up to it. A purple Soul Ring appeared beneath his feet. "Second Soul Skill, Water Tribulation Blue Silver Blade!"

The Water Blade drove viciously into the gap the vines had torn in the membrane, cutting a deep wound.

At the same time, a horrifying sight unfolded.

As Jiang Che injured the giant softshell turtle, a wound also appeared on his arm.

Still, the slash had inflicted considerable damage on the giant softshell turtle as well.

Seizing the opportunity, Jiang Che grabbed Li Qianqian while the Blue Silver Emperor in his left hand coiled around Li Kuisheng's ankle, putting considerable distance between them and the giant softshell turtle.

When Li Kuisheng saw Jiang Che's face, he stared blankly for a long moment before speaking hoarsely. "You... what are you doing here?"

Blood seeped from the wound on Jiang Che's right shoulder. He tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Passing by."

"Passing by?" Li Kuisheng wanted to laugh, but the movement pulled at his wound and made him bare his teeth in pain. "You fucking pick weather like this to pass through the Calm Sea Plain?"

Jiang Che did not reply. He really had been passing by, and there was nothing he could do if Li Kuisheng did not believe him. He glanced down at the wound on his arm, then looked at Li Qianqian inside the halo. She was all right; she had probably just been badly frightened and swallowed quite a bit of water.

Li Kuisheng stared at him for a few breaths, then suddenly said, "Thanks. I'll remember this favor."

"No need." Jiang Che raised his eyes. "You saved me once last time. This time, I'm paying you back. We're even."

"But now isn't the time to chat. The danger hasn't passed yet." Jiang Che's gaze remained fixed on the scarlet slit pupils gleaming in the darkness nearby.