The Second Piece of Gold of Life, the Unlucky Hundred-Thousand-Year Golden Hawksbill Turtle
"Gold of Life again?"
The moment Electrolux appeared without a sound, Huo Yuhao already had an inkling of the answer. As the scene on the stage came into view, the answer gradually emerged.
The God Sealing Platform floated in the air, constructed entirely from enormous blocks of dark black stone. Ancient divine patterns crisscrossed its surface, with a faint gray light flowing slowly along their lines.
The Hundred-Thousand-Year Golden Hawksbill Turtle was confined at the center of the God Sealing Platform.
His body was enormous, and his heavy shell was a deep, dark gold. Its scutes overlapped in layers, their markings fine and orderly. The powerful Soul Power that should have flowed from him was held in an iron grip by the God Sealing Platform's restraining force. Only scattered traces of faint golden light slowly seeped through the gaps between his scutes.
There were no physical chains.
Ring after ring of translucent gray light walls formed by spatial restrictions spread from the God Sealing Platform, enclosing the Golden Hawksbill Turtle completely like an invisible cage.
The restrictions locked his limbs firmly in place. His enormous claws curled beneath his shell, unable to stretch outward in the slightest.
His triangular head barely protruded from his shell. Three ridges stood out clearly atop his head, and sharp barbels hung from his jaw. His beastly eyes were dull, filled with suppressed unwillingness.
The Gold of Life inside him was still consuming his own origin, and with the God Sealing Platform suppressing him on top of that, his presence continued to wither.
The giant beast tried to twist his body slightly, hoping to break free.
Whenever he stirred the Soul Beast power within him, the gray restrictions around him flared. A suppressive force as heavy as a mountain crashed down, striking him with a vicious backlash.
The dark golden sheen on his shell dimmed further. Unable to let out an earthshaking roar, he could only produce a muffled, raspy hum deep in his throat. The barrier of restrictions cut off the sound, leaving it unable to travel beyond the God Sealing Platform.
His enormous body trembled slightly inside the cage, all his power locked within that tiny space.
The only sound around him was the faint hum of the divine patterns flowing across the God Sealing Platform. The whole world was oppressively quiet. This once-formidable Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast was imprisoned here, unable to move.
The sight left everyone dumbfounded. Even Huo Yuhao froze.
Wait, how did they manage to catch this thing?
In fact, after their failure in the Far North, they had no choice. They had already bought the Level 9 Soul Tool, and it was worth ten million.
They couldn't just let it go to waste, could they?
So they could only try to gather information in various places. When they happened to hear about a Soul Beast whose age they couldn't make out, the Star Luo Empire sent people to lie in ambush around it, and finally captured it.
Yet the age it displayed was only comparable to that of a twenty- or thirty-thousand-year Soul Beast?
That was precisely why the Star Dou Great Forest naturally hadn't intervened.
It was just that this Soul Beast's presence really was quite weak, and for that very reason,
the Golden Hawksbill Turtle, who also carried a touch of auspiciousness, hadn't even been rescued.
Only after capturing him did everyone notice the state the Golden Hawksbill Turtle was in: his life was strangely and constantly slipping away.
After making a detailed probe with spiritual power and pressing him for answers, they learned the Golden Hawksbill Turtle's true state.
That was right. He was the Golden Hawksbill Turtle who had bitten into the condensed source of the Lake of Life-the Gold of Life.
He had originally hoped to use it to break through and become a Ferocious Beast, only to suffer a terrible backlash from the Gold of Life.
Without properly refining it, his own vast vitality was instead being steadily drained, forcing him to keep up the appearance of a lower age. He could only disguise himself.
The Golden Hawksbill Turtle knew full well that if he revealed his true strength, he would never survive. Back then, he had nearly drawn the attention of Beast God Di Tian and been killed.
Many spectators stared at his strange condition, looking dazed. Xu Jiujiu gave a light laugh and began to explain.
"As you can see, the life presence this Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast gives off suggests that he has little time left. Even his Soul Power presence is only comparable to that of a twenty- or thirty-thousand-year Soul Beast."
"The true reason is that he has a supreme treasure containing an immense amount of life energy inside him."
"However, this treasure containing a vast amount of life energy seems to require a special method to refine."
"Judging by the circumstances, one would have to be at least a Super Douluo before one might be able to refine it using a special method."
"This enormous life-energy treasure can even gradually absorb the vitality of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. If someone could absorb and refine that vitality in turn, I imagine the increase to their lifespan would be considerable."
"And if one could control it perfectly, its vast vitality could even create a treasured land."
"Add to that the value of the Hundred-Thousand-Year Golden Hawksbill Turtle himself, and it is no exaggeration to say this is truly a priceless treasure worth a fortune."
"What's more, this Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast happens to be at a very weak point. I imagine this is the best opportunity for Soul Masters seeking a hundred-thousand-year ring. Add to that such a mysterious supreme treasure brimming with rich vitality, and this is a chance that comes but once in a thousand years."
At that, Lang Ya and Yu Tao both began breathing a little faster.
If they could get Du Busi to find a way to refine it, or increase his lifespan, perhaps the sect master would have hope of touching the realm of a Limit Douluo!
Huo Yuhao merely shook his head as though briefly lost in reflection, though a trace of fervor also flashed in his eyes.
In terms of value, this was in no way inferior to the Snow Empress.
Although she could seemingly become a Martial Soul, the Snow Empress's power was also difficult for an ordinary person to wield.
By contrast, this Hundred-Thousand-Year Golden Hawksbill Turtle was in a weakened state, and the value of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone and the Gold of Life added together...
And this was something that could be controlled, while the temptation of a longer lifespan was simply too great...
Almost as expected, the frenzied bids began to climb.
For most Soul Masters, aside from growing stronger, lifespan had always been a source of anxiety. Even Titled Douluo were no exception.
The wildly soaring price broke through a hundred million in an instant.
At that point, only two parties were still bidding: the Body Sect and the Sun Moon Empire's Illustrious Virtue Hall.
At Shrek Academy, Tang Yuhao watched the power that seemed to be suppressed. For some reason, his body felt an intense craving. But the exorbitant price could only make him shrink back and shake his head.
Elsewhere, as the bids soared, Lang Ya and Yu Tao both looked somewhat troubled.
"Damn it, why don't we just rob them?"
The somewhat hot-tempered Yu Tao could barely contain himself.
As for Lang Ya, after a brief silence, he ultimately stopped bidding.
After all, no matter what, the Body Sect couldn't compare with Illustrious Virtue Hall in financial resources. Who didn't know that Illustrious Virtue Hall sold Soul Tools?
They were the ones with the technology to back them up.
The conclusion of the transaction opened the eyes of many.
Huo Yuhao, however, raised an eyebrow. Lang Ya and Yu Tao had spoken of launching a sneak attack, so they were most likely going to act on it.
Relatively speaking, Huo Yuhao himself didn't care whether the Sun Moon Empire wanted to unify the continent. But if it meant offending the Sun Moon Empire for this piece of Gold of Life, perhaps he could just about give it a try?
As Huo Yuhao hesitated, a gentle reminder sounded beside his ear.
"Mr. Huo, that Soul Bone has been brought over for you. Please come with us to complete the handover."