The tortoises were startled by that thunderous shout. Forgetting all about basking in the sun, they scrambled back into the pool. Waves surged across the tranquil, deep waters, and a conspicuous golden figure burst through a curtain of water, appearing before Ling Bai and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
It was a massive turtle over two meters in diameter. Every pattern on its shell was dark gold and distributed with remarkable uniformity. The Golden Tortoise extended its head from its shell, several whisker-like spikes growing beneath its jaw.
The Golden Tortoise was clearly listless, its eyes dull and lifeless. It said weakly, "Emperor Auspicious Beast, human, why have you come to see me?"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion looked the Golden Tortoise up and down, puzzled. "The Golden Tortoise is the king of the Tortoise Clan, and you are a beast of auspiciousness second only to me in the Star Dou Great Forest. Once your cultivation surpassed ten thousand years, you should have learned to speak. How did you end up in such a miserable state?"
This Golden Tortoise's aura was around thirty thousand years, making it a young turtle in the prime of life.
Tortoises had always been renowned for longevity, and the Golden Tortoise's absurd defensive power meant it had practically no natural enemies among soul beasts. Even if it merely coasted through life, it could live to a hundred thousand years. Yet this Golden Tortoise clearly seemed off.
The Golden Tortoise did not dare utter a word. It had ended up this way because greed had gotten the better of it back then.
It had originally surpassed a hundred thousand years by secretly siphoning the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's life force. But then, as if courting death, it had set its sights on the Gold of Life. Before Di