Chapter Twenty-Three: The Old Turtle Bears the Treasure

“These people are all mad! Who knows what they’re repenting for anyway. Forget it... I’d better think of a way to send them all off…” As this thought crossed Ye Qiu’s mind, he glanced at the crowd. Before he could open his mouth, the earth suddenly trembled.

From the depths of the night-shrouded mountains, a colossal figure crawled forth. With every step it took, the ground shuddered.

“Good heavens, what kind of monster is that?” Ye Qiu was startled, but quickly composed himself, making sure not to show any fear on his face—lest anyone suspect he was an ordinary mortal.

The crowd roused from their gloom, gazes turning toward the slow-moving mountain-like creature inching its way forward.

“What on earth is that?”

“It looks like the old turtle that crawled out of the Dark Ruins…”

“Huh? Why is it out here too? Has something happened deep inside the ruins?”

A sense of unease rippled through the onlookers, each lost in their own thoughts. The Classic of Mountains and Seas had fallen into Ye Qiu’s hands; there was no longer any chance to seize it. Yet, deep within the ruins, countless treasures remained. The battle here might have ended, but chaos in the Wilderness was far from over.

Elsewhere, the war raged on!

“Look, what’s that on the old turtle’s back?”

“It looks like a mountain!”

The moment the old turtle appeared, the atmosphere boiled over. Everyone sensed the pure immortal power emanating from the mountain on its back—a treasure of unimaginable worth.

“The treasure-bearing turtle?” Even Ye Qiu was taken aback, but he dared not make a move. Since he remained still, so did everyone else.

The three ancient fiends slowly raised their heads, their eyes fixed on Ye Qiu. They muttered, “Is it over? Can we leave yet?”

“I don’t know. This is humiliating! I, a noble nine-headed lion of ancient bloodline, who always viewed all beings as ants—never thought I’d be taught a lesson today. Damn it, just thinking about it is mortifying! What a disgrace…”

The Suan Ni cast a contemptuous glance at the other two. It felt no differently. Once exalted as primeval fiends, who could have predicted they’d be bested and forced into such a farce today?

After listening to Ye Qiu’s words—so enigmatic and confusing—they realized that, while everyone else seemed to understand, they alone were left in the dark.

“How odd, why has that old turtle come out? Is there some new upheaval inside?” Suan Ni’s heart sank, lost in thought.

The three fiends were itching to chase after the turtle, but didn’t dare, fearing that Ye Qiu might turn on them with a single strike. In all their years, never had they encountered such an ordeal—what a tale of frustration!

Seeing the crowd restless, Ye Qiu finally spoke, “Alright, everyone! If there’s nothing else, you’re free to go…”

Without looking back, he strode toward the inn, savoring the thrill of his performance.

“Heh, that was exhilarating! Best to slip away quickly, the more I say, the greater the risk of exposure…”

At his words, the onlookers were delighted and immediately rushed after the old turtle, hoping to intercept it.

“Ah, we can finally leave?”

“Damn, finally something I understand! After all that, this is the only thing that made sense…”

The Fearless Giant Ape grumbled, loath to admit its own dullness, but truthfully, it hadn’t understood a word Ye Qiu had said. Now, with Ye Qiu’s permission, only a fool would linger.

With a bound, the Giant Ape leapt into the forest, vanishing at lightning speed.

“Hey, not so fast—wait for me!” The nine-headed lion, alarmed, spun around and gave chase.

Suan Ni cast them a disdainful look, scoffing, “Cowards, both of you! I really can’t respect you… Wait for me!” With that, it too departed.

In an instant, the once-crowded plain before the inn fell silent. The disciples of the Shaking Light Sanctuary considered leaving as well, but since Fu Yao and the others remained inside, they stayed put.

“They’re all gone? Heh… Looks like I get an exclusive chance to cozy up to someone powerful.” Fu Feng was inwardly delighted, standing up with a grin.

Just then, as Ye Qiu was about to re-enter the inn, he remembered the corpse of the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow still blocking the road.

“This thing must taste pretty good, right? After all, it has an ancient bloodline…” Ye Qiu mused, tempted by the thought of roast bird. But wasn’t that a bit too cruel?

“Wait, it’s not dead yet?”

He suddenly noticed that the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow’s aura hadn’t completely faded—it was clinging to life, barely hanging on despite its mutilated body.

“Good lord, is this what it means to be an ancient fiend? It’s like an indestructible cockroach…” Ye Qiu shivered, hesitant to approach for fear it might suddenly retaliate with a last desperate attack.

He wasn’t about to take that chance. Whether the opponent was at full strength or on the verge of death, he couldn’t afford to be careless, lest he suffer a reversal.

“Senior, how should we handle the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow?” Fu Feng approached with an air of leisure. Now that he had reached the realm of Supreme Tranquility, he no longer regarded the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow as a threat.

“What do you think should be done?” Ye Qiu turned to look at him. At once, Fu Feng’s heart fluttered—was this a test?

The Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow was a treasure in itself. Its bones contained inherited arcane arts that could be refined into supreme immortal techniques. Its flesh also carried some of its power—eating it would have significant effects.

But Ye Qiu’s question surely wasn’t so simple.

“Ah, I see! What Senior just spoke of was the supreme virtue of water—non-contention, non-competition! Could it be that Senior is testing my restraint? Few can resist temptation when faced with such treasures. If Senior is asking, it must be a test! Whew, that was close… These young ones are so sly, trying to set me up?”

Fu Feng was inwardly delighted, outwardly wearing a look of having seen through Ye Qiu’s stratagem.

He replied, “Senior, though the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow is gravely injured, it is still a living being! As you taught before, we should save its life and guide it toward virtue, so that it may benefit all beings…”

As he finished, Fu Feng felt illuminated by divine light—his image suddenly towering and noble. My, I’m truly magnificent, to have such lofty thoughts!

“To benefit all beings, is it? Hmm… That doesn’t sound bad. But actually, I’d rather tame it and make it my mount—imagine riding it out to show off…” Ye Qiu’s mind conjured a vivid scene: amidst the chaos of battle, he would appear atop the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow, stunning all present.

“Damn, that would be the ultimate display! I have to make it my mount, no matter what…”

The more he thought about it, the more excited Ye Qiu became. A wicked smile spread across his face, growing broader and more unrestrained.

The Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow, barely conscious, caught sight of that smile and was instantly terrified. Fear contorted its features; it tried to shrink back, but its body was too weak. All it could do was scream inwardly: Don’t come any closer!

This is too much. This guy killed me with a single blow—who in their right mind would want to tangle with him?

Step by step, Ye Qiu advanced, sending the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow into a panic, its face blanching with terror.

“Tame the mount, tame the mount…” Ye Qiu chanted to himself.

“Don’t come closer, don’t come closer…” the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow pleaded in its heart.

The scene was almost comical.

But the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow’s injuries were so dire that saving it would be no simple task.

“Father…” With everyone else gone, the inn’s door opened and Fu Yao and her companions stepped outside.

“Ah, my dear daughter, I finally found you! Come, let your father give you a hug…” At the sight of Fu Yao, her father, the notorious doting parent, was overjoyed, abandoning all pretense of immortal dignity to become a doting fool—or rather, a slave to his daughter.

“Hmph, no way!” Fu Yao replied with disdain, leaving Fu Feng awkward and deflated. Is this what they call a caring little sweetheart? She’s full of holes!

“Master…”

“Grand Elder!” Yang Xuan and the others also emerged, greeting him respectfully.

Fu Feng’s face grew serious as he resumed his elder’s bearing. “Xuan, you all did well this time. In such danger, you managed to bring Yao’er out safely…”

Yang Xuan looked a bit embarrassed and explained, “Master, actually, we held Yao’er back. If not for her desperate resistance, we’d all have perished during the riot.”

Fu Feng waved it off. He was well aware of Fu Yao’s talent.

“By the way, how did you end up here?” Tian Zhong asked curiously.

He wasn’t the only one—Fu Feng was also curious, and, truth be told, grateful for their luck in meeting Ye Qiu. Without him, they would have died long ago.

They were all eager to know how Yang Xuan and the others had convinced Ye Qiu to come to their rescue.

Yang Xuan explained casually, “After escaping death at the hands of the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow, we fled across the wilderness and found this inn. We hoped to rest for a moment and give Yao’er time to recover, but unexpectedly, she discovered that the innkeeper was a true master. Later, we were attacked by cultists. It was Senior who saved us, killing all those bloodthirsty fanatics.”

“Wait—Yao’er, how did you discover that Senior was a great master?” Fu Feng asked anxiously. Even he would have needed some effort to discern that—how had Fu Yao managed it?

In a soft voice, Fu Yao explained, “In the secret chamber, I found a miraculous technique called ‘Insight into Words and Expressions.’ It lets you perceive the flow of energy through a person’s body. When I first saw Senior, I activated this ability and sensed a pure, vast aura of heaven and earth within him… Father, that aura is terrifying. If I had to describe it in one word, it would be… Divine Majesty!”

“What!”

“Divine Majesty!”

At that, the whole crowd fell silent, eyes fixed in awe and fear on Ye Qiu in the distance.

“Yao’er, you must never speak of this again! From this day forth, everyone here must take this secret to their graves…” Fu Feng, fully aware of the gravity of the situation, gave the order at once.