Chapter 10

Mad dog?

At least it sounds a bit more imposing than a pug.

Wan Wanjing stroked his chin in thought while following Wen Qingyin's gaze, only to meet Pei Junheng's intimidating eyes, which frightened him into quickly turning his head back.

He wouldn't dare say now that Wen Qingyin is afraid of Pei Junheng; anyway, he himself really is a bit scared.

Rumors about Pei Junheng, the first heavenly talent, are not limited to what happened on Longji Mountain back then.

Nowadays, the most cruel and icy place in the abundant Sea Within is the Heaven-Reaching Sea that blocks the Northern Plains. Even to this day, fearless Northern Plains bandits and giant beasts enter the Heaven-Reaching Sea, trying to find a breach in the waves to get into the Sea Within; thus, within that wall forged from waves, countless dangers lie hidden.

Usually, the various sects take turns regularly going to clear those hidden dangers, but that year, only Pei Junheng from the Wan Zhou Sword Sect entered the Heaven-Reaching Sea.

No one knows how Pei Junheng managed to go in alone; even the Wan Zhou Sword Sect was kept in the dark.

After discovering that Pei Junheng had entered the Heaven-Reaching Sea alone, the disciples of the Sword Sect and other sects rushed over, only to see the sea's waves surge even higher, as if transformed into a giant beast roaring.

The bandits and vicious beasts lurking in the Heaven-Reaching Sea are utterly wicked, all desperate outlaws. Each time, even a few dozen people clearing outside the Heaven-Reaching Sea find it extremely taxing, let alone a youthful sect leader—yet he actually went straight into the Heaven-Reaching Sea itself.

Even as the first heavenly talent, he can't withstand such torment!

Entering the Heaven-Reaching Sea isn't as easy as imagined; while they were discussing how to proceed, a huge vortex suddenly flashed in the dark heavens, as if a giant mouth were swallowing the waves.

In an instant, a violent storm broke out over the horizon; the fierce wind and rain forced the cultivators to circulate their energy to steady themselves.

Amidst the wind and rain like silk and arrows, the mournful cry of a great whale echoed across heaven and earth, and suddenly a shroud of blood mist appeared on the Heaven-Reaching Sea.

The next second, the blood-soaked youthful sword cultivator stepped out of the waves, blood dripping from the tip of the sword in his hand.

He gripped the sword hilt and pointed upward; the sword tip aimed at the firmament, the wind and rain suddenly dispersed, the dark clouds where the tip pointed scattered apart, and the long-hidden radiance of Wan Zhou poured down.

From the moment Pei Junheng's sword split the stars, moon, and sun, the blade reflected a vast radiance.

That sword that cut through the Heaven-Reaching Sea is Pei Junheng's life-bound sword, named——

White Rainbow.

The wind stirred the waves like snow-white blossoms blooming in full; the petals drifted onto Wen Qingyin's shoulders and hair, each piece falling like snow on his shoulders.

There were suddenly many more than the few that had inadvertently fallen before.

Pushing the sword tassel along his wrist, Wen Qingyin keenly sensed something amiss.

He turned his head to look out the window; outside it seemed as if a rain of flower petals was falling.

The Pavilion of Rainbow Rain was named for its endless falling flowers, but now the flower rain was obviously excessive; staring closely, the thick flower branches outside were actually trembling.

The giant tree was shaking!

This thought had just flashed through his mind when the entire Pavilion of Rainbow Rain suddenly jolted violently, as if the earth were moving and mountains shaking.

His body swayed backward with the jolt; Wen Qingyin hastily grabbed the windowsill to barely steady himself.

"I'm going! Ah—"

And the unprepared Zi Shu Zhi and Wan Wanjing fared much worse; the two tumbled into a heap, rolling in the direction the Pavilion of Rainbow Rain was tilting.

"Everyone, hold steady!"

Chang Fu Shangjun, who had just been leisurely sipping tea, almost scalded his mouth with his own tea.

Seeing the students in the hall about to slide out the window due to the Pavilion of Rainbow Rain's tilt, Chang Fu Shangjun hastily set down his tea set and used his power to steady the continually tilting pavilion.

"What happened?" Chang Fu Shangjun was completely bewildered by this sudden accident.

A low rumble came from below; Wen Qingyin gripped the windowsill and looked out, seeing only a black shadow flickering between the lush, verdant branches.

There's something down there.

"Young Sect Master!"

Zi Shu Zhi had finally managed to drag Wan Wanjing back up, only to see Wen Qingyin push off the windowsill, shift his body, and actually flip straight out the window.

Isn't there a lake below?

Zi Shu Zhi's pupils widened; without thinking, he followed Wen Qingyin out the window.

The Pavilion of Rainbow Rain sits in the middle of the great heavenly tree, so flipping out the window didn't drop straight into the lake below but landed on a fork of the tree's branches.

Here they could finally see through the layers of branches what the flickering black shadow at the tree's base was; sunlight shone down, and the jade-green shell, wet with water, refracted a lustre like emerald—it was……

"A giant turtle?" Zi Shu Zhi exclaimed, clutching the branch in shock.

Entirely massive, with half its body submerged in the lake it looked like a slowly moving island; ahead was where it struck the roots of the giant tree in the lake.

It seemed to hear Zi Shu Zhi's cry of 'giant turtle'; its big green-bean eyes snapped open angrily, it opened its sharp mouth and let out a low but loud roar that sent ripples across the lake, shaking off more blossoms from the trees.

"It's Xuanwu." Wen Qingyin concluded, looking at the exposed pattern on the turtle's back.

The Sea Within has the Four Celestial Spirits; I never expected Xuanwu to actually be in this lake of Yingzhou Academy.

The emerald-like patterns on the turtle's shell resembled a celestial star chart, exuding an ancient, mysterious aura; as light and shadow shifted, a faint green glow caught Wen Qingyin's attention.

On the turtle's back grew a translucent plant emitting a faint green light, its roots clinging to the center of the shell, shaped like a jade ruyi.

It's ruyi grass!

Wen Qingyin tightened his grip on the flower branch.

Truly, after searching high and low, he never expected the final ingredient for his love gu to be right here—it practically delivered itself to his eyes.

But……

Xuanwu, after all, is an ancient divine beast; even the visible corner of its mouth is packed with dense, sharp teeth. After roaring, it continued to slam its hard, heavy shell against the giant tree, while using its big green-bean eyes to watch Zi Shu Zhi perched on the branch, trying to knock that insolent fellow down.

"It actually holds such a grudge!"

Zi Shu Zhi nearly got flung off by the swaying branch, so he clutched it even tighter.

This Xuanwu is coming straight for him; had he known, he would have kept his mouth shut.

Zi Shu Zhi, on the verge of tears, clung to the branch and began to wonder what pill in his possession could calm this Xuanwu.

A sudden exclamation came from behind; Zi Shu Zhi turned his head in doubt, and that glance alone made him cry out.

Amid the ceaseless snow-colored flower rain, the youth clad in pure white moon gauze reached out, pulled a flowing ribbon to bind his cloud-like black hair, and a flash of red flickered at his raised wrist.

Standing together on the branch, unlike the flustered Zi Shu Zhi, Wen Qingyin stepped onto the bough like an immortal riding the wind.

He flicked his finger, the branches beneath his feet instantly stretched out, steadily, with a clink, riding Wen Qingyin downward like a mount that could understand human speech. The flower branches at the side reached out, guarding Wen Qingyin, more loyal than any guard.

The Black Tortoise below seemed to sense something, raised its head and let out a great roar. Countless falling flowers flew behind Wen Qingyin, fluttering along with his swaying robes and hair.

Wen Qingyin actually manipulated the flower branches to advance toward the Black Tortoise below!

"Lord, Wen Qingyin is going to seek out the Black Tortoise for a one‑on‑one fight!"

The disciples inside the Rainbow Rain Pavilion shouted, and the one still maintaining the pavilion's stability with his cultivation, Chang Fu Shangjun, changed expression: "Quickly call him back, Qing Xuan Shangjun is already on his way here—first, avoid the brunt!"

These disciples, just entered the academy, are still inexperienced novice cultivators, while down below is a Black Tortoise divine beast aged tens of millions of years; if that Black Tortoise stretches its neck and exhales, it could easily blow Wen Qingyin's small frame away.

The minor sect leader of the Cloud Immortal Sect had an accident here; how can the Abyssal Isle Academy explain itself to the Cloud Immortal Sect?

The Black Tortoise has been residing in this lake of the Abyssal Isle Academy for a short while, but mostly in a dormant state, so the academy paid it no mind—after all, having a divine beast protect the Abyssal Isle Academy is a fortunate thing.

But no one expected the Black Tortoise to wake today, breaking its usual lethargy, frantically crashing into the giant trees in the lake.

The power of this ancient divine beast far exceeded Wen Qingyin's imagination; he manipulated the flower branches, dodging sideways to avoid the whirlwind generated by the Black Tortoise's roar, nearly being blown away.

Earlier, looking down from the towering trees, he hadn't realized how huge the Black Tortoise was; only upon approaching did he discover that just its head was five times the size of the Rainbow Rain Pavilion, its tortoise shell a moving sea‑borne island. If Wen Qingyin fell into the Black Tortoise's enlarged mouth, it would be like a small fish dropping into a whale's maw—swallowed in an instant, leaving no trace.

But by now he had already fallen to the middle of the tree, and retreat was never a word in Wen Qingyin's dictionary.

Moreover—

On the swaying tortoise shell, the wish‑fulfilling grass swayed gracefully in the light.

This wish‑fulfilling grass, he must obtain.

Moreover, the Black Tortoise had set its sights on Zi Shu Zhi hanging from the branches, gathering strength to knock him down.

Whatever the reason, Wen Qingyin must go down this time.

Earlier, Zi Shu Zhi's shout of "big turtle" had made him irritable; now another novice cultivator, oblivious to danger, rushed up to its face, making the already displeased Black Tortoise even angrier. It opened its mouth wide and let out another roar.

The gale formed by the roar blew toward Wen Qingyin, violently shaking that segment of flower branches, trying to blow Wen Qingyin off them.

At the same time, its four legs resembled hard stone pillars, heavily and slowly but unceasingly pounding the lakebed, kicking up waves as high as half a giant tree.

The Black Tortoise's mouth gaped open, its large green‑bean eyes locked onto Wen Qingyin, who steadied himself on the flower branches; it seemed that if Wen Qingyin fell, its ready‑made huge maw would swallow him whole.

When the gale struck, Wen Qingyin raised his hand and several branches sprang up before him, forming a solid barrier—but the instant they met the blade‑like gale, they were sliced apart, the broken branches falling into the lake.

The severed leaves and petals fell too fast; Wen Qingyin reached out, managing only to touch the petals still clinging to the branches.

"Sorry."

Wen Qingyin said softly.

On the damaged flower branches, the scars left by the gale were visible, yet a pure white blossom had opened there, as if responding to Wen Qingyin's words before completely falling.

Wen Qingyin lowered his gaze to watch the broken branches sink into the lake; when he lifted his eyes again, his face showed only resolute determination.

He flicked his finger—almost no one could see exactly what Wen Qingyin had done—and the Black Tortoise, which had just been gaping its huge mouth, suddenly clenched its jaws, its head drooping painfully into the lake, while the previously turbulent water surface gradually calmed.

The disciples watching from the trees were dumbfounded, unable to understand how the ferocious Black Tortoise that could swallow a person whole had suddenly turned into a head‑down turtle.

"He threw an elixir into the Black Tortoise's mouth."

Pei Junheng stepped onto the branches of the giant tree, lowering his gaze to look down.

That elixir, thrown from Wen Qingyin's hand, landed precisely in the Black Tortoise's throat.

Below, Wen Qingyin, after the Black Tortoise lowered its head, did not retreat; instead, he hooked a finger onto a flower branch and landed on the Black Tortoise's tortoise shell.

The onlookers in the trees let out another gasp.

"Is he crazy?"

Qiu Sanchi clung to the window, staring blankly at this astonishing sight before him.

He thought Wen Qingyin was just trying to show off, but Wen Qingyin actually ended up running onto the tortoise shell.

The wish‑fulfilling grass was entirely translucent, so clear that the spiritual energy flowing through its stem could be seen.

Wen Qingyin consulted the classics; the texts only said that wish‑fulfilling grass was exceedingly rare, with sightings reported in the Abyssal Isle. He never expected it to grow on the Black Tortoise's tortoise shell, appearing before his eyes on his very first day at the Abyssal Isle Academy.

Originally Wen Qingyin thought he would have to search long and hard in the Abyssal Isle to find it, but since it appeared before him, he could not let this opportunity slip—he was never one to wait passively for doom.

What he tossed into the Black Tortoise's mouth was a sedative he had prepared in advance, an extremely high dose sufficient to plunge a giant beast into at least a moment's slumber.

He reached out and plucked the wish‑fulfilling grass root and all from the tortoise shell; the grass lay in his palm like fine jade, its feel as hard as solid substance.

Now he had gathered all the materials needed to craft the love gu; soon he would be able to produce the love gu that had disappeared for thousands of years from the forbidden texts.

Wen Qingyin's mood eased a little; he placed the wish‑fulfilling grass into his personal carrying pouch, together with the book Top Ten Forbidden Medicinal Formulas.

Just as he was about to summon the flower branches hanging in mid‑air to pull himself back up to the tree, having just set down his pouch, the tortoise shell, which had felt as steady as flat ground, suddenly shuddered.

A roar filled with shaking fury nearly deafened him; the Black Tortoise half‑rose into the air, and Wen Qingyin almost toppled backward with its uplifted tortoise shell.

Although the tortoise shell bore patterns, it was extremely smooth; Wen Qingyin's foot caught in an uneven groove of the pattern, barely preventing him from rolling off.

His elixir had actually failed!