Chapter 117: You really aren't loosening up? You'll regret it later!

Upon reaching the cave entrance again, all around was gloomy, the water spray hissing continuously.

The water splashing out of the cave was no different from ordinary water, but the water inside the cave emitted a faint, mysterious glow in the darkness.

Feeling the growing restlessness within his body, Niu Dingtian no longer hesitated, took off his outer garments, and with a "plop" dove straight into the water at the cave mouth.

"This feeling seems somewhat familiar?"

Just after plunging into the water, all he saw was darkness, but after his breathing technique kicked in, the mysterious substance sucked into his body gave him a sense of déjà vu.

As he went deeper toward the bottom, that feeling grew stronger and stronger.

"Holy shit, is this turtle shell cast from iron?"

"No!"

"Damn!"

Having dived to a certain spot and continuing forward along the direction of his breath, he felt the water pressure seeming to gradually weaken.

But when he stretched his right hand forward and, using the faint greenish light in the water, saw the wound clearly, his expression froze instantly.

"Is it a turtle?"

Just as he burst out of the water,

The closer he got, the more Niu Dingtian's heart pounded; this shift in mood was too obvious, his gaze now like that of a fawning lapdog—could it be trying to acknowledge him as master?

After drying his clothes and hair with his cultivation, he walked forward slowly, carefully surveying every corner.

"Damn! Turns out I was just bitten by a turtle!"

"That damn thing finally came out!"

Immediately after, he took a few more steps forward, focused his gaze, and saw a huge black blur lying about three zhang away.

Underwater, the passage of time was imperceptible; the immense water pressure left only a buzzing ringing in his ears.

"Turtle head?"

The substance in this water far surpassed any great tonic; he felt the barrier of a grand master within his body faintly stirring!

"Splash~"

Obviously, the true gain of this trip to the Peach Blossom Source was not the information obtained from Yideng, but the mysterious thing hidden in this cavern.

But as he kept approaching, the ferocity in the turtle's eyes gradually faded, turning gentle, and even its slightly open mouth closed up.

"This old thing's meat is a bit tough, but it's probably a great tonic—rare as can be! Perfect to bring back and have Rong'er handle it."

"It won't have become a spirit, will it?"

The pain in his hand not subsiding, Niu Dingtian held his breath underwater to check the situation.

"What's in this water is terrifying indeed!"

Niu Dingtian's heart was shocked beyond measure; such a divine object was no longer something of the mortal world!

Immediately after, he was drowned in ecstasy—a heaven‑sent treasure, first come first served! Whatever's in this cave, whether it has an owner or not, today it will have one!

Having made up his mind, he decided to first surface and then talk.

Niu Dingtian drew a gentle breath; the misty qi slowly flowed toward his nostrils, and upon entering his body, his spirit was instantly shaken, his eyes flashing with a bright gleam.

"Brother Turtle, are you afraid I'll go in and snatch what's inside?" Niu Dingtian asked calmly, his eyes indicating the spot inside the cave.

"Hiss~"

"If this thing can truly acknowledge a master, taking it back to play with wouldn't be bad……"

"Huh?"

Walking along, Niu Dingtian's gaze suddenly sharpened, he stopped dead in his tracks, and his vigilance rose to the extreme.

"Hiss~ let go!"

This feeling in the water, though extremely faint, was clearly different from the inner force produced by cultivating internal arts.

A turtle head the size of a gourd ladle stretched out long, mouth slightly ajar, eyes bulging round with a fierce glare, fixedly staring at the ever‑approaching Niu Dingtian.

Immediately he leapt up and sprang straight onto the shore.

"If we place it on Nine Palace Mountain and hold a divine‑turtle master‑choosing ceremony, wouldn't the Sun Moon Divine Sect be heaven‑mandated?"

"True fuck, it hurts!"

"What the hell?"

"Really fuck, we've run into a big guy?"

Feeling waves of pain coming from his right hand, Niu Dingtian's heart pounded nonstop.

"Boom~"

"Is… Qiu Qianren?" Suddenly recalling that familiar feeling, Niu Dingtian's heart was greatly shaken.

He then directly smashed a fierce punch at the turtle's shell.

"Hiss~"

Thinking of this, Niu Dingtian felt a bit excited, suppressed his anger, and softly said, "Brother Turtle? Brother Turtle?"

"The substance in the water obviously seeped in from this mist; with such thick spiritual mist, this cavern must surely have even richer spiritual water!"

But the impact made the ground rumble, his fist ached, and the old turtle remained unmoved, still biting down hard and refusing to let go.

As he continued deeper into the cave, the mist grew denser, everything before his eyes turning into a blank white expanse, like a sea of clouds.

With his current eyesight, even a thread of light would reveal the tiniest detail, but after observing for half a day, besides the smooth milk‑stone at the water's edge, he saw no other living thing.

Seeing the old turtle unmoved, with what seemed like a provocative glint in its eyes, Niu Dingtian, already anxious, grew even more alarmed.

The old turtle gave no reaction; the ferocity in its eyes flashed again.

"If it can even swallow essence and qi, who knows what terrible thing might burst out!"

"Whoosh~"

At the same moment, the old turtle's eyes widened suddenly, showing panic, fluster, and fear.

This mist indeed had the same scent as that emanating from the water surface downstream, only its concentration was far stronger than outside—over a hundred times stronger.

Underwater one also has to withstand enormous water pressure, ultimately even ten percent of one's strength cannot be exerted; if one really encounters a big creature, don't get oneself killed!

Hiss~

After the true qi penetrated several acupoints, he felt the breath inside his chest become much smoother instantly.

Go all out!

Niu Dingtian only felt his breath condition becoming ever more full, the spirit gates ever more clear, and even the true qi inside his body began to move on its own, continuously circulating through the meridians and acupoints.

Could there really be a cave-heaven blessed land here?

"Last time I went in the water I didn't see anything either; could there be some big creature in this water?" As Niu Dingtian thought this, his expression kept changing.

Hiss~

Niu Dingtian's expression turned cold.

You really won't let go?

Divine skill!

But before the fist wind arrived, the turtle's head had already pulled the arm swiftly into its shell; since the teeth had already bitten into the flesh, Niu Dingtian dared not use force to pull.

As soon as those words left his mouth, a sudden sharp pain struck his arm; this old beast actually became directly agitated.

Feign weakness, hide a knife in a smile, lure the enemy deep, strike when unprepared—this old turtle has really become a spirit?

It was as if… as if looking at a low-grade turtle creature.

Only see on the back of the right hand's joint, the two middle depressions, two teeth about two inches long are firmly embedded.

Could it really be possible to cultivate immortality?

Let go or not?

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The limestone cave seemed very long, white misty vapor permeated everywhere; even with Niu Dingtian's eyesight, it was hard to see things beyond ten zhang away.

Niu Dingtian felt even more astonished.

Only upon approaching did he discover that the old turtle's shell on its back had a texture like fine iron, imposing and emanating a mysterious luster.

And at the center of its mouth, the upper jaw happened to be missing two front teeth; the closer one approached, the more fiercely it bared its teeth.

Huh~ The wound is healing?

Before he could think further, he saw a miraculous sight appear on his hand.

You old beast!

Not knowing how much time had passed, seemingly still at the same depth as his previous dive, when not far from the fluorescent light source, Niu Dingtian felt the breath in his lungs was running low.

Just moments ago, before he could even take a breath, that thing flashed over; he didn't even get a chance to see what it looked like.

Niu Dingtian's heart pounded wildly.

Can you understand human speech?

Thinking of some possibility, Niu Dingtian felt a bit excited; he immediately exhaled a bubble, then swiftly dove deeper following the direction of strong fluorescence.

The substance sucked into the body from this water was actually exactly the same as the essence qi devoured from Qiu Qianren's body.

Hiss~

What a familiar feeling!

Thinking of that fleeting shadow just now, Niu Dingtian hid in the water, carefully scrutinizing the cave's corners, exercising utmost caution.

Niu Dingtian coldly laughed:

Northern Abyss!

Splash splash~

What a thick black turtle shell!

Release your bite!

Thinking of a summons from the dark depths, the wonder of the breathing method, and the legendary realm above the heavenly beings, Niu Dingtian continued to paddle forward.

The old turtle remained unmoved, its mouth showed no sign of loosening, the ferocity in its eyes undiminished, moreover bearing a clear look of disdain.

Thinking of this, Niu Dingtian kept making a sizzling sound in his mouth, and unconsciously lowered some of his guard, continuing to move closer.

The old turtle drooped its eyelids, ignoring him.

Enduring the pain, he pulled out the teeth, examining their shape; Niu Dingtian's heart tightened involuntarily: a snake? How big a snake would that be?

Bang!!

When his arm was bitten down hard, Niu Dingtian let out an angry shout and immediately swung his fist to smash the turtle's head fiercely.

Huh~

Whoosh!

How? Niu Dingtian looked sincerely into the turtle's eyes.

The deeper he went,

Moreover, this spirit mist seemed to also block perception.

After carefully observing the cave for a while, Niu Dingtian, on one hand, circulated his breathing method to absorb and swallow; on the other hand, he drew in large breaths through his nose and mouth, while cautiously proceeding deeper into the limestone cave.

"That ghostly thing just now had two teeth knocked out by me, it probably isn't feeling good either." Niu Dingtian thought silently, slowly drifting up toward the water surface away from the shore.

Thinking of the wondrous lava landforms, Niu Dingtian became more certain of this idea.

Niu Dingtian grinned, turned his palm into a fist, gathered his full inner strength, his eyes glowing with a faint light, and continually approached that turtle head.

Thus he continued to dive deeper, no, rather upward; at this point he clearly felt the water pressure weakening—this was already a process of descending then winding upward.

"There is extremely likely another world inside this mountain!"

"The breath-holding time of a grandmaster peak should be no less than half an hour." Niu Dingtian felt he was nearing his limit, and immediately began to circulate the breath-holding chapter's method from the Nine Yin Classic.

The old turtle remained indifferent, its mouth still tightly shut, and a mocking look appeared in its eyes.

The old turtle even closed its eyes outright.

Hiss~

Just as he hesitated, the breathing method inside his body suddenly accelerated, a rush of cool air shot straight into his mind, and his thoughts instantly became crystal clear.

Vital essence entered his body, granting him an inexplicable comfort, then transformed into a mysterious energy that flowed through the eight extraordinary channels into his five organs and six viscera, and outward into his limbs and bones.

Where did that ghost thing just now run off to?

Not a moment later,

The water ahead had turned jade‑green, like emerald liquid dripping into clear water and spreading outward.

Niu Dingtian let out a fierce shout and, with full strength, hammered three consecutive punches.

Niu Dingtian felt a slight relief in his heart and slowly approached.

Niu Dingtian whispered, gazing at the faint blue glow ahead in the cavern, his eyes unable to hide excitement and longing.

Seeing the unknown creature opposite draw near, the old turtle's warm gaze did not waver; as its throat pulsated, it kept emitting a "ho ho" sound.

The hazy mist grew ever denser and more pungent.

"It seems to have already looped upward? Could the surface appear ahead?"

At that moment, the sparkling blue light in the water drifted slowly into the wound; the bleeding that had been flowing outward stopped quickly, and even the pain in the back of his hand gradually vanished unnoticed.

"Brother Turtle, loosen your mouth quickly!" Niu Dingtian shouted urgently: "You loosen your mouth! I'll retreat at once!"

"A treasure‑guarding divine beast? Or the old turtle occupying the treasure vault? No wonder there are no fish in these waters; they've all been scared away by this thing?"

The closer Niu Dingtian got, the more he sensed the immense energy contained in the water ahead, making any cultivation technique unnecessary for absorption!

"This feeling… hiss— so comfortable—"

"This mist truly has the ability to block perception; otherwise it wouldn't have been noticed until so close." Niu Dingtian thought, while gathering his palm force and slowly pressing forward.

"What should we do? Should we turn back?"

The snake's lower jaw snapped at incredible speed, and given the massive beast that had lingered in this cavern for an unknown duration, a moment's lapse could lead to a fatal strike.

The water's surface was right before his eyes, and the mysterious aura emanating downward from it filled Niu Dingtian's heart with ecstatic joy.

After breaking the surface, he discovered a massive cavern outside, its interior bathed in a faint blue glow and suffused with a pale white hazy mist.

Thinking of how this thing almost bit his head moments ago, Niu Dingtian couldn't help but feel angry.

"Bang~"

When he sensed a torrent of overwhelming vital energy surging into his body, he instantly rejoiced and immediately exerted his full power to activate it.

The sudden thought that sprang up lingered incessantly in Niu Dingtian's mind.

The pores across his limbs and bones had already involuntarily opened, greedily absorbing a strange energy.

He then sped toward the water's surface.

"Ho~ Ho~"

Niu Dingtian grew impatient,

Just as he was about to swing his fist again, a sudden thought made him lower his hand, saying, "Really not letting go? Don't regret it later."

Before he could catch his breath, a dark silhouette flashed in, suddenly lunging at his head.

In the instant he darted into the water to evade, Niu Dingtian's subconscious swung a fierce fist forward.

"That's not right! This water area seems to have hardly any fish? Downstream you can fish for golden dolls, how can there be no fish here?"

And as he continued forward, the upward ascent made his speed increase considerably.

As soon as the words finished, he directly activated the North Darkness Divine Skill.

"Damn!"

As he kept closing in on the black silhouette within the white mist, Niu Dingtian gradually discerned its shape.

After the collision, a massive pain blasted into his hand, and his whole body plunged back into the depths.

"Ho~ Ho~"

In the end, it kept "ho ho"ing, its eyes pleadingly gazing at Niu Dingtian.

(End of Chapter)