Chapter 118: Who Is Actually Devouring the Vital Energy?

Feeling the vital energy flowing into his body begin to wane, Niu Dingtian eased his force and sneered, "You old beast, bite or not?"

"Ho~ Ho~"

The old turtle's eyes pleaded even more, and the head tucked inside its shell shook laboriously.

"Pull the turtle head out! Let grandpa smash it a few times!" Niu Dingtian shouted, "You damn fool, if you hide, today I'll have to suck you dry!"

He thought the old turtle was a rare spirit creature; with this level of intelligence, it's unlikely he'll ever find a second one, so killing it would be a pity.

But it must be made to obey completely; as for how to deal with it? No other way—only a hard fist!

Seeing his internal vital energy gush out as if about to devour everything, the old turtle dared not hesitate any longer, gave up resistance, and honestly stuck its head out.

Thinking this, Niu Dingtian stepped forward, patted the turtle head, offered a sweet date, and grinned:

"Tick-tock~"

"Gulu~"

"How dare you bite me!"

"The energy of this spiritual spring water is no different from vital energy; is it the North Darkness Divine Skill that is devouring the vital energy, or the breathing technique?"

When Niu Dingtian suddenly flashed to his side, the old turtle snapped out of its trance and immediately saw a massive fist coming straight at it.

"Bang!"

"That's where the source is!" Staring at the dripping point on the stone pillar, Niu Dingtian's face could not hide his excitement; he already felt a stronger yearning inside.

"So the water dripping from the stone pillar is genuine spiritual water, and this pool was carved years ago to collect it? Also to prevent the spiritual water above from escaping?"

At that moment, an ethereal dripping sound suddenly echoed ahead.

"When I take you out, I'll find you a companion; whatever breed you want, you'll decide then!"

"Slu~"

When he finally saw the clear emerald spring atop the pillar, Niu Dingtian's excited expression froze on his face; it was far from what he had hoped for.

"Bang!"

When the droplet fell into the pool, the ripple spread across the surface, and a misty aura visibly rose from the water; the mysterious atmosphere in the pool seemed to grow richer.

"Bite or not?"

The old turtle instantly lifted its head; as divine light blossomed in its eyes, even the missing front tooth was bared, no longer the feeble, lifeless look it had moments ago.

"Bang!"

"When I let you bite, if you don't dare to sink your teeth, I'll still suck you dry!"

The old turtle had no idea how many years it had spent in this blessed cavern; minor external wounds would heal in minutes.

"Bang!"

"Does it really exist?"

Another while passed,

the dripping sound rang again, seemingly… seemingly just a short distance ahead.

"It's an extremely strange sensation; all the hair pores around me dilate, the murky qi inside constantly expels outward, and even the movement of the internal organs and breathing visibly become robust."

The old turtle turned, lifted its half‑yard‑long shell, stuck out its head, and began to slowly crawl deeper into the cavern.

The thing truly at work is likely the breathing technique, with its devouring ability.

"I tell you to go east; if you dare head west, I'll suck you dry!"

"Bang!"

"Show the way!" Niu Dingtian glared, whispering.

After watching the pool and pillar for a while, Niu Dingtian finally reached this conclusion.

Heeding Niu Dingtian's words, the old turtle struggled to open its eyes; its eyelids drooped weakly, and as it made a "ho ho" sound, more fresh blood spurted from its nostrils.

Old turtle: "..."

Thinking of this,

When the turtle head protruded, Niu Dingtian's face twisted, he raised his massive fist, bearing a grudge, and "hoo hoo" smashed it down.

The pool's water was jade‑green, imbued with divine resonance; waves of misty aura constantly rose from the surface, stirring Niu Dingtian's internal breath into agitation.

He then dropped the old turtle and, following the sound, groped forward slowly.

Finally,

He hammered the turtle head seventy‑eight times, driving the old turtle's eyes to roll back and blood to pour from its mouth and nose; only then did Niu Dingtian withdraw the North Darkness Divine Skill.

"That old turtle didn't pee in there, did it?" Looking down at the pool, Niu Dingtian's face suddenly turned oddly.

The turtle head shivered in fright, bowed humbly, then drooped miserably.

Did it vanish into the long river of time? Or, using the spiritual spring, step onto the ethereal path of cultivation?

"Tick-tock~"

This stone pit should also have a source of water, but it's minuscule; otherwise it wouldn't be in deficit and now nearly dried up.

"Whose words will you heed in the future?"

"You damn fool, bite!"

Niu Dingtian pressed forward, but the dense white fog ahead severely obscured his sight; beyond half a yard, everything was already hazy and indistinct.

"Tick-tock~"

"Bang!"

Annoyingly, this tiny puddle, wherever it seeped from, dripped a single drop into the lower pool about every fifteen minutes.

"This pool doesn't seem naturally formed; it looks more like… it was artificially carved?"

The spiritual spring water glowed with a faint blue hue, its divine brilliance restrained, emitting an inexplicable mysterious aura that stirred his soul.

Thinking of this, a faint light flashed in Niu Dingtian's eyes, and he lunged toward the old turtle.

Damn, I'm exhausted!

……

He originally still had some disdain for the water in the pool, fearing that the old turtle had soaked in it, but now the spiritual spring water is much less than expected, so the water in the pool also seems even more precious.

Hiss~

Old buddy, follow me closely; I'll later teach you the supreme immortal method, and in the future cultivating to attain the Dao and joining the ranks of immortals will be no problem.

The sound of dripping water rang out again.

If one refines it through cultivation, it seems it can also be transformed into vast internal energy.

Obviously, this treasure land had already been discovered by someone who knows how many years ago, but being able to enter such a perilous place certainly isn't something an ordinary person could do.

White mist filled the cave, becoming ever denser.

If it weren't that tonight is urgent, fearing that returning late would worry Sister Han and little sister Rong'er, he also wouldn't want to treat the newly acknowledged old buddy so violently.

……

Niu Dingtian seemed to have understood.

But his heart grew ever more astonished; judging from all his behavior before and after, this old thing's intelligence is certainly not lower than that of an ordinary person.

Never mind! Hurry up and drink it, then we'll talk— it's already at my lips, what the hell is there to think about? Just swallow it.

"Do you believe I'll suck you dry?" Niu Dingtian glared, raising his hand to grab at the turtle's head.

Boom~

Speak quickly!

Continuing forward,

Really?

"Without my permission, if you dare to bite people at random, I'll suck you dry!"

Feeling the devouring power gradually arising from the breathing method, Niu Dingtian's eyes narrowed, and a question involuntarily arose in his mind: "Why can the North Darkness Divine Skill draw out that old turtle's essence and qi?"

"Whose things are in the cave?"

"Could this be a devouring-type immortal art? Cultivating by devouring primordial essence and qi?" Thinking of the other legends of immortals, Niu Dingtian couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.

"This pool... is a spiritual spring?" Niu Dingtian murmured.

Observing the height of the stone pillar and the difficulty of climbing it, Niu Dingtian felt inexplicable in his heart.

Thinking of that ethereal legend, his heart stirred again; if it weren't for him having found this treasure land, this old turtle that had opened its spiritual wisdom, plus the miraculous spirit mist, to the outside world it would also be no less than a miracle.

Many things are merely beyond ordinary people's cognition.

However, the pool is not like the flowing water outside the cave; if the old turtle had really defecated and urinated in it, not to mention soaking in it, even touching it would make him feel disgusted.

Niu Dingtian suppressed the operation of the breathing method, suppressed the restless true qi within his body, and silently felt the changes within.

The old turtle shook its head,

Thinking and thinking,

It seemed to have an indescribable flavor; although the sound was very small, in the spacious cavern the echo was exceptionally clear, and Niu Dingtian heard it exceptionally clearly.

He drank two gulps in one breath.

"Such a high stone pillar— that old turtle probably can't climb up?"

"Lift your head!"

Niu Dingtian's eyes involuntarily narrowed.

"Damn, who is this enough for?" Niu Dingtian cursed silently. He silently calculated the number of people; with his own group sharing equally, each person seemed to get only a few sips of water from the pit.

Having suppressed his internal breath, Niu Dingtian carefully observed along the edge of the pool.

Niu Dingtian smiled satisfiedly; anyway, the goal has been set for you, whether you can achieve it is your business— applying some pressure will bring about miracles.

The old turtle, however, had no response left; it only rolled its eyes, drooped its head, appearing half-dead. As its mouth opened and closed, blood continued to seep from its mouth and nose.

He grew ever more doubtful.

Bang!

The old turtle's expression instantly froze, staring blankly at Niu Dingtian, but Niu Dingtian paid no heed, his face sank, and he shouted loudly: "Did you hear that?"

He had personally witnessed the healing power of the spirit mist in this cave; let alone the possibility that there might be even more miraculous spiritual spring water inside.

When he returned to the pool's edge, Niu Dingtian released the restless qi within his body, no longer suppressing it; then he tugged at his clothes, kicked off his shoes, leapt up, and once again sprang onto the stone pillar.

Gazing at the holy water within reach, he felt an indescribable excitement: "This is probably the purest, most primordial divine object in the world? I don't know if it's the spiritual spring of the cultivation world."

Gurgle~

Although he had not yet exerted internal force just now, his fists smashing through stone bricks was effortless; he hadn't expected that striking the turtle's head would instead make his fists ache.

He rubbed his sore, numb shoulders, felt the vast essence and qi within his body, and Niu Dingtian cursed: "What the hell turtle head? Damn hard as hell!"

But since arriving at this Peach Blossom Spring, after the breathing method had tasted the flavor of the spiritual spring water, the North Darkness Divine Skill began to take effect on essence and qi.

Ho~

Rubbing the edge of the pool, he gradually noticed an abnormality.

The rocks on the pool's surface feel smooth and rounded to the touch, but the uneven areas bear fine chisel marks; although much time has passed, careful observation can still discern them.

Immediately he swung his palm, blasting away the mist beside the stone pillar with one strike, then leapt up and directly climbed to the top of the stone pillar.

Thinking that the source water had not yet been polluted by that old turtle, his heart felt a surge of relief, and he couldn't wait to go up and take a look.

"What a miraculous kind of energy."

"This pool isn't naturally formed; is this cavern also someone's territory?" Niu Dingtian couldn't help but frown.

Niu Dingtian, while extending his pores and circulating his technique, desperately devouring the misty vapor, slowly followed beside the old turtle.

"The grand master's barrier is right before our eyes!"

Bang!

"Could this be the state where the legendary spiritual spring is about to dry up?" Niu Dingtian muttered.

After saying that, he paused, ignoring the old turtle's shocked gaze, his eyes unfathomable as he stared straight ahead and said, "Give you one and a half years; if you can't learn to speak human language, I'll still suck you dry!"

The further he went, the larger the cavern became, and the mist inside had already begun to turn a thick white; gradually, even the ground beneath Niu Dingtian's feet turned into a sea of clouds.

As he walked, his eyes slightly narrowed, he softly said, "Remember, old partner, from now on you'd better obey."

"Stay right here and behave!" Niu Dingtian barked lowly.

Just then,

Only when he gradually approached did he notice that in the center of the cavern there was a circular pool, and at the pool's very center stood a towering stone pillar.

After a round of fist‑driven questioning, the answer he got left Niu Dingtian extremely satisfied—this old turtle certainly didn't disappoint him.

Before arriving at Peach Blossom Spring, he had sucked the old eunuch and the Manichaean Chu Tiancheng, yet he saw no trace of any essence‑devouring ability.

Before his eyes lay a stone pit the size of a water jar, yet inside it rested only half a basin of spiritual spring water, lying still.

"How could an aquatic creature have meridian points? The cultivation route of the North Darkness Divine Skill is clearly based on human meridians—absorbing Qiu Qianren's essence I could accept, but why can this old turtle also absorb?"

The man and the turtle began walking side by side,

Someone who can make a hundred million could make a billion; a turtle that can open its spiritual wisdom might transform into a dragon—all it takes is uttering a few human words, a modest goal; perhaps one day it will achieve that.

The moment the spring water was swallowed, a mighty, inward‑condensing, miraculous energy surged into his body, racing through the meridians to the limbs and every pore.

"If one could ceaselessly devour primordial essence, wouldn't that mean eternal youth, immortality, indestructibility?"

"Huh? That's all?"

Niu Dingtian kicked the turtle's shell and shouted, "Stop pretending to be dead, damn it! Lead the way!"

……

"Slurp~"

Thinking of the spiritual spring water at his lips, he stopped hesitating, licked his lips, grinned, bent low, and stretched his mouth forward.

At that moment, it had forgotten the earlier humiliation, its eyes slightly narrowed as it lifted its head high, blissfully intoxicated by the scent of the spiritual mist.

Standing beside the pool, he felt a throbbing within—an intense yearning of the breath technique, as if a soul‑bond tugged, whispering that you belong to me and I to you.

"Bang!"

"Are there any other living creatures in this cave?" Niu Dingtian asked, turning his head.

However, the turtle's head is thick‑skinned and tough‑fleshed; a few blows won't hurt it.

"Plop~"

Feeling a faint contact with the barrier of a grand master, Niu Dingtian dove headfirst into the water below.

(End of chapter)