Chapter 438

"General, don't talk nonsense!"

The military advisor immediately stepped forward, blocking him, while looking left and right, as if afraid of being overheard.

"Why? Isn't it true? That Daoist gave me a wooden bead, and it was of no use at all! In the end, it was our brothers who fought to the death to kill that monster!" the general said. "We were nearly deceived by that evil Daoist and killed!"

"General! Watch your words!"

"W-why?"

The general looked left and right, and by the firelight, he saw the expressions on the faces of his personal guards and captains, and he actually felt...

They were all feeling a sense of fear because of his words.

The general also began to feel that something was wrong.

"General, please look—"

The military advisor pointed into the distance.

The storm had passed, and a crescent moon and a few stars in the night sky illuminated the dim coastline, where the beach had rolling hills.

"What do you mean?"

The general couldn't see clearly and remained puzzled.

"General, you don't know, there wasn't just one monster, there were two." The military advisor said, "Most likely a male and a female."

"Ah? Two!" The general was shocked, cold sweat breaking out, and he hurriedly looked around. "Where is the other one?"

Upon asking this, he saw the expressions of the surrounding personal guards and captains change; there was a hint of strangeness, a hint of shock, and a hint of indescribable awe.

"After the general forced the first giant turtle to retreat, you fainted. We fought to the death to kill it, but unexpectedly, not long after, the other giant turtle emerged from the sea. At that moment, it was, it was that wooden pellet lent to the general by the immortal expert on the mountain..."

That scene was so shocking that even now, as the military advisor recalled it, he couldn't help but open his eyes wide; even describing it in words was difficult to bear the weight of that image, so he had to pause to catch his breath:

"I don't know how, but it flew into the sky and transformed into a giant armored god as tall as a small hill, holding a golden whip, and with a few lashes, it beat that giant turtle to death!"

"Ah? An armored giant god?"

"It's absolutely true! That giant turtle only reached his knees! I think it must have been a star lord from heaven descending to the mortal realm!"

"R-really?"

The general's eyes widened abruptly, unable to believe it.

"Many soldiers saw it, and besides, that giant turtle is lying right over there. When it's bright tomorrow, General, you can go take a look at its wounds, and you'll know if it's true."

"This..."

The general was stunned, sitting motionless.

After a long while, he came to his senses and hurriedly asked:

"What about the wooden pellet?"

"It's nowhere to be found. After the armored giant god killed the giant turtle, it vanished, and we searched for a long time but couldn't find it." The military advisor said, and seeing the general's panicked expression, he hurriedly comforted him, "General, don't worry, it was most likely taken back by the immortal."

"That's good, that's good."

The general finally let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly asked: "What time is it now?"

"I estimate it's almost dawn."

"Is the immortal still on the mountain?"

"I don't know..."

"Quick! Help me up the mountain to see!"

"General, you..."

"It's fine!"

The general forced himself to stand up, and by the dim light of dawn, he quickly identified the direction of the mountain and walked toward it.

Along the way, they passed through two battlefields.

One was a complete mess, covered in arrows, spears, fishhooks, harpoons, ropes, and oil, as well as the soldiers' damaged armor and weapons, and bloodstains left by who knows whom; the sand was in such a state that even the most tragic battlefields in the human world rarely looked this chaotic.

A giant turtle lay there like a mountain, no longer moving, yet still awe-inspiring.

The general led his team past it, and even though he knew this was his own handiwork, he still found it hard to believe; he couldn't imagine that he had killed this, that he had left this behind, that he and his men had accomplished this.

The other battlefield was very simple, yet even more heart-pounding.

The general held up a torch to look.

Another giant turtle lay on the beach, but apart from the tracks it left while crawling and the piles of sand pushed up when it stopped suddenly, there were no signs of battle; if one had to be specific, there were only giant footprints like large pits not far from it.

Seeing these footprints, the general realized that the giant god the advisor spoke of was not an exaggeration at all. As for the giant turtle, its entire head and the shell at its neck had been pulverized into pulp by a blunt weapon, with bits of flesh splattered on the beach and blood staining the earth red.

The general widened his eyes and swallowed hard.

He couldn't imagine how much power that was!

And he couldn't imagine what kind of immortal could summon such a giant god at will!

Only then did he realize that the military advisor's stumbling, brief description had actually depicted such a soul-stirring scene.

"Immortal..."

The general said this, wanting to see more to broaden his horizons and bolster his spirit, but deep down, he had another feeling—

Dawn was coming, and he had to hurry up the mountain.

Otherwise, the immortal might, just like in the stories and rumors everywhere, ascend to heaven at the break of dawn.

The general lowered the torch and dragged his heavily wounded body forward.

Climbing the mountain in the dark.

The mountain wasn't considered high, but it was the tallest on this coast. The general had practiced martial arts for years and didn't usually find it difficult, but today, wounded and exhausted, he felt that this mountain was incredibly hard to climb.

Climbing a section, resting a section.

!

Walking a few steps, panting a few times.

Especially since it was night, he could only see the silhouette of the mountain and couldn't see its height, and could only see the silhouettes of grass and trees without seeing their true form, giving him the illusion that this mountain had no end.

"Oh my..."

"Sigh..."

Was he just walking in place?

The general couldn't help but think this.

A personal guard beside him called out: "General! Shall I carry you?"

"That won't be necessary!"

The general panted a few times and continued forward.

Just a few more steps forward, and the view suddenly opened up.

It turned out that they had been blocked from the light by the winding mountain path and lush vegetation, unable to see the road, and while they were climbing, they had unknowingly reached the break of dawn.

At this moment, the wind was calm and the waves were still; the world seemed to have been washed clean by the storm that had just passed.

The water vapor on the sea was neither thick nor thin, and the clouds in the east were neither too many nor too few; everything was just right.

The morning sun was still below the sea, not yet visible, but it had already dyed half the sky in a glow as fiery as fire, more magnificent and varied than flames. Behind the morning glow, the sky was a mix of blue and green, green and white, transitioning smoothly into yellow, orange, red, and purple—a dreamlike gradient.

Even the general and soldiers born here seemed to have never seen such a beautiful morning glow.

A Daoist stood on the summit, his back to them, facing the magnificent scene, leaving only a black silhouette. He held his left hand up, seemingly cradling a jade bottle, and beckoned with his other hand—

In response to his request, a wisp of morning glow flew from the horizon like water, flowing into the jade bottle in his hand.

The jade bottle shone with light, like a scene from a dream.

The arriving general was stunned.

The knowledgeable and learned military advisor was also stunned.

The captains and personal guards behind them were equally frozen in place.

At this moment, they had no thoughts, only looking at this scene.

"Everyone, please enjoy the morning glow."

A voice came from that figure, gentle and polite.

As soon as the words fell, a wisp of red light pierced the firmament diagonally.

At this moment, the fire in the eastern sky had burned to its peak, a magnificent, fiery red cloud, and the red sun revealed a corner, slowly rising. Amidst the mist of water vapor by the sea, it was not dazzling at all; all the excess brilliance was absorbed into the water vapor and clouds, becoming the dreamlike morning glow of the moment, which in turn set it off as it gradually rose, radiating ten thousand rays of light.

At this moment, the seaside was filled with infinite vitality.

It was as if the world began from this moment.

"The general is skilled in both civil and military arts, and now has gained some courage; in these chaotic times, I believe you will surely achieve something. It is our good fortune to have met the general today." A voice drifted over leisurely. "It is a pity that we are about to leave this place."

Everyone looked at the figure on the summit and saw that he had already withdrawn his hand at some point.

The jade bottle had likely been put away by him as well.

Unfortunately, the sun had already risen high, emitting ten thousand rays of light, stinging their eyes so they couldn't see clearly.

Before the general could pay his respects or express his gratitude, he felt a clear breeze blow from the horizon, and the immortal expert standing on the summit, along with the white fox beside him, vanished with the wind.

(End of chapter)