Chapter 542: The Taiyin Star

After successfully forming a soul contract with the Soul Turtle, Hua Changxi withdrew the Soul-Locking Hoop.

Freed from the threat of that icy confinement, the Soul Turtle's previously tense little face instantly relaxed, its two mung-bean eyes squinting into slits as it grinned: "Food Master, you're so good!"

"Food Master?"

Hua Changxi's brow twitched; what kind of ridiculous title was that? "Why call me that?"

The Soul Turtle lifted its head high and replied with righteous confidence: "Because from now on, I'll be relying on you to feed me."

Hua Changxi was somewhat speechless; so she had essentially adopted a gluttonous turtle?

"Just call me... Master instead."

"Master?"

The Soul Turtle tilted its head, seemingly savoring the word. "Alright, my parents' soul pets called them that too."

Hearing this, Hua Changxi's expression suddenly stiffened: "You have parents?"

At the mention of its dual progenitors, pride instantly filled the Soul Turtle's small face, its chin lifting so high it seemed to reach the heavens: "Of course! My father and mother are incredibly powerful; they are overlords within the Soul River!"

Hua Changxi's eyes flickered slightly as she asked casually yet probing: "If you have parents to protect you, how did you end up wandering here alone?"

The Soul Turtle's previously proud demeanor collapsed; it sighed and said: "The Soul River tides arrived, and the water flow was too fierce; I got separated from my father and mother. Later, I lost my way, heard the beautiful melody you were playing, and swam over following the sound."

Speaking of this, it lowered its head somewhat dejectedly: "I can't find my father and mother, nor can I find the way home."

Hearing this, the worry hanging in Hua Changxi's heart quietly settled back into place; then, she tentatively asked: "Will your father and mother come looking for you?"

"Who knows?"

The Soul Turtle pursed its lips, its tone revealing a hint of sourness: "Father and Mother are rushing to the center of the Soul River to eat the Taichu Soul Fruit; they probably forgot about me long ago."

Hua Changxi's heart leaped violently; images immediately surfaced in her mind from the "Divine Flora Section" of the *Annotations on the Hundred Herbs*, regarding the Taichu Soul Fruit.

The Taichu Soul Fruit was a supreme heavenly treasure comparable to the Creation Fruit; Creation Pills refined from Creation Fruits could forge spiritual roots, while Soul-Shaping Pills refined from Taichu Soul Fruits could reconstruct one's primordial spirit as long as a single wisp remained.

For cultivators, as long as the primordial spirit did not completely dissipate, even if the physical body was destroyed, it did not count as true death; in other words, the Taichu Soul Fruit, capable of reconstructing the primordial spirit, possessed the power to bring the dead back to life.

The emergence of a legendary heavenly treasure like the Taichu Soul Fruit would inevitably stir up a storm of blood and violence; since the little turtle's parents dared to snatch food from the tiger's mouth, their strength was undoubtedly formidable and could not be underestimated.

Although Hua Changxi felt some apprehension toward that pair of 'Turtle Dad and Turtle Mom', the contract was already sealed; abandoning the little turtle now was impossible.

Since it had come, she would make peace with it.

Hua Changxi quickly adjusted her mindset; recalling her original intention in befriending the Soul Turtle, she immediately fixed a burning gaze upon it: "Little Turtle, I want to see the Soul River; can you carry me for a swim in the river and then bring me back?"

The Soul Turtle agreed readily: "Of course! But what is there to see in the Soul River? Also, I found this fissure cave by following the melody; without the tune, I don't know if I can find my way back."

Hearing this, Hua Changxi felt a bit numb; she had almost forgotten that this was a Soul Turtle hatchling.

Since it was a hatchling, getting lost was standard operating procedure.

"Wait here for a moment; I'll be right back."

Worried the Soul Turtle might grow impatient waiting, Hua Changxi pulled out a large pile of previously collected soul fruits and soul plants to give it as snacks, then her form blurred, and she vanished from the Soul Turtle's sight in a flash.

A flock of soul geese and soul ducks lived among the Soul-Congeling Cattail clusters; Hua Changxi approached quietly, condensed a Soul-Chasing Seal at her fingertips, and marked them all.

To be on the safe side, she even exited the Soul-Congeling Cattails and marked a batch of soul rabbits on the periphery.

With so many Soul-Chasing Seals serving as landmarks, even if the Soul Turtle got lost, she could follow the resonance of the seals to find the fissure cave.

Having completed the markings, Hua Changxi returned to the fissure cave, where the pile of soul fruits and soul plants she had left had already been swept clean.

As soon as the Soul Turtle saw her, it immediately clamored: "Master, I have a huge appetite; you must give me more food next time!"

Hua Changxi's mouth twitched violently; she had just given at least a ton's worth; was this Soul Turtle perhaps a bottomless rice bucket?

"Alright, we can go now."

Hearing this, the Soul Turtle immediately extended its thick right forelimb into the fissure cave, steadying it firmly before Hua Changxi.

Hua Changxi leaped up, stepped onto that massive forelimb to cross through the fissure, and landed lightly on the Soul Turtle's broad head.

"Let's go~"

The Soul Turtle cried out cheerfully, then paddled its four limbs, carrying Hua Changxi as it swiftly swam out of the fissure cave.

"Splash~"

The Soul River surged and roared, its surface so vast that one could not see its end, knowing neither where it originated nor where it flowed.

Only at this moment did Hua Changxi truly comprehend the meaning of 'a single grain in the vast ocean'.

Situated within this surging and turbulent Soul River, all things were like mere specks of dust.

Not only her, but even the Soul Turtle, whose body stretched dozens of meters, appeared so insignificant within this boundless Soul River that it seemed almost negligible.

Above the Soul River lay a deep and vast starry sky, giving her the illusion of being situated within the stars themselves.

Since the Soul River pierced through the Four Spirit Realm yet remained exposed beneath the starry sky, Hua Changxi reasonably suspected that the Soul River was likely embedded within the realm barrier.

After feeling her own insignificance for a while, Hua Changxi withdrew her gaze, looked at the ceaselessly surging river water, and couldn't help but ask: "Little Turtle, is the current of the Soul River always this rapid?"

The Soul Turtle shook its head: "No, it's only like this during the tidal periods."

Hua Changxi was surprised: "Tides? The Soul River has tidal periods too?"

"Of course!"

The Soul Turtle shook its head; it knew this answer, so it immediately showed off: "The Soul River is influenced by the Taiyin Star; whenever the Taiyin Star appears above the river's surface, the Soul River gets pulled, raising a thousand layers of soul waves; this is the Soul River's tidal period."

It paused, then added: "And this current period happens to be the Soul River's tidal phase."

"The Taiyin Star?!"

Hua Changxi's expression brightened; she hurriedly looked around in all directions: "But why can't I see the Taiyin Star?"

The Soul Turtle explained: "This section of the river is obscured; you have to go elsewhere to see it."

Hua Changxi urged: "Then hurry and carry me over to take a look!"

In the mortal world, one could also see the Taiyin Star, but it was too far away to evoke any real feeling.

She wanted to see what the Taiyin Star looked like when viewed from above the Soul River.

The Soul Turtle readily agreed, after all, it was familiar with that route, having swum from there earlier.

They had not swum for long before the Soul Turtle began to slacken.

"Alas, I am tired from swimming; I must rest a while."

"Alas, I am hungry and lack the strength to swim."

After the Soul Turtle had rested three times and eaten three meals, it finally carried Hua Changxi to that stretch of the river from which the Taiyin Star could be glimpsed in the distance.

Moonlight cascaded like a waterfall as soul-waves rose into the sky.

Gazing upon the scene before her, Hua Changxi found her breath catching involuntarily.

Unlike the distant, cold, small disc seen from the mortal world, the Taiyin Star above the Soul River appeared so majestic and profound as to be suffocating; the oppressive force rushing toward her felt like a mountain range ten thousand zhang high looming overhead, nearly enough to crush a person to dust.

Beyond this, across this stretch of the river, vast quantities of moonlight poured down like a waterfall, churning the waters of the Soul River into even more turbulent surges.

The exceedingly dense moonlight condensed in the air into a hazy luminous mist; this mist gathered into dew, which ultimately transformed into drop after drop of a legendary substance—divine moonlight water, crystal clear and translucent.