Chapter 772: with translation of chapter title

Xu Chun twitched on the ground for a while, then gradually stilled.

His corpse soaked in the putrid fluid flowing from his body; on the already lifeless corpse, a faint electric-current-like thread flickered, and Xiao Jiu looked up at the sky and immediately warned: "Everyone scatter, quick!"

Everyone was puzzled, but they still obeyed immediately and scattered in all directions.

Li Qingying and Hui Moqiong darted into Yin Dang Hang.

Crackle!

A bolt of heavenly thunder fell straight from above, striking Xu Chun's back with precision; his already rotting back was now utterly unrecognizable.

Hui Moqiong sucked in a cold breath, looked up at the sky, and murmured: "Has Heaven finally reacted? Is this… corpse whipping?"

No sooner had he spoken than another heavenly thunder struck Xu Chun's corpse.

Immediately followed by a third.

The three heavenly thunderbolts nearly split Xu Chun's chest open; the scene was a mess of blood and flesh, and anyone of slightly weaker constitution who saw it would likely lose their appetite for a long time.

Xiao Jiu looked at Li Qingying and said: "Sister Qingying, I'll leave the aftermath of Xu Chun to you."

Li Qingying nodded and said: "Don't worry, I'll contact the Chenghuang of Suedi right away and report to the Chenghuang Temple; you go about your business."

Hui Moqiong's eyes lit up: "Xiao Jiu, we're finally setting out to aid Seventh Lord in Suedi, right?"

Xiao Jiu nodded: "Xu Chun is dead; the three heavenly thunderbolts that fell after his death have settled his crime, so Liu Junyan's pressure should have eased a bit; let's go meet up with him."

Hui Moqiong immediately went to start the car.

At the moment Xu Chun died, the situation in Suedi was not good.

Torrential rain, floods, lightning and thunder, as if they wanted to swallow all of Suedi.

This was the formation pattern that had governed Suedi for years falling into complete chaos with Xu Chun's death.

With the formation disrupted and the geomancy thrown off, all of Suedi instantly underwent a celestial shift, as if a layer of its skin had been torn away.

In the ancient well, the old turtle let out mournful cries one after another.

The stolen fate returned, merit returned, and cultivation partially recovered.

It lay at the bottom of the ancient well, sensing the changes in Suedi's geomantic pattern, feeling the backlash of the formation and its impact on surrounding beings… For over three hundred years, the evil Xu Chun wrought with his merit and cultivation had seeped into every inch of Suedi's land; only his death could not instantly restore things to how they were.

Just as he had threatened Xiao Jiu, his death meant that all beings in Suedi had to be buried with him.

Perhaps Xu Chun exaggerated a little, but the reality… was absolutely horrendous.

The old turtle lifted its head again and glanced at the half-space above the ancient well, where the White Dragon, clinging to its true draconic form, guarded Liu Qiye tightly; after a long while, it sighed.

Liu Junyan heard it.

He looked at the old turtle in puzzlement and said: "Please hold on a bit longer; once the formation stabilizes, I'll rescue you right away."

The old turtle shook its head: "Lord Liu Qiye, thank you, Yin Dang Hang, for everything you've done for me; you've kept your promises, and now it's time for me to fulfill mine."

Liu Junyan frowned; hearing the old turtle's words, he felt an inexplicable unease.

He suddenly realized something; he seemed to know what the old turtle was about to do!

Liu Junyan opened his mouth to advise the old turtle.

He wanted to tell him to give him and Fang Chuan Zong some time; they would surely be able to stabilize Suedi's geomantic pattern.

He dared not guarantee that all beings in Suedi would be safe and sound, but at least he could promise that all this would end, and at least Suedi's future would be bright.

But before he could speak, the old turtle already knew what he wanted to say: "Lord Liu Qiye, don't try to dissuade me; when I first embarked on the path of cultivation, it was to uphold justice, protect the nation and the people; I would rather see all beings thriving and full of vitality than ascend to the heavens."

"They suffer because of me; how could I let them pay a terrible price just for my own survival?"

The old turtle paused, then said to Liu Junyan: "Xiao Jiu Zhanggui promised me that after my death I would be cremated and my ashes scattered into the Zhu Pan River; please remind me, Lord Liu Qiye."

Having spoken, it suddenly arched its back, lowered its head, and let out an earth-shaking roar; the entire ancient well trembled.

In that instant, countless golden cracks spread outward from the ancient well in all directions.

The old turtle roared again and again; each roar made the golden light brighter and its radiation wider.

Wherever the golden light reached, the beings afflicted by the formation's backlash instantly felt a surge of new vitality.

The rain gradually ceased, the floods receded, all things revived… all this was the result of the old turtle expending the cultivation and merit it had just regained.

At this moment, Liu Junyan felt both sorrowful and moved.

He knew what the old turtle was doing and understood the consequences of its action.

But the old turtle's mind was made up, and he had no standing to stop it, did he?

This… is cultivation.

A true cultivator's heart always holds all beings and great righteousness.

As Hui Moqiong just drove the car into Suedi's territory, he felt that powerful impact, slammed on the brakes, stared straight ahead, and was utterly shocked.

Xiao Jiu also sensed it.

Besides being moved, she felt a little worried.

She was unsure whether the old turtle's expending of merit and cultivation to protect all beings in Suedi was voluntary or a last-ditch counterattack after it could no longer hold out.

If the latter, then Liu Junyan would be in mortal danger right now.

But soon she determined it was not the latter.

Because this burst of power was continuous, seeping layer by layer throughout Suedi's territory.

If it were a final all-out effort, it would be a single push.

So… this is the old turtle sacrificing itself.

Hui Moqiong asked: "Xiao Jiu, should we keep going forward?"

"Go." Xiao Jiu said firmly: "I promised the old turtle I would cremate it, bring its ashes back to Wufu Town, and let them take root in the Zhu Pan River."

Hui Moqiong restarted the car and charged toward the center of that merit power.

Not long after, the White Dragon's form appeared within their sight.

But before the car could get close, a burst of golden light suddenly erupted, surging straight toward the White Dragon's body.

The golden light appeared and vanished in an instant, catching Liu Junyan off guard.

As that golden light faded, everything returned to calm.

The old turtle died.

But what did it do to Liu Junyan before it died?

At the moment the golden light reached the White Dragon, it let out a painful dragon roar, its white body thrashing in the clouds, looking extremely anguished.

Hui Moqiong could not believe the passage: "Old turtle... what did the old turtle do to Seventh Lord? Repaying kindness with enmity?"