Chapter 175: Mutated Spirit Tortoise – The Local Yao Beast Isn't Very Polite

Chapter 175: Mutated Spirit Tortoise – The Local Yao Beast Isn't Very Polite

When it came to evading Golden Core yao beasts, Xiao Chen admittedly wasn't particularly skilled.

But when it came to dueling, he had never truly felt anxious.

After all, those top-tier Spirit Herbs hadn't been consumed for nothing, and those top-tier magic artifacts weren't just for show.

Beside him, Song Jingyi and Qi Xingwen watched Xiao Chen continuously produce top-tier magic artifacts, their hearts tightening with unease.

A full ten offensive top-tier magic artifacts.

Even without fully activating them, the flickering spiritual light radiating from them was enough to send chills down one's spine.

But it didn't stop there. Xiao Chen then retrieved nine small yellow flags from his storage bag—a complete set of Formation Flags.

"Senior Brother Song, Senior Brother Qi, let's adjust our plan slightly."

"The Internal Elixir below is useful to me. Let me retrieve it first before going after the turtle eggs."

"Please help suppress the spiritual energy fluctuations to avoid alerting the Golden Core yao beasts in the distance."

Normally, during a battle, few cultivators could spare the effort to contain scattered mana. However, with allies, they could assist in masking disturbances—something bandit cultivators often did when operating in groups.

Xiao Chen then activated his Seal Acupoint and Conceal Breath Technique, stealthily descending to set up a Yellow Wind Quicksand Formation at the valley's mouth.

From his posture, it was clear he intended to trap all four male tortoises in one fell swoop.

Song Jingyi turned his head, hesitating slightly as he asked, "Senior Brother Qi, isn't this too risky?"

While top-tier magic artifacts were powerful, earth-storing spirit tortoises were renowned for their defense, and this mutated yao beast was an even more extreme example.

Deciding the outcome wouldn't be simple—it would likely take at least several hours.

Although this was the edge of the Golden Core yao beasts' territory, lingering too long risked discovery. Especially in the evening, when Golden Core yao beasts became active, they might be exposed.

Qi Xingwen, however, pulled out a Sound Suppression Talisman. "Trust Junior Brother Xiao. I'll take position on the right."

Saying this, he slapped a talisman onto himself before moving to the right side of the valley entrance.

Seeing this, Song Jingyi moved to the left, setting up talismans while silently praying the battle wouldn't drag on.

Before long, the four male tortoises emerged from the water, returning to the valley.

Xiao Chen immediately activated the formation. Yellow winds howled, accompanied by torrents of quicksand trapping the two leading tortoises.

The Tri-Color Flying Sword—wind, thunder, and ice—descended, isolating the third tortoise.

Xiao Chen himself charged toward the last tortoise, wielding his Golden Melon Thunder Hammer and swinging it in a full arc straight at the beast's head.

The male tortoise, caught off guard, reacted swiftly nonetheless. It instinctively retracted its neck, and earth-yellow spiritual light flared from its shell, instantly forming a one-foot-thick earthen wall in front of it.

"Bang!"

The hammer struck the wall, scattering yellow earth everywhere, but its power was slightly diminished.

"Dong!"

The sturdy shell completely blocked the attack, leaving only a faint, barely visible mark.

With spiritual energy enhancement, the shell was comparable to a top-grade defensive magic artifact.

Fortunately, Xiao Chen had anticipated this. He leapt onto the shell, activating the Nine Strengths Mountain Shifting Method. Channeling his strength into both arms, he swung both hammers in rapid succession.

Within mere breaths, he delivered dozens of hammer strikes.

Amidst the clanging and clattering, surging spiritual energy radiated outward.

However, Song Jingyi and Qi Xingwen had already set up talismans in all directions.

Unless someone was within ten miles, the battle would go unnoticed.

But just as the outer threats were dealt with, a massive figure erupted from the yellow sands.

The Yellow Wind Quicksand Formation could trap ordinary spirit tortoises but couldn't restrain the leader—the Mutated Spirit Tortoise.

Its awakened Innate Ability was Gigantification.

Originally one zhang (3.3 meters) in size, the tortoise now expanded to ten zhang (33 meters) across.

Compared to this behemoth, Xiao Chen below looked like a dwarf.

The giant tortoise then lifted its front legs, ignoring the ally beneath it, and slammed down with full force.

"Huh?"

The move stunned Xiao Chen, but he wasn't worried.

A flash of golden light later, he had already dodged dozens of zhang away.

The unfortunate tortoise below, still curled in its shell, was crushed deep into the soil.

The entire ground trembled.

If not for its sturdy shell, that single strike would have cost it half its life.

"Hisss, what immense strength."

Xiao Chen's eyes narrowed, his expression turning serious.

The opponent possessed mutated bloodline, and its size granted overwhelming physical advantages.

Though Xiao Chen had a Body Cultivation realm, he decided it was better to avoid direct confrontation and rely on escape techniques for hit-and-run tactics.

To minimize distractions, he used his spiritual sense to command the remaining magic artifacts to attack the other three tortoises while using his hammer to draw the Mutated Spirit Tortoise's attention.

This was Xiao Chen's usual combat habit—quickly eliminating minions before focusing on the leader.

With the help of that earlier stomp, the tortoise trapped in the pit fell first.

Then came the one surrounded by the Lesser Trinity Sword Array, cut in half under relentless sword qi.

Finally, under the combined assault of the Golden Light Pearl and Jade Ruyi, the last tortoise in the Yellow Wind Quicksand Formation fell.

In total, it only took half a watch (about 45 minutes).

This efficiency was extremely high. If those three tortoises were replaced with three Foundation Building Peak cultivators, they wouldn't have lasted much longer.

At least Song Jingyi and Qi Xingwen nearby admitted they couldn't have held out longer.

Yet Xiao Chen's face showed no joy, only growing more solemn.

Because this Mutated Spirit Tortoise was simply too powerful.

Despite Xiao Chen's far superior attack capabilities compared to ordinary Foundation Building cultivators, capable of quickly defeating typical Foundation Building Peak opponents, the Mutated Spirit Tortoise was a top-tier earth-elemental yao beast of the Xuan Gui race with bloodline mutation—its defense was maxed out.

Whether it was Flying Swords or bone spears, Scarlet Flame Bombs or Yan Xia techniques, none left a mark on its body.

Not only was it immensely strong, but it could also manipulate surrounding boulders.

Layer upon layer of earth-yellow mystic light emerged, reinforcing each boulder into indestructible projectiles.

It had summoned a total of twenty-seven boulders, flying like magic artifacts, relentlessly pursuing Xiao Chen.

Thankfully, the Zongdi Jinguang was extremely agile. If it were anyone else, they'd already be buried.

From the looks of it, unless the Mutated Spirit Tortoise exhausted its mana, it would be difficult to kill.

But that was obviously unrealistic—it would take far too long.

"This one really is as stubborn as a turtle."

Xiao Chen kept dodging and attacking, trying various techniques with little effect.

This situation made him both happy and anxious.

The happier part was—the stronger the Mutated Spirit Tortoise, the more potent its Internal Elixir, and the greater the benefits he'd gain.

The anxious part was—acquiring that Internal Elixir was no easy task.

Truthfully, Xiao Chen could still retreat now and simply escape.

After all, the Mutated Spirit Tortoise couldn't catch him.

But he had no intention of abandoning that Internal Elixir.

Half a watch (about 1.5 hours) later, Xiao Chen decisively chose temporary retreat to avoid detection by Golden Core yao beasts.

He then joined the other two in hiding inside a nearby cave, brainstorming new strategies.

Actually, it was mostly Xiao Chen thinking, as the other two were at a loss against the Mutated Spirit Tortoise.

Xiao Chen rummaged through his storage bag, carefully considering if there were any useful treasures.

In terms of destructive power, he did have several Demon Cultivation Techniques.

But cultivating them from scratch would take too much time.

Fortunately, since he hadn't yet gone to the Black Market, he found a special small cauldron.

Inside remained some blood-red spirit wine, still emitting a faint fragrance.

The scent alone was enough to make one crave a sip.

This was Dongfang Xingzhe's legacy—a tool meant to control Xiao Chen.

If there was anything that could handle the Mutated Spirit Tortoise, it would be this.

"Senior Brother Qi, you're more familiar with taming yao beasts."

Xiao Chen asked, "If I want to poison that tortoise, do you have any good ideas?"

Qi Xingwen, who had been curious about the spirit wine, immediately held his breath. "Junior Brother Xiao, is this spirit wine the poison?"

Song Jingyi beside him was startled too. He had almost been entranced by the fragrance earlier.

Now realizing the scent itself was problematic, he suddenly understood.

Who would've thought Xiao Chen, already a False Core cultivator, carried such an exotic poison?

So young, yet so cunning... no, so deeply calculating.

Could it be that he had anticipated this problem beforehand?

"It could be considered poison, I guess."

Xiao Chen wasn't entirely sure about the blood wine's classification. "Either way, drinking it won't do any good."

"We're already here—why not test it out?"

Qi Xingwen thought carefully. "This spirit wine's fragrance is naturally enticing. No need for additional bait powder."

"But we should change the container to prevent the yao beast from detecting it."

Xiao Chen pressed, "That's it? No other preparations needed?"

"I've heard yao beasts are intelligent. Some even have wisdom rivaling humans."

"Wouldn't they be cautious about unknown spiritual elixirs?"

Qi Xingwen waved his hand. "Junior Brother Xiao overestimates them. Foundation-Formed spirit beasts have some intelligence, but aside from foxes, monkeys, and similar races, most aren't that smart."

"Besides, in this remote wilderness, they have no opportunity to learn."

"A simple disguise will suffice to fool them."

The "simple disguise" meant sealing the blood wine in a closed container, then catching a spirit fish upstream and stuffing it inside.

When the Mutated Spirit Tortoise feeds on spirit fish in the river, it naturally doesn’t bother to slit open their bellies for inspection—it simply swallows them whole. As long as the fish are digested, the poison will naturally seep out. To prevent any spirit fish from slipping through, we can station someone downstream to monitor.

“I see! Thank you, Fellow Cultivator Qi, for pointing this out,” said Xiao Chen, immediately adopting the plan. “In that case, let’s try it tomorrow.”

“If we truly manage to take down the Mutated Spirit Tortoise, I won’t claim anything except the Internal Elixir afterward.”

For Xiao Chen, who already possessed several top-grade defense magic artifacts, these materials were practically useless. He decided to give them to the two cultivators instead, encouraging them to put in more effort. One would guard downstream while the other blocked upstream, creating a dual-pronged approach to maximize their chances.

However, the next day passed without the Mutated Spirit Tortoise emerging from the valley.

“Hmph, this cowardly shell-back,” Xiao Chen muttered, feeling slightly frustrated. How should they proceed? They couldn’t very well toss the fish into the valley—it would be too obvious.

“Cultivator Xiao, there’s no need to rush,” Qi Xingwen reassured. “Perhaps it was merely startled. It’ll return once hunger drives it out.”

His judgment proved correct. Two days later, the Mutated Spirit Tortoise reappeared, swimming into the river to feed. Xiao Chen and his companions sprang into action. Song Jingyi went upstream to catch a fresh spirit fish, carving a mark on its body before stuffing a wooden vial of blood wine into its belly. The fish was then released back into the river.

Before long, Xiao Chen, stationed downstream, spotted the marked spirit fish.

“Fellow Cultivator Qi, I’ll deliver the fish—rely on you to keep watch from here,” he said, swiftly carrying the fish in a wide arc back upstream. To be thorough, he caught another species of spirit fish, marked it anew, and released it as well. As for the original fish, since it had already come this far, Xiao Chen cleaned it on the spot and sliced it into raw fillets with his Flying Sword. Though the flesh was ordinary without seasoning, its freshness was unparalleled.

This time, the baiting plan succeeded. The Mutated Spirit Tortoise, as Qi Xingwen predicted, gulped down the fish—and the wooden vial inside—without hesitation. It naturally sensed the vial but dismissed it as mere wood, something easily digested. What puzzled it was the sudden scarcity of spirit fish that day.

Alas, nothing ever goes perfectly.

The blood wine’s effects were indeed potent, but the problem was—this concoction wasn’t a poison at all. Dongfang Xingzhe wasn’t here to kill; his mission was to sow chaos. The vial contained no toxins, only a substance that would induce madness, transforming victims into tireless killing puppets. Yet its quality was impeccable. Despite the passage of time, it still drove the Mutated Spirit Tortoise into a frenzied state.

The beast swelled again, growing even larger than before. Its millstone-sized eyes turned crimson, then purplish-red, as it charged upstream, attacking all living things indiscriminately. Fortunately, Song Jingyi’s spirit elixir masked their auras effectively.

But Xiao Chen watched helplessly as the tortoise vanished into the upper reaches of the river. It didn’t return by evening, and by all appearances, it wouldn’t be coming back.

“Cultivator Xiao, this is actually good news—we can enter the valley and retrieve the turtle eggs now,” Song Jingyi said optimistically. “Either way, this major threat is gone.”

Xiao Chen disagreed. “Letting it escape means my blood wine was wasted. I’ll go check what happened.”

“Cultivator Xiao, stay calm!” Song Jingyi pleaded, his face anxious. “If you go farther, you’ll enter the golden core yao beast’s territory. Don’t risk it! We came for turtle eggs—why invite more danger?”

Xiao Chen smiled faintly. “Don’t worry, Song Fellow Cultivator. I know my limits—I won’t do anything reckless. I’ve prepared self-defense measures. You and Fellow Cultivator Qi wait in the cave for two days. I’ll return soon.”

With the night’s blade, even a solo encounter with a golden core yao beast posed no fatal risk. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have agreed to this mission in the first place. After battling the Mutated Spirit Tortoise and wasting days waiting, he needed to see the outcome for himself.

“Cultivator Xiao, take these two spirit elixirs to mask your aura,” Song Jingyi urged.

“Understood. Thank you.”

Following the ground’s conspicuous trail northward for over 300 li, Xiao Chen found the Mutated Spirit Tortoise lying dead, its belly torn open. Beside it was a faint plum-blossom-shaped footprint, the smallest “petal” as large as a washbasin. Strangely, there were no signs of struggle—no wounds on the tortoise’s body, only a single tear from neck to belly. Six feet away, an emerald-green pine stood undamaged.

Xiao Chen imagined a golden core cloud leopard or hunting cat leaping before the tortoise, striking with a simple claw swipe powered by sheer physical strength, killing it in an instant. The tortoise had no time to react.

A black-veined Internal Elixir lay nearby, exuding a faint dark aura. The blood wine had tainted it, and the cleverer golden core yao beast had abandoned the suspicious elixir, leaving it behind.

“But I won’t be so picky. A little poison won’t stop me—it’s still a treasure,” Xiao Chen muttered, snatching the elixir. As his hand touched it, a black mist surged into his veins, racing toward his heart—only to dissipate harmlessly. The elixir’s dark patterns marked it as a corrupted yao beast’s core, but its residual mana remained abundant.

He stored the elixir in a Storage Box, then used his Flying Sword to remove the tortoise’s shell. Without mana, the shell softened, easily sliced by a top-grade spirit sword.

As he lifted the shell, Xiao Chen suddenly felt two warm breaths on his back, accompanied by a primal, wild presence.

He turned slowly. A massive golden-furred tiger crouched behind him, its yellow-and-black striped fur gleaming, long white whiskers trembling with each breath. Emerald-green pupils, sharp and alert, studied him with an almost human curiosity.

Though he had the night’s blade, Xiao Chen’s heart raced. He stood no more than three feet from the beast. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the space between them, as if time froze. The forest fell silent, all sounds muffled, leaving only their locked gazes.

Xiao Chen inhaled deeply, storing the shell in his bag. He smiled faintly, extending his hand to stroke the tiger’s thick whisker—thicker than his forearm. “Hello.”

The next instant, he activated the night’s blade, his form blurring.

Looks like the local yao beasts lacked manners.

As the saying goes, a smile invites no harm. Yet this beast turned hostile in a heartbeat.

No time to dwell on that now. Xiao Chen fled, channeling zongdi jinguang to hasten his escape over a hundred li before hiding in a rock crevice. He sprinkled Song Jingyi’s spirit elixir around, concealing his aura for a full twelve hours until the night’s blade recovered. Only then did he return, using the sealing Xue technique to mask his presence.

Back at the valley’s cave, Song Jingyi and Qi Xingwen had waited eighteen hours.

“Fellow Cultivator Qi, what now?”

“You ask me now? Why didn’t you stop Cultivator Xiao earlier?”

“I tried! He wouldn’t listen!” Song Jingyi protested. “He’s a false core senior—he wouldn’t heed me!”

“Let’s retrieve the turtle eggs ourselves,” Qi Xingwen suggested.

Qi shook his head. “From what I know of earth-storing spirit tortoises, there are at least four females left inside. We won’t manage alone. Let’s wait for Cultivator Xiao.”

Song opened his mouth, then sighed. “Sigh… I wonder when Cultivator Xiao will return.”

In his view, Xiao Chen underestimated the Wanyao Mountain Range’s dangers. Surviving here required preemptive evasion—once a golden core yao beast appeared, escape became impossible.

What a pity for such a young false core cultivator.

Yet as this thought surfaced, a familiar voice echoed outside.

“Cultivator Song! Fellow Cultivator Qi! I’m back!”

Song burst from the cave. “Cultivator Xiao! Thank the heavens you’re safe!”

Qi followed. “Cultivator Xiao, are you unharmed?”

“Of course,” Xiao Chen replied, producing the shell. “Here’s the tortoise shell I promised you.”

“Unfortunately, the other beast parts were tainted, so I didn’t take them.”

Staring at the massive shell, they froze.

Xiao Chen had ventured north, risking his life to retrieve this shell for them? Even an unexpected crisis wouldn’t have forced such a choice. Yet he’d gone, fulfilling a minor promise.

Such noble integrity revealed his true character—his words were as good as his actions!

“Let’s go retrieve those turtle eggs,” Xiao Chen said, setting down the shell with an easy smile. “We’ve wasted enough time. It’s time to return.”

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end