Thunder Turtle

The Storm Belt was utterly devoid of light. Qin Sang flew forward entirely alone, with no one to speak to. It was as if he were the sole creature left between heaven and earth. Howling storms and the eerie Demonic Voice of the Heavenly Dao surrounded him, making him feel as though he were trapped in the Avici Hell, enveloped by an endless solitude that seemed to have no horizon. Speeding amidst the tempest, Qin Sang appeared minuscule and frail, like an insignificant black speck against a towering grey curtain. Any single gale possessed the might to swallow him whole and drag him into the unknown. His silhouette flickered in and out of sight. Just as he seemed on the verge of being consumed by a gale, he would invariably emerge ahead the very next moment after it swept past. He had not been swept away at all, but had brushed past the gale by a hair's breadth, his movement technique refined to the utmost pinnacle. Back then, when he and Liuli had navigated the Storm Belt aboard the Ten Directions Earth-Cleaving Divine Shuttle, they had not dared to be so bold. Only a Deity Transformation cultivator could move with such effortless ease. Such maneuvers had been repeated countless times, becoming second nature to Qin Sang. Most of his focus, however, was not on dodging gales. Raising his right arm horizontally before his chest, a spirit sword the size of a dagger darted about his fingertips—the Grey Warbler Sword. The Grey Warbler Sword was as elusive as its master. Whenever the sword's phantom silhouette vanished, a small patch of space in Qin Sang's palm would suddenly turn nebulous and indistinct, flecked with twinkling starlight, as if he held a miniature starry sky in his hand. Clearly, Qin Sang was contemplating the Seven Mansions Division Sword Formation. The starry sky in his palm was merely an anomaly manifested during his comprehension, yet one could already see that it had become far more complete than when he had trapped and slain the demon Great Sage, already taking on a profound, boundless aura. Over these twenty years, apart from the time spent meditating to recover his strength, he had not wasted a single moment. He had taken turns studying and meditating upon various secret arts and techniques, making progress in each. However, his physique was still not strong enough. The Seven Masters Buddhist Seal and the Inner Lion Seal offered little immediate boost to his combat prowess, unlike the Seven Mansions Division Sword Formation, which could yield instant results. Thus, Qin Sang prioritized comprehending the sword formation. The sword's silhouette flickered. Qin Sang observed the recurring birth and demise of the stars, savoring the profound wonders of the formation's shifts. Just as he was about to lose himself in it, an abrupt tremor gripped his mind, startling him awake on the spot. His expression changed slightly, a sharp gleam bursting in his eyes as he jerked his head up. The surrounding scenery offered nothing unusual. Everywhere his gaze fell, grey gales tightly hemmed him in. Between heaven and earth, the distant void was a pitch-black abyss; the colossal waves churned up by the gales were the only tangible things he could see. Let alone human silhouettes, birds, or marine beasts—not even a single island was in sight. Where had that warning tremor come from? Qin Sang gazed ahead for a long while. Seeming to sense something, his expression grew solemn, yet he did not stop, merely reining in his aura a little more. Before long, amidst the deafening howl of the wind, the faint rumblings of thunder drifted toward him. Thunder was by no means rare here. Since time immemorial, wind and thunder had always accompanied each other. Over the years, Qin Sang had frequently seen dragon- and serpent-like lightning gallop across the storms. But this thunder was different from heavenly thunder! The instant he heard the rumble, Qin Sang's heart gave a violent thump. A chill crept down his spine, and he felt an instinctive sense of threat! "Could it be a fierce beast?" Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly. This was his twenty-fourth year inside the Storm Belt, and the first time he had detected traces of a fierce beast—perhaps because he was drawing ever closer to Guixu. Back then, the two Deity Transformation cultivators had spearheaded the hunt for fierce beasts to search their souls after slaying them. However, the beasts had lost their sanity, driven completely mad by the Demonic Voice of the Heavenly Dao, and no useful information was obtained. It had proven that provoking fierce beasts was hardly worth the effort. Yet Qin Sang had always believed in seeing for himself. If possible, he very much wanted to hunt a fierce beast with his own hands, ideally capturing it alive. Hunting fierce beasts in the Storm Belt was inherently disadvantageous for cultivators. It was vast distances away from the cultivation world, with no sanctuaries nearby, so one dared not go all-out in combat. Especially now that the Heavenly Dao had undergone changes and fierce beasts roamed everywhere, one had to reserve ample strength to handle unexpected crises. Qin Sang had one crucial advantage over Saint Huiguang and Saint King Qinghu: the jade Buddha shielded him from the corruption of the Demonic Voice of the Heavenly Dao, sparing him many concerns. He suddenly halted in midair, mused for a moment, and summoned forth his Second Nascent Soul, reconstituting his external incarnation. It was not to have the external incarnation assist in the battle. Even before laying eyes on the fierce beast, Qin Sang could sense a formidable threat—at least at the Deity Transformation level. His external incarnation had not yet returned to its peak strength; it would be best for it to keep watch along the perimeter, confirm that there was no second beast nearby, and wait for an opportune moment to strike. The external incarnation nodded toward the true body, summoned the Snow-Treading Divine Saber, held a demonic banner in his other hand, and flew off in another direction. With a blur, Qin Sang streaked straight toward the direction of the rumbling thunder. The thunder grew clearer and clearer. Finally, Qin Sang heard it distinctly. This was no thunder at all—it was unmistakably the roar of a fierce beast! Yet, as he drew closer, he discovered that there truly was lightning. Amidst the murky tempest, a brilliant sphere of thunder and lightning shone conspicuously. Qin Sang channeled his Heavenly Eye divine ability to its limit and at last discerned the fierce beast at the center of the lightning. This fierce beast's innate divine ability was definitely linked to thunder and lightning, with bolts constantly arcing around it. Its shape resembled a turtle, its body circular, yet it was far more colossal than any demon turtle Qin Sang had ever seen. Its neck was long and slender, looking like a serpent growing out of a carapace. It possessed no limbs or flippers, only a short, pointed tail. Looking more closely, he realized it actually had no carapace; instead, silvery-white lightning wove into a mesh across its body, forming an armor of thunder. Qin Sang recalled that ancient records he had perused mentioned a similar fierce beast. Though not a true demon turtle, predecessors had named it the Thunder Turtle due to its appearance. Unfortunately, there was no detailed description of its divine abilities, only noting that with every breath it spawned thunder, moving as swiftly as lightning with unmatched might, impossible to confront through sheer force alone. However, the Thunder Turtle before Qin Sang was somewhat different. Qin Sang noticed that a large chunk was missing from its round body. At the gap, only lightning crackled; the flesh was torn away, visibly a wound that looked as if a massive bite had been ripped out of it. It was a wound severe enough to be fatal, yet this Thunder Turtle was still lively and vigorous; it had to be an old injury. Fortunately, it was an old wound; otherwise, Qin Sang would have had to consider retreating immediately. Even facing this wounded Thunder Turtle, he still felt immense pressure and dared not slacken his vigilance. To wound the Thunder Turtle to such an extent, just how powerful had the other beast been? Guixu truly was a dragon's den and tiger's lair! Sighing inwardly with emotion, Qin Sang hesitated no longer and charged straight toward the Thunder Turtle! It was difficult to conceal one's tracks completely inside the Storm Belt. As Qin Sang drew close, the Thunder Turtle quickly detected him. *Crack!* A sudden clap of thunder exploded. It was the roar of the Thunder Turtle. Its slender head whipped around abruptly, its blood-red eyes flashing with madness and murderous intent. In an instant, Qin Sang's vision was swallowed by a dazzling sea of silver-white lightning. A sharp premonition of danger welled up. With a shift of thought, black fire erupted around him as he triggered the fire lotus without hesitation, activating the Mani Bead's astral fire barrier. Qin Sang's figure disappeared, leaving behind a sphere of black flames in his place. The astral fire barrier and the lightning stood in stark contrast—one pitch black, one stark white. *Boom!* A bolt of lightning smashed viciously onto the astral fire barrier. The barrier shuddered ceaselessly, and tiny wisps of flame were scattered by the impact, but demonic fire immediately replenished them, holding the lightning firmly at bay! Sheltered inside the astral fire barrier, Qin Sang shot back a thousand zhang in an instant. He remained unharmed, yet the peril had far from passed. Before the lightning could dissipate, a dark shadow burst out from the glare. The Thunder Turtle arrived before Qin Sang almost simultaneously with the bolt, its horrifying physical frame accompanied by wildly violent thunder and lightning, leaving no doubt that it could crush anything in its path. What was even more terrifying was that as the Thunder Turtle charged, heaven and earth seemed to press in as well. Despite the blinding radiance of the lightning, it illuminated only the area around the turtle itself. Its body was like a colossal millstone forged of heavenly thunder, exuding a horrifying pressure. The howling of the storm was completely drowned out by earth-shattering thunder. Like a mountain collapsing, it inspired dread and terror, and Qin Sang seemed like a mere ant at the foot of that mountain! Qin Sang's gaze flickered; he did not choose to clash head-on with the Thunder Turtle. The flames dimmed, and then another streak of lightning appeared. Just as the Thunder Turtle bore down, this lightning surged in the opposite direction at a speed no less formidable—it was Qin Sang's Thunder Escape technique! With his breakthrough in cultivation and the enhancement of his physical body, Qin Sang was now able to withstand the backlash of the Green Luan's thunderous might. Unleashing his escape technique with full force, his speed was naturally incomparable to the past, likely unmatched among peers of the same realm. The lightning shot out of the battlefield in a flash, disappearing into the depths of the vast storm. Yet even such blistering speed failed to shake off the Thunder Turtle. The Thunder Turtle had already succumbed to madness. Once it locked onto a prey, it would never let go. Dragging its massive bulk, it transformed into a pillar of thunder several times larger than Qin Sang's lightning bolt, exceptionally ferocious, hot in pursuit. Qin Sang's heart sank. This Thunder Turtle truly lived up to its nature as a beast born of thunder; even carrying injuries, it possessed such terrifying power. Unless he could trigger an instinctive dread within it, shaking it off would be nearly impossible. However, since he had dared to reveal himself, he was mentally prepared. The Thunder Turtle's madness and loss of reason were its greatest weaknesses. At this thought, Qin Sang reached out with his mind to direct the Grey Warbler Sword and silently invoked sword incantations. Amidst the murky tempest, two streaks of thunder raced after one another. Suddenly, the smaller lightning bolt ahead vanished into thin air. Immediately after, the surrounding space seemed draped in a shroud of shadow, turning even darker and more desolate than outside, swallowing the trailing thunderbolt within as well. The Seven Mansions Division Sword Formation! At this moment, however, Qin Sang had merely spread out the sword formation without unleashing its true might, revealing not a glimmer of starlight. Any cultivator of the same realm would have had alarms blaring in their mind at such a moment and would never have allowed themselves to be enveloped by a sword formation, let alone plunged in willingly. Yet the Thunder Turtle's mind was consumed by madness and bloodlust; feeling no fatal threat, it barged straight in without the slightest hesitation—just like the giant ray that had been lured into the Five Elements Grand Formation years ago. The moment it fell into the formation, the scenery around the Thunder Turtle shifted drastically. The ubiquitous storm vanished, its prey disappeared, and one sword star after another rose into being all around. Within the sword formation, Qin Sang split off seven sword souls to garrison the Seven Mansions, while his true body remained concealed somewhere unseen. Silently observing the Thunder Turtle, he drove the sword formation; dots of starlight converged into a river, and the entire starry sky revolved around the Thunder Turtle. *Whoosh!* A sword star quivered and transformed into a sharp sword, lunging toward the Thunder Turtle with razor-sharp sword intent. *Boom!* The Thunder Turtle roared violently. Possessing no patience to search for flaws in the formation, it simply acted on impulse, spitting out a sphere of thunder that hurtled straight toward the sword star. In the next instant, the sphere of thunder and the sword star collided midair. Starlight and lightning detonated with a tremendous roar, as if a blazing sun had ignited in the night sky, dazzling and magnificent. Immediately following with a guttural roar, the Thunder Turtle proved ferociously savage. Its massive bulk appeared right at the site of the explosion, charging straight over the blazing sun and flattening the shockwaves. Only its thunder armor trembled slightly; no fresh wounds appeared on its flesh. Inside the sword formation, Qin Sang stood upon a sword star, witnessing this clearly. Marveling inwardly at the Thunder Turtle's ferocity, he waved his sleeve, preparing to guide more sword stars to slay his foe, when his expression suddenly flickered. Hastily switching sword incantations, his figure dissolved into nothingness. At that moment, the Thunder Turtle was rampaging through the river of stars like a meteor forged of lightning. Wherever it passed, sword stars were displaced and the starry expanse shook, vividly demonstrating how sheer brute force could overpower all finesse. Just moments ago, the Thunder Turtle had abruptly changed direction and charged straight toward Qin Sang's true body! Qin Sang's expression darkened slightly. Relying entirely on instinct, the Thunder Turtle had somehow seen past his sword-soul avatars and pinpointed the location of his true body within the formation so quickly. This was partly because he had spent too little time studying it and his mastery remained shallow, having yet to fully grasp all the profound subtleties of the sword formation. In executing his moves, he had inadvertently leaked a trace of his presence—after all, forming an entire array by oneself required juggling far too many aspects. But it also demonstrated just how sharp the Thunder Turtle's spiritual sense was. Before it was wounded, it must have been at least at the mid Deity Transformation stage! *Boom!* The sword star Qin Sang had just been standing on was engulfed by a pillar of silvery-white light and shattered to pieces on the spot. In its place appeared the Thunder Turtle, its slender head swinging wildly as it searched for its prey. It failed to notice that even as it smashed the sword star, the starry sky shifted. Having invested so much effort into comprehending the Seven Mansions Division Sword Formation, Qin Sang naturally had far more up his sleeve. Many of its variations had yet to be displayed, and this was another layer. Qin Sang's true body shifted continually among the seven sword souls, not merely to remain hidden. Different enemies called for different strategies. The auras of the seven sword souls manifested at the locations of the Seven Mansions, each appearing utterly authentic. How had the prey multiplied into so many? A look of confusion flashed in the Thunder Turtle's eyes as its head swung frantically. But madness robbed it of reason, and it instantly lunged toward the aura nearest to it. Everything unfolded within Qin Sang's expectations. With a flicker of his thoughts, the starry sky transposed and the array shifted dramatically. The Thunder Turtle had pounced toward the Kui Mansion. The Kui Mansion remained stationary while Qin Sang rearranged the remaining six mansions to surround it completely. The Thunder Turtle fell into the core of the starry river. Above its head, the stars spun and abruptly blazed with blinding brilliance. Dazzling starlight gathered together, intangibly condensing into a sword of light above the turtle that plunged straight down! *Crack!* As expected, the sword star occupied by the targeted sword-soul avatar was smashed to smithereens, but the formation's momentum had already culminated in the sword of light. With world-shaking sword intent and unmatched sharpness, the sword of light descended. The Thunder Turtle roared madly, lightning bursting around it as its thunder armor ballooned outward. *Boom!* The shockwaves formed a ring of light sweeping in all directions. All the sword stars belonging to the Kui Mansion trembled violently, as though on the verge of collapse. Any other enemy might have used this opportunity to spy out a flaw in the formation and break free. But this was a Thunder Turtle steeped in madness. Even before the shockwaves subsided, Qin Sang's aura surfaced elsewhere in the array. The Thunder Turtle's attention was instantly diverted; with a roar, it wheeled around and charged toward another mansion. In the starry expanse, swords of light condensed one after another. The purpose of this was not merely to gradually whittle down the Thunder Turtle's strength. Qin Sang was quietly activating the Poison Pearl. While the swords of light struck, poisonous light split off and merged into the blades. Upon collision, it seeped past the thunder armor, quietly invading the Thunder Turtle's open wound.