231: Attacked on the way

Gao De transformed into a streak of Purple Lightning Escape Light, rapidly moving through the waters of the Qian River tributaries, his heart eager to return.

Although the trip to the Dragon Palace was fraught with peril, the rewards were immense. Not only did his Cultivation subtly advance under the nourishment of life-and-death combat and the yimu azure dragon pearl, but he also carried abundant resources and secrets that would make any power envious.

He urgently needed to return to Qianjiao Cliff to enter seclusion and digest his gains. At the same time, he needed to quickly find out how Turtle Three Thousand, Green Edge, and the others had managed the Water Mansion and Lesser Qingqiu during his absence.

To save time, he did not follow the wide waterway he had taken on the way there, choosing instead a shorter shortcut.

This waterway required him to traverse the edge of an ancient water region within the Yunmeng Marsh.

This area was a vast complex of wetlands and lakes, older and more mysterious than the Qian River basin.

Legend has it that it connects to numerous ancient Water Eyes, preserves many ruins from lost eras, and its Spiritual Qi is exceptionally abundant yet chaotic. It is inhabited by countless powerful and strange Aquatic Races and Yao Beasts, including some exotic species that have survived since antiquity.

Because it lies within the Yunmeng Great Marsh, the environment is complex and full of hidden dangers. Even the Qianjiang Dragon Palace only holds nominal jurisdiction over it, with limited actual control. Ordinary Aquatic Races dare not venture deep within.

Relying on his Fourth-Rank Flood Dragon Cultivation, and having just survived a perilous place like the Dragon Palace, Gao De was bold due to his skill. Coupled with his eagerness to return, he decided to cut straight across the edge of this area, figuring that as long as he didn't delve into the core, he should be fine relying on his Dragon Might and Escape Speed.

Initially, everything went smoothly.

Although the edge waters of the Yunmeng Marsh had turbulent undercurrents, dense aquatic plants, and mottled Spiritual Qi, they presented no major obstacle to Gao De.

He restrained his form, only revealing the Aura Pressure of the Early Fourth Stage, which was enough to deter most low-rank Yao Beasts who couldn't recognize danger, yet not so ostentatious.

However, perhaps the previous trip to the Dragon Palace had stirred up his Luck, or perhaps the residual Demonic Dragon Qi from the Dragon Transformation Pool had not been completely cleansed. In this ancient water region, which was more sensitive and strictly adhered to the primitive Law of the jungle, trouble still found him.

Just as Gao De flew above a dense reed marsh shrouded in mist, where visibility was extremely low, a sudden change occurred!

“Screeech—!!!”

A sharp cry, piercing metal and splitting stone, filled with arrogance and violent Qi, suddenly came from the thick mist and clouds above!

Immediately afterward, a terrifying, unparalleled Demonic Qi, sharp enough to tear the sky, pressed down like a storm, locking firmly onto Gao De!

Gao De's heart sank abruptly, and he looked up.

He saw the thick fog ripped apart by a hurricane, revealing a massive creature!

It was a gigantic bird covered entirely in dark golden feathers, with a wingspan exceeding a hundred zhang!

Its beak was like a curved hook, shining with metallic cold light. Its eyes were sharp as lightning, and every glance carried a fierce might that looked down upon the world.

Most astonishing were its talons, thick as pillars, with razor-sharp tips that emitted a heart-stopping power capable of tearing through the void!

Its aura had clearly reached the Late Fourth Stage, and it was a fierce raptor type of Yao King, specializing in speed and attack!

A Golden-Winged Great Peng! And one with a rather pure Bloodline, a descendant of the Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird that had reached the Late Fourth Stage of Cultivation!

"A Flood Dragon? And an injured one at that? Haha, Heaven helps me! If I devour the Essence Blood of this mudskipper, This King might be able to recover the losses from the last time I tried to break through the Bottleneck, or even advance further!" The Golden-Winged Great Peng spoke human language, its voice like clashing metal, filled with greed and excitement.

It clearly regarded Gao De as injured, isolated prey that could be easily captured.

Gao De's expression turned grim.

He had not yet recovered his full strength. Facing a Golden-Winged Great Peng at the Late Fourth Stage in its prime, he had absolutely no chance of winning a direct confrontation!

Especially since the opponent held the aerial advantage and was extremely fast. Even if he dove underwater, given the Golden-Winged Great Peng's ability to control wind and water, it would likely be difficult to shake it off completely.

"Esteemed Peng King, I was merely passing through and meant no offense. Please allow me safe passage." Gao De tried to negotiate, while secretly activating his Dragon Origin. The purple scale earth-shaking armor shimmered faintly, and the thunder fang formation-breaking halberd was ready to strike.

"Passing through? Entering This King's hunting ground means you are This King's food! Enough nonsense! Die!" The Golden-Winged Great Peng was utterly ferocious and refused to listen. It flapped its wings, instantly stirring up a fierce gale, and countless cyan wind blades, condensed into solid forms, shot toward Gao De like a torrent of rain!

At the same time, its body transformed into a golden bolt of lightning, its sharp talons aiming straight for Gao De's head, moving with blinding speed!

"You go too far!" Gao De roared, knowing there was no peaceful resolution.

He retreated rapidly while swinging the thunder fang formation-breaking halberd, cleaving out several streaks of purple-gold thunder-flame halberd light, which collided with the sky-filling wind blades, erupting in continuous massive rumbles.

The purple scale earth-shaking armor glowed with dark light, forcefully enduring a few stray wind blades, emitting a clangorous sound.

However, the Golden-Winged Great Peng's speed was simply too fast!

The moment the first wave of attacks was blocked, its massive golden talons were already upon him!

Before the talons even arrived, the terrifying sharpness of the Qi made Gao De's skin prickle with pain.

"Thunder Prison, suppress!" Left with no choice, Gao De activated part of the prison dragon talisman's power, setting up a small net of lightning above his head.

At the same time, his body rapidly plummeted, trying to hide in the murky water below.

"Screech!" The Golden-Winged Great Peng's sharp talons easily tore through the hastily deployed lightning net. Although slightly slowed, they still fiercely slashed toward Gao De's back!

"Clang—!"

A deafening crash! The purple scale earth-shaking armor erupted with intense dark light, forcefully blocking the strike!

However, Gao De was shaken by the immense force, causing his Qi and blood to churn. His throat tasted sweet, and he nearly spat blood, his body slammed down like a meteor toward the reed marsh below!

"What a hard shell! Let's see how many times you can block me!" A hint of surprise flashed in the Golden-Winged Great Peng's eyes, quickly followed by greater excitement. It flapped its wings again, sending countless golden feathers shooting down like Flying Swords, covering all of Gao De's escape routes!

Simultaneously, it dove again, its sharp talons aimed straight at Gao De!

Gao De inwardly groaned. Having fallen into a disadvantage, he could only grit his teeth and endure the assault.

He frantically circulated his Dragon Origin, pushing the purple scale earth-shaking armor to its limit, wielding the thunder fang formation-breaking halberd in an impenetrable defense. At the same time, he secretly prepared to use the life force of the yimu azure dragon pearl to heal his injuries and look for a chance to flee.

However, the Golden-Winged Great Peng's attacks were like a fierce storm, giving him no chance to catch his breath.

After several rounds, Gao De was in dire straits. Several deep claw marks were left on the purple scale earth-shaking armor, his internal organs were injured by the vibrations, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

If not for his extensive combat experience and excellent equipment, he would likely have been torn to shreds already.

"I can't drag this out any longer!" A fierce look flashed in Gao De's eyes. He prepared to use his ultimate hidden method: directly detonating the Poison Bead he had collected in the Blood Pool. Even if it meant exposing some trump cards, he had to fight desperately, or try to severely wound the opponent before escaping.

Just at this critical moment—

From the depths of the seemingly calm, murky reed marsh below, from the bottom of the muddy swamp, a profoundly muffled roar, as if originating from the depths of the earth, suddenly sounded without warning!

“Hoo-aang—!!!”

This roar was not high-pitched, but carried an indescribable sense of profound weight, desolation, and... inviolable majesty!

The moment the sound rang out, the entire water region at the edge of the Yunmeng Marsh seemed to pause slightly. Even the violent wind blades and golden feathers froze for an instant!

Immediately after, the muddiest part of the swamp in the center of the reed marsh violently bulged upward!

Sludge splashed everywhere, and waves surged sky-high!

A shadow too vast to imagine slowly emerged from the depths of the swamp!

It was a gigantic tortoise, resembling a mountain range!

Its carapace was deep profound-black, not smooth, but covered in countless rugged, menacing, strange bone spurs and protrusions that seemed to bear the weight of endless years and heavy mountains. Complex, ancient patterns were naturally etched onto the shell, resembling a map of mountains and rivers.

Its head was neither quite eagle nor quite tortoise, and atop its head grew a pair of thick, bony horns curved backward like old tree roots. Its eyes were murky yet profound, like ancient pools.

Its four limbs were thick as celestial pillars, covered in heavy greenish-black scales.

The most peculiar feature was its tail: instead of a tortoise tail, there were three long, scaled tails resembling giant pythons, each tipped with a barb!

Its size was hundreds of times larger than the Golden-Winged Great Peng with its hundred-zhang wingspan!

The portion merely visible above the swamp was like a moving small island!

The aura it emitted was deep as the sea, heavy as a mountain, and even... more ancient and profound!

The moment this aura appeared, the movements of the arrogant and overbearing Golden-Winged Great Peng in the air abruptly froze!

It was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. All its dark golden feathers slightly bristled, and for the first time, its eyes revealed astonishment, suspicion, and a hint of... undisguised fear!

"Th-this aura... could it be..." The Golden-Winged Great Peng's voice trembled slightly. It seemed to recognize the entity, and its attacking posture involuntarily receded, hinting at a desire to retreat.

Gao De's heart was also violently shaken!

This figure... he hadn't encountered it for the first time!

Although it was countless times weaker and more obscure than the one in his memory, the profound weight, desolation, and indifference that overlooked all living beings—originating from the level of life Origin—were exactly the same!

It was it! That terrifying existence he had glimpsed far away in the depths of the Yunmeng Great Marsh, which carried mountains on its back, hunted Fourth-Rank Desolate Beasts, and nearly froze his Soul—the Fifth-Rank Desolate Beast, the Mysterious Tortoise!

How could it be here?! Was the Yunmeng Great Marsh... one of its territories or habitats?

The Mysterious Tortoise seemed to have just been awakened from a deep slumber by the external battle fluctuations.

It slowly raised its massive head, its murky gaze first sweeping over the Golden-Winged Great Peng in the air—who looked like it was facing a great enemy, its feathers trembling slightly. That gaze was calm and waveless, yet it sent a cold chill through the Peng's Bloodline, as if it had been targeted by a natural predator.

Then, the Mysterious Tortoise's gaze shifted slightly, landing on the heavily injured Gao De below, whose aura was in disarray.

The moment their eyes met, Gao De clearly felt that the depths of the Mysterious Tortoise's ancient, waveless eyes seemed to... ripple ever so slightly.

That was not the scrutiny directed at prey, nor was it displeasure toward an intruder. Instead, it was an extremely subtle expression of... doubt and confirmation, as if it had spotted some "familiar trace"?

Gao De instantly recalled that he not only possessed the flood dragon bloodline but also Cultivated the Purple Heaven Dragon Transformation Art, had just undergone the baptism of the Dragon Transformation Pool, still had residual prison dragon talisman Qi on him, and perhaps even a trace of Karma related to the Dragon Clan from previous encounters... Could these things have attracted the attention of the Mysterious Tortoise, which might have previously interacted with similar existences or powers?

This situation had not occurred the last time they met.

The Mysterious Tortoise's gaze lingered on Gao De for less than a breath before returning to the Golden-Winged Great Peng.

That gaze became calm and indifferent again, but the implication within it was now different—it had shifted from mere annoyance at being disturbed to the detached disposal of prey.

It slowly opened its massive mouth.

There was no earth-shaking roar, no burst of energy.

Only a terrifying "devouring suction" force, seemingly originating from the Origin of the earth and acting upon the Law level, silently enveloped the space where the Golden-Winged Great Peng was located!

The Golden-Winged Great Peng let out a shriek of extreme terror. It struggled desperately, unleashing all its Demonic Power, frantically flapping its wings, even burning its Essence Blood, trying to break free.

However, in the face of that power, which felt as if the entire swamp and the earth beneath them had come alive to consume it, all struggles were futile.

Its body was restrained and compressed by an invisible force, like an insect trapped in amber, watching helplessly as it was uncontrollably drawn toward that abyss-like maw.

"No—! Old Ancestor, spare my life! Junior did not know this was your resting place! Spare..." The Golden-Winged Great Peng's plea for mercy was cut short.

"Gulp."

A soft sound.

The Late Fourth Stage Golden-Winged Great Peng, once mighty enough to shake an entire region, was thus swallowed by the Mysterious Tortoise as if it were a mere snack.

The Mysterious Tortoise even closed its massive jaws slightly in satisfaction, its throat moving.

The entire process was incredibly fast and horrifyingly calm.

After devouring the Great Peng, the Mysterious Tortoise turned its gaze toward Gao De once more.

This time, Gao De seemed to perceive an extremely faint... emotion of unclear meaning within those murky eyes.

Perhaps it meant, "Consider yourself lucky," or maybe, "You have a familiar scent, but you are too weak," or something else entirely. The Mysterious Tortoise did not attack him, nor did it make any further gestures.

Its massive body began to slowly sink, submerging back into the murky swamp, leaving behind only a gradually subsiding vortex and scattered droplets of mud and water.

The swamp quickly returned to its original state, utterly silent, as if the terrifying scene of the Great Peng being swallowed had never occurred.

Gao De hovered in mid-air, motionless for a long time.

His back was soaked in cold sweat, and his heart hammered like a drum.

This was the second time... the second time he had encountered this mysterious Mysterious Tortoise Desolate Beast at such close range.

Both times, the entity appeared almost by coincidence, resolved the trouble, and then indifferently departed.

Was it truly accidental? The first time, deep within the Great Marsh, might have been a coincidence.

But this second time, on the periphery of the Yunmeng Marsh, facing the Golden-Winged Great Peng, also a Late Fourth Stage creature—the appearance of the Mysterious Tortoise, and that meaningful glance it gave him... Gao De could no longer simply dismiss it as coincidence.

"Is there something about me... that attracts these ancient beings? The prison dragon talisman? The Purple Heaven Dragon Transformation Art? Or something else?" Gao De's mind raced, but he found no answers.

The thoughts and actions of Fifth-Rank existences were far beyond his current comprehension.

But he understood at least one thing: he seemed to have inadvertently formed a subtle bond of Karma with certain ancient existences beyond imagination—a bond he currently could not control. Was it a blessing? A curse? It remained unknown.

He dared not linger here. Taking a deep breath, he forcibly suppressed his churning Qi and blood and his chaotic thoughts, condensing his Escape Light to the extreme. He carefully skirted the strange reed marsh swamp and continued flying toward Qianjiao Cliff.

Having survived this ordeal, his reverence for the vastness of the world and the multitude of powerful experts deepened, and his actions became even more cautious.

Furthermore, the Mysterious Tortoise's two "coincidental" appearances, along with Bai Ze's meaningful glance, hung over his mind like two patches of mist, reminding him that his path of Cultivation might be more complex and profound than he had imagined.

The Purple Lightning Escape Light streaked across the sky, carrying a trace of solemnity and contemplation, and vanished at the edge of the Yunmeng Marsh.

The journey back was still long, and on Gao De's shoulders, there seemed to be an invisible, heavy burden of contemplation regarding his own destiny and Karma.