244: Secrets of Dongting Lake

Inside the main hall of the Qianjiao Cliff Water Mansion.

Mysterious Turtle had already transformed into human form, wearing a dark gold robe with turtle shell patterns. His face was ancient and his eyes carried the weight of ages.

At this point, I hope readers remember our domain name. For Taiwan novels, look for Chao Shun Chang.

The scorch marks from the lightning strike on his forehead had not yet faded, but his posture was now completely respectful—the crushing battle just now had made him deeply realize that the strength and methods of this Cliff Master Purple Lightning were far beyond what he had previously imagined.

Gao De sat in the main seat with Ao Xue standing by his side, her blood-red eyes cold as ice. Dragon Peach used yimu spiritual qi to seal off the entire Immortal Cave.

"Tell me about your 'Secrets of Dongting'," Gao De tapped the armrest with his fingertip. "How did you get that Dragon Pearl, and why is the Dragon King hunting you down? I want to hear the whole truth."

Mysterious Turtle took a deep breath and began to recount slowly. This time, his narrative was subtly different from what Gao De had previously understood:

"This matter... starts before the battle for the grotto-heaven back then. At that time, I was still at the Late Stage of Tier 3. Relying on my ancestral 'Dongting water patrol token', I sensed that an ancient grotto-heaven was about to appear at the bottom of Dongting Lake."

"When the grotto-heaven appeared, Spiritual Qi soared to the heavens, attracting Yao Race members from all directions to compete for it. Guided by the token, I was able to enter first. Inside that grotto-heaven, there were indeed pavilions, Spirit Medicines, and Magic Treasures left by the Dragon Lord of Dongting. But at its very core... floated an azure Dragon Pearl, the Origin of the grotto-heaven and the symbol of the Dragon Lord's authority."

A look of reminiscence and complexity flashed in Mysterious Turtle's eyes. "The competition was fierce then, with many Yao battling in the core area. I originally intended to wait for an opportunity to seize it, but unexpectedly, due to the erosion of time and the turmoil of the struggle, the grotto-heaven's structure became unstable and actually... shattered on its own at the last moment!"

"Shattered?" Gao De's eyes flickered as he recalled the time he had obtained a wisp of Dragon Pearl essence on the outskirts of the grotto-heaven.

"Exactly," Mysterious Turtle nodded. "At the moment of shattering, the Dragon Pearl at the core of the grotto-heaven was not seized by anyone present. Instead... it turned into a stream of light and vanished! It was as if it had been swept away by some spatial turbulence or triggered some self-preservation Restriction. All the Yao present were caught off guard and could only watch helplessly as the grotto-heaven was completely annihilated. We each grabbed some remnant treasures from the outskirts and fled in haste."

He paused and looked at Gao De. "I also noticed at the time that a Cultivator seemed to be at the outskirts of the grotto-heaven and luckily intercepted a wisp of the Origin essence scattered when the Dragon Pearl shattered... I presume that was you, Cliff Master?"

Gao De remained noncommittal and gestured for him to continue.

Mysterious Turtle continued, "Although the Dragon Pearl vanished, my ancestral water patrol token shares the same source as that pearl. It contains a hidden secret technique called 'Water Summoning Origin Return'. After I left, I spent several months setting up attraction Formations at various hidden Water Eyes throughout Dongting Lake. Then, using my Essence Blood as a sacrifice, I finally... in the seventh month after the grotto-heaven shattered, at an underground river node three thousand miles away, summoned back that Dragon Pearl that had escaped on its own!"

At this point, a hint of pride appeared on Mysterious Turtle's face, which then turned into bitterness. "Unfortunately, the aura of the reappearing Dragon Pearl could not be completely concealed after all. Somehow, news leaked out and reached the ears of the Qianjiang Dragon King. That Dragon King is insatiably greedy for all dragon-related treasures and actually believed this pearl would aid his grand plan to transform into a dragon, so he directly hunted me down."

"At that time, I was only at the Tier 3 Peak. Although I had the Dragon Pearl, I hadn't refined it yet. Facing the Qianjiang Dragon King, I could only flee for my life. I fled all the way south into the depths of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, using the rugged terrain and complex demon territories to barely shake off my pursuers." A flicker of lingering fear passed through Mysterious Turtle's eyes. "The Hundred Thousand Great Mountains are extraordinary, filled with various Yao tribes, and there are even Tier 4 Great Yao who rule the mountains as kings. I hid in the depths of a cold pool, not daring to move. This hiding... lasted for over two hundred years."

"During that time, I carefully refined the Dragon Pearl. Using the Dragon Lord's Origin within it, I not only healed my injuries but also further awakened my Bloodline, finally breaking through to Tier 4 eighty years ago. But... I didn't dare leave the mountains." Mysterious Turtle smiled bitterly. "The Dragon King's power is immense. If he knew I wasn't dead and had reached Tier 4, he would surely come in person. And as an Early Stage Tier 4, I was nothing more than a slightly larger ant before the Qianjiang Dragon King."

"It wasn't until recent years that I heard through various channels that changes had occurred in the Qianjiang Dragon Palace—the Dragon King was suspected to have fallen and the Dragon Palace had collapsed... I waited for a few more years to confirm the news was true before I dared to cautiously leave the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains and return to Dongting."

He let out a long sigh. "I thought that since the Dragon King was gone, with my Tier 4 cultivation and familiarity with Dongting, I could reclaim my old territory and use it as a foundation. But I never expected... in just a few hundred years, the world of Dongting has changed, and a figure like you, Cliff Master, is now in control. It is truly... a stroke of bad luck, a stroke of bad luck."

Gao De listened quietly, having already roughly sorted out the sequence of events in his mind.

It turned out that the Dragon Pearl was not seized when the grotto-heaven collapsed; instead, it vanished on its own and was summoned back by Mysterious Turtle using his ancestral secret technique.

This also explained why the core Dragon Pearl's whereabouts were unknown when the grotto-heaven collapsed back then, and he had only luckily obtained a wisp of scattered essence.

As for Mysterious Turtle being able to evade the Dragon King's pursuit, flee into the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, and endure for centuries until the Dragon King's 'fall' before returning—this level of caution and patience was indeed worthy of the turtle tribe's nature.

"You said your ancestral water patrol token has the 'Water Summoning Origin Return' secret technique. Can it summon back other water-attribute treasures?" Gao De asked.

"Replying to Cliff Master, this technique has many Restrictions," Mysterious Turtle said truthfully. "The target treasure must share the same source as the water patrol token or have a very deep connection with the Dongting waters. Furthermore, one must know its approximate location beforehand, and setting up the Formation and casting the spell consumes a great deal. Summoning the Dragon Pearl back then was only possible because the pearl was originally the core of the Dongting grotto-heaven, shared the same lineage as the water patrol token, and had not strayed far from the Dongting waters after shattering."

Gao De nodded slightly. Although this secret technique had Restrictions, it might have miraculous effects in specific circumstances.

"Since you have already sworn loyalty, the past is behind us," Gao De said. "As you have just arrived and haven't performed any service yet, you shall first serve as the 'Patrol Elder', responsible for patrolling the thousand-mile waters around Qianjiao Cliff, clearing threats, and gathering intelligence. Once you have made contributions, we can discuss other matters."

"Mysterious Turtle accepts the order!" Mysterious Turtle bowed in response, feeling somewhat relieved.

This Cliff Master acted decisively but was not a wanton killer, and he was willing to employ people; he was indeed worth following.

Just then, Turtle Three Thousand's urgent Divine Thought came from outside the secret room: "Reporting to my Lord, Miss Ao Xue has captured a group of strange spies on the outskirts, suspected to be... the Heavenly Demon Cult!"

Gao De's eyes sharpened. "Bring them in."

A moment later, Ao Xue entered the secret room, carrying a man in black who was imprisoned by blood-red light.

The person's aura was cold and deathly, with black mist swirling around his body, exactly like the Heavenly Demon Cultists encountered at the Dragon Palace years ago.

Without needing another word, Ao Xue directly performed a soul search.

A moment later, she withdrew her Divine Sense and said coldly, "The Divine Soul has Restrictions, and the memories are fragmented. I only know they were ordered to confirm the reality of Qianjiao Cliff, with a focus on... the Cliff Master and me. There is also a coordinate mark pointing to the 'Bewitching Ghost Swamp' in the depths of the Yunmeng Great Marsh."

Before she could finish, the black-clothed man's body suddenly melted into pus, leaving only a black bone fragment that immediately shattered.

"A silencing restriction," Mysterious Turtle's expression was grave. "The Heavenly Demon Cult's methods are indeed ruthless."

Gao De stared at the puddle of pus and remained silent for a moment.

The Heavenly Demon Cult's tentacles had already reached the doorstep, and their target was clear—Ao Xue and himself.

Passive defense was definitely not a good strategy.

"Mysterious Turtle," Gao De spoke. "Pay more attention to this kind of aura during your patrols. Also, how much do you know about the 'Bewitching Ghost Swamp'?"

Mysterious Turtle pondered, "That is one of the forbidden lands in the depths of the Yunmeng Great Marsh, covered in poisonous miasma year-round, with spatial disorder and swarming vengeful spirits. When I ruled Dongting back then, I saw it from afar and felt... there seemed to be an extremely sinister and evil aura lurking within. It is indeed suitable for the Heavenly Demon Cult to occupy."

Gao De's eyes turned cold. It seemed he had to take the initiative.

"Turtle Three Thousand, step up the investigation for traitors. Dragon Peach, reinforce the Formations of Lesser Qingqiu to prevent the intrusion of vengeful spirits. Ao Xue, raise the alert level."

"Yes!"

The group accepted the orders and withdrew.

Gao De sat alone in the quiet room, his thoughts racing.

The threat of the Heavenly Demon Cult was imminent; he had to find out the truth about their stronghold as soon as possible.

The original site of the grotto-heaven at the bottom of Dongting Lake also needed to be investigated—there might be other legacies of the Dragon Lord there, or even clues related to the Ancient Chidao.

Mysterious Turtle's joining brought new intelligence and secret techniques, but it also meant that Qianjiao Cliff was now a larger target, more likely to attract hidden gazes.

"Internal consolidation and external exploration, a dual-track approach," Gao De had already made a decision. "First, send Mysterious Turtle and Ao Xue to secretly investigate the Bewitching Ghost Swamp. If it is indeed a stronghold of the Heavenly Demon Cult... then we will pull out this nail with the force of a thunderbolt!"

He slowly stood up and looked out at the dark waters outside the window.

A storm was coming. Only by taking the offensive as defense could he carve out a path to the heavens in this chaotic situation.