40: Tortoise Shell Thunder

Qingyang City, Wang Family Mansion.

The carriage did not head for the main entrance but bypassed the towering vermillion-lacquered gate and the heavily guarded sentries, silently turning into a secluded side alley, finally stopping in front of an inconspicuous black iron small door.

The door was tightly shut, unadorned, out of place with the grand opulence of the Wang Mansion, exuding a cold aura that warned strangers to keep away.

“Daoist Mo, please.” Wang Linger was the first to alight, her ice-blue skirt brushing the ground, immaculate.

Her jade fingers formed a hand seal, and a faint blue ripple of spiritual light merged into a subtle rune on the door.

The black iron small door silently slid inward, revealing a descending, deep and dark passage.

A chilling aura, a mix of earthy mustiness, old stone, and a faint scent of some preservative medicine, wafted out.

The cellar entrance.

Absolute secrecy, absolute seclusion, also meant… absolute control.

Mo Yuan, “assisted” by the Stone-skinned Turtle, stepped out of the carriage with “unsteady” feet.

His pale face appeared even more haggard in the dim light, his tattered grey robe forming a stark contrast with the mansion’s splendor.

He looked up, scanning the deep entrance, and a chilling coldness filled the depths of his dark golden pupils.

“This place is one of my Wang family’s secret vaults, extending ten zhang underground, forged from profound iron mixed with spirit-restricting stones, and further protected by the ‘Water Curtain Sky Splendor’ Restriction laid down by our ancestors.” Wang Linger’s voice echoed in the passage entrance, clear and cold, with a hint of imperceptible scrutiny, “Spiritual Qi is isolated, and movements are hard to transmit. Fellow Daoist can rest assured and recuperate here; the items needed for ‘adjustment’ will be delivered within three days.”

She deliberately emphasized “secret vault,” “Restriction,” and “isolated,” both to display the Wang family’s foundation and as an unspoken warning—this place was entirely under the Wang family’s control.

“Thank you for… Young Miss Wang’s trouble.” Mo Yuan “weakly” cupped his hands, his voice hoarse.

He said no more, and with the “support” of the Stone-skinned Turtle, he stepped into the light-devouring dark passage, “staggering” with each step.

The Dark Moon Rabbit’s ethereal blue form silently merged into the shadows behind him, like a guarding ghost.

The passage was deep, with cold profound iron walls on both sides. Every few zhang, a luminous stone emitting a faint white glow was embedded in the wall, barely illuminating the path ahead.

The air was heavy and oppressive, with only the heavy footsteps of two people and one turtle echoing in the narrow space.

Down, and further down.

As if leading to the earth’s core.

After walking for about a quarter of an hour, the path suddenly opened up.

A huge underground space, roughly half the size of a training ground, appeared before their eyes.

The dome was three zhang high, supported by thick profound iron beams.

The ground was paved with heavy bluestone slabs, polished exceptionally smooth.

The air was still cold, but the musty smell had significantly faded, indicating a good ventilation design.

In the center of the space was a platform made from a single, huge piece of polished obsidian, smooth as a mirror.

Dozens of stone chamber doorways of varying sizes were carved into the surrounding walls, most of them closed, with different runic markings carved on them, clearly indicating storage rooms for different items.

This was the “cellar workshop” Wang Linger spoke of.

Spacious, sturdy, secret, and… a bit too spacious.

Aside from the central obsidian platform and the surrounding storage rooms, there was nothing else.

No Pill Furnace, no Medicine Cauldron, not even a stone stool.

Like a huge, cold cage.

“The conditions are rudimentary; I apologize for the inconvenience, Fellow Daoist.” Wang Linger’s voice was exceptionally clear in the spacious cellar, “The necessary items will be delivered by trusted subordinates shortly. Ling'er still needs to report to my father, so I will take my leave now.”

She nodded slightly, her gaze lingering on Mo Yuan’s pale face for a moment, then sweeping over the silent Stone-skinned Turtle behind him, like a profound iron fortress, and the seemingly empty shadow, before turning and drifting away along the passage they had come from.

The heavy black iron small door closed silently behind her, completely cutting off the last trace of external light.

The huge cellar plunged into absolute silence, with only the pale glow of the luminous stones casting distorted, elongated shadows on the cold profound iron and bluestone slabs.

Absolute control? A perfect cage?

Mo Yuan’s lips slowly curled into a cold, menacing arc.

The “weakness” and “fatigue” he had deliberately maintained on his face melted away like ice and snow, instantly vanishing!

In their place was a deep, all-controlling coldness!

His dark golden eyes glowed astonishingly in the dimness, like a dormant Vicious Beast opening its eyes.

“Turtle, guard the entrance.”

“Rabbit, keep watch in the shadows.”

A cold command was instantly issued through the Soul link!

“Roar!” The Stone-skinned Turtle let out a low, heavy response.

Its massive body silently moved to the passage entrance, its dark black carapace facing the closed iron door, and emerald defensive runes slowly circulated, exuding an absolute “no entry” will.

Its warm, jade-like black eyes were half-open, half-closed, like a sleeping mountain, yet it firmly locked down the entire entrance area.

The Dark Moon Rabbit’s figure silently solidified in the shadow beside Mo Yuan.

Its ethereal blue eyes swept across the spacious cellar, especially those closed stone doors of the storage rooms, with the destructive sharpness of [Phantom] and [Dark Moon Claw Blades] poised and ready.

Not a single abnormal Spiritual Qi fluctuation could escape her perception.

“Bottle! Start working!” Mo Yuan no longer concealed himself, his thoughts sinking into the magic bottle in his embrace!

At the same time, the Thunder Hell Demon Hand lifted, fingers splayed, pointing through the air at the huge obsidian platform in the center of the cellar!

Buzz—!!!

The silent magic bottle’s body suddenly erupted in a greedy tremor!

In the bottomless darkness of the bottle’s mouth, a miniature, emerald-colored vortex spun wildly!

An incomparably powerful suction force exploded!

Target—the obsidian platform!

Hiss hiss hiss—!!!

The surface of the incredibly hard obsidian platform was instantly corroded and dissolved by an invisible force!

Innumerable tiny black powders, containing faint earth-attribute essence and yin-sha Qi, were forcibly stripped away, like a black sandstorm, rushing frantically towards the magic bottle’s mouth!

The platform visibly sagged and deformed at a speed visible to the naked eye!

In just a few breaths!

A circular “pool” with a diameter of about one zhang, three chi deep, and edges smooth as a mirror, replaced the original obsidian platform!

The magic bottle devoured the essence, forcefully transforming the terrain! A simple “venom reaction pool” was instantly formed!

“Swarm! Come out!” Mo Yuan’s thoughts moved again!

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Inside the Bottle Grotto, nearly a hundred Venomous Stinger Worker Bees, already poised and ready, instantly swarmed out!

They did not form a storm but, like well-trained sappers, divided into ten thin streams. Some quickly flew towards the stone doors of the storage rooms on the cellar walls, marked with “Poison,” “Herb,” “Ore,” and other symbols!

Their crimson stingers, like the most precise keys, pierced into the weak points of the Restrictions on the doors!

Sizzle… Crack…

The faint Restriction spiritual light flickered a few times, then quickly dimmed and shattered!

The heavy stone doors were pushed open a crack by the Worker Bees with skillful force!

Intense, mixed odors of various sweet, pungent, rotten, and chilling potent poisons, like floodgates opening, instantly gushed out from each storage room!

They permeated the entire cellar!

The air seemed to have turned into thick, viscous toxic sludge!

The other Worker Bees, like efficient collectors, instantly rushed into the storage rooms!

Their compound eyes glowed with a cold light, accurately pouncing on the highly toxic substances collected and categorized by the Wang family: thousand-year-old Heart-Corroding Grass in jade boxes, colorful venomous spiders soaked in poison, Ice Soul Scorpion Tail Needles sealed in cold jade, piles of ink-iron ore powder containing yin-sha… even several jars in the corner of the storage room, emitting nauseating odors, which were raw corpse poison refined by the Wang family when dealing with enemy corpses!

The Venomous Stinger Worker Bees’ stingers pierced precisely! Greedily drawing in these deadly essences!

Their abdomens visibly swelled and changed color, from dark green to deep purple, then to an eerie dark red!

Juices laden with deadly toxicity were initially mixed and concentrated within their bodies!

In just half an hour (external time)!

Ten storage rooms filled with poisons were completely emptied! Not even a speck of dust remained!

Buzz buzz buzz—!!!

Nearly a hundred Venomous Stinger Worker Bees, their abdomens swollen like spheres and glowing with an eerie dark red light, like returning venomous dragons, flew back from various storage rooms and hovered above the newly opened “venom reaction pool” in the center!

“Inject!” Mo Yuan’s cold thought was like the final command!

Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!

Nearly a hundred Venomous Stinger Worker Bees’ tails suddenly contracted!

Streams of viscous, jelly-like, variously colored (dark red, deep purple, dark green, pale white) concentrated venom, emitting a terrifyingly sweet and foul stench that would make even a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator’s scalp tingle, shot down like a deadly rain into the reaction pool below!

Sizzle—!!!!

Like a hot branding iron plunged into ice water!

Innumerable kinds of vastly different, overbearing and potent poison essences violently collided, reacted, and fused in the pool!

The viscous venom churned violently like a boiling oil pot!

The colors changed in an instant!

Pungent toxic smoke mixed with bizarre, multi-colored foam rose up!

The temperature of the entire cellar seemed to suddenly rise, then suddenly drop!

A suffocating aura of death permeated the air!

The demonic liquid workshop! Operating at full speed! By plundering the Wang family’s resources!

Mo Yuan stood by the pool, his dark purple Thunder Hell Demon Hand slightly raised.

The emerald vortex at the bottle’s mouth spun faster, an invisible force enveloped the boiling poison pool, forcibly guiding, sorting, and suppressing the violent toxic reactions, accelerating their Fusion and purification!

Traces of a deeper, more subtle luster, like liquid emerald, began to emerge in the chaotic venom!

New, more powerful Emerald Demonic Liquid was being frantically refined deep within this Wang family cellar!

Time flowed by amidst the boiling poison and the humming of the magic bottle.

Outside, one day passed (five days in the grotto).

Inside the cellar, Mo Yuan sat cross-legged in a corner far from the poison pool, enveloped by a faint dark golden-purple lightning glow. His Qi Refining fifth-layer aura, tempered by the lightning pool and accelerated by the Grotto, was thoroughly stabilized, even subtly progressing towards the Middle Stage.

The Dark Moon Rabbit, like the most loyal shadow, its ethereal blue form merged into the darkness behind him, its aura condensed.

The Stone-skinned Turtle, like an ancient bedrock, guarded the entrance, unmoving.

Suddenly!

Boom—!!!

A dull, thunderous roar came from above without warning!

The entire profound iron cellar, deep underground, trembled violently!

Dust rustled down from the dome!

The supporting pillars groaned under the unbearable weight!

Immediately after, a terrifying Spiritual Pressure, heavy as a collapsing mountain and cold as the Nine Heavens' abyss, like invisible giant rocks weighing billions of jin, penetrated layers of profound iron and Restrictions, fiercely smashing into the cellar!

The air solidified instantly!

Even the boiling poison pool seemed to have been paused, its churning toxic liquid abruptly halting!

Foundation Establishment Stage! This was definitely an angry strike from a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator! The target was directly aimed at the cellar entrance!

"Presumptuous! What kind of petty scoundrel, hiding your head and tail! How dare you act wildly in the important grounds of the Wang Manor! Get out here and face your death!"

An old, domineering voice, filled with monstrous rage and chilling killing intent, like thunder from the Nine Heavens, penetrated the thick profound iron barrier and fiercely poured into the cellar!

The terrifying Spiritual Pressure contained in the voice made Mo Yuan's surrounding lightning fluctuate violently!

The Dark Moon Rabbit's ethereal blue eyes instantly constricted!

A strong warning of danger came through the Soul link!

It was the Foundation Establishment Elder stationed in the Wang family! And he came with ill intentions! His killing intent was monstrous!

A cold light burst from Mo Yuan's eyes!

He instantly understood the reason!

Although the commotion from his plundering of the poison vault and refining of the demonic liquid was mostly isolated by the cellar's Restrictions, the extremely subtle yet fundamentally astonishing toxic Origin fluctuations, emanating from the Fusion of nearly a hundred types of potent poisons, were likely still detected by the sensitive Foundation Establishment Cultivator deep within the Wang Manor!

Especially that Third Master who had a "special preference" for poisons!

The other party's reverse scale had been touched! He had come directly to their door! Completely disregarding Wang Linger's arrangements!

"Turtle! Block him!" Mo Yuan's icy thought, like a poisoned ice pick, instantly pierced into the Stone-skinned Turtle's Soul link!

There was no retreat! He had to establish his authority! Otherwise, in this Wang Manor, he would never have peace! He might even be treated as an evil demon and killed on the spot!

"Roar—!!!" An unprecedented, resolute roar erupted from the Stone-skinned Turtle's calm, ancient-well-like consciousness!

Just as that aged voice fell!

Boom—!!!

At the cellar entrance, the heavy black iron door, along with the "Water Curtain Heavenly Radiance" Restriction applied outside, shattered with a crash like paper!

Countless fragments of profound iron mixed with pale blue Restriction spiritual light, shot inwards like a rainstorm!

A golden light pillar, solid as substance, with destructive golden runes flickering at its edges, and a diameter of half a zhang, like a collapsing giant pillar supporting the sky, carrying a terrifying might that crushed everything, tore through the broken doorway and fiercely slammed into the interior of the cellar!

Where the light pillar passed, the air emitted a piercing shriek, and even space seemed to be scorched and distorted!

An angry strike from a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator! Destroying heaven and earth! To utterly wipe this "evil demon's lair" of filth and the "evil demon" within it from the world!

Golden light was dazzling, and death descended!

At this critical moment!

Buzz—!!!

The Stone-skinned Turtle, blocking the entrance of the passage, its massive dark-black body suddenly erupted with an unprecedented, blinding emerald light!

On its shell, the naturally formed defensive runes, which originally flowed slowly, instantly brightened to their extreme, like a completely ignited star map!

Countless profound and complex emerald light patterns frantically spread, intertwined, and combined!

In the blink of an eye, a shield of absolute defense was formed in front of it, with a diameter of over two zhang and a thickness of three chi, entirely composed of emerald defensive runes condensed to the extreme!

On the surface of the giant shield, it was no longer just the simple flow of runes, but rather the ethereal images of mountains and rivers appeared!

Heavy, solid, indestructible!

A majestic will of "nothing unbreakable, no magic invulnerable," like an ancient bedrock, erupted with a roar!

"Break for me!" The angry roar of the aged Foundation Establishment Elder came from within the golden light!

The golden light pillar intensified its momentum!

The next instant!

Clang—!!!!!!!!

An indescribably terrifying roar exploded within the narrow confines of the cellar!

Like billions of grand bells being struck by giant hammers simultaneously!

Or like thunder from the Nine Heavens bursting in one's ears!

Blinding golden light and dazzling emerald light instantly swallowed everything!

The violent shockwave, like a destructive hurricane, fiercely slammed into the profound iron barriers surrounding the cellar!

The hard profound iron walls, like gongs struck by a giant hammer, emitted deafening roars!

Countless fine cracks instantly spread!

The supporting pillars shook violently, and rubble rained down!

The viscous poison in the central poison pool was shaken high into the sky, then fell like a downpour!

At the core of the light!

The golden light pillar, powerful enough to collapse mountains, fiercely struck the emerald giant shield condensed by the Stone-skinned Turtle!

The emerald giant shield vibrated violently!

The ethereal images of mountains and rivers on its surface flickered madly!

The shield's body even concave inwards with a huge arc!

Fine cracks at the edges instantly appeared and spread like a spider web!

However!

The shield did not break!

The emerald defensive runes, condensed to the extreme, firmly resisted the destructive impact of the golden light pillar!

No matter how the golden light roared, impacted, or how the runes flickered and cut, that giant shield remained as unmoving as an ancient bedrock!

Behind the shield, the Stone-skinned Turtle's massive body was rooted to the earth, its four legs deeply embedded in the bluestone slabs, and the emerald runes on its dark-black carapace flowed with light to the extreme, conveying a will of absolute protection!

In its black eyes, as warm as jade, there was no trace of fear, only a calm and mountain-like steadfastness!

A stalemate! It only lasted for one breath!

Boom—!!!

The terrifying energy contained in the golden light pillar finally ran out! It exploded with a crash like shattered glass, transforming into golden light particles scattered across the sky!

The violent shockwave swept through the cellar once more!

The light slowly dissipated.

At the entrance, it was a mess.

The black iron door, along with the outer passage, had completely vanished, leaving only an irregular opening, twisted and enlarged by terrifying power, with molten profound iron liquid and shattered Restriction spiritual light flowing at its edges.

Beyond the opening, several figures were faintly visible.

The leader, dressed in a dark golden brocade robe, had a gaunt face and silver hair, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, now staring intently into the cellar, his face filled with incredulous shock and rage!

It was one of the Foundation Establishment Elders stationed in the Wang family!

His body was enveloped in the terrifying Spiritual Pressure that had not yet completely dissipated, and his right hand remained in the posture of pressing forward.

Behind him, Wang Linger's figure was also present!

Her ice-blue palace dress was slightly disheveled, clearly indicating she had been forcibly brought here.

At this moment, her beautiful and peerless face no longer held any trace of cold composure, only extreme shock and... a hint of indescribable fervor!

Her clear eyes stared intently at the cellar entrance—at the massive Stone-skinned Turtle, like a profound iron fortress, suspended in the shattered opening, its carapace slowly flowing with emerald runes, exuding an aura of absolute defense!

And behind the turtle's shell, the unharmed grey-robed youth, standing like a spear in the center of the chaotic cellar, with lightning flickering around him and eyes as cold as ten thousand years of profound ice!

It blocked it!

A turtle! A turtle exuding the aura of a Qi Refining Peak Cultivator! It actually directly withstood an angry strike from a Foundation Establishment Elder, completely unharmed!

"Impossible!" The white-haired Foundation Establishment Elder let out a furious roar of shock and anger, his hair standing on end, and his surrounding Spiritual Pressure surged again, clearly unable to accept this result, and was about to strike again!

"Third Elder! Stop!" Wang Linger's clear voice suddenly rose, carrying an unprecedented severity!

She stepped forward, blocking the enraged Third Elder, and an ice-blue spiritual energy halo instantly lit up, though far less powerful than the Foundation Establishment coercion, it carried an undeniable resolve!

"Fellow Daoist Mo Yuan is a distinguished guest of my Wang family! He is also someone my father personally named to see! How dare you be so reckless, disturbing a distinguished guest? What is your crime?!"

Her words were like a basin of ice water poured over the enraged Third Elder's head.

His boiling Spiritual Pressure suddenly halted, his eagle-like sharp gaze swept over Wang Linger, then he stared intently at the profound turtle, whose aura was as solid as a mountain, and the cold-eyed youth behind the turtle in the cellar, his expression constantly changing.

Finally, that monstrous killing intent slowly receded like a tide, transforming into deep apprehension and... a hint of even deeper greed.

To be able to command such a defensive divine turtle... this young man holds no small secrets!

Wang Linger no longer looked at the Third Elder, turning to face the cellar entrance, and bowed solemnly in Mo Yuan's direction, her posture lower than ever before, her voice clear but with a hint of uncontrollable excitement and sincerity:

"Fellow Daoist Mo has been startled! Ling'er's subordinates were undisciplined, causing the Elder to act rashly and disturb Fellow Daoist's cultivation, Ling'er apologizes here!"

She raised her head, her clear eyes meeting Mo Yuan's icy gaze, that hint of fervor almost materializing, "Fellow Daoist's Divine Ability is astonishing and astounding!

This turtle guard is an unparalleled treasure!

My Wang family... is willing to offer the highest courtesy, inviting Fellow Daoist to move to the 'Listening Wave Pavilion,' which is the most spiritually abundant and picturesque place in the manor!

The 'harmonizing' items promised earlier will be presented threefold!

We only ask that Fellow Daoist... let bygones be bygones!"

Her attitude had completely changed.

From the previous probing, utilization, and control, it had transformed into awe, recruitment, and even... a hint of flattery!

The Stone-skinned Turtle's absolute defense was immeasurable in value!

It completely established Mo Yuan's position in this top-tier noble family of Qingyang City!

In the center of the cellar, Mo Yuan slowly withdrew his icy gaze from the opening.

He did not heed Wang Linger's apology or promises, but instead cast his gaze towards the massive poison liquid reaction pool beside him.

In the pool, the chaotic poison liquid had gradually calmed under the Magic Bottle's (magic bottle's) regulation, and in the central area, a small mass of deep, contained, viscous liquid, like liquid emerald, exuding immense vitality and deadly toxicity, was slowly condensing.

A new batch of Emerald Demonic Liquid was about to be produced.

A cold and controlled arc slowly formed at the corner of his mouth.

First step, gain a firm foothold.

Second step, show his fangs.

The winds and clouds of Qingyang City, the chessboard of the Wang family... he, Mo Yuan, had made his move!