Chapter 193: 55: Chase to the Southern Sea

The Southern Sea, from its appearance alone, more closely resembled the blue of the sky, while the depths of the East Sea were a profound azure.

Regarding aquatic demonic beasts, the Southern Sea was less frequented by the large types found in the East Sea, but there was a noticeable increase in groups that moved in formation… and they were also more sensitive and combative.

After firing the Five Elements Divine Light once more, felling an entire school of swordfish, Wei Dongliu turned his gaze toward the distance and couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.

That Gold-whiskered Turtle… where on earth could it be? With the vast sea before me, when will I ever find it?

“It should be close by,” the Green Duckweed Sword said.

“That was thousands of years ago in this vicinity,” Wei Dongliu said somewhat speechlessly. “It’s not like the turtle has roots tethering it to the spot. How could it possibly remain in the same place?”

“Gold-whiskered Turtles love to eat Southern Sea horse mackerel,” the Kunlun Mirror suggested. “It’s December now; the horse mackerel schools should be in the southern sea currents to avoid the cold.”

“Worthy of you, Ah Jing!” Wei Dongliu praised.

When in doubt about external matters, one should consult Ah Jing. Qing Ping is, after all, not as learned as Ah Jing.

Hovering in the air for a moment, Wei Dongliu was about to proceed when he suddenly saw a flash of light shoot towards him from behind.

“Daoist Wei!” Jiang the Witch halted her advance in front of him, then revealed a feigned, relieved smile. “Why have you not returned for so long? I thought the people of Kunlun had captured you.”

Her seemingly sincere and earnest words paired with her innocent expression made Wei Dongliu also start to doubt.

Was it possible that when I returned to Shiping Mountain, she was really asleep so deeply that she didn’t hear what I told her?

“Thank you for your concern, Daoist friend,” Wei Dongliu said with a wry smile. “The trip to Kunlun was smooth. As for my being here, it’s to look for a sword.”

“A sword?” Jiang Liyan displayed a perfectly curious look.

“Yes, this sword I seek for a good friend, and it was he who provided the information about the sword,” Wei Dongliu replied.

“To have Daoist Wei’s friend worried must mean it’s undoubtedly a Tenth Rank Immortal Sword,” Jiang Liyan said with a smile.

“No, it’s not for his own use, but rather he is fulfilling another’s request. Since he was too busy to do it himself, he asked me to search for the sword,” Wei Dongliu said gravely.

It was a precautionary warning for Jiang the Witch: to let her know that this Flying Smoke Sword had been “passed around” and “transferred several times” before finally ending up in An Zhisu’s hands, thereby disconnecting Ling Yunpo and Wei Dongliu’s association.

“Is that so?” Jiang Liyan chuckled and inwardly marveled.

It sounded like a very complicated network of connections? No wonder Wei Dongliu, though a Loose Cultivator, knew much about the great affairs of the world. It turned out to be because he had connections with many other cultivators… Having information like the Immortal Sword, does his origin lie in Penglai or Shushan?

[Mysterious character setting, Synchronization Value +1.]

Upon hearing the prompt from the Kunlun Mirror, Wei Dongliu was slightly surprised.

I just made up an excuse; how could the synchronization value of the mysterious character setting increase? This Jiang Witch… with such extraordinary imagination, she’s just too adorable!n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

He gave her a meaningful look and said with a smile:

“Well, now that Daoist Jiang has come this far, would you like to accompany me on my journey, or shall you return?”

Jiang Liyan pondered for a swift moment, then replied with a radiant smile:

“Having come all this way, if I were to return now, wouldn’t that be disappointing?”

Sure enough, Wei Dongliu smiled:

“Then let’s go, Daoist Jiang.”

This witch had an extraordinary curiosity.

Whether it was her true nature or a facade she had deliberately constructed, at least for the time being, it could be used to anticipate her actions.

The two continued flying on their swords, and Wei Dongliu detailed his objective and the clues provided by the Kunlun Mirror.

“I see, so if we find the school of Southern Sea horse mackerel, we can follow the trail to trace the whereabouts of that Gold-whiskered Turtle, right?” Jiang Liyan said with a smiling twinkle in her eye while secretly making her own calculations, “The Southern Sea currents… I am aware of them, they should be over a thousand miles south of here in the depths of the Southern Sea.”

“Thank you, Daoist Jiang, for leading the way,” Wei Dongliu said, pleased.

After an unknown amount of time, the two finally arrived deep in the Southern Sea.

The sunlight here was extremely intense, hardly resembling winter at all. The water below had turned the color of emerald green, and upon closer inspection, there was a large amount of seaweed drifting among it.

Looking down, Jiang Liyan said,

“The sea horses sustain themselves on these seaweed fruits, so that Golden Whisker Tortoise should also be nearby—if it does indeed exist.”

“It should be in the nearby waters,” said Wei Dongliu, who naturally could not tell her that the news came from thousands of years ago. He laughed and said, “Even if we end up empty-handed, it won’t be a wasted trip for Daoist Jiang.”

“You’re too kind, Daoist Wei,” Jiang Liyan said, covering her mouth with a laugh.

After searching for roughly another hour, they finally arrived at a small island.

“Is this the place?” Jiang Liyan circled above the small island. “It doesn’t look like a tortoise, does it?”

“This is the place,” Wei Dongliu affirmed. “The Golden Whisker Tortoise, with a shell that spans a hundred miles and supports earth to form mountains, drifts back and forth across the seas. If Daoist Jiang wishes to verify, you might dive beneath the waters to see if the island’s base has four limbs and a head.”

“No need, I naturally believe you,” Jiang Liyan said nonchalantly, though inwardly she chuckled to herself.

The Golden Whisker Tortoise feeds on sea horses in the ocean, so it usually buries its head beneath the sea’s surface.

If I rashly dive in, what would I do if it suddenly decided to snap at me?

Seeing her change the topic, Wei Dongliu followed the descent of his Sword Light downward, landing on the edge of a towering bamboo grove.

Having circled above the island for a long time, the two had a clear view of most areas, but this dense bamboo grove, with its fluttering fragmented leaves, obscured whatever lay within.

Moreover, the bamboo grove’s location—all too conveniently in the center of the island—aroused Wei Dongliu’s suspicions even further.

Jiang Liyan followed him to land, and saw a densely packed bamboo forest in front of them, each bamboo shoot nearly twenty to thirty feet high, far exceeding the height that ordinary bamboo could grow.

The bamboo grew so densely between each other that it was almost impossible to walk through. It took a long while for the two to navigate around the grove until they found a small path through the wilderness that they could pass through.

Entering the bamboo forest, they saw the harsh sunlight disappear immediately above them, replaced by the cool shade of the bamboo.

“Formation,” Wei Dongliu suddenly said.

“Do you recognize this formation, Daoist Wei?” Jiang Liyan quickly asked.

“The Mustard Seed Mt. Sumeru Formation,” Wei Dongliu replied, having seen this formation before in the library of the Gui Xu annex, “It’s just used for concealing a Secret Realm.”

“There’s a Secret Realm here?” Jiang Liyan exclaimed.

“Hard to say,” Wei Dongliu shook his head, “The Mustard Seed Mt. Sumeru Formation can contain a Secret Realm, but it doesn’t mean that there must be one.”

“But it sounds like a very high-level formation?” Jiang Liyan pondered.

“At least Earth Immortal Rank,” Wei Dongliu replied.

Earth Immortal… Jiang Liyan fell silent.

There are four classes of immortals: Earth Immortals, Heavenly Immortals, Golden Immortals, and Daluo Golden Immortals.

Among them, the Earth Immortal Rank is the lowest and most numerous, with the closest ties to the Cultivation Realm; they are also known as the “Land Deities.”

Of course, even the lowest rank of immortals is not something that two mere Refining Mansion Rank cultivators can handle.

“Earth Immortal Rank simply refers to the rank, and does not mean that the Formation Setter is within the Array,” Wei Dongliu saw her concerns and tried to reassure her. “This Array itself has no offensive power, so there’s no need to worry too much.”

Seeing his calm, Jiang Liyan also cooled down and thought to herself:

How many land deities can there be in this world, just waiting to be encountered? It’s probably been set up a long time ago!