Chapter 2: The Turtle Immortal

The stream of abuse sounded vicious, sharp enough to grate on the ear. Duke Jaynes could not make out most of it. It came in broken fragments, as if a whole world lay between him and the voices. He lifted a hand and pointed at the Blood Moon. Only then did he notice his robe hung loose. He lowered his gaze to his belly, which had shrunk by several sizes, and nearly slapped his thigh clean off. Back then, Primal Divine Radiance had devoured his vitality and stripped dozens of pounds from him. He had finally stumbled onto the ultimate weight-loss method, and he had missed it. "No panic. What's a measly three hundred pounds?" Duke Jaynes muttered, brimming with confidence. "I can cultivate. Give me a little time and I'll carve myself into solid muscle." He had endured five bitter years, stepping onto the path of cultivation at last. His wish had finally been granted. Excitement and confusion tangled in his chest as he asked, "Old Clan Chief Grandpa, it sounds like there are a lot of people inside the Blood Moon cursing me." "A few flies," the Old Clan Chief replied blandly. "One day, when you run into them, swat them dead." Duke Jaynes etched those words into his heart. In the village, the Old Clan Chief's words were the rules, the sky itself. No one could disobey. Wait. A chill shot through Duke Jaynes. *Then that means… the gate inside the Blood Moon can open this year?* On Mid-Autumn nights in past years, the Blood Moon had only appeared for a brief moment before vanishing. This time was different. The Blood Moon hung across the heavens and remained in the mortal world. "It's time it opened," the Old Clan Chief said. "It's really opening…" Duke Jaynes whispered. He was about to press for more when he saw the Old Clan Chief produce a palm-sized blue Tortoise Shell and offer it to him. He took it, and the shell seemed to awaken like a living thing. It expanded in an instant, shining with deep-sea blue light, and with a crisp *click* it locked onto his back. Duke Jaynes nearly collapsed. The shell was not only heavy, it fit his back perfectly, as if it had fused into flesh and blood. "What is this? This… this shell is growing onto me!" He twisted awkwardly, shoving at it with both hands, frantic. "It's ugly as hell!" He looked like a chubby teenage Turtle Immortal, panicking as he tried to push the shell off. At that moment, Black Turtle quietly returned. The instant he heard Duke Jaynes's complaint, his face darkened, and he transformed into a handsome, silver-haired old gentleman. His bearing was extraordinary. Snow-white robes draped his frame, radiant light flowed over his skin, and an indescribable aura of the Great Way clung to him. Black Turtle grumbled to himself. *This brat sits on fortune and still doesn't know it. The Black Turtle Shell is Black Turtle Village's heirloom treasure.* *It's even my grandpa's grandpa's shell.* "Yuanchu," the Old Clan Chief said, "the Black Turtle Shell was forged by heaven and earth. Its uses are endless. It's a supreme defensive treasure. The life essence sealed within it, and its absolute gravity, will temper your body. When your strength is sufficient, you'll be able to remove it." The Old Clan Chief's expectations for Duke Jaynes were unlike what he held for anyone else. The shell could also help him block the Blood Moon's perception and conceal the state of his Divine Radiance. "So it's a treasure!" Duke Jaynes had barely sat down to study the shell when an inexplicable heaviness settled over him. The Blood Moon Gate opening, the inner world's "scenes" returning, and everything tied to it… he had already pieced it together over the past few years. Skyspine Ridge had been cut off from the world. With the Blood Moon taking up residence, it meant a thousand years had passed, and this world would open to outsiders again. When that happened, geniuses from beyond would storm in, charge into the Blood Moon's inner world, and compete for Immortal Fate. The Millennium Immortal Fate Contest had played out who knew how many times. It was brutal to the extreme. Without hard strength, you could not take a single step. Duke Jaynes felt time pressing close. Forget setting out wine to celebrate. He needed to cultivate, and fast. Azure Dragon looked Duke Jaynes over. "The kid can finally cultivate. I wonder how far he'll go. At the very least, he should surpass us, right?" "Kill," White Tiger said at last. Only after he saw the Old Clan Chief leave did he speak. His magnetic voice carried a cold, murderous edge, like a god of slaughter that could roar the Blood Moon to pieces. "Let Yuanchu slaughter every competitor and seize the strongest Immortal Fate. Maybe then we can break free." A chill flickered in Azure Dragon's eyes. To the powerful outside, this place was a land of Immortal Fate. To them, it was a cage. For reasons too tangled to name, they could not leave for the rest of their lives. "The strongest Immortal Fate…" Azure Dragon murmured. "Can Yuanchu really do it?" He had witnessed countless Heaven's Favored One shine like suns and moons, only to return broken and defeated on the road to the strongest Immortal Fate. The difficulty spoke for itself. The Black Turtle Clan Elder could not understand their longing to leave. He had been born in Black Turtle Village. He still remembered how Vermilion Bird had arrived at Skyspine Ridge a thousand years ago. After being gravely wounded in a fierce war, she had come to Black Turtle Village and settled down. Afterward, Black Turtle had lowered himself. Back then, Vermilion Bird had been far too ferocious, and he knew he was no match for her. As for the Old Clan Chief, he never concerned himself with the affairs of the world. Only raising Duke Jaynes had been an exception. And that exception made their gazes burn hotter and hotter. Perhaps the hope of him taking the strongest Immortal Fate was… surprisingly high. Azure Dragon said, "Yuanchu, stop fiddling with the shell. Get up. Run out of the village and train your body." Duke Jaynes rose and immediately swayed, dizzy. The gravity pressed over him like a mountain. Running was out of the question. Even walking took effort. When he turned to face the Blood Moon, the blurred outlines of his parents' faces surfaced in his mind. He did not know where the strength came from, but he clenched his teeth and forced himself forward into a run. "Work harder. Fight harder. Mom and Dad might be watching from up there!" His spirit surged. He pounded along in heavy strides, heart hammering. The overload made his whole body revolt, nausea rising until he nearly vomited. *Hummm…* The shell suddenly released a warm, gentle stream of life essence, replenishing his losses and pushing strength into his limbs. Duke Jaynes's eyes lit up. He ran again, his footfalls thundering. He was even faster than before. "Hahaha…!" Under the night sky, he ran faster and faster. Three days and three nights passed. He circled the village more than a hundred times, gradually adapting to the shell's gravity until he could move freely. Heat began to bloom between the layers of his skin, wave after wave. When he drove it, his fists could erupt with several times their usual power. That heat was force. The first realm of cultivation was the Embryo Stage. The Embryo Stage had four major checkpoints, and the first was the domain of force training. Duke Jaynes sat cross-legged outside the village. Purple Mist streamed from his mouth and nose as he drew in the spiritual energy drifting from all directions, cycling it through his body. His force rose steadily. "My Divine Radiance… does it mainly devour spiritual energy?" he wondered. "It doesn't seem to have any offensive power, or even defensive power?" Then delight flashed across his face. In less than the time it took an incense stick to burn, his body's demand for spiritual energy reached saturation. His cultivation speed had skyrocketed. What shocked him even more was what floated within the Purple Mist: five strands of Divine Radiance. "Weren't these Divine Radiance swallowed?" He tried to connect with the lightning radiance, but nothing responded. When he reached for Black Turtle Divine Radiance, the Purple Mist changed. The fog turned into blue luminous mist, slowly forming the shape of a turtle that crouched above his head. Duke Jaynes sucked in a breath. After probing the other Divine Radiance one by one, he reached a conclusion. Either his force was too weak to drive them, or those Divine Radiance had already become dead things. In the mortal world, Divine Radiance were as numerous as grains of sand in a river. Yet no matter how they changed, they all returned to the same root in the end: forging the body and granting cultivators all kinds of abilities. Duke Jaynes discovered that when Purple Mist drove Black Turtle Divine Radiance, it kept its original offensive strength while also inheriting Purple Mist's devouring trait. "Devouring and control. More importantly…" His blood ran hot. "I have two kinds of Divine Radiance." Purple Mist would lead his cultivation. Black Turtle Divine Radiance would lead offense and defense. It sounded like a perfect combination. As he inhaled and exhaled spiritual energy, he faintly sensed power stored within the Black Turtle Shell, something he could draw out for defense. Without warning, a heart-stopping presence rolled over him. Cold flooded his limbs. Even breathing became difficult. Duke Jaynes looked up in horror. In the distance, within a deep-red, sinister world of mountain forests, nine savage beasts appeared. They were towering and immense, and the pressure they exuded nearly suffocated him. Worse, they served as draft beasts. Purple-gold chains wrapped their waists as they hauled a bronze war chariot. A great banner hung from it, carved with the words: Aether Celestial Dynasty. Outsiders? Duke Jaynes's mind went blank. The Blood Moon had remained for three days, and outsiders had arrived… The chariot was iron-blooded and domineering, yet its interior was lavish, carved beams and painted rafters. White jade pillars rose one after another to support the roof, and the tiles cast dazzling light that spilled over more than a hundred Celestial Cultivator. At the front stood a middle-aged man. His gaze swept over the unremarkable little village, and he faintly sensed a mysterious power. His voice turned stern. "There's an indescribable scene-force here. This should be Black Turtle Village. Stop. Don't cross the boundary." "A thousand years ago, Skyspine Ridge erupted into a world-shaking battle," a Celestial Cultivator said, curiosity rising. "They say Black Turtle Village was heavily crippled. Is it still worth the Celestial Dynasty's attention?" The Celestial Cultivator discussed it in low voices. Through the ages, Black Turtle Village had been guarded by Grandmaster of the Great Way, and all sides had shown it respect. But rumor had it that when Skyspine Ridge opened a thousand years ago, a cataclysmic war broke out, and nearly all of Skyspine Ridge's experts fell. A thousand years later, Skyspine Ridge had opened again. As newcomers, they needed to gather intelligence by convention. Among them, a Beautiful Young Woman in a pale green dress spotted Duke Jaynes and could not help letting out a sharp laugh. "Look at that boy. He's like a giant turtle. He's only at the force-training domain. You can tell what state Black Turtle Village is in just by looking at him." The Celestial Cultivator could not help nodding. The growth of the younger generation often reflected the development of the entire clan. Black Turtle Village might truly have declined.