AST 811 – Liu-Li’s Parents, Demon Gate

“The Firecloud Blacksmith Store…?”

Qing Shui asked, feeling puzzled but he immediately regretted. He should not have asked. He could tell from Huoyun Liu-Li’s expression that it was not something happy for her to bring up.

“You’ve seen that middle-aged man from the Firecloud Blacksmith Store, right? He’s my foster father. The blacksmith store was not called the Firecloud Blacksmith Store in the past. After they’ve picked me up, being the honest people they were and seeing the words Huoyun Liu-Li engraved on the jade pendant I had on me, it became my name. My foster parents had no kids of their own and they were so happy when they picked me up, they even changed the name of the blacksmith store they had inherited from their ancestors into 'Firecloud Blacksmith Store'[1].” When Huoyun Liu-Li spoke about her foster father, a warm smile appeared on her face.

Qing Shui felt relieved. When he first met that middle-aged man back then, Qing Shui thought that he must had a beautiful wife, otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to had such a beautiful daughter like Huoyun Liu-Li.

“I don't know why my foster father made me continue on using this name instead of following his surname. He even told me that I wasn’t their own flesh and blood. I would prefer to be never told about this.”

Qing Shui now realized that everyone and every family had their own stories. It was no wonder that they said that there’s a skeleton in every house. He had known Huoyun Liu-Li for quite long time, but he only got to know this story of her's today.

When faced with such matters, Qing Shui had no idea on what to say. She was usually very cheerful but she had not really feel so happy in her heart. After all, no matter who it is, no one would feel happy about it if the same situation had happened to them.. To be abandoned by her birth parents, this was much more depressing that s.h.i.+ Qingzhuang’s situation. At the very least, s.h.i.+ Qingzhuang knew who her parents were, she had her dearest grandfather, had a family and relatives she was related to by blood. However, it was different for Huoyun Liu-Li. Without a family who were related to you by blood, one would also feel out of sorts. This might be the reason why she doesn’t stay at home that much.

“They should have their difficulties, otherwise, who would bear to part with such a cute daughter?” Qing Shui consoled Huoyun Liu-Li gently.

“Alright, let’s not talk about them. Anyway, I’ve neither seen them before nor have any relations to them. Moreover, there’s no way for me to meet them. I’ll forever be the child of my foster parents.” Huoyun Liu-Li smiled and said.

The more one acted that they did not care about something, the more it showed that they did really mind.

However, Qing Shui did not say much. He merely flew toward Huoyun Liu-Li to the Hundred Miles City, looking at her with pity. This was a lady who needed more love and concern.

The Firecloud Blacksmith Store was the same as before. While it was not considered reputable in the Hundred Miles City, no one would dare to come here looking for trouble. It was because the bigger clans knew that the man in the Firecloud Blacksmith Store had a strong daughter in the country.

Back then, Huoyun Liu-Li was managing the “Earthly Paradise” in the Cang Lang Country.

He had also met Huoyun Liu-Li there, and eventually they were brought together by marriage.

Qing Shui and Huoyun Liu-Li walked side by side into the Firecloud Blacksmith Store. There were people around the store, looking at the weapons on display. Further in, there was a middle-aged man forging weapons as well as two young individuals who were smelting and forging iron.

“Father!” When Huoyun Liu-Li saw the middle-aged man, she smiled happily and called out to him.

Stunned, the middle-aged man lifted his head and saw Huoyun Liu-Li. Putting down his hammer, he broke into an infectious smile.It was a happiness that came from deep within.

“La.s.s, you’re back.” The middle-aged man walked out and said happily.

Qing Shui a.s.sessed this middle-aged man. He was in his fifties, with a burly and strong physique. His arms looked muscular and strong too.

Huoyun Liu-Li went up to grab this man by the arm and smiled happily.

“La.s.s, I’m dirty. Come, let’s go in. Your mother misses you dearly and has been nagging on when you’d be coming back.” The man said happily.

This was a good father, an honest and down-to-earth man.

It was only then that the man seemed to had noticed Qing Shui. A hint of surprised appeared on his face before he smiled and looked at Huoyun Liu-Li, “So our la.s.s has someone she likes now. Why aren’t you introducing him to your father?”

A hint of blush appeared on Huoyun Liu-Li’s face, “He’s called Qing Shui…”

“Oh, I remember you. Qing Shui who was previously in the Hundred Miles City. I’ve seen you, you’ve come here before.” The man seemed to be struck by realization before he spoke.

This guy’s memory was quite good.

“h.e.l.lo uncle!” Qing Shui bowed and greeted the man politely.

“Come, let’s go in. There’s no need to stand on ceremony. Since you’re someone la.s.s had set her sights on, then you’re also my kin now. Don’t mind that our status is low and can't be compared to the s.h.i.+ Clan.” The man grabbed Qing Shui’s and said with a laugh.

Seemed like he knew about Qing Shui being engaged to s.h.i.+ Qingzhuang.

“Father, what are you going on about.” Huoyun Liu-Li said reproachfully.

“Uncle, please be a.s.sured. I can swear here to G.o.d that I’ll definitely treat Liu-Li well. If I were to let her down, I’ll be struck by lightning.” Qing Shui said with all solemnness to the man.

“Qing Shui, what are you doing…”

If Huoyun Liu-Li was this man’s flesh and blood, he wouldn’t say anything like this. Qing Shui had always felt that making an oath was a foolish thing to do. It was not because he was a type of person that would go back on his promises. However, there were some things that even making an oath wouldn't help if one lacked the capability. People who could go back on their words would treat the most vicious oaths like just an ordinary occurrence.

However, Qing Shui felt that he needed to express himself now.

“Haha, alright. Even a country b.u.mpkin like me can tell the sincerity behind these words. I only hope that the la.s.s could find someone who’d be able to treat her well.” The man smiled and said. However, Qing Shui could still see a hint of worry in his eyes.

The man let the two younger guys continued to watch the shop while the three of them headed towards the back. Once they did, they heard some sounds and a plain looking lady walked out.

The lady should be in her forties and her plain clothes made her look even more amiable. When she saw Huoyun Liu-Li, she cried out in surprise. “Liu-Li is back!”

“Mother!”

Huoyun Liu-Li went up to hug the woman and called out happily.

The woman patted Huoyun Liu-Li on the back and said, “Let the guest come in.”

“Mother, he is Qing Shui.” Huoyun Liu-Li smiled and said.

“Qing Clan’s Qing Shui. It’s good la.s.s, you’ve found a good person.” The woman smiled and looked at Qing Shui.

“Qing Shui pays respect to aunty.” Qing Shui once again bowed respectfully.

Qing Shui also took out the gifts he had prepared earlier, pa.s.sing them to the couple. There were also the Beauty Pellet and two Xiantian Golden Pellets. This was his way of helping Huoyun Liu-Li’s parents.

The two of them were very happy to received such gifts. With a slight hesitation, they received the gifts, not standing on ceremony with him. This also made Qing Shui felt happy, he prefered honest and down-to-earth people like them.

Although taking the Xiantian Golden Pellet would imply that they would only remain at the Xiantian level for all their lives, to them, this was like an elixir that was even more precious than mountains of riches.

With a lifespan of five hundred years managing this blacksmith shop, even with a small sum of money, they would also be able to lead a carefree life in the Hundred Miles City.

After everyone got to know each other, they had their lunch. The woman then brought Huoyun Liu-Li upstairs to have a chat, leaving the man and Qing Shui together.

“Qing Shui, I feel that there are some things that we should tell you.” After giving it some thought, the man spoke up.

Qing Shui was stunned for a moment. However, he already knew what the man had wanted to say, it was about their relations.h.i.+p with Huoyun Liu-Li. He smiled and said, “Uncle, please go on.”

“La.s.s isn’t our flesh and blood.” The man sighed softly and said.

“Mmm, I know. Liu-Li has told me about it.”

“I don’t know if it’s good or bad that Liu-Li is with you. Although you’ve already shown your sincerity, I’d still like to say it again. If there’s something that’s very tough to accomplish that stands between you and the la.s.s, will you do it?” After giving it some thought, the man said.

Qing Shui thought about it before he smiled and said, “As long as it’s something that’s good for Liu-Li and if Liu-Li is agreeable, I’ll do it.”

“This matter is extremely difficult.” The man had his brows furrowed all this time, as if he was still hesitating.

Qing Shui was now experienced about the world and could tell from his expression that this must be something which could concern people’s’ lives. Therefore, the man was considering if Qing Shui was reliable and if he had the capability to pull it off.

“I’m aware that I might not be able to accomplish it immediately, but I’ll definitely do it in the future. There’s no one else in the Greencloud Continent who’s more suitable than me. While you might not really believe or understand me, you should understand your daughter and her judgement.”

The man’s eyes lit up before he smiled and said, “Actually, her real parents hadn’t hope for her to be able to accomplish this affair but I’ll still tell you. Regardless whether you can do it or not, I hope that you won’t tell her. Only tell her when you have the ability to pull it off.”

"Of course I won't tell her. Since Uncle was willing to tell me that she isn’t your flesh and blood but still wouldn’t mention this to her, this affair must be very important." Qing Shui felt very puzzled as well.

“Have you heard of the Demon Gate?” The man gave it some thought and said.

“Demon Gate?” Qing Shui asked, astonished.

Qing Shui recalled hearing about the Demon Gate from Lady Duanmu. It seemed to be in the Central Continent and he had once asked what was the cultivation level of the strongest person there. He seemed to hear that other than the Demon Gate, there was also the Buddha Sect, the Sky City, the Tang Manor, the Moon City, and the Duanmu City…

These appeared to be the most powerful factions in the Central Continent.

“That’s right, the Demon Gate.” The man said with affirmation.

“I seemed to have heard someone mentioned it before that it’s in the Central Continent.” Qing Shui said, sounding unsure.

“I’m not sure either. I can only tell you that if you have the power to do so in the future, bring the la.s.s to the Demon Gate. If you don’t have the power to, then don’t ever go there. Don’t tell the la.s.s that her parents are in the Demon Gate either.” After saying all of these, the man appeared to be more relaxed.

Qing Shui nodded. The Demon Gate was of the same level as the Buddha Sect in the Central Continent, while the Buddha Sect was of the same level as the Lion King’s Ridge. Now, Qing Shui did not know if he should feel happy or smile bitterly.

Yiye Jiange’s issue was related to the Lion King’s Ridge and now to think that Huoyun Liu-Li was involved with the Demon Gate. The heavens were really thinking very highly of him, giving him a second existence he would need to deal with, which was also one of the strongest in a continent.

Now, even Qing Shui himself felt that he was quite a big shot to have such ridiculous stuff happened to him. However, thinking of how his soul transitioned into this world and thus made his ability to withstand situations stronger, he felt that everything in the world was possible.

Since he was reincarnated and had met people he love, then he would just work hard. It wasn't as if there was no hope at all.

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AST 812 – Trivial Matters, Revisit The Ten Thousand Turtle Swamp

After he pondered for awhile, Qing Shui gave a firm nod and said: "If Liu-Li is willing, then I will bring her to the Demon Gate. To be honest, Liu-Li has always been thinking of you and your wife. Both of you are like real parents to Liu-Li, for all the love and care you have given to her to become who she is now."

The man laughed out heartily after he heard Qing Shui's words. Then, he looked at Qing Shui and said: "We aren’t wrong about you. I thought hard about it at first before I finally told her the truth. Now I’m still unsure whether that was the right thing to do or the worst thing I've ever done."

Huoyun Liu-Li's foster father let out a heavy sigh as he questioned his own decision.

"I can understand how you feel. I have a daughter too, who is currently 21 years old. You see, I’m actually not her biological father. The life of her parents were taken from her during her early age, leaving her with a deep vengeance that she never knew. She was brought up by her aunt after that. I had to act as a husband to her aunt in order to show the love of a family to my dear daughter. Till this day, I still lack the courage to tell her the truth about her true ident.i.ty. I fear that she might lose it if she knew about her true past." Qing Shui forced a smile as he thought about Luan Luan's tragic past.

The foster father was shocked about what he had just learnt from Qing Shui. Nevertheless, he gave a comforting smile to Qing Shui and said, "That girl Liu-Li is lucky to have met you in her life. I’m very happy and pleased to know that."

"You’re wrong, uncle. It is me who is lucky enough to have met Liu-Li. We have been together through everything for about ten years already." Qing Shui recalled the time in the Southern City where Liu-Li almost lost her life. He could still feel the jitters crawling up to his spine whenever he thought about it.

In the afternoon, Qing Shui and Huoyun Liu-Li went for a stroll around the Hundred Miles City since both of them have free time to pa.s.s leisurely. Huoyun Liu-Li was happy, she was already satisfied as long as she could always be by Qing Shui's side.

After a while, they arrived in front of the Qing Clan's Medicinal Store. Back then, the Qing Clan had allowed the s.h.i.+ Clan to look after the estate before they left, so the medicinal store could still be opened. The Qing Clan had also thought that one day, they might be able to come back and stay again for a certain period of time.

"Liu-Li, let's go inside and take a look. It's been a long time since we've been here. I feel nostalgic looking at this place." Qing Shui signalled with a smile to Huoyun Liu-Li. He wanted to go inside the Qing Clan's Medicinal Store to see what had changed after a long period of his absence.

"Alright, I missed this place too." Huoyun Liu-Li smiled gleefully.

When they entered, there were three people inside the medicinal store. The medicinal garden was still in great condition, as the herbs seemed to be thriving healthily. The three people he met were the ones who had mended the garden and meticulously took care of the thriving herbs.

Even when he had not checked the garden for a long time, there were no stray gra.s.ses to be seen. The people hired by the s.h.i.+ Clan had regularly performed housekeeping to this place, as evident by the clean appearance of the garden as well as the structure of the building.

Qing Shui and Huoyun Liu-Li greeted and introduced themselves to the three caretakers before they entered the building. The rooms were remarkably clean but the bed frames were laid bare without comforters as they had already been kept inside the cabinet before they left.

"Qing Shui, how about we stay here for the night?" said Huoyun Liu-Li as she blinked her eyes seductively at him.

"Is it because this place is quiet, and no one will hear you if you make a lot of noises?" Qing Shui chuckled.

"You scoundrel. Is that all what you think about every day?" Huoyun Liu-Li scoffed shyly.

Huoyun Liu-Li was wearing a violet dress that complemented her exquisite beauty. She was naturally a woman with a flattering figure, in which Qing Shui had found irresistible. From the first time he saw her, he knew she was special. The first impression she gave wasn’t of a beauty that could captivate an entire city but merely a lady with a beautiful and attractive face. But as time went by, her inner beauty and seductiveness began to show through her elegant aura, which had caused him to be unable to resist her seduction.

Qing Shui then abruptly pulled her and left the medicinal store as he called her as a succubus. If they continue to stay in that building, he had a feeling that they would end up having s.e.x with each other in the next second.

When it was almost dark, he hopped onto the Fire Bird with Huoyun Liu-Li and headed back to the Qing Village. On their way back, Qing Shui caught a glimpse of the scenery below and became stunned for a good while.

The Ten Thousand Turtle Swamp!

He didn’t particularly see anything out of the ordinary in the swamp but he had suddenly thought of the powerful demonic beast that lived in the waters. He remembered the valuable items he had caught during fis.h.i.+ng, as well as the personal belongings of the Art Maestro himself. Recalling this memory had given Qing Shui a new idea.

Back then, his cultivation was moderate. After he had received an attack from the demonic beast and survived, he concluded that the beast was not very strong, perhaps around the level of a Martial Saint.

With his current ability, the demonic beast of a Martial Saint level was nothing to him. So he decided that he should go fis.h.i.+ng in the swamp after a few days, with the hope to find that demonic beast again.

To be honest, Qing Shui wasn’t really curious about that demonic beast anymore, it was just an early-stage Martial Saint. However, because he had encountered the beast in the Ten Thousand Turtle Swamp, he was still a little bit curious of its ability and origin.

Most members of the Qing Clan had decided to stay in the Qing Village for a few days before they returned to the Heavenly Palace. They decided not to stay in the Hundred Miles City anymore. Besides, the only place Qing Luo had nostalgia for was the Qing Village, not the Hundred Miles City.

Those who still wished to visit the Hundred Miles City could do so by the means of a flying mount as it would be fast and convenient.

New Years had pa.s.sed. s.h.i.+ Qingzhuang went back to stay at the s.h.i.+ Clan, whereas Huoyun Liu-Li had gone back to the Firecloud Blacksmith Store to spend more time with her foster parents. On the other hand, Mingyue Gelou, Canghai Mingyue, Yiye Jiange and Wenren Wu-shuang had went to stay in the Qing Clan's Medicinal Store in the Hundred Miles City.

Qing Luo, Lin Zhanha, and the other members of the Qing Clan remained in the Qing Village. Qing Yi with a few uncles and aunts also stayed in the village.

Qing Shui had no preference, so he could stay wherever he wanted. The time to travel between the Qing Village and the Hundred Miles City was quite short anyway.

Besides the excursion between the Hundred Miles city and the Qing Village, he had nothing much to do. However today, Qing s.h.i.+ went to look for Qing Shui to speak to him, only to stumble over his words. Qing s.h.i.+ took a while before he had finally calmed himself and said: "Qing Shui, I need your help this time."

He was surprised by Qing s.h.i.+'s approach. It was rare for him to behave like this, unless he had encountered a real problem. Qing Shui laughed and said: "Tell me. If it's nothing ruthless, I will help you in any way I can."

Qing s.h.i.+ revealed a smile and expressed his concern: "Of course it's nothing ruthless…… If Qing Shui can help me, then it will definitely work."

"Do tell. What is it about?" Qing Shui urged with an unchanging smile. He was a bit curious as well.

"I want to marry Xiang Yuan from the Xiang Clan."

Qing Shui was brought back to his memories of nearly past ten years, when he was still in the Hundred Miles City. There were two distinguished ladies in the Xiang Clan – the full-bosomed Xiang Yuan and the delicate Xiang Bao.

During those days, Qing s.h.i.+ and Xiang Yuan would always play together. When the Qing Clan had to move away from the Hundred Miles City, Qing s.h.i.+ was reluctant to part with Xiang Yuan. It seemed like he had reignited the spark of romance with Xiang Yuan during his few days in the Hundred Miles City.

"Then as your uncle, I will help you with the proposal of marriage." Qing Shui happily agreed to help Qing s.h.i.+ with a swift response.

"My words may have less influence to her family. Please, I beg a favor of you. You must help me with the proposal." Qing s.h.i.+ pleaded in distress.

Qing Shui said nothing more. He headed straight to the Xiang Clan and made a marriage proposal on behalf of Qing s.h.i.+ to Xiang Yuan's family. Naturally, the Xiang Clan looked forward to their marriage as they believed this virtue was blessed by their ancestor. After all these years, the current Qing Clan had become different than they were before – they had become stronger and more influential.

When he paid a visit to the Xiang Clan, he saw the girl he used to know who had become a fine woman – Xiang Bao. The delicate small face of the little girl had grown to an appearance of a delicate woman. She had grown taller, almost taller than an average woman, with an air of elegance to her demeanor. Xiang Bao had married and became a mother of two, after all, she was already 30 years old.

As long as a martial warrior had reached the strength of a Xiantian, 30 years old or even 40 years old, would still be considered as the age of a young adult. However, this would be different for the residents in the Hundred Miles City and the Qing Village. The youth of an ordinary human could only last before one could reach the age of 50, with the average lifespan of 160 years or above. Of course, some humans were able to live to the age of 200 but only a few could do that. Only those with the strength of a Peak Houtian level would be able to live past 200 years old.

So in essence, the coming of age for ordinary humans would be 16 years old. Even though that was the legal age to get married and conceived children, most people would only achieve those at the age of 25 or above. Those who got married at the age of 30 or 40 were uncommon, so to speak.

When Xiang Bao saw Qing Shui after years of not seeing each other, she greeted him with a warm smile and said: "How are you, Qing Shui! It's been a long time since we've seen each other." The cheerfulness could either be an automated response of a mother or the feelings of nostalgia to an old friend.

Qing Shui widened his smile. Her voice was pleasant as always but with an added hint of maturity. The man who was able marry someone as exquisite as her must be very lucky.

"I'm fine. How about you?"

Qing Shui greeted back with a genuine smile. He still remembered his time in the Hundred Miles City back then, especially the moments where he collided with her three times which had caused her to fall on the ground each time. It was nostalgic when he recalled that memory. Qing Shui couldn't help but laughed at those unforgettable moments.

No wonder there was a saying, 'Make more memories in your youth that will last forever'. Even if those memories were nefarious, one would never be alone when they had reached their prime as memories were all that were left to tell a story and relive those moments with unflagging patience. Memories were indeed wonderful things.

Xiang Bao had to leave before a small conversation was able to pa.s.s between them. Due to her current status, it wasn't appropriate for her to be involved with Qing Shui for more than required. As he stared at the woman walking away, a subtle air of melancholy surrounded him in an instant.

A person would meet a lot of people in one lifetime. Most people would slip by, while a few would be able to cross paths and develop a relations.h.i.+p with one another. Some people might stay and some might go away, this was a fundamental pattern of a human's interaction with one another. Parting would always be a melancholy experience, because as they said 'Parting is such sweet sorrow'.

However, Qing Shui wasn't greatly affected by Xiang Bao as much as he thought but their meeting did caused him to remember the people he had met throughout his life, like Yu He. Qing Shui only knew about her departure from the Yu Clan days ago after he had met up with Yu Donghao in the Hundred Miles City.

Then there was Qing Hanye, Elder Yun from the Feng Clan, Gongsun Jianwu and the sisters from the Jin Clan…..

After the marriage between Qing s.h.i.+ and Xiang Yuan was confirmed, the Qing Clan organized a banquet ceremony to officially announce Qing s.h.i.+ and Xiang Yuan as husband and wife. This time, Xiang Yuan would be leaving with Qing s.h.i.+ back to the Heavenly Palace as an official member of the Qing Clan.

As relatives, Qing Shui would never forget to treat the Xiang Clan with respect. He left some gifts that were deemed valuable by the Xiang Clan, like some precious medicinal pills and beast skins.

Qing Yi had already went to visit Huoyun Liu-Li's foster parents in the Firecloud Blacksmith Store to affirm the relations.h.i.+p between Qing Shui and Huoyun Liu-Li. Betrothal gifts had already been sent and the guest list had already been made. Of course, they would never forget to prepare a banquet to signify the official status of both Qing Shui and Huoyun Liu-Li as a married couple.

………

Qing s.h.i.+'s personal affair had been settled and as with Qing You's matter, it was settled when they were in the continent's capital. The lady named Chaoyang was now officially Qing You's woman.

All members of the Qing Clan's third generation were now capable to create a family of their own. The youngest Qing Bei was getting older too. Qing Zi, on the other hand, had already reached the age of 40. Good thing that the members of the Qing Clan were now above the level of Xiantian, so even if one were to hit 40 years old, they could still be considered young. However, in terms of cultivation, Qing Zi couldn't go as far as the others did.

After Qing Shui had finished his preparations to go back to the Heavenly Palace, he decided to revisit the Ten Thousand Turtle Swamp and check out the place.

He departed to the Ten Thousand Turtle Swamp as soon as he had made up his mind. He wasn't really concerned with his safety as there was nothing to worry about. A pinch of curiosity was all it took to push him to make his way to the swamp. Qing Shui also wanted to try fis.h.i.+ng again anyway.

The Ten Thousand Turtle Swamp was a restricted area of the Hundred Miles City. He would never see anyone else inside the swamp area except himself. There were some who were as curious as he was and went into the swamp area just to throw away their precious lives. The demonic beasts inside the Ten Thousand Turtle Swamp were widely known by the people of the Hundred Miles City to be ferocious and unforgiving.

Qing Shui felt quite excited to revisit the swamp, he knew that he would get a lot of benefits as he had last time. The public had deemed this place as a danger zone but for him, it was a place of paradise.

Qing Shui hoped with a greedy mindset that he could reap more benefits this time.

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AST 813 – The Sixth Grade Of Nature Energy

There were numerous turtles of different sizes, colors, and species swimming in the swamp. The name 'Ten Thousand Turtle Swamp' was more than appropriate for this place.

Qing Shui couldn't see all of the swamp clearly, even after activating his spiritual sense. His spiritual sense had grown remarkably strong, much stronger than he could remember. He could, however, generally sense the aura around his surroundings to check if there was a strong demonic beast inside the swamp. Thankfully, there was none.

Although he was able to gauge the presence of any demonic beasts, Qing Shui still couldn't clearly sense the surrounding aura, which may have been due to some kind of water distortion or some effect of the Ten Thousand Turtle Swamp. After a while, he decided to go fis.h.i.+ng in the swamp. Maybe he might be able to confront that demonic beast from before…….

He went to the usual fis.h.i.+ng spot surrounded by swamp waters and took out his Pure Gold Fis.h.i.+ng Rod. Qing Shui felt excited when he imagined what he could catch this time. He waited until everything was quiet before he threw the fis.h.i.+ng line into the swamp. All that was left was to wait silently for the rod to catch something.

Time pa.s.sed by slowly as he continued to wait patiently. The Pure Gold Fis.h.i.+ng Rod possessed the miraculous ability to attract spiritualized things in the pond by grabbing onto them, and it could attract spiritualized creatures to swim towards the line as well. Ordinary aquatic creatures like fishes and prawn would instead fearfully stay away from the fis.h.i.+ng line.

Even after 15 minutes had pa.s.sed, there was still nothing. He could, however, sense a strange power from the rod flowing into his body, followed by the infusion of his spiritual sense into the fis.h.i.+ng rod. The fis.h.i.+ng rod and fis.h.i.+ng line seemed as if they had become one with his body.

What a rare treasure!

The Pure Gold Fis.h.i.+ng Rod was indeed a phenomenal treasure. When he thought about what he had just said, he laughed at his own foolishness. The past items he had fished out with the Pure Gold Fis.h.i.+ng Rod had all been valuable. He just hadn't expected the rod's ability to combine his spiritual sense with itself, like a divine weapon trying to identify its master.

Nonetheless, the rod still remained as it should be – a rod.

He was still happy about it. The fis.h.i.+ng rod had an important place in his heart, second to the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. It was more important than his other items, even the 'Thunder G.o.d', which he felt was inferior in quality to the Pure Gold Fis.h.i.+ng Rod.

After another 15 minutes, the rod finally moved. Qing Shui wasn't especially excited, because after linking his spiritual sense with the rod, he was able to tell that a turtle was on the end of the line.

Blood Turtle!

The Blood Turtle was a turtle species that was rarely seen in the wild. Consuming a Blood Turtle could produce the immediate effect of replenis.h.i.+ng the blood cells in a human's body, especially useful for those who with severe blood loss. In a sense, the Blood Turtle was considered a medicine of good quality, as it could be used as a food supplement to improve the quality of a human's blood, strengthening the physical body in the process.

The Blood Turtle wasn't what Qing Shui had been expecting, but he was still content to keep it inside the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. He didn't have that particular species yet, but he did already possess a Scarlet Turtle, a related but more poisonous creature.

After that, Qing Shui captured a few turtle species and some uncommon aquatic animals. Unfortunately, he had already lost his interest in these creatures after a while.

Suddenly, Qing Shui could feel a spiritual presence through the line of the fis.h.i.+ng rod that had been infused with his spiritual sense. Excitement coursed through his veins as he felt the impressive aura of a demonic beast moving through the waters.

It was the aura of an early Martial Saint demonic beast, which had Qing Shui simultaneously thrilled with joy and a little bit disappointed. He was disappointed because the current strength of the demonic beast was more or less worthless to him. On the other hand, he could tell with certainty that this demonic beast was the same one that had attacked him the last time he was here.

"Since you've come, let's see what you're made of!" Qing Shui waited as the demonic beast approached his direction.

However, the aura slowly began to dissipate, as if it were trying to escape from Qing Shui. Qing Shui was startled. He didn't think the beast would be this cunning to try and evade his grasp.

He quickly retracted his Pure Gold Fis.h.i.+ng Rod and locked his spiritual sense onto his target. Then, he took out the Water Repelling Pearl and immediately jumped into the Ten Thousand Turtle Swamp. He really wanted to know what kind of demonic beast had been able to severely hurt him back then.

The target was retreating at a progressively faster speed, so Qing Shui hastened his pace and continued the chase. The strength of his opponent posed no threat to him anyway. Even if the demonic beast was indeed dangerous, he would know beforehand through his spiritual sense.

The distance between the two was getting shorter. It was then Qing Shui discovered how deep the Ten Thousand Turtle Swamp was – he still hadn't reached the bottom yet. After a period of time, Qing Shui could feel his feet suddenly touch the stone ground of the bottom swamp.

He had reached the bottom!

Qing Shui observed the uneven ground and noticed that the area within a few meters was dry. This must be the effect of the Water Repelling Pearl. Right now, he was more focused on looking for the demonic beast – he had no time to waste looking at the ground.

The aura of the demonic beast had completely vanished. He had been in the middle of his search when the aura had suddenly disappeared. It was strange indeed.

Nevertheless, Qing Shui continued to search around the bottom of the swamp for the demonic beast. The Ten Thousand Swamp seemed vast. The water near the surface was clear, but water at the bottom was sky blue and fuzzy. His silhouette flashed through the bottom of the swamp around where the demonic beast had vanished. After a while, he finally found the place where it had disappeared to.

This place seemed similar to the entrance of the palace under the lake below G.o.ddess Peak. Without a doubt, he knew that the early Martial Saint demonic beast had gone inside, so Qing Shui quickly gave chase without thinking twice.

Inside this place was an empty s.p.a.ce – there was no palace. There were, however, mountain-sized jade stones of the size and a bunch of trees thriving in this area. None of these were important, because Qing Shui had already set his eyes on the demonic beast in front of his eyes.

Qing Shui was shocked. The demonic beast wasn't that big, and it was pitch-black in color. With a glance, he could see that the turtle was about ten meters in size, with a large tail about 15 meters long. The head of the turtle seemed slightly longer, like a large python intertwining with a large turtle.

Xuanwu……

A miniature Xuanwu, was it a coincidence?

In his past life, he had heard much about the legend of the mythical Xuanwu. So when he came to this world, he believed that there would be a demonic beast like the Xuanwu hiding from human sight. After all, people in this world had legends about dragons and phoenixes, so why not a Xuanwu as well? However, he was perplexed to see one right in front of him, in plain sight.

In Qing Shui's past life, the Xuanwu was known as a spirit beast – a beast created from the fusion of a turtle and a snake. It was a powerful defensive beast, known as a protector of the North.

However, Qing Shui wasn't sure whether the demonic beast in front of him was really a Xuanwu. After all, this one seemed to only possess the strength of an early Martial Saint, which was not as strong as he had thought. Even though the beast was moderately sized, it was still considered small compared to the average size of demonic beasts at the Martial Saint level.

Ssssuuu……

A panic-stricken cry was emitted by either the head of the vile snake, or the head of the turtle.

Even though it wasn't strong physically, the spirit beast possessed the strongest Spiritual Qi that he had ever seen in a demonic beast, including his Diamond Gigantic Elephant and Fire Bird. The only weakness this beast had was its weak attack power.

This was probably because it hadn't matured yet.

Qing Shui wasn't interested in its attack power. He decided to tame the beast just because it looked like a Xuanwu.

Qing Shui temporarily named this demonic beast as Turtle Snake. Qing Shui felt that he should be able to tame a demonic beast of Martial Saint level, despite the fact he didn't consider himself a beast tamer. However, he was still undeniably stronger than most beast tamers in the world.

Qing Shui could sense that the Turtle Snake was afraid of him, probably because it had sensed the powerful presence of his strength. However, Qing Shui noted that the Turtle Snake was intensely staring at the Water Repelling Pearl he was holding, as if it was being cautious of it.

The Water Repelling Pearl had been spat out by that gigantic old turtle's mouth. Perhaps the Turtle Snake was afraid of this Water Repelling Pearl?

Qing Shui waved the item on his hand and said, "Are you afraid of this pearl?"

As he waved his hand, the Turtle Snake immediately took two steps backwards. Qing Shui had a sudden thought and approached the Turtle Snake slowly, but the beast quickly retreated again. When the distance between them less than five meters, something unexpected happened.

The pitch-black Turtle Snake plopped on the ground instantly.

Did it just surrender itself?

Qing Shui glanced at the Water Repelling Pearl that he had received from the gigantic old turtle. There was a possibility that it might not be a Water Repelling Pearl at all. Curiously, he activated the Heavenly Vision Technique and examined the pearl.

Divine Turtle Spirited Pearl!

Divine Turtle Spirited Pearl: A coagulated pearl of the 10,000 Years Spirited Turtle with a miraculous effect.

Qing Shui was surprised to know that the old turtle was actually a 10,000 Years Spirited Turtle. Even though the Golden Medicinal Turtle inside the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal was about 6,000 years old, it couldn't fight like the old turtle.

The old turtle could be considered a battle turtle, a primitive battle beast of 10,000 years. Because of the old turtle, the woman in the crystal coffin crept into his mind once again. Who was the divine-like woman exactly? How long had she been in there?

What kind of ability did the old turtle possess? The old turtle was gigantic too, unlike the much smaller Turtle Snake in front of him. Even though the Xuanwu he had seen from the ill.u.s.trations in his past life had similar features to the Turtle Snake, there were also many descriptions that depicted the details of the Xuanwu. The Xuanwu was supposedly a divine turtle that possessed an exceedingly powerful strength.

Qing Shui wasn't afraid that the Turtle Snake would lash out at him as he walked straight towards it. He reached out his hand and touched the s.h.i.+vering Turtle Snake. The moment he touched the beast, an influx of superb Spiritual Qi abruptly flowed into Qing Shui's whole body in the span of a few seconds.

In that instant, the Nature Energy and State of Immovable as Mountains that had already been circulating nonstop suddenly achieved breakthroughs.

This was definitely G.o.d's doing.

The Nature Energy had finally reached the sixth grade! Qing Shui was excited to know that the Nature Energy had seemingly been absorbed into his body and was promptly circulating on its own. He couldn't feel it outside his body, but the Nature Energy had indeed began to circulate in full speed in an instant.

Moreover, the Nature Energy required zero energy consumption, which filled Qing Shui with all sorts of emotion. Technically, he could use the Nature Energy forever, which was way more than he had expected. The Sixth Grade of Nature Energy was also twice as strong as the Fifth Grade of Nature Energy. Qing Shui stood still in surprise for a good minute .

A fantastic spirit beast indeed.

Even though the State of Immovable as Mountains had broke through to the fifth grade, he couldn't sense an obvious change in the technique. Regardless, the dense aura inside his body had grown stronger, his overall strength had increased by 10%, and his imposing aura had increased exponentially. This all was most likely due to the effect of the State of Immovable as Mountains.

Suddenly, Qing Shui felt that he might be able to help the woman slumbering inside the crystal coffin with the energyless Nature Energy. But was she worth the effort?

He looked at the well-behaved and submissive Turtle Snake. The reason he could feel a surge of spiritual strength earlier was because of the Divine Turtle Spirited Pearl.

Since he had successfully caught the Turtle Snake, he decided to use his Heavenly Vision Technique to examine its attributes.

The Spirited Snake Turtle, a spirit beast of the Heaven and Earth with the ability of One-Sided Guard.

After looking at these few words, Qing Shui shook his head. This wasn't a Xuanwu, but it didn't really matter whether this was a Xuanwu or not. A spirit beast was already enough for Qing Shui.

Qing Shui then tried to put the Spirited Snake Turtle into the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. This was an amphibious demonic beast that he had already successfully tamed, so it shouldn't be a problem to put it inside the realm.

The moment he successfully put the Spirited Snake Turtle into the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, Qing Shui could feel a slight change occurring inside the realm itself.

He flashed into the realm immediately.

And Qing Shui was stunned.

The Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal had grown twice as big as before, with the width of one thousand meters.

Could it be that the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal had upgraded too?

Qing Shui couldn't be bothered to check on what the Spirited Snake Turtle was doing inside the pond that had doubled in size, and immediately headed straight to the stone monument to check on the inscribed statements.

Sixth level of the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, unlocked!

Seventh level of the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, locked!

There wasn't a breakthrough?

Was this the effect of the Spirited Snake Turtle's One-Sided Guard…….

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