Chapter 4

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Chapter 4 – The Twelve Emperor Swords of the Great Wilderness, Luo Guan Bows His Head

Man and turtle locked eyes.
Just that single glance, and countless images surged into Luo Guan’s mind—he instantly understood everything that had happened before.
So it turned out… he had been saved by the mysterious Black Profound Turtle of the Heavenly Fire Abyss, allowing him to successfully condense his Tongtian Bone.
Luo Guan bent at the waist in a deep bow. “Many thanks for saving my life, Senior!”
The Black Turtle gave a cold, mocking laugh. “At the moment, you still don’t even know the relationship between us.”
Luo Guan said solemnly, “Our fates are bound together, sharing both life and death… But please believe me, Senior, this was never my intention.”
The Black Turtle stared directly into his eyes. “Would you be willing to set me free?”
Luo Guan’s answer was firm, leaving no room for doubt. “This junior is willing!”
What the turtle saw in his gaze was not hesitation, but calm sincerity.
Does he really mean it? This foolish brat!
The turtle let out a long sigh. “Even if you are willing, it can’t be done… Not unless, one day, you shed your mortal body and achieve Feathered Immortal Ascension. Only then could you try.”
“Feathered Immortal Ascension?!” Luo Guan’s eyes widened in shock. “That’s… impossible…”
In the martial path, there were seven realms.
In the immortal path, ten higher levels beyond that.
That was the absolute peak of cultivation as far as Luo Guan knew.
On the Cloud Sea Continent, where the Qingyang Kingdom stood, countless living beings had been born and died over the ages, yet never once had anyone reached the realm of Feathered Immortal Ascension.
The Black Turtle snorted. “Put away that ignorant look. With Grandpa Gui’s help, stepping into the Immortal Realm will be as easy as flipping a hand! But first… tell me… where did this curse come from?”
Luo Guan frowned. “If Senior is referring to those eyes within the black mist… this junior does not know.”
The turtle rolled its eyes. “Brat, if you hadn’t run into Grandpa Gui, you could forget about ever condensing a Bone of Ascension in this lifetime!”
“This kind of vicious curse cuts off the path of cultivation. Hmph! If the Celestial-Blessed Clan learns you’re still alive, they will make sure to erase you completely, down to the roots.”
“The Celestial-Blessed Clan…” Luo Guan’s gaze hardened. “This junior will remember.”
The turtle’s eyes bulged. “That’s what you’re focusing on? That clan is extremely strong, even Grandpa Gui has suffered terrible losses at their hands. Aren’t you afraid?”
Luo Guan’s voice remained calm. “When I entered the Heavenly Fire Abyss, I had already set life and death aside. If I do not fear death itself, what’s a Celestial-Blessed Clan to me? Now that I know of this grudge… one day, I will go to them and demand repayment.”
“Such big talk!” The turtle poured cold water over his resolve. “Do you even know? Even if you reached the Immortal Realm, you’d still be nothing compared to them.”
Luo Guan clasped his fists and bowed again. “Then I must trouble Senior to guide me.”
The Black Turtle’s expression turned proud. “Hmph! Grandpa Gui has mastered countless ancient secrets. Right now, I have a ‘minor’ divine art… if you can comprehend it, you might be worth something. If not, stop spouting grand words and focus on steady cultivation.”
With that, the turtle spat out a golden light, condensing it into a scroll of scripture that pressed itself onto Luo Guan’s Tongtian Bone.
“You have one hour.”
Luo Guan took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
The turtle’s beady eyes gleamed with smugness.
This will scare the brat good… after that, he’ll obey Grandpa Gui without question.
In truth, what it had spat out was no “minor” art at all, it was an unparalleled sword scripture it had stolen from an old master. Even after three thousand years, the turtle had failed to comprehend a single stroke. This was the perfect chance to crush Luo Guan’s arrogance.
Youngsters with lofty eyes but shallow skill, they need to be cured.
To the turtle, an hour was nothing. Yet halfway through, its heart suddenly skipped a beat.
On its massive shell, the Tongtian Bone, towering like a pillar to the clouds, began to tremble.
Weng! weng!
The sound was like a sword’s cry.
“Impossible!” The turtle’s voice cracked. But its connection with the Bone of Tontian Bone was flawless—there was no mistake.
Luo Guan… had comprehended it.
In less than half an hour.
Then what was I doing for three thousand years?! The turtle’s mouth twitched, sinking into an existential crisis about the meaning of turtle life.
Weng!
The Tontian Bone rang like a divine sword being unsheathed, drawing the golden scripture into itself.
Luo Guan opened his eyes, awe filling his face.
He couldn’t fathom what kind of being this Black Turtle was, to casually give him a divine art with such heaven-shaking, earth-piercing power.
…Though, judging by Senior’s expression, it didn’t seem too pleased. He must have taken too long to comprehend it, disappointing the old turtle.
Indeed, he was no genius at all!
“Senior?”
“Mm—ah, you’re awake!” The turtle snapped out of its thoughts.
“This junior’s dull talent made Senior wait far too long,” Luo Guan said in shame.
The turtle: “…”
“…Your comprehension is… acceptable,” it muttered, eyes darting. “Do you know the name of this divine art?”
Ah…Senior must be testing him!
“The Twelve Emperor Swords of the Great Wilderness!”
“That’s right. The Twelve Emperor Swords of the Great Wilderness,” the turtle said, tears flowing in its heart. Three thousand years… and I finally know its name.
Suppressing its grief, it continued, “This sword scripture places extremely high demands on the body. If you’re careless, you’ll injure yourself. Fortunately, Grandpa Gui has a body-tempering divine art that complements it perfectly. But only disciples of my lineage may learn it…”
Luo Guan dropped to his knees. “Please accept me as your disciple, Master!”
“My lineage values talent above all… Ah, forget it! Grandpa Gui will break the rules this once. From today, you are my disciple.”
“Disciple greets Master!”
The turtle nodded. “Since you’ve entered my tutelage, I will spare no effort in making you stronger.”
Inwardly, it laughed wildly, claws akimbo.
Half an hour to comprehend the Twelve Emperor Swords, this brat is a sword genius unseen in ten thousand lifetimes! Old man, just you wait, our master-disciple pair will smash your shell to bits!
“Master, are we underground?” Luo Guan asked.
“Mm. Once the Heavenly Fire Abyss closes, it naturally sinks into the depths of the earth.”
Luo Guan’s face paled. “Not good! If the Abyss has closed, the Fifth Elder and the others won’t see me return, they’ll think something’s happened!”
“I need to go home quickly. I’m worried about Father’s health.”
The turtle said, “Jump into the magma lake. Pass through the cave at its deepest point and you can leave. Oh, and at the lake bottom there’s a two-thousand-year-old Earthfire Red Lotus, pluck it and eat it.”
“…”
“Relax. With me here, ordinary water or fire can’t harm you in the slightest.”
Only then did Luo Guan realize that, despite being so close to the magma, he felt no heat at all. His heart steadied, and he leapt in.
Indeed, no harm!
Once he adapted to the magma’s pressure, he swam like a fish toward the depths.
Breathing replaced by the circulation of the Tongtian Bone’s aura, he reached the lakebed half an hour later.
Following his Master’s directions, he found the Earthfire Red Lotus. It’s radiance was as blinding as the sun, even here. Just approaching made his skin prickle painfully.
He yanked it free, the burning pain in his palm making him hesitate. “Just… eat it like this?”
“Eat it,” the turtle said flatly.
Gritting his teeth, Luo Guan swallowed it in a few bites. Fire seemed to explode from within.
“Hold it in, don’t vomit!” The turtle’s voice grew serious. “The Earthfire Red Lotus can cleanse your marrow and mend flaws in the body, perfecting your foundation. Once you pass through the cave, there’s an underground river. Its waters are icy cold—should feel nice for you.”
Luo Guan forced himself onward, soon finding the underground river and diving in.
Plop!
The icy water boiled on contact with his overheated body, bubbles surging to the surface. He exhaled long and slow, relief flooding his features.
“Master, next time you give me a treasure like that, please warn me first. I almost couldn’t hold on.”
“Don’t complain when you’ve profited. Quickly, circulate your cultivation method, absorb the cold qi. Yin and yang combining will temper your body even better.”
“Yes!”
Luo Guan focused, guiding the energies.
When the lotus’s fiery power met the river’s chill, they fused into endless transformations, strangely similar to parts of the Twelve Emperor Swords.
His mind sank deeper.
Shu!
A surge of sword intent burst from his body, slicing the river in two and carving into the stone wall.
The turtle sucked in a sharp breath.
The Twelve Emperor Swords… He… already entered the first stage?!
Sensing the changes within Luo Guan, its eyes trembled.
Once in ten thousand lifetimes? No… that’s too little.
This disciple is at least once in a hundred thousand lifetimes!
The turtle murmured to itself, “Perhaps… he could attempt that final spot the old man once mentioned…”
It shook its head, dismissing the thought.
The cultivation world was too cruel—it had seen countless meteors rise in glory, only to burn out in an instant. Luo Guan had just stepped into the martial path; such thoughts were far too early.
The state of insight slowly faded, and Luo Guan opened his eyes.
“Yaaah!”
A startled cry reached his ears. On the riverbank, a few young women dropped their laundry basins, covered their faces, and ran off.
Luo Guan looked down at himself and gave a wry smile. “Master… you couldn’t have woken me up sooner?”
The turtle, utterly unbothered, replied, “What’s there to fear? It’s not like you lose anything.”
His wry smile deepened. Grabbing a few pieces of clothing, he dressed quickly and glanced around. “First, I need to figure out where we are.”
But before he could take more than a step, his expression changed and he bolted.
A dust cloud rose in the distance, a group of burly men, brandishing pitchforks and hoes, charged toward him.
“The streaker up ahead—stop right there!”