Xu Tianxi waved at Heavenly Tyrant Bixi with a familiar ease, genuinely hoping it would turn out to be a hidden Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beast, a treasure turtle, just like Xu Sanshi's Golden Hawksbill.
Unfortunately, though Heavenly Tyrant Bixi nodded in a remarkably human-like manner, it didn't speak.
Guess I can't expect my luck to be that good, Xu Tianxi thought, a bit disappointed.
"It's enough that you can understand us. My grandmaster and I don't need your Soul Ring, nor do we intend to refine your soul. We're just curious about your experiences. So, relax for a moment. I'll help heal your injuries."
Xu Xiaoyun took out a small jade bottle, placed one hand on Heavenly Tyrant Bixi's head, and dripped some glistening green liquid onto its cracked shell. A red mist immediately rose from the shell.
"Ugh, ouch! Take it easy, please..."
Heavenly Tyrant Bixi, who had been tightly pursing its lips, couldn't help but cry out. Its body convulsed violently, but it couldn't break free from Xu Xiaoyun's grip.
"Hm?"
Xu Tianxi's eyes lit up. He squatted down, his face full of excitement. "So, you can talk, Turtle Brother, you who are as handsome as a Jade Tree Facing the Wind, Mighty and Valiant, yet unfortunately stranded out here?"
Encountering such a discerning human, Heavenly Tyrant Bixi couldn't help but lift its head, about to say something. Then, remembering itself, it retracted its dragon head slightly and whispered,
"Hey, handsome human friend, would you believe me if I said that was an accident?"
Xu Tianxi's eyes were full of amusement. "Of course... that's impossible."
Xu Tianxi's single sentence dashed any lingering hope Heavenly Tyrant Bixi might have had. He smiled. "Come on, tell us, Turtle Brother, how did you end up here? We have nothing to do right now, and we might even be dealing with each other in the future."
A talking top-tier Sea Soul Beast looked incredibly adorable. If Soul Spirit technology became available in the future, he definitely had to try contracting one. The Baxia Clan was, after all, the king of sea turtles.
Hmm, this clan shouldn't be loyal followers of Tang God King, right? If so, then I'd have to reconsider.
Heavenly Tyrant Bixi drooped its head weakly, sighed, and said innocently,
"I don't know either. Just a few days ago, I was eating seaweed and humming a tune as usual, basking in the sun on an island. Suddenly, a terrifying Deep Sea Demon Whale invaded our clan's sea territory, stirring up monstrous storms! It plundered us!"
"Some of my clan members, including myself, were injured by that Deep Sea Demon Whale, or even killed and devoured. I don't know how many years it's been since any Sea Soul Beast dared to openly attack our clan. That guy is a lunatic, a lunatic full of murderous intent!
We recognize the Deep Sea Demon Whales in the vicinity. We've never seen anyone so insane, and her strength is far greater than a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beast Deep Sea Demon Whale I know. She's definitely a Ferocious Beast.
At the time, I charged at that guy, but I was grazed by her whale tail and almost lost my life..."
A Ferocious Beast-level Deep Sea Demon Whale? And it massacred the Baxia Clan? Could this be the later Demon Empress?
Hearing that the culprit was a Ferocious Beast-level Deep Sea Demon Whale, and that it had attacked the Baxia Clan, known as Auspicious Beasts, a light flashed in Xu Tianxi's mind. He remembered the Holy Spirit Church Master, the Million Year Soul Beast Demon Empress, from ten thousand years later.
He remembered her for no other reason than that he didn't know of any other Ferocious Beast-level Deep Sea Demon Whales. Moreover, before being discovered by the Holy Spirit Church, the Demon Empress's emotions were unstable. She had been slaughtering and devouring Sea Soul Beasts everywhere in the sea, increasing her cultivation, and had already become a demon.
Of course, the root of this matter lay with the former Sea God and the current Sea God's immense lack of virtue. The Demon Empress's husband, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, was sleeping soundly at home when he was sought out, had his eyes gouged out, and his Soul Ring and Soul Bone taken. This caused the Demon Empress, stripped of her husband's protection, to fall into madness.
As for cultivating by devouring Sea Soul Beasts, was that a sin? The Deep Sea Demon Whale King rarely went out, lazily sleeping at home. Even Xiao Bai, the Demon Soul Great White Shark, complained that it only opened its stupid mouth, waiting for prey to deliver themselves.
Is a whale still a whale if it doesn't eat meat? And it's not like the Demon Soul Great White Sharks, Sea God's dependents, became vegetarians from carnivores just to show loyalty.
Killing Soul Beasts is killing Soul Beasts. Whether it's for Soul Rings or Soul Bones, it's always for profit. But to kill a Soul Beast and then label it as evil is truly disgusting. Which vegetarian Soul Beast on Douluo Continent hasn't eaten a few Blue Silver Grass?
Well, except for the vegetarian Soul Beasts who disdain Blue Silver Grass for its lack of nutrition. After all, that stuff is everywhere, and some high-blooded Soul Beasts probably aren't willing to lower their culinary standards.
While Xu Tianxi was silently complaining, Heavenly Tyrant Bixi, having opened its floodgates, couldn't stop talking, wishing it could pour out all the bitterness of the past two days.
"You don't know how powerful that detestable Deep Sea Demon Whale is! After we were attacked, the two closest Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beast elders immediately rushed to rescue us, but even their combined efforts weren't enough!"
"An elder from our clan who had passed two Heavenly Tribulations, my old dad, came out to fight her, but he still couldn't defeat her! It was only with the support of several other Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beast elders that the situation stabilized!
We, these ten-thousand-year-old small turtles, couldn't withstand the energy aftermath. My old dad wanted to use spatial displacement to send us out of the battlefield, but that hateful whale interrupted him. The spatial transfer went wrong, and it was my grandfather, Heavenly Tyrant Ancestor, who came out to stabilize space. I was teleported from home to here..."
Heavenly Tyrant Bixi, grimacing in pain, wore a sorrowful expression, its eyes filled with deep hatred. It seemed that if it were strong enough, it would surely tear that Deep Sea Demon Whale into a million pieces.
Snorting loudly, Heavenly Tyrant Bixi's voice grew even more mournful, turning to accuse those hateful Evil Soul Masters of their inhumanity.
"Last night, I had just woken up on a nearby island when I was targeted by a group of human Soul Masters dressed all in black!
It's a pity that despite my ninety thousand years of cultivation, my abilities were less than one percent of what they should be due to continuous injuries, and my life force was largely depleted. Those hateful humans immediately blasted me with terrifying cannonballs! And then they chased me for a day and a night, sob... I'm so miserable..."
Xu Xiaoyun and Xu Tianxi exchanged glances, communicating with their eyes.
Xu Tianxi: Grandmaster, he says his dad is a Ferocious Beast, and his grandfather is also a Ferocious Beast. Is this believable?
Xu Xiaoyun: The Baxia Clan has always been known for its longevity and auspiciousness. Their bloodline originates from Baxia, one of the Nine Sons of the Dragon. Their racial talent is no less than that of the Ice Jade Scorpion. It's not surprising for two Ferocious Beasts to appear. Their clan leader is known as Heavenly Tyrant Ancestor, and he has at least six hundred thousand years of cultivation.
Xu Tianxi: What do we do with this guy then? We can't act rashly, can we? If we attract his elders, we're all screwed.
"It's easy. Our Xuan Ming Family is a family that raises turtles. We particularly like these old turtles. If his elders come to pick him up, we'll send him back. Otherwise, it's also good to bring him home and raise him to guard the house and ward off evil. It won't take much effort."
Xu Xiaoyun, with a pleased expression, pulled out a thick ancient book and handed it to Xu Tianxi. "Come on, this is our Xuan Ming Family's experience in raising turtles. Take a good look."
Xu Tianxi focused his gaze, and his eyes narrowed.
The Complete Guide to Raising Ten Thousand Year Old Turtles — Written by the Past Clan Heads of the Xuan Ming Family
He opened it and flipped through, finding everything from domestication to cultivation, and even handling various difficult and complicated diseases.
The book also recorded some ten-thousand-year-old turtles the clan had raised. The Xuan Ming Family members would occasionally scrape valuable substances from their shells to make Guilinggao, which was very nourishing.
"Uh... two human friends, I'm very grateful for saving my life and helping me heal. I sent out a distress signal to my clan a day ago, and I can already sense that my elders are about to arrive. When they get here, I'm sure they'll reward you."
Heavenly Tyrant Bixi, having finished its lament, stretched its neck and took a drink from the jade bottle Xu Xiaoyun offered. The entire turtle slowly recovered from its dying state of weakness, giving its guarantee weakly.
Xu Xiaoyun waved his hand grandly, saying with noble integrity, "There's no need to talk about that. Those Evil Soul Masters who pursued you are scum among our human Soul Masters. It's everyone's responsibility to clean up scum."
Xu Tianxi's eyes, meanwhile, gleamed. He extended a hand, symbolizing friendship:
"Turtle Brother, you're as handsome as a jade tree facing the wind. Are you interested in exchanging contact information? I've admired your Baxia Clan for a long time and always wanted to be friends with you."
"Also, if possible, could you tell us the whereabouts of that crazy Demon Whale? We'd like to avoid it, so we don't suffer any unnecessary harm."
To be able to penetrate the ancestral lands of the Baxia Clan and engage in a fierce battle with a Ferocious Beast of over 200,000 years of cultivation and several Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beasts, regardless of whether this Deep Sea Demon Whale is the Demon Empress, its strength would likely be no weaker than a Level 98 Super Douluo.
Conservatively estimated, this Demon Whale's combat power at sea is stronger than Xuan Zi's, and Xu Xiaoyun wasn't sure if he could contend with it.
Xu Xiaoyun's thick brows furrowed as well, a sense of worry rising in his heart. He pondered the Deep Sea Demon Whale's level of strength. His Black Tortoise Martial Soul symbolized water and could draw upon the power of the ocean to amplify his combat strength, even daring to challenge a Limit Douluo. But compared to Sea Soul Beasts, perhaps...
"Exchanging contact information is no problem! Our Baxia Clan welcomes outsiders to visit the most. You saved me, which makes you good friends of my Baxia Clan. I'll lead the way for you from now on!"
Heavenly Tyrant Bixi looked at the two kind human powerhouses before it with teary eyes. Indeed, there were still good people in the human world outside. Not all humans coveted their precious Soul Rings and Soul Bones upon seeing them.
This old man, whose aura was even more terrifying than its father's, definitely had no need for them. As for the young human man... perhaps in the future, he might. But judging by his fighting style just now, it was a spiritual method, which also didn't match their clan's Soul Rings.
Excellent, the other party had no reason to harm it, so it could confidently make friends!
"Oh, and little brother, I've heard my elders say that Spiritual Soul Masters generally have weaker physical constitutions. While I see your physical constitution is quite good, there's still room for improvement. When my clan elders arrive, I'll definitely have them see if there's anything suitable to help you strengthen yourself."
Heavenly Tyrant Bixi's injuries were temporarily relieved. It swayed its relaxed body, floating up and down in the water, looking generous as if to say, "My family has plenty of good things."
Xu Tianxi silently thought that this 90,000-year-old Baxia was simple-minded and easily deceived. Then he asked curiously, "So, when will your elders arrive?"
"Very soon, I estimate about ten..."
"Ten minutes?"
"Nine, eight, seven..."
"Tianxi, be careful!"
Xu Xiaoyun pushed Xu Tianxi and Heavenly Tyrant Bixi away, then abruptly turned around, his gaze as sharp as a sword's edge, seemingly capable of unleashing endless sharpness. Nine Soul Rings appeared instantly, and he flipped his hands up, unleashing a vast palm strike. A thousand-zhang-tall Black Tortoise phantom rose behind him, its body like a tortoise and its tail like a snake, radiating overwhelming might as it distantly observed everything in front.
"Roar—"
The tortoise and snake danced, the Black Tortoise roared, and a powerful light erupted between Xu Xiaoyun's palms, then transformed into layers of towering waves, thousands of zhang high, in the shape of a palm. Each wave was higher than the last, meeting the sudden, numerous water tornadoes in the distance.
Pushed far away, Xu Tianxi clearly sensed the profound and ocean-like Spiritual Power fluctuations contained within Xu Xiaoyun's attack. That level of Spiritual Power far exceeded his comprehension, and the same was true of the Black Tortoise phantom behind him, as if a true Divine Beast had descended, possessing a terrifying might that overshadowed heaven and earth.
He didn't use a Soul Skill but could achieve this power. Did Grandmaster use a powerful combat technique? Xu Tianxi frowned in thought.
"Boom—"
Thousands of zhang-high black water waves surged and crashed, colliding with the incoming water tornadoes. As the waves receded, Xu Xiaoyun's right shoulder swayed, and he retreated three steps in mid-air. His thick brows were tightly furrowed, his expression extremely solemn.
"This aura... Grandpa actually came in person?" Heavenly Tyrant Bixi poked its head out, recognizing the terrifying Ferocious Beast amidst the many water tornadoes.
"It's your grandpa, Heavenly Tyrant Ancestor? Then why aren't you going up to mediate quickly? You can't let our good intentions go unrewarded."
"Don't worry, this is a unique gratitude ritual of our Baxia Clan: fighting to become one with our benefactors."
Heavenly Tyrant Bixi extended a claw covered in Dragon Scales and patted Xu Tianxi's shoulder, saying calmly.