Chapter 140: Golden Hawksbill Turtle, Departure
Walking through the woods, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's tail swayed back and forth, her steps as light as if she were treading on clouds. She turned her head to look at Lin Xuan, who was strolling beside her with his hands behind his back, and suddenly remembering something, she asked,
"I almost forgot, what are you looking for the Hawksbill Turtle Clan for?"
Lin Xuan chuckled softly, "To give them a hand. To be precise, I'm going to help the Hawksbill King treat an illness."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion looked puzzled, "Treat an illness? You know how to do that too?"
Lin Xuan chuckled, "I know far more than you can imagine."
Hearing this, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion couldn't help but be taken aback.
Memories she had seen during the attribute connection surfaced in her mind again, with a few segments being particularly vivid.
Recalling those blush-inducing scenes in her head, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion felt her cheeks flush and the tips of her ears burn.
Her peripheral vision involuntarily swept over Lin Xuan as she muttered under her breath, "If I hadn't seen your memories, I really wouldn't have known you had those little hobbies..."
The smile on Lin Xuan's face stiffened slightly. He raised an eyebrow and turned his head, looking at the Three-Eyed Golden Lion with a half-smile and a faint tone,
"Little one, what are you saying? Could you say that again for me?"
Seeing this smile of Lin Xuan's, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion trembled all over and hurriedly turned her head away, her four legs moving rapidly, "Nothing! I didn't say anything!"
Lin Xuan shook his head and sighed helplessly. This was the downside of the attribute connection; his memories had been completely seen through, leaving him with no secrets...
The Hawksbill, whether in the Douluo Continent or on the Blue Planet, is a type of sea turtle Soul Beast and holds the same status—a symbol of longevity and auspiciousness, a proper auspicious beast.
And the king of the Hawksbill Turtle Clan holds a status almost equal to that of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
Although it cannot bless the entire Star Dou Great Forest like the Emperor Auspicious Beast, for Soul Beasts of the water and earth attributes, the status of the Hawksbill Turtle Clan is comparable to that of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
Additionally, the Hawksbill Turtle Clan prefers to live in groups, has extremely strong defensive capabilities, and holds a special status, so generally, no Soul Beast would trouble them.
This coincided with the Blue Planet. Perhaps most people don't know what a Hawksbill is, but they only need to know that this thing shares a nickname with the panda—the 'prison-sitter beast.'
The habitat of the Hawksbill Turtle Clan is located in a damp area with many lakes in the northern part of the Star Dou Great Forest.
When Lin Xuan and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion arrived, the Hawksbills were lazily lying on the shore basking in the sun, their shells shimmering with a gentle luster.
Seeing the arrival of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion and a human, they didn't react much, only lazily lifting their eyelids before continuing to enjoy their sunbath, their mental states being extremely stable.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion gestured forward with her chin, "This is the place."
Lin Xuan nodded and then lightly snapped his fingers.
"Snap."
At his fingertips, a blood-red flame quietly emerged, and then the aura of Ultimate Fire spread out like ripples!
In an instant, those water and earth-attribute Hawksbills were like startled birds, no longer possessing their previous leisurely appearance.
Their eyes widened, and their four short legs frantically clawed at the ground as they scrambled back into the water, splashing large amounts of water. Their speed was completely disproportionate to their bulky size.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's eyes went wide, all three eyes lighting up at once as she blurted out, "Ultimate Fire?! You actually have Ultimate Fire too!"
Lin Xuan smiled and reached out his other hand to rub the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's small head, "Surprised? I have two more of these ultimate attributes."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was stunned. Two more? She had seen Ultimate Darkness, and now this Ultimate Fire...
Meaning, Lin Xuan had yet another ultimate attribute?!
How was this possible? Three ultimate attributes?! Even she, the grand Emperor Auspicious Beast, only had two ultimate attributes!
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion looked Lin Xuan up and down with a suspicious gaze, a ridiculous thought popping into her mind.
Could this guy be some kind of auspicious beast even more powerful than herself in human form ? Otherwise, how could a human Soul Master possess three ultimate attributes?
Just then, in the center of the serene and deep pond before them, a large amount of ripples emerged.
A striking golden shadow kicked up a curtain of water and appeared before Lin Xuan and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
It was a large tortoise over two meters in diameter. Every line on its shell was dark gold and distributed extremely evenly, shimmering with a heavy luster under the sunlight.
Its head extended from the shell, with several whisker-like spikes growing on its lower jaw, giving it a somewhat senile appearance.
The king of the Hawksbill Turtle Clan, the Golden Hawksbill Turtle.
However, this Golden Hawksbill Turtle was clearly somewhat listless, as if its body had been hollowed out, the entire tortoise exuding an indescribable exhaustion.
But after seeing the Ultimate Fire at Lin Xuan's fingertips, it still forced itself to perk up and spoke in a serious tone,
"Human, this is the Star Dou Great Forest, not a place where you can play with fire."
Judging by its aura, the age of this Golden Hawksbill Turtle was around thirty thousand years. In the Hawksbill Turtle Clan, it was still considered a youngster.
Logically, with the longevity characteristic of the Golden Hawksbill Turtle, as long as it lived honestly, living for a hundred thousand years would be no problem at all.
But this Golden Hawksbill Turtle was a bit dishonest. It had taken a shortcut by leeching off the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm to reach a hundred thousand years, yet it still wasn't satisfied. Before leaving, it had set its sights on the Gold of Life at the eye of the Lake of Life.
It didn't know what it was, only that it was something good. Driven by greed, while Di Tian wasn't paying attention, it bit off one-fifth and hid back in its habitat.
But who would have thought that the Gold of Life not only brought it no benefits but instead acted like a juicer, inversely absorbing its own vitality.
Over time, its hundred-thousand-year cultivation level had dropped all the way down to thirty thousand years, leaving it unable to solve the problem itself and constantly living in fear that Di Tian would discover it was the one who stole the Gold of Life.
It could only shed tears of regret alone during every lonely night.
Lin Xuan smiled and withdrew the flame at his fingertips, saying in a playful tone, "Oh? Threatening me? I've always hated being threatened the most."
As he spoke, he slowly walked toward the Golden Hawksbill Turtle with unhurried steps, yet it made the Golden Hawksbill Turtle instinctively feel a wave of unease.
The Golden Hawksbill Turtle looked wary and was about to retreat when Lin Xuan's voice suddenly rang in its ear,
"If you don't want Di Tian to know what you've done, you'd better not move."
The Golden Hawksbill Turtle trembled all over! Its eyes widened, filled with terror as it looked at Lin Xuan! A storm surged in its heart!
How is that possible?! How could this human know about that?!"
Looking at Lin Xuan's playfully smiling face, the Golden Hawksbill Turtle spoke with a trembling voice,
"Im... impossible, how could you know about this..."
Lin Xuan didn't answer immediately. He crouched down, reached out, and lightly stroked the Golden Hawksbill Turtle's smooth shell, saying in a relaxed tone,
"You can gamble that I'm bluffing you, but what about the consequences? If I lose, it's nothing more than Di Tian making a wasted trip, but what if I win?"
He paused, his smile becoming even more brilliant, "How do you think Di Tian will deal with you?"
The Golden Hawksbill Turtle's heart sank to the bottom. How else could he deal with it? It would surely be treated like ginseng and planted into the ground.
But at the same time, a trace of doubt arose in its heart.
Strange, how does this person know Di Tian? And from his tone, it feels like he actually knows Di Tian?
This was simply too outrageous, no less than the fact that the other party knew about the stupid thing it had done.
Thinking of this, the Golden Hawksbill Turtle couldn't help but wonder if it should gamble. He's just a human, how could he possibly know Di Tian...
But just then, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's voice suddenly came from behind, "Golden Hawksbill Turtle, what did Lin Xuan say to you? Why are you scared like this?"
Hearing this familiar voice, the Golden Hawksbill Turtle immediately felt a bad premonition. It turned its head with difficulty and indeed saw the Three-Eyed Golden Lion tilting her head with a curious expression.
In that instant, its expression completely collapsed.
It's all over.
Although it wasn't clear why the Emperor Auspicious Beast would be with a human, at the very least, this human really could call Di Tian over...
Thinking of this, the Golden Hawksbill Turtle's heart finally gave up.
It hung its head and said feebly, "Speak, what do you want to do to this King? As long as it's not sacrifice or harming my people, this King can agree to anything."
Upon hearing this, Lin Xuan's attitude changed instantly, his smile as gentle as a spring breeze,
"See, you've misunderstood me, haven't you? If I really wanted to report you, you'd already be pinned to the ground by Di Tian's dragon claws by now."
Hearing this, the Golden Hawksbill Turtle was first stunned, and then the stone that had been hanging in its heart for a long time finally dropped.
"I've come here specifically to remove that small green stone for you and help you return to your peak."
Lin Xuan's tone was calm, "And what you need to do is simple: cooperate honestly and keep your mouth shut."
In an instant, the Golden Hawksbill Turtle was overwhelmed by a wave of immense joy. Its head felt dizzy, and it didn't even bother to think.
As long as it could survive, what did it matter what requirements he had?
Keep its mouth shut? Are you kidding? I simply never experienced this event at all!
It immediately nodded repeatedly, almost nodding its head off,
"Yes! No problem! As long as you can take that thing out, I'm willing to work like an ox or a horse for you for a thousand years, even ten thousand years!"
Lin Xuan nodded, "Good."
The Golden Hawksbill Turtle trembled. This... this isn't right, is it? I was just showing my loyalty; how could you take it seriously?
It opened its mouth, wanting to say something, but meeting Lin Xuan's half-smiling eyes, the words at the tip of its tongue were swallowed back down.
The Golden Hawksbill Turtle was joking, but he wasn't.
Although the Golden Hawksbill Turtle's Soul Ring was useless to him, keeping it as a pet wasn't out of the question. The Hawksbill King—how impressive would that be to mention?
Lin Xuan glanced at the frozen Golden Hawksbill Turtle and said in a flat tone, "What? Could it be you were just humoring me?"
How could the Golden Hawksbill Turtle dare to admit it? It could only shake its head repeatedly and continue to show its loyalty, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare! Whatever you say goes! This King will work like an ox or a horse!"
Seeing that the Golden Hawksbill Turtle had settled down, Lin Xuan stopped scaring it. He nodded and turned to look at the Three-Eyed Golden Lion behind him.
"Go catch a few fish over there first. I'll grill them for you in a bit."
Hearing this, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's gaze swept back and forth between Lin Xuan and the Golden Hawksbill Turtle. Although she was very curious about what the two had said, since Lin Xuan had asked her to leave, she wouldn't insist on staying.
"Hmph, then hurry up." She flicked her tail and turned to disappear into the woods.
AI Model: gemini-3.1-flash-lite
After the figure of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion disappeared into the bushes, Lin Xuan finally turned his head to look at the Golden Tortoise.
"Now, I will remove that stone for you."
The Golden Tortoise nodded repeatedly, moved to tears, almost kneeling down to kowtow on the spot.
Lin Xuan reached out and pressed his hand onto the Golden Tortoise's shell, which was covered in dark golden patterns.
A brilliant emerald green light suddenly flared up!
The life force within the Golden Tortoise, as if pulled by an invisible hand, surged crazily toward Lin Xuan's palm, flowing up his arm and into his Spiritual Sea.
Having lost that life force which had been consuming it in reverse, the Golden Tortoise's body size actually began to continuously grow larger, as its life force gushed outward like floodwaters breaking through a dam.
Within the Spiritual Sea, a soft emerald green halo rippled once more.
"Ah So refreshing"
As the life force of the Gold of Life was extracted, the Golden Tortoise not only showed no adverse reactions, but instead let out a long moan of comfort.
Its body also began to slowly expand like a balloon, going from its original two meters to five meters, six meters... and this was the size it was truly meant to be.
Finally, following a violent cough from the Golden Tortoise, a piece of green metal with an extremely smooth surface was spat out.
That piece of Gold of Life was not very large, roughly only half the size of the spirit devouring engraving knife, lying quietly on the soil, emitting a warm and gentle emerald green glow.
Seeing the little thing that had tormented it for so long, the Golden Tortoise subconsciously shivered and retreated a few steps, smiling sheepishly at Lin Xuan, "Since this stone has been removed, can this king leave now?"
Lin Xuan didn't even turn his head, replying in a flat tone, "Yes."
As if granted an amnesty, the Golden Tortoise scrambled into the water, splashing up a large spray.
Lin Xuan ignored it and picked up the cleaned Gold of Life, examining it for a moment.
This emerald green metal felt warm and smooth to the touch, with what seemed like flowing light rotating inside, emitting a rich aura of life. He did not absorb it immediately, but instead first stored it in his spirit tool.
Just then, the sound of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's footsteps came from the forest.
She poked out her little head, her golden fur shining brightly under the sunlight. Seeing that only Lin Xuan was on the shore, she tilted her head and asked curiously, "Are you done?"
Lin Xuan nodded, a smile appearing on his face, "Let me roast a few more fish for you. Once you finish eating, it will be time for me to leave this place."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion paused slightly, then let out an "oh," her voice sounding muffled. Her tail stopped wagging, and she slowly moved on all four legs to Lin Xuan's side, sitting down.
Lin Xuan looked at her dejected little appearance, couldn't help but smile, and reached out to rub her little head, "Why that expression? It's not like I'm dying. If you're really reluctant, we'll see each other again in the future."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion pursed her lips and retorted stubbornly, "Who's reluctant to let you go? Narcissist."
Lin Xuan shrugged his shoulders, acting unconcerned, "Alright then, I'll just come less often in the future. Oh wait, I rarely have a reason to come to the Star Dou Great Forest anyway."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's ears pricked up instantly. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know what to say.
In the end, she just gave a muffled huff, buried her head between her front paws, let her tail droop to the ground, and didn't speak again.
Lin Xuan shook his head, not exposing her, and took out a few prepared fish from his spirit tool, placing them over the fire to roast slowly.
The campfire crackled, the orange-red firelight reflecting on both their faces.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion lay beside Lin Xuan, her three eyes fixed on the dancing flames, occasionally stealing a glance at the person beside her. The firelight flickered across his face, outlining his already handsome profile and making it appear even more profound.
Lin Xuan didn't notice her unusual behavior, focusing instead on turning the grilled fish in his hands. Grease dripped onto the charcoal, making a sizzling sound, and the aroma gradually spread.
"Lin Xuan." The Three-Eyed Golden Lion suddenly spoke.
"Hmm?"
"Do you... know my original fate?"
Lin Xuan's hand turning the fish paused slightly, then he smiled and said, "Guess?"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion unhappily flicked him with her tail, "I'm being serious with you!"
Lin Xuan chuckled, shook his head and said, "I don't know. I'm not the God of Fate; how would I know your fate?"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was silent for a moment, then asked again, "Then why are you so good to me? Why did you say things like 'I will give you a completely different fate'?"
Lin Xuan thought for a moment, his tone casual, "Why be good to you? Am I very good to you?"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion nodded earnestly, "Compared to other humans, it counts as very good."
Lin Xuan looked at the campfire, silent for a moment, "No reason. If I have to say one, it's because I'm willing."
"It's that simple?" The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was somewhat skeptical.
"It's that simple."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion stared at his profile for a long time; the firelight danced in her three eyes like three tiny stars.
"Then what about the latter question? Since you don't know my original fate, how could you say that?"
Lin Xuan handed her the roasted fish, thought for a moment, and said, "You should also know your own importance, and you also know the current plight of your Soul Beast race."
"It just so happens that I also know some rumors about Divinities. Therefore, although I don't know your original fate, I can be certain that even after I interfere, no matter how your fate turns out, it won't be worse than the predetermined fate."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was stunned; she stared blankly at Lin Xuan's profile, which was warmed by the firelight.
Before asking this question, she had thought of all sorts of answers Lin Xuan might give when facing it, all kinds of them.
She thought the other party would say some high-sounding principles or use those words that sounded impressive to bluff his way through.
But she had never imagined it would be like this.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion lowered her head, taking small bites of the roasted fish, not knowing what she was thinking.
Lin Xuan didn't speak either, just sat beside her, quietly roasting the next fish. The campfire crackled, stretching their shadows long, overlapping on the shore.
After a long while, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion suddenly looked up, her three eyes sparkling.
"Lin Xuan."
"Hmm?"
"What is... the human World like?"
Lin Xuan was slightly taken aback, then smiled, "Why? Want to go see?"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion snorted, "I'm just asking casually! If you don't want to say, forget it!"
Lin Xuan smiled, not exposing her, "The human World, huh..."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion pricked up her ears, concentrating fully, thinking Lin Xuan would go on to say how wonderful, exciting, and worth yearning for the human World was.
She had even prepared herself to be sold on the idea, thinking she must go see it if there was a chance in the future.
However, the next moment, she heard a voice gnashing its teeth.
"A pile of dog shit."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion:???
"The human World, no, this World is just a pile of dog shit!"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was completely bewildered, her three eyes wide open, her mouth slightly agape, having forgotten to chew the roasted fish.
She never expected that Lin Xuan would give such an answer.
"You... didn't you say before that there were delicious and fun things?" She asked, stammering.
Lin Xuan stared at the campfire, the orange-red firelight dancing in his eyes, reflecting a deep, dark shadow.
"Delicious and fun things, and this World being dog shit, are they in conflict? Flowers can grow in dog shit, but that doesn't stop it from being dog shit."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion opened her mouth, not knowing what to say.
Lin Xuan didn't look at her, continuing to speak to himself, "If you come into contact with many humans, especially some idiots, you will find that you can't see a future for humans at a glance, and you'll wish the World would be destroyed immediately."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's ears drooped, and her tail stopped wagging.
"But." Lin Xuan changed the subject, his tone suddenly shifting, "If you look at it from another perspective, looking at the brilliance of human nature, at those noble souls, at those who could have been selfish but chose kindness, at those who could have run away but chose to stay, at those who know something cannot be done yet still do it..."
He turned his head and looked at the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, the firelight flickering on his face, making his eyes appear exceptionally bright.
"You will feel again that this World still has a necessity to exist."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was stunned. Lin Xuan looked at her confused little appearance, suddenly smiled, and reached out to rub her head.
"Is it very complicated? Hard to understand?"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion nodded honestly.
Lin Xuan withdrew his hand, looked toward the distant lake, and said softly, "So, what this World is like should not be asked of me, but should be seen by you yourself."
He turned his head, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a gentle smile, "Whether it is beautiful or dog shit, it is up to you to decide."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion stared blankly at him, the campfire crackling, the orange-red light making his profile flicker in the light and shadow.
She lowered her head, taking small bites of the roasted fish, not knowing what she was thinking.
After a long while, she spoke in a muffled voice, "Then what about you?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you think this World... is beautiful, or is it dog shit?"
Lin Xuan was silent for a moment, his gaze crossing the lake, looking toward the boundless forest in the distance, and said softly, "Both, I suppose. Sometimes I think it's dog shit, and sometimes I think it's actually quite good."
He paused, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, "At least today, it's not bad."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's tail swayed gently, and her mouth curved up quietly.
...
The setting sun gradually sank behind the mountains, and a brilliant orange-red remained on the horizon. Lin Xuan stood up and brushed the non-existent dust off his robes.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion sat squatting in place, looking up at him, her three eyes bright, but she said nothing.
"I'm leaving." Lin Xuan looked down at her and smiled.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, she only let out an "oh."
Lin Xuan turned around and walked toward the outside of the forest. After taking a few steps, the voice of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion came from behind.
"Hey! Lin Xuan! Will you... come back in the future?"
The corners of Lin Xuan's mouth rose slightly. He did not answer, only raised his hand and waved it casually.
Under the sunset, that figure walked further and further away, eventually disappearing into the depths of the forest. The Three-Eyed Golden Lion stood in place, looking in that direction for a very, very long time.
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