Chapter 116: King of Tortoises, Auspicious Beast of the Tortoise Clan, 100,000-year Golden Tortoise!
"A hundred-thousand-year soul beast?"
The moment the giant tortoise spoke in human language, Bibi Dong's expression turned solemn.
Almost instinctively, she pulled Lin Qingmo behind her.
The movement was so fast it left only a fleeting afterimage.
In the next instant, her soul power erupted.
Nine soul rings rose from beneath her feet, dazzling halos encircling her body.
The terrifying aura of a Titled Douluo surged outward like a tangible storm, crushing down directly upon the golden giant turtle.
The very air seemed to freeze.
The chirping of insects and birds vanished instantly, replaced by a deathly silence.
Shielded behind Bibi Dong, Lin Qingmo felt a warm current envelop his entire body; it was a protective layer she had deliberately isolated for him.
Through the narrow gap, he observed the tortoise.
'A soul beast that can speak… a hundred-thousand-year-old? No, that's not quite right.'
He muttered inwardly.
According to the setting, a soul beast capable of human speech must be at least at the 100,000-year level.
But although this tortoise's aura was powerful, it felt… incomplete.
Bibi Dong had clearly noticed the same issue.
She narrowed her eyes, carefully sensing the fluctuations in the golden tortoise's aura.
"Not one hundred thousand years."
She reached her conclusion, her voice as cold as ice.
"At most fifty thousand years of cultivation."
The moment her words fell, her aura intensified even further.
If it truly had been a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, she might have exercised caution.
But a mere fifty thousand years…
"Seeking death."
The two words left her lips, and killing intent flooded the air.
Yet what happened next stunned both of them.
The golden giant tortoise, upon sensing the overwhelming presence of a Titled Douluo, instantly slammed on its brakes!
Literally.
Its four massive legs gouged deep trenches into the ground as it skidded forward several meters before stopping.
"!!!"
The fury in its eyes faded at a visible speed.
In its place, pure, unfiltered fear.
The fear was so obvious that even Lin Qingmo had to suppress the urge to laugh.
'That reaction is way too real.'
The enormous golden body shrank subconsciously.
Its head and limbs retracted halfway into its shell.
Then it performed an action that left Lin Qingmo utterly dumbfounded—
It turned around and bolted.
Yes. This gigantic tortoise pivoted with agility utterly inconsistent with its size and attempted to flee.
"Hmm?"
Bibi Dong frowned.
Her figure transformed into a streak of violet light, appearing instantly in front of the golden tortoise to block its path.
Her speed was so fast that even afterimages were nearly imperceptible.
"Trying to run?"
Bibi Dong said coldly, already condensing a sphere of violet soul power in her palm.
Though small in size, the destructive aura emanating from it caused the surrounding temperature to plummet.
"Don't! Don't kill me!"
The golden tortoise nearly lost its soul from fright; even its voice cracked.
It shrank its neck even further, appearing noticeably shorter.
"I was wrong! I shouldn't have run around recklessly! Please don't kill me!"
The tone of pleading, the shameless cowardice…
The more Lin Qingmo watched, the more familiar it felt.
'Can speak… afraid of death… turtle-type soul beast… golden…'
A name gradually formed in his mind.
Bibi Dong, however, had no patience for such thoughts.
The violet sphere in her hand rotated slowly, her killing intent unwavering.
"Not a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, yet you dare rampage through the Star Dou Forest and speak human language…"
Her voice was icy.
"You cannot be allowed to live."
"Wait!"
The golden tortoise sounded as if it were about to cry.
"I have treasure! Really! I'll give you my treasure, just don't kill me!"
As if to strengthen its credibility, it hurriedly added,
"It's extremely precious! Super precious! A heaven-and-earth supreme treasure!"
"Hmm?"
Bibi Dong paused.
She studied this talking tortoise that even understood bargaining for its life with treasure.
The killing intent in her eyes eased slightly, though her vigilance remained.
'A mere ten-thousand-year soul beast capable of speech…'
She fell into thought.
'And clever enough to offer treasure in exchange for its life. Interesting.'
At this moment, Lin Qingmo also stepped up beside her.
He examined the golden tortoise closely, and the more he looked, the more certain he became of his guess.
'Auspicious among tortoises… Golden Tortoise… If it's really that one, then the treasure must be…'
A possibility made his heartbeat quicken.
"Where is this treasure?"
Bibi Dong asked coldly.
The sphere of soul power in her hand did not dissipate, remaining ready to strike at any moment.
The golden tortoise's gaze flickered.
Its eyes darted about, clearly still searching for an opportunity to escape.
It stammered, "The t–treasure… is in my stomach…"
"In your stomach?"
Bibi Dong's eyes turned icy, assuming the tortoise was mocking her.
"You think I would believe such nonsense?"
The violet sphere began to expand, its destructive aura intensifying.
"Wait, Master!"
Lin Qingmo hurriedly stopped her.
Bibi Dong halted and turned to him, waiting for his explanation.
Taking a deep breath, Lin Qingmo looked at the golden tortoise and asked,
"What treasure? Why is it in your stomach? Explain clearly. If you're not lying, we can consider sparing your life."
His tone was serious.
Because if it truly was that object… then this time, they had struck an absolute fortune.
Seeing a chance, the golden tortoise hurriedly confessed.
It spoke so quickly that the words came out like a rapid-fire barrage:
"I'll talk! I'll talk! My name is Golden Tortoise. I am an auspicious beast among turtle-type soul beasts!"
It straightened its golden shell proudly.
Though still cowardly, it couldn't suppress a trace of pride when speaking of its identity.
"Among tortoise soul beasts, I am like an emperor, the king of all tortoises!"
Hearing this, Lin Qingmo's expression grew increasingly strange.
'It matches… all of it matches…'
He was now nearly certain of this Golden Tortoise's identity.
Bibi Dong, however, frowned.
"Auspicious beast? I've never heard of such a thing. And with your cultivation, you dare call yourself emperor?"
"It's true!"
The Golden Tortoise grew anxious.
"I was originally a hundred-thousand-year soul beast! Really!"
"A hundred thousand?"
Bibi Dong arched a brow skeptically.
"Yet your aura is no more than fifty thousand years. You are lying."
"I'm not lying!"
The Golden Tortoise's voice carried a sob.
It felt utterly wronged.
It was telling the truth. Why wouldn't she believe it?
"I truly was a hundred-thousand-year soul beast! It's just… something unexpected happened… and my cultivation fell."
"What unexpected event?"
Lin Qingmo pressed.
Though inwardly, he was already waiting for final confirmation.
The Golden Tortoise sighed a heavy, aggrieved sound as though it carried the injustice of the entire world.
"It's all my fault for being too greedy. Whenever I see treasure, I want to swallow it. That's how I ended up like this."
It began recounting its miserable past.
"Several hundred years ago, I discovered a strange kind of metal."
"That metal was entirely bluish-silver, radiating an incredibly tempting life aura, filled with incomparably powerful vitality."
"At the time, I thought I was an auspicious beast. If I consumed such a life-filled treasure, perhaps I would gain the confidence to withstand the two-hundred-thousand-year lightning tribulation!"
Its voice brimmed with regret.
"And then… I swallowed it."
End of Chapter