A glint of cunning flashed through Xu Xian's eyes. Although he truly could not return, he felt no panic at all.
Suppressing the upward curve of his lips, the youth opened the mecha's cockpit door. With a serious expression on his face, he looked up at the ten-colored sky.
He asked calmly, "Senior, what exactly do you want?"
"I should be the one asking you that," the voice rang out from nowhere.
Xu Xian furrowed his brows and said, "I have said it many times. I want to make a deal with Senior."
"You still want my shit?"
Xu Xian smiled gloomily and exposed the lie. "Senior Nether Tortoise, is that really your shit?"
The other side fell silent for a long time...
"You recognize me?"
To confirm Little Book's guess, Xu Xian complimented, "In the past, the Xuanwu Emperor had three great disciples: the Nether Tortoise, the Thunder Snake, and the Mysterious Frog. Each was a giant of their own region and famous throughout the world. How could I not recognize you?"
The Nether Tortoise did not seem overly surprised that the youth knew its background.
Instead, it returned to the main topic through a voice transmission from afar. "You say you can save me. Why should I believe you?"
Xu Xian did not hesitate and immediately summoned the Sword Tower.
A majestic high tower, white as jade, appeared. It had twelve stories in total. It flashed by in an instant. The youth did not draw a sword, only letting the other party take a single look.
He asked, "Senior surely recognizes this tower, doesn't he?"
This time, the voice on the other side remained silent for dozens of breaths. When it spoke again, its tone was inexplicably solemn as it uttered six words.
"The White Jade Capital of the Sword Tower!"
Xu Xian smiled confidently and said with certainty, "Does Senior think I can save you now?"
"You are not a mortal being."
"Hmm?"
"You are a descendant of the Li family."
Xu Xian was a bit confused. The Li family? Was it the Li family of his master, Li Taibai?
The giant tortoise's voice rang out again, carrying a hint of violence. "I did not expect that after so many years, someone from the Li family would actually become the new master of the White Jade Capital. Ha... The Li family has truly been blessed with good fortune over these years."
Xu Xian's eyes shifted as he pretended to know more than he did. "Senior knew my ancestors?"
"Knew them?" The giant tortoise sneered. "Ha... My relationship with your ancestors goes far beyond just knowing them. The fact that I ended up in this state today is all thanks to your ancestors."
There was a story here?
And it was a significant one at that.
Xu Xian acted confused. "I do not understand what Senior means."
The giant tortoise's voice was sharp and seemed almost crazed. "Li family brat, you're quite the actor. I see that searching for Shadow Soul Stones was a lie, and you're actually here to destroy me. What, your ancestors couldn't kill me back then, so they sent you to clean up their mess now? Do you think a mere sixth stage ant like you can kill this Immortal King just because you've brought back the White Jade Capital? You're dreaming..."
The more it spoke, the more confused Xu Xian became. He thought to himself that he hadn't really done anything, so why was the tortoise having a breakdown?
Was the kill-power of showing off with the White Jade Capital really that strong?
However, it was not hard to guess that the ones who had sealed it here were likely the Li family it mentioned.
And this Li family was very likely the descendants of the previous owner of the Sword Tower.
His master, Li Taibai, was the true descendant of the Li family.
Thinking this way seemed to explain why his cheap master possessed the sword stele and the Sword Mound.
Furthermore, he could pull out nine immortal swords by himself. Perhaps that was some kind of Li family inheritance.
But...
Why would his master bring the sword stele and the Sword Mound to the lower realm and then seal the Sky Gate? Had he betrayed his clan?
Xu Xian instinctively glanced at Little Book on his shoulder. The little fellow was still sitting cross-legged, circulating qi with its eyes tightly closed.
Xu Xian frowned and said, "It seems Senior has some grievances with my ancestors. I truly am not aware of this, as no one has ever told me. However, if Senior can trust me, I am willing to make amends and save Senior from this place. I have swords in my tower. Once a sword is drawn, it can break these chains and grant Senior freedom."
"Hahaha!"
"Hahaha!"
The giant tortoise suddenly burst into wild laughter that rumbled like thunder. Then, the laughter stopped abruptly, and its voice became cold as frost.
"Grant me freedom? Kid, do you really think this Immortal King has gone stupid from being locked up? How could you be so kindhearted? I'm telling you, you're dreaming. I will not make a deal with you, and don't even think about leaving this place. You will stay here with me and truly experience this endless loneliness."
"Is there really no room for negotiation?"
"None!"
Xu Xian glanced at Little Book again. The tiny spirit slowly opened its eyes. In the moment their gazes met, Little Book nodded. Everything was understood without a word.
Xu Xian understood and asked with a hint of mockery, "I am giving Senior one more chance. Think carefully. Are you truly unwilling?"
The giant tortoise sneered, "Don't talk nonsense. I would rather be sealed here forever in darkness than let you leave. Ha... Losing you must be a great loss for the Li family. Perhaps your family will decline and even be wiped out in the future. Hahaha!"
Its obsession was heavy. It was clear that the Li family had wounded this tortoise deeply and painfully.
Xu Xian did not respond further.
The Nether Tortoise did not reply either.
The world returned to silence. The tiny spirit on his shoulder raised a hand and pointed toward a corner of this world. Its vision extended infinitely further and further until it softly spoke two words.
"Over there."
Xu Xian narrowed his eyes, a cold murderous intent surfacing in them as he stepped forward.
This tortoise had hidden itself extremely well. The Pupil of Insight could find nothing. Finding it would require some effort.
For instance, making it appear again or making it speak.
As long as it spoke or appeared, it would have to use some divine abilities or techniques. Even if it was just a voice transmission from a thousand miles away or a soul connection, it would inevitably need to consume the demon qi of the nether water to power it.
Since it was consumed, it would need to be replenished. This was the instinct of any cultivating being.
Once there was a fluctuation in the demon qi, Little Book could use its perception to make a judgment. Even if the distance was far and the exact location could not be determined, locking onto a general direction was no problem.
There were tracks to follow and traces to rely on.
As long as the direction was locked, Xu Xian was confident he could find it. Even if his eyes could not see it, he would just hack his way there with his sword, turning the world upside down.
He refused to believe he couldn't find it.
Xu Xian moved toward the direction Little Book pointed, silently resolving that if he could kill this old tortoise, he definitely would.
This tortoise had a grudge against his master's family. If it ever truly escaped the seal, it would surely seek revenge, and he would definitely be targeted.
Today.
Even if he couldn't kill it, he would at least cripple it. He would take its life while it was down.
"I must kill it."
"Root out the problem entirely."
He made up his mind, and his mindset shifted accordingly.
From the beginning, he had only thought about getting some benefits so his trip wouldn't be in vain. Now, he was already calculating how to stew a pot of soft-shell turtle soup to nourish himself.
Little Book stroked its chin, its thoughts also very deep. Unlike Xu Xian, it wasn't thinking about how to kill the old turtle, but was puzzled by the old turtle's words.
The Li family?
It had no impression of them.
'My previous master didn't seem to be surnamed Li, did he?'
Rate on N.U.
