Myriad Daos of the Heaven

"Master Turtle?"

Jiang Jichen cried out involuntarily.

How could he possibly be here?

For a moment, Jiang Jichen couldn’t process what he was seeing.

After all, this White Turtle looked identical to the Master Turtle from the Moon God Hall, and it even had a White Turtle Longevity Grass on its back.

But then he came to his senses and realized this must be a different White Turtle.

First, there was the feminine voice claiming to be a "Grandma Turtle." Then there was the White Turtle Longevity Grass on its back; he had plucked two leaves from the one on Master Turtle’s back.

This one, however, was completely intact!

As the realization dawned on him, Jiang Jichen was even more shocked.

He had actually encountered... a second White Turtle, and a second White Turtle Longevity Grass!

The little White Turtle stretched out its tiny head and shot Jiang Jichen a sideways glance, its expression full of arrogance.

With the White Turtle Longevity Grass on its back, it took two slow steps forward and snapped, "You grand-turtle-son! Who are you calling Master Turtle? Open your eyes and look! Graceful and elegant, peerlessly beautiful—do I look like a ’master’ to you? I am your Grandma Turtle, understand?"

Jiang Jichen felt his entire worldview shattering, as if a hundred thousand bolts of lightning had struck him, leaving him charred inside and out.

This little White Turtle, who called herself Grandma Turtle, was identical to Master Turtle in every way except for her feminine voice.

’Where is the grace and elegance? Where is the peerless beauty? How does she *not* look exactly like Master Turtle?’

However, Jiang Jichen did see a shadow of... Master Turtle in this Grandma Turtle!

The first thing she did was claim him as her grandson!

This couldn’t help but stir up some memories and emotions within him.

’How is Little Yue’Er doing? She must be fine. When she finally emerges, she will truly be... the Moon God!’

’Master Turtle should be safe hiding in the Moon God Hall, too. I really miss that White Turtle Longevity Grass on his back. I should have plucked two more Immortal Leaves back then.’

After all, the White Turtle Longevity Grass was the most important primary ingredient in the Undying Pill Formulas, absolutely irreplaceable.

"Grandma Turtle, I was wrong. It’s just that you look exactly like the Master Turtle I know, and you’re also carrying a green plant on your back, so..."

Jiang Jichen apologized sincerely. Mistaking someone’s gender was, after all, a very rude thing to do.

However, before he could finish, Grandma Turtle suddenly grew agitated. With a WHOOSH, her body flew up and landed on Jiang Jichen’s shoulder.

Jiang Jichen’s heart leaped in shock. Even with his Seven-Colored Divine Soul, he couldn’t track Grandma Turtle’s movements, let alone react in time.

’She’s... too fast!’

While Jiang Jichen was still reeling, a thunderous voice boomed in his ear. "You said... you saw a White Turtle that looks just like me, your Grandma Turtle, also with a green plant on its back? Where... Where is he? Where is he?!"

Excited, agitated, her words tumbling out incoherently... Jiang Jichen could even feel Grandma Turtle’s body trembling slightly as she perched on his shoulder.

Jiang Jichen was slightly moved, so he decided to overlook the fact that her voice was loud enough to deafen him.

He began to explain, "I met Master Turtle in the Moon God Hall. He had just escaped from a collapsing Void Realm and should still be inside the sealed Moon God Hall. To get out, he’ll probably have to wait for the Divine Hall to open again, or... wait for my Little Yue’Er—that is, the future Moon God—to successfully emerge from her seclusion!"

Jiang Jichen then recounted the details of his encounter with Master Turtle, though naturally, he made no mention of plucking two leaves from the White Turtle Longevity Grass on his back.

He only spoke of how close he and Master Turtle were, so close that he had practically become his grand-turtle-son!

Grandma Turtle was very excited and only calmed down after hearing Jiang Jichen’s full account.

Now, her hostility toward Jiang Jichen had vanished. Instead, the more she looked at him, the more she liked him—as if she were looking at her own... grand-turtle-son!

This gave Jiang Jichen a very strange feeling whenever he met her gaze.

"How many years has it been? I’ve forgotten. We’ve been separated for too long. Time is cruel, the world has changed, and I thought we were sealed away in different realms, that... we’d never see each other again, let alone hear any news! To think I’d hear about that Elder Turtle from a grand-turtle-son like you. This is wonderful..."

’The first part sounded quite touching, but then he heard the end. How did I become a grand-turtle-son again?’

Jiang Jichen was speechless. He felt that if anyone else found out about this, he would be utterly humiliated.

So, he decided to correct her. "Grandma Turtle, my name is Jiang Jichen. You can just call me Little Chen!"

"Jiang Jichen? Little Chen? That’s too formal. The more I look at you, the more I like you. I feel a connection with you, like you’re my own dear grandson. Calling you grand-turtle-son is a sign of affection. Alright, grand-turtle-son, it’s our first meeting, and your Grandma Turtle doesn’t have any grand gifts, but take these two leaves from the White Turtle Longevity Grass. They can save your life in a crisis."

As she spoke, Grandma Turtle held two leaves from the White Turtle Longevity Grass in her mouth and offered them to Jiang Jichen.

’Should I take them or not?’

’If I take them, I really will be a grand-turtle-son.’

’But those are two leaves from the White Turtle Longevity Grass... Who wouldn’t want to be a grand-turtle-son for that?’

Gritting his teeth, Jiang Jichen accepted them. "Thank you, Grandma Turtle!"

Having obtained two leaves of the White Turtle Longevity Grass and secured another primary ingredient for the Undying Pill Formulas, Jiang Jichen was in high spirits and no longer cared about being called a grand-turtle-son.

’After all, from a turtle’s perspective, ’grand-turtle-son’ must be the most intimate term of address an elder can use for a junior,’ he reasoned.

Just then, Grandma Turtle sighed. "Unfortunately, even though I have news of Elder Turtle now, your Grandma Turtle can’t get out of this place! Little Chen, you found a way in, so you should have a way to get your Grandma Turtle out, right?"

Her voice was now a bit downcast and heavy, and she had stopped calling him grand-turtle-son. Apparently, she had only been joking before.

Jiang Jichen pondered for a moment. "Grandma Turtle, I can’t be sure yet. But how did you end up here? What... exactly is this place?"

Jiang Jichen found the place very strange, especially the Stone Coffin, which had almost made him lose himself despite his powerful will and Seven-Colored Divine Soul.

Grandma Turtle’s expression became nostalgic. "I’ve forgotten too much of the past. I can’t remember. I only woke up recently myself. However, I do remember being teleported here along with this Stone Coffin. That was a very, very long time ago!"

’The Exquisite Treasure Tower holds too many secrets... the Dark Race, Purple Sun whose bloodline and fortune were stolen, and now this Stone Coffin...’

An idea struck Jiang Jichen. "Grandma Turtle, can you enter a state of complete, dormant Annihilation? If so, I should be able to take you out!"

Upon hearing his words, Grandma Turtle was overjoyed. "Why didn’t I think of that? The Turtle Breath Technique is the ultimate skill of my Turtle Family’s ancestors! I could sleep in a state of complete Annihilation for ten thousand years, no problem. And as long as I’m in complete Annihilation, I’ll be no different from an inanimate object. You can naturally carry me out in your Storage Bag!"

They talked for a long time after that. Grandma Turtle told him everything she knew about this place, and even some of her own speculations, such as those concerning the Stone Coffin.

Finally, Grandma Turtle entered a state of complete Annihilation, becoming like a dry, white stone, and Jiang Jichen placed her into his Storage Bag.

Other living beings might not be able to survive in a Storage Bag, but for a White Turtle, it had no effect whatsoever.

Moreover, she could seal the White Turtle Longevity Grass on her back directly within her body, not revealing the slightest trace of its aura.

With that done, Jiang Jichen stepped away from the sacrificial altar. He decided to first collect the treasures and the ocean of golden spiritual power here before turning his attention back to the strange Stone Coffin on the altar.