Chapter 223
The cultivators gathered at Cheonnam Alliance headquarters found it difficult to believe the scene before their eyes.
A third-tier demonic beast as large as a small mountain was lowering its head merely to receive the touch of a child’s hand.
Its golden eyes were comfortably closed, and its rough forehead did not move at all beneath Baek Cheong’s palm.
“The demonic beast lowered its head.”
“Even with Profound Void Perfected Person watching over her, it wouldn’t be easy to approach that closely.”
“The young lady of the Yeonha Baek Clan is truly brave.”
The cultivators who had retreated some distance eagerly voiced their admiration.
Those who had been on guard with their magical treasures moments ago gradually relaxed as well.
If the turtle demonic beast followed Baek Cheong this obediently, there was no reason to consider it an ill omen.
Rather, some even called it an auspicious sign that a spiritually aware demonic beast had come on its own and bowed its head, bringing good fortune to Yeonha.
“The Cheonnam Alliance has only recently been founded, and a spirit beast has already come looking for it. It seems the heavens are watching over Yeonha.”
“As expected, the Alliance Leader’s clan has extraordinary luck.”
Thanks to her keen senses, Baek Cheong had heard the reactions around her, but kept an unconcerned expression.
Yet inwardly, she was certain they had all identified the wrong cause.
‘It’s not an auspicious sign. It’s because of merit.’
The turtle demonic beast had come looking for her right after she obtained merit.
The belly shell she had received last time had even retained marks suspected to be glyphs of a law.
With so many suspicious things happening one after another, it could not possibly be a coincidence.
‘Come on, give me a fortuitous opportunity.’
Even as she stroked its rough forehead, Baek Cheong waited for the turtle to produce something.
The yellowish belly shell was already inside her spatial treasure.
She was fully prepared to snatch up any new object the moment it spat one out.
But the turtle demonic beast did not open its mouth.
It opened its languidly closed eyes, then slowly pulled its enormous head backward.
“Huh?”
The turtle demonic beast showed no reaction to Baek Cheong’s confusion.
It braced itself against the ground and moved its entire body backward, only turning to the side after putting sufficient distance between itself and Baek Cheong.
Then it avoided the buildings of Cheonnam Alliance headquarters and began walking toward Yeonha.
Thump.
Boom.
Each time its enormous feet pressed against the ground, the entire headquarters trembled faintly.
After taking a few steps, the turtle demonic beast turned its neck to look back at Baek Cheong.
“Ang!”
It sounded as though it were telling her to follow.
At this, Baek Cheong immediately called down the clouds of the Rain-Calling Art that had been spread above her.
The thin drizzle stopped, and the ink-dark clouds settled beneath her feet.
When she climbed onto the clouds, the turtle demonic beast turned around again and headed toward Yeonha.
‘As expected, there’s something here.’
Her certainty that a fortuitous opportunity awaited her grew even stronger.
Her heart was so impatient that even the turtle’s slow steps felt frustrating.
Still, she could not urge it on first, so she followed behind with the Rain-Calling Art floating low.
“Let’s go together with Grandpa.”
Profound Void Perfected Person rose into the air without hiding his curiosity.
The glyphs engraved on his Daoist robe emitted a faint glow and gently supported his body.
The turtle demonic beast, the child riding the clouds, and the Nascent Soul grand cultivator flying through the air on the glyphs of his Daoist robe left headquarters side by side.
Not one of the cultivators left behind could follow them.
They had the duty of guarding headquarters, but they also found it difficult to understand how to take in what was happening.
“Is it really all right to let them go just like that?”
“With a Nascent Soul grand cultivator escorting her, what would we accomplish by following?”
One cultivator answered awkwardly.
The others silently watched only their departing backs.
A strange silence lingered at the entrance to headquarters until the turtle demonic beast entered Yeonha’s waters and even Baek Cheong and Profound Void Perfected Person receded across the lake.
***
From the moment it entered Yeonha, the turtle demonic beast moved astonishingly quickly.
Each time its enormous body pushed through the water, tall waves rose on either side.
Riding the clouds of the Rain-Calling Art, Baek Cheong flew just above the waves and followed close behind.
When they had reached the middle of the vast lake, the turtle demonic beast abruptly came to a stop.
‘There’s nothing here?’
No matter how she looked around, they were simply in the middle of the lake.
Before long, the turtle demonic beast lowered its neck deeply and looked into the water directly below.
Its golden eyes focused beyond the scale-like overlapping ripples.
‘Is the destination underwater?’
Baek Cheong approached the edge of the clouds and looked down.
Her face, which had been filled with anticipation, stiffened slightly as well.
Yeonha was a lake so deep that its depth could not be measured.
The farther down one went, the stronger the demonic beasts guarding their territories became.
It was also not uncommon for the waterway to suddenly reverse or for a natural formation containing water qi to appear.
At her current cultivation level, moving and fighting underwater would be difficult.
Moreover, she could not recklessly enter a lake whose bottom she did not even know.
‘I can’t turn back with a fortuitous opportunity right before my eyes.’
She looked back and forth between Yeonha’s deep waters and the turtle demonic beast.
Since proper communication was impossible, there was no way to ask whether it was a dangerous place.
But if she went in alone, she might end up in the demonic beast’s belly before obtaining the fortuitous opportunity.
Noticing her troubled expression, Profound Void Perfected Person looked down at Yeonha with ease.
“Underwater... Now this is getting rather interesting.”
Profound Void Perfected Person touched the glyphs engraved on his sleeves and collar one after another.
Each time his fingertip touched one, a glyph detached from his robe and floated into the air.
Glyphs that pushed away water descended, while glyphs that diverted external force linked together in a circle.
Finally, when glyphs containing a returning current covered the top, a blue-tinged barrier enveloped Baek Cheong as well.
“A small Dao-Guarding Formation.”
Profound Void Perfected Person briefly examined the barrier’s flow, then continued confidently.
“Though it is small, it has reached the threshold of the fourth tier. Even if we encounter a beast king in the depths of Yeonha, it will be more than enough to get you out safely.”
Baek Cheong examined the round barrier with renewed interest.
Each glyph had been crudely carved into the Daoist robe, but once they meshed together, there was no obvious opening for anything to penetrate.
It was certainly a formation worthy of a quasi-fifth-tier formation master’s boast.
‘This should make it safe to follow him.’
The turtle demonic beast seemed to realize that she could follow it as well.
It tilted its head, then entered the water without delay.
Its dark-blue carapace sank beneath the surface, creating a huge whirlpool.
“Let’s go down before we lose it.”
When Profound Void Perfected Person lowered his hand, the round barrier descended into the water as well.
The clouds of the Rain-Calling Art scattered above the surface, and Baek Cheong chased after the turtle demonic beast inside the barrier.
The turtle demonic beast moved downward, using its huge limbs like oars.
Unlike its slow steps on land, it was so fast underwater that even Profound Void Perfected Person struggled to keep up.
“Turtles can be this fast?”
“It has lived underwater for hundreds of years, so naturally it would be more accustomed to it than to land.”
At first, Profound Void Perfected Person examined their surroundings with interest.
The fish and aquatic plants that had appeared sporadically disappeared the farther they moved from the surface.
Sunlight soon ceased to reach them, and only the barrier’s blue glow illuminated the surroundings.
Even so, the turtle demonic beast did not lose its direction even once.
It merely descended straight down, as though it knew exactly where it was going.
‘How far down is it going?’
Even after following it for about a quarter of an hour, they could not see the bottom of Yeonha.
It was difficult even to gauge with divine sense how far they had moved from the surface.
As the pressure of the lake weighed heavily on the barrier, the glyphs creaked.
At the same time, the interest gradually faded from Profound Void Perfected Person’s face.
“Was Yeonha really this deep?”
A faint wariness colored the words he murmured as though to himself.
It was deeper than even Profound Void Perfected Person, a Nascent Soul grand cultivator, had anticipated.
Yet he did not suggest turning back.
Profound Void Perfected Person was a Nascent Soul grand cultivator, and the formation had reached quasi-fifth-tier.
After moving several additional glyphs to reinforce the Dao-Guarding Formation, he spread his divine sense in all directions.
From then on, he descended while repeatedly checking not only the turtle demonic beast but also above and below them.
Baek Cheong could not remain lost in anticipation, either.
She kept her divine sense poised over her spatial treasure so she could draw the One-Star Sword at any moment.
.
.
.
How deep had they descended like that?
The form of the turtle demonic beast swimming ahead suddenly became clear.
It was because the darkness filling all directions had rapidly grown thinner.
Before long, Baek Cheong and Profound Void Perfected Person reached bright waters.
It was so bright that it was difficult to believe they were beneath a deep lake.
There was neither sun nor luminous pearl, yet above and below were as clear as midday.
The light seemed not to emanate from any one place but to be mixed into the water itself.
“How can this...”
Baek Cheong could not finish speaking and looked around.
The fact that it had grown brighter instead made her uncomfortable.
A place beyond common sense might hold a fortuitous opportunity, but it could just as easily be a dragon’s den and tiger’s lair seeking her life.
Above all, Profound Void Perfected Person had completely stopped smiling.
Sensing something with the divine sense he had spread out, he raised a hand and first halted the movement of the Dao-Guarding Formation.
“Stop.”
The turtle demonic beast looked back at Baek Cheong from a short distance ahead.
Its golden eyes showed neither impatience nor displeasure.
It merely waited for Baek Cheong inside the barrier to move.
“Did you discover something?”
“Nothing yet.”
Profound Void Perfected Person answered briefly and looked upward.
All they could see was bright water and endless empty space.
The fact that there was nothing at all only heightened his wariness.
“I have a bad feeling about this, so let’s turn back.”
Baek Cheong regretted retreating with a fortuitous opportunity right before her eyes, but did not insist.
If a quasi-fifth-tier formation master was warning of danger first, they could not proceed on greed alone.
‘Huh?’
It was just as Profound Void Perfected Person was about to move the barrier upward.
The spatial treasure hanging over her chest began glowing of its own accord.
The fully refined magical treasure opened wide without its owner’s intent.
“Huh?”
An object Baek Cheong had placed deep inside her spatial treasure shot out.
It was the yellowish belly shell the turtle demonic beast had spat out after eating fifty high-grade spirit stones.
But now it was difficult to recognize its original color.
An extraordinary silver light flowed from every mark that had been impossible to discern with her eyes, hands, or divine sense.
The silver light spread to the edge of the belly shell, then unfurled wide toward Baek Cheong.
“Cheong-ah!”
Profound Void Perfected Person immediately moved the glyphs.
The Dao-Guarding Formation folded over itself layer by layer, blocking the space in front of Baek Cheong.
But the belly shell had been inside the barrier from the beginning.
The spreading silver light filled the inside of the Dao-Guarding Formation.
‘What in the world...’
Baek Cheong could barely react to what happened in an instant.
The dazzling light opened like a mouth and swallowed Baek Cheong and Profound Void Perfected Person together.
Their figures vanished without a trace from the bright water.
......
Before long, the turtle demonic beast gazed for a moment at the empty space.
It watched the place where Baek Cheong had been for a long while, then slowly turned around.
Thus, leisurely moving its limbs, it swam into even deeper waters.