Chapter 226 : Talisman Treasure Slays the Jade Alligator Turtle

Chapter 226: Talisman Treasure Slays the Jade Alligator Turtle

Outer Sea.

On a desolate island.

“No mistake, it's definitely here.”

Hu Jin held a tracking disk, and under the guidance of his ancestral tracking secret technique, the flickering light proved that the Jade Alligator Turtle was on this island.

With a grave expression, Lin Changan landed on the island alongside him.

“This demon beast is cunning, actually choosing a place with thin spiritual energy.”

The spiritual energy on this island might be sufficient for Foundation Establishment cultivators or Second-rank demon beasts.

But for a Third-rank demon beast, it was lacking just enough.

“Old Lin, Third-rank demon beasts have greatly increased intelligence. While many beasts are still inferior to humans, some are no less intelligent than us.

Especially turtle-type demon beasts, which are known for their longevity and wisdom.”

The two concealed their auras as they advanced toward the island’s center. There, a vast, shadowy deep lake emerged, connected to a cave on the side.

The aura of the Jade Alligator Turtle was emanating from the lakebed.

“This Third-rank demon beast Jade Alligator Turtle is hiding in the cave.”

Lin Changan’s expression was serious. With his powerful perception, he could clearly sense a terrifying mana fluctuation deep within the cave.

At the same time, his senses warned him of grave danger.

The two exchanged a glance, but did not act rashly. Instead, they slowly retreated.

“Let’s scout the surroundings first, to check for any signs of cultivators.”

Out of caution, Lin Changan and Old Hu began investigating the island for any traces of cultivator presence, as well as nearby cultivators.

They had no intention of putting in all this effort only to be ambushed in the end.

After thorough investigation, both of them sighed in relief.

“There are no signs of cultivators nearby, but there are traces of a previous battle—looks like a demon-hunting spirit boat had hunted Second-rank demon beasts nearby…”

Thanks to the abundant resources of the Sea Abyss of Beasts, the demon-hunting boat industry was thriving.

“Seems like this Third-rank beast is seriously injured.”

Given the ferocity of demon beasts, they would never allow Foundation Establishment cultivators to linger nearby.

Demon beasts were extremely territorial.

The two then began to discuss strategies for dealing with the Third-rank beast.

Even if it was injured and nearing the end of its life, it was still a Third-rank demon beast.

“Old Lin, this beast is hiding in the water. Your Blood Fiend Scarlet Sun Formation might not be suitable. I have the Five Elements Illusory Formation, although it's only Quasi–third-rank.

But with the high-grade spirit stones we split from that secret realm, plus your skill as a master of formations, we can unleash the full potential of the formation.”

After much deliberation, Hu Jin proposed his plan for safety’s sake.

After all, the same formation would perform very differently in the hands of a formation expert compared to someone less skilled.

Lin Changan did not object, and nodded.

“All right. Though the Jade Alligator Turtle is aggressive by nature, it’s still a turtle-type beast. It lacks offensive power, so breaking out of the Five Elements Illusory Formation won’t be easy.”

If it were a beast skilled in offense, Hu Jin’s Quasi–third-rank formation would be risky—it could possibly escape.

But turtle-type beasts excelled in defense rather than offense.

“There’s a desolate island three hundred li away. I’ll set up the Blood Fiend Scarlet Sun Formation there. If anything goes wrong, we’ll retreat in that direction. If worse comes to worst, we dive straight into the Fog Sea of Tongtian.”

Both Lin Changan and Hu Jin were cultivators with over a century of experience—long past the age of reckless hot-bloodedness.

Thus, the first step in hunting a Third-rank demon beast was to prepare an escape route.

As long as they were alive, there was still hope.

...

By nightfall, the two had finished all preparations.

The night sky over the sea was beautiful, but neither of them was in the mood to appreciate it.

Or rather, Lin Changan and Hu Jin were just ordinary men.

Five Elements Illusory Formation—Activate

Under the moonlight, as a faint ripple of energy spread, the sleeping birds on the treetops remained undisturbed.

Only a faint sea mist quietly rose, gradually shrouding the island.

Yet deep beneath the lake within the cave, a pair of blood-red beast eyes suddenly snapped open.

There was a profound ancientness in those eyes. The beast had lived too long. Though it hadn’t yet spoken, its intelligence rivaled that of a human cultivator.

Such subtle fluctuations might escape other demon beasts—but not it, a Third-rank beast so aged.

This is a human cultivator’s formation!

In the beast’s eyes gleamed both savagery and cunning. Upon sensing the force, it didn’t recklessly lash out.

Instead, its massive body slowly began to swim toward the outside from the lakebed.

The ripples on the water’s surface didn’t disturb anything.

Shrouded in sea mist, the Third-rank demon beast Jade Alligator Turtle seemed to use its strong limbs to dig a path.

Soon after, it swam into the sea—everything seemed to go smoothly.

“This Jade Alligator Turtle is really sly.”

Inside the formation, Lin Changan controlled its operations while Hu Jin watched and exclaimed.

“This formation is mainly for deception. It's just that this beast is heavily injured. Otherwise, it might’ve already sensed something was wrong.”

Lin Changan calmly controlled the formation, causing illusions within the Five Elements Formation to shift constantly.

The Jade Alligator Turtle continued wandering within the lake. It believed it had escaped into the sea, unaware that it was still trapped in an illusion.

It swam for an entire night. Just before dawn, it spotted an island and slowly crawled ashore to hide.

“Huff!”

With a massive exhale, its beastly eyes widened—it had sensed something.

The next instant, it let out an agitated and furious roar.

“That beast has found out!”

“No surprise. With that Softbone Powder you used, of course it noticed.”

Last night, within the illusory formation, Hu Jin had secretly applied a Quasi–third-rank poison onto the beast.

It wasn’t a lethal poison—it was developed specifically for large demon beasts, inducing numbness and softening the bones.

In plain terms: total weakness.

Roar!

The Jade Alligator Turtle’s furious roar released terrifying pressure. In the next instant, it gathered a blue mana beam in its mouth.

Boom—!

Under the blast of immense mana, the illusion around it shattered, revealing the true scene: the same murky pond and the disordered jungle.

Clearly, it had been wandering in circles all night.

“Old Lin, it’s time!”

Without hesitation, Hu Jin shouted and activated the formation with Lin Changan.

Immediately, heat surged all around them, moisture evaporated from the trees, and sparks ignited.

“This is no illusion anymore—this is the real Five Elements Grand Formation!”

Lin Changan’s face was solemn. This formation, crafted by his own hands, was under his absolute control.

...

Roar!

After all, it was a Third-rank demon beast. Under its terrifying strength, the Quasi–third-rank formation flickered with waves.

Fortunately, Hu Jin had used high-grade spirit stones, maximizing the formation’s power.

At least in terms of defense, it now rivaled a true Third-rank formation.

“Old Lin, the beast’s tail and head are both wounded—let’s hit the tail!”

Hu Jin shouted and raised his hand, sending fire-red pearl artifacts toward the turtle’s tail.

The moment they hit, each pearl exploded—flames blasted the scabbed-over wounds, tearing them open again and sending flesh flying.

The Jade Alligator Turtle let out a heart-wrenching, furious roar.

A tiger fallen to the plains is bullied by dogs—this saying couldn’t describe its plight any better.

Lin Changan was no less effective—two terrifying sword beams shot out, piercing straight into the tail amid the explosions.

The two of them worked together, utilizing the formation to relentlessly target the wounds of the Third-rank demon beast, the Jade Alligator Turtle.

Under the searing pain, the turtle roared, unleashing a water-blue barrier of defensive light all around it.

However, such a shield consumed a tremendous amount of mana. Moreover, trapped within the formation, it remained fully within Lin Changan and Hu Jin’s tempo from beginning to end.

Their strategy was precisely to exhaust its mana until it was weakened enough—then strike the final blow using their talisman treasures.

...

While Lin Changan and Hu Jin were grinding down the Third-rank demon beast on the island, a spirit boat on the Outer Sea had begun sailing in their direction.

On the spirit boat—

“Young Master, I’ve found him! Through this blood sacrifice technique, I can sense my brother!”

At the bow, a Foundation Establishment cultivator looked excited as the tracking disk finally reacted—this was a massive achievement.

He was originally a Foundation Establishment cultivator on a demon-hunting sea vessel. When he saw a battered Third-rank demon beast out at sea, he led the boat to quickly evade. During the chaos, his younger brother was swallowed by the beast.

The two brothers had a deep bond after years of fighting side by side. Naturally, they had devised certain methods over the years.

Partly for safety, and partly to avoid dying without a trace.

They had survived several close calls using this very technique.

He hadn’t expected that, even after being devoured by the beast, his brother would still make one final contribution.

“Not bad. You’ll be rewarded.”

Long Changfeng waved his hand calmly after hearing the report. As long as the beast was located, that was enough for him.

He didn’t care about the reward.

“Young Master, the target is still three days away.”

“Full speed ahead. Get there in two.”

“Yes, sir!”

Gently polishing his halberd, Long Changfeng revealed a satisfied smile.

“Next year is the birthday celebration of the two Palace Masters. Five Dragon Island will hold a grand festival. This demon core, once offered to the Ancestor, will surely bring him joy.”

At this, Long Changfeng turned to look at Guest Elder Li and chuckled.

“Elder Li, I’ve heard about your recent services for my Long Clan. The Jade Alligator Turtle’s shell can be used to craft a defensive magical treasure.”

How could Master Li not understand? A smile instantly bloomed on his face.

“Young Master, rest assured. I’ve also heard that this beast’s essence blood is extremely beneficial for body refinement cultivators.”

A peach returned for a plum—without benefits, even the Young Master of the Long Clan couldn’t summon him so easily.

But the essence blood of the Jade Alligator Turtle was not only useful for body refinement—it was also a great supplement for his Iron-armored Corpse.

Long Changfeng, however, sneered inwardly. A greedy elder like this would be easy to control.

The turtle shell of a Third-rank demon beast was indeed valuable, but crafting a defensive magical treasure still required numerous materials—and someone to refine it.

Wouldn’t all that still come from Five Dragon Island?

Of course, this expedition had the clan’s support. At the very least, since Elder Li was a clan enforcer, they couldn’t let him harbor resentment while doing clan work.

...

On the island.

After nearly two days of grinding, both Lin Changan and Hu Jin were panting heavily.

“Old Lin, you draw its attention—its mana is nearly depleted.”

Reluctantly, Hu Jin slowly took out his talisman treasure.

Truthfully, they didn’t need to use it for the final blow—but if they didn’t, it would take another full day.

When hunting demon beasts, the longer it dragged on, the greater the uncertainty.

Fortunately, this Third-rank demon beast was aged and weakened—its combat power was only sixty or seventy percent of its peak, and it was seriously injured.

They were essentially reaping easy rewards.

However, at that moment, Hu Jin’s expression suddenly froze as a tracking disk floated out from his storage pouch.

“Not good! Why is that fellow surnamed Chang showing up—and heading in our direction!”

“What’s going on?”

Lin Changan frowned and looked at Hu Jin. Old Hu’s expression grew grim.

“When I first discovered this beast, I was on a demon-hunting sea vessel. I happened to spot this heavily injured beast, and we originally only thought of fleeing.

Of course, I secretly used my tracking technique during that time. I waited until I returned, then secretly began tracing it back. I didn’t expect that among the group there was a hidden expert...”

Hu Jin cursed under his breath. Lin Changan frowned even deeper after hearing this.

Although Hu Jin had already explained this before, the sudden appearance of that cultivator couldn’t be chalked up to coincidence.

“Old Hu, did you secretly mark your fellow cultivators with a tracking imprint?”

Lin Changan’s expression remained calm as he stared at Hu Jin.

Hu Jin’s face turned green and he quickly waved his hands.

“Old Lin, don’t say that! Sure, one must be wary of others—but am I that kind of person? I swear I didn’t mark you with anything.

There were two brothers from the Chang Clan on the demon-hunting boat. They clearly harbored ill intent toward me, so I merely took precautions.”

Hu Jin explained hurriedly—he didn’t want any rift between him and Lin Changan.

Especially over something that didn’t even happen.

“Really?”

“Really! Absolutely!”

“Fine, fine—Old Lin, you’re just too suspicious. When we return, I’ll give you this ancestral tracking technique of mine. You’ll know the truth yourself.”

Both took deep breaths. Someone else was now eyeing this demon beast.

And they were only one strike away from finishing it.

Letting someone else swoop in now?

Lin Changan frowned. If the other side dared to come, they were surely prepared.

“Quick and decisive. Then we get out of here!”

At that moment, Lin Changan had no intention of giving up his prize. Worst case, they’d just flee afterward.

Besides, they weren’t without backup plans.

Hu Jin, grimacing, took out a mana-recovery pill he had obtained from a secret realm. Though its potency had faded somewhat...

It was still a pill potent enough to restore mana even for a late-stage Core Formation Blood Fiend cultivator—its quality was self-evident.

After swallowing it, the mana within his body quickly recovered.

Lin Changan pretended to swallow one as well, but thanks to his cultivation method—and his Regenerative Body—he was best suited for drawn-out battles.

His mana remained at seventy to eighty percent, with no need for pills at all.

“Together!”

Lin Changan shouted, and likewise summoned his talisman treasures:

Talisman Treasure · Blood Fiend Sword

Talisman Treasure · Golden Light Wheel