Chapter 67: The Ruins Are a Turtle? A Tribulation Begins!

The colossal shadow loomed over them, pressing closer with every passing second. Only now could Xiao Yifeng and Su Miaoqing fully grasp the sheer scale of the landmass drifting through the storm.

It was undeniably a massive island. A single, ancient tree rose from its center like a pillar supporting the heavens, its canopy shrouding half the land in a cascade of spectral green light. A translucent barrier enveloped the perimeter, sealing the island off from the raging wind and rain outside. Within that sanctuary, over a dozen mountain peaks stood tall and rigid, thrusting into the clouds like sharp swords piercing the sky.

Mist swirled through the valleys, obscuring the terrain so that only the silhouette of the world-tree was visible, flickering in and out of sight like a phantom.

As the island plowed forward, it pushed a wall of water ahead of it. The waves around their small boat rose higher and higher, dwarfing them in the shadow of the approaching leviathan.

Recognition struck Xiao Yifeng like a bolt of lightning.

This is the relic. The island ruins I found in my past life.

But something was wrong. In his previous life, the ruins had been a circular atoll—a broken ring of land. This was a complete, solid island.

Did I arrive too early? he wondered. Has the geography changed that much in just a few years?

Suddenly, the “geography” moved.

At the front of the island, a massive mountain peak rose slowly from the water, displacing millions of gallons of ocean and sending towering waves crashing outward. On the precipice of this rising mountain, two spheres of blinding firelight ignited.

Xiao Yifeng and Su Miaoqing focused their gaze, straining against the gloom.

Those weren’t signal fires. They were eyes.

And the mountain peak wasn’t a mountain at all. It was a head.

“Xiao Feng…” Su Miaoqing’s voice trembled with disbelief. “Look at that shape. Doesn’t it look like… a giant turtle carrying an island on its back?”

Xiao Yifeng stared at the titanic creature, his throat dry. “It doesn’t just look like one. It is one.”

His mind raced, re-contextualizing his memories. He had never imagined that the ring-shaped ruins of his past life were actually the shell of a giant turtle.

When I found this place before, the turtle must have already been dead and decomposed, he realized. That explains why I felt no life aura back then. The ‘circular atoll’ was just the rim of its shell remains.

The coordinates were identical. The timeline fit. This ancient Demon Beast was destined to die here.

A chill ran down Xiao Yifeng’s spine. Does that mean this giant turtle dies tonight?

As the turtle’s head fully emerged, a terrifying pressure radiated outward, crushing down on the surrounding ocean. Xiao Yifeng’s expression darkened.

“Peak Nascent Soul stage,” he whispered.

The Demon Beast’s eyes, burning like twin suns, swiveled downward. It was looking directly at them.

“Go!”

Xiao Yifeng grabbed Su Miaoqing’s arm and launched them both into the air. With a fluid backhand motion, he recalled the flying ship, shrinking it down and stowing it safely into his Storage Bag.

The two cultivators hovered in the tempest, suppressing their auras to the absolute limit. They held their breath, concentrating their spirits, terrified that even a heartbeat might provoke the behemoth.

The giant turtle blinked. Its gaze lingered on them for a moment, vast and indifferent, before it turned its head back to the sky.

A Divine Sense message echoed in their minds, ancient and heavy.

“Humans. Leave this place.”

Xiao Yifeng didn’t need to be told twice. He dragged Su Miaoqing away, putting miles of distance between them and the beast. The turtle ignored their retreat, remaining motionless amidst the wind and rain, staring up at the heavens as if waiting for a judgment.

Once they were at a safe vantage point, they stopped and turned back.

“What is it doing?” Su Miaoqing whispered.

As if to answer her, a pillar of aura erupted from the giant turtle, piercing the clouds. It threw its head back and roared at the sky—a sound of defiance that shook the very air.

The heavens responded.

Dark clouds swirled unnaturally, knitting together into a dense, spiraling vortex directly above the island. Lightning snakes danced within the black mass, and the rumble of thunder deepened into a growl that vibrated in their chests.

“It’s transcending a tribulation!” Xiao Yifeng realized, the pieces falling into place.

“Xiao Feng, you mean that big turtle is going to face its Heavenly Tribulation right here?” Su Miaoqing asked, eyes wide with curiosity.

“Exactly,” Xiao Yifeng nodded grimly. “No wonder the weather has been so apocalyptic tonight. The Heavenly Tribulation has locked onto it.”

“Do you think it can survive?” Su Miaoqing asked, unable to look away. “Is a Demon Beast’s tribulation different from ours? I’ve never seen one before.”

“It is much harder,” Xiao Yifeng said, his voice low. “The Heavens are fair but cruel. Demon Beasts possess longer lifespans and stronger bodies than humans, so their trials are exponentially more destructive. This should be the Fourfold Tribulation—the ascent from Nascent Soul to Soul Projection.”

He analyzed the swirling vortex. “Given the terrifying density of that lightning… I’d say its chances are fifty-fifty at best.”

His mind drifted back to the broken shell of his previous life. If history was unchangeable, this beast was doomed. The Profound Frost Giant Python he had encountered years later had made its lair inside the rotting remains of the divine tree on this very back.

BOOM!

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth collapsed into a singularity. A bolt of heavenly lightning, thick as a palace pillar, crashed down from the vortex, hammering straight toward the turtle.

The giant turtle did not dodge. It didn’t even flinch.

It opened its cavernous mouth and spat a sphere of concentrated energy upward. The lightning ball collided with the heavenly bolt in mid-air.

CRACK-BOOM!

The two forces annihilated each other in a shockwave of light and sound.

“Wow,” Su Miaoqing breathed. “That looked easy! It’s really strong.”

Xiao Yifeng shook his head. “That was just the opening probe. Based on its aura, it has to endure at least seven strikes.”

As if mocking her optimism, the clouds churned violently.

This time, the vortex didn’t wait. A massive bolt slammed down, and before the sound could even register, a second bolt followed instantly behind it.

Double tribulation lightning.

The ocean lit up as bright as noon.

The giant turtle let out a low, guttural roar. The patterns on its shell began to glow with blinding luminance. On the island, the sword-like mountain peaks acted as conductors, channeling arcs of electricity into a massive geometric formation.

A dome of lightning formed above the island—a shield woven from the earth to fight the sky.

The first bolt smashed into the barrier, shattering it into sparks.

The second bolt, unchecked, hammered directly into the turtle’s body.

The immense force drove the island downward, submerging the turtle deep into the churning sea.

Silence followed, save for the howling wind.

Minutes passed before the massive shadow slowly surfaced. Dark red blood dyed the foam around the island.

Su Miaoqing was dumbstruck. “The power… it’s horrifying. Compared to this, my own Foundation Establishment tribulation was just a static shock.”

She shivered. “Is this what I have to face when I reach the Soul Projection stage? Can anyone survive that?”

“Don’t let it shake your Dao Heart, Senior Sister,” Xiao Yifeng said quickly, sensing her fear. “Demon Beasts face the wrath of Heaven because their existence defies the natural order more than ours. Humans are favored by the Dao; our tribulations are rarely this absolute.”

He needed to ensure she didn’t develop an Inner Demon from witnessing such violence.

“Mhm,” Su Miaoqing nodded, though her face remained pale.

Three bolts down. The clouds above paused, the vortex spinning slower as it drew in more energy. It was recharging. The next barrage would be cataclysmic.

“Xiao Feng…” Su Miaoqing pointed toward the dark horizon. “There’s a very strong aura rushing over here. What is that?”

Xiao Yifeng frowned. His spiritual perception was sharp, but without a Foundation Establishment base, he couldn’t project his Divine Sense as far as she could.

He focused, and then he felt it. A piercing, aggressive presence closing in fast.

A small black dot grew rapidly in their vision.

As it drew near, the form resolved into a nightmare of feathers and talons. It was a gargantuan eagle, its plumage a dusty grey. Its eyes were sharp enough to cut glass, its beak hooked like a scimitar, and its feathers layered like steel blades.

The giant eagle let out a screech—a piercing sonic attack that resonated across the entire sea.

Xiao Yifeng and Su Miaoqing winced, feeling their very souls tremble from the cry.

“ROAR!”

The giant turtle bellowed back, but the sound lacked its previous dominance. It was the roar of a king cornered.

Xiao Yifeng narrowed his eyes. The turtle’s cry was fierce, but hollow—outwardly strong, but inwardly weak. It sounded frustrated, frantic even.

It was the sound of a predator realizing it had been hunted.