Dongting Immortal Clan

The white tortoise hovered in mid-air, its four legs treading on clouds. Its shell was covered with moss, and the patterns on its back looked as if they had been etched by time.

Everyone in the market looked up, holding their breath as they stared at the enormous white tortoise figure.

Chen Changhe stood under the eaves of Guan's shop, looking up at the figure, his palms sweating profusely.

The mere appearance of this white tortoise, hovering in the sky, was enough to make him breathless; it was even more powerful than Zhou Yan, whom he had ever seen.

Foundation building!

This white tortoise is definitely at the Foundation Establishment stage!

"Lord of Deer Horn Mountain..."

A whisper came from beside him, tinged with reverence:

"I had long heard that there was a Foundation Establishment cultivator behind the market, known as the 'Mountain Carrier,' but I had never seen him and always thought it was just a legend."

"I never imagined it would actually be true."

Chen Changhe nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the sky.

As soon as the white tortoise appeared, the several Qi-refining evil cultivators around it froze, their faces turning ugly, and they involuntarily sank several feet downwards.

Even from such a distance, Chen Changhe felt breathless; one can only imagine the pressure those people felt facing his power directly.

Yao Tianchu stood at the farthest point, his robes fluttering in the wind.

His eyes were cold, and he crossed his arms, gazing at the huge white shadow.

"Mountain-carrying travelers?"

He spoke slowly, his voice laced with sarcasm:

"So that's why Zhang Weiqing was so desperate to escape back to Deer Horn Mountain. He was hoping to rely on you, old tortoise, to save his life."

He paused, his tone growing even colder as he said:

"Since ancient times, immortals and demons have been irreconcilable enemies. You are immortal cultivators, and I am a demon cultivator. Zhang Weiqing and I are fighting for that one path."

"Hand him over, and I'll leave immediately..."

"Otherwise, I will set up the 'Divine Capital Prison Formation' here and refine this mountain as well!"

"The Divine Capital Prison Formation?"

The white tortoise slowly opened its mouth, its voice ancient and deep, echoing between heaven and earth.

"So they are disciples of the Divine Capital Demonic Sect."

"Why are you all here at my humble immortal abode instead of cultivating in the north?"

"With me here, I will not tolerate your insolence."

Seeing this, Yao Tianchu's face darkened, and he said coldly:

"Then don't blame us for being ruthless."

Before he finished speaking, six dark figures behind him took a step forward in unison!

boom!

Six streams of malevolent energy surged into the sky, each a different color—black, red, blue, and purple—intertwined like a giant net, pressing down upon the market.

At the same time, the protective formation on Deer Horn Mountain also lit up.

A huge, pale golden light shield appeared out of thin air, firmly protecting the entire mountain within it.

The light shield was covered with densely packed runes that swirled around like tiny fish swimming.

Bang-!

The six streams of malevolent energy crashed into the light barrier with a deafening roar.

The light shield trembled violently, the golden light scattered and flickered, but it quickly returned to calm.

Yao Tianchu's expression changed slightly.

The six people behind him also froze, clearly indicating that this attack had consumed a lot of their magical power.

"Is that all you've got?"

The white turtle's voice remained unhurried, as if he were talking about something insignificant:

"Let me see if it's faster for you to refine Deer Antler Mountain or for the Foundation Establishment cultivators of Baling to do so."

……

High in the sky, the wind is even stronger.

"Senior brother..."

Behind him, a black-robed cultivator leaned closer and whispered:

"Many disciples from various immortal sects have gathered around Yunmeng. If we expose ourselves for too long, we might attract pursuit..."

Yao Tianchu nodded slightly, his gaze dark and gloomy. He first stared at the white tortoise, then quickly turned his head to Zhang Weiqing inside the Immortal Workshop.

In just a few breaths, several streaks of light flew out from the pavilions on the mountaintop. Their auras were refined, and they were clearly Qi Refining cultivators. They quickly landed around Zhang Weiqing and provided him with tight protection.

"He got off too easily!"

Yao Tianchu snorted coldly in his heart.

He and Zhang Weiqing were indeed in a struggle over the Dao, but it wasn't about morality; it was about finding the foundation for immortality.

A few days ago, the two met in the Luoxiao Mountains, just as the spiritual object [Bright Eyes and Shining Sky Crystal] appeared in the world.

This item is essential for Yao Tianchu to cultivate his innate divine power, the Divine Capital Heavenly Eye, and it is also the "innate object" needed by Zhang Weiqing to build his foundation.

Whoever obtains this spiritual object will find their path to enlightenment smoother in the future.

Since the two belonged to different factions, a fight was inevitable.

Unfortunately, there was a significant difference in strength between the two. Yao Tianchu was a true disciple of the Divine Capital Sect, while Zhang Weiqing was merely a cultivation genius from the Zhang family of Baling. The difference in their cultivation foundation was quite substantial.

However, after fighting for more than ten rounds, Zhang Weiqing suddenly sensed something was wrong and began to try to escape.

Yao Tianchu came south this time with several disciples at the Qi Refining Realm. Zhang Weiqing was unable to support them alone, and his injuries gradually worsened. In the end, he used up an extremely precious "Minor Universe Shifting Talisman" to barely escape and fled in panic towards the Immortal Market of Deer Horn Mountain.

Yao Tianchu naturally wouldn't let him go easily, and the chase and escape led to the scene just now.

"The Mountain-Carrying Traveler!"

Yao Tianchu shouted, his voice piercing through the gale.

"You are a Foundation Establishment cultivator, you should know the law of cause and effect. You can protect him for a time, but not forever!"

"What I, Yao Tianchu, want, I will never fail to obtain!"

"Once he has established his foundation, he will no longer be protected by Deer Horn Mountain. At that time, you can fight however you want, and I will not interfere."

The white turtle's voice remained calm.

"As for now..."

It paused, then uttered only one word.

"roll--!"

This single word seems to carry the weight of a thousand pounds.

On the turtle's back, the two strange peaks resembling deer antlers suddenly expanded, casting a phantom image in the sky that pressed straight down on Yao Tianchu.

"Walk!"

Yao Tianchu's expression changed, and he quickly changed his magic seals to protect the several black-card evil cultivators beside him. He transformed into a streak of crimson rainbow light and fled eastward at an astonishing speed, like lightning. In the blink of an eye, only a tiny point of light remained.

"The Blood Demon's Blood Escape Technique."

"You're lucky you ran fast."

The white tortoise gazed at the disappearing rainbow light and muttered something to itself.

"My lifespan is nearing its end, so I must conserve my magical power as much as possible. However... the Zhang family's new 'Spiritual Official' is an exception to this rule."

"Once he has fully refined the [Spirit Official Seal], he can borrow the fortune of the Immortal Dynasty and temporarily hold the position of Foundation Establishment."

"Let him handle these troublesome matters himself."

After it finished speaking, its figure gradually faded away, like a wisp of mist being blown away by the wind.

The small mountain that carried it on its back also disappeared.

The sky returned to twilight, with only a few stars twinkling in the distance.

The protective array around the market gradually faded, disappearing back into the night.

Everything returned to calm, as if the confrontation had never happened.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The market was quiet for a while.

Only after the white tortoise phantom completely disappeared into the night sky did someone exhale a long breath, as if they had been holding it in for a long time.

"Gone... really gone!"

"Mountain Lord Kamui!"

Several independent cultivators shouted.

Zhang Weiqing remained unconscious, blood still seeping from the wound on his chest, his face as pale as paper.

Zhang Jialian's Qi practitioners had arrived. Some people gave him medicine to stop the bleeding, while others helped bandage him. But judging from his condition, he was probably already on the verge of death.

The Zhang family cultivator at the head of the group, with a stern face, frowned and shouted in a deep voice:

"Quickly take Wei Qing up the mountain! Ask the clan elders for help!"

Seeing them leave, Guan Chengfu came out from under the eaves and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Cultivating to the Foundation Establishment stage...that's fucking terrifying."

He cursed under his breath, then turned to look at Chen Changhe beside him, forcing a smile.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, are you still going to stroll around this market?"

Chen Changhe glanced at the sky.

It was completely dark, and most of the stalls in the market had already closed up shop, with only a few shops in the middle still having their lights on.

The shops in the middle area were still lit up, but after the earth-shattering events that had just occurred, there were hardly any pedestrians on the street, and the area was deserted.

"I'm not going shopping anymore."

He looked away and said in a low voice:

"We'll talk about it tomorrow."

Guan Chengfu nodded and led him into his shop.

Behind the shop is a small courtyard with two side rooms, which are usually the living quarters of the shopkeeper.

Lying on his bed in the room, Chen Changhe was unable to calm down for a long time.

Only when one reaches the Qi Refining Realm can one truly step into the gate of immortal cultivation.

And the Foundation Establishment Realm...

That's another world.