Shulong Daojun

But then a Taoist priest with a tied-up hairstyle and a sword came along.

He appeared to be a young man, wearing a nine-ridged turban, dressed in black with fine silver trim, accompanied by a disciple in a white Taoist robe.

Upon approaching, the Taoist bowed respectfully and said with a smile, "This junior is from the Chongxuan True Sect, and has long admired you, Master."

After saying this, he nodded slightly to Lin Shu as a greeting.

The disciples in white Taoist robes also bowed respectfully in a proper manner.

Upon seeing this, the Taoist priest nodded slightly, stroked his beard, and said calmly, "The five branches of the Taoist school are all one family, so there is no need for such formalities."

Although you come from the Primordial lineage, now that you have attained the Earth Immortal rank, you may call me Brother Dao from now on.

Upon hearing this, Xuanzheng did not stand on ceremony and cupped his hands, saying, "In that case, fellow Daoist."

After he finished speaking, he raised an eyebrow slightly and looked into the depths of the mountains, his gaze meaningful: "But what do you think, brother?"

After a moment of contemplation, the Taoist priest slowly said, "It's only about five hundred years of cultivation. I'll just hand it over to the younger generation of my sect."

In this place, however, the mountains are collapsing and evil spirits are thriving, yet the appointed mountain god sits idly by and lets things run their course, clearly dereliction of duty.

"I implore Fellow Daoist Xuanzheng to accompany me on this journey, and within a short time, escort him back for assessment."

Xuanzheng, having the same idea, immediately smiled and said, "Excellent!"

The two then exchanged a few words with each other, before vanishing into the distance like a gentle breeze.

Standing there, Lin Shu recalled what the Taoist priest had just said and couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

Deep in the mountains live turtles who love to eat stubborn rocks. Over the years, they have gnawed the mountain range until it is riddled with holes, and the rotten wood is hollowed out by insects.

The reason why the people of Guishou Village often encounter dangerous mountains may be partly due to this.

As the saying goes, the moth is harmful and should be eliminated quickly.

Since this tortoise has already disrupted the peace of the local people and committed evil deeds, it is right to rid the people of this scourge.

They continued deeper into the mountains.

Lin Shu was about to take a step forward when, unexpectedly, the disciple in the moon-white Taoist robe, after peeking around, suddenly burst into laughter, put his hands on his hips, and blocked his way.

"Hey—May the Heavenly Venerable grant you boundless blessings! This Daoist has been holding back for ages!"

He was beaming with excitement, muttered a curse, then, after a moment's perception, his expression changed, and he exclaimed joyfully, "Brother Shu, you've condensed your Dao Embryo and entered the Immortal Rank?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Shu's eyes flickered slightly. He smiled with his hands behind his back and then said in a light tone, "This matter is easy and not worth mentioning."

"As for you, Ziling, your temperament seems to have changed; you're more fiery than before."

Lin Shu was naturally familiar with this disciple in the white Taoist robe.

Zhang Ziling, the chief disciple of the Chongxuan True Sect, was of pure and gentle nature. He had been friends with Zhang Ziling since childhood and they had a very close relationship.

However, each has its own path and its own destiny.

He was struggling to find the dragon, traversing mountains and rivers, and the two had not seen each other for a long time.

Their unexpected encounter at this moment led to some surprising words and actions.

Upon hearing Lin Shu's question, Zhang Ziling couldn't help but smile wryly, then put on a look of misfortune and said helplessly:

"The old man misled me, Brother Shu."

They said they had found a thunder demon with deep roots, almost innate, to help me condense my Dao embryo and attain the rank of human immortal.

Who would have thought that it was so volatile, easily provoked, and that by embodying its spirit, I inherited a trace of its nature, and thus I too became tainted by it.

At this point, he looked indignant and muttered to himself, "May the Heavenly Venerable grant me boundless blessings."

Lin Shu was slightly taken aback, then chuckled. After a moment's thought, he spoke of what he knew, suggesting that water techniques could be used to alleviate his restlessness.

Then, with a swift movement, he ventured deep into the mountains.

Zhang Ziling subtly revealed a hint of water magic to indicate his own situation, and followed closely behind, though he continued talking.

He remembered something and quickly said, "Brother Shu, I heard that someone used the spiritual essence of the Xuan Snake to form a fetus, intending to cause you trouble and embarrass you at this Dharma Assembly. Please be careful."

"Oh? Such a predestined connection exists."

Upon hearing this, Lin Shu paused, slightly surprised, before casually asking, "The Black Serpent is also of the Innate type; it certainly has good fortune. Ziling, do you know who it is?"

Zhang Ziling shook his head and replied, "I don't know its name. It must be intentional, a deliberate act."

This man is indeed quite cunning, trying to use this to create hype and gain fame. I, the Daoist, am ashamed to associate with him!

After saying that, he showed a look of disdain.

Lin Shu chuckled softly, not taking it to heart, and simply said, "You're nothing but rats, not worth worrying about."

His fame spread throughout the mountains and rivers, partly due to his diligent practice of Taoism, but also because he overshadowed his peers, with few able to rival him.

He figured that since they were both disciples of the five major branches of Taoism and possessed profound skills, he might be wary of them and keep an eye on them.

However, their actions of hiding their true intentions and engaging in such scheming are likely due to the lack of protection from the lineage they belong to, and their desire to seek personal gain.

Disciples of miscellaneous schools of thought can be captured with a single hand.

With that thought in mind, Lin Shu stopped pondering and continued on her way with light steps.

Before long, he arrived at the place the Taoist priest had mentioned, and saw a rather strange sight—

Then, at the edge of the pothole-shaped deep pool, lay a water turtle several meters long, slowly nibbling at the stubborn rocks, laying one turtle egg after another, which rolled into the pit beside it.

After finishing eating, they scooped soil from the surrounding hillsides into the pit and buried the eggs one by one.

At the same time, baby turtles emerged from the surrounding soil and crawled into the deep pool, while adult turtles carried stubborn rocks on their backs and slowly crawled in from all directions.

Within a small space, one can clearly see the habitat and reproduction of a huge group of turtles.

However, this is not a good thing.

Firstly, the more the turtle population proliferates, the more barren the mountains become, and the more the people of Guishou Village will suffer from the dangers of the mountains.

For example, that man and that peasant woman might die a violent death one day.

Secondly, turtles are omnivorous, eating both meat and vegetables.

Even baby and adult turtles prey on insects, fish, frogs, and earthworms, let alone this water turtle that has become a demon.

Lin Shu looked down at the water turtle's body. Although he could not see the piles of white bones, there were tattered clothes scattered in heaps, giving off a sense of old age and filth.

The fact that there are traces but no one is there makes the outcome self-evident.

Just then, the water turtle seemed to sense something, and a flash of excitement suddenly appeared in its eyes. With a snap of its beak, it spat out a large amount of gravel.

Without moving its body, its thick neck, like a python, suddenly leaped forward, instantly stretching from the edge of the pool to Lin Shu's side. Then, it raised its head high, letting out a long wisp of saliva.

They regard humans as fish and shrimp, and even engage in acts of eating flesh and blood.

Its beak opened wide, and it suddenly inhaled, causing a sudden gust of wind to rise, sweeping up the surrounding rocks and fallen leaves, and swirling them wildly backward.

The suction came suddenly and was terrifying.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Shu felt his feet become unsteady and his body swayed, like a rootless duckweed, completely out of his control, and was about to be sucked off the ground.

Without hesitation, he raised his hand and activated the Mysterious Female Divine Light, which landed on his body. The Yin and Yang lines responded accordingly, and the suction force instantly disappeared.

Lin Shu's body stabilized instantly, remaining motionless.

Immediately, he made another move, and divine light shone down, the gale was swept away, and a windless zone briefly appeared around them.

Zhang Ziling, on the other hand, suffered a silent loss.

He had not yet mastered the art of wind control, and when the suction suddenly arose, he staggered and took several steps forward.

When I came to my senses, I saw that the suction was getting stronger and stronger, and my body was about to be lifted off the ground.

"You son of a bitch!" Zhang Ziling immediately cursed.

He then stomped his foot and leaped towards the water turtle, shouting angrily:

"Hey—you beast, take this palm strike from me!"