VIP Volume Chapter 054: The Person Standing on the Giant Turtle

The turtle and the serpent were both rare creatures, their sizes beyond anything seen in the world. Every movement and stillness sent ripples across dozens of miles of lake, and their battle was a spectacle of crashing waves and blood staining the sky.

Though Little Green carried Ye Dajun and Hao Six-Finger far from the conflict, the fight felt as if it raged right beneath them. The tumultuous waves sent both men tumbling off the turtle’s back; each clung desperately to one of Little Green’s legs, barely avoiding being swallowed by the lake.

Ye Dajun’s mind was solely occupied with finding his younger cousin, Ye Xiaoxuan. Wiping water from his face, he said to Hao Six-Finger, “You stay here with Little Green. I’m going down to look for Xiaosan!”

Hao Six-Finger glared at him and shouted, “Are you crazy? With waves this huge and whirlpools everywhere, going down there is suicide!”

“I don’t care!” Ye Dajun’s eyes were red as he shouted back. “Xiaosan disappeared trying to save us. He’s terrified of water, and it’s even more dangerous now. I can’t leave him alone down there. I have to find him!”

Little Green turned its head and spat a jet of water, drenching Ye Dajun’s face.

Caught off guard, Ye Dajun sputtered and cursed at the turtle, “You little bastard, what did I ever do to you?”

Little Green, of course, didn’t reply—it couldn’t speak. Instead, it stretched its neck, staring intently at the distant battlefield.

Ye Dajun and Hao Six-Finger instinctively followed its gaze. In the distance, the lake burned brighter and brighter, the legendary Light Without Lantern illuminating Great Immortal Lake as if it were midday.

The giant turtle clearly had the upper hand; it was larger than the king anaconda, and the serpent’s weak spot had already been bitten by Little Green. The serpent’s predatory tactics—devouring and constricting—were useless against a creature as massive and armored as the turtle.

Battered and exhausted, the king anaconda was now nothing but a bloody mess, its once-white scales streaked with crimson, a sight both horrifying and tragic. It had no strength left, able only to defend, not to strike back.

Ye Dajun, half crying, said to Little Green, “That must be your mother, right? She’s powerful indeed, but I can’t find my brother!”

“Dajun, look! Someone’s on the turtle’s back!” Hao Six-Finger cried out, scrambling up onto Little Green’s shell and pulling Ye Dajun up with him.

They gazed across the water and saw, atop the turtle’s massive shell—like an aircraft carrier—a tiny figure, sesame-seed small from afar. Though his features were unclear, his movements resembled Ye Xiaoxuan’s.

Amid the epic clash of turtle and serpent, the little figure stood unafraid, hands clasped behind his back, peerless amidst the blazing sky and crimson waters.

As the king anaconda grew weaker, the turtle finally seized its neck; the serpent’s head drooped, fangs crashing down toward the little figure!

Ye Dajun and Hao Six-Finger saw it clearly—their hearts leapt into their throats as they shouted, “Watch out!”

Something extraordinary happened. The tiny figure suddenly raised his right arm, pressed his hand (or perhaps a fist or palm—the distance made it hard to tell) to the center of the serpent’s head.

The king anaconda’s eyes flashed red, then slowly closed. Its body went limp. The giant turtle did not finish it off, but released its jaws; most of the serpent’s immense body slid silently into the water, a tide of blood rolling eastward toward the sea.

The figure atop the turtle turned around. Even without approaching, the red glow in his eyes confirmed his identity—Ye Xiaoxuan, without a doubt!

Ye Dajun asked Hao Six-Finger in confusion, “How did he get up there on that giant turtle? Why isn’t he coming back? What’s he waving at us for?”

Hao Six-Finger, still atop Little Green, replied helplessly, “You’re asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? Looks like he’s waving goodbye. I swear, your Xiaosan just gets more and more enigmatic. Where’s he going now? Hey—he’s really leaving!”

Ye Dajun grew frantic and urged Little Green, “Quick! Find your mother!” Little Green snorted and spat another jet of water into his face, turned away disdainfully, and refused to move.

Hao Six-Finger laughed, “Forget it. If Xiaoxuan can stand on that monster, he must be safe. If he wants to come back, he’ll probably return to the village at dawn. He waved at us to go ahead, so let’s not wait for him. Brother Little Green, can you take us back to the village?”

Satisfied, Little Green blew a string of bubbles, paddled its limbs, and began swimming slowly toward Reed Village.

Ye Dajun still felt uneasy, but recalling his cousin’s strange behavior, he sighed deeply and said, “Honestly, I don’t understand Xiaosan any more than you do. By the way, judging from the direction that giant turtle’s heading, they must be going toward High Cable Mountain, right?”

Hao Six-Finger nodded. “Beyond High Cable Mountain lies the Eastern Sea. Where is Xiaoxuan going? Or is he just headed for the mountain? Is there some secret there?”

Standing atop the giant turtle, Ye Xiaoxuan felt as if he were on his own private warship; he could lie down, sit, even do somersaults, unbothered by anyone.

But it was unbearably dull. He shouted down to the turtle’s head, “I know you can understand me. Tell me—what’s going on?”

There was no response for a while. Ye Xiaoxuan complained, “I thought you were a divine beast, but it turns out you can’t talk! Where are you taking me? Oh right, I can sense your thoughts—I almost forgot!”

He sprawled across the turtle's shell, grinning. “I can pick up a bit of your thoughts… What, you really are a divine beast? Come on, prove it—show me something!”

The giant turtle shook its body, jolting Ye Xiaoxuan as if he were walking on a mountain path. A jet of water sprayed from its nostrils, and Ye Xiaoxuan quickly said, “Fine, you can’t transform. I thought divine beasts could do seventy-two transformations!”

“You’re taking me to High Cable Mountain? Can’t you think faster? Why can I only vaguely guess your intentions? Your son’s easier to read—I get much clearer signals from him than from you!”

With the turtle’s head submerged beneath the lake, Ye Xiaoxuan pursed his lips and muttered, “You don’t care to listen? Well, I don’t care to talk to you either!”

“Last time, you made me wander inside your belly for ages, and then spat me out like a fart—and I ate your… Ugh! Someday I’ll have my revenge!”

“Oh right!” Ye Xiaoxuan suddenly climbed onto the turtle’s neck and called out to the lake, “Why did I spend just one night on Fragrant Sand Island—your dung heap—and the villagers say I was missing for a whole week?”