Chapter 38 - The River Lion Turtle

"So much death," Lin muttered as he felt several spirit energy sources disappear in the village while watching from atop the hill with Qing and Shen Hua. He couldn't bring himself to be a part of the slaughter, yet he still witnessed the horrors of it. He didn’t know who was in the wrong or right now.

"Your sister draws near, incredibly fast," Shen Hua said, disturbing his thoughts.

"She's on the back of a giant owl," Qing said. The trio looked to the sky, seeing Mei approach them on her owl.

"Mei! You're back. What's wrong?" Lin asked as the owl landed, Mei getting off and walking to them.

"All the bandit villagers are dead. We were too late to save the caravan and the guards. As Yang suspected, they were all killed. That is no village of innocents," Mei answered. "Qing and Shen Hua, Yang needs your help to fight the River Lion Turtle. He confirmed the tree's true form. I need to get Sun Yi and Lu Jing."

"What about me?" Lin asked.

"Yang did not call for you," Mei said.

"I have no qualms about fighting a magical beast!" Lin cried. "I'm not that innocent! I have killed magical beasts—not wild ones, but I have killed them."

"It's true, Yang gives you little credit. However, this is an ancient magical beast. Its power is comparable to that of an initial Meteor Vessel practitioner, but it is like fighting multiple practitioners due to its eighteen branches. Yang does not want to risk you," Mei said.

"And he will risk us?" Qing frowned.

"He could always leave His Highness for dead, kill you two, and manipulate Guan Hai. It is my belief that Yang has some kind of playing card against Guan Hai. I doubt he even knows what secret Yang has," Mei shrugged. "In the end, you two must help. Lin, you can come, but don’t bring out the manticore. My owl will also be sent back to the Spirit Realm. We cannot risk the loss of our magical beast. We can only have three in our lifetime."

"I'll take us there on my manticore," Lin said, his manticore appearing as a gold formation above him and on his forehead. "I will fight alongside my brother. It is the job of the elder to protect the younger."

"And he is older than most of our clan's ancestors," Mei thought silently but said nothing as she nodded and got on her owl to get Sun Yi and Lu Jing.

Back in the village, Yang barely arrived in time to see eighteen glowing branches stab at Red Death and Shen Dong furiously as Shen Dong sent lightning into the river by channeling his spirit energy through his great sword. Yang closed his eyes and used his Moon Slicer Art to send dozens of water crescent moon blades at the branches.

The branches were barely scratched by the blades, the wood repairing itself quickly. There was no such thing as the wood element for humans, but there was for magical beasts. The one human exception was Guo Lin, if he could learn to fuse earth and water to make wood. The branches seemed to have an intelligence of their own, with nine of them changing direction to stab at him.

Yang used his Soaring Volt Dragon Arts to strike at the base of the tree at incredibly high speeds, blue lightning crackling around his body. However, the tree merely shuddered, and he only stabbed his spear an inch into the trunk. Yang coughed blood as three tree branches pierced his back. Desperate, he used his Viper's Dominance Art to blast them all away. The three branches were expelled from his body, and Yang turned invisible through his Mirror Mirage Art. He retreated back as he assessed the tree and the branches.

The branches were not intelligent, attacking whatever the base of the tree targeted. River Lion Turtles had a figurative third eye; that fake third eye was the lone tree on its back. It could only form one tree, but it was ten times stronger than any other tree and could actually be used like a weapon. The trees, or tree, on the backs of lion turtles represented their life force. No tree, no life. That's what made the River Lion Turtle vulnerable yet invincible. It had to keep its gills wet or die, but its tree was hundreds of times stronger and more durable.

Yang disliked River Lion Turtles as they were a scavenger race, not at all like the hermit-like other lion turtles. This one was exceptionally powerful, despite its weak cultivation, due to the artifact it had in its possession. Still, his aim was the branches. He would kill it regardless.

The nine branches stabbed at him, aiming for different parts of his body. He could not damage the tree, so he could only attack the main body. Yang dodged the branches and jumped atop one to propel himself forward. He tossed his spear at the tree, but three branches quickly coiled around it to block the spear. He yelled as he focused all his spirit energy into his hands and landed by the river.

"Frost Snake Prison Art!" Yang roared, submerging both hands into the river. Ice began to spread and slowly formed an orb beneath the small land where the tree rested in the middle of the river. Yang heard a roar and was blasted back as the ice sphere cracked upon completion. Yang coughed as he shook his head.

The tree branches all rose into the air, stabbing downward at Shen Dong at fast speeds. Yang ran to the tree and used his Coiling Spirit Drain Art, elated as he drained vast amounts of spirit energy at high speeds. The tree branches stopped abruptly, barely touching the scales and skin of Red Death and Shen Dong. Yang stopped his practitioner art as the branches stabbed at him. He waited until the last second to use his Snake Specter Art and teleported fifteen yards above from where he stood, the tree branches accidentally stabbing the trunk of the tree.

Yang retrieved his Moon Lotus Spear and aimed at the point of contact where the branches pierced the tree. Green spirit energy swirled around him and his spear, making the very air appear to cry out in anguish. The green spirit energy began to condense at the spearhead as green acid poison seemed to drip from it.

"Jade Poison Desolation Spear Art!" Yang roared, throwing the spear at the multiple tiny holes in the tree trunk as the branches withdrew. The land beneath the tree quaked as the River Lion Turtle finally emerged from the water. Lightning from Shen Dong's great sword blasted it as the tree on its shell began to turn white from the poison. Yang quickly severed three branches from the tree, storing them in his storage ring.

"I will not die!" the magical beast roared, stunning Yang.

"You can talk in human tongue?" Yang gasped and saw a black glass orb beneath its body as it rose from the river. It was definitely an ancient relic as it contained its own spirit energy.

"How dare you fight me and kill my minions?" the lion turtle roared. "Who do you think you are?"

Yang scrutinized the River Lion Turtle. It had many breaks in its skin, with several burn marks all along the right side of its body. Occasionally, he could see a black and purple vein pulse from its body. It was definitely weakened, and its branches could no longer be used.

"Why did you do all this? Why ally yourself with bandits, those human scum?" Yang asked, watching the lightning and two different poisons spread across its body.