Chapter 1366: Spirit Turtle
However, just as Ruan Yaozhu had said, once the gamble began, it would never end until he won to the very end or he lost his life. He could choose what he gambled. The only thing he could not choose was to not gamble.
When he left the quiet hall, drizzle continued to drift through the air. The towering Pavilion of Heavenly Tomes loomed over him nearby.
The only thing he had gained so far was a tiny badge. It was shaped like a cloud, detailing everything about him, whether it was his identity, status, or contribution. With this badge, he could freely enter many places in the Myriad sect and collect the benefits that came with the identity of a formal disciple.
He clutched the badge firmly and made his way towards the Pavilion of Heavenly Tomes.
He hoped what the cultivator from earlier had said was true, “Junior brother Li, you don’t have to worry too much. Apart from matters regarding the Pavilion of Heavenly Tomes, the Spirit Reverend of Ocean Returnance rarely interferes with sect matters. Even if you’re a great fiend who’s committed heinous crimes, the spirit reverend might not look at you a second time. Though, you don’t seem like you are.”
Back then, Li Qingshan answered with a smile, “If a great fiend can be identified so easily, then he’s not a great fiend.”
He could only hope that his harmless appearance would fool the Spirit Reverend of Ocean Returnance. That way, they could get along in peace, even if he could not get any information about entering Ruin’s End from him.
After climbing up several hundred stairs and making his way through the entrance, the badge on his chest lit up gently, and the invisible barrier opened to him.
“Probably all the books in the world are here!”
That was the remark from the bottom of his heart as soon as he entered the pavilion. Just the bottom layer had millions or tens of millions of books, piling up like mountains, dazzling his eyes. Before he could even look closely, an elegant, female cultivator came up to receive him. “May I ask if you are Li Qingshan?”
“I am. May I ask who you are?” Li Qingshan noticed the badge on her chest was slightly different from his. She was an inner disciple.
“The spirit reverend has been waiting for you. He’s specially instructed me to bring you up.”
The female cultivator studied Li Qingshan with a strange gaze. Among all the years she had worked in the Pavilion of Heavenly Tomes, she had never seen a face like that before, or she definitely would have had an impression. In other words, he had to be a new disciple, yet the spirit reverend actually asked to see him in person. It made her wonder about his origins.
Li Qingshan’s heart lurched. He really did have to prepare for the worst. Sure enough, that old turtle had noticed him, but there was no turning back now. He composed himself and clasped his hands. “Please lead the way, senior sister.”
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They climbed up the spiral staircase. When they arrived on the sixth floor, Li Qingshan’s identity as a formal disciple was no longer sufficient, but the invisible barriers still opened for him before silently closing behind him again.
Once the worst-case scenario occurred, it was impossible for him to retreat. Even without the Pavilion of Heavenly Tomes, a Daemon Immortal could probably crush him as easily as an ant if he wanted to deal with him.
Along the way up, he was not in the mood to appreciate the various sights of grandeur in the Pavilion of Heavenly Tomes. He circulated the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression as hard as he could, constantly repeating his calculations for the future, but he found nothing, like an insect running into a piece of glass repeatedly.
After several attempts, he gave up. In the past, when he had only gained a basic grasp over the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, it even failed before the divination of a grandmaster of the school of Yin and Yang, let alone the fact that he was facing a true spirit turtle right now. A barrier of fate he cast down with his cultivation at the sixth heavenly tribulation was not something Li Qingshan could currently overcome.
Before the outcome was determined, fate was unknown. However, he wondered whether this Spirit Reverend of Ocean Returnance could see through the truth of fate.
Li Qingshan originally thought he had to make his way to the top floor of the Pavilion of Heavenly Tomes, but he never expected to only arrive on the sixteenth floor. The female cultivator leading him entered the floor, making her way into the depths of the bookshelves.
She continued until she arrived before a “fortress” piled from books between two bookshelves, bowing politely. “Spirit reverend, I’ve brought the person.”
“Good. You can leave now.”
A serene, indifferent voice rang out from behind the books. The badge on the female cultivator’s chest lit up, and she smiled. Li Qingshan knew she had already collected her contribution. It was just a trifle like leading the way, but she had clearly made a contribution to the sect by serving this sect master behind the scenes.
The female cultivator turned around and took her leave, glancing at Li Qingshan deeply again before vanishing into the mountains of books.
Li Qingshan did not start the conversation. The Spirit Reverend of Ocean Returnance remained silent too.
Within the silence, there was only the sound of rapidly turning pages. Swish! Swish! It was like leaves falling in the autumn wind, letting out a rustle.
If it were not for the sound of turning pages, Li Qingshan almost would have doubted whether there was anyone behind the books at all, as he was unable to sense any aura at all. He understood this was a special characteristic of spirit turtles, so he waited silently with great patience.
“Alright, that’s another thousand books.”
Swish! The books that piled up like a mountain fluttered away like startled butterflies. Some brushed past Li Qingshan’s face, stirring up his long, black hair. He stared into the depths of the books without budging.
By the time all the books had returned to their respective shelves, Li Qingshan saw an old man in black standing near him. There was nothing peculiar about his appearance. As a matter of fact, it was very easy to neglect him. Only his eyes were silent and deep, staring at Li Qingshan, which made him feel like he was in the depths of the ocean. He was currently staring into the face of fate itself, unable to hide any of his secrets.
Li Qingshan was very familiar with eyes like that. That was the gaze of a spirit turtle. The moment he met his eyes, Li Qingshan understood something. The lies he had told earlier were meaningless.
He bowed. “Greetings, senior Spirit Reverend of Ocean Returnance.”
The Spirit Reverend of Ocean Returnance said, “You possess the bloodline of my species.” That was not a question, but a statement of fact.
“Yes.”
“You recently ascended from a lower world.”
“Yes.”
“Why have you come to the Myriad sect?”
“For cultivation.”
“What else?”
“To find a way into Ruin’s End.”
“Why?”
“For cultivation.”
“What else!?”
Their conversation unfolded rapidly before coming to a sudden halt at this moment. After a pause, Li Qingshan said, “Sorry, but I can’t answer that.”
The Spirit Turtle of Ocean Returnance was unsurprised. “Li Qingshan, I am unable to see the entirety of your life and fate, but this is not a result of your ability.”
There was nothing Li Qingshan could say in reply. Was it because he was a transmigrator? Or was it because he had already become involved in a tremendous struggle that affected many figures beyond the Nine Heavens? Of course, this old turtle would not be able to see it all.
“However, being unable to see it is most troublesome. I can sense the shadow of disaster from you.”
Li Qingshan said, “Curses and blessings come hand in hand.”
The Spirit Reverend of Ocean Returnance was unfazed. He said coldly, “Leave behind your badge and leave this place! Do not return ever again. Treat it as if you have never been here at all.”
Were all his struggles in the Human realm so far, everything he had obtained, just for nothing? Did he have to leave here and start over again?
