The Purgatory Calamity
Chapter 174 - 159 The Evolution Method of the Mysterious Turtle_1

Chapter 174: Chapter 159 The Evolution Method of the Mysterious Turtle_1

First Peak, the eighteenth layer.

Cave dwelling number fifty-six.

After Han Ting returned, she sat on an identical wooden chair, staring blankly at the rock ceiling above her.

The layout of this cave dwelling was almost exactly the same as Pang Jian’s above.

She knew that in the cave dwelling above her, Pang Jian might be sitting on the same wooden chair she had occupied, or possibly above the meditation cushion, and he should still be holding the token she had left behind in his hand.

Han Ting’s thoughts were in disarray.

Touching her slightly feverish cheeks, she couldn’t help but recall the sensation of that cold and hard young man’s finger resting on her shoulder.

Even though, in her haste, she had actively stripped off her clothing to wrap around her chest, revealing her smooth back... that man’s finger hadn’t moved an inch.

The indifferent young man did not touch the injured area on her back with his finger or palm, nor did he touch any other area of her back.

From beginning to end, that finger had rested decently on her shoulder.

"Not a hint of frivolous or presumptuous behavior, this person... probably has no interest in me whatsoever."

Feeling relieved, Han Ting also felt slightly disappointed.

Throughout the years, she had teamed up with individual cultivators to explore forbidden lands and capture higher-order ferocious beasts and monsters.

Often, her striking figure would lead to some unnecessary conflicts.

Reflecting on the last incident, she realized afterwards that the companion she treated like a sister – who had tried to kill her – perhaps did so because the man whom her sister had a secret affection for had always coveted her body.

Accustomed to the invasive gazes of male individual cultivators, she almost couldn’t help lashing out when that person rested his finger on her shoulder.

—— If it wasn’t for the fact that the strength conveyed by the other party truly could help heal her injuries.

Latterly.

Although she feigned composure, her heart was still quite tense, fearing the other party might take advantage of the situation and do something out of line.

To her surprise, the other party didn’t make a single inappropriate move.

"Scions from the Upper Realm and disciples of the great sects, perhaps they have higher standards," Han Ting said with self-deprecating laughter.

She quickly focused and began to circulate her power, checking the extent of her injuries’ recovery.

"Hmm!"

Her eyes suddenly brightened.

She keenly noticed that not only was the fire poison in the injured area being purged, but many other toxins corroding her flesh had also been cleared away.

Even some old, concealed ailments left by severe injuries in her body seemed to have been erased by the miraculous power transmitted by the other party.

The area from her shoulder, where the other party’s finger had rested, to the injured part of her back had been traversed by strands of that miraculous power.

Wherever those divine alien powers went, the hidden damages within her organs and meridians were quietly repaired.

"What a miraculous technique!" Han Ting exclaimed in amazement.

...

Upstairs.

Pang Jian, who had closed the stone door, sat on the wooden chair which Han Ting had previously occupied, looking at a black iron token.

The only character carved on the front of the token was "Yuanmang."

After inspecting it for a while and finding nothing special, he put the token away and closed his eyes to focus and communicate with the Sapling within the Cloud Marsh.

"I need the power that encompasses life vitality."

Pang Jian conveyed his thoughts to it.

The Sapling almost instantly responded.

In just a few seconds, Pang Jian sensed the greenery had faded and the three leaves that were about to lose all their life vitality became green once again, like jade!

"It’s you I trust the most," Pang Jian said, nodding with satisfaction.

The next day, and the day following, Han Ting came at the agreed time.

Pang Jian methodically infused strands of life vitality into her body, helping her detoxify and heal.

"I still don’t know your name."

Han Ting, adjusting her clothes and sensing herself discreetly in front of Pang Jian, said somewhat sheepishly, "I’m not fully healed yet, it might... take another two or three days."

Pang Jian nodded without much enthusiasm, "I will help you completely remove the remaining poison."

Tomorrow was the day of Cao’s gathering, and Luo Hongyan still hadn’t appeared.

In this situation, he didn’t feel like talking much with Han Ting.

"You can also be considered my benefactor, and I would like to know your name," noticing Pang Jian’s disinterested demeanor, Han Ting said with some irritation, "What, just because you are from the Upper Realm you think you’re something special? It’s been three days, and you still won’t tell me your name?"

"Pang Jian."

After revealing his real name, Pang Jian pointed to the stone door and said indifferently, "Remember to close the door behind you."

Han Ting secretly gritted her teeth.

After a moment of thought, she still bit the bullet and said, "Pang Jian, that token was exchanged by me for five hundred Spirit Stones. Although I had shown that I had materials worth ten thousand Spirit Stones, those were just for Cao’s subordinates to see; I did not give them to Cao."

Pang Jian looked at her, not understanding what she meant.

"That is... the token is actually only worth five hundred Spirit Stones!" exclaimed Han Ting indignantly, "I was prepared to spend eight or nine thousand Spirit Stones to find sacred medicine for healing and detoxification tomorrow. With your power and methods healing me every day, I feel like I’ve got quite the bargain, so... "

"Oh."

Pang Jian understood.

The indifference on his face lessened a bit as he said lightly, "Cao’s gathering is not just for one day. You can go back and think about how many Spirit Stones you should compensate me; just remember to reimburse me."

"Right, okay," Han Ting stood up, swaying gracefully as she left cave dwelling number fifty-six, and with a "bang," she closed the stone door from the outside.

"She’s got a screw loose,"

Pang Jian muttered, frowning.

He simply couldn’t figure out what was upsetting this woman.

He had clearly treated her wounds and it was she who had proposed to compensate him. After he readily agreed, why did she huff and slam the door?

If he couldn’t figure it out, then he wouldn’t think about it.

Pang Jian communicated with the Cloud Marsh Sapling once more, and in the blink of an eye, the life vitality that the three leaves had lost was replenished by the sapling.

Although the sapling was in the Fourth Realm and he hadn’t been delayed for long, he couldn’t help feeling a bit of fatigue due to the distance.

"It’s still because of the distance..."

With no Calming Pills to use, he hadn’t communicated with the Rebel Kid in the Fifth Realm for a long time in order to keep his mind and spirit energized.

"The Mysterious Turtle is the closest; let’s see if it’s awake."

With a thought, he established a connection with the Mysterious Turtle.

Immediately, he was shocked by the sight that greeted him.

Having not communicated with the Mysterious Turtle since advancing to the Innate Realm on Ice Rock Island, he was astonished to discover the unknown Fragment Land, where the Mysterious Turtle was deeply hidden, now appeared below another Fragment Land!

It was a night with unfavorable weather, with no full moon hanging high nor stars twinkling.

Suspended beneath a larger Fragment Land, a small Fragment Land enveloped by thick clouds had an obvious disturbance in nature’s spiritual energy, and the deep earth boomed loudly.

A golden streak of lightning, as if being pulled by the small Fragment Land, was being forcibly extracted from the bottom of the larger Fragment Land above it.

The surface of the larger Fragment Land was collapsing; mountains crashed down, and deep chasms opened in the earth.

"Whoosh!"

The golden streak of lightning from the larger Fragment Land quietly vanished into the heart of the smaller Fragment Land, and a barren stone peak within the smaller land suddenly radiated a faint golden light.

"Is it drawing in... a vein of ore?"

Guessing what was happening, Pang Jian jolted, shattering the inner peace in his heart, and his connection with the Mysterious Turtle abruptly broke.

Inside his cave dwelling, Pang Jian suddenly stood up from his meditation mat and began to pace around the room.

"Spirit Veins, ore veins. Spirit Veins can nurture Spirit Stones, Spirit Jade, and even Spirit Crystals. Ore veins, depending on their attributes, can harbor precious minerals like Gold Friday Stone, Earth Flame Stone, and water essence stones, all of which are rare cultivation resources."

"The Mysterious Turtle, known as the Spirit of the Earth, can actually draw in ore veins from other Fragment Lands!"

"While it seems to be hidden within the Fragment Land motionless, it turns out it can maneuver the Fragment Land, using its own to hunt for and draw in ore veins! The creation of its Blessed Land Cave Heavens and its own breakthroughs seem to rely on this."

Pang Jian, as if he had discovered a new continent, felt the gloom that had lingered over his mood lighten a bit.

After a while, he calmed his emotions and once again sensed the Mysterious Turtle.

This time, he saw the small Fragment Land sneakily flying away from the clouds below.

Pang Jian suddenly knew that a slender gold ore vein from the larger Fragment Land above had vanished.

From now on, no more gold-type minerals would be nurtured in the mines of that Fragment Land.

At that moment, the Mysterious Turtle, having absorbed an ore vein, became drowsy again. It didn’t properly communicate with Pang Jian and on its own accord severed the connection.

"Could this be one of its ways to evolve?"

Pang Jian wondered to himself in astonishment.

That night, he reflected on the curious behaviors of the Corrosion Boundary Vine and the Mysterious Turtle and did not practice Spirit Condensation.

...

The next day, early morning.

Han Ting arrived bright and early, knocking "tang tang" on his stone door. She proudly held up a Token, saying, "I got a new Token and came specifically to take you with me to the meeting!"

The sun was just rising, casting its rosy light down.

In the Yuan Mang Fragmented Lands, each of the towering mountains seemed shrouded in golden divine radiance.

Pang Jian, stepping out of his dwelling, looked at Han Ting, whose face gleamed with a golden luster, took a deep breath of the fresh morning air, and gave a slight nod.

The assembly was about to begin, and Luo Hongyan remained unaccounted for, leaving him in a repressed state.

"It’s either the Blood Moon or the Yin Spirit Temple..."

He suspected Luo Hongyan’s disappearance was because of these two powerful sects.

He planned to use his attendance at the assembly to observe how people from Blood Moon and Yin Spirit Temple would treat him.

This would help him deduce who was targeting Luo Hongyan and himself, thus identifying his enemy.

"Young man,"

Gao Yuan, who had not slept all night, looked worried as he pushed open the door of his dwelling and saw the voluptuous Han Ting standing at Pang Jian’s door. He had no mood for jokes.

Like Pang Jian, Luo Hongyan’s disappearance weighed heavily on him.

Gao Yuan was concerned that Jiuyuan would no longer care about sibling bonds and would easily fabricate an excuse or appoint someone to kill him.

After all, Luo Hongyan had killed Individual Cultivator Cloud Ascetics while Pang Jian had decapitated Zhu Yuanxi; both were well-connected with Jiuyuan.

Meanwhile, he had been the boatman, soaring around with the siblings.

"Your sister?"

Gao Yuan asked.

Pang Jian shook his head.

Gao Yuan sighed and retreated back into his dwelling, showing no interest in the assembly.

Pang Jian paid him no mind, instead standing in the stone corridor in front of his cave, watching as numerous Individual Cultivators emerged from their dwellings on both sides.

Some of the Individual Cultivators knew each other and began to converse outside their dwellings, their faces filled with anticipation.

Others were cold in demeanor, heading straight up the stone stairs to the higher ground of the First Peak upon leaving their dwellings.

Pang Jian surveyed his surroundings and above, noting that people living on the lower levels were also leaving their dwellings, each holding a Token for the assembly and climbing up different stone stairs toward the mountain.

In the distance, many Individual Cultivators who had not settled on the First Peak but had stayed in Cloud Sails or secluded valleys were also converging toward the First Peak from all directions.

Above Pang Jian, those living above the nineteenth layer of dwellings, adorned in fine garments, also spoke loudly as they left.

...