Chapter 683: Gen Mountain Profound Turtle

‘Besides, I’ve already spent far too many resources just to speed up my cultivation of these various Realms.’

‘Once I leave the Fog Concealment Cave Mansion, it might be years before I get another opportunity like this. I need to plan ahead.’

‘Even the Martial Dao legacies of the Major Sects surely don’t expect one to cultivate every single Realm there is!’

‘After all, who else in this world is like me, cultivating over a dozen Realms at the drop of a hat?’

‘When this trip to the cave mansion is over, it’ll be time to join the Great Dao Sect and further my study of a more advanced Martial Dao legacy!’

‘There’s a saying: those who don’t reach the Innate Realm are no different from ants!’

‘Right now, I’m in the Acquired Body Refining Realm and am ridiculously powerful—I can crush the vast majority of people. But in the eyes of true experts, I’m still just an ant!’

‘Outside this cave mansion, I’m afraid this level of strength is nothing against an expert who has just stepped into the Puncture Realm.’

‘Forget a Puncture Realm expert; even if I fought Ning Hao outside the cave, the outcome would be uncertain.’

‘After all, without the suppression from the cave mansion’s Array, the power of a Yellow Tier Spiritual Artifact is simply too terrifying!’

‘Ke Dali’s Mountain-Suppressing Xuanwu Armor is primarily for defense and is said to be able to withstand the attacks of two or three ordinary Puncture Realm experts.’

‘Ning Hao’s Sun and Moon Mirror Light Sword is for offense, and if its full power were unleashed, it could likely slay an ordinary Puncture Realm expert.’

‘Other True Disciples from the Sects all have Stewards for protection. The fact that Ning Hao alone doesn’t bring a Sect Steward is undoubtedly because he relies on the power of his Yellow Tier Spiritual Artifact!’

‘One must reflect on oneself daily to gain clarity and act without error.’

‘The path of the Martial Dao requires constant comprehension, continuous learning from experience, and improving one’s shortcomings. Only then is it possible to reach the pinnacle!’

‘But for now, here in the cave mansion, my only choice is to continue cultivating the Radiant Sun Realm and the Star Moon Realm to further enhance the power of my True Intent of Heaven and Earth!’

“If I can seize another Array Hub and cultivate for three more months, I should be able to cultivate another Realm to the Second Layer!”

After some thought, Chen Cheng took out the Kan Palace Array Flag Jade Stone and focused on its sensations.

He could clearly sense that the loosening of the Dui Palace Array Hub’s formation was gradually speeding up!

And the other three Array Hubs were also showing faint signs of loosening!

Once the Dui Palace Array Hub was breached, it was likely the other three would loosen all at once!

Putting away the Jade Stone, Chen Cheng once again fell into deep thought.

‘The Nine Palaces Locking Spirit Heaven and Earth Array has eight Array Hubs, not including the Central Palace.’

‘Ji Lingxiao has occupied the Qian, Kun, and Zhen Palaces. I hold the Kan Palace. As for the Dui Palace, which is now loosening, if I don’t fight for it, it’s as good as taken by someone else.’

‘Besides these five, that only leaves three more: the Li Palace to the south, the Gen Palace to the northeast, and the Xun Palace to the southeast.’

‘Right now, all the various groups are surely fighting over the Dui Palace Array Hub. That Demon Cultivator and the Innate Realm expert are powerful, but they can’t outmatch an alliance of more than a dozen people.’

‘So, in the end, Dui Palace will be taken by the Dali Alliance, the Sutra of Ultimate Alliance, or the Independent Practitioner Alliance.’

‘My strength is great, but I have no chance of winning against an alliance of over a dozen people. That leaves the other two alliances to each occupy one of the remaining Array Hubs.’

‘For the very last Array Hub, I’m afraid I’ll have to compete against that Demon Cultivator and the Innate Realm expert.’

‘Moreover, when I broke through the Kan Palace Array Hub earlier, I used the Array Banner to sense two people arriving at Lake Heart Island together. It’s very likely those two were the Demon Cultivator and the Innate Realm expert.’

‘Facing the two of them allied together seems like it will be very tricky!’

‘Whatever. You have to pick the softest persimmon to squeeze. All things considered, those two working together are still the weakest option. If I want to win an Array Hub, my only choice is to go through them!’

His decision made, Chen Cheng leaped down from the giant boulder and waved at the two Tier Four Demon Rats.

The two critters immediately scampered over, nibbling on medicinal materials while squeaking ingratiatingly.

“My two rat brothers, may we meet again if fate allows!”

He reached out and ruffled the thick, smooth fur on the two Demon Rats’ heads. Then, with a few leaps, Chen Cheng’s figure vanished into the distance.

…

「Two days later.」

「In the northeast of the cave mansion.」

Within a hundred-mile radius of the Gen Palace Array Hub, row upon row of bare, steep, and precipitous stone mountains stood, all interconnected. From a distance, they looked like a forest made of rock!

The peaks on the outskirts of this Stone Forest were occasionally dusted with snow, and Demon Beasts appeared from time to time.

But closer to the central region, a deathly silence reigned. There were almost no traces of Demon Beasts, and even the falling snow couldn’t seem to reach the sky above the Stone Forest.

Chen Cheng walked out slowly from a cave in a giant rock. He then concealed his aura and crept to a high cliff’s edge, gazing leisurely toward the towering Stone Forest in the very center.

The Gen Palace used the mountains as its Array Hub, controlling a ponderous force. The rocks were abnormally hard and radiated a heavy pressure.

If an ordinary Martial Artist came here, they would find it difficult even to stand at the edge of the Stone Forest, let alone walk forward.

Chen Cheng’s position was only about a dozen miles from the center of the Stone Forest. The oppressive weight grew stronger here, as if he had to bear a thousand-jin burden at all times.

In such an environment, even a Perfect Martial Artist of the Organ Refining Realm would find their movements restricted.

Of course, Chen Cheng was used to the heavy pressure from cultivating the Iron Armor Demon Suppression Skill, so an extra thousand-jin weight didn’t affect him much.

Furthermore, because of the intense gravity, the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi around the Gen Palace Array Hub was much denser than at the other hubs, making it ideal for cultivation. That wasn’t so bad.

Suddenly, Chen Cheng’s gaze sharpened!

On a circular stone platform atop the highest peak in the towering Stone Forest, a massive head emerged.

The head resembled that of a giant turtle, the size of two millstones. As it extended, it rose high, revealing a nearly ten-foot-long neck as thick as a water bucket.

Upon closer inspection, the circular stone platform was actually the turtle’s carapace, which was a good twenty or thirty feet in diameter!

The giant turtle stared with its huge eyes, surveying the entire Stone Forest. Only after a long while did it retract its head.

It was a Gen Mountain Profound Turtle!

Even from over ten miles away, Chen Cheng could still faintly sense the formidable aura emanating from the Gen Mountain Profound Turtle!

‘A Gen Mountain Profound Turtle of this size must have lived for over a thousand years. Even if it’s only a Pseudo Tier Six Demon Beast, it’s probably on the verge of condensing a Demon Core!’

“This is going to be trouble!”

Chen Cheng frowned slightly.

Pseudo Tier Six Demon Beasts are extremely sensitive to all kinds of danger and usually remain cautiously hidden deep within their territory.

For this Gen Mountain Profound Turtle to lie so brazenly on the mountaintop, it was clearly confident in its own strength!

With the heavy pressure of the Gen Palace Array Hub and its own unparalleled defensive power, it certainly had reason to be so confident!

On his way from Kan Palace to Gen Palace, Chen Cheng had paid close attention and noticed that nearly every place where medicinal materials grew had been searched.

He didn’t even see a trace of a single Tier Five Demon Beast.

It was obvious that in the past three months, the members of the various alliances had already explored the entire cave mansion, scraping it clean of natural treasures, medicinal materials, and Demon Beasts.

Yet this Gen Mountain Profound Turtle was still alive and well, which could only mean one thing.

Even an alliance of more than a dozen people couldn’t do anything to it!

The fact that the various alliances hadn’t come to compete for the Gen Palace Array Hub was perhaps also because this Gen Mountain Profound Turtle was guarding it.

Leaping down from the cliff, Chen Cheng concealed his aura and advanced several miles. Sure enough, he saw that some of the stone mountains bore the fractured marks of fierce battles.

One stone mountain had even been blasted in half!

The rock here was much harder than the rock on Kan Palace’s Lake Heart Island!

To cause such massive damage, it must have been the work of more than a dozen people using the Eight Desolates Returning to the Source Array!

Hiding behind a giant rock, Chen Cheng once again observed the Gen Mountain Profound Turtle from afar. This time, he was only a few miles away, and its formidable aura was even more distinct.

‘Inside this cave mansion, this Gen Mountain Profound Turtle’s defense is likely even a notch stronger than Ke Dali’s when he uses the Mountain-Suppressing Xuanwu Armor.’

‘The pressure here is already approaching fifteen hundred jin. In the central area, it should be even heavier—at least two thousand jin.’

‘With such a geographical advantage, the Gen Mountain Profound Turtle is bound to be even more powerful.’

‘Even if I go all out, it seems I’d have a hard time killing it. Should I go fight for one of the other Array Hubs instead?’

Just as Chen Cheng was hesitating, the cave mansion’s Array suddenly began to tremble.

Even this heavy Stone Forest of the Gen Palace Array Hub shook slightly!

Chen Cheng took out the Kan Palace Array Flag Jade Stone to sense the change. He discovered that the Dui Palace Array Hub had been breached, and someone had taken control of its Array Banner.

The Arrays of the Li Palace, Xun Palace, and Gen Palace Array Hubs were now rapidly loosening. He feared they would break open on their own in less than two hours!

‘There’s no time! Gen Palace is my last chance!’

With that thought, Chen Cheng pushed his Concealment Secret Skill to its absolute limit and crept toward the Gen Palace Array Hub!

When he arrived near the stone mountain where the Gen Mountain Profound Turtle was, he saw the beast had its massive head propped at the entrance of a large cave, leisurely resting with its eyes closed.

Dense Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi was continuously flowing out from the cave entrance!

This cave was clearly the only path to the Gen Palace Array Hub.

‘Hah! This old turtle really knows how to pick a spot!’

Chen Cheng thought to himself with a slight frown.

‘Trying to enter the cave would inevitably alert the Gen Mountain Profound Turtle, and a fight with it would be unavoidable!’

Suddenly, about a hundred feet away behind a giant rock, the ambient qi fluctuated slightly!

‘The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind! Looks like someone wants to be the oriole!’