Don't Mess with that Turtle

The Golden Crow chases the Jade Rabbit, and the pale moon gives way to the bright day.

Time passed day by day, and this sleep lasted longer than usual. Su He had no dreams and slept deeply,

much like hibernation.

He hadn't expected to sleep so deeply or for so long; otherwise, he would have prepared well.

Fortunately, the pond at the mountain's peak also had tides, rising and falling twice each day. At high tide, submerged in the water, he lay in peace, and at low tide, just in time for the slumbering Su He to breathe.

The wind atop the mountain was strong, dispersing the scent of the Demonic Fruit, and to this day no wild beasts had climbed up.

The mountain wasn't tall, just over twenty zhang, with only strange rocks and no lush vegetation, except for a patch of Jade Bamboo growing around the pond at the peak. Apart from Su He, there were no large animals on the entire mountain; even rats didn't venture here.

Lotuses at the foot of the mountain had already bloomed. Looking down from the mountain, a swath of red was strikingly beautiful. In the pond on the mountain, there were only a few green lotuses, still budding.

The climate here was abnormal; who knew which month it was, summer or autumn?

Another day passed, and the sky grew dark. Tonight was moonless, with dense clouds. Starting at nightfall, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, with streaks of thunder lighting up the entire sky.

Birds returned to their nests, beasts to their lairs.

The winds stirred up waves in the pond at the mountain's peak, and the roof tiles rattled on the pavilion above.

The rain was about to pour, and the wind filled the tower.

Suddenly the wind grew fierce, becoming a gale that snapped the Jade Bamboo and knocked a loose piece of Su He's Shell, though Su He, deep within his shell, was unaware and slept soundly.

The wind howled most of the night, and the thunder lasted a long while until the latter half of the night when a heavy downpour began.

Dense raindrops pattered down, mixed with hail at times.

The weather turned cold abruptly.

Each year, between summer and autumn, heavy rains and even hail were common, with a sudden drop in temperature.

Days before the heavy rain arrived, all the beasts sensed it and prepared.

This year, sleep had interfered.

Curled up in his shell, Su He remained motionless. Being a cold-blooded animal, even if he were awake, he would choose to lie motionless at the bottom of the pond.

When the temperature was too low, his body became like it was paralyzed, and his movements sluggish.

Luckily, where he was, was safe, and he didn't have to worry about survival while immersed in deep slumber.

This heavy rain had been brewing for a long time and fell thoroughly. The torrential rain lasted for seven days straight.

The water in the pond atop the mountain was now full, submerging half of the pavilion, the Jade Bamboo wasn't spared and was soaked in the water. Two more days of rain and the water would overflow down the mountain peak to form waterfalls.

After several gloomy days, the sun finally broke through the clouds, and its light fell upon the pond, casting a warm, sparkling glow on the waters.

After the rain, the sky clears, and all things shine with renewed life.

When Su He slowly awakened, he heard the sound of surging waves hitting the shore.

He had slept through a change of the world—was this the aftermath of a heavy rain?

Swimming to the edge of the mountain's summit, he looked down. Tinghai Lake had already spread to the foot of the mountain—no, the mountain had become a solitary island standing tall in Tinghai Lake. The lake water struck the rocks with a rumble.

A mountain flood?

Su He looked into the distance, where his former pond had vanished, now completely merged with Tinghai Lake.

Su He felt cold.

What was the point of all this upheaval? If he hadn't moved, he would be in Tinghai Lake by now.

Indeed, a turtle is better still than in motion.

A lesson learned, he would henceforth remain as immovable as a mountain, as steady as an old turtle.

Su He withdrew his gaze, looking at his own reflection in the pond.

He didn't know how long he had slept. That half serpent had been too robust, its heart and gallbladder consumed, which was truly nourishing.

Su He had changed dramatically.

The manhole cover size he had longed for had been achieved. At this moment, his shell alone was slightly smaller than an Eight Immortals Table. His whole body was glossy black, resembling polished jet.

Most importantly, he had grown teeth!

Looking now, his turtle head was somewhat different from before. The hawk-like beak disappeared, and small sharp teeth had grown in. If they grew larger, he would appear far more formidable.

He needed to eat more shrimp to fortify his calcium, intending to strengthen his teeth. A turtle the size of an Eight Immortals Table could certainly be considered a Giant Turtle, but having a mouth full of baby teeth was just too much.

Thinking of shrimp made Su He hungry again.

He didn't know how long he had slept, but he felt hollow inside his shell from hunger.

There wasn't a single fruit on the mountain, so he had to go down. Below was the expanded Tinghai Lake, teeming with all sorts of creatures.

As Su He started to turn his body, a gust of mountain wind brought with it a faint smell of blood.

Mixed with the blood was a hint of decay, the scent of an animal with a wound that had become infected. The smell was getting closer.

Something was coming.

Su He retracted half of his body into the pond, with his turtle head slightly withdrawn, watching the direction from which the scent came.

A large wolf staggered up the hill. Its fur was soaked through, its eyes glinted with ferocity, and its left hind leg was curled up, a large piece of flesh torn away and soaked by the rain, the wound showing a frightening white.

It was the Wolf King.

Looking past it, Su He saw no pack of wolves.

Who knows what had happened during this time? Had it somehow lost its pack, or had a new Wolf King emerged, and it had been driven out to become a lone wolf?

The Wolf King glared down at Su He, its green wolf eyes full of madness.

Even though this turtle looked different, it recognized him instantly as the "Grandson Turtle" who had stolen its Demonic Fruit. It was the Demonic Fruit that had given it the power, enabling it to evolve.

All of it should have been its!

A wild wolf couldn't think too much, but its rage wasn't far off.

With a roar, the Wolf King suddenly pounced at Su He.

Die!

Kill him!

Having changed in size, Su He also felt bolder. He sucked in a large gulp of water from the pond and sprayed it right into the face of the oncoming Wolf King.

The Wolf King's breath hitched as it instinctively shook its head to dodge.

But just then, Su He's tucked-in neck suddenly stretched out, his jaws clamping onto the wolf's neck, pulling backward, and dragging the Wolf King into the pond.

The newly grown teeth were incredibly sharp, piercing the windpipe, and blood dyed the water red. Bubbles gurgled from the Wolf King's neck. It struggled to stand and turn over but was pinned under Su He's foot, thrashing desperately but unable to get up.

Su He blinked.

So weak!

Previously, a common wild wolf had exhausted all his strength, but now faced with the Wolf King, he wasn't even given a chance to resist. Was the Wolf King too weak from its injury? Or had he become stronger?

After skinning and deboning the Wolf King and eating his fill, Su He waited for a moment and then slowly made his way down the mountain.

No matter what had happened to the wolf pack, they were surely gone by now. The water had spread so far it was no longer visible at the edges.

It was uncertain if the group of crocodiles was still around.

Su He wasn't sure if he could defeat a crocodile, but it seemed unlikely that a crocodile could harm him with his hard shell and large body. They should leave each other in peace.

He could go down the mountain with peace of mind.

The scent of the Demonic Fruit on him had faded considerably, not enough to make him the target of all.

Only by going down the mountain to fight for food could he find opportunities to thrive. Staying on the mountain would be safe, but it would hinder his path of advancement.

With such a body, as long as he didn't flaunt himself near the water alien beasts, he should be invincible.

And those beasts that had embarked on the Path of Exotic Beasts had severed their chance for becoming demonic, unable to sense the Demonic Fruit, they would not seek him out actively.

Just evolve well, and strive to become demonic as soon as possible.

It would be even better to reign supreme in Tinghai Lake.

Even when the waters were low, Tinghai Lake had a diameter of over a hundred li, with Elephant Water flowing through, and Qingyuan Gate nearby meant there were no fearsomely powerful exotic beasts around—the perfect place indeed.

Su He leisurely made his way down the mountain, the water churned, but the underwater view remained safe, with broken tree trunks and shattered branches drifting by, a scene after a flood.

With a splash, Su He dived into the water and swam towards the interior of Tinghai Lake.

The water here was too shallow, only as deep as one person; once the flood passed, it would still be a shore, not a good place to settle. Especially with Qingyuan Gate nearby, some practitioner might come to manage the flood, and with a few spell decisions, the flood might recede.

It was more appropriate to head to the old location of Tinghai Lake. Su He paddled with his four feet, his half-submerged black and shiny turtle shell visible on the water's surface.

After swimming just half a li, a faint sense of danger crept in.

Ripples stirred, something was swimming towards him.