Crossing the Cultivation Realm: Two Souls Coexist

As the old tortoise's desolate and melodious chanting slowly faded into the air above the cemetery, the solemn funeral ceremony came to an end.

It extends its thick forelimbs and seemingly casually pushes the ground gently.

"Rumble..."

A deep, steady tremor came from underground, as if the earth was obeying the command of an ancient being.

On both sides of the burial pits where the coffins were placed, the soil seemed to have a life of its own, rising gently and slowly towards the center.

Finally, it was completely covered over the coffin, forming neat and solemn earthen mounds.

Without using any tools, the entire process was more perfect and natural than any artificial construction, carrying a profound sense of weight and sorrow originating from the earth itself.

Lin Feng took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and led all the soldiers and logistics personnel behind him to bow deeply three times towards this brand-new martyrs' cemetery.

Every time we bend over, it carries with it endless mourning and profound respect for our fallen comrades.

Just as he was about to order everyone to disperse and rest, the old tortoise coughed twice, the sound not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears:

"Lin Feng, take your men back to the barracks square and wait. I will be announcing the official appointments of the Central Region shortly."

Lin Feng understood immediately, knowing that this concerned the future direction and order of the barracks, and nodded in agreement.

He exchanged a glance with Feng Yichen, and then began to efficiently organize all the personnel, who, in a silent but still orderly line, evacuated the cemetery and headed towards the main square of the barracks.

The cemetery, which was just a moment ago filled with people, has become empty and silent in the blink of an eye.

Only Hu Qing, Gu Yang, Xiao Zi, and Lao Gui remained.

The autumn wind swept across the new grave, swirling up a few withered leaves and adding to the desolation.

Xiao Zi didn't seem to like the overly quiet and sad atmosphere, and shifted her body uncomfortably.

She reached out her little hand and tugged at Gu Yang and Hu Qing's clothes, muttering softly that she wanted to leave.

However, he had barely taken a step when he was lifted up by a tortoise claw as fast as lightning!

The old tortoise's movements appeared slow, but in reality, they were incredibly swift; Little Purple couldn't even see how it made its move.

"Let me go! You stinky turtle!" Little Purple immediately struggled, kicking wildly with its limbs, and even a faint purple-black dragon's might emanated from its body.

But the old tortoise's seemingly rough fingers were like the strongest iron clamps. No matter how much power Xiao Zi exerted, she could not break free even a little, as if all her strength had vanished into thin air.

Seeing this, Hu Qing and Gu Yang felt a pang of anxiety, but they did not believe that the old tortoise would harm Xiao Zi.

Hu Qing stepped forward and said calmly, "Senior, Xiao Zi is young and doesn't know any better, you..."

The old tortoise waved its other front paw, interrupting Hu Qing.

Ignoring Xiao Zi's bared teeth and claws, it lifted him up in front of it, its small green eyes gleaming with scrutiny.

He carefully examined Xiao Zi's transformed body from top to bottom, especially the small dragon horns, the scales on its neck and back, and the patterns on its wings.

Its gaze shifted from casual at first to focused, and finally even revealed an incredulous astonishment and confusion.

After a while, it strangely put the still grimacing Little Purple back on the ground and pondered for a moment.

With an extremely uncertain tone, he looked at Hu Qing and Gu Yang and asked, "How...did you do that?"

Hu Qing and Gu Yang were completely baffled by the question. They looked at each other and saw the confusion in each other's eyes.

Gu Yang asked in confusion, "Senior, what do you mean... to do?"

The old tortoise pointed with its paw at Xiao Zi, who had immediately hidden behind Gu Yang after landing and was still glaring at it angrily, its tone filled with disbelief:

"If I'm not mistaken, you and this little dragon haven't signed any form of master-servant contract, partner contract, or soul bond, have you?"

Dragons are among the proudest, most tyrannical, and most untamable creatures in the world!

Especially for these Dark Ancient Sword Dragons with extraordinary bloodlines, their instincts are even more ferocious when they are still young and their intelligence has not yet developed.

It didn't try to devour you two, these 'nearby nourishment,' immediately after hatching; instead, it recognized you as its elder brothers and became so close to you? This simply defies common sense!

Upon hearing this, Gu Yang scratched his head in even greater confusion and said:

"Contract? What contract? Ever since Xiao Zi hatched from the egg, we've always treated him like our own little brother. We share good food and fight together."

"Besides..." He paused, glanced at the sulking Little Purple, and said truthfully, "He was very weak when he first hatched, and he couldn't beat us either."

The old tortoise's facial muscles seemed to twitch slightly upon hearing this overly "simple" explanation.

It nodded thoughtfully, its beady eyes gleaming as if it were pondering something.

After a while, it spoke again, its tone becoming more solemn: "Although you two are currently on good terms and like brothers, I still suggest that if you have the time in the future, you should try to understand each other better and sign an equal coexistence contract."

This will be of great benefit to both of you, especially for the future, and will avoid many unforeseen troubles.

It abruptly changed the subject, asking, "By the way, how's the collection of those artifact fragments going?"

Hu Qing and Gu Yang originally wanted to continue asking about the specifics of the contract, but when the old tortoise suddenly asked about the fragments, they had to suppress their doubts for the time being.

Hu Qing honestly replied, "Of the known fragments, only the last one is still missing."

According to Yang Li, the young master of the Xin Clan, the last fragment had already been taken by someone else, probably a year or two ago.

"The young master of the Xin Clan?!" The old tortoise gasped, his voice rising several decibels, his beady eyes widening in shock.

"How did you get involved with the young master of the Heart Clan? And even spoke with him?"

Seeing the old turtle's strong reaction, Gu Yang recounted how he met Yang Li in the array space and how they later collaborated on the play.

He recounted in detail the events, including Yang Li informing him that the fragments had been taken. Hu Qing occasionally added a few details from the side.

After listening to the two people's accounts, the old tortoise's expression became uncertain, and his eyes flickered, as if he was quickly processing the information.

He paused for a moment, then confirmed in an unusually solemn tone:

"The Otherworldly Demon King... His true form's arm descended from another realm? Are you sure that old guy Zheng Su... summoned 'that' power and severed one of the Otherworldly Demon King's arms?"

Hu Qing and Gu Yang nodded affirmatively, still feeling lingering fear as they recalled the earth-shattering scene.

Gu Yang added, "It's absolutely true. Senior Zheng Su sacrificed himself and used the 'Eastern Inspector' token to summon a clear and bright moon."

As the moonlight swept across, the Demon King's arm melted away, along with the demon leaders, and they too vanished.

After hearing this, the old tortoise seemed to freeze in place, as if its entire body had been immobilized.

The expression on his face gradually shifted from shock to an extremely complex emotion, a mixture of realization,感慨, and even a hint of... barely perceptible admiration?

Its lips moved slightly, murmuring in a very low voice, as if talking to itself:

“Zheng Su…you old bastard…you’ve been hiding your true colors for over a decade…and you even managed to get involved with the power of the ‘World Moon’…who exactly are you…”

"What is the World Moon?" Hu Qing keenly noticed this unfamiliar term and immediately asked.

The old tortoise suddenly snapped back to reality, as if someone had stepped on its tail. A look of panic and guilt flashed across its face. It quickly waved its hands and said in a rapid-fire attempt to cover it up:

"Nothing special! It's just the name of an ancient power!"

"Alright, alright, that's settled here. Let's hurry to the barracks to announce the appointments. Don't keep Lin Feng and the others waiting too long!"

It seemed as if it was afraid that Hu Qing and the others would ask any more questions, before it finished speaking.

The azure-colored figure vanished in a flash, transforming into a blurry streak of light at a speed hundreds of times faster than when it arrived.

They vanished instantly at the exit of the cemetery, leaving Hu Qing, Gu Yang, and Xiao Zi looking at each other, full of doubts.

"Oh, right!" The old tortoise's voice drifted over from afar, sounding somewhat hurried.

"And your new assignments will be announced at the same time! Hurry up and catch up!"