Chapter 139: A Millennial Knot

Wang Yuanfeng was overjoyed, seeing that the Water Leopard, being a stellar deity, was not far from returning to its proper place. He said, "Congratulations on finding your own path."

The Water Leopard smiled and replied, "Thanks to the Divine Lord. Once the Water Leopard survives this tribulation, I will certainly pledge allegiance to the Divine Lord's sect."

"Haha," Wang Yuanfeng laughed and said, "Your true nature inherently holds the position of a stellar deity. Once you survive this tribulation, your stellar position will naturally descend, and we can discuss the Great Dao at length then."

"Very well," the Water Leopard said resolutely. Then, glancing in the direction of Mount Ji, it bowed to Wang Yuanfeng and said, "The Water Leopard must enter the tribulation now, and so I take my leave."

Wang Yuanfeng returned the bow and said, "Indeed!"

Without further ado, the Water Leopard sprang upward, soaring out of the underwater mansion toward Mount Ji.

Watching the Water Leopard fly away, Wang Yuanfeng breathed a sigh of relief. This trip to Dongting Lake was coming to an end, but this underwater mansion could not simply be left unattended.

Turning to Prime Minister Turtle and the Golden Dragon, he said, "Now that this matter is settled, if you wish to attain the Dao, you must accumulate merits and virtues. Golden Dragon, you are a born stellar deity with a pure and untainted heart. As long as you proceed step by step, deepen your communion with your natal star, and practice with perseverance, the road ahead will be completely smooth."

"Thank you, Divine Lord, for your guidance," the Golden Dragon said, a look of delight spreading across his face as he thanked Wang Yuanfeng.

Seeing the Golden Dragon like this, Prime Minister Turtle beside him felt a quiet surge of happiness for him. One could tell from his relaxed expression and unknotted brows that he was genuinely and wholeheartedly happy for the Golden Dragon.

Wang Yuanfeng glanced at Prime Minister Turtle and sensed that his obsession with Dongting Lake was gone. What remained was a serene and detached state of mind. Wang Yuanfeng thought to himself that it seemed Prime Minister Turtle had seen through his mental barrier and broken free from those illusions. His cultivation and accumulation had long reached the threshold of attaining the Dao, but due to insufficient mental realm and lingering emotional knots, he had been delayed in doing so.

From the detached and transcendent aura exuding from Prime Minister Turtle, it was evident that his attainment of the Dao was not far off. As long as he sorted out his temperament and remained balanced and peaceful, the unity of body and mind would mark the very moment of his enlightenment.

Wang Yuanfeng immediately said to him, "Congratulations, Prime Minister Turtle, on seeing through the illusions and perfecting the Great Dao."

"This is entirely due to the grace of the Divine Lord," Prime Minister Turtle said with lingering fear as he recalled the sensation. "If not for the Divine Lord's guidance this time, this subordinate would still be sinking in the fog. Had I missed this opportunity, I truly would have remained submerged in the bitter sea forever."

Body and mind are meant for dual cultivation. For a thousand years, he had not understood his own temperament, which unexpectedly became a mental block. He acted entirely out of obsession, leading to certain actions regarding the Great Dao that even he could not comprehend or explain.

If this continued, he would only drift further and further away from the Dao, eventually turning into a mere corpse-guarding ghost, widening the chasm between himself and the immortal path.

Wang Yuanfeng nonchalantly replied, "This is also because your affinity and fate have arrived, and I merely happened to encounter the right catalyst. If you had not accumulated good deeds and enjoyed boundless fortune in ordinary times, it would have been uncertain whether you could have passed this test. The Dao lies within oneself, and has little to do with me."

Prime Minister Turtle pondered and realized the reasoning was sound. Though Wang Yuanfeng did not claim credit or boast about it everywhere, this was nonetheless a favor and an undeniable fact. He therefore said, "That may be so, but this subordinate dares not forget the Divine Lord's grace. This subordinate is willing to exert myself for the Divine Lord and fulfill the Divine Lord's grand aspiration."

"Very well, then I shall trouble you," Wang Yuanfeng said straightforwardly without pretense. "I wish to perfect the order of heaven and earth, gather tens of thousands of stellar deities to drive the operation of the cosmos, and establish the three realms of heaven, earth, and humanity, all in pursuit of the evolution of the universe."

"However, the road is long and arduous, and it cannot be accomplished by the strength of a single person. Only by uniting thousands of practitioners of this era can this matter be achieved." He then looked at the Golden Dragon and Prime Minister Turtle, emphasizing every single word: "Are the two of you willing to lend me a hand?"

The expressions of the Golden Dragon and Prime Minister Turtle turned solemn. Previously, they had thought Wang Yuanfeng was merely a spokesperson for a certain faction, a representative of a magical tradition or a sect, perhaps wielding only a single doctrine. They had never expected him to aim for such a monumental undertaking. Even after cultivating for many years, the two could not suppress their surging emotions. They bowed deeply to Wang Yuanfeng and said, "We are naturally willing. Should the Divine Lord have any commands, we shall willingly shed our blood and give our utmost."

"Very well, with the two of you assisting, this endeavor takes a major step forward," Wang Yuanfeng told them.

Prime Minister Turtle chimed in, "Promoting the evolution of heaven and earth is a supreme merit. Once this world steps onto the right track, who knows, we might even break through to a higher level."

Hearing this, the Golden Dragon grew eager to dive into action and asked, "This matter conforms to the Heavenly Dao and carries great fortune. How should we proceed? Please instruct us, Divine Lord."

Prime Minister Turtle nodded in agreement beside him.

Thinking about the grand trends of the world, Wang Yuanfeng said, "The priority right now is to gather fortune. The two of you shall station yourselves here in this underwater mansion, quickly rally the remaining troops, and restore the order of the water veins in Dongting Lake."

Glancing at Prime Minister Turtle, he added, "There is also one matter in which I must wrong you."

"As long as I can contribute to the Divine Lord, it cannot be considered a wrong," Prime Minister Turtle said with a serious expression.

Seeing his demeanor, Wang Yuanfeng knew that he no longer cared about status or hierarchy, so he spoke frankly: "For the time being, I do not have a stellar deity position that matches your true nature, and the position of a principal deity has not yet revealed its heavenly secrets either. Therefore, I can only wrong you by serving as a subordinate stellar deity under the Golden Dragon. Although it is not a principal star position, it will endure for eternity."

Hearing this, Prime Minister Turtle finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had wondered what matter it could be; it turned out to be this. He was quite willing to serve as the Golden Dragon's subordinate deity. Furthermore, seeing the Golden Dragon's pure and innocent heart, he felt a natural fondness. He said, "Thank you, Divine Lord, for considering this subordinate. To be a subordinate deity by the Golden Dragon's side is also a wish of mine. Besides, it is still a stellar deity position; this subordinate is already more than satisfied."

Wang Yuanfeng communicated with the second star of the Azure Dragon of the East, projecting a beam of starlight onto the crown of Prime Minister Turtle's head. Prime Minister Turtle's aura fluctuated, resonating from afar with a star in the firmament. Suddenly, his presence surged like a dazzling star, but then vanished without a trace, appearing utterly ordinary once again.

The tortoise shell he had carried on his back for nearly two years flew out from the top of his head, circled in the air, and shrank into a palm-sized shell. At this moment, Prime Minister Turtle looked like an ordinary old man, devoid of any discernible aura.

He then picked up the tortoise shell, shook it a few times, and out rolled aqua-blue pearls. There were neither more nor fewer than exactly twenty-four.

Dividing them into two piles with a wave of his hand, he handed one pile to Wang Yuanfeng and said, "Thank you, Divine Lord. Now that this subordinate has shed my shackles, these are the Water-Calming Pearls that grew within my tortoise shell. Please accept them with a smile, Divine Lord."

Seeing that the handed-over portion was exactly twelve pearls, and noticing the Golden Dragon looking on with envy while repeatedly staring at Prime Minister Turtle's other hand, Wang Yuanfeng surmised that the remaining twelve pearls were intended for the Golden Dragon. He accepted the twelve pearls and said, "In that case, I shall accept them without modesty."

The Golden Dragon's envious gaze did not waver in the slightest; his eyes remained fixed on Prime Minister Turtle's other hand, refusing to look away. Wang Yuanfeng understood that this was the manifestation of a pure heart—whatever the Golden Dragon felt, he never tried to conceal or mask it.

Feeling that the business here was concluded, he said to the two of them, "I shall take my leave now. I leave this place in your hands."

Without looking back, he transformed into a streak of sword light and soared outward.

After watching Wang Yuanfeng leave, Prime Minister Turtle looked at the Golden Dragon, who was still staring intently at his hand. Only then did he stretch his hand out in front of the Golden Dragon, unclasped his palm to reveal the remaining twelve aqua-blue pearls, and said, "These are for you."

The Golden Dragon instantly beamed with joy and said, "Thank you, Turtle Grandpa."

With that, he scooped up the twelve Water-Calming Pearls and happily began to count them.

Hearing the title "Turtle Grandpa," Prime Minister Turtle's eyes suddenly misted over. He remembered someone calling him that a thousand years ago, but in his pursuit of the Great Dao, he had ruthlessly cast all of that aside.

For many years, he had longed to hear that address again, but never did. It had seemingly become an emotional knot within him. Yet, at this very moment, following the Golden Dragon's simple endearment, that lingering knot in Prime Minister Turtle's heart vanished like smoke in the wind, and his aura turned profound and abstruse.