Although Han Li's eyes were slightly closed, he continuously pondered over various cultivation techniques that still needed deeper understanding, while simultaneously projecting part of his spiritual awareness to constantly monitor the surroundings of the spiritual vessel, on guard against any sudden attacks from ancient beasts. Over the following seven or eight days, under the shelter of massive clouds, the vessel encountered several other types of aerial creatures along the way, all of which passed safely without incident. Clearly, these groups of beasts did not possess the ability to penetrate the spiritual cloud vessel's defenses as the first group of four-winged odd birds had. Thus, it was just as the ninth day of Han Li's shift arrived. At noon, when he rose to replace the spiritual stones on the vessel and was about to return to his original meditation spot, he suddenly paused, turned his head sharply, and expressed surprise as he gazed toward the front of the spiritual cloud vessel. "How is this possible? How could such an entity appear here?" Han Li seemed to sense something, his face instantly growing grave. He murmured softly twice, then suddenly emitted a long, resonant roar. Though the sound was not loud, it was enough to rouse the other four who were in meditation within the still room. A moment later, several streaks of flight light shot out from the boat and reached Han Li in a few flashes. "What has happened? Brother Han, why have you summoned us? Has another danger arisen?" "What is this? Could it be..." As the young woman and Long Dong stepped forward, they began speaking one after the other. While Xiao Hong's voice was filled with questions, Long Dong immediately noticed something and grew visibly startled. At the same time, the young man with the white beard and the young woman extended their awareness. "What is that? Could it be a true spirit-level being?" the young man exclaimed. Though the young woman remained silent, her eyes were filled with astonishment. Han Li had now calmed down. At the hundreds of miles' distance sensed by his spiritual awareness, a colossal black silhouette loomed, nearly obscuring half the sky, hovering in the upper atmosphere. Black clouds rolled continuously around the silhouette, with flashes of lightning crackling and booming. Beneath these clouds, countless gray whirlwinds surged upward, rising like towering pillars that directly connected the sky to the ground. Occasionally, patches of gray-scaled bodies emerged from within the clouds, revealing their immense size and evoking awe—yet the true nature of the silhouette remained indistinct. From a distance, however, it was clear that the silhouette was circular in shape. Such a vast form and such overwhelming presence indeed bore a strong resemblance to the legendary true spirit beings described as being as large as mountains. It was thus no surprise that the guests aboard the jade boat all reacted with shock upon first seeing it. Just when everyone was filled with dread, a strange, rumbling sound—reminiscent of a bull's roar—emerged from the distant horizon. Then, a series of thunderous roars erupted, as if countless colossal thunderbolts were exploding far away. Even though the distance was vast, these thunderclaps continued without interruption, clear and resonant. "This isn't a true spirit—it's the ancient beast, the 'Thunder Turtle.' It's said to be one of the largest among the primordial beasts of the wilderness. Usually, it merely absorbs lightning from the air through its body and doesn't actively attack living beings. Of course, if one truly offends it, it becomes an utterly formidable presence—definitely something even a cultivator at the Consolidated Stage can only stand a chance against." The robed young woman, upon hearing the unusual roar, relaxed visibly, exhaled deeply. "The Thunder Turtle? The one said to have been born from celestial thunder. I've heard that as long as it has a steady supply of lightning, its body can expand infinitely—truly a marvel among the wonders of the heavens and earth." It’s possible that the “Cang Ling” great turtle, renowned for its ability to support cities within the Human race’s Xuanwu realm, is actually a Thunder Turtle. Though this one here is sizable, it still pales in comparison. Upon hearing that it is not a true spirit turtle, the black-dress young woman relaxed slightly and expressed her amazement with a murmured remark. “We aren’t entirely certain whether the Cang Ling is indeed a Thunder Turtle. If so, then the Thunder Turtle we see now is likely still only a fraction—perhaps one ten-thousandth—of the size of the Cang Ling. Nevertheless, should we offend this creature, even we would be in grave danger. It would be wise to avoid it.” Longdong suddenly smiled and added. “Indeed, that’s true—our fortune has been quite favorable. Thunder Turtles typically remain hidden underground and rarely surface. Most people would find it difficult to encounter one. Usually, they emerge only when there’s a severe thunderstorm. Unfortunately, since this turtle has appeared here, a powerful thunderstorm must have occurred. Brother Long, please swiftly pilot your spiritual vessel to clear this area.” Xiao Hong nodded first, but then suddenly remembered something dreadful, her face instantly paling as she cried out in alarm. "Thunderstorm?" Hearing this, everyone—including Han Li—grew pale. Long Dong's face turned ashen; her body swayed slightly, and then she vanished from her spot altogether. A moment later, she appeared on the ship's deck some dozen paces away, simultaneously flipping her hand and producing a token-shaped artifact. As she rubbed the token between her palms, the clouds surrounding them instantly dispersed and vanished. Then the spiritual vessel suddenly jolted, sharply changing course and rocketing forward, its speed increasing by more than half, transforming into a streak of white light that surged toward the horizon. However, just as the vessel had traveled only a few dozen li, a brilliant blue glow suddenly appeared in the sky above the distant figures. This glow, as if stimulated, then surged outward in all directions, spreading with such rapidity that it was astonishing. In barely a few breaths, the crowd could already see, merely by the naked eye, a brilliant blue line stretching across the horizon, rumbling with thunderous power, its countless streaks of lightning flashing like countless demons charging forth. "I've long heard that whenever the Thunder Turtle appears, a storm follows closely behind. Indeed, this is exactly as predicted. My friends, come and lend me your strength!" The young man with the crimson spot gasped in awe at the speed and intensity of the blue light, then shouted out loudly. Working together, their combined strength was far greater than it had been before. As the vessel beneath their feet emitted a low hum, it suddenly shook violently, and the scenery outside became completely blurred. At such high speed, the spiritual vessel transformed from a streak of white light into a shimmering, ethereal form, and in just a few instants, it vanished from one end of the sky to the other. Yet even at this speed, the blue line trailing behind the vessel seemed to match the vessel's swift pace perfectly, never faltering in its pursuit. This revelation left Leng Dong and the others awestruck, confirming that the legendary power of thunderstorms was indeed nothing short of extraordinary. Fortunately, their combined efforts had fully unleashed the vessel's maximum speed. If a less adept, ordinary stage-3 cultivator had been alone, they likely would have been completely unable to escape. Of course, Han Li and the others were no ordinary stage-3 cultivators; each possessed unique life-saving techniques and individual secret methods of swift movement, which, when activated alone, did not necessarily fall behind the current speed of the spiritual cloud vessel. Yet, the consequences of such an action naturally brought about various aftereffects—either a great depletion of vital energy or a severe loss of vital essence. In this ever-dangerous wilderness realm, no one dared to undertake such a bold move without hesitation. Thus, this time, Han Li and the others had truly worked in unison, propelling the spiritual cloud vessel a distance of several ten thousand miles in a single stretch. Eventually, the blue glow behind them vanished entirely, and the thunderous rumble faded completely. Only then did the group feel a sense of relief, drawing back their body's luminous aura and gradually withdrawing their spiritual energy. The vessel's speed consequently slowed down. "Good thing we made it! This truly owed much to Xiao Lady's quick thinking. Had she hesitated even slightly, we would all have been swept into the thunderstorm. Though we might not have perished, we certainly wouldn't have escaped unscathed." Longdong's expression finally returned to its usual composure, and he smiled gently at the young wife. "I too am fortunate. Though the name of the Thunder Turtle is well-known, the details of its habits remain rather obscure to the outside world." Among the younger generation of our clan, there once lived an elder who had single-handedly slain a Thunder Turtle, thus gaining knowledge of these details. Thunder Turtles typically remain hidden underground, reluctant to surface unless they sense a surge of thunderstorms, at which point they emerge to absorb the power of lightning. Nevertheless, mature Thunder Turtles are said to harbor two extraordinary pearls within their bodies—one that attracts lightning and another that repels it. These pearls are so potent that even those without a natural affinity for lightning can master the manipulation of electrical energy with ease. The Thunder Turtle that the elder in our clan once killed was merely a young hatchling and therefore had not yet developed these two rare pearls. However, the shell of a Thunder Turtle contains an extraordinary reservoir of lightning energy, making it an exceptionally valuable material for crafting lightning-based treasures. Should a master cultivator encounter such a turtle, they would likely be overjoyed. "Xiao Hong, however, offered a wry smile. "Such an elder, capable of independently hunting and defeating this rare celestial beast, must surely be one of the senior elders of the noble family." Yet for us, who have reached the stage of spiritual transformation, the idea of a turtle surviving such an ordeal is nothing short of dreaming. To have escaped this disaster at all is already a matter of great fortune. The young man with white eyebrows, however, still frowned, clearly still uneasy about the encounter with the thunder turtle and the thunderstorm. "Indeed! Though the thunder turtle is indeed a treasure in itself, without a body-melding or higher level of cultivation, one can hardly hope to achieve anything beyond mere survival. Moreover, once the thunderstorm subsides, the creature will retreat back beneath the ground, vanishing completely. Let's hope the journey ahead goes more smoothly." Longdong nodded, but his voice had grown noticeably somber. In just over a dozen days since entering the deep heart of the wild frontier, they had already encountered such a formidable creature capable of wiping them out entirely—his own spirits had been weighed down by this experience. The others, having endured such trials, likewise lost interest in further conversation. After a few casual remarks, they all quietly returned to their respective meditation chambers. Han Li, however, remained in place, silent throughout, never uttering a single word. But after everyone had vanished from the bow of the boat, he raised his gaze toward the direction where the thunderstorm had erupted, his eyes gleaming with thoughts swirling within. Only after a while did he sigh lightly, a touch of regret in his tone, and return to the highest point of the jade boat, settling once again into a meditative posture.