With a new idea in his mind, Lin Mu had better hope of finding the turtle.
"So… even then, how do we find him? Should I go run around?" Little Shrubby questioned.
"Yeah, you do that. I'll try to search the depths, perhaps it is sleeping down there or something." Lin Mu answered.
"Okay~" Little Shrubby said before flying away.
~SHUA~
A few seconds later, he picked up speed and started running on water. Little Shrubby ignited flames on its paws so as to make sure that water did not touch him. He was already fast enough that he could run on water, but didn't forget to take an extra precaution.
Lin Mu picked the opposite direction and flew towards it as well. His spirit sense extended and went straight to the bottom of the sea.
"Oh, it's not that deep. That will be easier." Lin Mu said, finding the sea to only be 300 meters deep.
And thus Lin Mu and Little Shrubby spent about three days searching for Kong Hutao's turtle Bao… or its remnants.
Kong Hutao had said that even if his turtle died, its shell should have still stayed intact. It was a strong shell and could not be damaged even by Dao Shell realm beasts, so it should be a good way for Lin Mu to track it down.
Alas, even after three days, there were no signs of the turtle. Little Shrubby had already made several trips around the entire sea with his speed and was still unable to find the said turtle.
Lin Mu had barely covered ten percent of the sea in this time and was lost about it as well.
~Sigh~
"This won't work, will it? If I keep on doing this, the time for me to return will be very close." Lin Mu said.
~crackle~crackle~crackle~
~huu~
"We can try for some time more and the return, I guess." Little Shrubby replied as he blew some flames onto a large bronze cauldron that was boiling. A delicious aroma was emanating from the cauldron, and it was evident that some spirit beast was currently part of it.
~stirr~stir~stir~
Little Shrubby's prosthetic hands slowly stirred the stew in the cauldron at a steady pace and it gently bubbled.
"Yeah, I guess that's the only option now." Lin Mu nodded his head.
He and Little Shrubby were currently resting on one of the islands in the middle of the sea. They had decided to take a little break since it was not really working out for him and food was the only thing that would motivate them a bit.
Plus, they had accumulated plenty of Nascent soul realm beasts corpses, and spirit herbs, so it was the perfect time to use them. According to Little shrubby, this was also cultivating in a way and was certainly not a waste of time.
Lin Mu laid on the rocky ground and looked around. The sea was rather still and empty. This was another surprising thing he had learned. In the entire sea, while there were normal aquatic animals, there were no spirit beasts.
Usually, this would point to there being a Dao Shell realm beast living here, but Lin Mu and Little Shrubby had already established that there were none by now. Besides, if there really was one, the beast in question would have probably been agitated by now.
Lin Mu and Little Shrubby had already seen about ten Dao Shell realm beast territories by now and had learned enough about them and their behavior. Unless they were overtly aggressive, they usually won't come out of their territory.
Unless of course, they were hungry and came to hunt.
~Sigh~
"Bao… Bao… Bao… where are you?" Lin Mu said out loud.
~RUMBLE~
Suddenly the ground started shaking and the stew that was boiling in the cauldron started to spill out.
"MY STEW!!!!" Little Shrubby yelled, and the five hands flew to clasp the cauldron immediately.
Lin Mu became alert and spread his spirit sense around.
"An earthquake?" Lin Mu questioned.
He could see ripples spreading in the sea everywhere, and waves were rising up as well.
~whoosh~
A few seconds later, Lin Mu saw the water at the side of the island shift and create a lot of noise. Bubbles started coming out of the water, alarming Lin Mu. His spirit sense checked the area and he found something to be rushing up from the bottom.
"What is this?" Lin Mu wondered.
He entered a defensive stance just in case and was ready to escape at a moment's notice.
~shua~
Finally, the water parted and a large pillar rose up from it. It kept on rising up and after a certain point, Lin Mu realized that it was actually curved and seemed to be attached to the side of the island.
"What the…" Lin Mu said in shock as the pillar rotated.
Once it had turned 180 degrees, Lin Mu saw a pair of eyes and a large mouth on it. It was a head of some creature and seemed familiar to Lin Mu.
"Bao…?" Lin Mu questioned.
~FUUUSH~
A spray of water shot out straight up from the nostrils of the creature as it looked at Lin Mu.
"How do you know that name?" An old and deep voice rang in Lin Mu's mind.
The voice had no direction and Lin Mu felt a bit of a headache from its intensity.
"Ugh… too loud." Lin Mu muttered.
He forcefully calmed himself down and looked at the beast.
"I am looking for a turtle named Bao." Lin Mu replied.
"And why are you doing that?" The voice questioned again.
"I am sent by Kong Hutao to find him and his tomb." Lin Mu honestly answered.
"Hmm… is that so?… Very well. I shall take you to him." The voice said again.
"Are you Bao, or do you know where he is?" Lin Mu questioned the beast, who he was certain was a turtle as well now.
"I am not Bao… I am his son Xiaobao!" The beast stated.
