The discovery of the familiar aura immediately extinguished Lam Minh's intention to destroy the entire base. Curiosity and an indescribable feeling urged him to investigate.
"Why... is the aura of the Great Turtle here?"
He couldn't understand it. This aura was identical to the energy hidden within the Thuan Thien sword, but it was as alive and powerful as a real creature. It was like the difference between a painting of a tiger and a tiger of flesh and blood.
He immediately headed towards the "forbidden land" he had seen in the Deacon's memory.
It was an area located on the lowest level of the base, protected by an alloy door even thicker and more solid than the one to the control room. The door was carved with strange runes, belonging to neither the Madakaros nor human systems. They radiated a dark energy that had the effect of blocking and corroding spiritual sense.
Clearly, the "Sacred Cult of World Salvation" was not just imprisoning, but also trying to use some method to suppress the creature inside.
"Interesting," Lam Minh murmured.
He didn't try to break the lock. He placed his hand on the door, and his powerful Golden Core spiritual power flowed out, not to destroy, but to neutralize the dark runes. His Dragon qi was the nemesis of all kinds of evil energy.
The black runes, as if meeting their mortal enemy, let out an invisible scream and then slowly dissipated.
When the last rune was dispelled, the giant door emitted a heavy "creak" and slowly swung open.
A stream of ancient, pure, and powerful spiritual energy, carrying a hint of water vapor, rushed out from within, making even Lam Minh feel refreshed.
He stepped inside.
The interior was not a prison cell or a laboratory. It was a huge, naturally formed underground cavern. In the middle of the cavern was a large underground lake, its water so clear you could see to the bottom.
And in the very center of that lake, a large rock protruded.
On that rock, a giant creature was lying there.
It was a turtle. An indescribably large divine turtle, its shell looking like a small hill, deeply etched with the marks of time, of history. Its entire body radiated a soft, jade-green glow.
It was closing its eyes, seemingly in a deep sleep. Its four legs were bound to the bottom of the lake by giant chains, which were also carved with dark runes.
Lam Minh was stunned. He couldn't believe his eyes.
This... this was the Great Turtle from Hoan Kiem Lake. The legendary Divine Beast, Kim Quy!
But why was he here? Why was he imprisoned by the "Sacred Cult"?
He carefully approached the edge of the lake, trying not to make a sound. He could feel that Kim Quy's aura, though still very powerful, was a little weak, as if it had been imprisoned and had its energy drained for a very long time.
Just then, the giant turtle slowly opened its eyes.
Its eyes were not the eyes of an animal, but the eyes of a sage, kind, profound, containing a whole sky of knowledge and ages.
It looked at Lam Minh without a trace of surprise, as if it had already known of his arrival.
Then, an ancient, kind voice, not coming from its mouth, echoed directly in Lam Minh's mind.
"Descendant, you have finally come."
Lam Minh was startled. "You... you know me?"
"I do not know you," Kim Quy's voice sounded. "But I know the sword you carry. Thuan Thien, my child. It has been a long time since I have seen it."
Lam Minh was stunned. The Thuan Thien sword... is Kim Quy's child? What is going on?
"You have many questions, I know," Kim Quy continued. "And so do I. But first, could you trouble yourself to help this old one and cut these troublesome chains? After being bound for several decades, my old bones are about to fall apart."
Lam Minh snapped back to reality. He nodded solemnly. "Yes, Senior!"
He looked down at the giant chains. He knew these were not ordinary metal. They were enchanted with special spells to suppress demonic and spiritual power.
He summoned the Thuan Thien sword. The sword, being near its "mother," suddenly trembled with joy, its jade-green glow becoming more brilliant than ever.
He poured all of his Golden Core spiritual power into the sword.
"OPEN!"
He slashed at one of the chains.
CLANG!!!
A piercing explosion rang out. The chain shook violently, but... it didn't break. Only a shallow gash appeared on its surface.
Lam Minh was astonished. A full-power attack from a Golden Core cultivator couldn't even cut it?
"Don't waste your strength, descendant," Kim Quy said. "These chains are made of 'Thousand-Year Profound Iron' and are enchanted with the 'Dark Soul-Suppressing Curse.' Ordinary force cannot destroy them. You must use the 'qi' of the sword."
"The 'qi' of the sword?" Lam Minh didn't understand.
"Close your eyes. Use your mind to feel, to communicate with the sword. It will tell you what to do. It has been waiting for this day... for a very long time."
Lam Minh took a deep breath. He did as Kim Quy said. He closed his eyes, not using his spiritual power, but using his very will to connect with the Thuan Thien sword.
In an instant, he felt as if he had become one with the sword. He could "hear" its voice, a voice without words, yet it contained joy, anticipation, and also an ancient power that had been sealed for a very long time.
And he understood.
He opened his eyes. This time, he didn't channel his own spiritual power into the sword.
He let the sword itself shine.
From within Thuan Thien, a stream of deep blue qi, pure yet incomparably sharp, poured out. It wasn't spiritual energy, but the "Sword Soul" of Thuan Thien.
He swung the sword, slashing at the chain.
This time, there was no explosion.
SWISH!
The giant, incomparably hard chain was cut through as gently and cleanly as a hot knife through butter. The dark runes on it shrieked and then vanished.
Lam Minh continued with three more slashes.
The four chains were cut one by one.
The Divine Beast Kim Quy (Gold turtle), after decades of imprisonment, was finally free.
...
When the last chain was cut, the Divine Beast Kim Quy slowly moved. It stretched its four massive legs, shook its head, its movements seeming slow but containing a terrifying power. The entire underground cavern shook with its every movement.
"Ah... freedom," Kim Quy's voice echoed in Lam Minh's mind, carrying a sense of refreshment and a little nostalgia. "This feeling... how many years has it been since I last felt it."
It looked at Lam Minh, its kind eyes shining with gratitude. "Thank you, descendant. You have done this old one a great service."
"Not at all, Senior," Lam Minh replied respectfully. "It was what I should do. But... why are you here? Why were you imprisoned by that organization?"
Kim Quy sighed, a sigh that seemed to carry the full weight of history.
"It is a long story," it said. "Those people of the 'Sacred Cult,' they did not just appear recently. They are the descendants of a group of traitors from ancient times, those who were always obsessed with merging with other races to obtain power and immortality."
"Nearly 60 years ago, when the first signs of the Madakaros invasion began to appear, I tried to warn the human leaders of that time. But a portion of them, led by the ancestors of today's 'Sacred Cult,' not only refused to listen but saw it as an opportunity. They conspired and used a kind of evil formation to ambush and capture me."
Lam Minh was stunned. "What did they capture you for?"
"For research," Kim Quy replied, its voice tinged with irony. "They wanted to study the bloodline of a Divine Beast, my ability for longevity, to serve their insane fusion experiments. They imprisoned me here, drawing my blood and spiritual power daily. If not for the fact that I used a secret art to seal most of my own power, I would have been drained dry and died long ago."
Hearing this, Lam Minh's fists clenched. The cruelty of the "Sacred Cult" had once again surpassed the limits of his perception.
"Then what about the Thuan Thien sword?" he asked. "You said it is your child?"
Kim Quy looked at the sword in Lam Minh's hand with a fond gaze. "It is not wrong to call it my child. It was not born of me, but is a part of me. Thousands of years ago, when I followed the Father King Lac Long Quan to pacify the country, I used a piece of my own shell, combined with my spirit and thousands of years of cultivation, to forge it. It is not just a divine sword, but a living being, with its own Sword Soul."
"After helping King Le Loi drive out the Ming invaders, it completed its mission and returned to me. I let it sleep peacefully in the lake, waiting for a new, worthy master. I never expected that very wait would lead to both of us falling into enemy hands."
Kim Quy looked at Lam Minh. "They tried very hard to possess Thuan Thien, but no one could make it acknowledge them. Its Sword Soul only awakens when it meets someone with a righteous heart and an indomitable will. And that person, descendant, is you."
Lam Minh looked at the sword in his hand, a complex emotion rising in his heart. It turned out the bond between him and this sword was destined from the past.
"But Senior," he asked. "Why can I use the Dragon race's cultivation technique? And the Dragon God Battle Armor? I'm just an ordinary person."
Kim Quy looked at him, a mysterious smile appearing in its ancient eyes.
"You think you are an ordinary person?"
Its question made Lam Minh freeze.
"You think that you being chosen by the Father King to inherit the seal was just a coincidence?"
Each of Kim Quy's questions was like a hammer blow, striking hard at Lam Minh's perception.
"Descendant, the blood flowing in your veins is perhaps nobler than anything you can imagine. I cannot tell you who you are, because you must find that answer for yourself. But remember this..."
Kim Quy looked straight into his eyes, its voice becoming extremely solemn.
"You are not a random choice of fate. You are the one chosen by fate."
Kim Quy's words were like a bolt of lightning, opening a completely new door in Lam Minh's mind. He began to have doubts. About his true identity, about the reason why he had these opportunities.
He wasn't just a reborn ordinary person. Behind him, there seemed to be an earth-shattering secret.
While Lam Minh was lost in thought, Kim Quy spoke again.
"Alright, the story is told. Now, it's time for this old one to go collect some old debts."
It slowly moved, heading towards the exit of the cavern.
"Senior, where are you going?"
"I am going to find the Father King," Kim Quy replied. "And after that, he and I will go 'visit' those traitors together. But before I go, I have a gift for you, as thanks for saving me."
It turned back, and a jade-green light shot from its mouth, flying straight into Lam Minh's forehead.
It wasn't an attack. It was a massive stream of information.
"This is the 'Myriad Waters Return to Source,' a defensive and healing mental art of the Water race. It can help you regulate your Dragon qi and will make you a cockroach that can never be stamped out. Comprehend it well."
With that, without waiting for Lam Minh to thank it, the Divine Beast Kim Quy vanished from the cavern, leaving Lam Minh alone with a new cultivation technique and a series of big questions about his own identity.