Having known Jiang Chen for many years, the Vermilion Bird had a good grasp of how he thought. It knew that Jiang Chen was very eager to recruit this Black Tortoise Divine Beast.
Although it would be extremely difficult, they had to try. Jiang Chen had once painted them a grand vision — what kind of extraordinary fortune would await once the bloodlines of all four Divine Beasts were gathered together.
The Vermilion Bird was equally excited by that prospect. If possible, it too wanted to achieve something momentous, something truly great.
Evolve the Heavenly Dao, re-forge the Five Elements, and forge the great world of the heavens. That was a fortune beyond compare. If they succeeded, they would become figures of the highest order in the heavens. Even if Jiang Chen ascended to the position of Celestial Emperor, these four Divine Beasts would undoubtedly become the most powerful existences serving at his side.
That would be a hundred times better than their current state as wandering cultivators. As magnificent as the Divine Abyss Continent might be, how could it possibly compare to the great world of the heavens?
"Fellow Daoist, might you hear me out?" the Vermilion Bird attempted.
"Hmph! What is your background? Noble bloodlines of the four Divine Beasts, and yet you mingle with a human — that is an insult to the four Divine Beasts' bloodlines!"
This Black Tortoise Divine Beast clearly had an explosive temper. Its tone was sharp and confrontational, and it showed not the slightest courtesy even toward the Vermilion Bird, whose strength was no less than its own.
The Vermilion Bird, however, was far more composed. It smiled faintly. "The bloodlines of the four Divine Beasts are indeed noble, but not so noble that they cannot associate with human bloodlines. In fact, within my inherited memories, the four Divine Beasts' bloodlines, while honored in any plane, have more often than not been driven and commanded by others. Only in planes truly belonging to the beast races can the four Divine Beasts' bloodlines reign as undisputed sovereigns. You and I exist in a plane ruled by humans — do you really think we can remain untouched by that?"
"Hmph! You degrade yourselves willingly, and still you have the gall to make excuses." The Black Tortoise Divine Beast seemed thoroughly contemptuous, clearly unwilling to continue the conversation.
"Why be so extreme, Fellow Daoist?" the Vermilion Bird said with a smile. "You remain in this desolate stretch of ocean — no matter how great your Divine Abilities, no matter how many tricks you have, what good does it do you? All you can do is employ your Black Tortoise Clan's breath-holding technique and hypnotize yourself. To put it bluntly, you're playing dead."
The Black Tortoise Divine Beast flew into a rage at these words. "You dare say I'm playing dead?"
The Vermilion Bird shrugged. "Then why don't you stroll through the livelier parts of the Myriad Abyss Island? You're afraid — afraid of human cultivators, aren't you?"
The Black Tortoise Divine Beast seemed to have been struck in a sore spot, growing flushed with anger and embarrassment.
"Even so, it's still better than becoming a human's slave. What I do is maintain my own integrity. What you do is humiliate yourselves and disgrace the bloodlines of the four Divine Beasts."
The Vermilion Bird smiled candidly. "If it were just me alone, perhaps you could say that. But what about the Azure Dragon Clan? What about the Progenitor White Tiger Clan? Are all of our perspectives really beneath yours? Or beneath the noble purity of your Black Tortoise Clan? The truth is, you've hidden yourself away here for so long, with so little contact with the outside world, that you've become completely disconnected from it."
The Black Tortoise Divine Beast naturally refused to admit this.
It sneered. "As long as I live freely and at ease, what do I care about the outside world? Since ancient times, human cultivators have intruded into my territory before. The joke is that these human insects always mistook my back for an island and eagerly became food in my belly."
The Black Tortoise Divine Beast grinned at this. "You have no idea what those human cultivators looked like in their final moments. Once you saw it, you would never have any fondness for human cultivators again.
Jiang Chen actually understood the Ancient Beast Language. Hearing the Black Tortoise Divine Beast's tone, he could tell this creature was one of the hotheads among divine beasts — full of righteous indignation.
Especially toward humans.
"Fellow Daoist, not to lecture you, but your lifespan is at least two hundred thousand years. That is the advantage of your Black Tortoise Clan. Two hundred thousand years may only be equivalent to a few thousand years of human life. However, your perspective is truly as shallow as a child's."
"Tsk tsk. On my own territory, and you dare lecture me?" The Black Tortoise Divine Beast's tone turned ugly, as though it might turn hostile at any moment.
"Every race has its scoundrels, and every race has its heroes. In your eyes, you only see the scoundrels and the weak among human cultivators, never the heroes. And you still claim your perspective isn't shallow?" the Vermilion Bird shot back with a cold laugh.
The Black Tortoise Divine Beast seemed truly enraged. Its eyes blazed with a fierce light as it stared hard at the Vermilion Bird.
The Vermilion Bird was not intimidated. It smiled faintly. "You look down so thoroughly on human cultivators, yet you go out of your way to avoid them. Why is that?"
"This kind of freedom of yours, in my view, is nothing more than a turtle's cowering mentality — self-hypnosis, a cowardly escape that wastes your life."
The Vermilion Bird's words were remarkably sharp, giving the Black Tortoise Divine Beast no quarter at all.
"Bullshit! What are you to lecture me like this?" The Black Tortoise Divine Beast's indignation flared up again. Its eyes turned red, flames of battle blazing within them.
"Fine. Since you're afraid of me exposing your shortcomings, I'll say no more. I simply find it a pity that the noble bloodline of the four Divine Beasts must be wasted here, buried and forgotten. The day foreign invaders from other realms arrive, your hiding will avail you nothing. They'll drag you out of the sea sooner or later and make you their slave. I don't think that day is far off either."
"Foreign invaders?" The Black Tortoise Divine Beast started, the defiant edge in its eyes dimming slightly. "What foreign invaders? The Demon Clan?"
"The Demon Clan is only one of them. Now that the Divine Abyss Continent's plane coordinates have been exposed, a foreign invasion is only a matter of time. Bloodlines like ours — the four Divine Beasts — would be precisely the ones they covet most. Fellow Daoist, if a Black Tortoise Divine Beast's bloodline were claimed as a slave, wouldn't that be quite the trophy?"
These words clearly struck the Black Tortoise Divine Beast's weak point. Its eyes widened as it stared fixedly at the Vermilion Bird, seeming to weigh the truth of what was being said.
Though the Vermilion Bird was being somewhat alarmist, the reasoning behind its words was entirely sound.
"Hmph. If that day truly came and I became a foreign clan's slave, would you be spared?" The Black Tortoise Divine Beast curled its lip.
"We might not be spared, but we would certainly fight. We would fight for our fate and never cower in the ocean, too afraid to even show our faces. If we're talking about who truly disgraces the four Divine Beasts' bloodlines, you'd rank second — we wouldn't dare claim first."
This Black Tortoise Divine Beast, for all its hotheadedness, still had a sense of shame. After hearing the Vermilion Bird's words, it opened its mouth wide but could find nothing to say in rebuttal.
"Fellow Daoist, this young human once saved my life. I became his partner to repay that debt. Beyond that, I trust him. Just like the Azure Dragon Clan's elder and the Progenitor White Tiger Clan's elder, we all trust him. We share his hardships and stand by his side."