Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time-Chapter 193: A Mossback Tortoise

They followed the disturbance another few hundred meters before they found it—a concealed cave behind a waterfall, sealed by a faint illusory array.

Fatty Kui number two activated a detection talisman, and with a few trembling gestures and some help from Wu Shuan, managed to disable the outer veil.

He had barely gotten a few lessons in foramtions so far, so all this was still new to him. Even though he was focused on Body Cultivaiton, the elders still drilled some basic formations into him as they were a necessity for all missions.

Inside, they found the missing disciples—four young herb gatherers, unconscious and bound, guarded by a spirit beast with mottled stone skin and mossy growths on its back: a Mossback Tortoise, mid-stage Qi Refining, and deceptively fast.

Han Yu grinned.

"Round two."

The Forestback Tortoise turned its moss-covered head slowly toward the intruders. Its eyes glinted faintly with dull yellow light, and the ground trembled as it took a single step forward.

"Okay," Fatty Kui said slowly, backing up. "I’m starting to think this wasn’t ghosts after all."

"It’s just a tortoise," Kui Number Two said, though his voice cracked.

Wu Shuan drew his blade. "Don’t let your guard down. That shell can block even mid-grade spiritual weapons."

The tortoise suddenly hissed and its back glowed with greenish light. It stomped forward—and then, unexpectedly, rolled.

It tucked into a massive, mossy ball and barreled toward them like a spirit-fueled boulder.

"Scatter!" Han Yu shouted.

They dove apart just in time as the creature rolled past, crushing stones and kicking up dirt. The cave trembled slightly from the impact.

"It has a shell and can move without wheels now?!" Fatty Kui shouted. "This is cheating!"

Han Yu narrowed his eyes, gripping his glaive. "We can’t match it head-on. We’ll have to outmaneuver it."

Wu Shuan nodded. "We’ll distract it. Kui, number one—you’re the tank."

Fatty Kui gave a dramatic sigh, cracked his knuckles, and then ran toward the beast shouting, "Come get this tender meat, you boulder-backed chicken!"

The tortoise spun again, charging straight at him. Fatty Kui leapt aside at the last second, slapping the beast’s face as it passed.

Han Yu took his chance. He lunged from the side, glaive split into two parts again. This time, he used Falling Leaf Strike, sending a flurry of crescent-shaped qi slashes at the creature’s exposed legs. His improvement with the skill was evident now since he could release his qi in attacks now.

The qi strikes cut shallow lines along its limbs, just enough to slow its next roll.

Kui Number Two activated a formation scroll, and a binding array briefly flared beneath the beast’s feet, rooting it for a second. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

"That’s all I got!" Kui Two shouted. "I only got a couple more talismans left from what the Elder gave me!" he added feeling a bit pained at the cost of them all.

"One second’s all I need," Han Yu muttered.

He dashed forward and activated his Bolt God Fist. Qi collided in his arm before shooting out. Then with the sound of rolling thunder, he slammed his fist directly into the beast’s underside—the only spot without thick shell coverage.

CRACK!

Faint wisps of spirit qi burst outward. The tortoise’s eyes went wide as it was launched onto its back, legs flailing.

Wu Shuan moved in immediately and delivered a precise slash to the creature’s throat. Green blood spurted, and the Forestback Tortoise went still.

"Spirit beast down," Wu Shuan said, panting slightly. "Nicely done."

Han Yu wiped sweat off his brow, then glanced at Kui Two, who was blinking in disbelief.

"You okay?" Han Yu asked.

Kui Two nodded quickly. "I... think so. I can’t feel my hands, though."

Fatty Kui slapped him on the back. "You’ll get used to it. If not, just stop thinking."

They moved quickly to untie the captured disciples. Wu Shuan handed out some spirit recovery pills, while Han Yu examined the strange moss growing on the tortoise’s back.

"Looks like Spirit Absorption Moss," he murmured. "No wonder the beast was tougher. It was constantly absorbing spiritual energy from the cave and the captives."

Han Yu carved a piece off and stashed it for his own use. It might be useful—or at least worth something.

"Can we carry this thing back?" Fatty Kui one asked. "It’ll be worth quite a bit right?"

"I wonder what its meat tastes like." Fatty Kui two said, hunger already in his eyes.

"Damn, Little brother! I should’ve thought of that first!" Fatty Kui one’s eyes went wide. "Spending time with Han Yu, I’ve begun to forget my ideals!" He added.

"Then let’s carve it up." Wu Shuan was also not averse to some more rewards. "The shell is the most valuable part." He added.

"We have the others here with us so they can help carry it all back." Han Yu added as well.

Soon the squad began to butcher the beast and divided the parts so that they could be carried. The Shell couldn’t be broken by them, at least not without losing some of its value so the burden of carrying it fell upon Fatty Kui One who was already used to carrying boulders.

The meat and bones were divided among the rest of the people before they left.

Three Days Later – Twin Leaf Peak Sect

They reported everything—bandit ambush, hidden cave, and the spirit beast—to the Outer Court elders. The rescued herb gatherers confirmed their story.

As a result, their rewards were upgraded once again:

400 low-grade spirit stones

20 mid-grade spirit stones

600 merit points

A portion of the shell of the Moss Back Tortoise

One choice item each from the Mission Hall’s limited vault

Fatty Kui nearly cried with joy. "The food I’ll eat... the meals I’ll make..."

Wu Shuan took the merit quietly and immediately began inquiring about cultivation manuals related to Core Formation.

Kui Number Two was gifted a decent-grade talisman set and was too dazed to say much. it was more than enough to compensate him for all that he had used. Since he was still a beginner in the Body Cultivation path, he still needed to rely on other things to supplement his strength.

Han Yu, though, held up his part of the tortoise shell and glanced at the moss sample in his pouch.

"Time to start thinking about Undying Life Charm materials... and perhaps getting more equipment."

He was getting stronger—and the world was only getting more dangerous.