You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

He turned to look at Liu Yu.

"Elder Liu, when your divine sense was blocked earlier, was the 'source' you sensed in the direction underwater?"

Liu Yu closed her eyes, concentrated for a moment, and nodded affirmatively.

“That’s right, Sect Leader. The core fluctuation that blocked my divine sense and triggered the restrictions on the outer platform came from the depths of this river, flowing downstream.”

"If that's the case, then the key lies underwater."

Chen Yang made a decision.

"We must go down and investigate."

Master Huang and Liu Yu were already prepared for this, and had no objections upon hearing it. Master Huang said.

"I have a 'water-avoidance technique' that can form an air shield on my body in a short time to isolate water flow and maintain breathing."

Liu Yu also said.

"I once learned a rudimentary method of water escape, which allows me to move freely underwater."

The two looked at True Lord Chiyang. True Lord Chiyang blushed.

"Well... I mainly practice fire magic, so I'm really not good at underwater techniques, and I haven't specifically learned any water-avoidance methods..."

Chen Yang nodded, not surprised.

He took out a rather heavy-looking half-body armor with a dark blue metallic sheen from his storage bag and handed it to True Lord Chiyang.

"It's alright, put this on."

This is a loot I acquired from... somewhere. After some simple processing, it's imbued with water-repelling and pressure-resistant runes. Once activated, it forms a protective light barrier around you, enough to keep you moving underwater for a while.

Red Sun True Lord was overjoyed and quickly took the armor. It felt heavy in his hand, and although it was not as hard and cold as metal, it was actually quite resilient.

He put it on as instructed, and the armor automatically adjusted to fit his body without feeling bulky. As he infused a wisp of spiritual energy to activate it, the dark blue patterns on the armor's surface glowed slightly, and a layer of pale blue, semi-transparent light rapidly expanded, enveloping his entire body. The air within the light seemed noticeably fresher as well.

"This is a wonderful item! Thank you, Sect Master!"

Feeling the protection of the light barrier, True Lord Chiyang's confidence greatly increased.

Chen Yang then looked at Master Huang and Liu Yu.

"Each of you use your own methods and stay close to me. After we go into the water, Elder Liu, you will be in charge of guiding the way, True Man Huang will provide support from the middle, and Elder Chiyang will bring up the rear. The underwater situation is unknown, and there may still be residual restrictions or lurking dangers, so please be careful and do not leave the group or touch anything unknown."

"Yes!"

The three responded in unison.

Once prepared, Master Huang was the first to recite the Water-Avoiding Incantation. A layer of pale blue energy enveloped his entire body, and he leaped into the dark water, splashing a few drops before his figure was quickly swallowed by the darkness. Liu Yu's body shimmered with a light blue glow, and she glided silently into the water like a fish, her movements elegant and swift.

Chen Yang's body circulated a subtle magical energy, forming an invisible barrier that kept the water and cold air at bay before he entered the water. True Monarch Chiyang, gazing at the deep river, gritted his teeth, mustered his courage, and stood beneath the pale blue light barrier.

He jumped down with a "plop".

Once submerged, the light became even dimmer, with only occasional luminous minerals or aquatic plants providing a faint glow. The water temperature was alarmingly low; even with protective gear, one could feel the biting cold trying to penetrate. The current was swift and unpredictable, and visibility was extremely low, becoming completely blurred beyond a meter.

Liu Yu led the way, seemingly possessing an exceptionally clear sense of the source's fluctuations. She moved nimbly in the water, constantly adjusting her direction as she dived diagonally downwards towards the riverbed. Master Huang followed closely behind, vigilantly observing their surroundings.

Chen Yang, positioned in the middle, could barely make out the energy flow within a radius of several feet in the water with his sharp eyes. He discovered that the coldness and resistance of the river water indeed originated from some faintly visible features on the riverbed and the rock walls on both sides.

The ancient runes, now quite faded, form a vast and incomplete underwater network of restrictions. Although most of them are no longer effective, their remaining power still influences this area of ​​water.

At the very back, True Lord Chiyang barely managed to keep up, propelled by the light barrier of his armor. He was very unaccustomed to this environment and was under intense mental tension. He had already gripped a short-handled warhammer as red as fire in his hand, ready to deal with any unexpected situation at any time.

After descending about twenty or thirty feet, the pressure gradually increased, and the surroundings were completely dark, with only the spiritual light or protective light screens on their bodies providing illumination. Liu Yu finally stopped and pointed downwards.

In the dim light, they could see that they were close to the riverbed. The riverbed was not silt, but hard, grooved rock. And directly below them, in the middle of the riverbed, there was an irregularly shaped circular opening about two zhang in diameter.

The darkness led deeper into the cave, where the rocks at the entrance showed clear signs of human intervention, and the remaining restrictive runes were most densely packed and clearly visible. At the entrance, the water flowed into a slow whirlpool, continuously drawing river water into it.

Liu Yu transmitted her voice using her divine sense.

"Sect Leader, that fluctuation is coming from below this cave entrance, and it's extremely strong!"

Chen Yang nodded and transmitted his voice.

"Stay close, get off!"

Without further hesitation, the four adjusted their positions and, following the suction of the swirling water, dived one by one into the deep, dark riverbed cave.

The initial section of the cave entrance was narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time, and the cave walls were slippery, covered with long-faded runes. After descending about seven or eight zhang (approximately 33-40 meters), the space suddenly opened up!
They seemed to pass through an invisible "water film," and the pressure around them eased, the water flow disappeared, and they entered a completely dry, air-filled hemispherical space!
The space is about half the size of a football field, with an arched ceiling that emits a soft, seemingly eternal white light that illuminates the entire space.

The place where they landed was a smooth, milky-white stone floor of an unknown material.

What was most astonishing was that when they looked up, the cave entrance they had just passed through was now clearly visible above them, about three zhang high in the dome. Yet, outside the cave entrance, the dark river water was still slowly swirling, and not a single drop of water leaked out!

It was as if there was a completely transparent and incredibly strong barrier, completely separating the two worlds above and below!
After landing, True Lord Chiyang removed the light barrier from his armor and stared in disbelief at the "water curtain" above his head and the dry ground beneath his feet, muttering to himself.

"My God... what... what kind of magic is this? There's a hidden world beneath the riverbed! And it's completely watertight?!"

Master Huang was also deeply shocked. He stroked the warm stone slab under his feet and looked up at the sky.

"It's not just a simple array for isolation... The materials, the structure, they're all perfectly integrated, a masterpiece of craftsmanship! This place was definitely not naturally formed; it must have been built by an ancient powerful being with painstaking effort!"

Liu Yu immediately turned her gaze forward.

The center of this huge hemispherical space is not empty.

There stood a towering altar, about three zhang high, carved entirely from some kind of bluish-gray jade. Or perhaps it was a square stone platform with an ancient design and covered in mysterious patterns. Scattered around the platform were smaller stone pillars and piers, also engraved with runes, seemingly originally part of some kind of array.

The source of that intense fluctuation that triggered the external restrictions and blocked divine sense came from the central stone platform!
Chen Yang took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in his heart and his desire to explore the stone platform.

The immediate priority is to understand the full picture of this huge space and confirm that the environment is safe.

He shifted his gaze from the central stone platform and began to carefully examine his surroundings.

The smooth, flat hemispherical dome emits a soft, constant light that illuminates every corner. The walls and floor at the edges of the space blend seamlessly with each other, all made of the same warm, milky-white stone slabs, devoid of any decoration or carvings, clean to the point of being monotonous.

Near the edge of the ground, you can see some naturally formed stalactites of various shapes extending down from the junction of the dome and the wall. Some hang down to the air, and some even touch the ground, adding a touch of nature to this space with obvious artificial traces.

These stalactites are not pure white, but rather have a faint bluish-gray or amber hue, and seem to have a subtle shimmer inside.

Besides the "water curtain" entrance they came through, on the other side of the space, near the bottom, there was another dark tunnel entrance, about two people wide, leading to an unknown destination. A faint "whooshing" sound of water could be heard coming from the depths of that tunnel, as if there were undercurrents.

Chen Yang took the lead and walked towards the edge of the space, followed closely by Huang Zhenren, Liu Yu, and Chiyang Zhenjun.

They slowly probed along the wall and soon discovered some traces of human activity in several corners where stalactites stood—

Those were the remains of some severely damaged wooden or metal boxes, almost unrecognizable from their original state, scattered haphazardly. Some had rotted into pieces of wood and scrap iron, almost blending into the stone slabs on the ground.

Master Huang squatted down and carefully parted a piece of rotten wood, revealing some equally rusted metal pieces and scattered, dull jade fragments underneath.

He picked up a small, dark green piece of jade with rough edges, examined it closely, and shook his head with a sigh.

"What a pity, what a pity! Judging from the distribution of these boxes and the remaining materials, there must have been quite a few treasures placed here! These boxes were made of exquisite materials, and even after being corroded over the long years, their extraordinary nature is still evident."

The contents inside have probably already been taken, or... completely vanished with time. We've arrived too late; we probably won't even get a scrap.

Upon hearing this, True Lord Chiyang kicked the outline of a box that had almost turned into a puddle of black mud and muttered something.

"What a waste of time? All that effort, going through illusion arrays and underground rivers, only to find an empty shell? This is outrageous!"

Although Liu Yu did not speak, a hint of disappointment was revealed in her eyes.

She risked her life to explore, and attracted many people to come, naturally hoping to gain something.

Chen Yang remained calm. He walked to a place with many broken boxes, observed it carefully for a moment, then looked up at the deep passageway and said slowly.

"Not necessarily. Look at the arrangement of these boxes. Although they are messy, they are roughly arranged around the edge of this space, like... a warehouse or a temporary storage point?"

The true core might not be here, but deeper within. Besides, if this place were truly empty, why would there be such an elaborate, hallucinatory protective barrier around it? Just to protect an empty warehouse?

He pointed to the passageway from which the sound of water was coming from.

"The real secret might be inside. Now that we're here, we can't just take a look and go back. Let's go in and have a look."

Hearing Chen Yang's analysis, the group perked up again. Master Huang nodded.

"The sect leader is right. I also feel that the layout of this place does not resemble the main room, but rather a front courtyard or storage area. That passageway may lead to the truly important place."

"That's right! The sect leader is right! Even the Empty City Stratagem is repeated three times, why would anyone go to such lengths to protect a bunch of junk! There must be something good hidden inside!"

True Lord Chiyang immediately echoed, his previous frustration vanishing.

Liu Yu's hope was rekindled.

"Your subordinate is willing to be the vanguard and explore the way."

"Let's go in together, but be careful."

As Chen Yang spoke, he took the lead and walked towards the passageway.

The entrance to the passageway is rather narrow, allowing only two people to walk side by side.

Upon entering, the light immediately dimmed, with only the soft glow from the dome of the main space at the rear providing some illumination. Underfoot was a rough, uneven surface of natural rock, with obvious signs of artificial excavation and widening.

The rock walls on both sides were damp and covered with slippery, dark moss. The air was even colder, and the faint, chilly aura and melancholy emanating from the river still lingered.

After walking about twenty or thirty feet, the passageway began to slope downwards, and the sound of water became increasingly clear. After walking for a while, the space suddenly opened up ahead, revealing a natural cave that was slightly smaller than the previous main space but more irregular in shape.

Sure enough, on one side of the cave, there was an underground river about ten feet wide flowing along the rock wall. The water was pitch black and bottomless, and the current was rapid, making a "whooshing" sound, which was the source of the sound.

On the other side of the cave, near the rock wall, there were again signs of human activity—a row of niche-like grooves carved into the rock wall.

The recess also contained many broken boxes, and even some overturned stone platforms and broken pottery jars, looking even more messy and...cheaper than those outside?
True Lord Chiyang strode over, looked through several places, and couldn't help but curse.

"Damn it! It's still all junk! There's not even a single intact box! These pottery jars don't look like they were used to store high-end goods! Could this really be an abandoned storage cave?"

Master Huang frowned, carefully examined the remains, and even scanned the nearby rock walls with his divine sense before shaking his head.

"Indeed, the remnants here seem to have limited value. Judging from the texture and patterns of this pottery jar, it appears to have been used by ancient mortal nobles. Perhaps this place was once used as a secret warehouse for some mortal power? Later, it was discovered by cultivators, reused, but was eventually abandoned again?"

Liu Yu did not participate in the search, but instead cautiously observed the surroundings of the cave, especially the underground river, and whispered.

"Sect Leader, it seems there's no other way out here. Are we... reached the end of the road?"

Chen Yang did not answer; his gaze fell on the rock wall at the deepest part of the cave, directly opposite the entrance to the passageway.

That rock face looked the smoothest and flattest, contrasting sharply with the rough cave walls around it.

He walked forward slowly, his sharp eyes quietly working.

What appears as an ordinary rock face to the average person reveals, to Chen Yang, extremely faint energy patterns that are almost integrated with the rock itself!

Those are the traces of an array! Although ancient and nearly depleted of energy, the structure remains intact, and it's far more complex and profound than the illusion array on the outer platform! (End of Chapter)