Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Elena swam over, her long, wet golden hair clinging to her cheeks and neck.

She first glanced at the sunken corpse, then looked at the awning boat that was now just a few pieces of broken wood.

"Since you saw through the deception so early, why didn't you take action before boarding the ship?"

"I could tell he wasn't an ordinary boatman, and there was something wrong with the boat too."

"Isn't that enough?"

After a moment's thought, Xilun explained earnestly, "I originally thought he just wanted to plunder our property or take us to a secluded place to interrogate us for information about the trade fair."

Elena was taken aback.

"so what?"

"So I plan to pretend to be in danger first, wait for him to make a request, and then take the opportunity to extract information from him."

Xilun shook his head.

"I didn't expect him to skip all those steps and just jump into the water to scavenge the boat."

Elena was speechless for a moment.

She wanted to say that Xilun's plan was not wrong, but being deliberately led to the middle of the lake and then having the boat sunk was by no means a safe option.

More importantly, this guy sensed the danger beforehand, but only wrote a few words in her palm.

"You should at least tell me your plan."

"The boatman was right next to us at the time."

"Then you can write a few more words."

"The palm area is too small."

Xilun's answer was very sincere.

Elena recalled the scene on the ship when he held her hand, and her ears felt slightly hot.

She gave a soft hum and stopped pursuing the issue.

A cold wind blew across the lake.

Elena couldn't help but shiver.

The clothes underneath were completely soaked, heavily binding the limbs.

She circulated her energy to dispel the chill and looked up to observe her surroundings, but could only see an endless expanse of dark green lake.

The shoreline had long since disappeared from sight.

The wrecked boat was sinking rapidly, and there wasn't even a single plank big enough to support two people could be found.

"What do we do now?"

Elena wiped the lake water from her face.

"Although I can swim, this is in the middle of the lake. At the speed I came from, it would take at least two or three hours to get to shore."

"I won't go back to shore."

Xilun pointed to the distant lake.

"We're almost at the cave entrance, let's head straight there."

"Do you know the exact location?"

"The route the boatman took us was correct. There were traces left by other boats in the current over there, so the entrance shouldn't be far away."

Xilun slowly inhaled and submerged into the water again.

Elena hesitated for a moment, then followed suit and descended.

Beneath the lake's surface, the light quickly dimmed.

Using his natural affinity for water, Xilun sensed the surrounding water flow and quickly located an undercurrent extending downwards.

Subtle fluctuations of energy remained in the undercurrent, indicating that an extraordinary individual had passed through here not long ago.

He gestured to Elena to follow closely.

The two swam along the underground current towards the bottom of the lake.

Elena was able to maintain her speed at first.

But the deeper you go, the heavier the water pressure becomes, and the lower the surrounding temperature gets.

The soaked clothes were wrapped around her limbs, making each movement require more effort.

She activated the acupoints in her body, trying to draw in the thin oxygen in the water.

Those at the third tier of extraordinary beings possess formidable physical strength, and their acupoints can assist in breathing, but this method cannot truly replace actual breathing.

As time went on, the feeling of tightness in the chest became stronger and stronger, and the flow of energy gradually became sluggish.

In contrast, Xilun, who was ahead, moved with ease throughout.

The water flowed around him, propelling his body forward.

He doesn't even need to swing his limbs much; he can swim very far simply by changing direction with the current.

Elena gritted her teeth and forced herself to keep up.

She had just lost to Xilun in a friendly match not long ago.

It would be too embarrassing if one needed the other person to take care of them even when swimming.

However, after diving several dozen feet further, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest.

The last bit of air escaped as a bubble from the corner of the lips.

My vision began to blur.

Elena tried to continue breathing through her acupoints, but only managed to draw in a wisp of cold water vapor.

Her movements inevitably slowed down, and the distance between her and Xilun gradually increased.

The next moment, a strong hand gripped her wrist.

Xilun has returned to his side.

He glanced at Elena, then put his arm around her waist and led her further down the dive.

Elena tried to break free, indicating that she could still hold on.

But as soon as she opened her mouth, lake water poured into it.

Xilun looked down.

Elena's face had turned somewhat pale, but her eyes still showed a stubbornness.

He made a quick assessment and reached out to pinch her chin.

Before Elena could react, Siron lowered his head and kissed her cold, soft lips.

A breath of air slowly drifted in.

Elena's body suddenly stiffened.

Her eyes widened slightly, and her consciousness, which had been dulled by lack of oxygen, was instantly awakened as if struck by lightning.

The air rushed into my lungs, relieving the almost tearing pain in my chest.

But the temperature coming from my lips was even clearer.

She could even feel Xilen's arms around her waist, and their bodies pressed tightly together in the water.

Time seemed to stretch out for an extremely long time.

Only after he had breathed a breath of air did Xilun raise his head.

He remained calm and pointed downwards, indicating that the entrance was nearby.

Elena's ears, cheeks, and even neck quickly turned red.

However, the surrounding lake water was dim, and Xilun did not notice these subtle changes.

After descending for a few more moments, a huge shadow finally appeared at the bottom of the lake.

It was a stone door embedded in the rock wall.

The stone gate is over three zhang tall, and its surface is covered with dark green aquatic plants and white shellfish.

The door frame is engraved with dense, ancient patterns, some of which are damaged, but a faint dark red light still wanders through the gaps.

Xiren felt a burning sensation in his right arm again.

The remains of an evil god are approaching a being of the same origin.

He did not allow the black energy to stir, but immediately mobilized the Xuan Yin Coldness and the Thunder Dragon Heart to suppress it deep within his flesh and blood.

The two landed in front of the door.

Xilun carefully observed his surroundings.

There were many messy footprints and several pieces of damaged underwater equipment in the mud and sand below the stone gate.

Half a human hand was stuck in a crevice in the rock on the left, but the cut was not fleshy and bloody; instead, it was covered with tiny splinters.

Elena also saw the hand, and her expression immediately turned serious.

She drew her longsword, its blade gleaming faintly silver in the water.

Xilun reached out and pushed against the stone door.

At first, the stone gate remained completely still.

As the power of the Overturning Sea Technique surged in, the ancient patterns on the door frame lit up inch by inch, and a dull friction sound emanated from the bottom of the lake.

Rumble.

The two stone doors slowly opened inward.

A tremendous suction force suddenly erupted.

The two were swept into the doorway by the current.

Xiren immediately shielded Elena to his side, gripping the Thunder Spear tightly in his other hand, ready to meet any attack at any moment.

However, the imagined danger did not materialize.

After passing through a thin, cold film, the surrounding water flow instantly disappeared.

The two fell from mid-air and landed on the hard stone slab.

The lake behind them was blocked by a transparent barrier, suspended outside the stone gate, like a dark green, constantly flowing wall.

The stone gate slowly closed.

The last ray of light from the outside world then disappeared.

pat.

The bronze lamps on both sides of the dome spontaneously ignited with a ghostly blue flame.

A wide stone corridor appeared ahead.

The stone corridor floor was dry, without a drop of water.

The walls are covered with distorted human figures whose faces are indistinguishable, each figure with six outstretched arms, posing in different ways.

This place is like a land space completely isolated from the lake.

Elena raised her hand to touch the transparent barrier behind her, her eyes filled with amazement.

"There really is no water."

Xilun crouched down, placing his palms on the ground.

You can feel the water flowing beneath the stone slab, but it is repelled by some invisible force.

The entire cave seemed to be enveloped by a huge protective barrier, which maintained the stability of the internal space even after hundreds of years.

"It could be the space."

"It is a field left behind by at least a fourth-level extreme realm expert, or even a fifth-level expert."

Elena let out a breath.

After confirming that there was no immediate danger, she sat down against the wall.

Having exhausted a lot of energy during the long descent, the sudden relaxation caused a wave of soreness and weakness in my limbs.

What's more troublesome is that what happened underwater just now keeps replaying in my mind.

She raised her hand to tuck her wet blonde hair behind her ear and used her inner energy to dry her clothes.

A faint white mist rose from the surface of the body.

Siren did not rush to go deeper into the stone gallery.

After examining the patterns at the entrance, he turned to look at Elena.

"How are you?"

"It's nothing."

Elena's tone suddenly became flat, and her face returned to its usual slightly aloof expression.

"I just used up some energy, I'll be fine after a rest."

Xilun nodded.

He had only been checking to see if Elena had inhaled too much lake water.

But Elena felt even more uncomfortable when she saw him still looking at her.

She took the initiative and said, "I know that I acted expediently just now."

Xilun was slightly taken aback.

"Um?"

"Underwater air transfer".

Elena appeared calm, but the rising white mist grew increasingly thick.

"I don't care about these things. It's common for extraordinary individuals to encounter similar situations when they go out on missions. There's no need to take it to heart."

Xilun looked at her without saying a word.

Elena felt her ears burning from his gaze and could only add, "Anyway, thank you for earlier, but next time you encounter something like this, it's best to ask for my opinion first."

"How do you ask underwater?"

"You can use gestures."

"You were already oxygen-deprived at the time, so you might not have been able to see clearly."

Elena was speechless for a moment.

Xilun thought about it carefully.

"So what should I do next time I encounter the same situation?"

Elena's emotions, which had just calmed down, were immediately stirred up again.

"Can't you make this decision yourself?"

"clear."

Xilun nodded.

"Then I'll handle it the way it is today."

Elena seemed to have suddenly lost some of her strength.

She gritted her teeth, but ultimately said nothing. She simply lowered her head, sat cross-legged, and practiced breathing exercises to recover her strength.

The dim blue light fell on her cheeks, which were still flushed.

Xilun looked away and didn't press the matter further.

He didn't think there was anything special about what had just happened.

In a life-or-death situation, transferring vital energy is the simplest and most effective option.

If Elena hesitates even about something like this, she may have already fallen into a coma due to lack of oxygen.

The pale blue lights burned silently.

In the spacious stone corridor, the only sound was the faint hissing of water vapor rising from the clothes.

Xilun did not delve any further.

He gripped the Thunder Spear in his right hand and pressed his left hand against his right arm near his shoulder.

Beneath the skin, wisps of black energy, barely visible to the naked eye, were slowly moving, like living creatures drawn by the scent of blood, constantly burrowing deeper into the stone corridor.

The profound yin chill flowed along the major tendons, transforming into layers of icy aura that suppressed the restless black energy back into the flesh and blood.

The thunder dragon pattern on the heart also lit up.

thump.

thump.

A strong, powerful heartbeat reverberated in his chest, and warm, metallic blood flowed through his body, dispelling the chill left by the long dive.

Xilun closed his eyes and carefully sensed for a moment.

The abnormal movement in his right arm did not completely subside.

Even as the stone door closed, a certain sensation became even clearer.

Something deep within the cave seemed to be calling to it.

That call was neither a sound nor a normal mental fluctuation; it was more like the natural pull between two people who were forcibly separated from each other.

"It really is related to this place."

A thought flashed through Xilun's mind.

From the wooden statue with a broken arm that appeared at the trade fair, to the ancient characters that emerged on their own in "Life Forms and Flesh Reconstruction", and then to the dark red patterns at the entrance of the cave, everything points to the same answer.

The remnant of the evil god that was integrated into his right arm most likely came from here.

It's just unknown whether this place is the temple of that unknown entity, or the prison that surrounds and seals it.

Not far away, Elena had already dried the moisture off her clothes.

She stood up, her long golden hair still a little messy, but there was no trace of the strangeness on her face.

"Is it fully recovered?"

"Sirlen asked."

"almost."

Elena drew two silver swords, one long and one short, holding the short sword in her left hand in reverse. Her gaze passed over Xilun and fell upon the dark stone corridor.

"However, before we go any further, we'd better confirm our escape route first."

Xilun nodded slightly.

The two arrived at the closed stone gate.

There were no obvious mechanisms inside the door, only ancient patterns wrapped around the door frame.

These patterns are slightly different from the patterns in the outer water; they are darker in color, and many places have been eroded by some kind of black stain.

Xilun gently touched one of the patterns with the shaft of his gun.

hum.

A slight tremor came from inside the door frame.

Immediately afterwards, a layer of hazy water light appeared in the center of the stone gate, and through the water light, one could vaguely see the deep green lake water outside.

"It can still be opened."

Elena breathed a slight sigh of relief.

She channeled her strength into her longsword, leaving a very shallow silver sword mark on the lower left side of the stone gate.

The sword mark did not disappear immediately.

This means that there are at least no field forces nearby capable of rapidly altering the shape of the stone wall.

The two checked the stone door and transparent barrier again, and after confirming that there was nothing unusual for the time being, they turned around and walked deeper into the stone corridor.

The stone corridor is more than ten feet wide.

On both sides of the wall, there is a bronze lamp at regular intervals.

The lamp has a strange shape, with its base resembling six intertwined fingers supporting a ball of eerie blue flame.

Flames have no temperature.

As Xilun passed by, he could even feel a faint chill.

The reliefs on the wall became increasingly clear.

All the faceless figures had six arms; some had their hands clasped together, some held their hearts, some had torn open their abdomens, and some had severed two arms, kneeling before an unrecognizable, twisted shadow.

None of the portraits have facial features.

As Ke Xilun passed by them, he vaguely felt as if he were being watched by countless eyes.

Elena also noticed something was wrong.

She didn't stare intently at the relief sculpture, but only glanced at the wall out of the corner of her eye, whispering a reminder:

"Do not observe these patterns for extended periods. Certain symbols in mysticism can carry spiritual pollution; the more details you remember, the deeper the influence."

Are you familiar with these rituals?

"I don't know him."

Elena shook her head.

"The Disciplinary Institute has preserved some information about the sects that were wiped out; I've only seen similar records. The truly complete evil god rituals are not open to ordinary disciples."

Xilun looked at a relief of a six-armed human figure with its chest cut open.

The chest area of ​​the relief sculpture was deliberately chiseled away, leaving only a black hole about half a foot deep.

He did not approach.

The two continued forward, maintaining a distance of about three steps.

Siren walked ahead, using his affinity for water to sense the flow of the lake beneath the stone slabs. Elena, on the other hand, was responsible for observing the walls and the situation behind them.

After walking about a hundred steps, messy marks began to appear on the ground.

Several boot prints, clearly recent, extended from the front, interspersed with shallow grooves formed by dragging heavy objects.

Broken glass bottles were scattered in the corner, along with a piece of hemp rope stained with dark red dirt.

Xilun crouched down and used the tip of his spear to lift the hemp rope.

The stains have dried.

Judging from the color, it should be blood.

"Someone dragged a body away from here."

Elena looked toward the shallow ditch.

"They might be dragged in too."

"Sirlen corrected."

The marks on the ground have been deliberately distorted, making it impossible to determine the exact direction.

He did not touch the bloodstains, but poured out a little water from the deep-sea water bladder.

When water is poured onto the stain, it quickly turns dark brown without any signs of corrosion or creep.

After walking for about ten more zhang, the space suddenly opened up ahead.

At the end of the stone corridor is a circular entrance hall.

The dome rises upwards, and a small bell covered in rust hangs in the very center.

The bell is covered with fine cracks, but there is no clapper underneath.

The rotunda has six passageways.

Apart from the path the two had taken, the other five passages were all obscured by a gray-white mist.

The fog was extremely thin, yet it was like an impenetrable curtain, allowing only a blurry outline to be seen through even when the eerie blue firelight shone through.

Large amounts of white bones were scattered on the ground.

There were human skeletons, as well as some strangely shaped animal skeletons.

The skeleton closest to the door was still in a crawling position, with both leg bones broken and ten finger bones digging into the cracks in the stone slabs, as if it was desperately trying to escape the rotunda in its last moments.

Its skull, however, faces the depths of the cave.

A cluster of grayish-black mycelium grew in the hollow eye socket, swaying gently with the surrounding mist.

Xilun stopped in his tracks.

Elena did not rush in.

"The bones here are from different eras."

Siren pointed the tip of his gun at the entrance hall.

The bones at the bottom layer had turned yellow and black, and were almost stuck to the stone slab.

On the upper level were several relatively intact skeletons, with remnants of tattered clothing still at the joints. Next to one of the skeletons lay a scimitar that was not too badly rusted.

The skeleton could not have been dead for more than half a month.

Elena's gaze swept around.

She took out a silver-gray disc from her waist and flicked it into the round hall.

The disc rolled several times on the stone slab before finally coming to rest next to a pile of bones.

A moment later, a layer of light black spots gradually appeared on the silver-gray surface.

"There is spiritual pollution, and there is also a deathly atmosphere."

Elena's expression grew increasingly serious.

"It has at least exceeded the range that a normal second-order unit can withstand."

The Celestial Circulation Moon Memory Meditation Method.

The distracting thoughts in my mind quickly subsided.

In this state of extreme calm, he could sense that the fog in the rotunda was not still, but was circulating at an extremely slow speed.

The five channels are constantly emitting a thin mist.

The mist flowed along the ground, gathered directly beneath the dome-shaped clock, and then mysteriously disappeared.

With each cycle, the white bones on the ground would emit a very faint, tragic aura.

Xilun seemed to hear the clash of swords and the dying screams of his dying.

Dozens of people.

No, perhaps several hundred people.

They once gathered here and fought each other until the ground was covered with corpses.