Yin Ji's tone sounded gentle and nonchalant, like an offhand inquiry. Yet she consulted neither the wise and calm Natsuki's Love nor the seasoned Eagle of Freedom, turning instead to Yuanshi Tianzun, the one with the least experience. This showed that within this team, the person Yin Ji valued most was him, regarding him as someone worthy of conferring with on major decisions.
The self-proclaimed protagonist, Xiahou Aotian, and Eagle of Freedom were quite unconvinced in their hearts, but they held their tongues and looked toward Yuanshi Tianzun as well.
Having already gained a deep appreciation of Yuanshi Tianzun's abilities and strength during the heavy fog incident in Jinhui City, Natsuki's Love was more than willing to hear his thoughts.
Zhang Yuanqing pondered for a few seconds, then said, "It's obvious that we're trapped in an array and can't easily break free. If we want to break the array, we have to enter the sea—that's an established fact. And earlier, when Xiahou Aotian performed divination, the hexagram predicted great calamity. That actually foretells that we have no choice but to go down to the seabed.
"I believe the correct path isn't trying to avoid falling into the water, but taking the initiative to dive to the seafloor and eliminate the enemies there. That aligns with the difficulty of an S-rank dungeon."
Yin Ji gave a slight nod. Yuanshi Tianzun's analysis matched her own thinking.
Eagle of Freedom mused, "What if we just stay on the ship and hold out for thirty-six hours?"
Zhang Yuanqing shook his head. "Xiahou Aotian brought up that topic back on the shore. Do you really think an S-rank dungeon would have such an obvious exploit?"
Everyone fell silent.
Brother Red Chicken opened his mouth to retort, but found he had neither the grounds nor the words to do so.
Yuanshi Tianzun was right.
Natsuki's Love sighed. "I agree to go down into the sea."
Go down into the sea... Although he knew the setting was dead serious, the moment he heard those words, Zhang Yuanqing felt his DNA twitch, instinctively letting his mind wander into the gutter.
Xiahou Aotian looked at Brother Red Chicken and declared proudly, "Hear that? How could this protagonist's judgment ever be wrong? It's settled, then. Everyone, follow me into the sea."
"Wait!" Zhang Yuanqing raised a hand to interrupt them. "Let me try something first. If it works, we might be able to finish this dungeon early."
With that, under everyone's suddenly brightening gazes, he retrieved the Demon-Subduing Pestle.
His reasoning was simple: if he could clear the dungeon by relying on outside power, why risk life and limb fighting tooth and nail?
Once Her Ladyship arrived, he would immediately drop to his knees and kowtow, begging Her Ladyship to resolve the crisis in the Sea of Yashan dungeon so they could return to reality.
Why fight and kill when bowing down in worship could solve everything?
Zhang Yuanqing held up the Demon-Subduing Pestle with both hands above his head and bowed slightly, assuming a pious posture to please the Mountain God Empress.
When she arrived in the dungeon and saw how devout he was, she would surely be delighted. Paired with a devout kowtow, Her Ladyship would hardly be able to refuse his request.
Was this some sort of ritual? Seeing Yuanshi Tianzun acting so reverent and devout, the Saints didn't know what he was doing, but anticipation swelled in their hearts.
Minutes and seconds ticked by. Pitch darkness stretched between sky and sea. The paddle-wheel ship rocked gently amid the waves... and nothing happened.
The Saints waited, filled with eager anticipation.
Huh? Didn't Her Ladyship say that as long as I took out the Demon-Subduing Pestle, she'd sense it? Why hasn't she come yet? Don't tell me she stood me up... Zhang Yuanqing waited and waited, but his beloved Empress was nowhere to be seen. He suddenly realized something was off.
Meanwhile, the oblivious Saints continued to wait in breathless anticipation.
Soon, Yun Meng, who had transformed into a crane, flew back onto the deck. Just as she was about to speak, Natsuki's Love raised a hand to stop her, whispering, "Don't disturb Yuanshi Tianzun."
"What is he doing?" Seeing everyone's grave expressions, Yun Meng lowered her voice.
—Because her clothes had been damaged during her beast transformation, she remained in the form of a crane.
"Probably performing some kind of ritual," Xiahou Aotian guessed.
Natsuki's Love murmured, "I know of that item. It's of an exceedingly high tier, imbued with unimaginable power. Perhaps Yuanshi Tianzun will give us a pleasant surprise."
Hearing this, the Saints' eyes sparkled.
Empress, please come out, I'm begging you! You're making this super awkward... With his head bowed, Zhang Yuanqing remained calm on the surface, but inwardly he was sweating bullets.
Time flew by. After a quarter of an hour, Brother Red Chicken could endure it no longer and asked, "Yuanshi Tianzun? Did you fall asleep?!"
You're the damn one who fell asleep... Zhang Yuanqing's lips twitched. He straightened up, and under the expectant gazes of the Saints, his expression remained perfectly composed as he sighed, "I cannot sense the supreme existence beyond the veil. A magnificent, grand sacrifice... has failed."
Cannot sense the supreme existence beyond the veil... Brother Red Chicken and the others mulled over the words. Seeing Yuanshi Tianzun's regretful demeanor, looks of disappointment washed over their faces as well.
It was evident that Yuanshi Tianzun had just been communing with an otherworldly entity. Had he succeeded, they would have received a blessing that allowed them to speed-run the dungeon.
What a pity, what a shame...
Only Natsuki's Love studied Yuanshi Tianzun's face, murmuring inwardly, Why do I feel like he's just embarrassed?
Seeing his teammates successfully duped, Zhang Yuanqing breathed a quiet sigh of relief and said at once, "I'm fine now. Before we move out, does anyone have anything to add?"
Yin Ji spoke gently and unhurriedly, "Except for Eagle of Freedom, the seabed isn't our home turf. We must ensure that every member can move and fight underwater. I have two items belonging to the Water Ghost class: one is a Water-Repelling Bead, and the other is Fish Scale Armor. I'll keep the Fish Scale Armor for myself, but I can lend out the Water-Repelling Bead.
"Its function is to resist the water pressure of the deep sea and allow the bearer to breathe freely, though it doesn't grant water-manipulating abilities."
Having said that, she looked at the Saints present.
"Me, me!" Brother Red Chicken hurriedly raised his hand. "I don't have any Water Ghost items. I'm just a rogue cultivator with no backing."
The others all possessed appropriate items or skills to overcome the challenges of underwater activity.
Yin Ji tossed the Water-Repelling Bead to Brother Red Chicken right away. He caught it, hissed as the icy sphere touched his palm, and muttered, "So cold. Feels like heavy dampness. Once I get out of this dungeon, I'll need to brew some dampness-expelling soup."
As they talked, Zhang Yuanqing gazed up at the pitch-black night sky and frowned, pondering why the old crone had stood him up.
Was it because the Saint-stage S-rank dungeon was too high in tier and its restrictions too strong, so she couldn't get in?
No, she knew his level. If she couldn't enter a Saint-stage dungeon, she wouldn't have said those words back then.
So was it that some power shielded her perception of the Demon-Subduing Pestle, or did the old crone have other business and couldn't make it?
If the former, then the Spirit Realm must have shielded the old crone's connection with the pestle. But Zhang Yuanqing doubted that was the case—if the Spirit Realm could actively block it, why hadn't it done so during the Transcendent stage?
She was probably tied up with something. Thinking of it this way, bringing out the Demon-Subduing Pestle early had been the right call. If he had waited until a moment of mortal danger to pull it out and failed to summon her, that would have been disastrous.
And now, she had surely sensed that he was in the Sea of Yashan and would definitely come, which amounted to buying an insurance policy.
Just then, Xiahou Aotian put on a green-faced, fanged mask and announced loudly, "Supporting cast, follow this protagonist on an undersea expedition!"
With that, he plunged in with a splash.
Yin Ji took out a fish-scaled membrane and placed it gently against her chest. The Fish Scale Armor instantly "melted," flowing into her body, and blue-black scales promptly grew across her skin.
Recalling her spirit servants, she took her two yin corpses and leapt into the sea second.
Next were Eagle of Freedom and Yun Meng, who had shifted into a giant black-scaled python.
Natsuki's Love's item was a pair of flippers; taking off her combat boots had delayed her slightly.
Zhang Yuanqing watched her deftly strap on the flippers and whispered, "Natsuki, stay close to me once we're in the water."
Earlier, he had examined everyone's physiognomy with Star Physiognomy. The space between the eyes of Natsuki's Love and Brother Red Chicken was surging with terrifying bloody light; there was a high probability the two of them would perish on the seafloor.
Natsuki's Love gazed into Zhang Yuanqing's face. After a few seconds, the aloof and alluring female instructor broke into a gentle smile. "All right!"
***
Outside the dungeon, a goddess clad in magnificent celestial robes stood amidst the "resplendent galaxy," her bright eyes staring blankly at the Sea of Yashan.
She had a cool, ethereal beauty, her exquisite features harmonizing to radiate breathtaking charm, especially her voluptuously full lips, which made one ache to taste their sweetness.
"A hundred thousand wandering souls, denied reincarnation... How did it ever come to this?"
Lady Sandao whispered to herself.
After a long time, the melancholy in her beautiful eyes faded, replaced by her usual coolness as she stared down at the sea in silence.
That young rascal Yuanshi Tianzun was always looking for shortcuts. It wasn't that she couldn't intervene, but she couldn't step in for every little thing.
Likely, her appearance in the killing trial had given him a taste of easy victory. Did he really take her for a wet nurse who would solve all his troubles?
If so, how was he ever going to grow!
***
The seawater was bone-chillingly cold, simultaneously murky yet clear. After entering the water, the team formed a "long dragon," with Xiahou Aotian at its head, while the flare he shot out served as the "fireball" the dragon pursued.
The blazing white flare illuminated the plankton drifting in the water with stark clarity.
The flare sank slowly toward the bottom, and the seven Saints pursued it, swimming steadily toward the seabed littered with warships.
The deeper they swam, the thicker the yin energy grew and the more piercing the chill of the water became.
There were no living creatures around; it was deathly still, as though this stretch of ocean were a forbidden zone for all life.
Such potent yin energy, stronger than in any dungeon I've ever experienced. Setting aside the danger, the bottom of the Sea of Yashan is prime geomantic ground for corpse-raising... Zhang Yuanqing's first reaction was covetous desire.
As they swam, Xiahou Aotian suddenly halted and paddled back toward them.
The six stopped immediately, looking at him with puzzled gazes.
Xiahou Aotian spread his hand. In his palm lay six pairs of black, in-ear Bluetooth-style earphones.
He pointed to his ear, then to the earphones in his palm.
Does this thing even work? Speaking of which, why does he have so many flashy, bizarre items? Zhang Yuanqing was the first to take a pair and insert them into his ears.
The five teammates followed suit.
"Can you hear me? Can you hear me?" Xiahou Aotian's voice echoed in everyone's ears, though his mouth was clearly shut.
This crappy gizmo actually works, Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself.
Immediately afterward, he noticed Natsuki and the others casting subtle glances his way.
"These earphones grant us telepathy by translating our thoughts into speech. They're designed specifically for environments where spoken communication isn't feasible. Because they have to gather mental fluctuations to convert them into audio, they stimulate the wearer's brain, making their thoughts race and wander. Furthermore, Yuanshi Tianzun, this isn't a 'crappy gizmo.' If you don't want to use it, give it back," Xiahou Aotian's voice reached his teammates through the earphones.
Zhang Yuanqing shuddered inwardly. This thing translates thoughts into speech? Damn it, then I... The one I love isn't my lover...
Everyone: "???"
"I don't like this thing," Zhang Yuanqing sang out in his mind to suppress his stray thoughts.
He harbored far too many secrets. If nothing else, an idle lament like "that really was a bargain for the Demon Lord" would expose his identity as the Demon Lord's successor, ruining his reputation or even getting him killed.
"I don't like it either," Eagle of Freedom chimed in.
At that moment, Yin Ji's voice came through the earphones, "With your mental strength, controlling your thoughts is simple enough; just stay vigilant. The seabed is dangerous, and we need coordinated teamwork. Communication is indispensable."
Hearing this, neither Zhang Yuanqing nor Eagle of Freedom argued further.
"So that's the item's drawback?" Natsuki's Love raised a hand to press on the earphone, wedging it deeper into her ear so it wouldn't slip out.
"Correct!" Xiahou Aotian nodded.
This guy has so many flashy items; he's bound to die from their drawbacks sooner or later, Brother Red Chicken's quiet inner grumbling reached everyone's ears.
"Hah, ignorant!" Xiahou Aotian scoffed. "Fangshi possess the passive trait 'Item Affinity,' which diminishes an item's drawback. Once we reach the Dominator stage, we can even nullify an item's drawback three times. Well, not every item can be exempted—certain highly unusual drawbacks are an exception."
Right after he finished speaking, he heard Yuanshi Tianzun muttering in thought, Didn't you say it diminishes drawbacks? Then how did an idiot like you accidentally leak such crucial intel? Moron.
Xiahou Aotian's facial muscles twitched as he corrected, "That wasn't intel leaked from uncontrolled thoughts; I told you openly and proudly!"
Brother Red Chicken muttered in thought, He's totally trying to save face, isn't he!
Xiahou Aotian gritted his teeth. "Enough nonsense, let's get on with the mission!"
Having transmitted that thought, he kicked his legs, moving as nimbly as a fish, and swam rapidly down toward the seafloor.
Echoing through everyone's earphones was a stream of muttered gripes: Furious, I'm absolutely furious...
Yeah, that was definitely an uncontrollable thought.
Everyone was entirely certain of it.
They swam in silence, banishing stray thoughts as they dove deeper. After an indeterminate period, the halo of the flare enveloped the silhouettes of a graveyard of shipwrecks.
Across the tranquil seafloor lay over a thousand warships of varying sizes, chaotically surrounding a colossal dragon ship at their center.
The sunken, battered vessels, thick layers of silt, and dense clusters of barnacles laid bare the vicissitudes of time.
Simultaneously, an ethereal chill of dread settled over everyone's hearts.
After swimming for a few more minutes, they could clearly make out the full spectacle of the wreck graveyard: standing upright upon the seabed and across the sunken hulls were countless armored corpses. Densely packed in astronomical numbers, their bloated, waterlogged faces had eyes shut, stationed like a rigorously disciplined army still guarding their fleet.
Just as the group drew near, an eerie scene unfolded.
The thousands upon thousands of submerged corpses raised their heads in unison, opening dead, vacant white eyes to fix their stares on the seven living souls above them.
"Hiss—"
Through the earphones came the sound of someone sharply drawing in a breath of cold air.
Chapter 350