Chapter 444: The Legacy of the Vast Sea

The elder Mo's wax-yellow face flushed with a hint of excitement as he rapidly changed his hand seals; the compass device emitted a soft silver light that illuminated the center of the vortex.

Hum~!

Spatial ripples rippled outward at visibly discernible scales; the mist at the vortex's center rapidly thinned and became transparent, revealing the scene beyond.

Not the expected cliff face or deep ravine, but a warped, undulating membrane of light, like water disturbed by ripples.

Beyond the light membrane, shadows flickered faintly—suggesting the outlines of grand architecture—but too indistinct to make out clearly.

"The spatial gateway has appeared; it won't last long—hurry in!"

Elder Mo barked a command, swiftly retracted the compass, and in a flash of motion, plunged into the light membrane—like a pebble dropped into water, vanishing instantly.

Elder Han followed closely behind, waving his hand at the Tianqi Men disciples.

"Follow!"

Wang Qi and the others immediately activated the mechanical fish "Yuanxing Jiao."

The dark blue-metallic giant fish's deep-blue crystal eyes blazed brightly; its scales slightly parted, emitting a low hum, and glided along the ground in an eerie, gliding posture, closely following Elders Mo and Han into the light membrane.

Chen Mu and the other two Tianqi Men disciples, along with the two Seventh Demon Valley Earth Altar experts, also activated their cultivation techniques and filed in one after another.

Elder Wan brought up the rear, his sinister gaze sweeping over the closing light membrane, then sharply scanning the churning mist around them; after confirming no anomalies, he flickered forward, becoming a dark green afterimage that vanished into the membrane.

In the instant before the light membrane sealed completely, no one noticed a faint golden glow—nearly merged with the spatial ripples—slipping soundlessly along the edge and slipping inside.

……

As Chen Mu passed through the light membrane, he felt a mild dizziness and a tugging sensation of spatial displacement—but with his powerful spiritual sense and robust physique, he recovered instantly.

The scene before him had changed utterly!

Behind him was a faintly rippling, gradually stabilizing pale blue spatial gateway, standing atop a dry, stony ground littered with fine gravel.

And ahead…

Was an impossibly vast, seemingly boundless underground world.

The sky was illuminated by pale blue and white fluorescent mineral stones scattered high across the ceiling, casting the entire space in an eerie, underwater-like twilight—dim, yet sufficient for vision.

The air was unusually damp, thick with a musty odor blending water vapor, a faint fishy stench, and some indescribable ancient dust.

The temperature was far colder than outside, carrying a bone-chilling chill.

Most shocking of all was the sight before his eyes.

Massive, ancient, strangely shaped stone structures lay like sleeping beasts, half-buried beneath a moss-like, emerald-green "carpet" resembling some kind of fungus.

These structures differed radically from contemporary styles: their lines were rugged, built from enormous single blocks of stone, carved with waves, vortices, various deep-sea monster fish, and a trident-like emblem—still radiating their former grandeur despite countless ages.

Many structures had collapsed or been entirely engulfed and consumed by the emerald-green "fungal carpet."

Farther off, vast areas reflected the faint glow of the ceiling—these were bodies of water.

The water surface was perfectly still, its color as deep as ink, depth invisible, its expanse seemingly immense, crisscrossing with the "land" region to form a complex network of waterways.

A faint fishy odor in the air seemed to originate from the direction of the water.

"What a magnificent relic of the Vast Sea!"

Elder Mo couldn't help exclaiming, already holding a device to detect energy fluctuations—the needle pointed toward a direction deep within the water.

"The spiritual energy concentration isn't low, but it's mixed with intense yin-cold death energy and some strange force—staying here long-term would be detrimental to cultivation."

"The space is stable, the air…"

Elder Han drew a deep breath, frowning slightly, "Indeed, it contains potent poison—colorless and odorless; without prior knowledge, those below the Heavenly Palace realm would likely suffer blocked meridians and dimmed spiritual consciousness within hours. Elder Wan, how do you feel?"

Elder Wan, who had already closed his eyes to sense the environment, opened them; his purple-black lips twitched, "The poison is yin-cold and insidious—truly troublesome. But it cannot harm me."

He glanced at the Tianqi Men disciples, especially Chen Mu, "Your Soul-Protecting Pills seem ineffective?"

Chen Mu immediately bowed his head, feigning fear, "Disciple… disciple inspected the pills—no defects found. Perhaps the poison here is uniquely potent…"

"No matter."

Elder Han waved his hand, as if expecting this, "This is an ancient sect's forbidden zone—its poison naturally exceeds the ordinary. Stay close, don't touch the emerald-green moss or the structures—hurry toward the core area. Elder Mo, what's the path ahead?"

Elder Mo studied his several devices, then murmured, "The spatial structure is stable, but numerous residual restrictions remain—especially toward the water, where energy reactions are strong. The land route is relatively safer, but longer. To reach the core quickly, we'll likely need to use the 'Yuanxing Jiao' to travel the waterways."

"Then take the waterway!"

Elder Wan grew impatient, "My time is precious—I have no patience to wander through this ruin."

Elder Han's eyes flickered with a barely perceptible coldness as he nodded, "Agreed. Xianbo, you're familiar with the 'Yuanxing Jiao'—you take control. Wang Qi, you and the others handle vigilance. Elder Mo, please continue guiding us and avoiding the restrictions."

"Yes!"

Chen Mu replied, inwardly wondering: Are they about to steer the Seventh Demon Valley men into the water route?

It seems the key to Elder Han's plan lies within this water.

The group resumed movement.

Chen Mu leapt onto the mechanical fish's back, where a semi-enclosed cockpit awaited.

Following knowledge gleaned from Liu Xianbo's Experience Card, he efficiently activated several key mechanisms and infused true qi into the core.

The mechanical fish emitted a low hum; faint light glowed along the seams of its scales, slowly gliding into the nearest waterway entrance.

Elder Mo rode a small, shuttle-like flying vessel ahead as guide; Elder Han and Elder Wan each hovered in midair, slightly behind and to either side of the mechanical fish.

The two Seventh Demon Valley Earth Altar experts and the two Tianqi Men disciples stood on platforms on either side of the fish's back, vigilantly watching the dark water and the ancient structures draped in fungal carpet on either side.

The waterway began narrow, barely wide enough for the mechanical fish to pass.

On both sides rose slick, towering stone walls, entirely covered in thick emerald-green fungal carpets dripping sticky slime, emitting a nauseating stench of decay.

Above, stalactites intertwined and hung down, likewise draped in fungal growth.

The light was dim, relying solely on the fish's crystal eyes and the moonlight fluorite carried by the group.

As they advanced deeper, the waterway widened, merging into a larger underground lake.

The lake water was pitch-black as ink, bottomless, unnervingly silent.

Only the faint sound of the mechanical fish parting the water and the group's shallow breaths echoed through the vast, empty expanse.

"Be careful, there's a faint energy response ahead—possibly residual alarms or defensive prohibitions."

Mo the Elder's voice echoed in everyone's ears through voice-transmission.

Chen Mu guided the mechanical fish to turn slightly, avoiding the dangerous zone marked by Mo the Elder.

He could feel that the subaquatic chill and the slow-acting poison were several times stronger than on land!

Even though he had secretly taken an effective poison-repelling pill and shielded his Qi, he still felt tiny threads of coldness trying to seep into his pores.

The Innate Realm disciples from the Heaven Artifact Sect and the Seven Fiend Valleys were probably already feeling unwell, merely holding on.

Suddenly!