"Brother Chu, how did you end up looking like this?" He Yiming asked with a knowing, cheerful smile.

Chu Haozhou shot him an annoyed glare. "Were you trying to electrocute us all by sending lightning through the water?"

He Yiming waved his hands repeatedly. "Brother, you watched when I used the Lei Zhen Zi (Thunderbolt Talisman); you didn't object then."

Chu Haozhou was instantly silenced. Although he had heard elders claim since childhood that their sect's ultimate treasure, the Lei Zhen Zi, possessed immense power, hearing about it was one thing; experiencing it firsthand was quite another.

He shook his head with a bitter smile. "Fortunately, I was prepared; I had already donned my True Qi battle armor, or even if I had managed to escape this time, I would have been flayed down to the bone."

He Yiming studied him closely and noticed that although he looked utterly disheveled, the damage was mostly confined to his hair and beard. His body, conversely, appeared to be the cleanest of all.

Seeming to catch He Yiming's puzzled gaze, Chu Haozhou looked slightly embarrassed. "Brother, my armor can withstand lightning from the White Horse; naturally, it wouldn't suffer major harm. It’s just that the power released by the Lei Zhen Zi was too fast. By the time I managed to conjure my helmet, it was already too late."

He Yiming finally relaxed. He glanced at the pitiful-looking Treasure Pig, then took the White Stone from his chest and placed it on the ground.

The Treasure Pig immediately hopped over excitedly, and the White Horse Lightning was equally bold. They each devoured about a third of the White Stone before stopping.

Chu Haozhou watched the scene in astonishment and asked, "Little Brother, what is this thing?"

"This is called an Energy Stone. Once spirit beasts ingest it, it can heal their injuries." He Yiming swept his gaze over the stone, picked it up, and tossed it to Chu Haozhou.

Chu Haozhou turned the stone over and over, marveling aloud, tsk tsk, at the existence of such a marvelous object in the world. However, only a moment later did he truly grasp its value.

Faint glows emanated from both the Treasure Pig and the White Horse Lightning—white light from the Pig, and a purple glow from the Horse.

Soon, when the light on their bodies completely dissipated, both the White Horse and the Treasure Pig had regained their pristine snow-white appearance.

Chu Haozhou's eyes instantly turned green, filled with yearning as he looked at the White Stone. His throat bobbed up and down, as if he, too, desperately wanted to devour it.

He Yiming quickly interjected, "Brother Chu, what are you doing?"

Chu Haozhou hesitated for a moment. "This object has such miraculous effects. I wonder if humans would experience the same extraordinary results if they consumed it?"

He Yiming paused slightly, considering the question. "I don't know either. Humans are not the same as spirit beasts. If a person ate the stone, it would likely be difficult to absorb its power; they might just be painfully distended to death."

Chu Haozhou deliberated for a long time before finally abandoning the idea of eating the White Stone in his hand with regret.

He stood up, ran a hand through his scorched, dry hair and beard, and gave He Yiming a look that was a mixture of exasperation and laughter. After a while, he finally gritted his teeth, walked out to the sea surface, smeared his hands across his scalp, and all his unruly hair instantly fell off with a soft rustle. In a moment, a man with a bald head and no beard stood before He Yiming.

He Yiming opened his mouth wide, pointing at Chu Haozhou, unable to speak for a long time.

Chu Haozhou's face flushed red. "What is it?"

He Yiming just chuckled wordlessly, his expression unreadable. The former Chu Haozhou, after tidying himself up, had long, flowing hair and three strands of beard that exuded an air of immortal elegance. Especially in front of Huo Dongcheng, he maintained an inscrutable and profound demeanor that commanded deep respect.

But now, not only was Chu Haozhou beardless, but his head was also completely smooth. His previous image had completely collapsed, which He Yiming found utterly comical.

Chu Haozhou seemed to have anticipated this reaction, ignoring He Yiming's expression and shooting him a fierce look. "Let's continue."

He Yiming naturally didn't object, smiling. "Going down is easy. But what if we run into that creature again?"

A fierce light flashed in Chu Haozhou's eyes. "If we meet that beast again, we will join forces and surely slay the villain."

From this single statement, it was clear that Chu Haozhou now harbored an intense, bone-deep hatred for the Black Shark King.

He Yiming nodded slightly. If the Black Shark King insisted on provoking them, then slaying it was their only option.

While none of them individually possessed the power to achieve this, a combined effort from He Yiming, Chu Haozhou, and the White Horse Lightning would give them a one hundred percent chance of gravely wounding it. Whether they could keep it contained, however, was another matter.

After all, the Black Shark King was the king of the waters; compared to humans and the White Horse, its advantage in the water was immense. If it wished to flee, no one could likely pursue it.

After making some adjustments, the group headed back toward the seabed.

This time, Chu Haozhou still took the lead. His bald head served as a conspicuous marker in the deep. Yet, precisely because of this bare head, he now exuded a massive, almost tangible aura of killing intent. He Yiming even suspected that not only the mountain-sized Black Shark King but even ordinary sharks would become his punching bag if they encountered him.

However, it was extremely unfortunate that even after descending to the exact location where they had encountered the Black Shark King, they did not see a single shark.

It seemed these masters of the domain had suddenly vanished without a trace.

Exchanging a look on the seabed, Chu Haozhou's eyes were filled with helplessness and anger.

They all knew that these sharks must have fled the area following the Black Shark King's injury and retreat. Since even the ancestor of the sharks had failed, nothing else would dare swim up looking for trouble.

Chu Haozhou searched around one more time, unwilling to give up, only to confirm that in this area recently struck by lightning, there wasn't even the smallest fish, let alone a shark. It seemed the electrical discharge had literally cleaved the fish population to death.

Everyone present was struck with awe; they gained an entirely new assessment of the power of the Lei Zhen Zi.

This was merely a single Lei Zhen Zi. If compared to the complete set of Lei Zhen Zi, the difference was immeasurable.

This clearly showed that a Divine Artifact was truly a Divine Artifact, possessing power beyond everyone's wildest imagination.

He Yiming had already shared the map, so although Chu Haozhou was leading the way, they were not lost. However, the map only indicated a general vicinity; pinpointing the exact location in this vast expanse of ocean was not an easy task.

Chu Haozhou suddenly made a hand signal, which He Yiming clearly understood—it meant they were close.

"Little Brother, perhaps we should split up to search," Chu Haozhou suggested.

He Yiming shook his head, smiling. "Why bother with such trouble?"

Chu Haozhou was greatly surprised. "Do you know where the entrance is?"

He Yiming chuckled, turned around, and gently took the Treasure Pig from Bai Lingba’s chest. He patted its head lightly and made a gesture.

The Treasure Pig revealed a simple, honest smile, left He Yiming’s embrace, swam around in the water for a moment, and then swam toward a specific spot.

Chu Haozhou was dumbfounded. He knew the Treasure Pig's abilities from He Yiming's introductions. Finding treasure on land was already remarkable. To possess such divine skill underwater as well…

Even with his cultivation level, he felt a faint pang of jealousy at that moment. This little creature's abilities were simply too formidable.

Led by the Treasure Pig, they arrived at a deep, dark cavern. Initially, this cave was entirely filled with seawater, but after walking for a short distance and making three turns, they could no longer see any water.

The interior of this underwater cave seemed to possess a magical force capable of blocking the ocean out.

At this point, everyone knew this must be the place they were searching for.

He Yiming picked up the Treasure Pig and vigorously rubbed its fur, messing up its neat coat completely before handing the nearly tearful Pig back to Bai Lingba. Although the Treasure Pig was extremely dissatisfied, after letting out a few snorts, its fur naturally returned to normal. It proudly shook its long snout and continued to lead the way forward.

Chu Haozhou suddenly held out his hand. "Wait."

Everyone stopped, looking at him suspiciously.

Chu Haozhou looked grave. "Look here."

Everyone followed the direction of his finger to a massive stone stele inscribed with countless markings. While He Yiming didn't know what these markings represented, the entire stele exuded a solemn atmosphere that demanded respect.

"Brother Chu, did you figure something out?" He Yiming asked hopefully.

Chu Haozhou nodded slightly. "If I'm not mistaken, this should be a labyrinth."

He Yiming shot him an exasperated look. "Brother, you’ve already seen the treasure map. It is indeed a maze in there."

Chu Haozhou's expression grew serious. "Little Brother, this maze is not simple. If we are careless, I fear we might all become lost within it."

He Yiming's face also tightened. "What do you suggest, Brother?"

Chu Haozhou pondered for a long moment before finally forcing a bitter smile. "We follow the map and proceed carefully. There is no other way."

He Yiming took out the map again. Although it was drawn in meticulous detail, it was precisely because of this detail that the two of them studied it for a long time yet could not definitively establish their current bearing.

Just as they were debating heatedly, Bai Lingba stepped forward and gently tapped a spot on the map with his finger.

The two thought for a moment, then simultaneously clapped their hands in admiration. The spot Bai Lingba indicated should be their current location.

He Yiming chuckled. "Brother Bai, this time we'll have to trouble you to lead the way."

Bai Lingba responded expressionlessly, "Good."

Chu Haozhou sighed inwardly. Everyone accompanying his younger brother He was no simple character. The White Horse and Treasure Pig were one thing, but even this Bai Lingba, who seemed like a mere attendant, possessed an unimaginable special skill.

Composing himself, Chu Haozhou followed the others deeper into the cave.

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