Hoo... The swirling vortex of water, meeting the seabed town, seemed to encounter an immovable obstacle, roaring as it skirted around one side.

A hurricane capable of generating such a maelstrom at the crushing depth of 20,000 meters below the ocean floor explained why Kozmo had fled; this level of power was utterly beyond human resistance.

Chen Feng let out a long breath and glanced downward, his mind buzzing with curiosity: why would such an enormous town exist on the seabed?

He straightened up and slowly swam downward.

He had no idea if any life forms inhabited this town, but caution was paramount. At this depth of C meters underwater, even with his current Xiuwei (cultivation attainment), failing to deploy his domain meant being instantly crushed into a patty.

Under the illumination of his domain's firelight, the first things to enter his vision were colossal structures. Seeing their design, Chen Feng paused; these buildings were utterly unlike the architecture on the mainland. They were magnificent, appearing… appearing remarkably like temples! Moreover, the construction method of these temples seemed strangely similar to the concept of concrete from his previous life.

Twenty thousand meters beneath the sea was astonishing enough; temples cast in concrete?

Chen Feng suppressed the shock surging within him and meticulously guided his body downward.

There were no other living beings in the town. Chen Feng swept the area with his spiritual power and understood immediately. No creatures could survive at 20,000 meters deep, so the place was utterly silent, profoundly quiet.

His feet touched the ground. Chen Feng retrieved the Black Gold Iron from his canteen and strapped it onto his back. Without the gravity enhancement at this depth, he would have long since been floating upward.

The ground was uniformly paved with bluestone flags. Incredibly, despite being at the extreme seabed, they remained perfectly intact.

Chen Feng stepped onto the bluestone floor and began walking toward the tallest structure in the town.

It was an immeasurably massive temple, nearly 300 meters high. Such towering architecture appearing on the ocean floor was deeply unsettling.

Chen Feng expanded his domain to its maximum limit, yet due to the immense water pressure, the domain’s effective radius shrank to less than ten meters.

As he walked along the seabed street, a peculiar sensation washed over Chen Feng, as if he had traversed this path thousands of times before. Many features seemed oddly familiar.

The temple gates stood wide open. Chen Feng zipped past flights of stairs, drifting lightly into the interior.

Beyond the entrance lay a vast, expansive hall. Its sheer scale suggested it could accommodate the worship of hundreds of thousands simultaneously.

Chen Feng quickened his pace, reaching the deepest recess where a colossal statue stood. The statue radiated a sacred luminescence. Chen Feng only glanced at it once, and his vision swam; an urge to kneel and prostrate himself overwhelmed him.

If a mere statue could instill such dread in a Dou Zun (Venerable Fighter) like himself, how immense must the power of the deity be?

Chen Feng dared not look at the statue, which towered several dozen meters high, and ascended the dais before it.

In the center of this platform stood a staff, emanating waves of brilliant light that softly illuminated the entire hall.

"Could this be the statue of the Main God of Light?" Chen Feng murmured internally, observing the aura emanating from the staff.

"The Main God of Light has no temples or followers on this continent. How can there be a statue and a staff at the bottom of the ocean?"

Having been on this continent for over three years, Chen Feng knew well that there were no temples belonging directly to the Church of Light or the Cult of Darkness, nor any missionaries. It was precisely because the Church of Light did not exist that many Light Mages were relegated to the somewhat lackluster profession of Apothecary.

Chen Feng looked at the staff before him, tempted to take it, but ultimately refrained. The statue behind him felt as if it possessed eyes, watching him, causing a chill down his spine.

Furthermore, he practiced Dou Qi (Battle Energy); a staff would serve him no practical purpose anyway.

Standing on the platform and looking down, the entire hall was bathed in the staff’s brilliant energy. A temple of this magnitude, meant for hundreds of thousands to worship at once… the sheer scale was terrifying to contemplate.

And what was stranger still: how had this temple remained standing for an unknown age at the bottom of the sea without collapsing?

After a moment of contemplation, Chen Feng looked toward the staircase behind the high platform. The entrance to the stairs was marked with sacred script, suggesting that only the Pope, responsible for blessings and prayers, could enter; commoners were forbidden.

Chen Feng disregarded such taboos. Having spent so long in the crushing depths, he cared little for prohibitions. He followed the stairs upward.

The stairs led to a spacious second floor, where the presence of light was even stronger, creating an atmosphere of profound comfort.

A thought struck Chen Feng: for this temple to stand for so many years underwater without collapsing, could it be due to this ambient light energy?

That made sense. The pressure at 20,000 meters deep was staggering. If the temple remained standing under such duress, no one would believe it wasn't maintained by this light energy.

Light-element magic possessed restorative properties, so the pure light energy naturally provided a feeling of invigorating comfort.

The moment Chen Feng stepped onto this floor, the entire hall flared to life, as if countless magic lamps had suddenly illuminated the ceiling.

Looking up, however, he wore a look of bewilderment. Over 200 meters above him, there were no further floors; the space was empty, leading straight up to the sea above.

"What purpose does a temple built like this serve?" Chen Feng had never encountered such a bizarre structure, and his mind was filled with questions.

"Bathing in Sacred Grace…" A strange phrase echoed in his mind. "Was this structure built this way to better 'bathe in the sacred grace' and receive the divine favor of the Main God of Light?"

Chen Feng seemed to grasp the answer and ceased pondering that problem.

The entire second level felt even more... There was only a small, circular platform on one side of the staircase.

Judging by the platform's location, it was directly above the main statue below.

Looking around, finding nothing else of interest, Chen Feng stepped onto the platform. In the center of the platform was a circular seat, about one meter in diameter. Chen Feng stood before the seat, finding himself facing an unobstructed view. The wall directly ahead was vividly painted with the image of the Main God of Light, flanked by four slightly smaller portraits.

The painted image of the Main God of Light was identical to the statue below—benevolence tempered by overwhelming deterrence.

The Main God of Light symbolized purity and brilliance; simply meeting his gaze would invoke feelings of guilt and inferiority.

Normally, such feelings would compel a person toward repentance and prayer, begging for forgiveness. However, when Chen Feng experienced this sensation, he actively chose to look away from the statue, focusing instead on the other four images. After just a glance, his pupils contracted rapidly.

The leftmost image was, impossibly, a Dragon!

It was the Eight-Clawed Golden Dragon of his former homeland, Huaxia!

The painting was so lifelike that the dragon seemed poised to break free from the wall, its sharp eyes intense, as if speaking to him.

Involuntarily, a thought flashed through Chen Feng’s mind, and he called out: "Senior Yanlong!"

Though he had never seen Yanlong's true form, Chen Feng felt instinctively that this dragon must be its appearance.

No wonder he felt a sense of familiarity upon entering the town. Could it be a resonance triggered by his bloodline? Had Senior Yanlong been here? Or perhaps... was the construction of this temple linked to Senior Yanlong?

Otherwise, why use concrete construction? Concrete was a product of his previous world!

Thinking of this, Chen Feng recalled the withered-looking old man who had called him a fellow countryman. This elder was cheerful, fond of joking, but held grand ambitions—to plant the flag of China on the soil of this (Otherworld).

The mention of China, the national flag, and concrete all clearly indicated that this predecessor had not traversed time long before Chen Feng’s own era; they might even be from the same time period, merely experiencing a temporal anomaly where he arrived ten thousand years earlier.

"I wonder what his name was. Transmigrating into the body of a dragon seems even more miserable than my situation!" Chen Feng chuckled, then pondered: "Luobo resembles a large lizard, while Yanlong’s true form is the Eight-Clawed Golden Dragon of Huaxia. Did Senior Yanlong change his body after transmigration, or did he cross over already in his dragon form?"

"But Senior Yanlong mentioned watching TV, flirting with girls, and driving tractors—he was likely human before crossing over and then landed in a dragon body!" Chen Feng mulled it over, failing to find an answer, and turned his attention back to the paintings before him.

Beside the Eight-Clawed Golden Dragon was a Phoenix entirely enveloped in flames. The surging fire added to its majestic might.

The Fire Phoenix!

The King of the Phoenix Clan, the Fire Phoenix!

Yanlong and the Fire Phoenix were beings Chen Feng had learned about just a few days ago when Luobo recounted the history of the Phoenix Clan. The Fire Phoenix’s appearance was identical to the mythical Phoenix of Huaxia; it was the sole Divine Phoenix of the Phoenix Clan, holding a status equal to Yanlong’s position as Dragon God.

A sudden realization struck Chen Feng: since Lingfeng’s bloodline could merge with his Yanlong bloodline, did she perhaps carry the Fire Phoenix bloodline?

Only bloodlines of the same tier could achieve such a perfect integration!

It explained why healing her injuries had been so straightforward back then. The fusion of Yanlong and Fire Phoenix bloodlines must have induced some unique change!

"I wonder how she is doing now. She was captured by Kozmo during the escape; I don't know if she got away. Looking at Kozmo, she probably didn't slip through his grasp, but where he imprisoned her, I have no idea." After a moment, Chen Feng realized he had too many immediate concerns; dwelling on her fate was useless now.

Turning to the right side of the Main God of Light statue, there were two more images. They appeared to be related by bloodline, as one could barely recognize it as a tiger species if not for the context.

The appearance of the Profound Tiger was ferocious and savage, possessing the head of a tiger but adorned with massive wings—the true meaning of the saying, "Adding wings to a tiger."

Below the five portraits were textual annotations, mostly recounting various legends of the Main God of Light displaying divine miracles.

However, the final lines of scripture caught Chen Feng’s attention. They read: "The Ten Main Gods of the Divine Realm are Water, Metal, Fire, Wood, Earth, Lightning, Light, Darkness, Death, and Life. The Main God of Light ranks first, guarded by the Four Super Divine Beasts: the Yanlong, the Fire Phoenix, the Jade Qilin, and the Golden Profound Tiger..."

"So Senior Yanlong was a subordinate of the Main God of Light. But what caused his downfall?" Chen Feng shook his head and reread the scripture, but found no further valuable information.

After reading for a while, Chen Feng felt a growing fatigue. Being relentlessly pursued by Kozmo for days without sleep had severely taxed both his spirit and body. Now that he had stopped, basking in the intensely comfortable light energy, his mind grew drowsy.

"I can't sleep. If I fall unconscious, without the support of my domain, the immense water pressure will surely crush me!"

Chen Feng sternly reminded himself and sank onto the circular seat nearby to rest.

The moment he sat down, he felt the ambient light energy converge upon his body, warm and incredibly soothing. His exhausted physique rapidly recovered and replenished; in an instant, he felt completely invigorated.

"What is happening?" Chen Feng quickly stood up.

But as soon as his buttocks left the circular seat, the surrounding light energy ceased its flow toward him.

Chen Feng realized the effect was due to this platform and felt a surge of joy.

"With this thing, it's equivalent to possessing a magical item that restores stamina. It's definitely a great find!"

He scrutinized the circular seat, however, finding nothing unusual—it was carved from ordinary bluestone.

"How can ordinary bluestone possess such a strange power?" Chen Feng circled the seat twice more but detected nothing out of the ordinary.

"Forget it, I’ll smash it open and see!"

Chen Feng held no particular reverence, nor would he begin worshiping the Main God of Light just because of Senior Yanlong. Now that it was strange, he wouldn't care if the object was sacred.

He took out the Black Gold Iron and shaped it into a greatsword, bringing it down upon the circular seat!

CRASH...

The bluestone shattered into countless fragments under the disturbance of the water currents.

After the stone pieces disintegrated, Chen Feng peered into the space beneath the circular seat, and his mind went momentarily blank.

Beneath it was a massive void. If his guess was correct, it led directly into the abdomen of the great statue on the first floor!

The main statue in the hall was hollow inside!

Chen Feng jumped into the opening, surprised to find air inside. Even the immense pressure of the ocean water could not penetrate the statue’s interior.

Activating his Wukong Shu (Sky Soaring Technique), Chen Feng floated downward slowly. With the external water pressure gone, he retracted his surrounding domain and summoned a ball of flame at his fingertip for light.

The air inside the statue was as fresh as that on land, and the overwhelming external pressure was absent.

He took several greedy breaths, landing softly on the ground. The first thing that caught his eye was a giant, crystalline, gleaming stone, easily as tall as a person. Chen Feng stared at it for a moment before realizing something, nearly fainting from excitement.

"Yellow Jade Demon Crystal? Such a huge piece of Yellow Jade Demon Crystal!"

Chen Feng roared madly.

The preciousness of Yellow Jade Demon Crystal surpassed even that of high-grade demon cores. The fingernail-sized piece he once possessed had convinced Elder Yi to willingly forge elixirs for him. Now, seeing a massive crystal crystal over a person tall, how could he not be ecstatic?

Moreover, judging by its color and purity, this crystal was several times superior to his previous one. If his guess was right, it was a high-grade Yellow Jade Demon Crystal!

"So, it was this Yellow Jade Demon Crystal that gathered the light energy!" Chen Feng calmed down slightly and understood, but at the same moment, another thought instantly formed in his mind.

"This colossal Yellow Jade Demon Crystal gathers the purest light energy. By some special method, this immense energy is dispersed outside the statue, naturally lending the statue an aura of solemnity and mystery!" For an instant, Chen Feng felt as though he had grasped something vital, his jaw dropping in astonishment.

"Could the divine grace it casts also be a facade?" Chen Feng shook his head, unable to fully trust his own suspicion.

"No matter what, finders keepers—this massive thing is mine!" Chen Feng channeled his spiritual power, and the huge Yellow Jade Demon Crystal was instantly absorbed into his canteen.

Although Chen Feng hadn't used the Yellow Jade Demon Crystal yet, it was undoubtedly a treasure. Leaving such a good thing here would be a complete waste. Even if the Main God of Light found out, he would consider it an act of accumulating merit...

Chen Feng consoled himself mentally...

Once the Yellow Jade Demon Crystal was removed, a vast opening was revealed in the floor.

"There’s another void underneath?" Chen Feng was startled.

Below the circular platform on the second floor was the statue; what could possibly lie beneath the statue?

Chen Feng directed the flame in his hand toward the pit beneath where the crystal had rested and tossed it in. The flame was instantly pulverized the moment it entered the hole.

Chen Feng broke out in a cold sweat, secretly congratulating himself for not jumping in rashly; that impact would have surely meant instant death.

Catching the residual light from the flame, Chen Feng peered into the void for a moment. Soon, his expression turned grim.

Beneath the hole was spatial turbulence!

A temple at the bottom of the sea, 20,000 meters deep, was strange enough, but the bottom of this temple contained spatial turbulence!

What in the world was happening?

Chen Feng took out some food from his canteen, placed it in his hand, and dropped it over the void. The food was instantly shredded by the chaotic space.

However, items dropped directly above the center of the hole remained unchanged, falling straight down into the abyss of endless nothingness.

Chen Feng carefully extended his domain downward to investigate, and sure enough, he discovered the anomaly. There was indeed spatial turbulence below, but right at the very center, there was a spatial tether about half a meter square!

This spatial tether was indistinct, but it acted like a specialized well casing, completely blocking the surrounding spatial turbulence.

"If it can block spatial turbulence, where exactly does this passage lead?" Chen Feng wondered, and suddenly, a bold idea took root: he wanted to follow this passage down and see!

PS: I’ve been writing since noon and finally finished another 5000 characters. There will be one more update tonight.

(To be continued. For future developments, please log in to www* for more chapters, support the author, and support legitimate reading!)*

First published