Qin Jiangyan was a place of formidable natural danger. To reach Qin Jiangyan, one had to pass through this specific stretch of water. And precisely this area had been subjected to the Three Rings of Heavy Water by the Water Ape King, utilizing the Water Command Token once held by the Ice Ancestor, Li Bing. This Heavy Water was exceedingly violent, and coupled with the numerous water monsters within, it presented an almost unassailable defense. The Three Rings were layered: the first ring was the Heavy Water Domain, the second the Poison Water Domain, and the third the Weak Water Domain.

Ring by ring, as Lu Yuan stood observing from the shore, he saw the three domains, each layer seemingly boundless in breadth and depth. Waves surged skyward, filling every inch of space, making it impossible to fly over; and each successive layer appeared far more terrifying than the last. Within these three water domains lurked countless water monsters, an utterly horrifying sight.

Sun Dingyin, captain of the first team, stood beside Lu Yuan. "These three domains—Heavy Water, Poison Water, Weak Water—one after the other, with no other route. If we are to attack the Water Ape King, we must cross them; otherwise, we'll never reach him. However, crossing this will inevitably lead to losses, and we might not even make it across." "Do you have a plan?" Sun Dingyin asked. Lu Yuan smiled faintly. "If the esteemed masters and powerful elders have no solutions, what hope does an inexperienced junior like me have?" Sun Dingyin nodded. "Indeed. It seems brute force is the only option." He hadn't expected Lu Yuan to offer a real strategy; it was merely a casual inquiry, as what insight could a junior possibly offer?

On this rock nearby stood the captains of the second, third, and fourth teams: Shi Yingyue, Li Dao, and Yu Jizi, respectively. All three nodded in agreement with Sun Dingyin's assessment.

This decision was reached on the third night since entering the Divine Soul River. It was a night when the moon hung like a hook. Then, on the dawn of the fourth day, the five teams, eighty-seven cultivators in total, stood poised in the void, swords underneath them. Before them lay the Three Rings of Water; the charge had to be made now. Naturally, some preparations were made before the assault, such as individuals grouping up with those they were familiar with. The established teams were mostly unfamiliar with each other, making coordinated action difficult. Grouping with acquaintances, however, allowed for much smoother cooperation. For instance, if someone from the Wudang Immortal Sect were placed in Lu Yuan’s fifth team, they would be of little use individually. But if seven Wudang cultivators formed the Wudang Sword Formation, their power would dramatically increase—that was the principle. Lu Yuan, having virtually no acquaintances among the Ninth Generation, remained alone. Yet, Lu Yuan was accustomed to his own company, and being alone with his single sword, he felt no pressure facing the Three Rings of Water ahead. At Sun Dingyin’s sharp command, all eighty-seven cultivators urged their swords forward into the first ring, the Heavy Water Domain.

A moment later, high above Qin Jiangyan, the massive white ape, the Water Ape King, felt a significant surge of pressure in the first ring of the Heavy Water Domain. It seemed the entering cultivators were more numerous than usual. The Water Ape King could do nothing but stir, channeling even more spiritual power into the palm-sized, perfectly crystalline token held in his hand. The "Water Command Token"—this artifact was what the Ice Ancestor had once used to command all the monsters of the Divine Soul River. This token was the size of a palm in human hands, and naturally, it appeared minuscule against the Water Ape King’s enormous palm. Sensing the increased strength of his opponents, the Water Ape King dared not slacken. After all, in previous incursions, a few cultivators had managed to reach this point, but they were severely depleted by the time they arrived at Qin Jiangyan, leaving them unable to overcome his Dark Iron Rod. Since the current force was larger, he needed to activate the Water Command Token even more intensely to drain their reserves. The Water Ape King, being a beast, was undeniably cunning; otherwise, he would not command the rivers of Minjiang as their leader, surpassed only by the half-Jiao lurking in the Black Water River. Spiritual power flowed ceaselessly into the Water Command Token. Yet, the Water Ape King was unaware that pushing the token to its absolute limit would awaken something else.

Setting aside the Water Ape King for a moment, let us focus on the first ring, the Heavy Water Domain. The moment the group entered, they were overwhelmed by immense external pressure. Heavy Water—its density was a hundred, even a thousand times that of ordinary water, exerting tremendous physical force. And the pressure increased the deeper they ventured.

The eighty-seven cultivators struggled within the Heavy Water Domain, Lu Yuan among them. Upon entering, Lu Yuan immediately noticed numerous strange water monsters lunging at him. These creatures were incredibly diverse and bizarre. Take, for example, these fish—they ought to be called Qin Emperor Fish. Their bellies seemed equipped with arrow launchers and miniature blades. Upon contact, they relentlessly spewed forth arrows and blades, each imbued with razor-sharp spiritual energy, attacking with frightening speed and density. A swarm of Qin Emperor Fish was terrifying. Legend held that in the ancient Qin Kingdom of the Southern Territory's previous dynasty, the first Emperor, being warlike, was favored by a divine fish sent from heaven—the Qin Emperor Fish—and thus this strange species came into existence. There were also the Seal Fish. Their surface looked identical to other fish, but their mouths were peculiar. When their mouths pressed against a person, it left a mark, like a sigil. If struck twice in the same spot by this mark, the victim died without exception, unless they had reached the Great Dao Realm—such fish were greatly feared. Ahead, there was a Sea Mirror. This water monster resembled a mirror and could emit blinding flashes of light, often rendering its target temporarily sightless. Oh, and the Mother-Son Fish. Usually, there was one extremely large mother fish, but when encountering an enemy, she would expel over a dozen smaller 'son' fish. These smaller fry had sharp teeth and vicious mouths, and their sheer numbers allowed them to maneuver and attack the enemy from various angles. Encountering a large school of Mother-Son Fish was a truly headache-inducing situation. Then there were the Thunder Cavity Fish, long and thin, with heads capable of discharging bolts of lightning at their foes. Battling these fish was quite painful, as their lightning strikes left insufficient time for reaction.

The cultivators were all being suppressed by the Heavy Water, yet these local water monsters, due to their unique connection with the Water Command Token, were perfectly adapted to the environment. Their varied attacks left little time for reaction, and soon, several cultivators at the Fourth Level of Longevity were struggling to cope. Lu Yuan's Yangwu Sword moved rapidly. Compared to the others, Lu Yuan found the situation far more manageable. After all, Lu Yuan had comprehended four distinct Sword Intents related to water: the Sword Intent of Water, the Sword Intent of Clouds, the Sword Intent of Rain, and the Sword Intent of Snow. It was true that the surrounding pressure from the Heavy Water was immense, but because Lu Yuan had grasped four water-attribute Sword Intents, the Yangwu Sword could always locate and strike at the weakest points within the water, meaning the reduction in sword speed was not overly significant. Coupled with Lu Yuan's already high natural speed, a slight dampening posed no major obstacle. He continuously swung his sword, and water monsters died beneath his blade one after another.

Lu Yuan discovered that the exotic fish in the Heavy Water Domain were quite formidable, which conversely meant the probability of finding Divine Soul Stones was much higher. Sweeping through, he had already eliminated numerous monsters and acquired seven Lesser Divine Soul Stones in a short time. This Heavy Water Domain was truly his paradise. Lu Yuan pressed forward relentlessly, his sword constantly slicing outwards, reaping the lives of various water monsters. As he was harvesting these creatures, a voice sounded from ahead: "Oh, a Great Divine Soul Stone." Clearly, someone had just yielded a Great Divine Soul Stone, which sparked a touch of jealousy in Lu Yuan. He had only obtained one when slaying the Demon Fire Qilin, yet these common water monsters were producing them. That cultivator was incredibly lucky. Perhaps he should try harder, see if he could strike a Great Divine Soul Stone too. After fighting for a long time, Lu Yuan had only gathered five more Lesser Divine Soul Stones, but no Great Divine Soul Stone. Alas. Lu Yuan shrugged. His luck wasn't the best this time. But a person cannot always be lucky. A single person cannot claim all the good fortune in the world. Doesn't a person need to understand the meaning of contentment? He reached out to grab his wine gourd, but his hand froze halfway—drinking in water was simply impractical. Forget it, he thought; he’d wait until he burst through the Three Rings of Water before enjoying a drink. Lu Yuan moved forward, cutting down monsters as he went, at a speed significantly faster than before.

At the very rear of the Heavy Water Domain, the cultivators at the Sixth Level of Longevity had already gathered. The first ring, the Heavy Water Domain, was the simplest of the three; it could not stop cultivators of the Sixth Level of Longevity. After gathering, these powerful cultivators exchanged glances, only then realizing that Lu Yuan was missing. Huh? Where is Lu Yuan? Without question, among the Elders, Lu Yuan, the sole disciple of the Tenth Generation, was an absolute focal point. And now, Lu Yuan was gone, causing a collective, slight murmur of surprise. In this first ring of Heavy Water, could Lu Yuan’s strength be insufficient? Is he still stuck in the first domain with the Fourth and Fifth Level Longevity cultivators, unable to break through? This thought crossed the minds of the assembled cultivators. They waited a bit longer, and since Lu Yuan still hadn't appeared, they largely confirmed this assumption. Indeed, Lu Yuan's strength was still lacking. However, for a Tenth Generation disciple to compare even to the elite Ninth Generation was worthy of pride. Naturally, while proud, he was still too immature, lagging behind those at the Sixth Level of Longevity. "Next, the Poison Water Domain." These individuals glanced at each other, then plunged into the second ring, the Poison Water Domain. Just as these cultivators entered the Poison Water Domain, Lu Yuan arrived late—he had been too engrossed in slaying monsters in the previous section. If not for that, given his strength, he could have reached this point much earlier. As Lu Yuan prepared to draw his sword to enter the Poison Water Domain—the domain he feared the least, for the Azure Emperor Sword Dao was not merely a name—a strange suction force pulled up from below. And from the depths came two faint, ancient words, unmistakably characters from the previous dynasty: "Ice Ancestor."