Wuying stopped at a corner of the subterranean palace, refusing to move further, emitting urgent cries.

This was merely a section of ordinary flooring. Zhang Yang walked over, tapped it lightly, and then motioned for his companions to move further away.

Gazing at the ground, Zhang Yang shook his head again. There was clearly another passage beneath, but he needed to devise a way to open it while carefully controlling his force.

This was an underground palace, not the surface. If the ceiling collapsed and buried them, it would be a disaster. With Zhang Yang's current strength, being trapped here wouldn't be fatal, but it would certainly be humiliating.

The three spirit beasts retreated a few steps.

Zhang Yang channeled a vast amount of internal energy into his palm, circulating it up to his fist. A powerful surge of energy instantly erupted as he slammed his fist down hard onto the floor.

"Boom!"

Another deafening sound echoed. Zhang Yang quickly looked up. He had controlled the force adequately this time; the palace hadn't collapsed, and just as he hoped, a large hole had opened below.

The subsequent tremor caused the tourists above ground to start murmuring amongst themselves.

The two loud noises prompted various speculations; if the ground hadn't stopped shaking, they might have assumed an earthquake had struck.

Some even joked that the suppressed Lady White Snake was finally fighting back, preparing to emerge, predicting the white serpent spirit would soon burst from the earth.

Others mused that Leifeng Pagoda possessed immense spiritual energy, and the tremors were its expression of discontent—that the thousand-year-old spiritual tower should be rebuilt, not left as mere ruins.

These two disturbances finally alerted the management staff of West Lake, who promptly dispatched personnel to investigate. They left only after finding nothing abnormal.

This vibration didn't just stir the people above; it caused the two entangled shadows deep underground to clash with even greater ferocity.

Both shadows sensed a tremendous power—the energy wave generated by Zhang Yang's strike that opened the passage.

This energy made them extremely wary, driving both shadows to defeat their opponent swiftly to claim the treasure alone before departing.

"Go!"

Inside the palace, Zhang Yang uttered a soft call and jumped down into the newly formed hole. This time, Wuying was faster, already leading the way.

The passage below was wide and deep, sloping steeply downwards.

Fortunately, their strength was considerable, making such a gradient easy to manage. It was a pity they couldn't ride; otherwise, Zhang Yang would have loved to mount Zhui Feng and rush down quickly.

Not long after descending, they encountered a fork in the tunnel. Wuying sniffed the air with its small nose and immediately darted down one path.

Minutes later, they faced three tunnels simultaneously. Wuying made the choice again, continuing straight down into one of them.

Looking at the labyrinthine tunnels, Zhang Yang felt a surge of relief, thankful for Wuying's presence. Otherwise, these passages would have surely disoriented him. He wondered if these tunnels were man-made or natural; if artificial, the effort involved was terrifying.

Even a master at the fourth level of internal energy would find carving out such an underground maze extremely difficult.

After walking for several minutes, navigating numerous turns, Zhang Yang and his companions finally reached a relatively flat underground clearing. Leaping up to gauge the height of the stone ceiling overhead, an unsettling thought abruptly struck Zhang Yang.

If this place collapsed, forget him—even a fifth-level expert might not escape. They were at least several hundred meters below the surface.

In such a scenario, he would truly be buried alive, and none of them would survive.

The thought itself struck him as quite amusing.

Assessing the space, Zhang Yang judged the area to be naturally formed. Luckily, it seemed sturdy enough for now, posing no immediate danger of collapse. In reality, he suspected many more areas like this existed deep underground, simply unseen by humans.

It was pitch black here. Even Zhang Yang's abnormal vision couldn't penetrate the gloom.

Zhang Yang took out his phone, relying on its faint light to make out vague shapes.

His canvas bag was still with him, but it lacked spare lamps. He hadn't anticipated descending so far underground. If he carried everything he usually did, that canvas bag would truly have become a treasure chest.

"Whoosh whoosh!"

After walking for a short distance, the sound of flowing water suddenly reached them. Hearing it, Wuying quickened its pace.

At this moment, Zhang Yang clearly sensed the two powerful energies nearby, and they were still locked in fierce struggle.

"Chirp chirp chirp!"

Wuying chirped softly. Zhang Yang understood its intent: they were nearly at their destination, but they would need to pass through underwater.

Diving beneath the surface would lead them to the treasure's location.

"Zhui Feng, you stay here. The rest of us will go ahead!"

Biting his lip, Zhang Yang spoke to Zhui Feng beside him. He had no problem diving, and so did Shandian and Wuying, but Zhui Feng presented a slight issue.

Zhui Feng was a land-based spirit beast. While wading might not be an issue, diving—looking at Zhui Feng’s demeanor—made Zhang Yang shake his head involuntarily.

"Hiss~"

Zhui Feng violently shook its head at Zhang Yang, neighing in clear displeasure.

As soon as the sound ended, it leaped abruptly into the water. Its pure white body circled once before vanishing beneath the surface.

Zhang Yang's eyes widened instantly. A spirit beast was indeed extraordinary. He had never seen a horse that could swim, let alone swim so proficiently.

"Chirp chirp chirp!"

Wuying chirped again, urging him not to delay now that Zhui Feng was submerged. This treasure, it indicated, was far superior to any they had obtained before.

"Go!"

Zhang Yang tossed the canvas bag aside, leaving some supplies behind, and dove into the water himself. Fortune favors the bold; such a magnificent treasure could not be passed up.

Heavenly treasures and rare herbs were destined for those with the affinity.

The water was cold, yet surprisingly sweet—it was deep groundwater. Submerged, Zhang Yang tracked the positions of Wuying and Zhui Feng, moving forward rapidly.

A normal person couldn't hold their breath for more than a few minutes underwater. For internal energy cultivators, staying submerged for one or two hours was considered normal, and that was for average practitioners.

For a fourth-level expert like Zhang Yang, preparing with the Half-Turtle Breath Technique, staying underwater for an entire day presented no issue.

As they swam, the two energy signatures seemed to grow more violent. Sensing the energy drawing nearer, Zhang Yang realized they were approaching the place where the treasure was about to emerge.

"Splash!"

Zhui Feng, swimming ahead with Wuying, was the first to break the surface. Shandian followed immediately, and Zhang Yang emerged last.

Three splashes erupted in succession. As soon as he broke the water, Zhang Yang gathered all his energy, focusing intently ahead. He dared not let his guard down; two powerful, unknown forces were present.

The moment he surfaced, Zhang Yang’s eyes lit up. It wasn't completely dark here; everything was suffused with a fiery red hue.

This area resembled a cave, albeit a small one. In one corner, there was a pool of fiery red magma—a tiny portion of lava erupting from the earth's depths.

But that wasn't all. Within the magma floated a large, exquisitely beautiful, fire-red flower in full bloom. At the flower's center rested a sizable, red fruit emitting an alluring fragrance.

"Fire Dragon Fruit!"

Gazing at the flower and fruit above the small lava pool, Zhang Yang couldn't help but swallow hard.

The Heavenly Treasure, the Fire Dragon Fruit, was not the common variety people ate. This was a unique spiritual item that lived within magma. Furthermore, its maturation period was incredibly long: three thousand years to bloom, and another three thousand years to bear fruit.

Since it had already fruited, this treasure was at least six thousand years old—a truly magnificent artifact.

The older the item, the greater its efficacy. This one had grown for a full six millennia; Chinese civilization itself hadn't existed that long.

"Chirp chirp chirp!"

Wuying suddenly called out again, its eyes fixed watchfully ahead.

They were not the first visitors. It was then that Zhang Yang noticed the previous guests: a white python, perfectly white and flawless as jade, and a crab nearly the size of two pillows.

The two combatants who had been fighting intensely had now separated and were eyeing the newcomers with vigilance.

"White Snake, there really is a White Snake!"

A look of astonishment reappeared in Zhang Yang's eyes. He hadn't expected a true White Snake to exist beneath Leifeng Pagoda. Although this creature was a python, it was only about the size of a normal python, not the exaggerated proportions seen on television.

However, being a White Snake, its body emitted a faint luminescence, leading an observer to mistake it for white jade.

"White Jade Snake!"

A name instantly sprang into Zhang Yang's mind. In the Records of Strange Objects, the spirit beast White Jade Snake was described as cold in nature, dwelling underground, non-venomous, slow-moving, having skin harder than the purest jade, and fangs capable of severing metal.

This description detailed that the White Jade Snake was a spirit beast born of heaven and earth, primarily inhabiting subterranean regions and rarely showing itself.

Its skin was extremely tough, harder than the most durable jade. More remarkably, its two fangs were incredibly sharp, capable of biting through divine artifacts—the hardest of existing weapons.

The records stated that if it could sever divine artifacts, the potency of those fangs was clear.

These details were recorded in the Records of Strange Objects, but there was more: the White Jade Snake was an evolving spirit beast, and a powerful one could rival a fourth-level expert.

Looking at the White Jade Snake before him, Zhang Yang couldn't help but shake his head. This was indeed a White Jade Snake capable of matching a fourth-level expert. He couldn't fathom how long it had lived underground.

Facing a spirit beast comparable to a fourth-level master, Zhang Yang dared not be careless in the slightest.

After assessing the White Jade Snake, he turned his attention to the giant crab beside it. The Records of Strange Objects contained no mention of a crab this size, but since it had managed to fight the White Jade Snake for so long, its strength was undoubtedly formidable, surely residing on the fourth-level plane.

Encountering two fourth-level spirit beasts at once sent a chill down Zhang Yang’s scalp.

He wasn't afraid when fighting a mid-stage fourth-level opponent, but that was under favorable circumstances where escape was possible, allowing Zhui Feng to utilize its speed, and when he possessed a divine artifact like the Cold Spring Sword.

In this current location, forget escaping; the terrain barely allowed movement. Moreover, he hadn't even brought the Dragon-Devouring Dagger, as he was ostensibly out touring and dining—who brings such armament while eating?

At this moment, Zhang Yang felt a pang of regret. If the Cold Spring Sword were by his side, he might yet have a fighting chance against these two powerful spirit beasts. (To be continued)RQ