The Golden Dragon Turtle swept its emerald-glowing eyes over the humans before it, an unmistakable arrogance and disdain lingering in its gaze.

"Go, hurry up and leave," Zhao Danchen urged.

The twelve Xiantian experts immediately retreated towards the area where the earlier scream had originated, soon locating a corpse submerged in the muddy bottom of the water. Clearly, this deceased Elder Lian had been blasted back nearly twenty-three zhang by the ball of energy, testament to the blast’s terrifying impact. Fortunately, it was an energy sphere; the force wasn't too concentrated.

Had it been an energy blade or an energy sword, an impact of that magnitude would have been enough to slay a Xiantian expert.

"Elder Lian is dead!" Gu Yong stated grimly.

"Junior Brother!"

"Uncle-Master Lian!"

Several elders knelt beside the body. For these law enforcement elders, the time spent with their martial brothers often surpassed the time they spent with their own families. Having started martial arts training from childhood, the bonds forged along the way were profound. Elder Lian's death brought deep sorrow to many of them.

"It's a claw wound, piercing Elder Lian's skull instantly!" Zhao Danchen observed the skull of Elder Lian. "The shape is irregular. The force of a single claw directly penetrated."

"It should be a demonic beast that uses sharp claws. Its body size probably wasn't large," Gu Yong also murmured deeply.

In their estimation, if it had been a human, they would certainly have erected a Xiantian True Essence protective shield underwater in this lake. That would have revealed them from afar, making it impossible for Elder Lian to utter only a single scream.

Secondly, if a human kills, they usually use weapons, like swords or blades.

But this wound was irregular, resembling a beast’s claw mark.

"What demonic beast is it! Island Master, find that beast and kill it, avenge Uncle-Master Lian!" roared a brawny man in black robes.

"It's impossible to confirm based solely on the claw marks," Gu Yong said. "Moreover, some of the demonic beasts at the bottom of this lake for thousands of years might be entirely unknown to the outside world. The deceased is gone; vengeance depends on opportunity, but we cannot afford to be careless again and suffer a surprise attack from a demonic beast! Underwater, these beasts move silently. Furthermore, being accustomed to the darkness down here for years, they can see far where we cannot."

The elders secretly trembled.

In the pitch black, the demonic beasts could swim up silently with their limbs and launch a surprise attack! If one were careless and found themselves alone, they could easily be killed.

Gu Yong surveyed the group: "Elders, down here in the lakebed, you must never let your guard down. We've been down here long enough; we need to ascend to catch our breath and properly consider how to enter... this Heavenly Flood Palace. Come, let's return to the cave entrance first."

Immediately, the twelve Xiantian experts turned back, carrying Elder Lian's corpse.

...

Teng Qingshan watched the twelve 'lanterns' recede into the distance. He couldn't help but glance towards the Heavenly Flood Palace, several dozen zhang away. In Teng Qingshan's view... the palace appeared like a gargantuan, greenish mass lurking at the bottom of the lake, causing a sense of dread. And the green eyes of the Golden Dragon Turtle at the palace gate were actually looking in Teng Qingshan's direction.

"It saw me!" Teng Qingshan thought, alarmed.

If he could see the Golden Dragon Turtle, then the beast, which could likely see equally well in the dark, could see him too.

"Hoo~~" The Golden Dragon Turtle let out a very faint roar, still sprawled at the palace entrance.

"Hm?" Teng Qingshan sensed...

This Golden Dragon Turtle seemed to harbor a degree of goodwill toward him, unlike the hostility it showed the people from Azure Lake Island.

"That Golden Dragon Turtle is an incomparably terrifying demonic beast! Even a notch stronger than the Purple Light Flood Dragon. Since it guards this Heavenly Flood Palace, it must be the most fearsome beast in the entire lakebed. Regardless, I should keep my distance. Otherwise, being killed in one move would leave no room for regret." Teng Qingshan dared not provoke a beast more terrifying than the Purple Light Flood Dragon easily.

He immediately retreated far away, tailing the twelve from Azure Lake Island.

In fact, Teng Qingshan felt a lingering fear when recalling his infiltration of the Cold Jade Pool years ago.

Back then, having grown up in the Teng Family Village, he knew too little about the Nine Provinces Continent. It was a case of 'fools rush in where angels fear to tread'! With his strongest plan realized and his Grandmaster realm restored, he thought his strength was sufficient, yet he dared to provoke the Purple Light Flood Dragon. Fortunately, he jumped off the cliff and escaped quickly; otherwise, he might truly have been killed by the beast.

**

Teng Qingshan stealthily followed, maintaining a distance of fifty zhang from the Azure Lake Island group. At this range, the experts of Azure Lake Island could never detect him.

It must be said that the Xiantian experts of Azure Lake Island were far slower underwater than they were on land.

Teng Qingshan's body moved as if boneless, his legs undulating slightly, his hands occasionally providing propulsion. He darted forward like a fish. In terms of underwater stealth and speed, those Xiantian experts couldn't match even one-tenth of Teng Qingshan's capability. For Xiantian experts, traveling underwater was purely a drain on their Xiantian True Essence.

Following a straight line, they spent more than half an hour.

"Splash! Splash!"

The Xiantian experts from Azure Lake Island surfaced one by one, proceeding through the network of interconnected caves. Teng Qingshan's eyes emerged from the water, observing the Azure Lake Island group moving dozens of zhang away until they rounded a corner.

Teng Qingshan continued to trail them. Once fully out of the water, Teng Qingshan suddenly dropped prone, pressing his ear against the rocky ground.

"They should be about twenty zhang around the left bend... twenty-five, thirty zhang, hmm, they've stopped," Teng Qingshan rose and moved cautiously to the bend. "Someone might be ambushing at the turn." He lightly leaped, driving his hands into the rock wall at the top of the water passage. His entire body—hands, legs, and abdomen—clung flat against the cliff face, making him look like a gecko adhering to the ceiling.

From this vantage point, Teng Qingshan had a clear view of the path ahead around the corner.

Teng Qingshan had overestimated the people from Azure Lake Island. Their experts never suspected they were being tracked, nor did they suspect a human was responsible for killing Elder Lian. Thus, there was no ambush at the bend.

Thirty zhang ahead...

The twelve experts of Azure Lake Island were seated on chairs, resting.

"They really know how to enjoy themselves," Teng Qingshan sneered.

The Azure Lake Island contingent had long since brought chairs, tables, food, and fine wine to the bottom of the Bottomless Pit, allowing Gu Yong and the others to rest comfortably without needing to climb back to the surface.

However, the twelve members of Azure Lake Island were in no mood for drinking.

The death of Elder Lian and the existence of the Golden Dragon Turtle made everyone agitated.

Gu Yong spoke: "Elders, it’s been nearly eight hours since last night. None of us have rested properly. Later, we will ascend, handle Elder Lian’s body first, then rest well, eat lunch, and only then resume our search in the lakebed toward evening."

"Entering the lakebed—what good will it do? The Golden Dragon Turtle is right at the entrance of the Heavenly Flood Palace," the brawny man in black robes said gloomily.

"The Golden Dragon Turtle! Records state it possesses infinite strength. Merely spitting three puffs of energy could send a Xiantian Solid Elixir expert twenty-plus zhang away. And that's just the force from its breath. If it swung a claw, even a Xiantian Golden Core expert would surely die," sighed a white-haired elder in white robes.

"The Golden Dragon Turtle has the strongest defense among demonic beasts. Even if it fought us right here, we couldn't harm it in the slightest."

Everyone felt disheartened.

Humans have the Void Realm; demonic beasts also have existences comparable to the Void Realm. Of course, from ancient times to the present, the most powerful demonic beasts discovered were only comparable to Void Realm experts. None have reached the level of Emperor Yu or the Qinling Heavenly Emperor—a Void Realm demonic beast.

There was another term for such a level of beast: Divine Beast!

People generally showed great respect toward such beasts and were reluctant to provoke them.

"Today, that Golden Dragon Turtle only issued a warning to us, spitting a few breaths. The next time... if the Golden Dragon Turtle becomes truly enraged, it might attack," Yuwen Liufeng frowned. "The Dragon Turtle is a beast strong in defense but slow in movement. However, that refers to the beast dozens of zhang in size, resembling a small mountain—the Azure Dragon Turtle! When an Azure Dragon Turtle transforms into a Golden Dragon Turtle, shrinking to three or four zhang, its speed also increases. Perhaps it might not be as fast as some beasts specialized in speed. But it certainly won't be slower than us."

If it lacked the weakness of slow movement, the Golden Dragon Turtle was truly an invincible existence.

Zhao Danchen scoffed: "In a real fight, perhaps none of us twelve would survive."

...

Listening to the anxious and helpless state of the Azure Lake Island men, Teng Qingshan sneered inwardly: "What use is it to expend such effort to obtain the treasure map? Just the Golden Dragon Turtle leaves you helpless! It would be best... if an Azure Lake Island Void Realm expert came over to spar with the Golden Dragon Turtle!"

Teng Qingshan eagerly anticipated witnessing such a scene.

A battle between a Void Realm expert and the Golden Dragon Turtle—who would live or die would be hard to say. If the Azure Lake Island Void Realm expert died, Teng Qingshan would be very pleased... but Azure Lake Island wasn't foolish enough to gamble their most crucial pillar.

"Island Master, Island Master!"

Just then, shouts were heard.

Teng Qingshan immediately turned to look.

A figure, gripping a vine, dropped down to the lakebed.

"What is it, making such a fuss?" Gu Yong frowned, as the other eleven Xiantian experts looked at the young disciple.

The young disciple spoke urgently: "This morning, our Azure Lake Island forces arrived rapidly at Great Yan Mountain. They say the current widespread rumor across the world claims that the Azure Lake Island army is stationed in Great Yan Mountain because we are preparing to excavate Emperor Yu’s treasure!" Cities could communicate via carrier pigeons.

The Azure Lake Island army also had carrier pigeons.

However, the various strongholds of Azure Lake Island had not trained pigeons to fly to Great Yan Mountain. Thus, messages could only be sent by fast horse, which was slower.

The Guiyuan Sect learned of this last night, while the Azure Lake Island army only found out this morning. They could only notify the Island Master Gu Yong and the others once they surfaced.

"What!" Gu Yong's expression changed drastically.

"Who spread it?" Even Zhao Danchen, usually very composed, glared sharply and shouted.

The young disciple jumped in fright and quickly stated: "It's spreading throughout the world now; perhaps everyone already knows."

"Everyone knows..." Gu Yong muttered, completely stunned by this 'everyone knows.' The other eleven Xiantian experts could no longer remain calm.

...

"Spreading throughout the world? Everyone knows?" Teng Qingshan, adhering to the rock wall like a gecko, was also slightly taken aback by this shocking news.