Deep beneath the dark, gloomy underground lake, sixty faintly luminous lanterns hovered, and before them lay the Tianhong Water Palace, sunk into the lakebed, its depths unseen.
The people of Qinghu Island were utterly unwilling to lead the way any further.
The other factions present were now harboring their own intentions. Previously, when Qinghu Island was leading the search for Emperor Yu’s palace, the forty-nine innate experts had been united in purpose. But... now that the Tianhong Water Palace was before them, and the thought of Emperor Yu’s treasure lying within, everyone's thoughts began to wander.
“Brother Qin Lang, we must separate from those great sects later. Otherwise… even if we find Emperor Yu’s treasure together, with the strength of those major sects, we certainly won't get a share. If we separate, maybe we can find it first, grab it, and leave!” the white-robed youth, ‘Liu Xiu,’ murmured to Teng Qingshan.
Teng Qingshan nodded slightly.
Simultaneously, Teng Qingshan noticed that the surrounding great sects and others were also lowering their voices to discuss matters quietly. However, since they huddled close, keeping their voices down, and being underwater, Teng Qingshan could only catch snippets of their conversations.
“In Great Yan Mountain, these innate experts could remain united. But here at the Tianhong Water Palace…” Teng Qingshan shook his head inwardly, “Once we find Emperor Yu’s treasure, it will likely lead to slaughter. Still, that golden Dragon Turtle… I wonder if so many people together can deal with it.”
“Haha… Island Master Gu.” The Beast King, ‘Wu Hou,’ laughed heartily. “You people from Qinghu Island have entered the Tianhong Water Palace once before. Do you know what dangers lie within?”
Regardless of the schemes brewing in their hearts, all the other factions now looked toward Qinghu Island's ‘Gu Yong,’ hoping to learn about the dangers within the Tianhong Water Palace beforehand would be much safer.
Gu Yong swept his gaze across the crowd: “As I said before, there are quite a few monstrous beasts in the Tianhong Water Palace! Moreover, some of those beasts are extremely powerful. That’s how my Qinghu Island suffered losses. And we were attacked by beasts immediately upon entering the Tianhong Water Palace. As for the deeper parts of the palace, we do not know.”
“However, according to the map, the Tianhong Water Palace is where Emperor Yu’s treasure is located,” Gu Yong added.
“Hmph, who couldn't guess that upon seeing the Tianhong Water Palace?” ‘Ying Haojiang,’ the leader of the nine black-robed enforcers from the Ying Clan, looked at the palace. “To build such architecture beneath the water… besides the Qinling Heavenly Emperor, ancestor of my clan, only Emperor Yu, Patriarch Shakyamuni, and Li Taibai could manage it. This palace, even if it isn't Emperor Yu’s, must belong to one of the other three.”
Everyone clearly understood.
Any grand palace constructed by one of the four supreme experts was worth exploring.
“If you all choose not to enter, we will proceed first.”
Ying Haojiang spoke coldly.
Immediately, the nine black-robed enforcers of the Ying Clan walked together toward the palace entrance, ten-odd zhang, ten zhang, eight zhang…
“Fortune favors the bold, the timid starve. Let’s follow them.” The six individuals from Hongtian City also fell in behind.
In the rush to seize Emperor Yu’s treasure, whoever entered first naturally held an advantage. Of course… entering first also meant facing greater danger. Fortune and peril existed side by side.
“Island Master?” Zhao Danchen looked toward Gu Yong, who was frowning thoughtfully. Why hasn't that golden Dragon Turtle appeared yet? Right… this palace covers an area of at least ten li in radius. That golden Dragon Turtle is probably in another part of the palace right now. It will take some time to reach this gate. Blast it, I let this group get a step ahead.
Teng Qingshan watched this scene silently.
“Roar~~~” Suddenly, that soul-shaking roar echoed from the pitch-black Tianhong Water Palace ahead, the sound deep and causing hearts to tremble. The palace was completely dark, and combined with the reverence for ‘Emperor Yu’ and this abrupt sound, it made many innate experts jump back in fright.
“Retreat!”
With a loud shout, the nine black-robed enforcers of the Ying Clan, who had advanced slowly, retreated with startling speed like nine swift arrows. The six innate experts from Hongtian City following them also rapidly retreated!
In an instant, they pulled back more than ten zhang from the palace gate.
“Buzz~~” The once pitch-black gate of the Tianhong Water Palace suddenly emitted streaks of golden light, clearly visible within a radius of at least twenty zhang close to the gate.
All sixty innate experts watched this scene warily.
“How marvelous.” Liu Xiu, standing beside Teng Qingshan, exclaimed. Although this was the second time Teng Qingshan had witnessed such a sight, he was also inwardly astonished: “This underground palace has remained undamaged for thousands of years, and the gate can still emit golden light… Emperor Yu’s methods truly defy mortal imagination.”
Just then—
At the massive palace entrance, the golden Dragon Turtle, approximately three zhang long (seven and a half meters), appeared. The patterns on its shell were mottled, but the head it extended resembled that of a flood dragon, its mouth lined with interlocking sharp teeth like a saw. Its pair of greenish pupils looked particularly icy cold when they noticed the group from Qinghu Island.
Clearly, the Qinghu Island group had been warned last time, yet they still dared to come—this enraged the beast!
“Hiss~~” The golden Dragon Turtle let out a low growl.
“The golden Dragon Turtle!”
Among the sixty innate experts standing more than ten zhang away from the palace gate, several cries of alarm rang out, and disbelief flashed in the eyes of many.
“How can there be a golden Dragon Turtle here?”
“If it’s here, how can we possibly get in?”
These human experts were already considered figures standing at the pinnacle across the entire Nine Provinces continent. The only ones more powerful than them were Void Realm experts—a number so small it could be counted on one's fingers! These experts wielded astonishing influence across the Nine Provinces.
Yet, upon seeing the golden Dragon Turtle, they were dumbfounded.
Even if they saw a monstrous beast the size of a small mountain, these human experts wouldn't react with such terror.
“It’s a pity the golden Dragon Turtle showed up so early,” Gu Yong observed upon seeing this. “If it had waited until the nine from the Ying Clan entered, and then suddenly appeared! Humph, at least a few of those nine would have died. Especially Ying Haojiang… I wish the golden Dragon Turtle had smashed him into a pulp with one paw!”
The human experts each harbored their own differing thoughts.
“Gu Yong, there’s a golden Dragon Turtle, and you didn't say anything? What are your intentions?” The nine black-robed enforcers of the Ying Clan were furious.
“Last time we came, we didn't encounter the golden Dragon Turtle. It’s likely this palace only houses this single monstrous beast comparable to the Void Realm. It’s quite a coincidence that you ran into it right at the start. You’re lucky it was here. If you’d met it deeper inside, there would have been no time to escape,” Gu Yong replied with a faint smile.
The long-browed old monk from Moni Temple boomed: “Esteemed sirs, let’s put the recriminations aside. Now, the golden Dragon Turtle is blocking the gate; how do we get in?”
“A Dragon Turtle! And it has already transformed to gold. It’s immensely powerful, and its shell is practically indestructible. Standing there, no matter how we attack, we probably won’t even scratch it. Even a Void Realm expert would have a headache dealing with this golden Dragon Turtle.”
“Why discuss hypotheticals? Does anyone have a solution?”
The innate experts grew increasingly anxious.
After roaring twice, the golden Dragon Turtle settled down, its enormous body sprawled across the palace entrance, its eyes narrowed. Occasionally, a green light would flash from beneath its eyelids, sweeping over the tiny cluster of human experts.
“I’ll give it a try,” a deep voice sounded.
Everyone turned to see the disheveled ‘Beast King’ Wu Hou walking toward the palace gate. A group of people immediately watched him. Teng Qingshan was also slightly surprised: Wu Hou is ranked first on the Heaven Ranking, but no matter how powerful, he is only an innate Golden Core expert. How can he contend with a golden Dragon Turtle?
However, Teng Qingshan understood that being ranked first on the Heaven Ranking meant he must be very close to Void Realm experts.
It was similar to the Earth Ranking: the attack power of someone at the bottom of the Earth Ranking could reach a hundred thousand jin. But for those in the top ten, like ‘Thunder God Blade’ Wu Yue, the power of his single strike was far greater than ‘Blood Moon Blade’ Meng Tian, ranked near the bottom.
In the same vein, the attack power of the number one on the Earth Ranking was likely not far off that of an initial Void Realm Core expert.
By the same logic, being ranked first on the Heaven Ranking meant ‘Wu Hou’ could simultaneously handle several innate Golden Core experts. Even if he wasn't equal to a Void Realm expert, he was probably very close to someone who had just entered the Void Realm.
…
Wu Hou stopped seven or eight zhang from the palace gate.
“Hoo~~” Wu Hou let out a soft, low growl from his throat.
The golden Dragon Turtle, which had been squinting, immediately opened its eyes, its pair of green pupils fixed on ‘Wu Hou.’
“Hoo~ Heh~~” Wu Hou growled again.
“Roar~~” The golden Dragon Turtle actually responded with a roar.
Instantly, one human and one beast were engaged in a soft vocal exchange. The other fifty-nine innate experts were utterly stunned.
“Wow, the rumors are true! The Beast King ‘Wu Hou’ can really communicate with monstrous beasts,” the white-robed ‘Liu Xiu’ exclaimed in astonishment.
Teng Qingshan was equally dumbfounded.
There truly was every kind of person in the world; he could actually communicate with a monstrous beast! To humans, those roars might only sound like slight variations in pronunciation, changes in pitch and length, but otherwise, they couldn't discern any difference. Yet… the Beast King ‘Wu Hou’ and the golden Dragon Turtle were exchanging words.
“Perhaps… we really have a chance to get in.” Hope began to rise in the hearts of the innate experts present.
It was impossible to use force against the golden Dragon Turtle; perhaps a softer approach would be more effective.
There, in the depths of the lake, at the Tianhong Water Palace, one inside the gate and one outside, the man and the beast communicated. The other fifty-nine innate experts who couldn't understand could only wait foolishly.
“Hoo~~” Wu Hou let out a low, deep growl.
The golden Dragon Turtle, which had been lying down, actually stood up and raised its head, letting out a roar.
“What’s happening?” Everyone else couldn't understand, but they all sensed that something was amiss.
The Beast King ‘Wu Hou’ roared several more times.
This time, the golden Dragon Turtle did not roar back. Instead—
“Boom!” A mass of energy shot out from its mouth. Wu Hou swept his right arm across, and the energy blast struck his right arm. Wu Hou was blasted backward over ten zhang, landing right in the middle of the crowd.
“Brother Wu Hou, how was it?”
Everyone turned to look at the ‘Beast King’ Wu Hou.
“Even if I don’t say it, everyone should have guessed,” ‘Beast King’ Wu Hou shook his head helplessly. “There’s no way. Despite all my talking, this old Dragon Turtle flatly refuses to let us enter! But there is one piece of good news… this place is indeed where Emperor Yu’s treasure lies. Furthermore, this old Dragon Turtle is guarding it under Emperor Yu’s explicit orders.”
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