In the depths of the lake, the Nine Cauldrons left behind by Emperor Yu were also claimed by the various factions. The Ying Clan obtained two cauldrons, and the Mani Temple, utilizing their sheer strength, secured another two.

The Beast King 'Wu Hou' also seized two, and Teng Qingshan himself held two, bringing the total count to eight. The final cauldron fell into the hands of a master from the Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain.

This meant that: The four major sects—the Carefree Palace, Hongtian City, the Snow Eagle Sect, and Qinghu Island—failed to acquire a single cauldron. Among them, the masters of the Carefree Palace had all been slain by the Beast King 'Wu Hou'.

"Island Master, this message came from the Ying Clan; they claim that Qin Lang is Teng Qingshan, disguised by a human-skin mask," General Lan explained, having dispersed to search for the cauldrons. "However, it seems unlikely that a seventeen-year-old like Teng Qingshan would possess Xiantian Solid Core strength.

Yet, the Ying Clan has no reason to lie in front of so many experts. It serves them no purpose." Zhao Danchen’s brows knitted together as he gritted his teeth: "Whether Qin Lang is Teng Qingshan or not, I don't care!

But... this Qin Lang must be killed!" Gu Yong and his group of five were advancing rapidly through the water.

"Whether Qin Lang is Teng Qingshan will be clear soon enough... For now, regardless of anything else, we from Qinghu Island must kill Qin Lang and claim the last two cauldrons!" Gu Yong's gaze was like a blade, his expression somewhat fierce.

"That Qin Lang is less than two li directly ahead. Elder Zhao, you are the fastest." "Rest assured." Zhao Danchen’s body flared with light, and his speed surged.

"Only these final two cauldrons remain," Gu Yong murmured, his heart trembling slightly. Qinghu Island had suffered devastating losses this time.

They arrived with thirteen Xiantian experts, but now only five remained. A full eight Xiantian experts had perished!

For Qinghu Island, this felt like having a chunk of flesh brutally carved from their heart. They were the ones who had obtained the map in the first place; they should have claimed everything.

The thought filled him with urgency and rage! "The last two cauldrons—we must, absolutely must obtain them!" Gu Yong’s eyes were bloodshot, like a desperate gambler.

Hoo! Hoo!

In the dark lake water, each cauldron emanated a dazzling golden light; even from several li away, the faint golden halo was discernible. But the Ying Clan, Mani Temple, and Beast King 'Wu Hou' each had two, and the Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain had one—no one dared challenge them.

But Qin Lang was clearly a soft target! "The golden light is over there, hurry and chase!" "Block him!" "Both cauldrons are in Teng Qingshan’s hands, hurry up, everyone!" ...

Speed on land differed vastly from speed underwater. Down here, no one could truly run; they could only suspend themselves in the water while expending vast amounts of Xiantian True Essence to churn the water and accelerate their progress!

Among the vast procession of several dozen Xiantian experts, the Beast King 'Wu Hou' possessed the most astonishing speed. Whoosh~~~ Following a continuously twisting trajectory, like a serpent, the Beast King 'Wu Hou', clutching two cauldrons, closed in on Teng Qingshan at an incredible velocity.

"Zhao Danchen, you're lagging behind," Wu Hou scoffed, overtaking Zhao Danchen and pressing onward. Zhao Danchen clenched his jaw in fury.

"This Wu Hou, I truly don't know what freak materialized from nowhere!" Zhao Danchen cursed inwardly. A man with no sect or affiliation had achieved terrifying accomplishments in every aspect.

Though Wu Hou and Zhao Danchen were pursuing, some individuals who had an advantage had already begun intercepting Teng Qingshan the moment he started fleeing. "Hmm?" Two figures landed on the lakebed.

Before them, a brilliant golden light shone. "We were tricked!" one of them exclaimed as he dug down, his face changing drastically.

"It’s those golden orbs." "That Qin Lang removed these two golden orbs from the cauldron lids," the two quickly pocketed the orbs. At least these golden orbs were part of the treasure.

Although they didn't know the exact function of these orbs, they must possess some unique quality. At the very least, they had already discovered the ability to repel water.

"Haha, you two idiots! Did that Teng Qingshan not realize the golden orbs would reveal his identity, so he pried them off?" Wu Hou’s laughter echoed as he swiftly moved forward.

"Chase quickly." The two figures sped up their pursuit. Ahead of Wu Hou, three Xiantian experts from the Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain were giving chase; they could already see a faint point of light in the distance.

"Only half a li left, hurry! Once we get closer, within range, he won't escape," one said.

"Hmph, if Martial Uncle Wang were here, even with half a li between us, he could have seriously injured this Qin Lang," another lamented. Since these three were unencumbered, their speed was greater than Teng Qingshan’s.

The distance between them was constantly shrinking. ...

Teng Qingshan grasped the two large cauldrons with both hands, his Xiantian True Essence rapidly draining. But these cauldrons, nearly half a person’s height, created incredible resistance underwater, slowing Teng Qingshan’s speed to less than half of what it was when unburdened.

"Those three behind me are getting closer again," Teng Qingshan glanced back, his expression shifting slightly. "About two hundred meters away!

Carrying these two cauldrons, I can't use my hands to paddle. Plus, the added resistance...

If I didn't have these cauldrons, I would have shaken them off long ago." The distance between the three pursuers and Teng Qingshan continued to close. "One hundred fifty meters!" Teng Qingshan grew anxious.

Once trapped and surrounded by more experts, he wouldn't just lose the cauldrons; he might lose his life. "Should I abandon these two cauldrons?" Teng Qingshan looked at the two massive vessels in his hands.

"The Spirit of the North Sea... the Spirit of the North Sea contained within two cauldrons!

But these cauldrons prevent my hands from propelling me." As his gaze swept over the light barrier covering the cauldrons, a flash of inspiration sparked in his mind. His eyes suddenly lit up.

"Haha, I am such an idiot, such an idiot, haha..." A look of excited laughter spread across Teng Qingshan's face. ...

"Only fifty zhang left, let’s hurry; he cannot escape," the three Xiantian experts from the Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain were agitated. "Almost there." The three swam desperately, beams of Xiantian True Essence erupting from their bodies.

Just then— Whoosh! "Huh?" The faces of the three changed drastically.

"Why has Qin Lang’s speed suddenly increased so much?" "So fast!" "We can't catch him." Their expressions darkened. In their sight, the previously faint halo in the distance suddenly intensified, seemingly engulfing Teng Qingshan entirely.

Immediately, Teng Qingshan's speed underwater surged violently, appearing to be two to three times his previous pace. The distance between them rapidly widened, pulling back to half a li in an instant.

"Hmm, why is this kid getting faster and faster?" A figure arrived next to the three Xiantian masters from the Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain—it was the Beast King 'Wu Hou'. "So fast underwater.

Even faster than my full exertion?" ... "Trying to chase me?

In your dreams!" Teng Qingshan felt exhilarated. At this moment, Teng Qingshan was enveloped in a shield of Xiantian True Essence.

However, this shield was not circular but constantly shifting in shape. The True Essence around Teng Qingshan’s legs had morphed into the shape of a giant fish tail.

As Teng Qingshan’s legs slapped up and down against the water flow, this giant fish tail propelled him forward. Slapping up and down, each strike sent Teng Qingshan flying forward like an arrow.

Furthermore, the light barriers on the two great cauldrons in his hands had adopted a streamlined shape, reducing drag to an absolute minimum. "I truly was foolish!

Fish swim fast in the water because their body shape is optimized for swimming. The human shape inherently limits swimming speed.

Even a world champion swimmer from my previous life cannot compare to the speed of a real fish. This is dictated by innate structure," Teng Qingshan was ecstatic.

"And this Xiantian True Essence shield isn't just for storing air; it can also alter my shape underwater." The dispersed Xiantian True Essence transformed Teng Qingshan into a 'great fish'. Most importantly, this 'great fish' possessed immense power.

Each sweep of the fish tail created turbulent undercurrents in the surrounding water. Hoo!

Hoo! He shot forward like an arrow, like lightning.

"Haha, my current speed must be much faster than when I wasn't carrying the cauldrons," Teng Qingshan watched as those behind him were effortlessly left further and further behind. Because the distance was too great, others could only perceive Teng Qingshan as a streak of red light, completely missing the secret to his speed.

In the water, transforming into the shape of a fish using Xiantian True Essence—these Xiantian experts rarely spent time underwater, and their fixed mindsets prevented them from ever considering such a possibility. Perhaps...

they had never contemplated the principle behind why fish swim so fast. Teng Qingshan, however, who had studied the physics behind human swimsuits in his past life, grasped this concept in a flash of inspiration.

It sounded simple, but without breaking through the fixed mindset, it was unthinkable. "Hmm, people from the Heavenly Hawk Sect?

They are Xiantian Solid Core, not much of a threat," Teng Qingshan spotted two figures to his front-left. With his night vision in the dark water, he easily identified their affiliation.

The 'Heavenly Flood Palace' labyrinth was vast; Teng Qingshan was near the center, while the other major sects were scattered. If Teng Qingshan fled in one direction, some sects were naturally positioned several li ahead of him and could easily intercept him.

"Hmph, trying to chase me? Impossible." Teng Qingshan’s great fish tail, conjured from Xiantian True Essence, slapped the water flow hard, and with a whoosh, Teng Qingshan pierced the water and shot forward at extreme speed toward the front-right.

But after only a moment of moving right, Teng Qingshan’s expression tightened. "Those are the Xiantian Golden Core experts from Hongtian City." Teng Qingshan saw two figures about half a li ahead—both belonged to Hongtian City.

"I still can't afford to provoke Xiantian Golden Core masters right now; I’ll go left instead. Those two Xiantian Solid Core masters from the Heavenly Hawk Sect don't threaten me." Teng Qingshan flicked his great fish tail.

Hoo! He turned again and swam toward the front-left.

Having comprehended how to transform into a fish shape underwater, coupled with his dark vision, Teng Qingshan could easily spot and avoid powerful experts from afar, opting to tackle the easier targets. "The most important thing is never to get too close, lest they discover the secret of my speed!

But... even if they saw that my shape resembled a fish, would they understand the underlying principle?" Teng Qingshan mused.

Of course, he wouldn't take the risk. "Qin Lang is over there!" "He's coming toward our position, block him!" The two from the Snow Eagle Sect were thrilled.

When he was about two hundred meters from the two Snow Eagle Sect experts, the 'great fish' light shield covering Teng Qingshan’s body dissolved, retaining only the streamlined conical covers on the two cauldrons. His speed abruptly fell by more than half.

"It’s still hard to escape. Even if I could barely flee using the 'fish shape,' they would see my fish-shaped shield," Teng Qingshan gave a cold smile.

"I'll deal with these two."