Shi Ming’s eyes lit up.

He was close.

It had to be nearby.

The treasure map, upgraded by the Brain of Creation, only showed a set of coordinates. Trying to find the exact location of the ruins on the bottom of the Endless Ocean using just vague longitude and latitude would take a considerable amount of effort.

But discovering a buried structure meant the target wasn’t far.

Shi Ming focused his concentration and continued his search.

The Sea of Yellow Sand was an ocean that had formed after the land sank. It was very shallow compared to the Old Sea, but at a depth of nearly 2,000 meters, the seafloor was still extremely dark.

Even with Shi Ming’s excellent night vision, he could only see a few hundred meters clearly. Fortunately, with the Sea Patrol Radar of his General-level Wandering Ship, he could remotely detect parts of the seabed’s topography and filter out areas where ruins might be exposed.

The process wasn’t smooth.

The floor of the Sea of Yellow Sand lacked coral and various biological buildups. The loose, sandy substrate had become a nesting ground for many Sand Worm-type sea creatures. Among them were some slightly more powerful ones, even reaching D-class strength, and they were numerous, swarming to harass him at any sound.

Finally, with no other choice, Shi Ming kept his Ice Annihilation Power released.

The heat-loving Sand Worms immediately fell silent.

They all retreated back into the yellow sand, refusing to come out again.

Following the clues, Shi Ming searched the seabed for about seven or eight nautical miles.

A colossal, somber, square-based pyramid slowly materialized at the edge of Shi Ming’s vision. The hundred-meter-tall pyramidal tower stood silently in the dark depths, like a gargantuan, deathly still beast waiting on the ocean floor.

If seen up close, it was immense.

But in an environment like the deep sea, it seemed as insignificant as a pebble.

Shi Ming felt a sense of being "a mayfly between heaven and earth, a single grain in the vast ocean."

The yellow sand that had once buried the Pyramid had long been cleared away by the undercurrents.

Its entire structure, along with its stone base, was completely exposed.

...

’The work of gods!’

’It’s hard to imagine that the ancients, thousands of years ago, could have completed such a magnificent creation.’

’And the Scorpion King’s Pyramid shows so few signs of erosion?’

’I suppose that makes sense. It was buried deep in the desert for millennia and was only washed clean after sinking into the sea. And this type of stone is quite corrosion-resistant, so there probably isn’t a major risk of collapse.’

Shi Ming drew closer, touching the stone at the tower’s base as he marveled.

’I still need to find a way in first.’

’Let’s see where the entrance is.’

Shi Ming circled the tower, searching for a way to enter.

Soon, at the base of the Pyramid, he discovered a circular door. The heavy stone slab partially blocked the only entrance, having already half-collapsed under the force of the undersea currents.

The half-open tomb door looked like an invitation from the devil.

A large amount of yellow sand had seeped inside.

The winding interior could not be scouted by the naked eye.

’In I go!’

Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

He had the Dinglan Pearl, a body with a Defense Power of 126, and the "Defense Mode" of his General-level Wandering Ship, the *Shedi*! 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Even if the Pyramid collapsed, he could still forge a path out to safety!

He piloted the *Shedi*, gently nudging open the circular tomb door. He activated both its Submerge Mode and Defense Mode, then deftly navigated the mysterious, dark passageway.

The tomb passage was dim and shadowy, its bricks mottled with age.

Entering it felt like being in a horror movie.

’A pretty good place to film a ghost movie.’

Shi Ming grumbled to himself.

This place was far more terrifying than any ghost movie. The claustrophobic passage was filled with seawater, yellow sand cascaded down from the entrance, and strange creatures had made their homes inside. The abstract carvings on the stone walls on either side only made the atmosphere more bizarre.

He saw a rope tied to a stone pillar.

The rope suddenly came undone. Like a nimble little snake, it swiftly wrapped around the *Shedi*, then tried to wind its way toward Shi Ming to plunge its sharp, slippery end into his body.

BANG!

This mimic Sea Serpent froze solid from the inside out and shattered into pieces.

He had to admit, from a certain perspective, the Ice Annihilation Power was absurdly practical.

Then, the commotion aboard the *Shedi* was like a stone dropped into calm water. With a few SWOOSHING sounds, dozens of identical creatures burst from the settled sand in the tomb chamber. Like swaying tentacles, they all shot toward Shi Ming.

A chill flashed in Shi Ming’s eyes.

The rope-like deep-sea creatures all fell permanently silent.

’They don’t even count as D-class sea beasts.’

’Maybe there really isn’t much danger in here?’

Despite this thought, Shi Ming didn’t let down his guard. He carefully navigated the long tomb passage, which was being inundated with yellow sand, observing the murals on the corridor walls as he went.

The murals were of high artistic quality. If they had been discovered during the Land Era, it would have definitely caused a major earthquake in the world of archaeology.

The mural on the left recorded the glory and achievements of Scorpion King III’s life.

"He conquered cities and seized lands; everywhere his iron hooves trod became his territory."

"On the day of victory, he stood upon a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, his legendary might echoing throughout the land."

"His subjects knelt at his feet, begging for boons. His enemies knelt at his feet, begging for forgiveness."

The mural on the right... told a story.

"Mola City was beset by troubles from within and without. The young Red King ascended the throne. A meteorite fell from the sky, crashing into this land."

"A strangely dressed Female Warlock found the meteorite and presented it to the Red King. She brought with her a divine revelation, claiming it could solve Mola City’s predicament."

"The young king, Red King III, accepted the meteorite and the divine revelation."

"He used a part of the Meteorite Core to feed his giant beast, and thus was born a terrifying monster that could change the color of the heavens and the earth, its oppressive might shocking the world."

"He used the method provided by the Female Warlock to control his subjects. The life, death, honor, and disgrace of his thousands of subjects were all decided by his single thought."

"He became the undisputed king."

The murals were abstract, but not difficult to understand. Shi Ming could clearly see the life of the Scorpion King in them. In the final panel, he saw the Scorpion King standing atop a giant scorpion. At the end of the scepter in his hand was an inlaid, glittering gem, and beneath the gem were four abstract symbols.

"■■■■"

He felt like he had seen those symbols somewhere before,

but he couldn’t recall where at all.

But the story in the murals...

...sent a chill down Shi Ming’s spine.

That Meteorite Core could be used to raise a creature comparable to an A-class or even S-class sea beast, and it could also upgrade a King-level Wandering Ship. The method provided by the Female Warlock could control subjects, giving the king power over their life and death with a single thought... wasn’t that exactly the same as the Wandering Ships on the Endless Ocean now, and the network inside everyone’s mind?

Why would such modern technological products,

have such an unimaginable "resonance" and overlap with history from thousands of years ago?

Shi Ming couldn’t imagine it.