Chapter 49: Chapter 45: Water-Resistant Pearl and the Miraculous Golden Light

The main factor that lured Gu Yuan to the Cloud Cliff Shell Field was not the Shell Pearls that could help him break through his cultivation, nor the mysterious "Dharma Body Seal" in the Cave Mansion before him.

It was the mysterious and unpredictable "Golden Opportunity."

A golden legend, an opportunity capable of reversing fate itself.

This is the true great serendipity.

Everything before was just trifles.

Gu Yuan was intensely desirous.

But upon his arrival at the Cloud Cliff Shell Field, his heart sank halfway.

The Stone Liquid indicated that the opportunity lay very deep in the Water Vein, at a location even Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivators might not dare to venture.

Gu Yuan was only at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer. Forget about magical combat underwater; even the water pressure at those depths could be deadly.

In light of this, Gu Yuan kept his desire suppressed and did not make a move.

He simply followed the routine—taking the Shell King, seizing the half-silver opportunity, capitalizing on all benefits he could first.

But now, there seemed to be a glimmer of hope for peeking into the Golden Opportunity.

"Lan Tianlu entered the sixth layer from the fifth without entering the water, through the peak of the cave?"

"Could a passage exist within the cliff wall, so one need not enter the water, but proceed downward all the way?"

Gu Yuan gazed at the damaged cave ceiling, lost in thought.

Lan Tianlu had broken through the cliff wall and descended vertically, but the cave was spiral, like a staircase pierced through, with the side direction still extending greatly.

"Let’s try first!"

Gu Yuan retrieved a cyan paper crane from Lan Tianlu’s spoils of war. Activating it with mana, he maneuvered the crane into the cave to start exploring.

The cyan paper crane, small in form but exceedingly fast, darted into the cave and soon disappeared.

Gu Yuan closed his eyes, spiritual sense attached to it, striving to perceive the cave’s environment through the crane.

Yet, as a Qi Refining stage magical item, the crane lacked spiritual nature, so Gu Yuan couldn’t distinctly sense everything around through it.

However, the general situation still surfaced in his mind.

The cave was deep and boundless, spiraling down with no end in sight, a continuous downward passage, as though the entire solitary peak had been pierced through.

"Roar!"

But then, suddenly, a fierce roar erupted from the darkness. The paper crane, caught in intense flames, instantly turned to ash and disappeared.

Gu Yuan’s spiritual sense suffered slight damage, a faint sting in his eyes as he opened them.

"That just now... was it an Earth Flame Fire Lizard?"

The crane was obliterated in a flash, yet in a fleeting glance, Gu Yuan sensed the creature’s form.

It was an oddly red-brown lizard, sprawled between the cliffs, with ghostly blue eyes.

"The Earth Flame Fire Lizard, a demon of the volcanic cave, loves fire, dwells in groups, possesses a strong territorial instinct, not to be lightly intruded upon."

The records in the Scripture Pavilion immediately surfaced in Gu Yuan’s mind regarding this beast.

The beast boasted considerable prowess, its entire body marked with domineering fire demon patterns, enough to overwhelm ordinary Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivators. Crucially... this beast loved companionship.

Generally, upon sighting the first Earth Flame Fire Lizard, ten others are already lurking in the darkness.

"It seems this cave is not a passageway but rather the den of Earth Flame Fire Lizards. The lizard swarm bored through the cliff cave, claiming it as their territory, feeding on the Earth Vein Fire Power within."

Gu Yuan quickly pieced together the situation, shaking his head with a bitter smile.

Although the solitary peak at the Cloud Cliff Shell Field lay in water, it contained fire veins within, maintaining a Yin-Yang balance, forming the Shell Field.

And now, besides creating Shell Pearls, it also nurtured various demon beasts.

"If it were just a single beast, there might be a way through, but if it’s a swarm, I must abandon the attempt..."

Gu Yuan looked somewhat helpless, yet still reluctant to give up. He retrieved ten more cyan paper cranes from his Storage Bag, allowing his spiritual sense to attach to them, and again sent them flying towards the cave.

The cave remained dark and abyssal, spiraling down with no apparent end, destination unknown.

"Roar!"

This time, the cranes flew even less distance than before before a red-brown flame destroyed them.

"Roar!"

On top of that, more enraged sounds erupted in the darkness, and soon all nine remaining paper cranes turned to ash.

"I really shouldn’t have entertained any wishful thinking!"

Feeling the slight sting at his forehead, Gu Yuan could not help but sigh.

Indeed, social beasts are not to be provoked lightly.

The creatures seemed aware of the intruder, as though advancing upwards in the cave.

"I can’t stay here any longer!"

"In that case, I can only attempt the strategy of risking everything for a final try, whether it succeeds or not, I’ll attempt it just this once!"

As plan A failed, Gu Yuan decisively gave up and turned his attention to the emerald green Treasure Pearl on the stone platform.

The Treasure Pearl glows brilliantly, crystal clear, with what seems like turbulent water inside, yet it exudes a peculiar aura of dryness.

This is one of the two rare treasures in the cave.

The Water-Resistant Pearl!

This pearl remains unblemished for a thousand years and unyielding for ten thousand, born from the water veins of the sea, and has only one function—to repel water!

With this pearl in hand, all waters part way, allowing one to traverse great rivers and enter depths of a thousand feet unimpeded.

However, apart from this, it offers no advantage in magical combat.

It permits entry into the water but does not turn one into the Sea Dragon King.

It must be known that the pressure underwater is limitless. A common cultivator may attempt a fire technique, only for it to be snuffed out beforehand by the endless deep waters.

No sword seal, no matter how peerless, can penetrate the dense waters of a thousand feet to kill.

Simply put, the depths of the water are not places where a Qi Refining Cultivator can casually tread.

Entering is possible, but if confronted by a demon beast, one would be no different from an ordinary mortal.

Gu Yuan, at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, even with the Water Element Seal, finds it difficult to slay through the endless waters, so entering means taking a risk.

Yet, with a golden opportunity ahead, Gu Yuan still wishes to take a bold gamble.

If the situation turns dire, he can withdraw immediately.

But not even trying would leave him dissatisfied.

"Let’s go!"

Having made up his mind, he hesitated no longer.

Gu Yuan picked up the Water-Resistant Pearl and Void Nether Jade, then activated the Dharma Seal, heading out. Once beyond the sixth-layer Water Cave, he made a plunge, swiftly swimming towards the depths of the water vein.

...

"Splash!"

The force of the water below the sixth layer of the Water Cave grew increasingly violent.

Not only was there sheer water pressure, but there was also an inexplicable force, blending into the water currents, stirring them to a thunderous roar.

Most crucially, the deeper he went, the wider the gaps between each layer of the Water Cave became, each separated by dozens of zhang. To reach the ninth layer, he must dive a hundred zhang deep.

This depth was already tremendous.

If not for the Water-Resistant Pearl, Gu Yuan would have long been crushed by the terrifying pressure.

Even though the Water-Resistant Pearl was extraordinary, at this depth, it could barely protect Gu Yuan within a zhang’s range, unlike in the sixth-layer Water Cave where it swept away all waters.

Besides the terrifying depth, formidable water demons stared hungrily from below.

"Glug glug!"

He noticed not far from him a large black claw, lurking on the cliff of the ninth-layer Water Cave, with ghostly green eyes fixed on two green-robed cultivators engaged in magical combat within the cave.

When the sandpiper and the clam grapple, the fisherman wins.

This was a truth even demon beasts understood.

No one knew how long this black claw had cultivated, but it had attained a high level of spiritual nature, stealthily lurking outside the Water Cave, hoping to reap the benefits of the fisherman’s gain.

Gu Yuan halted, not daring to act rashly.

The Void Nether Jade allowed him to hide, but within the ninth-layer Water Cave, both demon beasts and cultivators surpassed him by three levels, able to see through his presence.

However, there was still some distance between them, and as Gu Yuan remained still, the black claw did not notice him.

"Splash!"

It was unclear how much time had passed, but the magical combat in the Water Cave was nearing its end. A pale-faced young cultivator swept with his sword seal, slashing down a formidable foe, though he too was gravely injured.

At this, the black claw hesitated no more, issuing an eerie call as it moved in for the kill.

A demon beast ambushing the Human Race—a first for Gu Yuan to witness.

Yet he dared not alert them, only silently watching.

Once the black claw had vanished, Gu Yuan began to dive once more.

With this plunge, a long time passed.

Now he was nearing the muddy seabed and the base of a lonely peak.

It seemed there was no further path down.

But Gu Yuan, in an unusual direction, made a sharp dive towards the cliff.

"Pop!"

The cliff seemed to ripple gently, and Gu Yuan appeared to pass through a transparent membrane, revealing a deep cave mouth.

The cave mouth was dark, but Gu Yuan felt a surge of joy.

Indeed, there was a path to dive further behind the cliff.

The cave entrance was dim, unfathomable, yet a hint of gold meandered at the bottom.

This golden light was not dazzling, but it exuded a sense of immortality as if resisting the erosion of time.