The No.1 Undercover in the Immortal World-Chapter 608 - 116: What should come out can’t be buried
After receiving the exploration mission, Lu Lihua immediately called upon her two friends, Bai Gan and Gao Qing, both of whom she had brought into Guanghan Palace, and with whom she had a fairly good relationship.
Guanghan Palace had not discovered the Southern Border background of the two, and everyone thought that Lu Lihua must have vetted their identities.
As for Lu Lihua, she felt that her job was just to recruit people into the sect, and that checking backgrounds and such should be the sect’s responsibility, right?
So, the only ones confused were Bai Gan and Gao Qing.
Do the Central Plains People always take on disciples so carelessly? Since that’s the case, why not bring out more people?
Objectively speaking, the Central Plains are much more comfortable than the Southern Border, with abundant resources, rich spiritual energy, and many wonderful spells.
Bai Gan was enamored with the way of formations in the Central Plains, already so content that he had no thoughts of returning to the South. Gao Qing, on the other hand, felt somewhat helpless; she had come to the Central Plains to look for her brother, Xu Xifeng, which was the last thing she needed to do. After that, it would be whatever she wanted to do, free from worries.
Only after following Lu Lihua to Ziyang City did Gao Qing realize that while it was easy enough to arrive, leaving was difficult.
With the current chaos of war in the Central Plains, low and middle-tier disciples were not allowed to enter or leave Ziyang City without orders, or else they would be treated as spies.
The identities of Gao Qing and Bai Gan were not exactly the kind to be exposed, so naturally they dared not act recklessly; they could only wait in Ziyang City. Fortunately, they were identified as newly initiated disciples with low cultivation levels, so their daily tasks were primarily focused on cultivation and did not involve being sent to the battlefield, just handling some miscellaneous chores.
Gathering intelligence in areas not occupied by the enemy also counted as one of these chores.
Gao Qing found her opportunity to leave Ziyang City with a perfectly valid reason.
Just being friends with Lu Lihua, Gao Qing decided to first gather intelligence with her before breaking away from the group.
Who would have thought that what was all fine when they set out would become a situation where they couldn’t return...
"This mist does resemble the mist at Cloud Rain Rock quite a bit."
Lu Lihua, engulfed in the fog, was not panicked; what’s a Great Mist anyway? She had seen plenty. Besides, when inside this Great Mist, her Cloud Rain Technique circulated faster, making her feel as if she were at home. Obviously, there was no panic.
"Cloud Rain Rock, where is that?"
Bai Gan was always curious about everything outside, and upon hearing a term, he wanted to understand it. Lu Lihua was happy to explain and did so enthusiastically: "Cloud Rain Rock is a scenic spot near my home, said to hide some secret. My beloved once disappeared there, and then suddenly reappeared. The secret there, only he knows.
Thanks to him, there are now many more people coming to the Cloud Rain Sect to seek apprenticeship, all hoping to find fortune at Cloud Rain Rock."
"The Cloud Rain Sect? Is that powerful?"
Bai Gan kept probing with questions, which made Lu Lihua smirk and say, "The Cloud Rain Sect isn’t about being powerful or not. The person with the highest cultivation level there is the Sect Master, my father, but his cultivation level doesn’t even compare to one of the Elders of Guanghan Palace."
"So you have a father who’s a Sect Master too!"
Only then did Bai Gan and Gao Qing realize they had underestimated Lu Lihua.
They thought she was just an ordinary disciple, unaware she came from such a background.
However, they wouldn’t change their attitude toward Lu Lihua just because she was the young mistress of a minor sect, given their own not-so-simple backgrounds.
"Who is the beloved you just mentioned?"
Gao Qing, unlike curious baby Bai Gan, was more interested in gossip and Lu Lihua’s romantic affairs. Lu Lihua responded somewhat coyly yet couldn’t help but say shyly, "My beloved is a hero above others, the most handsome man in the world, his name is Lin Yun..."
Bai Gan: "..."
Gao Qing: "..."
The name Lin Yun was fairly common, but when coupled with being handsome, the only Lin Yun they could think of was one...
Could the world be this small?
Sensing their strange expressions, Lu Lihua couldn’t help but feel puzzled. Just as she was about to ask, Gao Qing’s face suddenly turned stern, switching from a relaxed state to combat readiness.
"What’s going on?"
While staying vigilant, Lu Lihua asked.
"There’s a situation! The water’s speeding up."
The sudden acceleration of the water flow was clearly not normal. Only then did Lu Lihua realize what was happening. She had been too busy blushing earlier to notice the changes in her environment, and being within the Great Mist, her perception had decreased quite a bit, preventing her from reacting immediately.
"Then let’s paddle the boat quickly!"
Lu Lihua grabbed the bamboo pole and began to paddle swiftly, but against the rushing waters, their efforts proved fruitless.
Unless they abandoned the boat.
But in this Great Mist, the boat was their only safe haven. If they were to abandon it, they might fall into an even more perilous situation.
Realizing they had come to explore the strange beasts of Cloud Dream Marsh, an ominous premonition suddenly rose in their hearts.
Cloud Dream Marsh lay in a plain area with gentle water flows; fierce currents should not exist there. The presence of these currents implied a significant drop, suggesting that the strange creature might be beneath the water, with its mouth wide open, ready to swallow them whole?
The image that came to mind drained the color from all three girls’ faces.
The stream’s speed kept increasing, and when they saw a tremendous whirlpool ahead, the little boat was inevitably caught up by the whirlpool, all three girls screamed out in unison.
What’s the experience of hearing three girls screaming in your ears at once?
At this moment, Zhen Li also had a say, and in the echo-intense underwater environment, their shrill screams nearly sent her away.
Not dying on the road to explore the ruins but dying at the hands of humans would indeed be a farce.
"Star Shifting Technique!"
Despite the noise, as more people showed up, Zhen Li still cast a spell to help them buffer the impact. Of course, her Star Shifting Technique was not as powerful as Yuquan’s, but buffering two or three people was definitely manageable.
Although Bai Gan and the others were screaming, they immediately stopped when they saw someone.
Fairy maidens need to maintain their image, after all.
"Fellow Daoists, there’s no need to panic, this underwater world is safe for now."
Zhen Li recognized Lu Lihua’s attire as that of Guanghan Palace. She was from a reputable sect, a friend not a foe, which assured Zhen Li as she introduced her own discoveries.
Lu Lihua also examined her surroundings with amazement. It was a dreamlike scene where all the water naturally dispersed, creating a large area devoid of water, but right near her was a massive whirlpool. Where did the water in the whirlpool go?
This place was clearly filled with oddities and mysteries. How brave must the heart of this fellow from Taiqing Daoist Temple be to be so calm and composed?
Despite the inner commentary running wild in her mind, after steadying herself on the somewhat soft soil, Lu Lihua promptly gave a salute, saying, "Guanghan Palace’s Lu Lihua, thanks to the fellow Daoist for the aid."
"Taiqing Daoist Temple’s Zhen Li, there’s no need for politeness, fellow Daoist."
Once they exchanged names and backgrounds and knew they were allies, the atmosphere relaxed. It was then that Lu Lihua asked, "Does fellow Daoist know what’s happening here?"
"Someone has placed a maze array here, and I suspect that a friend of mine is trapped inside, which is why I boldly sought to break the formation..."
Not long before, Zhen Li had been studying the maze array here. Relying on the mysteriousness of her Astrology Art, she had managed to locate the formation’s critical point and removed the Immortal Artifact within it.
The maze array was thus thoroughly disarmed, but the remnants of the formation still affected this body of water, including the Great Mist Divine Power left by Lin Yun, which continued to obscure perceptions. At least until the mist dissipated, the formation wouldn’t be considered completely broken.
With the help of seagrass, Zhen Li successfully reached the lakebed, where the water was particularly murky. She sensed that something must have happened here not long ago.
Now it was time for the seagrass to show its abilities. Although it couldn’t dig, it could take root.
In the soft mud, the seagrass too felt something was amiss. The soil had been disturbed; the layers upturned in a way that seemed unnatural, as though something had been dug up and then buried again.
Sharing its findings with Zhen Li made her even more certain that something was beneath them.
There was nothing left to say but dig!
Zhen Li lacked Bai Jiaojiao’s excavation equipment so, obviously, her digging speed was much slower. However, with the aid of the seagrass, and not requiring a large hole but rather just enough to create a passage, she persisted.
Even so, she spent an hour digging before finally uncovering the tip of a ship.
At this point, Lin Yun’s efforts were wasted.
As Zhen Li’s hand brushed the surface, it was at that moment that the whirlpool surged...
What followed was the whirlpool sucking in Lu Lihua and the others.
Moreover, the whirlpool continuously swept away the mud.
But currently, the underwater view was so murky that Zhen Li could not see clearly.
However, the whirlpool would eventually subside, and the water would gradually clear. When the massive object came into view before them, all four girls opened their mouths wide in shock.
They beheld half of a massive ship, and just that half was stirring enough.
How many people could this ship carry? It seemed like all the people from the Southern Border could board, and there would still be room to spare.
The two people from the Southern Border felt awe towards the Central Plains once again.
"There is a stone slab here... These characters are very ancient; I don’t recognize them."
As Zhen Li caressed the stone slab, she silently memorized the content while her touch caused the slab to emanate a cyan light. The outer layer of dark cyan crumbled, revealing the most pristine green inside.
Not only that, but the stone slab kept shrinking, eventually turning into a Jade Ruyi. Zhen Li, puzzled, subconsciously picked up the Jade Ruyi. At that instant, the ground shook, and the water, once separated by an unknown force, tilted and poured down, avoiding Zhen Li altogether.
Unfortunately for Lu Lihua and the others, they were all cultivators with some level of cultivation and weren’t supposed to be afraid of water, but this water, coming not only from above Cloud Dream Marsh but also surging out from beneath the large ship, ensnared them.
Caught in these waters, Lu Lihua experienced the agony of suffocation.
The water possessed a particular force; anyone within it would drown.
Zhen Li, seeing the three of them in peril, immediately grew anxious. At this moment, she was the only one who could save them.
However, she didn’t know any Divine Spells that could fish people out of the water.
In a moment of utmost urgency, she thought she heard the Jade Ruyi speaking...
