209: Chapter 208 Deep Sea Beasts

The moment that light emerged, the heavy pressure weighing down on his body suddenly lessened by a few degrees.

It hadn't truly lessened.

Rather, it was partially offset by the Dragon Might contained within the Blood Burning True Flame.

The Weak Water heavy pressure was a Restriction set by the Dragon Clan.

And Dragon Might naturally countered all Dragon Clan Restrictions.

He raised his head and looked toward the depths of the vortex.

There, Ao Zhan had already walked a hundred zhang, with Teng Yuzhi following closely behind. Zhao Yuanjing had manifested a fist-sized azure bead that emitted a faint blue glow, forming a water membrane around him that blocked out the Weak Water heavy pressure.

water repelling pearl.

The foundation of a great family.

He withdrew his gaze, took a deep breath, and began to walk forward.

Every step he took was as heavy as a mountain.

Every time he lifted a foot, it required his full strength.

Yet, his steps became increasingly steady.

Because of the Tidal True Intent.

Tidal True Intent was as continuous as water, excelling at borrowing and redirecting force.

He imagined the Weak Water heavy pressure as the impact of the tides.

With every incoming impact, he used the Tidal True Intent to guide it, shedding and neutralizing the force layer by layer, allowing it to circulate once through his body before finally venting into the ground beneath his feet.

Redirecting force, rather than resisting it head-on.

This was a technique he had realized after the battle on Taikang Island.

Although the Samadhi True Fire was powerful, its consumption was enormous. If he were to continuously resist the Weak Water heavy pressure with the Blood Burning True Flame, his vital energy and blood would be exhausted within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

But by redirecting force with the Tidal True Intent, the consumption was minimal.

He could walk for a long time.

He moved forward step by step, his pace steady.

Ahead, Ao Zhan had already reached three hundred zhang, Teng Yuzhi two hundred zhang, and Zhao Yuanjing two hundred and fifty zhang.

The Disciples charging at the very front had already pulled ahead.

Those with weaker cultivation had been left far behind.

Jiang Hanzhou was in no hurry.

He simply advanced steadily, closing the distance with those ahead step by step.

As he walked, he suddenly sensed something unusual.

Within the Weak Water heavy pressure, a trace of chill had appeared at some point.

The chill was extremely faint, almost imperceptible, but it definitely existed.

It surged from the depths of the vortex, following the pressure to gradually corrode his body.

He looked down at his hands.

A very thin layer of frost had faintly appeared on the backs of his hands.

With a slight thought.

Deep within his Dantian, the three-colored flame trembled slightly.

A wisp of faint warmth dissipated from the flame, flowing down his arms to his hands. Everywhere it passed, the layer of frost instantly melted, evaporating into steam.

The chill was dispelled.

However, he did not let the Samadhi True Fire ignite fully; he only kept it in that ethereal state of warmth, enough to resist the cold without consuming too much vital energy and blood.

He raised his head and looked toward the depths of the vortex.

There, Ao Zhan's figure had become blurred, with only the faint blue light of ice crystals visible.

A faint smile slowly curled at the corners of his mouth.

Then, he continued to walk forward.

Step by step by step.

Behind him, the entrance to the vortex grew more distant.

Ahead, the cluster of dilapidated palaces drew closer.

...

The Weak Water heavy pressure finally came to an end.

By the time Jiang Hanzhou stepped out of that distorted space, he was drenched in sweat from head to toe.

Thirty times heavy pressure and nearly half an hour of trekking—even with the Tidal True Intent to redirect force and the Blood Burning True Flame for protection—had taken a significant toll on him.

But he did not rest.

He raised his head and looked at the new world before him.

This was a grayish-blue Seabed plain.

Beneath his feet was fine white sand, soft as a carpet, leaving deep footprints with every step.

Countless massive coral remains were scattered across the sand; some stood several zhang high, while others lay collapsed on the ground, their fractures covered in dark green seaweed.

Above his head was the churning seawater.

But the seawater did not fall; instead, it was held up by an invisible barrier, suspended a hundred zhang above.

Sunlight pierced through the sea surface, refracting through the water layer into countless fine pillars of light that fell upon the seabed, creating a dappled pattern of light and shadow.

The air was filled with a faint salty, fishy scent, mixed with an ethereal stench of decay.

Jiang Hanzhou took a deep breath, his vital energy and blood circulating slowly to recover the physical strength he had just expended.

His gaze swept across the surroundings, quickly locking onto several figures.

About five hundred zhang ahead, Ao Zhan stood with his hands behind his back. The layer of pale blue ice crystal light around him had dissipated, replaced by a thin True Qi shield.

He was in no hurry to move forward, but was instead observing.

Observing this area where Yao Beasts roamed, observing the threats lurking in the shadows.

Teng Yuzhi was three hundred zhang to his left rear, her face slightly pale, though her breathing had stabilized.

She was taking a Medicinal Pill from her robe and swallowing it; clearly, the exertion in the Weak Water zone had been significant for her as well.

Zhao Yuanjing was two hundred zhang to her right, enveloped in a layer of pale blue water membrane—the power of the water repelling pearl.

His complexion looked much better than Teng Yuzhi's; with the water repelling pearl protecting him, the effect of the Weak Water heavy pressure was far less than for others.

His gaze was fixed on Jiang Hanzhou.

In that gaze, there was a hint of surprise, a hint of wariness, and a hint of—

Coldness.

Jiang Hanzhou sensed the gaze but did not look at him.

He simply withdrew his gaze and looked further into the distance.

There lay an even darker undersea jungle.

Giant seaweed grew out of the sand, reaching over ten zhang in height and crowding together densely, forming a Seaweed forest where the sun never shone.

The seaweed leaves were dark purple, their edges covered in fine barbs, swaying slowly in the water.

With every sway, a wisp of extremely faint mist escaped from the leaves, merging into the surrounding seawater.

That was Miasma.

Highly toxic miasma.

And within the Seaweed forest, countless massive dark shadows could be seen slowly swimming.

These dark shadows varied in size, the small ones over a zhang long, the large ones reaching ten zhang.

They moved through the darkness, occasionally revealing a glimpse of themselves—a section of a scale-covered tail, an eye the size of a lantern, or a massive maw filled with fangs.