94: rash act

Lu Chen hesitated no longer. Flipping his hand, he retrieved two illumination talismans from his Storage Pouch. With a light infusion of spiritual power from his fingertips, the Talismans instantly ignited, transforming into two stable, bright spheres of light that hovered in mid-air.

Guided by his will, the light spheres slowly moved, illuminating every corner of the Stone Chamber as bright as day.

Under this ample light, the full appearance of the Stone Chamber was completely revealed.

The space was not particularly large. Aside from the ancient bronze lamp burning quietly in the center and a small, faintly glimmering pool of accumulated water beneath the rock wall at the side and rear, it was completely empty, containing nothing else.

The walls were all rough rock, and the floor was covered in an even layer of thick dust. Indeed, no traces of any passageways or hidden doors could be seen.

Lu Chen exchanged a glance with Qing Yi floating beside him, their eyes holding the same confusion.

He had already given the ancient bronze lamp a cursory inspection. Aside from its great antiquity and the somewhat abnormal stability of its flame, he had not detected any obvious mechanisms or fluctuations of spiritual power.

At the moment, it seemed only that inconspicuous pool of water was worth investigating.

He walked to the edge of the pool and crouched down.

The light from the illumination talismans made the pool clear to the bottom. It was just a shallow puddle of accumulated water, sourced from droplets continuously seeping from the rock wall above, appearing utterly ordinary.

Lu Chen's gaze followed another droplet about to fall, looking up to stare at the damp apex of the rock wall.

'Dripping water wears through stone. Since it can gather into a pool here, it means there must be a water source or fissure in the rock layer above, possibly even leading outside the mountain.'

Lu Chen stood up, analyzing in a low voice, a flicker of hope in his eyes.

If he could truly find a way out from here, that would be best.

'What the Young Master says is most reasonable,'

Qing Yi's soul body drifted closer, looking toward the seeping spot. 'Perhaps we could try breaking through this rock layer to investigate.'

Lu Chen nodded. At the moment, there didn't seem to be a better choice.

He took a deep breath, circulated the thunder spiritual power within his body, and the flash thunder spear in his tightly clenched right hand instantly erupted with a blinding Lightning Light, emitting a low rumble.

Aiming at the dampest spot on the rock wall above, his eyes sharpened. His arm suddenly exerted force, and the spear tip transformed into a roaring thunder snake, ferociously thrusting out!

"Boom!"

The Lightning Light struck the rock wall with precision, producing a dull, thunderous roar that shook the entire Stone Chamber slightly.

Shattered stones clattered down, crashing into the pool and splashing water everywhere.

Qing Yi immediately controlled an illumination talisman to fly closer, focusing its light on the impact point.

They saw a bowl-sized hole had been blasted open there. Clear water immediately began gushing out from it, several times faster than the previous dripping speed.

"Huh? This water..."

Lu Chen frowned slightly, feeling vaguely that something was amiss.

The volume of water gushing out seemed overly abundant.

However, before he could ponder further, a sudden change occurred!

"Crack... crack-crack!"

A grating, teeth-jarring sound, like ice shattering, suddenly erupted from around the hole!

Centered on the hole, a web of cracks instantly spread rapidly across the rock wall!

"Not good!" Lu Chen's expression changed drastically, knowing things had gone wrong!

The next instant, with a "Boom!"

That section of rock wall completely collapsed like fragile eggshell!

A huge opening appeared out of thin air. Immediately after, a torrential water column as thick as a water vat, carrying irresistible force, burst forth from the hole like an enraged dragon breaking free from its cage!

Terrible water pressure instantly filled the Stone Chamber, and icy water crashed down upon them.

Lu Chen reacted extremely quickly. The moment the rock wall collapsed, he pushed off with his feet. His swift wind boots blazed with cyan light as his body shot backward like an arrow, narrowly avoiding the direct impact of the water column.

But the water's onslaught was too fierce and fast. In almost the blink of an eye, the Stone Chamber floor was swiftly submerged by the rising water level.

Lu Chen made several successive leaps, his figure agilely treading on the splashing water as he retreated at top speed back onto the transverse rock he had come from, crouching down once more.

Lying prone on the high ground, he watched helplessly as turbid water surged in madly below. The water level climbed visibly, soon submerging the base of the ancient bronze lamp and continuing to rise unabated.

A cold chill spread along with the mist.

A clear expression of chagrin appeared on Lu Chen's face.

He clenched his fists, his nails almost digging into his palms.

He had been too impatient, acting rashly without sufficient thought, triggering such an uncontrollable turn of events.

Within these deep mountain depths, underground rivers and water veins were complex and intertwined. Once triggered, the consequences were unpredictable.

The already murky exploration had, due to his recklessness, become even more uncertain, its future fortunes and dangers unknown.

However, amidst this chaotic torrent, a glimpse from the corner of his eye revealed that although the ancient bronze lamp was submerged by the water flow, the bean-sized flame upon it had not immediately extinguished. Instead, it emitted a hazy, eerie jade-green glow underwater, chillingly stable, as if completely unaffected by the external environment.

Crouched on the transverse rock, Lu Chen watched the water level in the Stone Chamber rise rapidly. The icy water had already risen to within less than three feet below the rock. At this rate, the entire Stone Chamber would be completely submerged in no time.

His mind raced, and his gaze suddenly locked onto the ancient bronze lamp, which, even submerged, still emitted a faint jade-green glow and had not been extinguished!

This lamp was definitely no ordinary object!

He made a prompt decision. With a flick of his right hand, the startling thunder whip, like a living spirit snake, silently slipped into the turbid water and accurately coiled around the lamp's pillar.

Exerting force with his wrist, he gave a gentle tug. The ancient lamp came loose, bringing up a spray of water as he steadily lifted it onto the transverse rock and placed it beside him.

The lamp flame had been burning underwater for some time. Now exposed to the air, the jade-green fire flickered eerily, its light seeming to grow slightly brighter, casting an eerie green glow around Lu Chen and adding to the mysterious atmosphere.

However, the moment the ancient bronze lamp was moved...

"Gurgle..."

A strange sound came from the water below!

Lu Chen looked down sharply. He saw that at the location of the stone base where the lamp had been placed, the water had begun to slowly rotate, generating a small but exceptionally clear suction force!

Dust and debris floating on the water's surface were drawn into it.

This anomaly was initially minor, but after just a few breaths, the suction force suddenly surged!

"Whoosh—!"

A distinct whirlpool formed violently at the center of the base and rapidly expanded!

The surging accumulated water in the Stone Chamber, as if finding a vent, frantically poured into the center of the whirlpool!

The water level dropped rapidly before their eyes. The waterline, which had been about to reach the transverse rock, quickly receded, revealing the wet ground.

Lu Chen's heart relaxed slightly, thinking this unexpected crisis had been resolved in this manner.

But at that very moment...

"BOOM!!!"

The breach he had opened in the rock wall above, as if unable to withstand some pressure, emitted a tremendous roar as the area of collapse suddenly expanded several times over!

An even thicker, mud- and debris-laden turbid water column, like a bursting dike, crashed into the Stone Chamber with a force several times more violent than before!

A massive volume of water instantly poured in, and the just-lowered water level surged again!

But simultaneously, the whirlpool below seemed angered by this sudden impact. A series of deep, thunderous swallowing sounds, like those of a giant beast, emanated from its center!

The whirlpool's rotation speed abruptly increased, its area expanding madly, its suction force becoming terrifyingly powerful, fiercely opposing the water column pouring down from above!

For a time, the water volume pouring into the Stone Chamber and the volume being devoured by the whirlpool actually reached a precarious balance!

The water level fluctuated violently within a certain range, no longer rising sharply or falling rapidly. The entire Stone Chamber was filled with the terrifying sounds of roaring water and the whirlpool's hiss, as if two invisible giants were locked in a contest of strength.

Lu Chen lay prone on the transverse rock, gripping its edge tightly to stabilize himself and avoid being swept away by the chaotic currents.

By the eerie green light emitted by the ancient bronze lamp beside him, he stared fixedly at the center of the whirlpool.

He saw that what was originally just an abyssal hole the size of an egg was now, under the tearing of those two immense forces, slowly but surely cracking and expanding outward inch by inch!

An indescribable sense of oppression, accompanying that increasingly large, abyssal opening, permeated the air.

A chill ran down Lu Chen's spine, and alarms screamed wildly in his heart.

He realized that his earlier spear thrust had probably not merely drawn in water flow, but... pierced through a Seal that should never have been touched!