143: Chapter 143 The Grand Hall at the Bottom of the Lake

"Move!" Li Hu suddenly stood up and gave a low-voiced order to Manager Ma Yingjie.

Manager Ma Yingjie leaped from the weeds, rushing out while raising his hand to signal. Two Blood Demon Sect Foundation Establishment Cultivators in red robes with powerful auras immediately followed. The three of them sped toward the center of Qingyun Lake, reaching the shore in an instant.

Without the slightest pause, the three of them simultaneously activated their spiritual power and leaped into the churning lake water. Their figures were instantly swallowed by the murky depths, leaving only faint ripples that were quickly masked by the surging waves.

Li Hu stood at the edge of the bay, his eyes fixed on the center of the lake. With his hands behind his back and his aura tense, he closely monitored the movements within the water.

Old Chen and the remaining Blood Demon Sect Disciples also stood up, ready to dive to the bottom of the lake at any moment.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a deafening roar suddenly erupted from the center of the lake. The roar was deep and violent, carrying the unique and powerful Pressure of a Golden Core Yao Beast, instantly sweeping across the entire Qingyun Lake.

Immediately after, Manager Ma Yingjie burst out of the lake water, his figure staggering, a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, and his spiritual power in disarray!

However, Manager Ma Yingjie did not dare to linger for a second. With a flash of his figure, he sped off in the direction of the Heavenly Sword Sect camp.

Following closely behind him was a giant toad. The toad was greenish-black all over, with rough skin covered in lumps. Its eyes were as large as lanterns, glowing with a bloodthirsty red light, and its body was shrouded in dense Golden Core spiritual power!

This toad was the Green-Striped Toad that had been guarding Qingyun Lake.

Qin Changsheng's Incarnation, Hu Nan, had also been slain by this Green-Striped Toad several times.

With every leap, the Green-Striped Toad kicked up waves several meters high.

The Green-Striped Toad's eyes were filled with fury and killing intent; it was clearly thoroughly enraged by Manager Ma Yingjie.

Qin Changsheng's gaze swept over the area, but he noticed that the two Blood Demon Sect Foundation Establishment Cultivators who had dived into the lake with Manager Ma Yingjie were nowhere to be seen. No trace of their aura remained. Clearly, they had already met their end at the toad's hands while luring it out, leaving not even a bone behind.

"Well done!" Seeing this, a flash of approval crossed Li Hu's eyes, not caring in the least about the lives of those two Blood Demon Sect Disciples.

In his view, sacrificing two people to successfully lure away a Golden Core Yao Beast was well worth it.

Once the figures of the Green-Striped Toad and Manager Ma Yingjie had completely disappeared down the forest path and were far away, Li Hu immediately turned and gave a low-voiced order to Old Chen and the group of Blood Demon Sect Disciples: "Everyone, into the lake!"

"As you command!" Old Chen and the Blood Demon Sect Disciples answered in unison.

Li Hu waved his hand, his spiritual power surging as he took the lead and leaped into the churning lake water, his black figure instantly swallowed by the depths.

Old Chen followed immediately after, leaping into the lake;

The rest of the Blood Demon Sect Disciples also activated their spiritual power one by one, jumping in and diving toward the location of the Secret Treasure at the bottom of the lake.

"Let's go too!" Qin Changsheng did not hesitate, leaping down from the branch and landing silently on the lakeshore.

He scanned the surface of the lake, and after confirming there were no other disturbances, he also leaped into the water.

Li Hu, Old Chen, and the others dived rapidly toward the shimmering phantom of the treasure deep in the center of the lake;

Qin Changsheng and Hu Nan followed Li Hu and the others from a distance.

Before long, the massive outline of a Great Array appeared before everyone's eyes.

This Great Array was extremely eerie, its body composed of countless black runes interwoven together, slowly flowing within the water.

Faint blood-colored mist swirled around the Great Array, within which blurry phantoms were vaguely visible, emitting a bloodthirsty and violent aura. At the eye of the Formation, an eerie red light flickered, exuding the majesty and mystery of an ancient Formation, striking awe and fear into those who beheld it.

Li Hu slowly stopped and raised his hand to signal everyone to halt. His eyes were fixed on the eerie Great Array before him, a trace of solemnity flashing in his gaze, though he could hardly hide the greed and urgency in his heart.

He could clearly feel that behind the Great Array was a treasure Spiritual Qi so dense it was palpable. As long as they broke this Great Array, the Secret Treasure at the bottom of Qingyun Lake would be theirs for the taking.

"Old Chen," Li Hu turned to the elderly man beside him and asked in a low voice, "Look, this is the Seal Great Array at the bottom of Qingyun Lake. How long will it take you to crack it?"

Old Chen stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the black runes flowing over the Great Array. His expression was serious and focused as he carefully examined the layout of the array while secretly calculating the method to break it.

"Young Lord, although this array is exceptionally eerie, with complex runes and reinforced by malevolent energy, making it look troublesome, this old servant has already figured out the patterns of the array eye and the runes. I only need fifteen minutes to successfully break the Great Array and open a gap large enough for everyone to enter," Old Chen replied.

"Good!" Upon hearing this, the solemnity on Li Hu's face instantly vanished, replaced by sheer joy.

"Old Chen, there's no time to lose. Start breaking the array immediately! You must break the Great Array within fifteen minutes; there must be no delay!"

"This old servant obeys!" Old Chen bowed slightly and slowly walked to the front of the Great Array. His spiritual power surged as his hands quickly formed Seals, and he whispered the incantation for breaking the array. One complex hand Seal after another struck toward the black runes on the Great Array as he began the process of cracking this eerie Seal Great Array.

Li Hu gently waved his hand.

The many Blood Demon Sect Disciples gathered around, guarding Old Chen's side with vigilant expressions to prevent any underwater Yao Beast from launching a surprise attack.

Li Hu stood to the side with his hands behind his back, his eyes locked onto the Great Array.

Not far away, behind some underwater rocks, Qin Changsheng and Hu Nan were quietly hidden. Their auras were suppressed to the limit by the Breath Concealment Technique, and their protective spiritual light was so faint it almost merged with the lake water.

Old Chen stood before the eerie Great Array, his withered hands forming Seals at lightning speed. The low and obscure incantation he muttered sent wisps of dense spiritual light flying from his hands, accurately striking the flowing black runes on the array. With every hand Seal that landed, the runes would vibrate violently, and the Spiritual Qi of the Formation would weaken by a fraction.

Time passed minute by minute, the underwater silence broken only by the vibration of the runes and the murmurs of the array-breaking incantation.

After an unknown amount of time, Old Chen suddenly let out a loud shout and formed the final hand Seal. That Seal was like a golden sword, piercing straight into the eye of the Great Array.

"Crack—" A faint sound of shattering echoed underwater. The black runes on the Great Array instantly stopped flowing, and the cold black energy receded like a tide. The blood-colored mist also gradually dissipated. Dense cracks appeared on the body of the array, which then shattered with a bang, turning into countless spots of light that merged into the lake water and vanished completely.

The moment the Great Array vanished, a massive, ancient, and simple hall was revealed. The hall was built of giant black stones, covered in traces of time's erosion. Complex ancient patterns were carved onto the roof, which remained clearly visible despite the passage of many years, exuding a faint ancient majesty.

The main doors of the hall were tightly shut. Above the lintel, two blurred ancient characters were carved. They were obscure and difficult to decipher, yet they carried a mysterious and unfathomable aura.

Li Hu stepped quickly to the main doors of the hall and waved his hand, sending a wisp of spiritual power toward the doors.

"Creak—" A heavy sound rang out as the closed hall doors slowly opened.

Li Hu could not wait to step into the hall.

Inside the hall, it was vast and solemn, with no extra furnishings. The floor was paved with smooth bluestone that gave off a faint luster. On the surrounding walls, patterns of ancient Yao Beasts and Cultivators were carved, so lifelike they seemed as if they could step out from the walls at any moment.

In the very center of the hall, a dazzling spiritual light slowly hovered, drawing everyone's gaze.

It was a peculiar mirror.

The mirror was pure white, its frame carved from an unknown jade and inscribed with complex runes. The mirror's surface was clear and bright, yet it shimmered with a faint golden spiritual light. Within that light, shadows seemed to flow, mysterious and eerie!

Li Hu suddenly stopped, his gaze deadlocked on the peculiar mirror in the center of the hall.

Just as his figure completely crossed the threshold of the hall, two figures in the shadows outside the hall suddenly moved!

"Charge!" Qin Changsheng's body was like an arrow released from a bow, accompanied by the sound of breaking air as he sped toward the center of the hall;

Hu Nan followed closely behind, though Hu Nan charged toward Li Hu to buy time for Qin Changsheng to seize the Bronze Mirror.

The two of them moved extremely fast; changing clothes and moving took only an instant. Almost at the same time Li Hu stepped into the hall, they had already reached the entrance.

Just as Li Hu was about to step toward the Bronze Mirror in the center, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure speeding toward him out of the corner of his eye. His expression tightened as he looked over and instantly recognized the person as Hu Nan!

"Hu Nan?!" Li Hu's face changed drastically.

He never imagined that Hu Nan would appear here!