631: Lu Xueqi and Biyao (14)

A strange pressure descended upon them.

Su Han felt the tortoise shell in his arms seem to heat up slightly.

He looked down.

On the surface of the tortoise shell, those ancient patterns that were originally dim were now emitting an extremely faint, almost invisible, deep blue halo.

This halo flickered as if it were breathing.

It seemed to be resonating with the surrounding environment.

Up ahead, the speed of Elder Mu's submersible slowed down.

"Be careful, we are approaching the 'Star Mist Barrier'."

"This is the outermost natural barrier of Falling Star Lake, which can distort perception and confuse direction."

"Follow me closely, do not deviate from the course, otherwise you might be lost in this sea of mist forever."

Su Han's spirits lifted; he focused his mind on controlling the submersible, following closely behind that faint blue halo ahead.

The purple "mist" all around grew thicker and thicker.

In the end, visibility was less than three zhang.

Only the submersible's own light shield illuminated a small area.

Above, below, left, and right, everything was surging, hazy purple.

It was silent.

Even the sound of the water flow seemed to have been swallowed by this thick mist.

A sense of isolation from the world welled up spontaneously.

Su Han even began to doubt whether they were still moving, or if they had long since fallen into an eternal maze.

Amidst this unsettling silence, they continued forward for about half an hour.

Suddenly.

The thick purple mist ahead dispersed without warning.

It was like pulling back a curtain.

A scene that was indescribable in words, magnificent enough to be breathtaking, appeared before their eyes.

It was a vast, boundless, huge lake suspended in the deep sea.

The water of the lake was not the usual blue or green.

Instead, it was a deep, ink-blue color that seemed to contain the entire starry sky.

Countless tiny specks of light floated and flickered in the lake water, like the reflections of billions of stars.

And in the very center of the lake, a huge, gentle, silver-white pillar of light descended from an unknown height, pouring straight into the heart of the lake.

Within the pillar of light, wisps of iridescent color were vaguely visible, slowly rotating and flowing as if they had a life of their own.

Where the pillar of light fell into the heart of the lake, the water formed a slowly rotating vortex.

Within the vortex, the starlight was the densest, and the radiance was the most brilliant, as if that were the core of the entire lake, and even the entire starry sky.

And all around the lake was the deep, ordinary ocean.

A clear and gentle dividing line separated this lake of starlight from the outside sea.

It was as if an invisible barrier was guarding this holy and tranquil Domain.

"Is this... Falling Star Lake?"

Su Han stared blankly at the wondrous sight before him, muttering to himself.

Even with his experience and Heart-Nature, he was shaken by this unimaginable beauty and mystery.

Elder Mu's voice came, carrying a hint of emotion and awe.

"Indeed, this is Falling Star Lake."

"Legend has it that in the ancient era, a star fell from beyond the heavens, piercing the abyss of the sea; its core did not extinguish, turning into this eternal light source at the heart of the lake."

"Fragments and dust of the star merged into the lake water, turning into endless starlight."

"The power of the star changed the Law here, forming this Secret Realm independent of the outside world."

"It is precisely because of this that this place can disrupt heavenly secrets and isolate investigations."

The two submersibles slowly sailed into the lake of starlight.

As they passed through that invisible dividing line, Su Han felt a gentle yet vast power brush over his entire body.

It was as if a layer of dust had been washed away, and his mind felt refreshed.

Even Bi Yao's breath in his arms seemed to stabilize a little.

The submersibles entered the lake.

The surrounding seawater was instantly surrounded by countless tiny specks of starlight.

Those points of light were not dazzling, but flickered gently, like fireflies on a summer night, or like a distant galaxy.

The submersibles glided across the water, leaving trails like flowing fireflies that only slowly dissipated after a long time.

Elder Mu steered the submersible toward a spot on the edge of the lake.

That was near the shore, where the outlines of some buildings could be vaguely seen.

As the distance closed, Su Han could see more clearly.

It was a complex of ancient buildings built on the lake shore, and some even extended onto the surface of the lake.

The style was simple and grand, mostly built from white boulders, covered with various glowing mosses and aquatic plants, appearing weathered and mysterious.

At the center of the building complex seemed to be a half-collapsed temple.

The style of the temple was extremely ancient, vastly different from any school of architecture today, filled with a barbaric and holy aura.

Most of the buildings had been eroded by time and were severely damaged, hidden among dense underwater jungles and coral.

But one could still see the scale and solemnity of the past.

"This was once the Holy Land where the Ancient Water Tribe worshipped the 'star source'."

Elder Mu explained as he steered the submersible toward a stone pier extending into the lake.

"The Water Tribe has long disappeared into the river of history, but the residual protective power of this Holy Land, after passing through eons, has still not been completely extinguished."

"We will stay here for the time being; Miss Bi Yao needs to rest, and we also need time to figure out many things."

The submersible gently docked beside the moss-covered pier.

The light shield dissipated.

Fresh air with a faint scent of stars rushed in.

In this Secret Realm at the bottom of the lake, there actually seemed to be breathable air, and it did not feel stifling.

Su Han carried Bi Yao and stepped onto the ancient stone steps.

Lu Xueqi and Elder Mu also went ashore one after another.

Elder Mu waved his hand and put away the two submersibles.

He looked around, his expression alert but with a hint of reminiscence.

"Many years ago, I once came to this place by Destiny."

"At that time, it was to find a type of deep-sea star algae that had long been extinct, to heal an old friend."

"I didn't expect that I would return today in this way."

"Let's go, I know of a side hall that is still relatively intact, which can serve as a temporary place to stay."

He led the way, passing through collapsed pillars and broken walls.

The surroundings were silent, with only the faint sound of starlight flowing in the lake water, and the sound of their footsteps on the wet, slippery stone slabs.

The air was filled with a faint, ancient scent, similar to a mixture of sandalwood and water vapor.

Occasionally, small fish emitting a faint light swam through the puddles by their feet.

This sleeping Holy Land, under the reflection of the starlight on the lake, appeared tranquil and mysterious, temporarily isolating them from the disturbances and dangers of the outside world.

But Su Han knew that this peace was only temporary.

The tortoise shell in his arms was still slightly hot.

It seemed to be reminding him that the shadow from the "Return to Ruins" had never truly gone far away.

(End of this chapter)