168: Shadows Lurk

Gao De was like a dark shadow in the deepest part of the sea, silently gliding toward the rugged area shrouded in violent undercurrents and thick Death Qi.

This place seemed like a scar left behind after being torn apart by the energy storm of the Sea Eye, where massive black rocks interlocked like dog teeth. Countless rapid whirlpools formed, collided, and vanished between the rock crevices, churning up large amounts of turbid silt and gray-black "Soul-Eroding Death Qi," creating a dual forbidden zone for both vision and perception.

Ordinary Cultivators or Yao Race would never be willing to set foot here; just resisting the omnipresent erosion of Death Qi and the tearing of undercurrents would consume a large amount of Dharmic power, let alone maintaining stealth and vigilance in such an environment.

However, for Gao De, this became natural cover.

He inherently had a high resistance to toxins and negative energy, and the reforged purple scale earth-shaking armor could more effectively isolate the erosion of Death Qi. The [Hidden Scale Concealing Scenery] Divine Ability was even more effective in such a chaotic energy field.

He moved cautiously between the jagged rocks and deadly whirlpools, his Divine Sense like the finest tentacles, avoiding those obviously violent energy nodes while sensing any abnormal fluctuations that might exist deep within the rock crevices or under the silt.

"The Death Qi here is exceptionally dense and pure, and even... carries a faint trace of ancient resentment mixed with dragon aura," Gao De thought to himself. "Could it be that a dragon-kin creature fell here in ancient times, and its remaining Essence Blood or remains were tainted by Death Qi, forming this special environment?"

However, thinking about the time the Dragon Clan ruled the Yunmeng Great Marsh and the vast number of dragon-kin creatures, it wasn't surprising that a dragon-kin creature had fallen here.

He investigated even more carefully.

Finally, deep within a narrow gap shielded by three giant black rocks in a triangular shape, his Divine Sense caught a trace of faint spiritual light that was different from the surrounding environment.

That spiritual light was not bright; instead, it carried a deep, ghostly blue, like deep-sea phosphorus fire, stubbornly flickering amidst the thick gray-black Death Qi. It would be easily overlooked if one did not observe closely.

Gao De's spirits lifted as he shrank his form and entered quietly.

The inside of the gap was wider than expected, forming a small chamber naturally shielded by rocks.

In the center of the chamber, there was a small "pool" no more than a foot square.

The pool water was not black, but a strange liquid as thick as ink, yet shimmering with dots of ghostly blue starlight.

That faint, ghostly blue spiritual light was precisely emitted from this pool water.

What attracted Gao De's gaze the most were the three peculiar plants growing at the edge of the pool.

They were shaped like coral but were pitch black all over, with three thumb-sized, crystal-clear black crystal-like fruits growing at the tips.

Inside the fruits, wisps of swimming ghostly blue starlight seemed to be sealed. The aura they emitted was of the same origin as the pool water but more condensed and pure, mixed with a pure, cold water spirit Qi and... a trace of strange dragon breath that had been purified and refined by the Death Qi!

"Is this... 'Netherworld Dragon Saliva Fruit'?" Gao De searched through his Legacy memories and the Jade Slips he had browsed, finally finding a similar description.

This fruit was a rare treasure that could only be nurtured over long ages in an extremely Yin dead land that happened to be soaked with dragon-kin remains or Essence Blood.

The refined cold water spirit and that "filtered" dragon breath it contained were rare treasures for Cultivators and the Yao Race who practiced cold or water-attribute Cultivation Techniques, or those who needed to strengthen their Divine Soul, resist Heart Demons, or even purify dragon blood.

It was especially beneficial for Ghost Cultivators, Demon Cultivators, or certain special Yao Race members.

Gao De's own attributes leaned toward masculine lightning, so this fruit was not the most effective for him, but it was still a rare spiritual item. Whether used for trading, rewarding subordinates, or as an auxiliary ingredient for certain special Medicinal Pills, its value was significant.

"I didn't expect such a spiritual item to be hidden in this desperate land. It seems that in ancient times, a dragon-kin creature truly fell here, and its essence combined with the Death Qi to nurture this pool and these fruits," Gao De understood and acted quickly.

He carefully used his Demonic Power to dig out the three plants along with a bit of the "ink pool" mud from the roots, sealed them in a specially made cold jade box, and applied a Seal Talisman.

He then took a jade bottle, cautiously collected all of that strange "ink pool" water, sealed it as well, and stored it separately in a corner of his Storage Pouch.

Although these gains were not Bloodline essence that could directly improve his strength, such rare resources often played an unexpected role at critical moments, not to mention their inherent high value.

After clearing the subtle traces he had left, Gao De left the hidden chamber with satisfaction.

Just as he was preparing to continue exploring deeper into the Sea Eye, a chat box displaying the character "Edge" in the heavenly secret mirror vibrated slightly—this was a friend communication established with Green Edge. Since the information had to be relayed through the Heavenly Secret Realm, it was generally not used unless there was a particularly urgent situation.

Gao De immediately found a hidden rock crevice to hide in and cast his consciousness into the heavenly secret mirror.

Green Edge's voice, intentionally lowered and carrying a hint of urgency and excitement, came through:

"Lord! There's a discovery here on the west side! We've found the ruins of a broken temporary camp hidden by a Formation in a submarine rift valley about eighty li southwest of the Sea Eye entrance!

The remaining traces are very fresh, suspected to be left by the 'Heavenly Demon Cult.' They seem to have been briefly stationed here but have now left, seemingly having been attacked. At the edge of the camp ruins, we found this..."

Green Edge sent a faint image: a black token half-buried in the silt. Twisted Yao script was carved on the edge of the token, and in the center was a hideous ghost head pattern, with a blood-colored dragon pearl in its mouth—it was precisely the emblem of the Heavenly Demon Cult!

More importantly, the token itself emitted a faint, sinister dragon aura similar to the direction of the Cold Crystal Pool!

"The Heavenly Demon Cult truly has been here, and they might have done something," Gao De's eyes narrowed. "Any other discoveries?"

"The inside of the camp was cleaned very thoroughly, but deep in the rift valley, we found some battle traces and... suspected remnants of spatial fluctuations.

It's very faint; if I weren't naturally sensitive to this, it would be almost undetectable.

We suspect that the Heavenly Demon Cult may have tried to open or explore some hidden 'entrance' or 'passage' here, but it seems they failed, or something happened, causing them to retreat in a hurry," Green Edge speculated.

Spatial fluctuations? Hidden entrance? Thoughts whirled in Gao De's mind.

The Sunken Abyss Sea Eye was already a place of spatial anomalies; the appearance of other unstable entrances or cracks was not impossible.

The Heavenly Demon Cult acted secretly; it was completely logical for them to have laid out a plan here in advance, trying to find a shortcut or a secret manor.

"Well done," Gao De praised. "Do not disturb the scene. Record the coordinates and all traces in detail. Then retreat to the rendezvous point according to plan. Is there any news from Iron Pincer's side?"

"Iron Pincer's side is temporarily safe. They've discovered small-scale conflicts between the outer scouts of two unknown forces and are monitoring them. No special discoveries for now."

"Good, stay alert and act according to plan. I have also made gains on my side and will meet up later." Gao De cut off the communication.

He turned his gaze back toward the black hole of the Sunken Abyss Sea Eye, which seemed capable of swallowing everything.

The discovery of the Heavenly Demon Cult confirmed that besides the main entrance, there were likely other unstable "back doors" here.

And these back doors were often more hidden and dangerous, but perhaps... they also hid opportunities that had not been touched by the major powers.

"It seems this reconnaissance is more valuable than expected." A cold arc curled at the corner of Gao De's mouth.

He decided to personally go and see the rift valley discovered by Green Edge before the rendezvous. With his knowledge and Divine Ability, he might be able to see more clues.

His figure merged into the darkness again, diving toward the new clue.

The mist of the Sunken Abyss Sea Eye seemed to be being peeled away bit by bit by the tentacles of the Qianjiao Cliff.

And the real game and hunting were perhaps just beginning.