Eternal Heavenly Emperor

He was a Martial Sect, and moreover, one that corresponded to an Eighth Tier Martial Sect.

This completely severed any thoughts the others might have had of putting up a fight.

Never mind an Eighth Tier Martial Sect, they reckoned even if it were an Eighth Tier martial master, they'd only end up being eaten alive. This was in the middle of the lake, after all. How much combat power could one exert in the water?

Aside from Chu Hao and the other ten guards, the salvagers were merely Martial Disciples, each of varying strength. At that moment, they were all screaming in terror, trying to escape. Splash splash splash, after all, their livelihood depended on this line of work, and they were excellent swimmers. Kicking up sprays of water with their feet, they quickly swam a great distance away.

"To the island." The guards like Chu Hao were much calmer by comparison. After all, reaching the martial master tier meant they had seen and experienced much more than the average person.

This idea seemed good. Land creatures would certainly have their combat power affected if they went ashore, whereas it was the opposite for them. Thus, it would greatly increase the possibility of escaping alive.

As soon as these words were spoken, several people immediately swam toward the island.

Chu Hao racked his brains. From start to finish, the events reeked heavily of a plot.

Clearly, Nangong Rou knew there was a Green Scales Berserk Snake here. That's why she had sewn special pouches into their Water Armors, which would burst open as soon as they reached the bottom of the lake, spilling blood that attracted the hidden Berserk Snake, immediately provoking it to attack.

But why would she do such a thing?

Just to watch them being chased and killed by the Green Scales Berserk Snake? Chu Hao didn't believe it. Despite having only interacted with her for a day, and having actually met her face-to-face for just a short time, Nangong Rou had given him the impression of being extremely calm, with a depth that belied her age.

Would such a person do something like this?

Impossible.

Thus, there must be another motive.

Wait a minute, where did this Green Scales Berserk Snake come from? The lake, of course. But to arrive so quickly, it must be very close by.

That cave.

Chu Hao immediately thought of the cavern on the rocky wall at the bottom of the lake, an entrance so large it would allow the behemoth to come and go freely.

To draw the snake out of its hole yet not attack it, the goal could only be one thing.

It was a diversionary tactic, using the opportunity to enter the cave.

"Get in the water," Chu Hao suddenly said, deciding to take a gamble.

"What." A few people around had not moved, and upon hearing his crazy suggestion, they were utterly stunned.

"There's a cave below," Chu Hao added.

But this statement didn't reassure anyone, on the contrary, it sounded asinine. So what if there was a cave underwater? Were they supposed to play hide and seek with the Green Scales Berserk Snake? They would suffocate long before the Berserk Snake got tired of searching.

Shen Chao and the other two were much calmer, asking, "How so?"

"I guess that Nangong Rou has set this trap for us to lure out the Green Scales Berserk Snake. She will take the chance to enter the cave, which must be the Berserk Snake's lair. Normally, there's no opportunity to get in," Chu Hao explained.

"There might be another world inside, maybe even a passage that leads straight to the island."

The eyes of Shen Chao and the other two lit up, but they immediately began to hesitate again. This was a bold guess. If Chu Hao guessed wrong, they would be trapped and doomed.

"Ah." "Ahhh—"

The screams were incessant as the Green Scales Berserk Snake kept pursuing and killing. None of the people were a match for it. They were swallowed alive with a single bite.

"Make your decision fast. I've decided to take the risk," Chu Hao took a deep breath and then plunged into the water.

He removed his Water Armor, so there was no blood seeping out from his body; he would not become the target of the Berserk Snake for the time being. But once everyone else was gone, it would be his turn.

Shen Chao and the other two exchanged glances, took a deep breath as well, and dived into the water, quickly plummeting downward.

On the surface of the lake, slaughter was still rampant. Because everyone scattered in all directions to escape, even the Berserk Snake, at the peak of Martial Sect, had to swim around to consume one person after another, undoubtedly taking some time.

But it wouldn't take too long, given its high efficiency in feeding.

The Berserk Snake was truly like a Jiaolong, a mythical dragon; with a flick of its tail, spirals of water waves formed on the surface of the lake, soaring into the sky and slapping towards the people.

Splat.

The water wave struck a person, and for a Martial Disciple, it directly caused them to be shattered. As for the martial masters, they spat out blood violently, barely able to move.

…

Chu Hao led the way, diving towards the bottom of the lake. Because of the Berserk Snake's rampage, the sediment at the bottom of the lake was also stirred up, muddying the water and greatly impairing visibility.

Luckily, he had memorized the terrain earlier. Even if he couldn't see clearly, it didn't matter. He swam swiftly using his memory as a guide.

Shen Chao and the two others followed closely.

They quickly arrived at the bottom of the lake and reached the entrance of the cave. The water here was colder, giving off a bone-chilling coldness.

Once there, there was no room for hesitation.

Chu Hao pushed off from the cave wall with both hands and swam inside.

Shen Chao and the other two glanced at each other. This was probably the biggest gamble of their lives. If they lost, it was their lives on the line. Gritting their teeth, they followed Chu Hao into the cave.

Strangely, the walls of the cave had a faint luminescence, keeping the cave from being dark. Maybe that was why the Berserk Snake had chosen this place as its lair.

After entering the cave, they soon came to a bend, followed by a long tunnel.

No sooner had Chu Hao peeked around the corner than he immediately retracted his head, signaling the others not to make any rash moves.

What was going on?

Shen Chao and his two companions conveyed with their eyes.

Chu Hao gestured for them to peek out themselves.

The three of them stuck their heads out and saw, in the passage ahead, five people dressed in Water Armors.

These were definitely not the guards or salvage workers from before, because there was no blood seeping out of their Water Armors.

Nangong Rou.

Indeed, it was so.

They used Chu Hao and the others as bait to lure out the Green Scales Berserk Snake, then seized the opportunity to enter the cave.

Moments later, the five people in front vanished suddenly.

There must be a turning point.

Chu Hao and his companions hurriedly followed, the sharp edges of this cave were too distinct, surely not naturally formed. And if it was man-made, then whatever was at the end was surely worth looking forward to.

There are many powerful individuals in this world, who in pursuit of better cultivation, often choose to settle in remote places, thus it was not uncommon to find the dwellings of ancient powerhouses in deep mountains and old ridges.

While building under water was a bit unusual... looking at the shape of this island, it was very likely a mountain peak that had sunk beneath the sea. Therefore, originally, this entrance would not have been underwater, but on the mountain.

After turning three corners, the five people ahead finally stopped because a huge space appeared before them, and at the end of this space was a giant stone door, engraved with patterns.

Clearly, this must have been constructed by hand.

The five people ahead were fiddling with something at the large door, probably trying to figure out how to open it.

Chu Hao and his group waited behind them, but their hearts grew more anxious.

Although they were martial masters, with breath-holding abilities far surpassing those of Martial Disciples, their limit was only half an hour.

Looking at each other, they all decided that if there was no result within twenty minutes, they would charge forward and snatch the Water Armors—there were air sacs inside those that could replenish their air.

After five or six minutes, with a roar, the giant door actually opened, rising upward.

The water surged instantly, rushing past the door. The five people first in line were caught up by the current and immediately swept inside, vanishing in an instant.

On pure instinct, Chu Hao and his group stretched out their hands and grabbed onto the stone walls, preventing themselves from being swept away.

Just a short moment later, clack, clack, clack, a loud noise came as the stone door began to close from above to below, but it was closing decidedly slowly.

Chu Hao immediately reacted, quickly letting go with both hands, and his body was swept away by the current.

Shen Chao and the other two were quick on the uptake, quickly releasing their grips and letting themselves be swept away as well.

Bang, bang, bang, bang.

The four of them fell to the ground in succession. The sound of water splashing, the ground had accumulated about a foot of water, and more was continuously pouring in.

The ground, the air.

Chu Hao and his three companions immediately began to breathe greedily, not caring whether the air was safe or not.

"You actually followed us in," said a person in a Water Armor, the voice was soft and carried a dignified air.

Without even taking off their headcovers, Chu Hao and the others recognized her—it was Nangong Rou.

Chu Hao got up from the ground, and by this time, the stone door behind had already closed. This was still a long passage, and the walls continued to shine with a soft luster, but the difference was that there was no water here, just air.

However, not having been ventilated for a long time, the air quality was extremely poor, very damp, and had a moldy smell.

Seeing him stand, the four people behind Nangong Rou immediately drew their weapons with a clang, protecting Nangong Rou in the center.

"Such evil intentions," Chu Hao unsheathed his sword as well, using so many innocent lives as bait was simply despicable.

Shen Chao and the other two were equally filled with rage, and what was more, they were each outstanding among their own sects. Having almost been killed by an unknown person was intolerable to them.

The battle was on the verge of breaking out.

"Everyone, please hear me out first," Nangong Rou removed her Water Armor, revealing her beautiful face and her tall, graceful figure. She smiled slightly and said, "At the end of this cave lies the treasure trove of the Eternal Spirit Sect from bygone years."

"Miss," the other four exclaimed in alarm, this was a secret that the Nangong Family had guarded for countless years.

"The Eternal Spirit Sect?" Chu Hao and his group showed a hint of bafflement in their eyes.

"Thirty thousand years ago, the Eternal Spirit Sect was a Great Sect of Tianhe County, at Fifth Grade. However, some disaster struck, and in one night, the Great Sect was annihilated," Nangong Rou continued to explain, ignoring the people beside her.

Fifth Grade Sect.

This means it could stand alongside the Sky Heart Sect, Silver Frost Valley, and Suiyu Sect, positioning it as one of the strongest forces in Tianhe County.

The looks in Shen Chao and the others' eyes began to change; this was the treasure trove of the Eternal Spirit Sect.

Star Stones, Treasure Artifacts, Cultivation Techniques, Martial Techniques—their breathing started to quicken.

Chu Hao remained calm and said, "So what?" He would not forgive those who sought to take his life.

"From this point on, every step will be filled with difficulty, rife with all manner of traps," Nangong Rou said. "An ancestor of my Nangong Family was a disciple of the Eternal Spirit Sect and narrowly escaped the disaster because he was not in the sect at the time."

"My Nangong Family has been searching for this treasure trove for generations, and we finally found this place a few hundred years ago, yet because of that Green Scales Berserk Snake, we suffered heavy losses."

"Only I know how to bypass the mechanisms and traps here. If you think your luck is good enough, you can kill me and try your luck," Nangong Rou said, then paused and looked at everyone with a smile.