Chapter 66: Undercurrent Beneath the Lake
After much thought, it could only be attributed to Song Qingxi's inherent talent.
Talent is something intangible, yet it undeniably exists. Some people are naturally suited for body tempering, others for sword cultivation.
For instance, Song Qingxing, he was a born swordsman.
So, Song Qingxi having some special talent wasn't too surprising for him. All in all, it was a good thing, wasn't it?
Song Changsheng withdrew his hand and curiously asked, “What did you pour for it?”
“You mean this?” Song Qingxi held up the jade bottle and shook it, saying, “This is spiritual liquid I concocted myself; it can promote the growth of spiritual plants.”
Song Changsheng took it and examined it. Indeed, it was just a common spiritual liquid, much like the fertilizer used for crops in his previous life. The plum tree's changes had nothing to do with it.
Unable to find the cause for the time being, Song Changsheng decided to put it aside for now and observe for a while, to see if it was due to luck or Song Qingxi's influence…
...
Early the next morning, after finishing his cultivation, Song Changsheng piloted his small boat to patrol Mirror Lake. The number of spiritual fish in the lake had increased compared to before, but the fish king was nowhere to be found.
This left him somewhat puzzled.
After thinking for a moment, he decided to ask Qingxi and the other one first.
“Xi'er, when you were on the island, did you notice anything unusual happening in the lake?”
Song Qingxi was currently watering the spiritual field with a spell. She tilted her head, thought for a moment, and said, “Doesn't seem like it. The lake has always been very calm.”
“Very calm? Whether it succeeded or failed to break through, it would cause spiritual energy fluctuations; it couldn't possibly be calm. Could it be that it hasn't broken through yet?” Song Changsheng rubbed his chin, secretly wondering.
At this moment, Song Qingxing, who had been silently cultivating, suddenly spoke, “A month ago, there was movement in the lake.”
Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow and asked, “Which direction?”
“Southeast. The lake water vibrated for three-quarters of an hour.”
“Lake water vibrating? Is there something beneath?” Song Changsheng looked at the calm lake surface. After thinking for a moment, he finally decided to go down and investigate. The lake water wouldn't vibrate for no reason; something must have happened, perhaps related to the fish king.
Thinking of this, he instructed the two, “There might be something down there. I'll go take a look. You two stay on the island and don't go into the lake for now.”
“You're going into the water? That's too dangerous.” Song Qingxi shook her head like a rattle-drum. Underwater, the strength of human cultivators would be greatly restricted. If they encountered a water demon, wouldn't they just become extra food?
Song Changsheng smiled and ruffled her soft hair, saying, “Don't worry, your Uncle never fights unprepared battles. I'll be back soon.”
If it were before, he truly wouldn't dare to venture into the water rashly, but he had coincidentally obtained a Water-Avoiding Pearl last time, which could now come in handy.
He held the Water-Avoiding Pearl in his mouth and plunged into the lake. The moment he entered the water, a transparent film enveloped Song Changsheng, instantly isolating all the lake water.
Song Changsheng's movements and breathing were completely unaffected underwater.
Mirror Lake was much deeper than he had imagined. Below, it was pitch black, and visibility was extremely low.
Song Changsheng once again activated his Delusion-Breaking Eye. The scene in the lake immediately turned grayish-white. Occasionally, a few faintly glowing specks of light swam past; those were the spiritual fish in the lake.
After sinking for a while, his feet finally touched the muddy bottom of the lake. He cast a water manipulation spell and swiftly moved towards the direction where Song Qingxing had detected the anomaly.
As the distance shortened, Song Changsheng also keenly sensed something amiss: the flow of the lake water seemed to be gradually accelerating.
He was invigorated and immediately picked up speed. His precious gourd also appeared in his hand, ready for combat.
In just a moment, he arrived at that water area. The lake water here was indeed subtly vibrating. The vibrations were not obvious, which was why the lake surface appeared very calm.
Song Changsheng circulated his pupil technique and scanned the surroundings but found no trace of any water demons.
“Since there are no water demons stirring up trouble, then how is this vibration being formed?” Song Changsheng frowned slightly.
He circled around and found that the water flow on the left side had clearly sped up, as if something was pushing or devouring it.
Following the direction of the lake water's flow, he soon discovered the cause of it all. At the bottom of the lake, there was a large hole, and an endless stream of underground water was pouring into Mirror Lake.
Song Changsheng was greatly surprised. Could it be that the bottom of this lake connected to an underground water vein?
Looking at the dark, gaping hole, Song Changsheng didn't hesitate and directly entered it. Since he had discovered it, he had to figure out where this hole led.
If it led outside Little Qing Mountain, that would be a major defensive loophole! If exploited by enemies, they could silently infiltrate Mirror Lake.
Song Changsheng swam against the current, cautiously navigating through the several-meter-wide underground waterway. After about a quarter of an hour, his vision suddenly cleared, and the waterway became incredibly wide.
He guessed that he had entered an underground river and immediately floated upwards. Sure enough, he soon touched the water's surface.
Song Changsheng looked around. It was very vast and pitch black. Besides the sound of flowing water, there was no other sound.
He cast a Heavenly Light Spell for illumination. By the light, he discovered that he was in the center of a wide underground river, with an empty space tens of meters high above his head.
“I didn't expect Mirror Lake to connect to such a wide underground river. I wonder how long it is.” Behind Song Changsheng was a smooth stone wall. If he wanted to explore, he could only swim forward.
Having come this far, Song Changsheng naturally couldn't retreat. He continued to explore along the underground river.
After about half an hour, at a large bend, Song Changsheng suddenly felt a pure water spiritual energy fluctuation.
“Could there be a water vein under this dark river?” Song Changsheng's expression brightened. The value of a water spiritual vein was considerable!
His heart surged with excitement, and he immediately quickened his pace. As soon as he turned the bend, the space suddenly became even wider, and the rich water spiritual energy made Song Changsheng feel exceptionally comfortable.
“Finally at the end. The area of this underground dark lake probably isn't smaller than Mirror Lake, is it?” Song Changsheng surveyed his surroundings and found that this was the source of the dark river, a massive underground lake.
What surprised Song Changsheng was that plants actually grew in this underground lake. On the eastern side of this lake, there was a large expanse of ink-jade colored lotus leaves, covering almost a third of the lake's surface.
In the center of these lotus leaves, there was a lotus pod the size of a plate, with lotus seeds like black jewels adorning it, emitting rich spiritual energy fluctuations.
Song Changsheng's eyes widened. He exclaimed, “Ink Jade Nether Lotus?!”
He quickly moved forward, wanting to confirm his guess. The next moment, a huge sense of danger descended upon him. Song Changsheng's expression changed dramatically, and he swiftly retreated…
(Chapter End)