Chapter 031: Pure Clarity Water Pearl
The battle had yet to break out in full force.
The Genius Ancient Battlefield was overflowing with treasures; even in the first layer, many people could grab plenty of suitable items without the need to fight over them.
In the Pure Clarity Water, at least a thousand people were soaking.
This was a massive pond, and Yue Hongling’s first target was the Pure Clarity Water.
She had no choice; her talent was the weakest, and the water’s effects were decent. She couldn’t let any opportunity to enhance her aptitude slip away.
Actually, her real goal was the Pure Clarity Water Pearl. The water here was normally just plain water, but the existence of the pearl at the bottom had transformed the entire lake into Pure Clarity Water.
Her figure had already dived into the depths of the lake.
But the others weren’t fools either; they were all diving deeper.
However, the pressure at the lake’s bottom was incredibly immense.
Like being in the deep sea.
The further down you went, the more terrifying the pressure became. The cultivators felt as if a giant mountain was crushing them.
When they reached a thousand meters down, the number of people able to continue diving was already scant.
At one thousand five hundred meters, only three were still going deep together.
At two thousand meters, those three could barely withstand such enormous pressure, causing blood to seep from their seven orifices.
Yet Yue Hongling showed no fear.
Another person gave up.
Now, only she and Shangguan Wuchang kept diving.
Shangguan Wuchang looked at Yue Hongling with admiration. A woman like her was truly rare, perhaps deserving to be one of his Dao Companions.
“It’s a long journey; I don’t even know your name, fair lady. I am Shangguan Wuchang of the Supreme Imperial Court,” he said with a smile.
“I know you!” Yue Hongling replied through her mind.
“Oh?”
Shangguan Wuchang’s lips curled into a smile.
His fame, indeed, was known by countless people.
“Huan Ling is your sister, right?” Yue Hongling asked.
“My little sister doesn’t venture out much. How do you know her? Are you from the Supreme Imperial Court?” Shangguan Wuchang asked, a bit surprised.
“No, how much further can you dive?” Yue Hongling inquired.
“I should be able to manage another thousand meters.”
Yue Hongling nodded in understanding and suddenly punched out.
Boom!
The punch sent countless waves crashing toward Shangguan Wuchang.
Shangguan Wuchang’s expression changed, and he summoned a halberd to shatter the punch’s imprint.
The power embedded in that punch alarmed him.
“Fearless Seal!”
A massive seal condensed, carrying even more ferocious power as it slammed toward Shangguan Wuchang.
Boom!
Shangguan Wuchang felt a terrifying force strike; his body shot upward.
“What incredible audacity!”
Shangguan Wuchang bellowed, wielding his halberd as he charged at Yue Hongling.
Yue Hongling charged back with bare hands, her body radiating shimmering runes. With every punch and palm she threw, she collided with the halberd, not only holding her ground but forcing Shangguan Wuchang to retreat.
What the heck!
Shangguan Wuchang felt a chill run down his spine.
In the Supreme Imperial Court, he was a top Tianjiao. Though some were more monstrous than him, there were at most one or two. And now, he encountered one randomly with such strength?
“Get lost!”
Yue Hongling shouted.
With both hands forming a seal, a nearly physical seal slammed Shangguan Wuchang away.
The buoyancy increased.
The distance between them endlessly widened.
Yue Hongling had no intention of dragging things out with Shangguan Wuchang; he should be dealt with by her Senior Brother.
What she needed to do now was grab the Pure Clarity Water Pearl.
According to what her Senior Brother said in her past life, the pearl was at the bottom, and this lake was three thousand meters deep. Regardless of whether Shangguan Wuchang was boasting about his ability to dive a thousand more, Yue Hongling decided to strike him away first.
Yue Hongling continued her descent.
Two thousand five hundred meters.
At this moment, she was engulfed by a sensation of suffocation.
It was due to the immense pressure.
Due to the quality of the water, the pressure of the Pure Clarity Water was over a thousand times greater than that of regular lake water; even someone at the Breaking Embryo Realm couldn’t handle it.
However, Yue Hongling felt she was still far from her limit; even four thousand meters would likely be no issue.
When her Senior Brother retrieved the Pure Clarity Water Pearl back then, it hadn’t been too tough, right?
And yet, it seemed like he had been on the verge of dying, requiring her constant care for ages while he ended up taking advantage of her.
Yue Hongling’s cheeks flushed, whether from the pressure or recalling past events, she couldn’t tell.
Three thousand meters reached.
The water in the lake had turned a dark blue, giving a heavy, oppressive feeling to anyone who looked.
Yue Hongling froze.
She was certain she had dived three thousand meters.
Now, looking down, everything appeared black, and she could see nothing of the lakebed, leaving her momentarily bewildered.
Wasn’t it supposed to be three thousand meters?
Could there have been some changes?
Grinding her teeth, she sensed how much more she could endure and dove deeper.
Four thousand meters!
Yue Hongling was indeed strong, but reaching four thousand meters, she felt a terrifying pressure that seemed to stop her heart from beating.
Again, the lakebed was still out of sight.
Yue Hongling gritted her teeth and pressed on!
Five thousand meters!
At this point, parts of her bones were crushed, and her flesh began to look rotted.
Yue Hongling’s eyes reddened, her face showing disbelief.
She gazed at her own body in confusion, recalling how Lu Ye crawled out from the Pure Clarity Water before.
Wasn’t it supposed to be three thousand meters?
The location of the Pure Clarity Water Pearl wasn’t three thousand meters.
The distance from the lake bottom to the surface was also not three thousand meters.
Thick fear and suffocation weighed down on Yue Hongling. She was fearless, but a trickle of liquid escaped from the corners of her eyes.
She was indeed fearless.
Because her martial arts were powerful, and she possessed memories from her past life. In her past, she was an Emperor. What terrifying scenes hadn’t she experienced?
But what about Lu Ye, who had helped her obtain the Pure Clarity Water Pearl back then?
At that time, Lu Ye was just a newbie who had barely left his sect, struggling to kill a person.
Could such a rookie, if not strong-willed and dedicated, truly have the courage to keep diving into such a terrifying, suffocating, and possibly hopeless lake?
Because one could never know how far the lake bottom still was.
It might be another hundred meters, another thousand, or even three thousand more…
In such a hopeless and endless environment, Lu Ye had always remembered that he needed the Pure Clarity Water Pearl.
But why did he lie to himself?
Why tell himself it was only three thousand meters?
Yue Hongling clenched her teeth and surged toward the lake bottom.
Crack, crack, crack…
Her bones continuously emitted cracking sounds.
Yue Hongling had completely lost track of how deep she had dived, but a dim blue glow finally peeked into her vision.
Though she could barely see now, she groped her way to the center of the blue glow and grasped the Pure Clarity Water Pearl.
In that instant, her body felt an overwhelming yearning.
For the Pure Clarity Water Pearl to instantly merge into her body—if it did, her near-destroyed body would recover immediately, and the effect on her aptitude would be the best.
Merge!
Merge!
This wasn’t the Pearl’s temptation; it was her collapsing body sending signals to her brain.
