"Wow! Is this the East Sea?"
The Auspicious Cloud had barely landed on the shore when Jade Pool impatiently jumped down, the hem of her pale pink Daoist robe sweeping across the gleaming white sand.
She raised a hand to shield her eyes from the glaring sunlight and gazed at the boundless azure sea before her, unable to keep from exclaiming in amazement.
The seawater was clear as glass. Sunlight pierced the surface, casting rippling golden patterns across the seafloor.
In the distance, the horizon blended into the sky. Now and then, enormous seabirds with wingspans stretching hundreds of zhang swept past, their shrill cries slicing through the heavens.
Even more remarkable were the many translucent bubbles of spiritual mist floating on the surface, each containing wisps of Innate Spiritual Qi that dissolved into specks of light upon contact and merged with the air.
"Of course." Haotian landed beside her, his dark Daoist robe gently swaying in the sea breeze. He rubbed Jade Pool's head and explained with a smile.
"The East Sea is the foremost of the Four Seas. When the world was first established after the creation of heaven and earth, the Spirit Veins here were at their most abundant. Innate Spiritual Roots and rare treasures can be found everywhere."
"However, the Dragon Clan regards the Four Seas as its private domain. Ordinary beings do not dare enter without permission. Fortunately, we have the Myriad Heavens Auspicious Cloud."
With a flick of his finger, the seven-colored Auspicious Cloud shrank to the size of a palm and hovered above Jade Pool's head.
The faint glow emitted by the Auspicious Cloud could not only conceal their presence, but also automatically ward off the baleful energy within the sea.
Jade Pool reached out and touched the Auspicious Cloud, then turned to look toward the seafloor. Her eyes instantly lit up. "Senior Brother, look! There's a school of glowing fish down there!"
Following her gaze, Haotian saw thousands of fish clad in silver scales swimming in formation through the depths.
The light reflected from their scales wove a silver ribbon across the seafloor.
Wherever that ribbon passed, even the dark purple spiritual algae on the seabed began to glow faintly.
"Those are Water-Repelling Silver Scale Fish, an innate exotic species. Their scales can be refined into Water-Repelling Armor, making them quite valuable. Come, let's go take a look."
As he spoke, Haotian summoned a thread of spiritual power and formed a transparent barrier around them.
This was a minor technique he had comprehended after cultivating the Primordial Heart Sutra. It consumed less spiritual power than the conventional water-avoidance techniques of the Primordial Wilderness and could also block the pressure of the seawater.
As soon as he finished speaking, the barrier wrapped around them and sank into the sea.
Once they entered the water, the scenery became even more wondrous. The seafloor was not dark at all, but covered in glowing Sea Luminescent Stones that illuminated the depths as brightly as day.
Massive coral trees towered a thousand zhang high, their branches bearing fist-sized Coral Pearls, each containing pure water-attribute spiritual qi.
Occasionally, Mystic Turtles carrying snail shells crawled leisurely past. Natural runes were carved into their shells, forming innate defensive formations.
Jade Pool could barely take it all in. Her little hand kept pointing at one marvel after another as she asked questions, and Haotian patiently answered every one.
When they passed a garden of spiritual herbs, she crouched down beside a stalk with three emerald leaves and dew hanging from their tips, her eyes sparkling.
"Senior Brother, this grass is so cute! The dew on its leaves looks like it can move!"
"This is Condensing Dew Grass. It only grows three leaves once every million years. It is suitable for those who cultivate the Water Law. Junior Sister, you can put it away for now."
Jade Pool quickly took out a small Jade Bottle and carefully dug up the Condensing Dew Grass along with its soil before placing it inside.
Nearby, some small fish and shrimp that had developed rudimentary intelligence had initially fled in every direction when they saw the two approach.
Later, seeing that they meant no harm, they curiously gathered around again. Some even rubbed their little heads against Jade Pool's barrier.
"They don't seem afraid of me anymore!" Jade Pool smiled until her eyes curved into crescents, casually taking out some Spiritual Bait condensed from spiritual qi from her storage pouch.
This was a little trick she had learned from Hongjun while at Jade Capital Mountain. She scattered it outward.
The moment the Spiritual Bait landed, the school of fish swarmed over it. Even the distant Mystic Turtles came closer, and the seafloor instantly became lively.
A trace of warmth flashed through Haotian's eyes as he watched her cheerful expression.
After traveling through the Primordial Wilderness for tens of thousands of Yuanhui, from two spiritual stones at the edge of Chaos to becoming disciples under Hongjun, Jade Pool was the only constant by his side.
He raised a hand and touched the Heaven-Measuring Ruler. The Primordial Heaven-Measuring Ruler grew faintly warm, as if it had sensed something.
Yet when he examined it carefully, there was no further movement. Apparently, there were no more fundamental law fluctuations nearby.
"Alright, you've had enough fun. It's time to go. The East Sea is too vast, and we need to hurry and gather resources."
Once Jade Pool had played with the fish for a while, Haotian reminded her.
Jade Pool nodded, then followed Haotian deeper toward the seafloor.
Over the next several thousand years, the two traveled along the seafloor of the East Sea, reaping far more than they had expected.
Near a volcanic crater, they found Crimson Flame Essence Gold, which could be used to refine fire-attribute Spiritual Treasures.
Within a deep-sea trench, they discovered Void Jellyfish that naturally contained the power of space. Their tentacles could be used to set up spatial barriers.
They even found three Spiritual Roots capable of accelerating enlightenment within the ruins of a sunken cave abode.
Though they could not compare to the legendary Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Root, Enlightenment Tea, they were still quite good. They happened to be useful for Jade Pool at her current stage, so they collected them as well.
One day, after the two had just stored a deposit of Ice Soul Crystals into a spatial treasure, an inconspicuous jade pendant at Haotian's waist suddenly began to tremble faintly.
This bead was a special item the system had left him, known as the Treasure-Seeking Jade.
It did not count as a Spiritual Treasure, but it possessed a special ability: whenever an Innate Spiritual Treasure or an object containing the aura of the Great Dao appeared nearby, it would vibrate. The more intense the vibration, the higher the treasure's grade.
"Hm?" Haotian stopped and formed a hand seal, injecting a thread of spiritual power into the Treasure-Seeking Jade.
The bead's trembling immediately became more distinct, pointing directly toward an undersea gorge in the northwest. It seemed there was something good there.
Jade Pool leaned closer curiously. "Senior Brother, this bead is...?"
"The Treasure-Seeking Jade. It can locate treasures. Come, let's go have a look."
Haotian explained with a smile, then took the lead toward the gorge. Jade Pool followed close behind.
Following the bead's guidance, the two soon arrived at a concealed undersea gorge.
The entrance was covered in thick seaweed. Once they pushed it aside, the sight before them left both of them stunned.
Deep within the gorge, there was actually a faint curtain of law light.
Two entirely different types of law runes flowed across the curtain.
One was a surging water formation rune of the water attribute, while the other was an ice-sealing trapping formation rune of the ice attribute.
The two types of runes intertwined and merged, forming a rare grand formation that combined two formations into one.
"It's actually a fused grand formation!" Jade Pool's eyes widened.
"When I was at Jade Capital Mountain, I heard Master mention that formations like this are ten times harder to break than a single Formation, because the power of the two formations compensates for each other's weaknesses."
Haotian nodded, a trace of gravity flashing through his eyes. "It truly is not simple. If I hadn't broken through to the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, even with the Primordial Heaven-Measuring Ruler, I would probably have had to spend quite some effort."
"But now..." He raised a hand and removed the three-inch jade ruler from his waist.
As Law Power from the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm flowed from his fingertips into it, the jade ruler instantly shone with golden Merit light, revealing the true form of the Primordial Heaven-Measuring Ruler.
"Watch closely, Junior Sister. To break this kind of fused grand formation, you must first find where the Formation Eyes connect."
Before you continue