The other three did not hesitate either.
They immediately followed Jiang Qiao.
And floated upward.
The icy lake water enveloped their bodies, while the light around them gradually dimmed with the changing depth.
At first, they could still make out the outlines of bluish-gray rock slabs and those pits, but before long, those sights sank into the ever-deepening darkness beneath their feet.
Above them stretched a vast expanse of dark water.
They could not see the surface.
Nor could they see any light.
Rakshasa Lake was far deeper than an ordinary lake. The higher they rose, the darker the water became, shifting from its initial bluish-gray to ink-green, then to an almost pure black.
It was as though the upper layers of this lake had never admitted a single ray of sunlight.
That was one of Rakshasa Lake's strange aspects. For some reason, there was light at the bottom of the lake, yet visibility vanished as they went upward.
"Stay close."
"Don't get separated."
Jiang Qiao's tone was steady.
There was no trace of tension in his voice.
The three said nothing. They merely stayed close beside Jiang Qiao, maintaining roughly a body-length of distance in the darkness as they continued floating upward.
Time passed second by second.
The surroundings grew darker and darker, until they soon reached the point where they could not see their own hands.
There was no light source.
No aquatic plants, no fish or shrimp.
Even the sound of the current had become almost inaudible.
Only the sound of the four of them paddling seemed exceptionally clear in that boundless darkness.
Jin Shanba was beginning to feel uneasy.
Swimming at the rear, he constantly felt as if something were watching him. The feeling came and went, like an illusion, yet he could not shake it.