Angry River's dark waves surged and churned.
A large boat bearing the government's lanterns struggled to hold steady in the swift current.
At the bow stood Lu Chen, clad in a tight fishskin diving suit, every muscle in his powerful frame taut.
A Hundred Refinements Steel Saber was strapped to his back, a Water Splitting Dagger at his waist, and a specially made waterproof mask covered his face. He looked like someone nobody would want to mess with.
Behind him stood Zhao Gang and a group of constables, along with the Black Water Gang's elite, led by Wang Xiaoliu.
Everyone stared tensely at the black water below.
They were at the edge of the Ghost's Worry whirlpool.
The current was terrifyingly swift. Huge whirlpools gaped like open mouths, their roar pounding painfully against their ears.
"Hall Master Lu, it's down there?"
Zhao Gang gripped the gunwale, his face pale.
He was a capable man on land, but out here in the middle of the river, staring at whirlpools that seemed bottomless, even his legs were starting to cramp.
"According to the clues, the dried corpse drifted down from this area."
Lu Chen's voice was calm. "And the water smells the rankest here."
He pointed at the surface.
Everyone took a closer sniff. Sure enough, a pungent stench hung in the air, like dead fish and rotten shrimp left in a heap for ages.
"Get ready to dive."
Lu Chen gave the order without wasting words.
"This..."
The members of the Water Ghost team Zhao Gang had summoned exchanged uncertain looks.
Diving in these conditions was practically a death wish.
"Fifty taels each as a settling-in allowance," Lu Chen said evenly. "Those who make it back alive will get another fifty. If you die, your family will receive a hundred taels in compensation."
With a rich reward, even the timid would find courage.
The Water Ghosts' eyes lit up. They gritted their teeth and began putting on their gear.
"Wang Xiaoliu, stay on the boat and stand by to receive us."
Lu Chen turned and instructed him, "Whatever happens down there, the boat doesn't move without my order."
"Boss, I'm going down too!"
Wang Xiaoliu grew anxious. "My swimming isn't as good as those old hands', but I can manage..."
"That's an order."
Lu Chen's eyes turned cold. "We don't know what's down there. Guarding our way out from above is more useful than going down to die."
Wang Xiaoliu drew his head back and didn't dare argue. "Yes, boss."
Once everything was arranged, Lu Chen took a deep breath.
His chest swelled high, storing air like a bellows.
This was one of the abilities he'd gained after mastering Iron Cloth Shirt. He could hold his breath underwater for a full quarter of an hour.
"Dive!"
Lu Chen sprang from the boat.
Splash!
Water sprayed everywhere as he vanished into the black river.
Right after him, Zhao Gang gritted his teeth and led several elite constables and Water Ghosts into the water.
The instant they plunged beneath the surface, icy water and crushing pressure closed in around them.
An ordinary person's eardrums might have burst on the spot, their chest tightening as they gasped for breath.
But Lu Chen felt nothing.
A faint, dark iron sheen spread across his skin. His Thick Skin trait was automatically resisting the water pressure.
He opened his eyes underwater.
The water was so murky that he could barely see a few yards around him.
He made a hand signal, telling everyone to follow.
The group began descending toward the riverbed.
The deeper they went, the dimmer the light and the greater the pressure.
Zhao Gang and the others had to bite down on specially made "breath-holding pearls" and rely on their inner energy to resist the pressure. Their movements slowed.
Only Lu Chen moved like a nimble black shark, weaving through the swift currents.
Suddenly—
Lu Chen stopped and raised a hand in warning.
A school of shadows appeared in the murky current ahead.
Fish.
But not ordinary fish.
Every one of them was half a man's length, covered in spikes, with mouths full of sawlike fangs and blood-red eyes.
Mutant Piranhas!
They were uncommon in Angry River and usually stayed in deep water. When they appeared, they came in schools, and could strip even a crocodile to bare bones in an instant.
"Careful!"
Zhao Gang couldn't speak underwater. He could only gesture frantically.
But the school had already spotted them.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
More than a dozen piranhas shot forward like arrows, bearing down on them with murderous intent.
You're asking for it.
Lu Chen didn't draw his saber underwater. It was a heavy weapon, and the resistance would be too great.
He flipped both hands, and a Water Splitting Dagger slid into each palm.
The first piranha charged at him. Lu Chen surged forward instead of retreating.
He kicked off hard underwater, his body shooting ahead like a cannonball.
Pfft!
The Water Splitting Dagger pierced the piranha's eye and bored straight through its brain.
The fish didn't even get a chance to struggle before it rolled belly-up.
Blood spread through the water.
The stench roused the remaining fish into a frenzy. They closed in from all sides.
"Form up!"
Zhao Gang drew his waist saber. He and several constables stood back-to-back, struggling to hold the line.
But underwater, their movements were badly hampered. They were soon wounded.
"Ah—!"
A piranha clamped onto one Water Ghost's thigh, and blood gushed out.
Just then, a shadow flashed past.
Lu Chen.
He was like a merciless killing machine.
The Water Splitting Daggers in his hands blurred into streaks.
Every time he struck, another piranha died.
He darted through the school. The fish's razor-sharp teeth clacked against his body with crisp pings, unable to pierce his skin.
At that moment, the defense of Iron Cloth Shirt was on full display.
In just a few breaths—
More than twenty Mutant Piranhas had become corpses, slowly sinking toward the riverbed.
Zhao Gang and the others stared in stunned silence.
They could barely keep their footing underwater, yet Lu Chen had slaughtered the fish as easily as chickens.
So this was the strength of "Lu Iron Skin"?
Lu Chen paid no attention to their shock. He shook the blood from his daggers and pointed below.
A vast shadow loomed there.
Everyone's spirits lifted, and they hurried after him.
They passed through a dense patch of water plants and skirted several enormous reefs.
The sight before them left everyone holding their breath.
A vast ruin rose from the silt on the riverbed.
Broken stone pillars, each thick enough for three men to encircle, bore faded carvings of coiling dragons.
The collapsed walls were built from enormous blocks of blue stone. They were covered in moss, but their former grandeur was still clear.
At the very center of the ruins stood a palace, mostly intact.
Its doors were shut. The two stone gates rose several yards high, carved with two hideous demons staring coldly at the intruders.
Dragon Palace!
Though no one could speak, the same two words sprang into everyone's mind.
This was the legendary Dragon Palace of Angry River!
And the forbidden ground mentioned by the blind old man.
Lu Chen stared at the palace, his eyes shining brighter than the Night-Shining Pearls around them.
He could feel it.
The Beast Hide Map in his arms was growing faintly warm.
This was where the Profound Nether Hand inheritance was hidden!
And the black stones scattered in the silt around the palace were glowing with a cold, eerie light.
Netherworld Stone!
Lu Chen's heart pounded wildly.
He'd searched high and low, only to find it without even trying.
He gestured for everyone to move closer.
But when they were still dozens of yards from the palace—
A sudden change struck.
The calm current turned violent without warning.
An icy cold current swept out from the palace, dropping the surrounding water temperature by more than ten degrees in an instant.
Zhao Gang and the others shivered uncontrollably. A thin layer of frost formed on their eyebrows.
Then—
Countless pairs of red eyes suddenly lit up in the shadows around the palace.
They were packed together like ghost fire.
"Woo—"
A bone-chilling moan echoed through the water.
Shadows burst from the ruins.
They weren't fish.
They were people.
Or rather, Water Ghosts—with gills, webbed hands and feet, and mouths full of fangs!
There were more than a hundred of them!
They surrounded Lu Chen and the others, their eyes greedy and bloodthirsty.
They looked at the newcomers like a feast delivered to their door.
Zhao Gang's face turned green.
There were so many Water Ghosts that even if they threw every person in the County Yamen into the water, there still wouldn't be enough to fill their teeth!
He looked at Lu Chen, despair filling his eyes.
This wasn't an exploration for treasure. It was a death sentence!
But Lu Chen showed no sign of panic.
He slowly drew the Hundred Refinements Steel Saber from his back.
Its blade swept through the water in a streak of cold light.
He let out a cold laugh.
"Just in time."
"Let's see how my perfected Iron Cloth Shirt holds up against you!"
Before you continue