At a depth of nine hundred zhang, the surroundings abruptly changed.
The empty lake water was gone, replaced by densely packed stone pillars. These pillars extended upward from the lakebed, varying in height. The tallest reached several hundred zhang, while the shortest were only a few zhang high. Their thicknesses varied as well—some as thin as an arm, others requiring several people to encircle them. Their surfaces were riddled with holes, within which faint golden light flickered—the glow of Xuanhuang Stones.
Lin Qin landed atop a thick stone pillar and surveyed his surroundings.
This was already close to the lakebed. The light was even dimmer, with only the Xuanhuang Stones giving off a faint glow. The water had grown more viscous, and the pressure was enough to crush ordinary divine artifacts. Every movement consumed a great deal of divine power. The temperature was higher as well; even his body, nearly comparable to a Sovereign Artifact, could feel the obvious searing heat.
Not far ahead, several figures darted among the stone pillars. They were all Seven-Star Fiends, immensely powerful, and they too were searching for Xuanhuang Stones. Whenever someone found a target, it immediately drew the others into a scramble.
The slaughter unfolded in silence.
Lin Qin watched two Seven-Star Fiends engage in a fierce battle among the stone pillars over a Xuanhuang Stone. Their movements had slowed under the resistance of the water, yet every strike contained terrifying power. The surrounding stone pillars were shattered by their blows, sending fragments flying before they slowly drifted down through the water.
In the end, a short, stout middle-aged man emerged victorious. With one palm strike, he smashed his opponent's skull, seized the Xuanhuang Stone, and turned to flee. But after he had gone only ten zhang, another person blocked his path—an emaciated