"Understood, Master. Probe One is active. It will promptly alert us if any powerful beings approach within a radius of three hundred million kilometers, or if any unexpected situation arises. Probe Two has already blocked the surrounding signals," Pato replied solemnly.
Qin Cang's meaning had been clear: there was probably something wrong here. When it came to their safety, it was better to be too cautious than not cautious enough.
"Captain, how do we get down there?" Qin Cang asked, while also surveying the small island.
Judging by the probe results, this was just an ordinary little island. Even his own probe couldn't detect any trace of ruins here. If Kailun hadn't sworn that this was the site of a treasure left behind by the Machine Race, no one would have lingered on the island for long.
Since his probe couldn't detect anything, there were only two possibilities. The first was that the Machine Race's probe was extremely advanced and had blocked all the information in the surrounding area. That was what small probes were for: they were immune to detection by other probes.
The second possibility was that the Machine Race's mastery of Space Secret Techniques was exceptionally high, allowing them to fold and conceal the surrounding space. Their concealment methods were so sophisticated that even the probe he'd spent a fortune on hadn't detected a thing.
Neither possibility was good news for Qin Cang.
The worst outcome would be if both were true.
"According to my memories, the entrance is beneath the waters three thousand kilometers from the island's shore. If nothing has changed, we should still enter from there," Kailun replied.
Three thousand kilometers?
"What was the Machine Race thinking? What difference did three thousand kilometers make in a place like the Star Sea Region? It was practically the same as being on the surface. Or did they actually want people to enter and inherit their legacy? If so, why hide this place?" Qin Cang wondered. He couldn't figure out what the Machine Race had intended.
"Why think so much? We'll take things as they come. I refuse to believe that the precautions left behind by some King-level Immortal will cause me any real trouble." Qin Cang figured that, considering both his strength and his hidden trump cards, an ordinary treasure trove left by the Machine Race posed no threat to him. So why worry so much?
"Captain, we shouldn't delay. Let's get inside. Have Lan Ying and the others enter your Space Ring. The two of us will scout ahead." Qin Cang made the arrangements.
It was better to claim the treasure as soon as possible. The longer they waited, the worse it would be for their group. Who knew what precautions the Machine Race had left behind?
"You're right. Let's go. Follow me, and you four—Lan Ying, Lie Feng, Kuin, and Gu Shi—get into my Space Ring. Once we're sure there's no danger, you can come out." Kailun knew the value of speed. They shouldn't drag this out.
"Yes, Captain!"
The four had no objections and entered Kailun's Space Ring. After ten thousand years of friendship, they trusted one another completely.
"Let's go, Captain. I'll follow you."
Kailun said nothing more. He plunged straight into the sea, and Qin Cang followed close behind.
Three thousand kilometers was nothing to Qin Cang and Kailun. They could cover the distance in an instant; it was barely more than a couple of steps.
Thirty thousand kilometers below the surface, the scenery was completely different from that above. The island was flat land, but beneath the water, countless strange plants grew, and native species of the Star Sea Region thrived there. Twenty thousand years was more than enough time for many changes to take place.
"Look, it's over there." Kailun pointed in one direction.
Qin Cang looked where Kailun was pointing. At first glance, nothing seemed unusual, but after a closer look, he noticed the difference.
"It's constantly Devouring seawater," Qin Cang said. That was the biggest difference: the seawater flowed toward that spot and vanished into thin air, as if it connected to another place that could never be filled. He just didn't know where the water went.
"That's right. The Space Secret Technique has transformed the entire area. It seems to be folded space, and the Machine Race's legacy is hidden within it.
"The seawater flows through this opening into the folded space, then flows back out. If we follow this passage, we can enter that space directly," Kailun explained.
Clearly, just as he'd said, he'd come here countless times and thoroughly explored the area. He simply hadn't been strong enough to get inside.
"Let's go. There's no need to worry about it too much. I've been here many times, and there's no danger." With that, Kailun headed straight for the opening.
Qin Cang followed behind Kailun, studying the surrounding Space Secret Technique as he went, hoping to gauge the Machine Race member's true strength from it.
"The Space Secret Technique is mainly focused on concealment, which fits the Machine Race's fighting style. Their true bodies remain hidden elsewhere while they send one Machine Puppet after another, along with mechanical weapons, into battle.
"That's why the Machine Race put so much effort into concealing their true bodies. Some people couldn't find the Machine Race's true body even after being trapped to death by a powerful member's Mechanical Puppet Legion. This one clearly spent a great deal of effort hiding its own body, too.
"But in the end, it used those methods to conceal its legacy instead. It didn't even hide it well. Was its injury too severe? Was that why it couldn't use the complete concealment technique?
"Otherwise, with Kailun's strength and Law Comprehension, even if this Machine Race member had vanished right in front of him, Kailun would never have found where it was hiding," Qin Cang thought. Everything here gave him an eerie feeling.
Although Qin Cang was only a World Master, he'd already reached the eighteenth level of the Sky Bridge. His Law Comprehension was comparable to that of a King-level Immortal, so he could naturally tell that the Machine Race's concealment methods were full of flaws. Otherwise, how could Kailun, an Immortal Military Lord who cultivated the Law of Wind and the Time Law, have discovered this place?
This place was simply too remote, and the Star Sea Region was vast. Hardly anyone wandered around here. Otherwise, the locals of the Star Sea Region would have discovered and taken over this place long ago.
Following Kailun through a void, Qin Cang watched the scenery change in an instant. The seawater in the Star Sea Region had been clear and transparent, faintly glowing blue. But everything changed inside this space.
As soon as they entered, they saw a golden Pyramid. From Qin Cang's observations, it had three levels and stood more than ten kilometers tall. It was golden all over and completely submerged underwater. Even the water in front of it was tinged with a golden glow.
"F9-grade Metal, Mystic Sun Gold Soul! The entire Pyramid is made from Mystic Sun Gold Soul! We've struck it rich, Master. I estimate that just this Mystic Sun Gold Soul could sell for tens of millions of Hunyuan Units!" Pato exclaimed. They'd just been through the penniless Sky Wolf's place, and they could make tens of millions of Hunyuan Units just by taking this Pyramid apart and selling it for parts. The things inside had to be worth a fortune.
"Enough with the fuss. This is nothing. Just wait until I get into the Pyramid and take out the good stuff inside—that's when we'll really strike it rich. It's just a little F9-grade Metal. Don't get so excited. Don't embarrass me when we go out later."
Even so, Qin Cang was delighted to see so much Mystic Sun Gold Soul. If the outer shell of the "tomb" was made from this stuff, then the Machine Race member had to be incredibly wealthy. He was about to make a fortune himself.
"Captain, let's get started," Qin Cang urged.
Kailun nodded, then took out the Fire God Source Crystal.
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