Lu Xueqi and Bi Yao (14)

His vision gradually blurred, as though an invisible mist had spread through the water.

A strange pressure descended upon them.

Su Han felt the tortoise shell in his arms grow faintly warm.

He lowered his head to look.

The ancient patterns on the shell's surface, once dim, now emitted an extremely faint, nearly invisible dark-blue glow.

The glow flickered like breathing.

It seemed to resonate with the surrounding environment.

Ahead, Elder Mu's submersible slowed as well.

"Be careful. We're approaching the Star Mist Barrier."

"This is Falling Star Lake's outermost natural barrier. It can distort perception and confuse one's sense of direction."

"Stay close to me. Do not stray from the route, or you may become lost forever in this sea of mist."

Su Han's spirits lifted. He focused on controlling the submersible, tightly following the faint blue glow ahead.

The purple "mist" around them grew denser and denser.

In the end, visibility was less than thirty feet.

Only the submersible's own light barrier illuminated a small area.

Above, below, left, and right, everything was filled with surging, hazy purple.

There was utter silence.

Even the sound of flowing water seemed to have been swallowed by the thick fog.

A sense of isolation from the world rose unbidden within him.

Su Han even began to wonder whether they were still moving, or whether they had long since fallen into an eternal maze.

They continued onward for roughly half an hour amid that unsettling silence.

Suddenly.

The dense purple fog ahead parted without warning.

It was as though a curtain had been lifted.

Before them appeared a magnificent sight, so breathtaking it defied description.

It was a vast, boundless lake floating in the depths of the sea.

The lake water was neither the usual blue nor green.

Instead, it was a