Yun Che immediately nodded and activated the Sky-Covering Mirror. A pale golden barrier enveloped him, pushing the churning mist of illusion half a zhang away as he followed the Pioneer step by step into the depths of the Wuwang Sea.
The seawater beneath his feet was bone-chillingly cold and carried a strange power that eroded divine energy. Even with his Divine Body, Yun Che could feel a faint numbness, presumably caused by the Illusory Mist seeping into the seawater.
After they had walked for roughly half an hour, the light around them grew increasingly dim. The ink-black seawater had almost become solid, compressing even the golden light emitted by the Heaven-Shrouding Realm into a thin layer. The Pioneer gradually slowed down as well.
"Just ahead. I can feel it. The Great Dao Origin Fragment's energy is not far ahead, but..."
A note of alarm and uncertainty entered the Pioneer's voice. "Besides the fragment's power, I also sense another extremely ancient, baleful aura. I'm afraid it belongs to the being that the earlier records described as sealed here."
Yun Che grew alert, quietly circulating his divine power. "No matter. We've come this far. Even if some ancient monster really does emerge, we'll just have to take it down. Come on, let's keep going."
After they traveled several more li, a patch of light suddenly appeared ahead. It came from a huge reef suspended in the seawater, with a fragment glowing with soft golden light embedded in its center. It was the final Great Dao Origin Fragment they had searched so hard for.
Countless black chains were wound beneath the reef. Below the chains, they could vaguely make out an enormous dark shape resting on the seabed. That suffocating, baleful aura emanated from it.
"Found it!"
Yun Che's eyes lit up. Just