The humid air in the underground space made Chen Shuangbai, a cultivator who practiced water magic, feel quite comfortable.
After taking the Spring-Turning Pill, Lady Yun circulated her internal energy to heal her wounds for a while, expelling the toxins. Her complexion improved considerably, and she thanked Chen Shuangbai a few more times.
Chen Shuangbai nodded slightly, and the two chose a direction and set off again.
Lady Yun possesses fire and earth Spirit Root. In this underground space teeming with moisture, both her strength and magic would be greatly diminished. Therefore, Chen Shuangbai took the lead, and she followed behind.
The two traveled together, and within half an incense stick's time, they encountered several Water Salamander, varying in strength and all quite ferocious.
As the Cold Spring Sword was sheathed, Chen Shuangbai strode forward, dug a demon crystal out of the Water Salamander's body, and put it into his Storage Bag.
Looking at this cultivator from a major sect in the Jing Kingdom, Lady Yun bit her lip, seemingly feeling somewhat discouraged.
Chen Shuangbai dealt with the few Water Salamander they encountered earlier.
It's either a single sword strike, or hand seals and incantations, gathering moisture and turning it into ice crystals...
In short, Chen Shuangbai displayed the demeanor and strength expected of a cultivator from a major sect, which filled this Rogue Cultivator with both envy and jealousy.
At least that's what their facial expression looked like.
Chen Shuangbai ignored her and didn't want to guess what she was thinking.
He was thinking about something--
This place is underground in the Li River, a relatively enclosed environment. How did they manage to raise so many Water Salamander here?
And they all looked plump and strong; they must eat quite well on a daily basis.
Water Salamander are omnivorous Demon Beast, mainly eating plants but occasionally meat, but normally... their size couldn't possibly be that large...
"Could it be... that there's a place here with lush vegetation?"
Chen Shuangbai suppressed this thought and continued exploring forward.
Having lost the ability of Yu Laoliu's Azure Flood Dragon Fish to find spiritual objects, and neither of them possessed such secret techniques, they could only wander aimlessly, choosing the most probable direction to follow.
Fortunately, both of them were quite lucky.
Before long, Chen Shuangbai found traces of Zhao Shiyong's Law Power again and followed them all the way. Finally, at a corner, she encountered Zhao Shiyong.
This disciple of the Profound Firmament Sect seemed to have just finished a battle and almost couldn't stop himself, raising his hand to punch Chen Shuangbai. Fortunately, Chen Shuangbai was agile enough to dodge it.
"Fellow Daoist Chen... I'm sorry..."
A hint of embarrassment appeared on Zhao Shiyong's face.
Chen Shuangbai waved his hand and asked, " Fellow Daoist Zhao, have you encountered Fellow Daoist Yu?"
Zhao Shiyong shook his head and said, "After I was swept in by that turbulent current, I was completely disoriented and it took me a while to come to my senses. After that, I explored my way until I met the two of you."
After speaking, he glanced at Chen Shuangbai and Lady Yun, noticing that they both looked ready to fight at any moment, and said, "Judging from your appearances, it seems your journey hasn't been peaceful?"
Chen Shuangbai said something briefly, and Zhao Shiyong added, "I also encountered a few Water Salamander. Speaking of which... it's a bit strange that so many Water Salamander can be raised here?"
Lady Yun finally found an opportunity to interject, saying, "Perhaps... it's because of that treasure?"
Zhao Shiyong nodded slightly and said, "That's possible."
The three reunited, and their sense of security increased slightly again. However, a new problem arose.
Although they knew the treasure was most likely located here, the area was winding and treacherous, with Water Salamander or other Demon Beast lurking in the shadows. How could they possibly find it?
Zhao Shiyong seemed to have anticipated this situation. He took out a white object from his Storage Bag, which looked like the cocoon of some kind of insect. He muttered an inaudible incantation and poured his Law Power into it.
Then, under the watchful eyes of Chen Shuangbai and Lady Yun, the white cocoon slowly dissolved, and a blue butterfly emerged from it.
Zhao Shiyong explained, "To prevent such situations, I prepared these Spirit-Attracting Butterfly long ago. These are a kind of spirit insect, without any killing power, but they are attracted to things that emit a strong spiritual energy. As long as that thing is within a five-mile radius, it can be faintly detected."
Chen Shuangbai glanced at the petite and exquisite fairy butterfly, then took a deep look at Zhao Shiyong, thinking to herself that he was Dao Fruit a disciple personally taught by a superior cultivator, with many methods and thorough consideration.
As for Lady Yun... she looked at the demonic butterfly with envy, and muttered a slightly sour comment, " Fellow Daoist Zhao is truly a direct descendant of a great sect..."
Chen Shuangbai gave this guy a deep look.
The three chased after the blue butterfly, which looked frail but was surprisingly fast. With a flap of its soft wings, it transformed into a streak of blue light and appeared dozens of meters away.
Seeing this, Zhao Shiyong shouted "Chase!" and his feet blazed with fire as he followed closely behind.
Chen Shuangbai and Lady Yun also caught up.
Like Yu Laoliu's Azure Flood Dragon Fish, the blue demon butterfly paused briefly, its soft, curled antennae on its head twitching rapidly, as if sensing the presence of something rich in spiritual energy.
Guided by the blue fairy butterfly, the three hurried through the winding passages of the underground cave, not knowing how long they wandered around, until they finally arrived at a relatively open underground cave.
Zhao Shiyong wanted to follow, but Chen Shuangbai's expression changed slightly because he had sensed a dozen or so auras emanating cold malice gathering not far away.
Stop!
Chen Shuangbai said in a deep voice, transmitting the message to the two of them using Secret Method.
Zhao Shiyong stopped abruptly, slipping into a recess in the cave wall beside him, his entire body enveloped in shadow. At the same time, he transmitted his voice, asking, "Fellow Daoist Chen, is there something amiss ahead?"
Lady Yun hesitated for a moment before landing below.
Chen Shuangbai carefully sensed the area again before leading the two forward slowly. Through the gap between two stone pillars, they saw a sunken clear pool in the open underground space ahead. Dark shadows could be seen swimming in the pool, occasionally surfacing to reveal soft, black skin.
"One, two, three, four... fifteen heads?!"
Lady Yun silently counted them in her mind, and her expression changed slightly when she discovered that there were a full fifteen Water Salamander entrenched there.
Zhao Shiyong and Chen Shuangbai were alright.
These fifteen Water Salamander were somewhat troublesome, but not enough to threaten their lives.
Chen Shuangbai looked at Zhao Shiyong and asked via telepathy, " Fellow Daoist Zhao, is it under that pond?"
Zhao Shiyong closed his eyes, seemingly using Secret Method to communicate with the blue demon butterfly. After a short while, he opened his eyes again, looked at the clear pool below, and said, "It's down there."
The situation has become slightly... a little complicated.