Chapter 31: The Miraculous Dungeon

"Senior Chu, it is right beneath this stretch of sea," said Jing, the socially anxious cultivator, pointing downward.

Chu Qiuchi did not hesitate. She cast a water-repelling spell and dove straight into the depths. The two descended at great speed, expecting to reach the seabed in an instant, but upon going deeper, they discovered a vast, abyssal trench that seemed to have no bottom.

As they continued to descend, the surroundings grew increasingly dim until they were plunged into total darkness. Jing, being sensible, conjured a flame spell for illumination, yet even with the light, they could not see very far. Nearly an hour passed before something new finally appeared before them.

"Wait, Senior Chu, there seems to be light below," Jing noted.

Indeed, the pitch-black seabed was suddenly illuminated by a faint, pale blue glow. While not intensely bright, the light stretched for hundreds of yards, extending beyond the reach of sight.

What was this?

She could not help but release her divine sense to probe it, only to find a subtle flow of spiritual energy within the light, as if it were alive.

[Ding! Sealing barrier detected! Sealing barrier detected!]

[Master, Master! I found it, I finally found it!] The little ball of light became instantly excited, spinning wildly around her. [This is it! This is where the seal that locks the map is located!]

"What do you mean?" Qiuchi asked, confused.

[Master, do you remember when I was searching for the coordinates of the next research base? I detected a powerful seal blocking this entire continent. This is the source of that seal.]

Qiuchi finally understood. Thinking back, Qi Hong had once mentioned that the end of the Endless Sea might connect to other continents; perhaps this seal was the reason. It locked this continent away, preventing those in the Linyuan Continent from leaving and those from the outside from entering.

And was the second research base located on another continent?

"Senior Chu, there seems to be something inside, it looks like... mountains?" Jing pointed toward the area beneath the pale blue glow.

Qiuchi looked closer. Beneath the light, there were indeed massive, dark shapes, layered and jagged, truly resembling a range of subterranean peaks.

"I can sense the object calling to me. It is down there. Should we go in?" Jing asked.

"We must go in, though I fear it won't be easy." Qiuchi tentatively reached out toward the layer of light. "This light should be a powerful seal; it won't be easily broken through—"

Before she could finish her sentence, her hand passed straight through the glow without any resistance, as if the barrier did not exist at all.

Qiuchi: "..."

Jing: "..."

So much for being "powerful." So much for being a "seal." So much for "locking the entire continent."

"Stupid system, are you playing games with me?"

Qiuchi stepped directly inside. It was completely unobstructed; the barrier was nothing more than a facade.

"Let's go!"

Qiuchi was about to continue her descent when Jing, trailing behind, stopped in his tracks. "Senior Chu, I... I don't seem to be able to enter."

Turning back, she saw that the blue light, which had been as thin as air to her, was blocking Jing solidly. Even the water-repelling barrier surrounding them split in two the moment she stepped through.

"What is going on?" Qiuchi stepped back out, meeting no resistance. "System, explain."

[Master, I do not know. I have yet to obtain any data on this specific barrier, but I can confirm that this must be a product of the research base. Since you possess the highest authority of the Blue Star, you can naturally pass through at will.]

So, was it because Jing lacked the authorization?

"Can I not take Jing in with me?"

[Not at the moment, unless you find the control device for this barrier and update the permissions for others.]

Must she leave Jing behind? That was too dangerous. Who knew if the giant beast from earlier would follow them? She was confident she could handle it, but Jing had only just reached the Golden Core stage; he would certainly be in trouble. However, having come this far, she was unwilling to give up.

After a moment of thought, she cast several defensive arrays around Jing and handed him a teleportation talisman—one she had prepared back at the Xuantian Sect—which would return him to the sect if triggered. Still feeling it wasn't safe enough, she plucked the little ball of light from her shoulder and placed it on his head.

With the system present, she could be at ease. Although Jing might not be able to see it, the system shared her cultivation level and could certainly help him escape in a pinch, while also maintaining a two-way connection with her.

"I am going in to take a look. Wait for me here. If you encounter danger, don't worry about me—teleport back to the sect immediately!" After giving her instructions, she turned and stepped into the pale blue glow.

Jing knew he could not help further, so he waited quietly outside the seal.

After passing through, Qiuchi descended for a while longer before reaching the bottom. Far from the glow, the area was pitch black again. She cast a spell, and a ball of light appeared in her palm. With a gentle flick, the white light grew brighter, illuminating the entire seabed and revealing the true nature of the surroundings.

Looking closely, she realized there were no mountains here. Instead, there were towering halls and city walls. Directly in front of her stood a city gate hundreds of meters high.

This was, in fact, a massive underwater city!

It was a city dozens of times the size of a human town, and those structures that looked like mountains were merely ordinary buildings. For a moment, Qiuchi felt as if she had returned to the Blue Star, looking at a city full of skyscrapers.

Yet, the architecture here was far taller and more imposing than modern skyscrapers, as if it were not meant for humans, but for some kind of massive creature.

Qiuchi stared in a daze for a long time before walking toward the towering gate.

The moment she entered the city, she felt the surrounding water vanish, replaced by fresh air. Looking back, she realized the city gate acted as a barrier; inside, the underwater city was no different from the land.

Strangely, the city was dead silent. There was not a sound. She swept her divine sense across the entire place but found no living being. Even in the waters near the city, no fish lingered, as if they were instinctively avoiding the area.

She walked through the city, finding the architecture quite bizarre—some buildings had doors but no windows, like caves; others had roofs but no walls, like bird nests; and many were riddled with holes. They had clearly been designed this way on purpose. She even discovered traces of Blue Star metallic materials and technology.

Though she did not understand why the city was so strange, she guessed that this must be the city belonging to the Beast Race mentioned in the agreements. She just did not know why they had long since abandoned it.