Descent

Liam felt his pulse quicken as the icy abyss opened beneath him, the frigid water rushing upward like a breath from the underworld. The oppressive cold gnawed at his energy reserves, testing the limits of his Dao control. 

For a fleeting moment, he questioned whether to proceed—whether this mysterious spirit, if it even existed, was worth the risk. He then felt another blast of cold aura that took away a chunk of his health despite the three dao domain. 

Something this powerful was definitely worth taking the risk, especially since he was already here. With a focused breath, he steadied his mind and let his dao energies flow through his body like a warm current, pushing back the cold that threatened to freeze him solid. 

He glanced back at the crack he had made, the jagged ice gleaming like shards of glass, before plunging into the dark depths below.