Mysteries Beneath the Pool

After receiving the command, Xiao Yin immediately soared into the sky under the gaze of the three cultivators. In just a few breaths, it had flown over ten zhang and reached a level parallel to the mountain from which the waterfall poured down.

There, a massive dark green pool came into view, constantly bubbling with emerald-colored spring water. Yet, at its very center, a shadowy blackness made the whole scene seem oddly unreal.

Seeing this, Xiao Yin hastily transmitted its findings to its master through their spiritual connection.

Moments later, having learned about the situation atop the waterfall, Chen Jinshu's brows furrowed tightly. Her bronze chime had clearly reacted to something at the mountaintop—so there had to be something there.

"Senior brothers, I had the spirit sparrow fly up to investigate. The source of the waterfall appears to be a deep green pool, but there's nothing else."

The two men frowned slightly upon hearing this. A pool at the source of a waterfall wasn't unusual, but for there to be nothing else was suspicious.

"Shall we fly up and see for ourselves? If it's just a pool, then there must be something inside it," Du Yi suggested after a moment of thought.

"Agreed."

The three of them immediately used their techniques and ascended toward the waterfall's origin. In mere seconds, they reached the sky above the deep green pool. Gazing down at the seemingly bottomless water, they fell into momentary silence.

"Do you two smell something odd from the pool?" Chen Jinshu pinched her nose and asked.

"I think you're right... smells like rotting corpses, but faint," Jiang Daoyu sniffed slightly and frowned.

"You don't think the villagers in that ancient stockade were eaten by this pool, do you?" Du Yi suddenly said, half-joking, half-serious.

"Don't joke about that, senior brother. That village had hundreds of houses. Even if this pool is big, if it contained all those people, the water would be overflowing," Chen Jinshu shook her head.

"Besides, unless there's something in the water keeping them down, bodies should float."

If the waterfall really was hiding something sinister, their situation might be much more dangerous than expected.

"Master! There's a shadowy area below—I can't quite make it out," Xiao Yin whispered into Chen Jinshu's ear from her shoulder.

"Really?" She immediately looked down into the pool.

With a careful change in perspective, she indeed spotted a darker patch within the water—subtle, but there.

"Look closely! Do you see something down there?"

"What do you mean? The pool is deep green but quite clear—you can't see the bottom," Du Yi replied.

"If I'm not mistaken, there's a hidden cave under the pool!"

"A cave?" Du Yi and Jiang Daoyu exchanged surprised glances. Why hadn't they thought of that?

Perhaps it was because hidden water-bound caves were rare, especially in such remote places. Now alerted, the two men peered more intently into the pool. Within seconds, their expressions changed to shock.

"There might really be a hidden cave."

"But we don't know how dangerous this water is. How do we confirm it's real?"

"Leave it to me," Jiang Daoyu said, retrieving a blue spirit pearl from his storage pouch. After a moment's hesitation, he tossed it into the water.

As soon as the pearl hit the surface, it emitted a bright blue glow and began to sink. In no time, it reached the bottom, where an upward current pushed it back up. Though the pool appeared empty, the pearl's light revealed a stone cave at the side of the pool's rock wall.

"There's nothing dangerous in the water! And there really is a cave!" Du Yi smiled.

"Let's dive in. Now that we've found it, we can't explore from afar."

"No objections here."

Chen Jinshu also agreed—if they wanted to understand the cave's secrets, they'd have to go down themselves. After all, their master had once been here—surely, even if the cave was dangerous, it wasn't hopeless.

The three of them prepared and dove in.

This was Chen Jinshu's first time diving, and though she found it exciting, she didn't want to get soaked. She activated a Water-Repelling Talisman, which created a vacuum-like barrier around her body.

However, they underestimated the powerful current coming from the fissures at the bottom of the pool, making their descent difficult. Fortunately, they weren't ordinary mortals, and they eventually reached the cave entrance—though it took some effort.

As soon as they entered the cave, a protective formation sealed off the rushing water outside.

"Incredible... a formation strong enough to hold back the water," Chen Jinshu exclaimed.

"It's not a complicated formation—what's amazing is how long it's lasted."

"Experts work in mysterious ways. We cultivators in the Qi Refining stage can only admire from afar."

"Let's start exploring. This time, we stick together—no more splitting up like last time," Jiang Daoyu suggested.

Chen Jinshu nodded and followed the others deeper inside. At first, the stone tunnel was only wide enough for one person, but it gradually expanded until all three could walk side by side. Despite the cave's darkness, it wasn't humid at all. But the further they walked, the damper the ground became, and its color shifted to a vibrant green.

"Something's ahead—stay alert," Jiang Daoyu warned. A faint green glow shimmered in the distance.

All three felt a rising sense of unease, though none showed it outwardly.

Soon, a small green pool blocked their path.

"It's just a pond."

"What's that plant in the center?" Du Yi asked.

A sparse-leaved plant stood in the center, bearing six jade-like lantern-shaped fruits glowing faint green.

"That's Emerald Lantern Fruit! Extremely rich in wood-element spiritual energy," Chen Jinshu identified it, recalling a similar plant from her master's medicine garden.

She hadn't asked at the time, but later confirmed its identity in the library.

"Six fruits—we each get two," Jiang Daoyu smiled. Finally, a reward after their long journey—valuable spiritual fruit rich in wood essence.

"Careful! A fruit like this is always guarded by a spirit beast!"

Emerald Lantern Fruit was a rare, high-grade spiritual plant, often protected by poisonous creatures.

At her warning, the other two became more cautious.

Suddenly—swish!—three streaks of green light shot toward them.

In the blink of an eye, three pairs of glowing eyes emerged from the pond, staring directly at them.