Chapter 162: Chapter 24 The Prisoner of the Underwater Dragon Palace
 

In the deep sea, the two embraced and sank downward.

For cultivators, lack of oxygen was not a problem at all.

As long as they had passed the Fasting period, their bodies could circulate internally and sustain themselves without any exchange with the outside world to maintain life.

However, this did not mean they could dive into the deep sea without dying, because the deeper they went, the greater the water pressure, and the bodies of cultivators would be crushed by the immense force…

Yet, about two quarters of an hour later, Luo Yan surprisingly discovered that the surrounding water pressure had not increased at all.

Hmm?

After pondering for a moment, he realized the truth.

Buoyancy, essentially, was caused by the difference in water pressure above and below an object.

If this seawater lacked even buoyancy, then how could there possibly be any water pressure?

He was lost in thought for a long time, while Shi Liuli in his arms tightly closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

She had originally thought that she was surely going to die, so she clung to Luo Yan, motionless, waiting for death to come with trepidation.

But after waiting for two quarters of an hour and still not dying, she finally became a little impatient and forced her eyes open.

It was so dark.

Descending to this depth, the visibility around them had become so dim that they could hardly see anything at all, and they could only sense Luo Yan’s presence through the most basic sense of touch.

However, the seawater was extremely cold, nearly numbing her entire body, forcing her to hold on tightly to Luo Yan.

Suddenly, it seemed something had wrapped around the two of them.

That thing seemed like seaweed, yet also like silk, winding around the two several times before dragging them downwards.

Luo Yan tried to struggle, realizing he couldn’t break free at all… Moreover, his entire True Yuan seemed to be stagnating, unable to circulate at all.

About another quarter of an hour passed when a light gradually appeared below.

What hung in the abyss below was a palace, brightly lit and breathtakingly beautiful.

Crystal for walls, coral for trees, clams for candles, and fragrance wafting in the smoke decorated the whole palace like an immortal realm, akin to the Dragon King’s palace of mythological tales, overwhelmingly beautiful.

What bound the two was a long, thin rope that did not seem to be woven from plant fibers, but rather like the sinew of some creature…

The two were dragged into the palace of the Dragon King, and the palace gate quietly opened, revealing a layer of shimmering water membrane.

They passed through the water barrier without any impediment, and immediately felt lighter.

The cold, cultivation-sealing water that felt almost suffocating was all isolated outside the water membrane; even their clothes were not wet.

Shi Liuli shivered, anxiously clinging to Luo Yan’s arm.

Luo Yan, however, looked around calmly and asked the Kunlun Mirror in his Sea of Consciousness:

“Where’s my future warrior? Where’s my strategy guide?”

“What do you need a strategy guide for?” Kunlun Mirror was baffled, “I didn’t see any deadly tribulation, and I can’t be staring at your future all the time, can I?”

“There’s no deadly tribulation, you say?” Luo Yan immediately feigned a leap, “Then I’ll just sweep this place directly!”

“Be careful,” Kunlun Mirror said, half amused, half exasperated, “A deadly tribulation refers to a life-and-death crisis that you can’t escape from without external interference when it’s one hundred percent certain! Don’t foolishly court death and forcefully bring about a tribulation from nothing!”

“Got it,” Luo Yan said, relieved, “Ah Jing, you’re always so good to me.”

That is to say, if I face a fate of one hundred percent certainty of death, Ah Jing will remind me, right?

“Hmph.” The Kunlun Mirror was not fooled, “Anyway, I’m just a tool for you. Useful and I’m ‘Ah Jing,’ useless and I’m a ‘broken mirror’… Hmph! Just go on hugging Miss Shi.”

It sank into the Sea of Consciousness and fell silent, no matter how Luo Yan called for it, it did not respond. So, all that was left was the chuckling sound of the Green Duckweed Sword near his ear.

Luo Yan brought his attention back to reality and saw a long corridor ahead, with all the doors on both sides shut tight. Only the main door at the end was open, which was self-explanatory.

So, Luo Yan planned to move forward to explore, but Miss Shi held onto his arm, stopping him from leaving.

“What’s wrong, Senior Sister?” Luo Yan asked.

Shi Liuli didn’t speak, only shrinking her neck and shaking her head.

“Don’t be afraid, Senior Sister,” Luo Yan comforted her, “Since the master of this place brought us here safely, it seems that there’s no intention to harm us.”

Shi Liuli still shook her head, looking genuinely frightened.

“Come with me, be good!” Seeing that neither persuasion nor intimidation worked, Luo Yan simply used his hand to lift her chin, pretending he was going to kiss her lips.

Frightened, Shi Liuli hurriedly let go of his arm, retreating several steps like a little rabbit. Then she suddenly realized she was in a strange environment full of dangers and quickly jumped back to cling to his arm again, glaring at him and grinding her teeth, showing a vicious look that said, “Tease me again, and I’ll bite you to death.”

Luo Yan was somewhat amused but relieved that Miss Shi had finally regained her unique spirit. He then patiently persuaded her again:

“Let’s go. Don’t let them get anxious waiting.”

Shi Liuli hesitated for a long while before asking in a low voice:

“Is this the Dragon Palace?”

“Not every palace built at the bottom of the sea is the Dragon Palace,” Luo Yan analyzed with a wry smile, “Look at the width of these corridors, the height of these doors, it’s clear that humans, not some Great Demon, move around here…”

Before he could finish, a drawn-out voice came from ahead:

“That’s not necessarily true, after all, Great Demons can transform, can’t they?”

Luo Yan fell silent for a moment before leading Shi Liuli forward.

As they passed through the room at the end of the corridor, they saw a splendid and spacious hall where a handsome man in white robes was leaning lazily on a throne, his gaze drifting lazily over them.

The man’s features were too handsome for a mortal, with a full forehead, a high nose bridge, and long, narrow eyes. His expression… was very similar to the Marquis of Mount Tu that Luo Yan had seen in the Shushan Demon Locking Tower before.

“I greet the Great King,” Luo Yan quickly greeted with a bow.

Having interacted with the Marquis of Mount Tu, Luo Yan already knew how to deal with these Great Demons:

Be interesting when you meet, to capture their attention; be smart in between, to make them respect you; be useful at the end, so they won’t want to kill you.

“Why do you call me ‘Great King’?” The man in white was indeed intrigued and started to smile, “Interesting. Others call me True Monarch or Your Excellency, but you call me ‘Great King’? Do I look like some bandit leader to you?”

“Not a bandit chief, but a True Dragon,” Luo Yan immediately followed up, “If not a destined ruler, how could one sit upon the throne?”

The man in white pondered for a moment, then tapped the armrest of the throne with his slender fingers and continued:

“Does sitting on the throne necessarily make one a ruler? Maybe the ruler is away, and I’m just sitting here casually?”

Luo Yan smiled without saying a word, his expression reflecting utter certainty that needed no explanation.

“Well then,” the man in white sighed, “You are also smart, to even see that I am from the Dragon Clan.”

Upon hearing this, Shi Liuli couldn’t help but grip Luo Yan’s arm even tighter. The man in white continued to speak:

“However, I am not any Dragon King, and this is not any palace.”

“I am merely a prisoner, confined here.”