Several hours passed.

The pile of junk in his Storage Talisman had grown much larger.

He had also acquired three more Soul Condensing Stones, sealed in Jade Boxes. Including the previous one, he had now amassed four Soul Condensing Stones in his Storage Talisman.

All the evidence undoubtedly proved that a great battle had once taken place at the bottom of this lake in a distant era.

With the passage of time, the traces of this great battle had been buried and corroded by the ages.

Especially at the bottom of this dark lake, one would be hard-pressed to discover this fact if not for a stroke of luck.

The Soul Condensing Stones, however, had benefited from their Soul Condensation effect. On this ancient battlefield where countless Cultivators had likely perished, and in the unique environment at the bottom of the lake where innumerable Demon Beasts preyed on the weak, they had been perfectly preserved.

’Perhaps I can learn something from this...’

Chu Mu picked up the severed arm of a Puppet and gazed at the faded remnants of the Array Prohibition Pattern on it, pondering to himself.

The Array Prohibition Pattern was defunct, and the main materials were corroded. Junk like this wasn’t very useful.

But if he accumulated enough of it, even with the blurry Array Prohibition Patterns, he might gain some insights after careful study.

The Puppet’s construction and the layout of the Array Prohibition Pattern were all valuable points of reference to learn from.

Besides, judging from the junk he’d excavated so far, their Grade in the distant past had not been low!

As he mulled this over, Chu Mu kept moving, cautiously advancing while the pile of junk in his Storage Talisman grew bit by bit.

Nearly half an hour later, Chu Mu was still focused on excavating the remains of a Puppet when he seemed to sense something and suddenly looked up into the darkness of the lake ahead.

Ripples spread through the water, and a man in a black robe, holding a Puppet’s severed arm in one hand, slowly emerged from the gloom.

When their eyes met, the black-robed man was clearly on guard. A moment later, as if by tacit agreement, they both nodded in acknowledgment.

Then, the man slowly retreated back into the darkness.

Silently watching the man disappear into the gloom of the lake, Chu Mu glanced at a large, ten-foot-long fish swimming slowly by not far ahead, a flicker in his eyes.

He realized he had been thinking about this the wrong way.

In the past seven years, countless Cultivators had come and gone; of course others would have set foot on the lakebed.

And judging by the tacit understanding with the man just now, that man had clearly encountered quite a few other Cultivators down here.

Killing someone and stealing their treasures at the slightest disagreement was not a viable option at the bottom of this lake.

After briefly sizing up the giant fish that swam past, Chu Mu pondered for a moment, glanced in the direction of the Ancient Cultivator Cave Mansion, and then continued to rummage through the silt at the bottom of the lake.

For the next few days, Chu Mu wandered the lakebed, searching for junk left over from the ancient battlefield and... observing the so-called Ancient Cultivator Cave Mansion.

And as it turned out, there were quite a few Cultivators like him, rummaging through the junk at the bottom of the lake.

He had already met several over the past few days, but in this unique underwater environment, they all maintained a basic, unspoken understanding.

As for that so-called Ancient Cultivator Cave Mansion...

Staring into the darkness before him, Chu Mu hesitated.

After wandering around the area for several days, he was almost certain of the Ancient Cultivator Cave Mansion’s location.

But...

After several days of observation, he was nearly certain that a powerful Demon Beast was lurking right in the darkness ahead, at the entrance to the Ancient Cultivator Cave Mansion described in the Jade Scroll!

This undoubtedly contradicted the description in the Jade Scroll. After all, if a powerful Demon Beast had been there before, then... the sister Zhao Shuang had mentioned could never have entered the Ancient Cultivator Cave Mansion.

Sensing the faint yet terrifying aura, Chu Mu couldn’t help but feel his heart pound.

Judging by this aura alone, this Demon Beast was probably even more terrifying than the two-headed giant serpent from before!

This was clearly evident from Wangcai’s reaction.

Looking at Wangcai, who was now trembling like a leaf, Chu Mu was speechless.

’We’re just at the very edge of its territory, and Wangcai’s already a mess...’

’Just how terrifying is the Demon Beast in there?’

’It seems this Ancient Cultivator Cave Mansion is not for me.’

’I’m not going on a suicide mission!’

’Leave?’

The thought had just surfaced when Chu Mu felt a pang of unwillingness.

After all, that was an Ancient Cultivator Cave Mansion!

From how wealthy Zhao Shuang had been, one could undoubtedly glimpse the great opportunities that lay within!

Moreover, based on the information Zhao Shuang revealed, this Ancient Cultivator Cave Mansion seemed to be a legacy-type dwelling. The former master of the Cave Mansion had left behind a legacy and set up trials...

’An opportunity is right in front of me. Should I just let it slip away?’

After a long, conflicted pause, Chu Mu swiped his hand, and a bamboo dragonfly hovered in his palm.

After a moment of contemplation, he decisively turned and walked in the opposite direction, away from the Ancient Cultivator Cave Mansion.

Only after he was more than ten li away from the Ancient Cultivator Cave Mansion did he stop. The bamboo dragonfly in his hand flapped its wings, propelling itself through the water and speeding toward the Cave Mansion.

He looked around at the dark lakebed. If he remembered correctly, there were quite a few Cultivators treasure hunting on this ancient battlefield, right here in this part of the lake.

If the bamboo dragonfly’s reconnaissance provoked the Demon Beast, he... would be very safe.

He stood his ground and waited silently. After about half a quarter-hour, the Divine Soul Seal he had imprinted on the bamboo dragonfly suddenly vanished.

’It was discovered?’

Chu Mu frowned and subconsciously looked toward the Ancient Cultivator Cave Mansion. At the same time, he extended his Divine Sense to cover the surrounding area, carefully perceiving the water currents and Spiritual Qi fluctuations.

Everything was quiet. There was no abnormality whatsoever.

He continued to silently perceive his surroundings. A full quarter-hour passed, and still, everything was normal.

Chu Mu was puzzled. ’Demon Beasts have an incredibly strong sense of territory!’

A powerful Demon Beast would never allow any other creature to enter its territory without permission.

Trespassing was a provocation in the eyes of a Demon Beast!

The connection to the bamboo dragonfly had been lost. Based on the time it took, that proved the bamboo dragonfly was destroyed only after it reached the Cave Mansion District.

Therefore, it was highly likely that the Demon Beast had destroyed it.

This also meant that the Demon Beast was not hibernating, nor was it in seclusion, ignoring the outside world.

But if that were the case, given a Demon Beast’s territorial nature, it should be furious right now. An enraged, powerful Demon Beast at the bottom of the lake could not possibly be making no disturbance at all.

’Did something else happen?’

Chu Mu was uncertain. He then sent out his two remaining bamboo dragonflies, one after the other, toward the Ancient Cultivator Cave Mansion.

Again, after about half a quarter-hour, the sensation of a Divine Soul Seal vanishing washed over him. Immediately after, the Divine Soul Seal on the second bamboo dragonfly flickered, as if it too had been attacked.

Fortunately, for some unknown reason, the Divine Soul Seal survived. He hadn’t completely lost contact.

Chu Mu felt uneasy, but within his Divine Sense Perception, the water and Spiritual Qi remained completely calm.

This was undoubtedly quite strange.

’A Demon Beast, faced with repeated intrusions into its territory, and it barely reacts?’

’Is it being restricted... or is there some other reason?’

Musing over the possibilities, Chu Mu continued to wait.

The Divine Soul Seal remained, and through his senses, he could perceive the bamboo dragonfly slowly flying back.

Whatever the situation was, it would become clear once the bamboo dragonfly returned.

Nearly a quarter-hour later, the emerald green dragonfly, now his last one, finally wobbled into view.

Its two pairs of wings showed visible damage, the small fins on its tail seemed to have been sliced clean off, and even the Memory Stone had a crack in it.

’Phew, lucky!’

After a quick inspection, Chu Mu couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Although the Memory Stone was cracked, the footage stored inside should be undamaged.

He enveloped it with his Divine Sense, and the images from the Memory Stone surfaced.

The bamboo dragonfly was seen flying along the lakebed. The view was dark, showing only the pitted, silt-covered ground. The dragonfly passed steadily through the outer area where he had previously stopped.

After flying forward for about a thousand meters, the darkness in the image began to change.

What appeared in the frame, besides the other bamboo dragonfly flying steadily ahead, was an underwater mountain range of varying heights, dotted with strange rock formations.

The entrance to the Ancient Cultivator Cave Mansion that Zhao Shuang had spoken of was now extremely clear in the image.

And just then, a flash of white light appeared. The bamboo dragonfly flying ahead was instantly shattered. Immediately after, the white light streaked straight toward the camera.

The image then shook violently. After being attacked, the simple logic commands in its control hub activated, and the bamboo dragonfly immediately began to wobble its way back.

And that white light...

The image froze.

A slender white fish was clearly visible.

The fish’s body was pure white and seemed to emit a faint white fluorescent glow. It was about a meter long and looked just like a hairtail fish from his previous life.

A slender, pure white hairtail that glowed with a faint white light.

Chu Mu’s brow furrowed slightly. He was hesitant, even astonished!

He closed his eyes, recalling the terrifying aura he had felt at the edge of the outer perimeter.

A moment later, he focused on perceiving the aura preserved in the Memory Stone’s recording.

And judging from the aura recorded and preserved by the Memory Stone, the aura of this glowing white hairtail was identical to the terrifying aura he had sensed earlier. There was no difference whatsoever!

In other words, the terrifying Demon Beast that made Wangcai tremble like a leaf was this harmless-looking white hairtail?

’But based on the aura recorded in this Memory Stone...’

’This hairtail’s Cultivation... seems to be only at the Tier One Late Stage, right?’

Chu Mu checked again and again, but the aura recorded by the Memory Stone was crystal clear.

This hairtail was a Tier One Late Stage Demon Beast. No matter how he looked at it, it was just a Demon Beast at the Tier One Late Stage of Cultivation!

Chu Mu was baffled. At this moment, he couldn’t make sense of it at all.

The aura he had sensed outside the Ancient Cultivator Cave Mansion was even more terrifying than that of the two-headed giant serpent. Based on the Cultivation aura he’d perceived, it had to be a terrifying Demon Beast at Tier Two Late Stage or higher.

And yet, the Divine Soul Aura of the hairtail before him was identical to the terrifying one he had sensed!

’But its Cultivation is only at the Tier One Late Stage?’

’Where did things go wrong?’

Chu Mu racked his brains but couldn’t figure out where the problem was.

After a long time, he put down the broken dragonfly and looked into the darkness ahead, a decision already made in his heart.

"Let’s go!"

He patted Wangcai on the head and set off, following the path he had recently scouted toward the mountain range in the deep, dark lake...

...