The water source below was like a sleeping monster suddenly awakened by the light of sea fireflies, roaring and gushing out!
The massive current, like a dragon leaping into the sky, struck Zhang Qiling with immense force!
Although Zhang Qiling reacted in time and avoided the most intense wave of damage, being in the water, he inevitably felt a wave of dizziness and was slammed against the side wall.
With a muffled grunt, Zhang Qiling felt a bloody scent rise from his chest. He paid it no mind, only focusing on surfacing with all his might.
Just then, Zhang Qiling saw a black silhouette descend gracefully in his peripheral vision—
It was the Ghost Seal!
Zhang Qiling realized that his small bag, carried on his back, had been broken during the collision. The Ghost Seal, kept inside, had fallen out. He instinctively reached for it, but the moment he grasped the Ghost Seal, an unimaginable tearing pain struck him!
The pain from inside his skull felt as if a pestle had been inserted and was constantly rotating, his vision flickering with fragments like a glitching television screen, flashing by as fast as shooting stars.
Zhang Qiling almost lost consciousness at that moment, but it was this intense pain that caused his tightly shut lips to part slightly. He swallowed a mouthful of water, and the potent healing power of the Longevity Water jolted him awake.
Although the gentle healing was quickly overwhelmed by a more intense pain, Zhang Qiling forcefully maintained his consciousness.
He slowly tightened his grip on the Ghost Seal and continued to surface. The agony made his movements like a jerky robot, but he did not reveal another ounce of pain on his face.
Instead, a light in the depths of his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
...With all his concentration, he finally managed to see the frequently flashing image in his mind clearly.
It was the scene of a colossal bronze door slowly opening.
And where it opened, the land was covered in snow, silent and dead, as if it had been waiting for millennia.
That place was—
Changbai Mountain.
...The elusive bronze door had finally reappeared.
—
As Zhang Qiling broke through the water, Wu Tianzhen and his group were anxiously trying to rush into the water to rescue him.
The immense volume of water was already sweeping through the entire space. The moment Zhang Qiling emerged, the water flow became even more exaggerated, showing a clear trend of submerging the entire space.
"Little Brother, are you alright?!" Wu Tianzhen immediately noticed Zhang Qiling's torn hood and broken backpack. His intuition told him Zhang Qiling must be injured, so he rushed forward to check.
But strangely, the bandage on Zhang Qiling's left hand was gone, yet there was no wound on his palm.
Unaware of the Longevity Water, Wu Tianzhen was perplexed, but a hidden worry prevented him from letting go of Zhang Qiling's hand.
"I'm fine."
Zhang Qiling slowly withdrew his hand.
Wu Tianzhen looked at him with a nameless sense of panic, only to be captivated by Zhang Qiling's eyes!
Zhang Qiling's eyes were beautiful, clear and distinct, holding a calmness like silent snow or clear water.
...Wu Tianzhen had always known this.
But he had never seen Zhang Qiling's eyes like this before.
Although there wasn't much change, it felt like a fire igniting in the snow, a sense of hope, as if the thing he had been searching for finally had a direction.
It was an expression... almost like that of a martyr.
Zhang Qiling was unaware of Wu Tianzhen's overwhelming fear, which was almost consuming him. He only vaguely sensed that the system's objective was the bronze door and was happy about his impending success.
In fact, he didn't know why he was so urgent. Perhaps the appearance and disappearance of the materialized Zhang Qiling had affected him.
...He just wanted to escape the guilt of what felt like stolen friendship by imitating "Little Brother" sooner. Even if it wasn't his intention, this feeling of self-deception constantly plagued him.
Perhaps, after completing the system's final mission, he would feel a little better.
"Mute?" Hei Jingyan's voice called out.
Hei Jingyan seemed to have noticed something unusual, but after staring at Zhang Qiling for a moment, he said nothing.
For people like them, abandoned by time, finding something to dedicate themselves to wholeheartedly might not be such a bad thing.
So he turned his gaze towards the place where the water was continuously surging, his sharp eyes seeming to pierce directly into the deepest part.
"No, what are you guys doing? If you don't hurry up and think of a way out, we'll all become nutrients in this whale's belly!"
Fatty was probably the only one who could still think of escaping. His words jolted the dazed Wu Tianzhen.
"Right, let's get out first..." Wu Tianzhen forcibly suppressed his doubts. "Little Brother—"
He was about to call out to Zhang Qiling when he saw Zhang Qiling standing very close to Hei Jingyan, whispering something.
Then Hei Jingyan grinned and actually leaped into the bottomless pool!
"Holy shit!"
...In all this time, he hadn't noticed Hei Jingyan having suicidal tendencies?!
"He's going to find something," Zhang Qiling explained softly as he approached, looking upwards.
They had descended into this space through a winding tunnel. If they wanted to return the same way, it was no longer possible.
Moreover, the layer above was a raging sea of fire filled with transparent people. Returning now would be no different from walking into a trap.
Staying here was also not an option. With the water level rising, it would likely submerge the entire space in twenty minutes.
What should they do...
Just then, a violent roar suddenly erupted from the side of the space above!
The giant whale let out a roar and thrashed violently, throwing the few people uncontrollably with the raging water!
The sound was familiar. It was the explosives they had placed in the corners of the structure earlier, which had inexplicably detonated!
"Why can we hear an explosion outside?" Wu Tianzhen murmured. "The outer layer of this space shouldn't be so thin—"
His voice suddenly stopped. Wu Tianzhen felt as if he had found a way to escape.
He looked at Zhang Qiling.
Zhang Qiling said nothing, but slowly drew out his Black Gold Ancient Blade.