With a bang... As Lu Fan's gunshot rang out, the laughing fellow met his maker. Lu Fan checked again, confirming that all dozen or so individuals were dead before returning to the side of the disheveled old Taoist.
"Old man! Are we really just going to wait here to die?" Lu Fan asked.
He absolutely didn't believe the disheveled old Taoist was out of options. All those mechanisms? Open them! The enemies were all dead, what were you waiting for?
By now, the water was deeper than chest-high. The deaths of over a dozen people had turned the water entirely red, a rather unsettling sight. Still thinking of taking a bath here?
"Kid! To be honest, I originally planned to use a mutual destruction method to wipe out half of the Ma family's forces first. The remaining strength of the Ma family would be left for you to handle. I didn't expect you to return. It seems the Ma family's destiny isn't over yet! We really can't get out this time," the disheveled old Taoist said, shrugging.
"Damn it... It looks like... we really need to climb out of this flooded hole!" Lu Fan looked up at the hole where water was gurgling downwards, swallowing a mouthful of saliva.
"With this strong current, it's impossible to get through. We can only wait until the water fills up, the current calms down, and before this hole closes, there's a slim chance of getting out. But it's only for two seconds," the disheveled old Taoist said dejectedly.
"Two seconds is enough!" Lu Fan looked at the hole, then at the dozen or so corpses beside him, and suddenly smiled.
"Huh???" The disheveled old Taoist rolled his eyes. It wasn't the same in water as on land; many movements couldn't be completed.
The water level kept rising, completely surpassing human height. Lu Fan and the disheveled old Taoist floated on the surface, eating the fruit Lu Fan had brought out.
"Old man! How come these people's martial arts are different from ours? Their movements and sword techniques are very peculiar," Lu Fan suddenly asked, looking at the dozen or so corpses floating beside them.
"That's the ninjutsu of the Wokou, known for its speed and peculiar sword techniques. Seeing that all of them use this style of swordplay, I guess none of them are from our Huaxia. I really don't know how many Wokou are hidden in Huaxia!" the disheveled old Taoist sighed lightly.
"Hmph! No matter how many there are, if we can get out alive, we must eliminate them all!" Lu Fan said resentfully.
The water level continued to rise, and the two floated higher and higher, nearing the ceiling of the space.
Splash... Splash... Lu Fan swam to the highest opening. However, as soon as he approached, the rapidly descending current almost knocked him to the bottom.
"Kid! Stop trying. This current is too strong to ascend. Wait for those two seconds and rush out quickly. Don't mind me; I've already prepared myself for death," the disheveled old Taoist said.
"Old man! Do you know why fish like to swim against the current?" Lu Fan suddenly asked.
"Why?" the disheveled old Taoist retorted.
"Because fish are unwilling to remain fish forever; they want to become dragons! Swimming against the current is a form of their cultivation, preparing them to leap over the dragon gate! If fish can do it, we certainly can."
After speaking, Lu Fan directly submerged himself to the bottom. He looked up at the rushing water, letting it splash against his face.
Suddenly, Lu Fan bent his legs slightly, then powerfully pushed off, shooting like an arrow through the water towards the opening.
Whoosh... The descending current was instantly scattered into an umbrella shape by Lu Fan, splashing outwards. Lu Fan indeed shot up to the opening like a fish.
Upon reaching the opening, Lu Fan immediately clung to it, blocking most of the water, while extending one hand towards the disheveled old Taoist.
Swish... Lu Fan pulled the disheveled old Taoist out. The two immediately swam towards the pond.
Gasp... Gasp... As the two surfaced from the pond, they finally took a deep breath. Then they looked at each other and smiled.
"Kid! Give me my stuff back!"
"Oh, come on, old man, I just saved your life! You're not that stingy, are you!?"
"I didn't ask you to save me; you insisted on saving me."
"Old man, you're so shameless! To say something like that..."
...
In the Yan family residence in the capital, Yan Yun listened to the accounts of Yan Menghan and Elder Chang. He pondered for a long time before sighing and murmuring to himself, "Alas! Has my Yan family's destiny truly come to an end?"
"Father! Is what that old Taoist said true? Do we really have royal blood flowing through us?" Yan Menghan suddenly asked.
"What he said is not false! In fact, we have been searching for the successor of the Heavenly Mystery Taoist, hoping he would help us restore the royal foundation and deal with the people of the Divine Calculation Sect. I didn't expect you to actually meet him. What a pity! He's unwilling to help us!" Yan Yun said, shaking his head slightly.
"Father! Since he is truly the successor of the Heavenly Mystery Taoist, what he said should be true. Moreover, the royal family has long ceased to exist, and our current lives are quite good. Why must we restore the royal foundation?" Yan Menghan asked, puzzled.
What era is this? Still wanting to restore the monarchy? Would this idea be easily accepted by the public? Can something that the common people cannot accept be restored? Forget about that old Taoist; one doesn't need to be a fortune teller to know this. But why does Father still have this idea?
"Alas! I should have told you about this a long time ago! It just wasn't the right time. Now it's time you knew. Come with me!" Yan Yun sighed lightly and stood up.
Yan Menghan was slightly stunned, then also stood up and followed him.
Behind Yan Yun's building was a large area of flowers and trees. The twelve zodiac stone statues were also arranged according to feng shui. Yan Yun led Yan Menghan and Elder Chang to the stone statue of the dragon, reached into its mouth, and pressed lightly. Swish... The stone statue suddenly moved aside, revealing an opening.
The three walked down through the opening, and Yan Menghan discovered a cave below. After walking forward for more than ten meters along the cave, an iron gate appeared ahead.
Yan Yun again placed his hand on a stone next to the iron gate and pushed. With a rumbling sound, the iron gate opened.
Yan Menghan was instantly stunned. What appeared before him was a magnificent palace. And on the dragon throne at the highest point of the palace sat a gaunt old man.
"Ancestor!" Yan Yun stepped forward and immediately knelt before the old man.
"Ancestor?" Yan Menghan was shocked again! He had never heard that he had an ancestor still alive.