Chapter 392: Dangerous Below

Shen Daoxing followed close behind.

The Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat swam forward for a moment, then stopped, lifted its head to sniff the water, and darted off in another direction.

The man and his rat weaved through the depths of the lake.

Finally, the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat stopped before a massive hill at the bottom of the lake and pointed down with its claw.

Shen Daoxing asked, "Here?"

"SQUEAK SQUEAK!"

The Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat nodded.

Suddenly, Shen Daoxing raised his fist high and slammed it down with all his might.

A massive, low growl resounded.

A deep, muffled roar echoed.

Shen Daoxing then saw the hill beneath his feet tremble slightly as the entire mound seemed to be slowly rising.

Shen Daoxing pushed off lightly with his feet to create some distance, only to see the "hill" rise bit by bit, revealing a ferocious alligator turtle’s head.

The hill was, in fact, the Profound Armor Giant Turtle, an ancient demonic beast passed down from antiquity. Its defensive capabilities far surpassed those of the Extreme Thunder Ancient Eel. Although its power was only equivalent to the Eighth Layer of the Earth Profound Realm, its defense was so tough that even a cultivator at the Ninth Layer of the Earth Profound Realm would struggle to break it.

But of course, this was no challenge for Shen Daoxing.

Suddenly, Shen Daoxing kicked off the lakebed, launching himself high into the water.

CRACKLE!

Arcs of black lightning flickered across his fists.

Shen Daoxing flipped upside down and plummeted downwards.

BANG!

The Profound Armor Giant Turtle’s newly risen body was slammed back down.

A pained whimper escaped it.

The Profound Armor Giant Turtle seemed to be in considerable pain.

It paused for a moment, then suddenly reared up its front half, swinging a massive turtle claw at Shen Daoxing.

Unafraid, Shen Daoxing threw a punch to meet it head-on.

Shen Daoxing didn’t rush to kill the Profound Armor Giant Turtle. Instead, he engaged it in a brutal, fist-to-flesh brawl, using the beast to temper his Venerable Body.

Meanwhile, the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat waited below, drooling as it stared at the Profound Armor Giant Turtle.

At Yun Meng Lake, home to the Cyan Nether Sword Sect, inverted mountains floated above the calm surface. Mist shrouded the landscape, and from time to time, several Xianhe cranes would fly through, creating a scene like a celestial paradise.

But deep beneath the placid surface, at the bottom of the lake, turbulent currents raged.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

With a series of thunderous impacts, Shen Daoxing continued his bare-knuckle battle with the Profound Armor Giant Turtle.

A fist and a claw collided violently, stirring up clouds of silt. Shen Daoxing felt utterly invigorated, the fight growing more exhilarating with every blow. It was as if every cell in his body was cheering, and he only grew fiercer the longer he fought.

Shen Daoxing let out a sharp cry. The muscles in his arm bulged, veins popping as he unleashed an unparalleled force, his limb cutting through the water with a whistling sound.

BOOM!

Shen Daoxing smashed his fist onto the Profound Armor Giant Turtle’s head as it lunged forward to bite him.

The Profound Armor Giant Turtle froze. Its colossal body was sent flying, tracing a graceful arc through the water before crashing heavily onto the lakebed. It landed flat on its back, its four legs flailing in the air as its body was flipped completely over.

Suddenly, as if terrified of Shen Daoxing, the Profound Armor Giant Turtle retracted its head and all four limbs into its shell, refusing to come out no matter what Shen Daoxing did.

Shen Daoxing couldn’t help but shake his head. ’What a shame to lose such a good training partner.’ He slowly drew the Great Ming Demon Sparrow.

ZZZT!

A streak of black sword light shot out, trailing a chain of electrical arcs. The very space around it seemed to distort from the single strike.

The next moment, the Profound Armor Giant Turtle, along with its shell, had been split clean in two.

Seeing this, the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat squeaked happily, shrank its body, and eagerly scurried into the giant turtle’s shell.

Shen Daoxing extended a finger, which glowed with points of light. He beckoned toward the Profound Armor Giant Turtle’s corpse, and drops of crimson blood gathered toward him, quickly forming a ball of red Essence Blood in his palm.

With a single glance, Shen Daoxing could feel the dense physical power within it. ’Looks like this Profound Armor Giant Turtle Essence Blood is an excellent tempering material.’ He was delighted and stored it in his Sumeru Ring.

"Hui, let’s keep going!"

Shen Daoxing’s calm voice sounded once more.

"SQUEAK SQUEAK!"

The Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat cheerfully poked its head out from the massive turtle shell, sniffed the water, and sped off in another direction.

High above, the sky over the Cyan Nether Sword Sect was vast and clear, while a gentle mist drifted among the Sky Islands. Disciples cultivated in an orderly fashion, creating a scene of peace. Yet the bottom of Yun Meng Lake, right below them, was a scene of thunderous chaos.

With the help of the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat, Shen Daoxing found quite a few demonic beasts. He brawled with them, continuously tempering his body until he finally began to feel tired. His strength was waning, and his Spiritual Power was nearly depleted. Only then did he stop, though he still felt he hadn’t had enough.

"Hui, let’s go!"

Shen Daoxing’s calm voice sounded.

At that moment, the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat was swallowing a demonic beast Shen Daoxing had just killed. It let out a burp and rubbed its belly, looking as if it wanted more, but upon hearing Shen Daoxing’s call to return, it followed him.

Suddenly, Shen Daoxing swam upward. He poked his head out of the water and looked around. Seeing no one, he dispelled his Water Avoidance Skill and rose into the air using Sword Control, feeling a bit like a thief with a guilty conscience.

However, he had just taken flight and reached the sky.

A clear voice suddenly called out, "Huh? Junior Brother Daoxing, what are you doing here?"

Startled, Shen Daoxing quickly looked over and saw Song Fang walking out from the opposite Sky Island. Like him, Song Fang was a Servant Disciple from the outer sect. Shen Daoxing remembered that he was in charge of feeding the demonic beasts in this area.

While Shen Daoxing was still dazed, Song Fang’s voice rang out again. "Junior Brother Daoxing, what are you spacing out for? Get over here, quick! It’s dangerous over there!"

Song Fang’s tone suddenly turned serious. "Do you have any idea what kind of dangerous demonic beasts are in this lake?! You can’t just hover there! Hurry, hurry, get away from the water! The creatures below are all terrifying demonic beasts at the Earth Profound Realm. They’re incredibly vicious. If you provoke them, you’re done for."

Shen Daoxing paused for a second before it dawned on him. "Thank you for the warning, Senior Brother!"

He quickly descended and landed on the Sky Island.

Meanwhile, Song Fang slowly walked to the edge of the Sky Island’s cliff. He reached for his waist and, from his Spatial Magical Artifact, took out several Spirit Deer and tossed them into the lake.

The Spirit Deer fell into the water one by one and began to swim lazily, paddling with their legs. However, the entire lake surface remained perfectly still and quiet. Not a single ripple disturbed it.

This couldn’t help but make Song Fang a little confused. "Huh, that’s strange. Why are the demonic beasts so quiet today?"

As he spoke, Shen Daoxing had already slipped away. Nearby, the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat transformed into an arc of gray light and silently burrowed into Shen Daoxing’s robes.