After their tireless efforts, they finally swam to the end of the tunnel.
Before Xi Xizhi could even breathe a sigh of relief, she saw something golden ahead, so dazzling that she could barely open her eyes.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that it was a doorway more than three meters wide.
The door was plated with gold, which is why it was so dazzling.
Xi Xizhi swallowed hard. It was like having too much gold and nowhere to spend it, wasting it here.
An Honghan wrote two words in her palm: "Arrived."
Even without him saying it, Xi Xizhi could tell that this was the end of the tunnel and the key to the whole secret!
But... how are they going to get in? Without any tools in the water, the chances of pushing open the door are extremely slim.
An Honghan had already circled the gate several times, as if he was observing it.
Then he took out an imperial seal from his pocket. It was a jade seal that had been passed down through generations of the An royal family and represented the emperor's status.
He hovered halfway in front of the door. He aligned his body with a small groove on the door and pressed it in.
The tunnel, which had been calm just moments before, suddenly began to shake violently.
Xi Xizhi's body swayed to the side and bumped into the stone wall.
To avoid falling again, Xi Xizhi pressed herself against the stone wall, trying to steady herself.
After the shaking stopped, the door had unknowingly opened.
Xi Xizhi was startled and hurriedly swam towards An Honghan's side.
An Honghan's expression remained indifferent, but Xi Xizhi could tell that he was actually quite excited. After all, it was a secret he had been searching for for many years, and it was time to finally crack it. How could his emotions not be stirred?
An Honghan and Xi Xizhi swam one after the other into the gate.
Behind the door was a very large palace, but there were no tempting treasures here, except for fist-sized luminous pearls embedded in the stone walls that illuminated the entire palace. It was empty and devoid of anything.
The palace was enormous, even twice the size of the Panlong Palace. It was hard to imagine that the place hidden beneath Qingyuan Pond would look like this.
What surprised Xi Xizhi even more was that there was clearly air here...
All the pool water was blocked outside that door.
"What a powerful barrier!" Xi Xizhi exclaimed in admiration.
His wet clothes clung to An Honghan's body, his lips were bloodless, and his face was deathly pale, purely from being frozen by the water. However, he was still in high spirits and began to observe his surroundings after entering.
"Do you still remember the family genealogy I showed you?" With each step An Honghan took, a trail of water was left behind.
Xi Xizhi suddenly remembered, "Is it that legend? Then this place..."
Isn't this like leaving behind the dragon pearl spat out by the An family's ancestor?!
It has to be said, the Heavenly Emperor's plan was far too shrewd!
How could an ordinary person safely get through that tunnel?
Without that blueprint, the time spent on it would have been enough to kill a person.
If you're not proficient in formations, those side paths outside will keep you from ever escaping the tunnel for the rest of your life.
There is also the Imperial Seal that opens the gate, which is possessed by no one but the emperor of each generation.
In other words, only those with imperial blood must come in person.
People with such a resolute character as An Honghan are rare in this world. If their endurance were low, they would have frozen to death before even entering the gate.
Moreover, on their way in, Xi Xizhi and he had breathed in each other's mouths countless times.
Therefore, these are not things that one person can accomplish alone.
The entire palace was filled with spiritual energy, which was even more intense than that of the Qingyuan Pool outside.
It wouldn't be surprising if the Dragon Balls were actually here.
After all, the An family's ancestor was a five-clawed golden dragon, the strongest and most powerful being in the dragon race.
In the center of the main hall, there is a white jade platform that is more than one meter high.
An Honghan had already spotted the jade platform and was walking towards it.
Even from a great distance, Xi Xizhi could see that there seemed to be something on the jade platform.
Thinking of the legendary Dragon Balls, Xi Xizhi's heart pounded; she was determined to see them for herself.
If the two people who entered the palace were neither Xi Xizhi nor An Honghan, they might be fighting tooth and nail over something on the jade platform right now.
To be honest, Xi Xizhi harbored a slight contempt for the Heavenly Emperor she had never met.
Because she had heard An Honghan talk about the An family's ancestors, Xi Xizhi had no goodwill towards his actions. The An family's ancestors were clearly loyal ministers, yet they ended up in such a state.
Because he served the Heavenly Emperor, he ended up dying far from home.
What's most despicable is that he even used a conspiracy to make the An family serve him for generations.
Xi Xizhi was extremely ashamed.
Compared to Xi Xizhi's indignation, An Honghan was much calmer.
“More than a thousand years have passed, so who was right and who was wrong is no longer important. Besides, this was the path our ancestor chose himself.” He believed that his ancestor was not a fool, and perhaps when he was ordered to descend to earth to manage the human world, he had already considered this outcome.
On the white jade platform, there is a recess containing a dazzling pearl, even more transparent and brighter than a luminous pearl, with a yellowish hue and golden light flowing around it.
Xi Xizhi glanced at it once and couldn't look away; it was indeed no ordinary object.
The flowing light seemed to have a life of its own, constantly circling the bead, repeating endlessly.
The Dragon Balls contain the power cultivated throughout the life of a five-clawed golden dragon.
Just thinking about it makes one yearn for this Dragon Ball.
Upon seeing the bead, Xi Xizhi couldn't help but wonder how long he would need to cultivate before he could form such a powerful inner core.
“The legend is true.” An Honghan had only been skeptical of the legend before, but after witnessing it with his own eyes today, he finally believed it to be true.
An Honghan's gaze was unfathomable. He looked at Xi Xizhi, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
Perhaps, my idea is no longer just a pipe dream.
He reached out to take the Dragon Ball, but a sudden change occurred at that moment. The Dragon Ball, which had been sitting quietly, suddenly emitted a dazzling golden light, shooting into the sky and overwhelming An Honghan with its light.
Xi Xizhi was confused and raised her hands to shield her eyes, knowing that if she didn't close them, she would definitely be blinded by the light.
As if drawn by something, the Dragon Ball shot into the air and spun rapidly.
An Honghan was closest to the Dragon Ball, and his reaction was extremely quick. When he saw the Dragon Ball's light intensify, he immediately closed his eyes to avoid being blinded by the light.
The Dragon Ball rapidly expanded, becoming three times its previous size, and shot towards An Honghan with lightning speed.
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