To enter the stone gate, you must first pass through a narrow passageway.
After passing through, the view suddenly opened up.
Beyond the glazed tiles lies the azure lake, and countless pearls and seashells are inlaid on the white jade walls. Light shines through the lake and falls upon them, refracting into a dazzling brilliance.
Lu Zhaozhao looked around and confirmed that they were at the bottom of East Lake. She figured that the passage they had just walked through was the channel connecting the lake surface and the bottom.
Beneath your feet is a long corridor paved with crystal, and on both sides flow rivers of golden liquid, which is said to be a unique spiritual liquid of the dragon race, capable of healing all the pain in the world.
At the end of the long corridor stood a magnificent palace. The palace walls were constructed of coral reefs, their colors vibrant and shimmering. From a distance, it appeared as if a towering building sat at the center of the palace, its roof glowing with a turquoise light, sheltering the entire lakebed.
"I've heard that dragons enshrine dragon pearls in their dwellings, placing them in high places so that the magnetic field they generate can form a protective circle, ensuring the continuation of the dragon race for generations. This eerie light high up might just be the legendary dragon pearl."
Yao Tong spoke in a low voice, a wary look flashing in her eyes.
Lu Zhaozhao knew why she was so wary.
Since the Dragon Balls are divine objects that protect the dragon race, they must be a threat to outsiders like them.
Lu Zhaozhao still remembers that the process of entering the lake bottom in the book was not as simple as it is today.
Today, Yun Xian was present. Relying on his powerful cultivation, he used divination techniques to forcefully break open the gate to the ruins.
In the original book, Yunxian arrived late, forcibly entering the lake bottom just as the ruins were about to collapse. Without a powerful figure like Yunxian, the way he entered in the original book was much more tragic.
In the book, the group initially planned to dive to the bottom of the lake, but under the protection of the Dragon Ball, turbulent currents lurked beneath the surface of East Lake. The water was pitch black, making it difficult to discern directions, and whirlpools would pull them in when they reached the middle of the lake. Even if they managed to avoid these difficulties and reach the bottom, the ruins were completely invisible to the naked eye within the Dragon Ball's protective circle. And when they couldn't hold on any longer and tried to get ashore, they would be stunned by schools of fish at the bottom of the lake, entangled in seaweed, and drown.
Finding the path to the ruins alone caused many sects to lose a significant number of people, so much so that after Yao Tong used the Tianyin Sect's secret treasure, the Pingnan Comb, to forcibly break open a path, very few people were able to enter.
The ending of the exploration of the ruins in the book is that the road forcibly broken open by Pingnan Shu damaged the Dragon Pearl, making it difficult for the Dragon Pearl to maintain the stability of the entire Dragon Trail. In addition, the deep water at the bottom of the lake pressed down, and in an instant, most of the entire palace collapsed, and countless people were crushed underneath and never came out again.
Therefore, even Lu Zhaozhao sometimes had to admit that the changes to the plot might be a terrible thing for her, but for the other innocent people who died in the original book, it was also a new future.
With her thoughts churning, Lu Zhaozhao followed the crowd to the palace gate, where three large characters were carved with dragons and phoenixes on the plaque.
Crystal Palace.
Crystal Palace, also known as Dragon Palace and Water Mansion. Upon seeing this plaque, Lu Zhaozhao felt an ominous premonition.
Is the ruins of the Jiaolong also the crystal palace where the dragon race lived?
The original book vividly describes the love-hate entanglement between the female protagonist, the male protagonist, and her confidante, but it only briefly mentions these ancient ruins and trial opportunities, so Lu Zhaozhao is not sure whether the current situation is normal or not.
What are you worried about?
A man's voice suddenly appeared above her head, startling Lu Zhaozhao. She immediately looked up and, upon seeing Bai Yuanshi's face, was at a loss for words.
When did this person arrive? Shouldn't he be with Wen Yuan's group?
Bai Yuanshi followed her gaze, his eyes lingering on the plaque for a moment, before speaking calmly, "Junior Sister Fusang has also noticed something amiss, hasn't she?"
"What? Senior brother discovered something?" Lu Zhaozhao pretended to be clueless.
Bai Yuanshi stared at her and smiled, a smile that made Lu Zhaozhao feel uneasy.
He suddenly leaned closer and lowered his voice, saying, "Are you really a disciple of the Tianyin Sect? Does the Tianyin Sect not only teach divination techniques but also impart ancient artifacts?"
Lu Zhaozhao's heart skipped a beat. She had forgotten that Tianyin Sect disciples, who cultivate music, are required to be single-minded. Seeing miscellaneous studies can easily lead to other thoughts. Therefore, Tianyin Sect has always prohibited its disciples from learning other strange arts and miscellaneous books.
Although she made a mistake, she remained as usual and decided to continue playing dumb.
"I am foolish and do not understand what you mean, senior brother."
Bai Yuanshi's face was grim as he scrutinized her. This feeling made Lu Zhaozhao very uncomfortable, as if she were being interrogated. At the same time, Lu Zhaozhao began to realize a glimpse of the iceberg hidden beneath the refined exterior of this abbot of Wenyuan Academy, a man who instilled fear in all his disciples.
"My magic weapon is a bamboo flute. I wonder what your magic weapon is, Junior Sister?"
Bai Yuanshi asked another question, which was so off-topic that Lu Zhaozhao didn't react for a moment.
"Ah? Magic, magic implement. My magic implement is a seven-stringed zither."
In a moment of panic, Lu Zhaozhao didn't know what to say. Her eyes caught sight of Yaotong not far away, and so the seven-stringed zither came to mind.
"The same magical artifact as Fairy Yaotong? I've heard that Fairy Yaotong is the most talented disciple among the younger generation of Tianyin Sect. I didn't expect Junior Sister Fusang to be so unconcerned."
Bai Yuanshi's scrutiny intensified, and Lu Zhaozhao could only grit her teeth and deal with it: "Senior Sister is a role model for the sect, so naturally I should take Senior Sister as my goal."
"I see. Junior Sister Fusang is exceptionally talented; she will surely achieve her goals."
Bai Yuanshi immediately followed up, but Lu Zhaozhao had a feeling that he didn't believe her, and she didn't want to say anything more, so she simply shut up and stopped talking.
However, Bai Yuanshi seemed to have become fixated on her, determined to get to the bottom of things. After that, he didn't return to Wen Yuan's group at all, but instead stayed at a distance from Lu Zhaozhao.
Lu Zhaozhao blurted out the name of the seven-stringed zither in her haste. She didn't know anything about it and wanted to ask Yaotong about it afterward to avoid any mistakes. However, with Bai Yuanshi by her side and someone constantly talking to Yaotong, Lu Zhaozhao didn't dare to openly go and find her. She could only suppress her unease and deal with the questions Bai Yuanshi kept throwing out as she walked.
They stopped at the entrance of a cave, and only then did Bai Yuanshi cease asking questions.
The entrance to the cave was dark and long, stretching as far as the eye could see. Its appearance was completely different from the magnificent Crystal Palace, and its sudden appearance seemed somewhat abrupt, but it looked like the only way to get inside.
Several small boats floated on the water at the cave entrance, each with a small capacity. With the powerful Yun Xian present, everyone's eyes were on him, waiting for him to speak.
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