Chapter 79: Crisis of the Dark Shadow

Are they trying to cut off our retreat? Could it be that this passage doesn’t lead outside at all? I dove underwater again, guiding everyone with the shield back to the previous cavern. The serpent-frog was still there, but it seemed to be asleep. I gestured for everyone to tread carefully and not disturb it, urging them to get inside the passage before we talked further. As we landed, Qin Tian accidentally kicked a stone, which rolled into the water with a dull thud. I thought, this is it—if the serpent-frog wakes up, entering the passage won't be so easy. I readied myself for close combat at any moment, but after waiting for a while, the serpent-frog didn’t move.

Just then, Yu Jing seemed to notice something. “Look, it seems to be bleeding.”

I examined it closely. Indeed, blood was seeping from beneath the serpent-frog’s body. Could it be dead? I told the others to wait and cautiously circled to the opposite bank of the pool. I kicked a small stone onto its body—no reaction. Its eyes were tightly shut, and crimson blood pooled beneath it, staining the waters. I crouched to inspect it. The serpent-frog’s body was riddled with wounds, thick as arms, gaping and terrifying, as if pierced by sharp weapons.

My attention was drawn to the ground beneath my feet. A layer of fine sand covered it, with small grooves sunken into the surface, matching the wounds on the serpent-frog. Suddenly, a thought struck me: “Everybody, jump into the water!” I realized this might be a trap, but before we could react, rows of spikes shot up from the ground. Yu Jing was quick—he shoved the Dragon and Tiger sisters into the pool. I leapt onto the serpent-frog’s body, avoiding the spikes.

Qin Tian, in his panic, also jumped into the water. Yu Jing rapidly stepped across the surface, while the sisters resurfaced to breathe, ripples spreading around them—yet it didn’t affect Yu Jing’s ability to walk on water. The spikes rose and fell, leaving no safe spot on shore. When Qin Tian entered the pool, he remained silent for a while; I worried he might have drowned. It was possible—he was bound with chains forged from ancient black ice, heavy as could be. I quickly left the serpent-frog and plunged underwater.

With the heavenly eye’s power, everything beneath the surface was clear. I dove deeper, searching, but never found Qin Tian. The pool’s depth ranged from thirty to fifty meters, impossible to measure precisely underwater. At the bottom, there was a rectangular opening—barely wide enough for a thin person to squeeze through. Could Qin Tian have entered it? It seemed unlikely; his build shouldn’t allow him through.

Where could he be? Surely he hadn’t left through the passage—impossible, since the entrance had been sealed by the Demon Spirit Cult. Besides, his swimming wasn’t good; he couldn’t possibly traverse such a distance underwater, nor was there any reason for him to go back. The only explanation was that Qin Tian had entered that narrow opening.

I crouched to inspect it. The moss around the edges had clearly been disturbed—Qin Tian must have gone in. But the opening was so small, I couldn’t imagine how he managed it. It was rectangular, barely more than ten centimeters high and thirty centimeters wide, with exposed steel bars at the edge, obviously once a sluice gate. That meant there was a larger space inside.

I tried to wedge my head inside, struggling for ages, but couldn’t fit; instead, I ended up with my face covered in moss. If Qin Tian was in there, he likely faced a dire fate. No matter how skilled a swimmer, no one could survive more than ten minutes in such conditions. Over ten minutes had passed since Qin Tian plunged into the pool, during which I’d also checked the earlier passage. I decided to go up and take a look; perhaps I’d find Qin Tian standing safely on the shore.

I gathered my inner strength and burst from the water like a cannonball. The Dragon and Tiger sisters were startled. The spikes still covered the shore, and Yu Jing and the others remained in the pool—Qin Tian was nowhere to be found.

“Old Li, where’s Brother Qin?” Yu Jing called as I emerged.

“That’s just what I want to know. I searched below for ages and found nothing. The kid’s disappeared,” I replied, wiping water from my face.

“What should we do?” Yu Jing paced across the water, clearly anxious.

“You look after the sisters. I’ll go back down and search again.” I dove once more. Though I too could walk on water, the iron chain around me made floating exhausting. Qin Tian was injured—it was no wonder he sank.

This time, I summoned my avatar. I planned to send it into the opening to investigate; after all, I controlled it, and it feared neither filth nor danger. Most importantly, its body could be compressed and deformed, something I couldn’t do myself. The avatar was like a projection—it could even burrow through earth and walls, unaffected by the external environment. Yet there was one thing I hadn’t figured out: whether the avatar was immune to attacks. I’d test it someday. For now, it was perfect for this dangerous task. However, I wasn’t sure if injury or death to the avatar would affect me. For safety, I condensed a thick shield around it and used my will to send it into the narrow opening.

The avatar slipped inside. I quickly linked to its vision, and darkness filled my sight. It hadn’t activated the heavenly eye yet. When it did, a shadow flashed swiftly past, but even with four eyes between us, we couldn’t make out what it was. After a moment’s thought, I decided to go myself—it was too nerve-wracking to wait outside. I struggled mightily to squeeze through, recalled the avatar, and entered.

(The weather is cold, dear readers—wear more clothes. As I write this book, I, Xiao Qu, persist despite several temptations to quit, but I want to keep holding onto my small belief. Success depends on your support. Maybe my writing isn’t great, but I strive and never give up.)

Inside, there was another passage stretching away, still underwater but noticeably gloomier—a fact confirmed by the moss on the walls. After swimming a while, the passage rose upward, and at the corner was a small opening identical to the one outside. I ignored it and swam upward. As expected, the whole passage formed a trough shape. When I broke the surface, I saw Qin Tian, but he seemed unconscious. I went over and slapped his face—no response. I checked his breath—gone. My heart pounding, I checked his pulse—nothing. My first reaction: Qin Tian was dead.