"Such a freak! We can't endure descending to just a hundred meters, yet he's actually gone down to fifteen hundred meters! And by the sound of it, he's still alive and kicking, completely fine." Wen Zi exclaimed.
"Let's go back up," Xiao Hui suggested after a moment's thought.
"Right. We can't compare to that monstrous freak. It's safer to return to the surface," Wen Zi nodded in agreement.
"Ye Yunfei is truly not an ordinary person. Being able to follow him might very well be a rare opportunity for me," Dugu Huan thought to himself.
Thus, the three of them returned to the water's surface.
"Hahaha, what happened? Has that bastard Ye Yunfei run into trouble? Excellent! A person like him should have died a long time ago!" Feng Yun'ao laughed uproariously upon seeing Xiao Hui and the others return without Ye Yunfei.
"Humph! You'll die long before Ye Yunfei does!" Wen Zi retorted angrily.
"You dare to be so disrespectful to me? Aren't you afraid I'll strike you down right here and now?" Feng Yun'ao's eyes narrowed, full of chilling intent as he spoke coldly.
"Don't provoke this madman," Xiao Hui hurriedly transmitted to Wen Zi. With Ye Yunfei not present, no one was a match for Feng Yun'ao.
Meanwhile, deep below in the pool water, Ye Yunfei had already descended to a depth of two thousand meters!
The Bloodline Pressure at this location was growing stronger and stronger. However, the Azure Dragon Divine Beast behind Ye Yunfei was continuously absorbing the immense pressure that surged towards him. As it absorbed more and more energy, the form of that Azure Dragon became increasingly solid and distinct.
At the same time, Ye Yunfei was constantly refining the Bloodline Essence that rose towards him. Therefore, the Bloodline Pressure posed little harm to him.
Ye Yunfei's body continued to descend.
The Nine Palaces Totem Wheel and the Heavenly Demon Blood-Refining Body Art—these two high-level cultivation techniques—allowed Ye Yunfei to easily withstand the Bloodline Pressure of the Heavenly Flood Dragon Clan. Actually, there was an even more important reason: within Ye Yunfei's soul sea, there still remained a trace of a Heavenly Emperor's Soul Power! So what if it was the Bloodline Pressure of the Heavenly Flood Dragon Clan? It simply couldn't compare to the might of a Heavenly Emperor's soul! After all, a Heavenly Emperor was one of the top-tier powerhouses of the world, far stronger than the Heavenly Flood Dragon Clan.
Three thousand meters, four thousand meters... Ye Yunfei kept diving deeper.
If the higher-ups of Hudao Academy knew that Ye Yunfei had managed to descend to such an astonishing depth within the Heavenly Dragon Pool, they'd probably be stunned on the spot. Even Xie Changkong, the strongest individual in Hudao Academy, could only descend to a maximum depth of three thousand five hundred meters. Ye Yunfei was now at four thousand meters—and still going!
"Master, the Bloodline Pressure here is terrifying. It should belong to the Heavenly Flood Dragon Clan," Hu Miao's voice suddenly rang out. Although she remained within her inner pill, she could perceive the external environment.
"Correct. It is indeed the Bloodline Pressure of the Heavenly Flood Dragon Clan. There is very likely a Heavenly Flood Dragon down at the bottom of this pool. Let's hope this Heavenly Flood Dragon is already dead. If it's still alive, things will get troublesome," Ye Yunfei nodded.
"What's there to fear about a Heavenly Flood Dragon? Our Ancient Heavenly Fox Clan is not the least bit inferior to the Heavenly Flood Dragon Clan," Hu Miao said disdainfully.
"Pity that you're still very weak now. Faced with an adult Heavenly Flood Dragon, you'd be no match. Only once you truly mature will you have nothing to fear from the Heavenly Flood Dragon Clan," Ye Yunfei chuckled.
When Ye Yunfei reached a depth of eight thousand meters, his gaze suddenly fell upon a stone stele engraved with words:
'Chanced upon this pool, which contains concentrated and pure Bloodline Essence. There must be the remains or inner pill of a great demon below. Alas, my strength is limited. I can descend only this far, lacking the power to go deeper. —Hu Dao Shangren.'
So this stele was left behind by Hu Dao Shangren. It seemed that back in the day, Hu Dao Shangren happened to discover this pool and came down to investigate. However, when he reached eight thousand meters, he had reached his limit and could descend no further.
"To be able to descend to eight thousand meters, Hu Dao Shangren's strength was likely at the Ten Apertures realm. Indeed, that qualifies as the most powerful expert on the Tianxuan Continent." Ye Yunfei nodded to himself. With his rich martial experience, he could deduce Hu Dao Shangren's cultivation level from the depth he could reach.
Continuing onward, Ye Yunfei felt the pressure grow increasingly intense at such depths. Consequently, after descending a certain distance, he had to pause each time, allowing the Azure Dragon Divine Beast on his Nine Palaces Totem Wheel to absorb the surging Bloodline Pressure. He also employed the secret techniques of the Heavenly Demon Blood-Refining Body Art to refine a portion of it.
And so, a day later, Ye Yunfei finally descended to fifteen thousand meters—reaching the pool's bottom!
The bottom was a massive rectangular underground palace spanning over ten thousand square meters! Within this palace lay an enormous, pure white skeleton, sprawled across the ground. This skeleton was over ten thousand meters long, radiating unimaginably terrifying pressure!
"The remains of the Heavenly Flood Dragon Clan!" Ye Yunfei's eyes narrowed.
"It really is the Heavenly Flood Dragon Clan!" Hu Miao cried out in surprise as well.
BOOM!
A vast, majestic pressure wildly surged towards Ye Yunfei. He staggered back several dozen steps, nearly losing his footing.
ROAR!
The Azure Dragon on the Nine Palaces Totem Wheel behind Ye Yunfei suddenly let out a great roar, devouring the energy in this place with the voraciousness of a whale drinking a river. Simultaneously, the Azure Dragon itself released a powerful aura of its own, confronting the Heavenly Flood Dragon's pressure within the palace.
BANG!
A powerful Soul Power pressure erupted from Ye Yunfei's head, clashing directly against the Heavenly Flood Dragon's pressure. Immediately, the pressure on Ye Yunfei's body vanished completely! This Soul Power pressure originated from the remnant soul of a Heavenly Emperor.
"What?! How is this possible?!"
A stunned voice suddenly rang out from the skull area of the Heavenly Flood Dragon skeleton. Then, at that location, the phantom image of a man in white robes slowly materialized, his gaze filled with shock and bewilderment as he stared at Ye Yunfei.
"Human lad, your soul sea actually contains the remnant soul of a Heavenly Emperor! What is the meaning of this?!" The man in white looked at Ye Yunfei with a wary gaze.
"To think a remnant soul was still lingering here. A member of the renowned Heavenly Flood Dragon Clan... Why did you come to such a backward place as the Tianxuan Continent instead of staying in the Heavenly Flood Dragon Plane? And to die here—truly a pity," Ye Yunfei said calmly, his eyes fixed on the man in white.
Ye Yunfei could tell at a glance that this man in white was a remnant soul left behind by the Heavenly Flood Dragon skeleton within this underground palace. Moreover, this remnant soul was now extremely feeble.
"You know of the Heavenly Flood Dragon Plane?"
The man in white couldn't help but be taken aback. After all, Tianxuan Continent was a relatively backward and remote continent. Warriors from Tianxuan Continent shouldn't know about the Heavenly Flood Dragon Plane—much less Ye Yunfei, who, judging by appearance, was merely a young man.