It appeared the main reason these Dark creatures gathered here in such large numbers was to come and pay homage to the Dark Heart.
However, when they discovered that the Dark Heart was actually controlled by a young female junior, they all grew suspicious, and some among them even developed improper ideas.
Thus, Lü Dandan, Ye Yunfei, and those Dark creatures faced off for roughly half a small hour.
After half a small hour, the Dark creatures finally began retreating quietly, and in the end, none of them made a move.
Ye Yunfei knew it must have been the intimidating presence of the Dark Heart that held them back.
"It's fine now, let's continue," Lü Dandan said to Ye Yunfei. Then, parting the dark waters below them, she led Ye Yunfei deeper down.
In the time that followed, Ye Yunfei continued to spot various relatively rare Dark-type Medicinal Herbs, each of which he unceremoniously collected a few samples of.
"We've reached the lakebed."
Right at that moment, Lü Dandan suddenly stopped and spoke to Ye Yunfei.
As soon as she spoke, with a loud 'Hong!' the surrounding environment began to change. The vast, engulfing expanse of pitch-black seawater simply vanished without a trace.
Ye Yunfei found himself standing within a space as pitch-black as thick ink.
This space gave off an extremely oppressive feeling. Not only was one's vision limited, but sensory perception was also greatly suppressed.
Ye Yunfei discovered that the maximum distance his Soul Power energy could now sense was only a few thousand meters.
For someone with Ye Yunfei's level of Soul Power energy, this perception range was practically unimaginable.
"The Dark Energy and dark laws present here are simply too advanced. Even I find it difficult to sense within this space," Hun Lao said with surprise.
"Indeed, this space is too unique. Even if I were trapped in such a place, I would have significant difficulty breaking through the space to escape," Even Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm spoke with a wary tone.
"Don't worry, Miss Lu is the master of the Dark Faction and possesses the Dark Heart, and this is the Dark Faction's territory. We are not in any danger," Ye Yunfei replied with a smile.
"This is the world at the bottom of the Dark Dragon Pool," Lü Dandan said to Ye Yunfei.
"Those Poison Dragon Crocodiles live here. Let's walk around and search, see if we can find the answers you're looking for."
Lü Dandan knew that the main reason Ye Yunfei had come here was to find out why the bodies of those Poison Dragon Crocodiles were so incredibly tough.
"Alright, let's roam around this lakebed space then," Ye Yunfei nodded, then Lü Dandan and he stepped forward, walking into the pitch-black expanse ahead.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
In this dark space, with every step taken, one could clearly hear the echo of their own footsteps.
"Miss Lu, it seems there are many powerful Dark creatures living in this space," Ye Yunfei said after walking some distance, vaguely sensing many eerie and powerful presences around them, apparently observing him and Miss Lu.
"The Dark creatures living here are of an even higher level and possess greater strength than those we encountered earlier in the lake water above. But don't worry, I believe the Dark Heart can subdue them," Lü Dandan nodded.
In truth, however, Lü Dandan's expression at this moment carried a touch of gravity.
The Dark Heart within her body had long since manifested, hovering above her head and continuously releasing dense Dark Energy and dark laws, accompanied by waves of Dark-type runes.
Once released, these Dark-type runes clustered around Lü Dandan and Ye Yunfei, forming a dark protective shield.
Honglonglong…
As they walked, the space in the distance suddenly began shaking violently, the tremors approaching from afar. The entire space then began to churn, and Lü Dandan and Ye Yunfei saw a massive shadow rolling towards them. Wherever it passed, the space instantly boiled like a pot of hot water.
Then, an enormous black serpent appeared before the two, its massive form lying horizontally ahead like a dark mountain range. Lü Dandan and Ye Yunfei stood before it, appearing miniscule in comparison.
"This thing looks like a black water snake, but its size is far too enormous," Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
The massive black serpent glared at Lü Dandan with eyes the size of small lakes. A rolling, overwhelming surge of killing intent crashed towards them, causing both Lü Dandan and Ye Yunfei to feel immense pressure.
"The creatures living in the Dark Dragon Pool are none simple. They refine and absorb the dense Dark Energy here year after year, contemplate the dark laws of this place, and even feed on the Dark-type precious treasures that grow here. Over time, they develop terrifying strength. This water snake might have been an ordinary one long ago, but now it has evolved into a dreadful Dark creature," Lü Dandan explained to Ye Yunfei.
Honglonglong…
As she spoke, the Dark Heart within Lü Dandan's body emerged and hung suspended above her head.
Honglonglong…
The Dark Energy emanating from the Dark Heart immediately caused the surrounding space to shake violently as if it were water disturbed by waves.
Hualala…
Thick, densely-packed chains of the Great Dark Dao laws materialized in the space around Lü Dandan's body, intertwining and slowly writhing together, resembling countless dark, elongated snakes gathered as one.
The gaze of the massive black serpent ahead immediately fell upon the Dark Heart floating above Lü Dandan's head, a trace of wariness showing in its expression.
Honglonglong…
Suddenly, the dark runes created by the Dark Heart began rotating rapidly, then concentrated and formed a colossal dark energy hand that reached out to grasp the giant black serpent, which was large as a mountain range.
The black serpent instantly revealed a furious expression, opened its maw wide, and spat forth a torrent of black, corrosive fluid that shrieked forward.
In the next moment, the dark energy hand and the black fluid collided. The fluid vanished instantly upon contact, while the dark energy hand continued rolling forward unhindered.
"The Dark Heart truly lives up to its reputation," Hun Lao couldn't help but say.
At this moment, the massive black serpent began retreating. It gave its tail a final flick, turned around, and left swiftly. Despite its immense size, its speed was astonishing, and it disappeared in an instant.
"Let's continue," Lü Dandan took the lead, walking forward.
Moments later, the surrounding space began shaking violently again, twisting like rolling water waves that transmitted constantly. Then, within the space around the two of them, a multitude of black fish appeared.
These black fish came in many varieties, with bodies of different sizes. Every one of them exuded a dense aura of Dark Energy. Any Dark creature capable of surviving in this space was no ordinary being.
"Don't worry, they have come because of the Dark Heart," Lü Dandan stated.
At this time, the Dark Heart above her head again began releasing rolling waves of Dark Energy and a vast number of Dark runes. Once formed, these Dark runes all clustered within the space around Lü Dandan and Ye Yunfei, protecting the two.
The gazes of all the surrounding black fish were fixed upon the Dark Heart above Lü Dandan's head.
Thus, the two sides faced off for roughly another half a small hour before the black fish slowly began to retreat.
Lü Dandan led Ye Yunfei further onward, encountering more and more Dark creatures along the way.
Fortunately, it seemed all these Dark creatures had come because of the Dark Heart. As Lü Dandan put it, they had all come to pay homage to the Dark Heart.
At the same time, Ye Yunfei also saw many precious and rare Dark-type Medicinal Herbs. Among them were many for which Ye Yunfei didn't even know the names, as he had never seen nor heard of them before. Yet any herb that could grow in the space at the bottom of the Dark Dragon Pool was surely no ordinary item, for the Dark Energy and dark laws present here were simply too advanced and dense.
"Look! Poison Dragon Crocodiles!" Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm pointed in a certain direction and shouted.
In that direction, over a dozen massive, black crocodiles appeared, crawling slowly forward. They stopped at a certain distance from Lü Dandan and Ye Yunfei, then their gazes all turned towards the Dark Heart floating above Lü Dandan's head.
While the combat prowess of these Poison Dragon Crocodiles wasn't particularly high, their greatest characteristic was their incredibly tough bodies. After all, even Lü Dandan, who possessed the Dark Heart, had been unable to injure their bodies earlier.
"We seem to have entered the territory of the Poison Dragon Crocodiles. Now we can follow them and see if we can find the answers you seek," Lü Dandan turned to Ye Yunfei and said.
Ye Yunfei had come here mainly to investigate why the bodies of these Poison Dragon Crocodiles were so sturdy.
About a dozen Poison Dragon Crocodiles remained crouched in that direction, their eyes fixed on the Dark Heart above Lü Dandan's head. Gradually, their gazes took on a certain reverence.
"I'll use the Dark Heart to subdue these Poison Dragon Crocodiles first, then have them lead the way to see their living environment," Lü Dandan transmitted her voice to Ye Yunfei.
After speaking, the Dark Heart above her head released an even stronger surge of Dark Energy and dark laws, continuously pressing down upon those Poison Dragon Crocodiles.
Perhaps sensing the energy and aura of the Dark Heart, the Poison Dragon Crocodiles suddenly began to retreat. For them, the Dark Heart was a sacred and inviolable entity, utterly beyond their capacity to resist.
"The Poison Dragon Crocodiles here are somewhat different from the ones we encountered before. The ones we encountered earlier had already been tamed, while these before us are still wild. Therefore, they are more alert and possess a stronger aggression. However, with the Dark Heart here, we can ultimately tame them," Lü Dandan said.
As she spoke, the Dark Heart above her head began to move slowly, floating towards the Poison Dragon Crocodiles.
Lü Dandan formed seals with her hands, chanting quietly and continuously, sending one magical imprint after another flying towards the Poison Dragon Crocodiles.
These imprints landed precisely on the foreheads of the crocodiles. The Dark runes released by the Dark Heart also descended endlessly onto their foreheads. Gradually, the heads of the Poison Dragon Crocodiles grew immensely heavy, and some of their gazes began to turn hazy.
"It seems Miss Lu indeed has methods to deal with these Poison Dragon Crocodiles," Hun Lao observed this scene and commented.
"Of course. She now controls the Dark Faction and possesses the Dark Heart. She certainly has numerous methods at her disposal," Ye Yunfei replied with a smile.
Not long after, the way the Poison Dragon Crocodiles looked at Lü Dandan began turning docile, and they stopped retreating, remaining crouched where they were.
"I've subdued them. Now let's follow these Poison Dragon Crocodiles to the place where they usually reside," Lü Dandan turned her head and spoke to Ye Yunfei.
"Miss Lu possesses remarkable skill," Ye Yunfei said with a smile.
Honglonglong…
The Poison Dragon Crocodiles suddenly turned around and crawled back in the direction from which they had come. Before long, a vast expanse of marshland appeared ahead, covered above by a foul, pungent mist.
"This is a poisonous miasma. Be careful," Lü Dandan cautioned Ye Yunfei.
"No need to worry. I have Deity-grade detoxification pills," Ye Yunfei took out a pill, placed it in his mouth, and replied with a smile. As an alchemist, Ye Yunfei possessed many specialized detoxification pills, all highly effective.
The Poison Dragon Crocodiles directly entered the marshland ahead.
Ye Yunfei and Lü Danden walked on air above the swamp.
This stretch of marshland possessed a powerful attraction, pulling any passing creatures towards its depths. However, with strength as formidable as theirs, Ye Yunfei and Lü Dandan completely ignored the pulling forces emanating from the swamp.