Xu Yuan is a grand canyon, ten thousand li long and three thousand li wide.
Legend has it that no one has ever reached the bottom of Xu Yuan, so no one knows how deep it truly is.
It is said that Xu Yuan was formed by a single sword strike left by an ascending Immortal. If anyone can comprehend the Sword Intent within Xu Yuan, they will inherit that Immortal's Dao Legacy and ascend in broad daylight.
There are also rumors that an ancient, monstrous demon is suppressed beneath Xu Yuan. This demon once wreaked havoc everywhere, poisoning the common people.
An Immortal bestowed a sword, severely injuring the demon with a single strike and suppressing it in the deepest part of Xu Yuan, so that the demon could neither live nor die, suffering the torture of ten thousand swords day and night.
There are many different legends about Xu Yuan. It existed long before the Xuanyuan Dynasty was established.
Over thousands of years, no one has truly stepped into the deepest part of Xu Yuan, nor has anyone seen the legendary great demon said to be tortured day and night.
However, someone once comprehended a sword strike on Xu Yuan, and with this sword, he dominated the Human Race for hundreds of years.
That person was the former head of Luoyun Temple, Ye Xianyu, the Peak Master of Lingjian Peak.
It is said that a thousand years ago, Xu Yuan was still a great canyon, a bottomless black hole.
Later, for unknown reasons, more and more water gradually appeared within Xu Yuan. As the water level rose year by year, many precious artifacts from the previous era floated to the surface.
This sparked a treasure hunt craze in Xu Yuan. Countless people, eager to get rich overnight, used every means to dive into the shallow parts of Xu Yuan. As long as they found one complete ancient treasure, they would be set for life.
Now, a series of related industries have formed around Xu Yuan due to the treasure hunting. The water level of Xu Yuan is rising year by year and is almost filling the entire great canyon.
Zhou Fan and his group arrived at Antique Town next to Xu Yuan, but they were not in a hurry to enter Xu Yuan. Instead, they explored this uniquely charming town.
The Xuanyuan Empress had changed her attire and her face was concealed by a Spell. She happily pulled Nangong Wan's arm, saying that after so many years, Sister Wan must accompany her for a good stroll.
Nangong Wan had a gentle nature and couldn't refuse Xuanyuan Qingyu, so the two of them went sightseeing together in Antique Town.
Xuanyuan Qingyu whispered something into Nangong Wan's ear, making Nangong Wan's ears turn red, and she made a move to hit Xuanyuan Qingyu.
Seeing that there was nothing else to do, Zhou Fan and Qin Li also explored Antique Town together, looking at various antiques.
Originally, everyone was in a good mood, until they encountered a crazy old beggar.
He had disheveled hair and tattered clothes, running wildly through the streets, shouting loudly.
"Run! Everyone, run! The boundless water is about to overflow, and the legendary great demon is about to break free!"
"Run! Run!"
Listening to the old beggar's shouts, everyone had different expressions. Qin Li asked a nearby vendor,
"Brother, have you seen this old beggar before? Are his words true or false, and why does he say such things?"
The vendor took the silver shards Qin Li handed him, smiling broadly, "You two gentlemen don't need to worry. I heard that old madman's only son died in Xu Yuan. He couldn't cope with the blow and lost his mind, spreading rumors these days."
"Someone will chase this old madman away soon. Gentlemen, have you seen any treasures at my stall? I see that you two have extraordinary Aura and are definitely not ordinary people. I am willing to sell at half price, just to make friends."
Qin Li's heart stirred upon hearing "half price." He picked five beautiful small items, planning to give them to Zhou Dage and his mother.
Zhou Fan didn't stop him. Although it was a sales tactic, they weren't short on money, so it was just for fun.
Half a day later, the four reunited and set off together, flying towards Xu Yuan.
Xuanyuan Qingyu distributed a Medium Grade Magical Artifact Water-Repelling Pearl to each of them. Holding this pearl, they could delve ten thousand li deep into the seabed, which should allow them to reach the bottom of Xu Yuan.
The group, holding the Water-Repelling Pearls, swiftly plunged towards the bottom of Xu Yuan.
At a hundred li, the surroundings became completely dark, with very little light reaching there.
The silent seabed seemed to contain nothing, but the deeper they went, the more a sense of danger they perceived.
"If there truly is a demon at the bottom of Xu Yuan, it must be at least a Fourth-Tier demon in the Transformation Realm."
When Nangong Wan was young, she traveled through Qingyun State, slaying many man-eating evil demons. She recognized that this sense of danger came from Demonic Qi pressure, far exceeding the demon core Realm demons she had slain in the past.
"It can only be at most Late Stage Fourth-Tier. If a Fifth-Tier appeared within the Xuanyuan Dynasty, I would know immediately."
The four stopped speaking and quickly descended.
At a thousand li, the surroundings were already pitch black like ink. Aside from those treasure hunters with profound cultivation, no one had reached this depth of Xu Yuan.
The four continued to descend; the seabed was extremely quiet.
Although there was no sunlight, the four could cast Spells to illuminate their surroundings and observe the situation.
Three thousand li, four thousand li, five thousand li…
As they gradually descended, there was not a single living creature around.
Only the pressure of the Demonic Qi grew heavier and heavier, and Qin Li's face was somewhat pale.
Seeing this, Zhou Fan enveloped Qin Li with his own Aura, and Qin Li immediately felt the pressure greatly reduced.
He looked at Zhou Dage gratefully, and the four continued to descend.
The dark and sunless seabed was truly too oppressive; no one wanted to stay in such an environment.
After diving ten thousand li, Xu Yuan was still bottomless.
The Medium Grade Magical Artifact Water-Repelling Pearl could no longer hold up. Under such high pressure, even a Medium Grade Magical Artifact seemed somewhat fragile.
Xuanyuan Qingyu took out four High Grade Magical Artifact Water-Repelling Pearls, which consumed more magical power. The others took them and continued to dive.
The High Grade Magical Artifact Water-Repelling Pearl's diving limit was thirty thousand li. If the depth of Xu Yuan exceeded thirty thousand li, they could only return empty-handed, because Xuanyuan Qingyu also did not have Water-Repelling Pearls of Magic Treasure grade.
Twenty thousand li beneath the sea.
The group finally touched the bottom of Xu Yuan.
But unexpectedly, the bottom of Xu Yuan was empty, seemingly containing nothing.
The group searched the surroundings; a day passed without any discovery.
Qin Li sat cross-legged on the ground. His magical power was almost exhausted, so he had to stop using the Water-Repelling Pearl and consume Medicinal Pills to quickly restore his magical power.
Zhou Fan stood beside Qin Li, holding two Water-Repelling Pearls, creating a water-repelling barrier for himself and Qin Li.
Nangong Wan and Xuanyuan Qingyu needed to conserve their combat strength. They were now constantly searching the distance with their Divine Sense.
After three-quarters of an hour, Qin Li recovered his magical power and stood up.
Xuanyuan Qingyu finally found an unusual object, and everyone followed her to it.
It was a stone stele, dark green in color, about three feet three inches tall, with several large characters written in a majestic, calligraphic style. They were not Human Race characters.
"This is demon script. It should mean, 'Those who see this stele shall die.'"
After Nangong Wan finished translating, Xuanyuan Qingyu ran her finger across her eyes, and two golden lights shot from her eyes towards the bottom of the stone stele.
Drawing out the Celestial Emperor Sword, Xuanyuan Qingyu split the stone stele in half with one strike.
Beneath the stone stele was a bottomless cave entrance. Xuanyuan Qingyu took the lead and plunged in.
The three quickly followed.