Chapter 1997: Tianxu Jade Book and Jin Feng Daoist

Soon, the surface of the black ice layer was covered with thousands of dense cracks, resembling a giant spiderweb.

The flute's sound grew increasingly sharp as waves of sonic energy swept forth, distorting and deforming the void in their wake.

With a thunderous roar, the black ice layer shattered, revealing the entrance to a massive underground cave. A flight of bluestone steps was visible, extending deep into the earth.

The shattered black ice scattered within the underground cave, echoing as it fell.

Wang Changsheng let out a long breath of relief, his expression filled with excitement. The Water of the Underworld had proven invaluable this time; without it, their combined strength alone would have struggled to break through the restriction.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan transformed into two streaks of light and flew into the underground cave.

They did not immediately descend to search for treasures; instead, they waited quietly.

Not long after, the stone wall at the cave entrance glowed brightly, revealing countless mysterious runes.

Wang Changsheng formed a hand seal, and nine Sea-Calming Pearls flew out from the blue water curtain, landing in his hands. The blue water curtain shattered instantly, and a flood of bright seawater surged towards the underground cave.

A flash of white light revealed a thick white barrier, blocking the entrance and sealing the seawater outside. This was the Four Seas Spirit Restraint, renowned for its self-repairing properties.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan descended the bluestone steps into the earth. After a while, they arrived in a stone chamber over a hundred zhang wide. Mysterious blue runes were carved into the stone walls. The floor was littered with a large amount of black ice shards, and parts of it remained frozen by the black ice layer.

Directly in front of the steps was an aquamarine light barrier. On its surface, a blue shark, moving like a living creature, continuously swam across the barrier.

Wang Changsheng swung his right fist towards the void, creating a loud whooshing sound. A blue fist projection flew out, striking the aquamarine barrier precisely, causing it to immediately cave inward.

After emitting a sharp roar, the blue shark suddenly opened its massive maw and swallowed the blue fist projection.

"The Four Seas Spirit Absorption Array?" Wang Changsheng's gaze was filled with doubt and surprise. The formation before him differed somewhat from the legendary Four Seas Spirit Absorption Array; it might be a simplified or an improved version.

He and Wang Ruyan joined forces, attempting to break the restriction, but it was useless; the aquamarine barrier absorbed all attacks.

Wang Changsheng held nine Sea-Calming Pearls in each hand, and his hands glowed with dazzling blue light as he smashed them towards the aquamarine barrier.

He felt as though his fists had struck soft cotton. However, very quickly, a massive suction force appeared out of nowhere, pulling his hands uncontrollably towards the blue shark's mouth, as if about to be swallowed.

Wang Changsheng frowned. Blue light erupted from his body, and he hastily withdrew his hands.

"It seems we can only use the Water of the Underworld to break this restriction," Wang Ruyan suggested. "Let's break it quickly and leave this place."

Wang Changsheng nodded, summoned the Grand Yin Bottle, and with a hand seal, turned its opening downwards.

A large amount of Water of the Underworld poured out, sprinkling onto the aquamarine barrier. The barrier froze at a visible rate, transforming into a black ice wall.

The ground and stone walls also froze, so Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan kept a considerable distance.

The Mortal World Flute in Wang Ruyan's hand suddenly glowed brightly. An invisible sonic wave swept out, striking the black ice wall.

The black ice wall shattered like paper, revealing a hundred-mu wide cave before them. Countless mysterious runes were carved into the stone walls, emitting faint restriction fluctuations.

On the ground lay an enormous black turtle shell. The shell had hundreds of thick cracks on its surface but no signs of lightning strikes.

"Wasn't it said that True Monarch Black Tortoise died during a Grand Heavenly Tribulation?" Wang Ruyan asked, puzzled. "Why does it look like he was killed by a powerful enemy?" Judging by the extent of the damage to the turtle shell, True Monarch Black Tortoise had clearly suffered severe injuries before his death, which didn't resemble lightning damage.

"If he died during a Grand Heavenly Tribulation, there's no reason he would still be able to set up restrictions," Wang Changsheng speculated. "It's also unlikely that this place would remain unknown. Perhaps there's some hidden truth!" He extended his divine sense to check for any anomalies.

Wang Ruyan raised her hand, and a five-colored spiritual light flew out. It was a five-colored talisman, exuding astonishing spiritual energy. She formed a hand seal, and the talisman immediately glowed brightly, transforming into a young man clad in five-colored armor. Runes flickered across his body, clearly indicating he was a Nascent Soul stage Five-Element Talisman Soldier.

The Five-Element Talisman Soldier strode towards the enormous turtle shell. Upon reaching it, he forcefully lifted the shell with both hands, revealing a blue storage ring clearly visible beneath.

Wang Changsheng's divine sense swept over the blue storage ring, finding no anomalies. With a single grasp, the ring flew towards him, landing in his hand.

He lightly flicked his wrist. A blue glow swept past, and a pile of items appeared on the ground, shimmering with spiritual light. Among them was an exquisite golden jade box, sealed with a silver-white talisman.

He removed the talisman. Inside was a golden, glittering page with flickering runes and astonishing spiritual energy.

The page was covered with mysterious characters that twisted and deformed like tadpoles.

"Is this the Heavenly Void Jade Book?" Wang Changsheng exclaimed, his voice trembling and his breathing becoming rapid.

Cai Yunfeng had led his people to intercept and kill Wuxingzi specifically to retrieve the Heavenly Void Jade Book, but they had failed. Yet, a page of the Heavenly Void Jade Book was here.

If this news were to get out, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan would certainly not be able to keep this page of the Heavenly Void Jade Book.

"We don't know what content it records yet," Wang Ruyan said, her gaze fervent as she stared at the Heavenly Void Jade Book. "I hope it's cultivation techniques or secret arts."

According to Cai Yunfeng, each page of the Heavenly Void Jade Book had multiple restrictions, with different contents coming with different associated restrictions.

"Perhaps these jade slips can give us answers," Wang Changsheng said in a deep voice, his gaze turning to the pile of jade slips on the ground. "We might even uncover the truth about True Monarch Black Tortoise's demise."

They each picked up a jade slip, immersing their divine sense into it to examine its contents.

On the surface of the sea, several streaks of light approached from the distance at extreme speed.

Not long after, the streaks of light stopped. There were three men and one woman, and Daoist Golden Wind was among them.

His face was slightly pale, and his left arm hung limply. The other three were beastfolk; their leader was an ape-headed, human-bodied beastfolk covered in blue bristles.

"This should be the place," Daoist Golden Wind said with an excited expression. "According to my disciple, True Monarch Black Tortoise's death cave is located here at the bottom of the sea."

He wasn't being benevolent. His identity had been exposed, preventing his return to the human race, so he had no choice but to faithfully serve the beastfolk. He had initially intended to retrieve the treasure himself, but this was the territory of the Golden Scale race, who would not show him any deference.

Therefore, once his injuries improved, he notified the beastfolk.

"Hmph, you didn't tell us sooner," a young woman in a green dress with a human torso and a snake tail snorted coldly, speaking with some dissatisfaction. "The treasures might already have been taken by someone else."

"This is the territory of the Golden Scale race," Daoist Golden Wind said dismissively. "Even if humans knew True Monarch Black Tortoise's death cave was here, they wouldn't be able to get here to retrieve the treasures. Moreover, the Four Seas Spirit Restraint is guarding it. This formation is renowned for its defensive power; even if a Void Refinement cultivator attacked it, it wouldn't be easy to break."

He was severely injured at the time. If he had immediately reported to the beastfolk, how much benefit would he have gained? He wasn't foolish.

"There's no use talking about this," the ape-headed beastfolk leader said in a deep voice. "Let's go down and see. I hope the treasures are still there."

They all jumped into the seawater, diving towards the seabed.