In the future, Earth becomes a relic of the mythical era.

Chapter 167 Underwater Maze
cold home.

"Little sister Qingci, please come with me on this trip."

A beautiful and graceful woman, holding Leng Qingci's hand, pleaded.

Although she was pleading and smiling, her expression left no room for refusal. She was beautiful, yet possessed a sharp and aggressive edge.

Leng Qingci said somewhat helplessly, "Second Miss, it's not that I'm unwilling, but I'm not confident I can get through the Dragon Palace Maze..."

This woman is named Bai Xuanji, the second young lady of the Donghai Group, and also Bai Zangji's older sister.

Suddenly, someone came to her door and invited her to the Dragon Palace Banquet.

Bai Xuanji smiled charmingly: "Don't be modest. The Leng family's celadon is renowned for its profound knowledge of ancient classics. Who doesn't know it? In ancient times, they would certainly have been masters of their time."

"If even you can't get through it, who can?"

"To tell you the truth, I'm going to the Dragon Palace Banquet not for any other reason than that I heard that kid surnamed Xie is going too,"

"Although Bai Zangji deserves a beating, he's still my brother, a member of the Bai family of Donghai. Who can just beat him up whenever they want?"

"This kid beat my brother up so badly, I'm going to go see if he really has three heads and six arms!"

Leng Qingci's heart stirred upon hearing this.

He's going too?

"Second Miss, you're not planning to cause him any trouble, are you?"

Leng Qingci frowned and said, "Isn't this a bit inappropriate? Xie Lingxin is, after all, someone from the Environmental Protection Bureau, and I've heard that the Environmental Protection Bureau values ​​her highly."

"The Bai family are also businessmen, why should they offend the Federation?"

Bai Xuanji smiled and said, "I've heard about it too. Are you talking about a grandmaster who came personally for him?"

"Since Miss Second knew, why did you still..."

Bai Xuanji said, "Let's not even discuss whether that grandmaster came for the Tongtian Pagoda or for that kid,"

"That kid has that much influence? Even if he does, so what? I'm not going to do anything to him, I'm just testing his mettle."

"A grandmaster shouldn't lower himself to the level of a junior just because of a petty squabble between them, should he?"

That's not necessarily true...

Cold celadon hidden passage.

Based on what she saw that day, Captain Jin's demeanor was not necessarily that of a rule-abiding person who could be judged by common sense.

Besides, you're not exactly a junior; Captain Kim might not even be older than you...

Leng Qingci secretly grumbled to herself, but dared not say it aloud.

Otherwise, she was afraid Bai Xuanji would break down...

Bai Xuanji held Leng Qingci's hand and said, "Qingci, if you come with me on this trip, I will lend you the 'Ancient Sound Collection' treasured by my Bai family to study!"

Upon hearing this, Leng Qingci's heart stirred.

This book is a compilation by the Federal Association of Scholars, which gathers ancient texts and pronunciations from various regions in ancient times.

It is a treasure for anyone who studies ancient classics and history.

The entire book is included in Starry Sky.

Because it is so precious, it has not been passed down through generations.

The Leng family is a family of scholars specializing in classical studies, and they only possess a portion of the classics.

The Bai family possessed items that the Leng family did not.

The temptation is undeniable.

Leng Qingci had actually wanted to agree when she heard that Xie Lingxin would be going, but since there was such an extra benefit, she naturally wouldn't refuse.

He said calmly, "I can go, but I can't guarantee that I'll be able to get through the underwater maze."

Upon hearing this, Bai Xuanji smiled brightly and said, "Of course, as long as you do your best, I believe you can definitely do it."

"but……"

She smiled meaningfully: "I heard that you even brought that boy home to recover from his injuries. Could it be that you've fallen for him?"

Leng Qingci paused slightly, then gently scolded, "What did you say, Second Miss?"

"Hehehe~"

Bai Xuanji chuckled: "It doesn't matter whether he is or not. He's a promising young man, everyone likes him."

"You don't need to worry about what I'll do to that kid. For your sake, I'll just teach him a lesson and vent Bai Maoji's anger."

"You can't go easy on me just because you're worried about that kid."

Ling Qingci said, "Second Miss, rest assured, since I have agreed, I will do my best."

But to himself, he thought, "That guy isn't so honest. You want to teach him a lesson? Don't end up like your brother, getting the lesson himself."

……

East China Sea.

Xie Lingxin stood on a boat, looking at the dark, surging sea that stretched to the horizon.

As if it were some enormous, boundless creature, an overwhelming sense of terror rose within me.

Fear of giants? Fear of the deep sea?
Xie Lingxin never expected that she would still have this feeling after cultivating.

In the face of nature, humans are indeed insignificant and should always be in awe.

I wonder what immortals think of nature?

Faced with such immense power of nature, can anyone truly transcend and look down upon it?

"Li Jingzhe, have you ever seen an immortal?"

Xie Lingxin suddenly spoke up and asked about Li Jingzhe, who was standing to the side.

Li Jingzhe was taken aback, then fell into deep thought.

His expression seemed somewhat complicated and strange.

No, what are you thinking? Is there even a need to consider this?

You've actually seen it before?
Li Jingzhe did not answer, but Xie Lingxin already knew the answer from his expression.

It was an indescribable sense of awe, even fear.

It's just like how I feel when I'm facing this boundless, dark sea.

This kid...

What's the origin?
They've even seen immortals?

"The tide is coming in!"

"Watch out! Don't fall, or you'll be trapped in the spacetime turbulence and never come back!"

An announcement was made on the large ship.

This is a giant ship made entirely of wood, and it's said to be a legendary treasure.

The ship wasn't just carrying their group; it was specifically for transporting people into the Dragon Palace Dead Zone. A single ticket cost over a million, serving as the entrance fee to the Dragon Palace Dead Zone.

In other words, I don't have to pay for it myself, otherwise Xie Lingxin might not be willing to do so...

The broadcast started not long ago.

It was as if a hurricane had suddenly appeared out of nowhere at sea.

The sea was surging, with towering waves.

The enormous wooden boat floated on the waves like an ant.

Fortunately, the treasure lived up to its name; no matter how the waves churned, the ship remained stable.

Before long, a huge vortex was visible to the naked eye forming not far away.

The pitch-black vortex, like a bottomless abyss, swallowed everything.

The giant ship, however, pressed on relentlessly, riding the wind and waves, and charged toward the bottomless abyss.

"Boom--!"

Amidst the violent shaking, the giant ship plunged headlong into it.

Xie Lingxin felt the heavens and earth tremble.

A deafening roar filled my ears.

Even my mind was shaken into a daze, and a violent urge to vomit surged up.

Suddenly, the scene changed.

The sky was clear and blue, the sea was boundless, and the clouds and mist were faintly visible.

It felt like being in a fairyland at sea.

The giant wooden boat beneath our feet is slowly sailing toward a small island.

Seeing the curiosity in his eyes, Tong Huohuo, who came with him, knew it was his first time here and said, "Don't be fooled by how big the island is. It's said that the island is actually the shell of a giant tortoise."

"Giant turtle?"

Xie Lingxin was startled.

Even from a distance, the island appears quite large, with a coastline stretching for tens of kilometers.

Is this actually a turtle?

Tong Huohuo thought to herself, "You can be surprised too?"
He said smugly, "Of course! I've heard that this giant tortoise came from the Dragon Palace, and the formation of this mirage was also secretly promoted by the Dragon Palace through trade with various maritime nations."

"Everyone says the Dragon Palace has countless treasures, I wonder why they created this mirage."

He suddenly straightened his clothes; everyone was now dressed in ancient attire.

He said to Xie Lingxin, "Let me tell you, there's another very important unspoken rule to entering this Hai City. You'll find out soon enough what it means to be blessed with good fortune!"

Xie Lingxin pursed her lips when she saw him keeping her in suspense.

There are many discussions about the Dragon Palace Banquet online, but few mention the details.

Because it comes at a great cost, no one is willing to give away what they have painstakingly explored and discovered for free.

Want to know?
Pay your own way to get in and see!
……

"No, no, no!"

"You're too ugly! I won't sell to you!"

The city of Mirage is nothing like a trading place tainted by money; instead, it is filled with strange and beautiful scenery, like a fairyland.

The merchants inside didn't seem like ordinary merchants either.

It is said that there are merchants from various maritime countries here, but the Russians are the most numerous.

The most distinctive characteristic of the Rakshasa people is that they regard ugliness as beauty and beauty as ugliness!

Moreover, they only like to do business with "beautiful women". If they see an "ugly woman", they will either charge you an exorbitant price or simply refuse to do business with you!

Xie Lingxin and her companions have now encountered a merchant from the Rakshasa Kingdom!
From the moment you board the boat, there are checkpoints everywhere, and everything costs money.

To enter the actual sea city, you will need to purchase a token.

The people guarding the entrance to the island were a group of Russian merchants peddling information.

Whether it's Xie Lingxin, Li Jingzhe, or Li Miaoyin, they are all outstanding in appearance, each more beautiful than the last.

Of course, that was outside.

In the eyes of these Rakshasa people, the three of them were uglier than the last!

In their words: Utterly hideous!
The Rakshasa man in front of me, with his crooked nose, crooked eyes, and buck teeth, said in his own words: "A handsome man like me would never do business with someone so ugly!"
Li Miaoyin was so angry her nose was crooked.

Tong Huohuo walked out with her head held high and her chest puffed out: "Then you should at least do my business, right?"

The Russian merchant's eyes lit up when he saw him. He looked him up and down and nodded repeatedly: "Hmm, you are quite handsome. Alright! I'll sell you!"

Xie Lingxin: "..."

Li Jingzhe: "..."

Li Miaoyin: "..."

I'd heard this place was weird, but I never knew it was this weird.

Tong Huohuo bought all four tokens by himself, though the money came from the Li siblings.

The "money" used here is not ordinary currency, but spiritual matter.

A token with "Dragon Palace" and "Mirage" engraved on one side and the other side on the other.

Xie Lingxin immediately recognized that among the things she had snatched from that black market dealer was such a token.

The four of them finally stepped into the city.

The people here are all really strange.

Xie Lingxin even suspected that she had entered the world described in "Flowers in the Mirror".

Li Miaoyin said, "The merchants here should have a lot of invitations, but we don't have enough spiritual energy to buy four."

Most importantly, she never wanted to experience that again.

When did she start being disliked for being ugly?

Xie Lingxin asked warily, "You're not planning to renege on your debt and make me pay for it myself, are you?"

Li Miaoyin rolled her eyes: "Don't worry! If there's really no other way, I won't let you down!"

"However, spiritual qualities don't just fall from the sky. My brother inquired and found out that in addition to an invitation, one can also venture into the underwater maze to enter the Dragon Palace for the banquet."

"If you can get through this, you can not only attend the Dragon Palace Banquet, but you might even meet the Dragon King!"

"Ordinary invitations only grant entry to the Dragon Palace for banquets; they don't allow for an audience with the Dragon King."

"You've come all this way, don't you want to see the Dragon King?"

(End of this chapter)