The Immortal Clan begins with deductive intelligence.

The blue water python was clearly taken aback as well.

It had been bitten several times by the big one and whipped with its tail before it was reluctantly driven back to guard the house.

He was seething with anger and had nowhere to vent it.

As soon as they entered, they saw a two-legged human emerge from their own lair.

The human still had a lingering spiritual energy fluctuation that it hated, and what was most deadly was that the little thief was also clutching a jade box in his hand.

It was all too familiar with that scent!

"hiss!"

The Azure Python's already sinister vertical pupils instantly shrank to slits, and a bright, eerie green light shone forth.

It opened its blood-red maw, revealing two fangs that gleamed coldly, and its body arched sharply, stirring the surrounding water into a murky mess.

Xu Changqing felt a chill run down his spine, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

They were clearly using him as a punching bag for that giant python.

"Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor; go find the biggest one!"

Xu Changqing cursed inwardly and quickly dodged to the side.

But how could he possibly outrun a late-stage Tier 1 monster?

The emerald python was only using its tail, yet the force of the impact sent Xu Changqing flying backward, crashing heavily into the tightly closed stone door.

"Cough cough..."

Xu Changqing's internal organs were churning.

There's no other way.

Xu Changqing turned around. He had glanced at the stone door briefly when he was getting the medicine. It should be able to be activated with spiritual power.

Without time to hesitate, Xu Changqing poured all the remaining spiritual energy in his dantian into the formation.

"Boom!"

The intricate array patterns instantly burst forth with dazzling white light, illuminating the dim underwater cave as bright as day.

The emerald python paused instinctively for a moment, startled by the bright light.

That's what saved Xu Changqing's life.

The original stone door slid open in an instant, and Xu Changqing landed inside the doorway with nothing behind him.

"Bang!"

The moment his feet left the spot, the enormous head of the Azure Water Python slammed into the original spot where the stone door had been.

However, the stone gate was open for an extremely short time.

Just as Xu Changqing rolled inside, the stone door slammed shut with a deafening roar.

……

Inside the door.

Xu Changqing lay on the ground in a "spread-eagle" position, panting heavily.

The surroundings were deathly silent; there was no sound of flowing water, nor the suffocating water pressure.

It's actually dry here.

A water-repelling formation isolates the underground river water from the outside.

It took Xu Changqing a while to calm down before he felt the tightness in his chest dissipate somewhat.

He forced himself to get up, took out a Qi-restoring pill and put it in his mouth. He sat cross-legged and regulated his breathing for a while before taking out a fluorite and holding it above his head.

This sight, however, left him stunned.

This was not a spacious cave hall, but a narrow passageway.

On the walls on both sides of the passageway, every few steps there is a pearl that has long lost its luster.

The ground was paved with bluish-gray stone slabs, covered with a thick layer of dust.

Above the dust, there was only a shallow line of footprints, stretching deep into the passageway.

These footprints don't look recent; they weren't made a long time ago.

"Has anyone been here?"

Xu Changqing felt a chill run down his spine.

Has anyone else come in?

Is there another entrance?

Or... was this person inside all along?

Xu Changqing felt a chill rush from his tailbone straight to the top of his head.

If it's the former, it means there are other dangers in this place.

If it's the latter... then that's even more terrifying.

Xu Changqing swallowed hard, forcing himself to calm down.

There's no way to retreat now; that Azure Water Python outside is surely waiting for him to walk right into its trap.

Going forward, however, is uncertain of whether it will bring good or bad fortune.

"dilemma."

Xu Changqing took a deep breath and sat down cross-legged in the corner behind the stone gate.

It's safe here for now.

At times like these, it's time to turn to your old buddies for help.

He closed his eyes, calmed his still-pounding heart, and sank his mind into his sea of ​​consciousness.

The ancient Tongtianjian reappeared.

"Deducing the escape routes and potential dangers of this water palace."

As the thought settled, the mist on the mirror began to churn.

Several lines of golden characters appeared.

[Deduction begins]

[Analysis of the scenario: The escape route and dangers within the secret cave of the Water Mansion.]

[Time required: Two hours.]

Two hours.

That is, four hours.

Xu Changqing looked at the time and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Four hours is not a long time for cultivators.

However, faint "thump, thump" sounds could still be heard outside the door, indicating that the blue python had not given up and was still banging its head against the door.

This stone gate is exceptionally sturdy and reinforced by an array; it shouldn't be broken anytime soon.

But sitting in this enclosed space, listening to the deadly impact, was truly agonizing.

"Let's wait."

In times like these, it's crucial not to panic.

While keeping a watchful eye on any movement deep within the passageway, Xu Changqing also strained his ears to listen to the stone door behind him.

An hour has passed.

The banging outside the door gradually stopped.

That beast was probably tired, or it knew it couldn't break through, so it decided to guard the outside instead.

Xu Changqing kept his hand on his storage bag, which contained several attack talismans. Although they might not be effective, they were at least a psychological comfort.

Another hour passed.

Xu Changqing felt a jolt in his mind.

"It's done!"

Golden light flowed across the Tongtianjian, and lines of text appeared clearly.

[The simulation is complete]

He perked up and immediately focused his attention on it.

This residence was left behind two hundred years ago by the wandering cultivator Blackwater Daoist. Outside the main building, there is a separate passageway leading directly to the Great Swamp.

The middle section of the passageway features a "quicksand pit," which can only be traversed by stepping on square bricks engraved with lotus patterns.

[Inside the main chamber is a "living dead" puppet with a Qi refinement level of nine, which instinctively guards the central control.]

The ninth level of Qi Refining is the only realm that Zhang family patriarch has reached.

Now, this thing is hidden in this cave.

Although he is a "living dead puppet" and his brain is definitely not very sharp, his body is made of copper and iron and his cultivation level is solid. If he gets even slightly off guard, his small body at the fourth level of Qi Refining will be finished.

"Fortunately, it's an inanimate object, relying solely on instinct to protect the central nervous system."

Xu Changqing consoled himself with a word of self-comfort, then lowered his gaze to the bluestone slab beneath his feet.

This passageway appears smooth, but it actually conceals deadly dangers.

As Tongtianjian just explained, there is a "quicksand pit" in the middle section, which can only be crossed by stepping on the square bricks with lotus patterns.

He picked up the fluorite and brought it close to the ground to examine it closely.

The dust was so thick that it almost completely covered the original patterns.

Xu Changqing dared not be careless and used his spiritual power to clean the passageway.

really.

On these seemingly random bluestone slabs, there are scattered bricks and stones engraved with lotus patterns.

These lotus patterns are carved very shallowly and are distributed haphazardly, some on the left, some on the right, and some even separated by several white boards.

"If you don't know how to get through, how can you possibly get through?"

Xu Changqing looked again at the line of footprints that stretched into the depths.

The footprints were messy and disorderly. When they reached the middle section, there were large patches of dust on the ground that had been stirred up, and even a few pools of dried dark red blood could be seen.

Clearly, the "predecessor" who got there first suffered a great loss here.

But this person didn't die; he actually managed to get through it.

He's a ruthless person.

Xu Changqing composed himself, took a deep breath, and began to follow the guidance of the Tongtian Mirror.

Third from the left.

The foot landed firmly, and the ground didn't budge.

Xu Changqing felt much more at ease.

The second one in front, and the one on the right.

His figure was somewhat comical as he hopped and skipped around in the empty, desolate passageway.

Sometimes he even had to stand on one leg on those tiny lotus-shaped bricks, looking just like a charlatan performing a ritual.

Although the posture is awkward, it's safe.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Xu Changqing finally passed through the most dangerous section.

There were no more mechanisms ahead, only the half-closed stone door to the main chamber.

Xu Changqing took a picture of himself with a concealment talisman, then slowly moved to the doorway, close to the wall.