Carrying a mix of anticipation and nervousness, Lin Yun continued to dive deeper.
It was precisely because this pool possessed such terrifying power that Lin Yun grew even more curious and intrigued.
There had to be something extraordinary about it to make the water’s temperature so low that even First or Second-Turn Tribulation Realm cultivators would be at risk.
Of course, there was also the possibility that danger or a trap lay beneath.
Lin Yun was well aware that, although he could withstand the cold, if a powerful enemy appeared in the water, the extreme low temperature would hinder his ability to fight at full strength.
Lin Yun continued his slow descent.
…
At this moment, on the shore of the pool.
Two more teams had arrived, including the Mu Clan, with whom Lin Yun had clashed back on the island.
The Fourth Elder of the Tianqiong Clan and the handsome man stood with their arms crossed, waiting to see Lin Yun emerge frostbitten.
But after waiting for quite a while, the pool remained eerily calm, with no sign of movement.
“Hm? Why hasn’t that guy come up yet?” the handsome man couldn’t help but say.
“If he couldn’t handle it, he should’ve come up quickly. Could it be… he can endure it?” the Fourth Elder said, astonished.
“Impossible! How could a mere First-Turn Tribulation Realm cultivator withstand it!” the handsome man’s voice was sharp.
“But there’s no other explanation,” the Fourth Elder said, his expression growing slightly grave.
The Fourth Elder didn’t want to believe it, but he couldn’t think of any other reason.
“It seems Brother Yun can handle it. I underestimated his strength,” Yu Ying said with a smile.
…
As Lin Yun descended further, he noticed the temperature dropping even more, though it remained within his tolerance.
After diving about a hundred metres, Lin Yun finally caught sight of the lakebed.
At the bottom, what met his eyes was, astonishingly, an underwater cave mansion.
“An underwater cave mansion!” Lin Yun exclaimed in surprise.
Discovering this underwater cave mansion caught Lin Yun completely off guard.
“Could it be that this is the true Da Kun ruins, and the grand hall and buildings outside were just a decoy to mislead people?” Lin Yun wondered to himself.
He thought this was highly likely!
The Da Kun Clan naturally thrived in low temperatures, and due to their unique physical structure, they were entirely unafraid of such cold.
“I’ll go into the cave mansion to take a look!”
With his mind made up, Lin Yun swam straight into the underwater cave mansion.
Following the passage, he soon reached the end of the cave.
At the end, there lay the corpse of a Da Kun.
“That’s…”
Lin Yun immediately noticed a peculiar fluctuation emanating from the Da Kun’s body.
“It must be the Da Kun Clan’s ultimate treasure, the Frost Heart! It’s on its body!”
“Haha, I’ve actually found it just like that!” Lin Yun was overjoyed.
To be honest, Lin Yun had come on this expedition with no real confidence.
He hadn’t even been sure he could complete this trial.
And now, the Frost Heart was within arm’s reach!
But with the Frost Heart on the Da Kun corpse, Lin Yun didn’t dare to rashly take it. What if this was a guardian corpse, and the moment he touched it, it realised he wasn’t a Da Kun clansman and exploded?
Lin Yun decided to observe it further.
“The low temperature of this pool seems to be caused by that Frost Heart,” Lin Yun noted as he studied it.
The Da Kun ruins had existed for tens of thousands of years. Over such a long time, the Frost Heart had remained in the pool, its emanations continuously lowering the water’s temperature. After millennia, it had brought the pool to this extreme cold.
“Master, let me go check it out,” the voice of the metallic creature ‘Tian’ suddenly rang out.
It had followed Lin Yun from Earth back to the cultivation continent.
Ever since Lin Yun had grown stronger, Tian hadn’t had a chance to be of use, and it longed to contribute to Lin Yun once more.
After a moment’s thought, Lin Yun nodded in agreement.
“Alright, be careful. If anything seems off, come back immediately.”
With that, Lin Yun released the metallic creature Tian.
Being made of metal, Tian was unaffected by the cold. It quickly approached the Da Kun corpse and removed the Frost Heart from its body.
After retrieving it, Tian swiftly returned to Lin Yun.
“Master, here it is!” Tian handed the Frost Heart to Lin Yun.
“I’ve got it just like that?” Lin Yun stared at the Frost Heart in his hand, hardly believing it.
As soon as the Frost Heart touched his hand, Lin Yun felt a chilling sensation that made him shiver involuntarily.
He realised that holding the Frost Heart made him immune to the pool’s icy cold.
In other words, with the Frost Heart in hand, the pool’s low temperature no longer affected him.
Moreover, with the Frost Heart, he seemed able to move through the water unhindered by its resistance.
Boom!
At that moment, the Da Kun corpse suddenly opened its eyes.
“A non-clansman dares to steal my clan’s treasure? Death without mercy!”
The Da Kun corpse let out an icy declaration as it abruptly rose.
“It’s actually come back to life!” Lin Yun jumped in fright.
The Da Kun corpse lunged fiercely at Lin Yun.
Lin Yun quickly drew his sword, thrusting it forward to block.
Boom!
A terrifying collision erupted, sending Lin Yun flying backwards through the water!
“Damn, this thing is strong!” Lin Yun’s expression changed.
In just one exchange, he had already grasped the corpse’s formidable power.
“Run!”
Without hesitation, Lin Yun turned and fled!
The Da Kun corpse gave chase, pursuing Lin Yun relentlessly.
Now, with the Frost Heart in hand and unhindered by the water, Lin Yun could move at full speed. In an instant, he darted out of the underwater cave mansion and raced towards the surface.
The distance from the bottom to the shore wasn’t far, and in the blink of an eye, Lin Yun broke through the surface.
On the shore.
The Tianqiong Clan members sensed the disturbance and immediately looked towards the water.
“It’s that guy, he’s come up!” the handsome man said.
Not only the Tianqiong Clan but the other teams on the shore also fixed their eyes on Lin Yun.
“Brother Yun!”
Seeing Lin Yun emerge unharmed, Yu Ying breathed a sigh of relief.
“Look, what’s that in his hand?”
“It looks like the Da Kun Clan’s ultimate treasure, the Frost Heart!”
A cry of astonishment rang out from the shore.
That exclamation instantly set everyone’s gazes ablaze with greed.
“Kill this kid and take the Frost Heart!”
In an instant, all the teams on the shore surrounded Lin Yun, their killing intent palpable.
Holding the Frost Heart, Lin Yun had undoubtedly become the target of everyone’s aggression!
Even the Fourth Elder of the Tianqiong Clan was itching to act.
Though Lin Yun was nominally part of their team, could he really stand by and watch Lin Yun walk away with the Frost Heart?
Boom!
Just then, the water’s surface broke again, sending countless splashes into the air.
The crowd surrounding Lin Yun turned to look, only to see a Da Kun burst out of the water.
