Chapter 103: The Colorful Carp's Guidance

The battle against the aquatic spirit beast had to be ended quickly; if it managed to escape back into the water, its strength would multiply, making it incredibly difficult to handle.

Li Mu, seeing the Yellow-Bearded Color-Salamander floating on the surface, immediately summoned his Sand-Dust Blade. A blade-aura several meters long cut through the water vapor, striking directly at the creature's back. The blade flashed with brilliance; the salamander, clearly unaware of an attacker, was unable to dodge in time and was struck squarely by the Sand-Dust Blade.

With a resounding clang, the blade and its aura sank deep into the beast's back, burying itself so far into the flesh that the weapon was barely visible. The salamander shrieked in pain and lunged, flying dozens of meters into the air before plummeting back into the water. As it hit the surface, the water erupted as if the power keeping it calm had been shattered, instantly whipping up waves dozens of meters high.

Blood sprayed as the salamander turned and dove toward the depths. Li Mu felt a surge of anxiety. He had never imagined the creature would be so tenacious, capable of fleeing despite such a grievous wound. He quickly stowed his flying shuttle, traced the position of his Sand-Dust Blade, and plunged into the water after it, reaching out with an extended hand. Losing the spirit beast was one thing, but losing his blade would be a significant setback.

He gripped the hilt tightly, but he could not pull it free; it was wedged firmly inside the salamander. The creature was vicious, moving with immense speed through the water as it dove headlong into the abyss. Li Mu’s Green-Sharp Armor was waterproof, which was fine, but he could not halt the salamander’s momentum and could only follow it down.

They reached the bottom, nearly a hundred meters deep, in the blink of an eye. The salamander did not stop, its yellow whiskers trailing as it drove straight into the mud. Li Mu suffered here; waves of thick, black sludge surged toward his face. The pressure was so immense he could barely move, but he refused to abandon his blade, holding the hilt with a death grip, unwilling to let go.

After what felt like an eternity, Li Mu finally broke free from the oily black mire. Before him lay a vast, open space. The Yellow-Bearded Color-Salamander lay panting on a stone slab atop the silt, seemingly drained of all strength.

Li Mu let out a sigh of relief. "Now that we are on solid stone, you fishy beast won't be getting away again."

But before he could relax, the salamander suddenly flipped over, slamming its back against the ground with all its might. The force was tremendous; even with the protection of his Green-Sharp Armor, Li Mu could not withstand it and was forced to let go and scramble aside. The salamander righted itself, its yellow whiskers swirling, and glared at Li Mu with eyes as large as fruits, filled with extreme rage.

Li Mu did not want to hesitate and quickly activated the Sand-Dust Formation. However, he soon noticed something unusual: the effect of the formation underwater was clearly different from on land. Its expansion was sluggish, as if moving through thick sludge—incredibly slow.

The salamander, obviously ignoring him, felt its power increase significantly in the depths. The change in its strength was stark. Wounded as it was, the creature became even more ferocious. With a flick of its sides, it surged toward Li Mu like a rocket, its speed so great that dodging was nearly impossible. Its mouth, several meters wide, opened slightly to reveal terrifying, jagged beast teeth that gleamed with a chilling, sinister light even in the dark water.

The Yellow-Bearded Color-Salamander’s ultimate move was that mouthful of teeth—biting, grinding, and crushing like a meat grinder capable of shredding scrap iron in seconds. Li Mu responded quickly, gathering sand into a spear and thrusting it into the creature's maw.

*Puchi!*

Despite the imposing momentum, the sand-spear lasted only a few moments before being crushed by the powerful jaws, crumbling into endless dust that drifted to the ground below. The salamander closed its mouth slightly, its eyes glowing with a faint blue light, as if it had already decided that Li Mu was to be its next meal.

Even his high-tier Rank 3 Sand-Dust Formation was useless. Was he to rely on his Green-Sharp Armor to withstand those crushing jaws? Li Mu shook his head, slapped his hand, and immediately activated a Golden Garment Talisman he had previously obtained. A yellow light flared, and Li Mu appeared as a golden figure, radiating an aura of invulnerability.

*Boom!*

The creature's jaws clamped down hard on Li Mu’s waist.

*Crack!*

The sound echoed through the dark depths. It was not Li Mu who was destroyed, but the creature's teeth. After biting down repeatedly, the salamander found its formidable teeth shattered by the Golden Garment, falling to the ground with a rhythmic clattering. This rare Rank 4 talisman provided protection at the level of a Rank 4 treasure, completely suppressing the Yellow-Bearded Color-Salamander.

The salamander seemed not to feel the pain, biting hundreds of times, but Li Mu remained unharmed. With its ultimate killing move rendered useless, the heavily wounded beast seemed to lose all its strength. It rolled on the muddy floor, its white belly heaving as if waiting for its end.

Li Mu was not a man of mercy; if the salamander recovered, he might be the one to die. He swung his Shura Sword, quickly severing the creature's whiskers. With its whiskers gone, the salamander’s power waned even further, and it ceased its struggle.

Li Mu retrieved the yellow whiskers, pried his Sand-Dust Blade from the carcass, extracted the beast core, and watched as the creature breathed its last. Only then did he exhale.

With the danger gone, he finally felt at ease and began to examine his surroundings, which soon stirred his suspicions. The entire area was surrounded by thick mud, so why was there absolutely no mud here? Furthermore, this stone-slab floor was smooth and delicate, slippery yet strange.

Something was wrong.

He focused his mind, using his spiritual sense to probe every corner of the dozens-of-meters-wide stone platform. The lingering effects of the Golden Garment Talisman limited his spiritual range, forcing him to scan slowly.

Soon, he made a discovery.

There was a formation set here—a very ancient one. It was a Phantasmagoric Barrier, a defensive array that also projected a realistic illusion to deter intruders. It was clear that the spiritual energy here was extremely scarce, and the formation had lost much of its power, barely able to keep the surrounding mud at bay.

The name of such a barrier was grand, but because of its high energy consumption and poor efficiency, it was no longer in use. Li Mu had only heard of it by chance through Li Mie. Discovering a Phantasmagoric Barrier filled Li Mu with unexpected excitement. Finding such an ancient formation here implied that this place was likely the ruins of an ancient cultivator.

"To be miles away from the surface and have a salamander end up here—what truly incredible luck."

His earlier irritation vanished. He began to search for the gaps in the formation. The process was not difficult; wherever the spiritual energy was strongest or weakest, there would be a flaw. After a short while, Li Mu found it. Using his Sand-Dust Blade, he carved a circle into the ground, revealing a pitch-black hole before him.

"How strange. No whirlpools, no flowing water. There are many secrets hidden here."

Bolstered by his strength and wanting to act before the Golden Garment Talisman expired, Li Mu gripped his blade and jumped directly into the hole. Upon entry, the crushing weight of the water vanished. There was no water here, and no obstacles at all.

"This place is truly marvelous. It must be some kind of barrier formation. What will I find inside?"