Chapter 37: Crystal

Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Crystal

Sui Sui was not sure whether the flash beneath the lake had merely been a trick of his eyes. However, before he could dismiss it as a hallucination, another faint glimmer appeared beneath the water.

This time, he was certain he had seen it.

There was definitely something inside the lake.

Curiosity immediately stirred within him. Anyway, since he and Yizhou had been staying in the cave for several days without encountering anything unusual, the place should be relatively safe. At the very least, nothing had attacked them so far.

After giving it some thought, Sui Sui decided to take a closer look.

He raised his hand and cast a basic barrier around himself. It was a spell he had only learned recently, and with his current cultivation, the barrier was nowhere near strong enough to withstand an attack. However, using it to keep the water away from his body should not be a problem.

It would also make moving underwater easier. Sui Sui was not particularly skilled at swimming, and without the barrier, he might have difficulty navigating the lake.

Once the barrier had fully formed around him, Sui Sui stepped into the water and slowly submerged himself.

The lake was quiet beneath the surface.

Guided by the direction of the earlier flash, Sui Sui swam deeper. Before long, another faint light appeared in the distance.

His eyes narrowed.

The light was moving.

More importantly, it seemed to be heading directly toward him.

As the distance between them gradually shortened, the object became clearer. It was a small ball of soft blue light, no larger than a person’s fist. It floated gently through the water, leaving faint trails of light behind it.

When it reached Sui Sui, it did not stop.

Instead, it circled around him several times, darting playfully from one side to the other as though it were examining him.

What was this?

Sui Sui watched the little ball of light with curiosity. Its movements were far too lively to be ordinary spiritual energy. It almost seemed as though it possessed its own consciousness.

After hesitating for a moment, he slowly reached out.

The instant his fingers approached, the little ball eagerly drifted into his palm and rubbed itself against his hand, appearing more than willing to be touched.

Sui Sui blinked.

Since it appeared to possess its own thoughts, perhaps it could communicate as well?

"Hello? Do you need something from me?" Sui Sui asked.

The little ball of light stopped circling him. It hovered in place for a moment before gently bobbing up and down, as though answering yes.

Sui Sui understood the gesture and asked, "Then what do you need?"

Instead of responding, the little ball suddenly drifted toward a darker part of the lake.

Sui Sui remained where he was.

After swimming a short distance, the little ball noticed that he had not followed. It immediately turned around and floated back toward him. Then, it moved behind Sui Sui and gently bumped against his back, seemingly trying to push him forward.

"You want me to follow you?" Sui Sui asked.

The little ball quickly bobbed up and down again before turning around and swimming deeper into the lake.

This time, Sui Sui followed.

The two continued descending until the surroundings gradually grew darker. The faint blue glow emitted by the little ball became the only source of light, guiding Sui Sui through the increasingly murky water.

After swimming for some time, Sui Sui suddenly saw the little ball pass straight through a large rock ahead.

He immediately stopped.

The rock completely blocked the path before him. Unlike the little ball, Sui Sui had no idea how he was supposed to pass through solid stone.

Noticing that he had stopped, the little ball emerged from the other side and floated back toward him. It hovered in front of Sui Sui, as though silently asking why he had not followed.

Sui Sui pointed toward the rock.

"There’s a rock here," he explained. "I can’t pass through it."

The little ball floated toward Sui Sui and gently pressed itself against his back, trying to push him toward the rock. Its movements seemed to be telling him that it was safe and that he only needed to continue forward.

Sui Sui frowned.

Since the little ball was so insistent, he decided to show it that passing through was impossible. He cautiously stretched out a hand and pressed his palm against the surface of the rock.

However, the expected resistance never came.

His hand passed straight through.

Sui Sui’s eyes widened.

There was no solid stone beneath his fingertips. The rock only appeared real from the outside.

Was this an illusion array?

If so, then whoever had set it up must have been extremely powerful. Neither he nor Yizhou had noticed anything unusual despite staying inside the cave for several days.

After hesitating for a moment, Sui Sui carefully moved forward.

The moment his body passed through the rock, the scenery beyond it came into view.

The little ball was already waiting for him on the other side. Seeing that Sui Sui had finally followed, it happily circled around him before continuing deeper into the lake.

Sui Sui followed closely behind.

The deeper they travelled, the darker their surroundings became. The faint blue glow from the little ball was now the only thing illuminating the path ahead. Sui Sui had never expected the lake to extend so far beneath the cave, much less that there would be another hidden area concealed beneath its depths.

After swimming for what felt like a long time, another source of light gradually appeared in the darkness.

Unlike the little ball’s gentle glow, this light was faint and unsteady.

As Sui Sui drew closer, the source slowly came into view.

At the center of the hidden space was a crystal-like object embedded within the lakebed. It emitted a soft blue radiance, illuminating the surrounding water with a faint glow. Its surface was smooth and translucent, making it appear almost like a precious piece of jade.

However, a large crack ran across its surface.

Moreover, golden lightning coiled around the crystal like enormous heavenly chains, each strand domineering aura.

The moment the lightning flashed, the surrounding water trembled slightly. Waves of terrifying pressure spread outward, forcing the spirit water to churn as though it were being suppressed by an invisible force.

The lightning did not scatter aimlessly.

Every strand remained fixed upon the cracked blue crystal.

BOOM—!

The golden light illuminated the entire lake before striking the crystal with overwhelming force.

The impact caused the surrounding lakebed to tremble slightly, thanks to the water, the impact wasn’t too strong.

Yet even after releasing such terrifying power, the golden lightning did not touch anything else. It seemed as though it had singled out the blue crystal, mercilessly directing every strike toward it.

The little ball of light immediately darted behind Sui Sui, hiding near his shoulder as though it was afraid of the golden lightning.

Standing at a distance, Sui Sui could still feel the terrifying pressure radiating from it. Each bolt carried an ancient, domineering aura that made the spiritual energy within his body stir uneasily.

Fortunately, the lightning seemed to be focused entirely on the blue crystal. Otherwise, with his current cultivation, he doubted he would be able to withstand even a single strike.

"Is this what you wanted me to find?" Sui Sui asked.

The little ball cautiously peeked out from behind him before bobbing up and down.

Sui Sui’s gaze returned to the cracked crystal.

"Do you want me to take it away?"

The little ball hesitated for only a moment before nodding again.

Sui Sui did not move immediately. Instead, he carefully observed the scene before him.

The golden lightning was clearly no ordinary lightning. Every strike carried an overwhelming pressure, as though it possessed the authority of Heaven itself. If he remembered correctly, there was only one kind of lightning that commonly appeared in such a golden form—heavenly tribulation lightning.

But why would a tribulation be descending beneath the surface of the lake?

His eyes narrowed as another bolt struck the crystal.

Could it be that the crystal was undergoing a heavenly tribulation?

If that was the case, then the little ball of light...

Sui Sui lowered his gaze toward it.

"Is that crystal your body?"

The little ball froze, Its blue light flickered uncertainly before it slowly bobbed up and down as if agreeing.

So his guess had been correct.

Sui Sui looked between the trembling little spirit and the damaged crystal. An idea regarding its identity had already begun forming in his mind. If his speculation was right, then helping it might bring him an unexpected opportunity.

Still, that was something to consider later. The more urgent matter was saving the crystal before the heavenly lightning destroyed it completely.

"Alright," Sui Sui said after a moment. "I’ll help you. But once this is over, you’ll have to help me as well. How about it?"

The little ball did not hesitate. It immediately flew in front of him and nodded eagerly.

Sui Sui smiled faintly.

"Then it’s a deal."