CHAPTER 1081: CHAPTER 1078: SILVER WATERWEED

This cold pool is even larger than the Black Water King Snake’s nest. To avoid encountering any underground beasts again, Lin Tian activated his Eye of Clarity, scanning the entire cold pool.

The bottom of the cold pool was covered with strange waterweeds, resembling fine silver threads, or like silvery white hair. Just the thought of it being hair made Lin Tian’s skin crawl.

The silver "hair" swayed gently with the pool’s water, possessing an eerie beauty. The bottom was peaceful—not the kind of silence without sound, but rather a vast pool with no fish at all, only those peculiar waterweeds, and no living beings.

It would be more appropriate to describe it as deathly still. In such an isolated place, no species should have any natural enemies, so one would expect to find abundant fish. Yet there was no trace of life at the bottom, only death-like silence, with the water flowing.

The only good news was that the pool wasn’t deep, at least much shallower than the Black Water King Snake’s nest, which was fathomless, while here, the deepest spot was less than ten meters.

Lin Tian used the Eye of Clarity to examine the bottom’s terrain closely but found no anomaly causing the low temperature. Nearly giving up, he almost attributed it to the waterweeds. Just as he was about to look away, he discovered something peculiar.

It was the deepest part of the pool, overgrown with those silvery waterweeds. Lin Tian hadn’t paid much attention at first, but during his second sweep, he noticed the waterweeds in this area were unusually dense, almost forming clumps.

Seeing these clumped waterweeds, Lin Tian again thought of hair, feeling a wave of nausea. Clumps of hair soaking in water would disgust anyone.

If not seen carefully, one might think the clumps of waterweed were heads submerged in water, and if you stare at them, those "heads" seem ready to turn back and watch you.

What the hell! How can such disgusting things grow here? Lin Tian cursed inwardly, but he had to study them closely.

Having scanned the entire pool, he couldn’t find anything else but the waterweed clumps. Perhaps something was hidden behind them.

Lin Tian ignored the eerie clumps, his clairvoyant gaze penetrating them, revealing the scene behind.

Behind the dense waterweed, there was a hidden hollow, its entrance over three meters wide, resembling an underwater tunnel extending deeper inside. Lin Tian’s gaze followed the "tunnel," reaching at least several hundred meters into the distance, unable to see the end.

"Lin Tian, what are you daydreaming about?" Ning Luoxi suddenly patted Lin Tian, interrupting his inspection.

Lin Tian had no choice but to look away, nonchalantly saying, "I just thought this pool was strange, so I took a closer look."

Ning Luoxi gave Lin Tian a puzzled look, thinking, Is this how you observe? You were clearly staring blankly at the water’s surface.

But she didn’t dwell on it and instead returned to the matter at hand. "The pool is indeed unusual. I walked along the shore half a circle just now, noticing there’s no sign of fish activity at all. Don’t you find that odd?"

As a skilled Ancient Martial Artist, Ning Luoxi’s insight was unquestionable, naturally allowing her to infer results from appearances.

Lin Tian nodded, saying, "Since the Black Water King Snake can live in the underground river, there must be fish in it, otherwise, where would it get food? Yet here at the source, there’s no fish activity. I can’t fathom the reason."

"Could it be the pool’s water temperature is too low for fish?" Ning Luoxi speculated.

But she wasn’t sure herself since fish survive in far harsher waters elsewhere. Moreover, without any fish, there should be other aquatic life, yet there’s none, which is quite strange.

"No more guessing, we’ll know once we dive in. Stick close to me underwater." Lin Tian resolutely said.

Ning Luoxi naturally had no objections. After coming so far, if they didn’t fully explore the bottom, she wouldn’t be content just leaving. Of course, she was unaware Lin Tian had already seen the underwater cave, and Lin Tian couldn’t easily explain to her.

To dive, they needed a diving suit, but having lost a backpack earlier, only Lin Tian’s diving suit was left.

He took it out from the backpack, tossing it to Ning Luoxi, and said, "Put it on."

"There’s only one suit—you’re giving it to me; what will you wear?" Ning Luoxi hesitated.

Lin Tian indifferently said, "I’m a man, doesn’t matter. But if you don’t wear it, once your T-shirt gets wet, it’ll become transparent, and I won’t be able to control my eyes."

With Lin Tian’s remark, Ning Luoxi instinctively grabbed the diving suit, knowing Lin Tian never claimed to be a gentleman. Once wet, his eyes would unquestionably be wide open. Without hesitation, Ning Luoxi put on the diving suit.

Watching her hastily don the suit, Lin Tian chuckled inwardly. If he hadn’t said that, who knows how long they would’ve argued over this single suit.

Though he missed the chance to see Ning Luoxi soaked, watching her in a tight diving suit had its own allure, and Lin Tian couldn’t help but glance her over.

Once Ning Luoxi was fully suited, Lin Tian said, "Follow me closely later, don’t stray. Also, there’s a peculiar kind of waterweed underwater that looks harmless, but it’s best not to touch it."

From the shore, Ning Luoxi could see the waterweeds, so Lin Tian didn’t worry about revealing his clairvoyant ability.

After Ning Luoxi nodded in understanding, Lin Tian slung his backpack over his shoulder again, gestured "OK" to Ning Luoxi, then unhesitatingly dove into the water, with Ning Luoxi following suit.

The pool’s water was extremely cold, and if Lin Tian wasn’t a zombie nor an Ancient Martial Artist, he would’ve been frozen stiff. Upon entering the water, Lin Tian had an odd feeling, as if something was watching him. Yet he confirmed there were no other beings nearby except him and Ning Luoxi.

Ning Luoxi touched Lin Tian, gestured a few signs, which Lin Tian understood—she also felt watched.

Lin Tian surveyed the surroundings. Apart from stones and silver waterweeds, he found nothing unusual. Unsure if it was an illusion, he felt the waterweeds had started swaying more.

He thought perhaps it was caused by his movements, but he still avoided the waterweeds. He circled the pool bottom, pretending to surface for air a few times, slowly approaching the underwater cave.

During his last surfacing, Ning Luoxi said, "Lin Tian, the waterweeds ahead look peculiar to me. We’ll check them out later." Without Lin Tian pointing it out, Ning Luoxi also noticed the anomaly.