The trap had already closed shut. Helian Shaoze clutched his wrist, the pain so severe he nearly collapsed to the ground, writhing.

Yet Jun Beiyue’s single sentence left him no choice but to rise to his feet. However much resentment and dissatisfaction churned within him, he had no choice but to lead the way!

A stabbing pain straight to the heart, from the very fingertips!

These intruders had nearly killed them just now—he was absolutely determined to make them pay the price for this, eventually!

“Follow me… follow me!”

It wasn’t that Helian Shaoze was feigning cowardice—his fingers genuinely hurt so badly he could barely even get his words out smoothly.

Jun Beiyue took Ziqing’s hand and strode forward to follow.

Not just Jun Beiyue—Ziqing and Baili Weisheng both understood there was certainly some scheme lurking behind all this. Yet, as if by unspoken agreement, none of them paid the scheme much mind at all.

Beneath Wuxie Ravine, at the bottom of the Boundless Deep—such an extraordinary wonder surely concealed secrets of its own!

The group followed Helian Shaoze onward, while the guard captain, who had been sprawled off to the side, quickly scrambled to his feet. Seeing everyone had moved far away, he leapt out through the window, breaking through the barrier and transforming into his true Jiao form—resembling a silver dragon-fish—before plunging straight downward, vanishing into the water in an instant!

Helian Shaoze led Ziqing and the others through winding corridors and grand pavilions.

At every turn, Ziqing and the others studied their surroundings carefully, observing closely.

Of course, they could have simply demanded outright from Helian Shaoze where the Solitary Island ruins were located, and perhaps he would have answered. But without first understanding this palace, without first understanding the true strength of Helian Shaoze’s mother, they refused to act rashly or reveal their identities carelessly!

This place—only because Meng Wanyue had mentioned it did they know it existed at all. Otherwise, no one would ever have found their way here!

If the Solitary Island ruins truly lay somewhere here, this location also fell outside Nanzhao’s jurisdiction—a remarkably peculiar place indeed, requiring utmost caution!

Beneath the deep pool, at this depth, they had effectively left the pool itself behind and reached the true deep sea!

The shallows and poisoned water they’d seen at the bottom of Wuxie Ravine were likely just an inland lake, separated from this vast sea—otherwise, the poisoned water would surely have spread through here as well!

It had to be admitted—this place was truly beautiful. A genuine palace beneath the sea, walking through its corridors felt like walking through the ocean itself, with nothing separating them from the water at all. Yet the seawater never rushed in; instead, brilliantly colored fish, shimmering with iridescent light, swam freely through the halls, several unafraid schools weaving past them like ribbons of radiant color, drifting through the space around them—a sight beyond description in its beauty!

Among the group, the two children, Xiong Bao and Baili Xiaosheng, had long since been utterly captivated by everything around them.

The adults, however, remained far more cautious, far more careful, all the while puzzling over what this palace could possibly be, if not a barrier.

Perhaps it was born of trust, or perhaps of some other reason entirely.

Regarding the barrier question, ever since Jun Beiyue had asked Meng Wanyue about it, neither Baili Weisheng nor Ziqing had brought it up again.

As they continued onward, gradually descending deeper into the sea, they began spotting more and more strange, enormous fish—curiously, all of them remarkably friendly.

Even fierce, predatory creatures like sharks, moray eels, and tiger fish showed not the slightest sign of hostility upon seeing them!

Baili Weisheng continued rubbing his chin, his brow furrowed in a rare display of concern, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Kid, have all these fish been tamed by your people?”

In truth, what he really wanted to ask was: are you people Jiao Ren?

Down here in the depths, unless one were Jiao Ren, how could anyone possibly tame such ferocious creatures into such docile obedience?

But he didn’t ask!

Because if they truly were Jiao Ren, he was certain he’d have recognized it at first glance!

He was Golden Jiao, after all—the most noble lineage among all Jiao Ren!

Others couldn’t see through him, but he could easily see through others!

This was his greatest source of pride—even without his scale armor, even having lost his ability to sense things underwater, he still retained the distinctive voice of a Golden Jiao. He simply refused to believe he couldn’t recognize his own kind.

“Tamed? Not really. According to my mother, ever since these palaces were built, we’ve lived peacefully alongside everything in the sea,” Helian Shaoze answered promptly.

He was Silver Jiao, possessing the Silver Jiao’s signature killing technique. He needed to coordinate with his mother, wait for the perfect moment to catch them off guard, and show this group just how formidable the most noble Silver Jiao truly were!

Hearing Helian Shaoze’s answer, Baili Weisheng couldn’t tell whether it was true or not. He thought to himself—better to wait and see; sooner or later, something would reveal itself.

But at that moment, Xiong Bao suddenly climbed onto his back, whispering, “Scholar Uncle, could he be one of your own kind? Let’s reveal your Golden Jiao identity later and blow their dead fish eyes right open!”

Baili Weisheng’s eyes narrowed sharply. “What would a child know?”

“I know everything, from astronomy to geography, nothing escapes me, heh heh! If you ask me, I’d bet eight or nine times out of ten he’s your kin. Don’t tell me you can’t even recognize your own kind!” Xiong Bao said very earnestly.

Baili Weisheng said nothing, his face clearly displeased.

“Scholar Uncle, why don’t you just ask my daddy? He’s bound to know for sure,” Xiong Bao added.

Baili Weisheng immediately leaned back, shaking Xiong Bao off his back. “This old man already has it all figured out! Absolutely certain! Hmph!”

As they continued downward, aside from Xiong Bao and Baili Weisheng’s bickering, everyone else remained largely quiet. Meng Wanyue, at some point, had fallen behind the group, no longer bothering to hold Xiong Bao’s hand, simply gazing leisurely at the surrounding seascape.

They continued their descent, heading straight toward the Deep Sea Palace.

The Deep Sea Palace and the Shallow Sea Palace—one was the Golden Jiao’s palace, the other the Silver Jiao’s.

The Shallow Sea Palace had originally served as the Deep Sea Palace’s guardian outpost, but now, the Deep Sea Palace had become a prison instead, holding the very last of the Golden Jiao—the Golden Jiao Lady.

“My Lady, the young master has brought them here. The general situation is exactly as we discussed!” The guard captain arrived ahead of the group, having already made his way to the Golden Jiao’s palace, where Lady Helian awaited.

Lady Helian was still quite young, only in her thirties, likewise clad in silver robes—garments that appeared to be made of thin gauze, yet gleamed far more brilliantly than even Helian Shaoze’s own attire. Such clothing left one unable to help but suspect this wasn’t merely a garment at all, but a weapon in its own right.

“Are you certain the Flowing Light Dagger is on that woman?” Lady Helian asked, her phoenix eyes narrowing, hatred outweighing even the malice on her face. The moment she heard mention of the Flowing Light Dagger, she didn’t even bother asking about her own son’s injuries.

“Absolutely certain. But it seems they’re not actually from the Meng Clan—they couldn’t recognize the barrier at the entrance,” the guard captain added quickly.

Lady Helian scoffed derisively. “Heh heh, this lady cares only about the Flowing Light Dagger. Whoever dares bring that dagger trespassing here, whatever they are, whatever they’ve come for, this lady will make sure they never leave alive. Go open the Golden Jiao Palace’s main gate. This lady will show them exactly what proper hospitality looks like!”

With that, Lady Helian, her face full of malice, personally made her way toward the Golden Jiao Palace’s main gate.

Throughout the entire clan, almost everyone believed the Golden Jiao Lady was imprisoned deep within the Golden Jiao Palace’s inner chambers. Yet not even a trusted confidant like the guard captain knew—the Golden Jiao Lady was actually held captive right near the Golden Jiao Palace’s main gate!