Transmigrating Into a Fantasy World: Signing in During Pregnancy, Reaching the Summit with My Childhood Sweetheart

41: Chapter 41: Rest and Undercurrents in the Secret Realm of Star LakeBlue-white glimmers, like light veils, softly enveloped this massive underground cavity. Unknown glowing crystals and moss on the ceiling flickered quietly, like frozen stars, reflecting off the calm lake surface below in dreamlike, shimmering waves. The silver sand was fine and soft, making no sound when stepped upon. The pure Spiritual Qi permeating the air carried a hint of coolness; inhaling it into the lungs brought a refreshing sense of cleansing to the Divine Soul.

The long period of flight, fierce battles, and strained nerves finally found a moment of relief.

Nangong Xuan sat cross-legged on the silver sand, eyes closed, hands forming seals. The Mind-Cultivation Technique of the Vast Righteous Sword Heart Art operated slowly, guiding the pure and unique Spiritual Qi of this place into his parched and damaged Meridians. Unlike the grand and majestic aura of the Lingxiao Cave Mansion, the Spiritual Qi here was more tranquil and cold, possessing a soothing and nourishing quality that provided unexpected benefits for stabilizing his injuries and nurturing his damaged Nascent Soul.

The broken sword ”unyielding” on his lap also hummed slightly. Its black-green luster seemed more restrained and deep under the Starlight, absorbing Spiritual Qi on its own to repair its minor damages, blending with its master’s aura as it slowly recovered.

On the other side, Lin Mo’s chaos dao seed was like a seedling receiving rain after a long drought, greedily absorbing the pure Spiritual Qi. The attributes of the Spiritual Qi here seemed to perfectly match the inclusive nature of his chaos dao seed, with a conversion efficiency slightly higher than when he was at the Lingxiao Cave Mansion. The rotation speed of the Dao Seed noticeably quickened, its light becoming solid and bright at a visible rate; the deficit from previous over-expenditure was being rapidly replenished.

[chaos dao seed (Steadily Recovering): Growth 5.3%... 5.4%... Efficiency of pure Spiritual Qi absorption increased... Dao foundation slightly consolidated...]

He could even feel that under the washing of this peaceful and auspicious environment’s aura, the eerie activity of the pitch-black ”Toxin Seed” inside the Dao Seed had quieted down, becoming much more stable and no longer emitting unsettling fluctuations.

The greatest ”burden”—Su Muxue’s Ice Coffin—stood quietly by the lakeside. The deep blue profound ice refracted a blurred luster under the Starlight, emitting an extreme chill that warned others not to approach. Yet, in this similarly cold environment, it no longer seemed so out of place, instead possessing a strange harmony with the starlit lake scenery. The runes at her brow flowed steadily, no longer flickering violently.

Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction.

However, Lin Mo’s spiritual sense, which far exceeded that of ordinary people, and the chaos dao seed’s keen Perception of the Origin fluctuations of all things, prevented him from fully relaxing.

It was too quiet.

Aside from the faint roar of the current coming from the underground river entrance, which had been greatly weakened by distance, this massive underground cavity was excessively quiet. No sound of wind, no chirping of insects, not a single trace of biological activity. The ”stars” on the ceiling remained eternal and unchanging, and the lake water was so calm there wasn’t a single ripple, as if it had been this way for eons.

This extreme silence was, in itself, somewhat unusual.

Moreover, he could always vaguely feel that beneath that deep, calm lake surface, something seemed to be ”watching” them. That gaze held no obvious malice, yet it carried an ancient, curious, and even... slightly scrutinizing intent, like a sleeping giant observing the tiny creatures that had stumbled into its Domain during the opening and closing of its eyelids.

He did not directly convey this unease to Nangong Xuan, who was at a critical juncture. Instead, he raised his vigilance to the highest level, his Perception extending toward the lake surface like the finest spider silk, attempting to probe the source of that gaze.

But the lake water seemed to contain some kind of peculiar force field that greatly obstructed and distorted his Perception; he could only probe a few yards below the surface before it became difficult to go deeper, as if below was an endless void illuminated by Starlight.

Having failed in his attempt, Lin Mo had no choice but to withdraw his Perception and focus more on his own recovery and alertness. Regardless, restoring his strength as quickly as possible was the fundamental way to deal with any changes.

Time passed quietly under the silent Starlight.

After an unknown amount of time, the black-green sword light flowing around Nangong Xuan gradually subsided. He exhaled a long breath of turbid Qi, his aura now significantly more robust than before. Although he was still far from a full recovery, his complexion was much ruddier, and the weakness and fatigue between his brows had vanished, replaced by the sharp, spirited look unique to a Sword Cultivator.

”The Spiritual Qi here is indeed miraculous; it is of great benefit for stabilizing injuries.” He opened his eyes, feeling the clearly improved condition within his body, his tone carrying a hint of joy. His cultivation had stabilized around the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, finally giving him some measure of self-protection.

He stood up, his gaze sweeping across this singular starlit lake, his eyes revealing a look of wonder. ”To think that deep underground, there would be such a grotto-heaven; nature’s creation is truly wondrous.” Immediately, his gaze turned solemn, ”However... this place is also excessively quiet.”

He had also noticed the anomaly.

His Divine Thought was more condensed than Lin Mo’s. He attempted to probe into the lake but encountered the same invisible obstruction, causing him to withdraw it with a frown. ”There is something strange beneath the lake; my Divine Thought cannot penetrate deeply. But it seems... there is no immediate danger.”

Just then, Su Muxue’s Ice Coffin, which had been silent all along, suddenly underwent an extremely subtle change.

The ice-blue and blood-colored runes at her brow seemed to flow slightly faster, and their brightness increased by a nearly imperceptible margin. At the same time, the extreme chill permeating around the Ice Coffin seemed to be drawn by some aura in the lake, drifting and extending slightly toward the water’s surface, creating an extremely weak energy exchange with the calm lake water.

It was as if... this lake, this starry sky, was silently echoing the Profound Yin Power emitted by the Ice Coffin!

”Hmm?” Nangong Xuan and Lin Mo noticed this subtle change at the same time and immediately became alert.

Was it a blessing or a curse?

Almost at the same moment the Ice Coffin changed—

Glug... a faint sound of a bubble bursting came from the depths of the lake’s center, breaking the eternal silence of this place.

A ripple, so faint it was almost unnoticeable, rippled outward with a certain point in the center of the lake as its Origin, gently lapping against the silver sand of the shore.

Those massive, sapphire-like eyes hidden deep beneath the lake seemed to blink once, and the ”gaze” they cast grew even more curious. An obscure yet incredibly vast will, as deep as the entire lake itself, slowly awakened a fraction.

Beneath the calm lake surface, undercurrents began to surge.

This seemingly safe haven appeared not to be as peaceful as it looked on the surface.