Chapter 284: The Mysterious Shadow Inside the Mountain Connected by the Water Pool

Ning Fei arrived at the edge of the Water Pool deep inside the Mountain Cave.

There was nothing otherwise remarkable inside the Mountain Cave. If anything stood out, it was this uniquely bizarre Water Pool.

An inexplicable subterranean Water Pool always carried an air of the unnatural.

Ning Fei gazed into the Water Pool.

He was searching for something.

When the light hit the Water Pool, he saw dark shadows writhing beneath the surface. The viewers caught it too.

"What is that?"

"There's something in the Water Pool?"

"Is Temple Master Ning's live stream always this thrilling?"

"It's just a few fish. Don't get worked up."

Ning Fei got a clear look at one of them.

It was an ordinary freshwater fish, save for one startling detail: its eyes were completely white and heavily clouded.

"I don't know how long these fish have lived down here," he said. "As you can see, their eyes have completely degenerated."

"Just like in the deep sea."

"At the bottom of the ocean, there isn't a single ray of light. The fish there navigate in pitch darkness, evolving bizarre appearances and equally bizarre ways of surviving."

Ning Fei explained.

A few viewers chimed in:

"Shouldn't SpongeBob and Patrick live at the bottom of the ocean?"

"Yeah, it looks pretty bright down there to me. They even have a sun."

"Don't tell me Temple Master Ning is about to say SpongeBob isn't real?"

"You have to believe in the light! Believe in SpongeBob!"

Standing at the edge of the Water Pool, Ning Fei lowered the Submarine Type A into the water.

The Submarine Type A was a bionic submersible shaped like a freshwater fish, equipped with cameras and infrared viewing features.

The Submarine was originally meant for live streaming, but Ning Fei was now using it as an exploratory scout.

It felt a bit like a high-tech gadget straight out of a Hollywood spy thriller.

Through the feed on his mobile phone, Ning Fei saw an underground stream leading away from the bottom of the Water Pool toward another location.

He steered the Submarine along the hidden current.

This wasn't easy.

Since it was pitch black underwater, he had to rely entirely on the Submarine's sonar feedback to map out the terrain.

The viewers were left practically speechless.

At that moment, they were watching the live feed broadcasting directly from the Submarine.

The footage was tinted green. They could see numerous submerged reefs, jagged rock outcroppings, and several fish darting through the water.

Everything was rendered in shades of glowing green, reducing the obstacles and creatures to mere silhouettes.

"Damn, are live streams really this high-tech nowadays?"

"Temple Master Ning is truly a god among men."

"Turns out even immortals use high-tech gear."

"Good lord. Just... good lord."

"This is intense! I've always wanted to see real high-end tech in action, but I never expected to find it here."

The viewers were thrilled.

The entire experience was far more exhilarating than they had imagined.

It felt like playing a triple-A 3D stealth game, submerged and silently creeping forward through the depths.

Before long, Ning Fei piloted the Submarine out of the underground stream and up to the surface.

It breached into another Water Pool.

However, the crushing darkness made it impossible to see the surrounding environment.

Back at his end of the underground stream, Ning Fei stood by the Water Pool and began undressing.

He hadn't brought any diving gear, but he had packed two clean changes of clothes, so getting wet wasn't an issue.

The stream's feed switched back to Ning Fei in the Mountain Cave.

He was now barefoot and shirtless, wearing only a pair of long trousers as he stood by the edge of the Water Pool.

The viewers paused in collective shock.

"Holy shit! What is Temple Master Ning doing?"

"Don't tell me he's going to swim across?"

"His body is amazing. His skin is so pale!"

"Ahhhh! Fan service time!"

"Yes, please!"

"He's so handsome."

The sight sent the live chat exploding into a frenzy.

The men in the audience were intensely focused on what Ning Fei was planning to do next, while the women were far simpler—they were just enjoying the view of his physique.

"The presence of fish means the water in this Water Pool is perfectly clean."

"The Submarine has reached the second Water Pool, which looks like another enclosed chamber. I'm going to head over and see what's in there."

Ning Fei spoke with absolute calm.

An enclosed chamber deep inside a mountain, accessible only through an underwater tunnel—the whole setup practically radiated mystery.

Stowing his mobile phone in his trouser pocket and tucking a Glow Stick securely into his waistband, Ning Fei dove headfirst into the water.

The mobile phone was completely waterproof, so there was no need to worry about it. The Glow Stick, being relatively long and thick, was best carried wedged into his trousers.

It was fortunate that this particular angle wasn't being broadcast.

Under the water, the placement made it look as if a very specific part of Ning Fei's anatomy was glowing brightly.

"Did Temple Master Ning really just dive in?"

"Isn't that a bit too reckless?"

"Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. The Submarine took at least three or four minutes to get across. Can a human even hold their breath that long?"

"Exactly. Aside from the two Water Pools at either end, there's absolutely nowhere to get a breath of air."

"Stop talking about it. Just listening to you guys is making it hard for me to breathe."

"Temple Master Ning is in peak physical condition, and he never does anything he isn't absolutely sure of. Everyone relax."

"That's easy to say, but I'm still worried."

It was pitch black beneath the surface.

Ning Fei, however, had an excellent memory.

He perfectly recalled the location of the submerged reefs and jagged rocks scanned by the Submarine.

There was only one underwater current. All he had to do was swim straight ahead.

Meanwhile, the live stream feed remained completely black.

The broadcast was currently locked onto the Submarine's camera, which was sitting in total darkness.

One minute passed without a sound.

Two minutes...

Three minutes...

The chat grew increasingly frantic over Ning Fei's safety.

"Why hasn't Temple Master Ning surfaced yet?"

"Why am I getting so scared?"

"My hands and feet are like ice."

"Don't scare us, Temple Master Ning."

"This is getting out of hand. No one can hold their breath this long. Someone call the cops!"

As the viewers continued to panic, a sudden splash echoed through the cavern, and the entire Mountain Cave lit up.

It was Ning Fei. Breaking the surface, he held up his Glow Stick, casting a brilliant light across the cavern walls.

Through the Submarine's camera, the audience finally caught sight of him.

"Phew. It's a bit chilly out here. The water was actually warmer."

Ning Fei remarked as he hauled himself out of the Water Pool.

The water was indeed warmer. The Budong Spring maintained its unfrozen state due to geothermal heat, making the underground water surprisingly pleasant.

The air inside the cavern, on the other hand, was biting cold.

Fortunately, Ning Fei's exceptional constitution kept him from feeling any real discomfort.

He picked up the Submarine. For this leg of the journey, he would have to rely entirely on the Submarine's camera for the live feed.

The broadcast had shifted into a first-person perspective. It looked just like an FPS game—think CrossFire or CS:GO—except instead of a tactical knife on the screen, the viewers saw a glowing stick.

"What a shame. I wanted to keep looking at Temple Master Ning," a female viewer lamented.

"A hidden chamber nestled directly inside the mountain, only accessible via an underground stream... This truly is miraculous," Ning Fei marveled.

He raised the Glow Stick, shining it straight ahead.

Far ahead of him, just at the edge of the light's reach, a massive, pitch-black silhouette emerged from the gloom.

The abrupt appearance of the shadow in the camera feed made the viewers jump in their seats.

An oppressive, suffocating aura seemed to bleed right through their screens.

"That's terrifying! What the hell is that?" a viewer shrieked in the chat.

"My heart is pounding."

"Temple Master Ning, maybe you should head back. Something feels wrong."

"Hubby, don't go any closer. I'm scared..."

Ning Fei naturally noticed the dark silhouette looming in the distance.

The shadow sat at the absolute limits of the light. The stone chamber itself was vast, its sharp angles and distinct corners revealing unmistakable signs of artificial excavation, having survived countless years of tectonic shifts.

Everything about the place reeked of the uncanny.

Ning Fei stared cautiously at the dark figure. The atmosphere was terrifying.

An enclosed space, a pitch-black shadow, and an oppressive darkness that felt as if it could swallow a man whole at any moment...

Yet, Ning Fei felt no panic.

His heart was anchored by boundless, righteous Qi; he had never feared creatures of darkness or malevolence.

Without a shred of hesitation, Ning Fei strode forward.

The viewers felt their hearts leap into their throats.

As the light pushed further into the cavern, the shadowy figure grew sharper and more distinct until Ning Fei finally recognized what it was.

His pupils dilated as genuine shock bled into his expression.

He wasn't the only one. Upon seeing the sight through the camera, the viewers in the live stream were left utterly dumbfounded, their minds blanking out in an instant.

"There's actually a statue down here?!"