Deep Under the Sea, Another Dimension

As Chen Chang'an ventured deeper, the comforting sensation grew increasingly pronounced. Yet, he still couldn’t pinpoint the exact source of this energy.

The pressure in the depths of the sea was immense, and visibility was extremely poor, but none of this posed any difficulty for Chen Chang'an.

Just as he was about to press further, he suddenly sensed something amiss.

The feeling of being enveloped by seawater vanished, replaced instead by…

A barrier!

There was actually a barrier here, isolating the seawater!

"This place… there’s actually a barrier here."

"It seems there really is a secret hidden within."

No barrier had any effect on Chen Chang'an’s body, so he had unknowingly passed through it.

Despite the barrier’s presence, Chen Chang'an still couldn’t detect any signs of life within it.

Similarly, the strange aura he had sensed earlier had also disappeared without a trace, as if it had never existed.

"Holy crap!"

"Big bro’s aura just vanished!"

"Oh no, oh no—did big bro just kick the bucket?"

The moment Chen Chang'an’s aura disappeared, Yi Tuo began shouting in panic.

Whack!

Da Huang smacked Yi Tuo on the head and snapped, "You’d kick the bucket before he ever would."

"With that freakish body of his, who could possibly take him down?"

"If you don’t know how to talk, then shut your damn mouth."

Getting smacked by Da Huang left Yi Tuo feeling a little aggrieved.

"I… I was just worried about big bro," Yi Tuo muttered gloomily.

"Who asked you to worry?"

"Obviously, something’s going on down there that’s blocking his aura."

"Who knows? Maybe he’s already found some treasure."

Treasure?

At the mention of those words, Little Earthworm’s eyes lit up.

"Should we… go down and take a look?" Little Earthworm said excitedly.

"Go down?"

"What if there’s danger?"

"How tough do you think your life is?" Da Huang asked disdainfully.

"Uh… decent, I guess?"

"Then don’t go looking for death."

"Oh."

Little Earthworm pouted in frustration, though the desire to go down and investigate still lingered in his heart.

Meanwhile, Chen Chang'an had discovered that the barrier was enormous, and the space beneath the sea was even vaster.

It was as if this barrier had completely isolated the entire seabed of the Immaculate Sea.

"How strange. What’s the purpose of creating such a massive barrier?"

"Or perhaps… this barrier wasn’t man-made, but formed by… a treasure?"

This wasn’t the first time Chen Chang'an had encountered such a situation. Back in the Heavenly Pool of the Tai Xuan Realm, the presence of the Divine Spirit Tree had naturally given rise to a powerful barrier.

The Divine Spirit Tree was a unique treasure in the Tai Xuan Realm—incredibly rare. Could it be that something of similar value existed here?

After all, this was the Primordial Immortal Domain. If that were truly the case, then this treasure would be exceptionally rare and precious.

Chen Chang'an extended his perception, attempting to cover the entire area within the Immaculate Sea’s barrier.

However, he found that this place interfered with his perception to some degree. While he couldn’t cover the entire space, the range he could perceive was still substantial.

"I’ll just take it one step at a time."

Chen Chang'an had no other choice. Whatever was hidden here seemed deeply concealed. Unless it revealed itself willingly, he had no quick way of finding it.

Before he knew it, seven days had passed since Chen Chang'an disappeared.

During this time, Da Huang and the others had grown increasingly frantic.

Seven days!

Wasn’t that too long to be missing?

"Shut up."

"I know what you’re about to say."

"Don’t jinx it."

The moment Yi Tuo opened his mouth to speak, Da Huang immediately shut him down.

"I was just going to ask what we should do now. Why won’t you even let me talk?" Yi Tuo grumbled.

"How should I know?"

"Big bro’s gone missing. All we can do is wait." Da Huang sighed in frustration.

"I say we go all out."

"Let’s go find big bro—no, wait, I mean, let’s go find my godfather!"

"My dad’s missing. I need to go find him!" Little Earthworm exclaimed excitedly.

"Cut the crap. I know you just want to see what the treasure is."

"But… you’re not wrong."

"Waiting around isn’t helping."

"Fine, let’s go find dad—ugh, I mean, big bro!"

As Da Huang and the others ventured deeper, they soon encountered the barrier as well.

However, unlike Chen Chang'an—who had passed through it without even noticing—they were blocked outside.

"There’s a barrier here. What do we do?"

"Should we force our way in?" Yi Tuo asked.

"Let’s not. We can’t break through."

"We’re not strong enough." Da Huang shook his head helplessly. The three of them were nothing without Chen Chang'an.

Left with no choice, Da Huang and the others could only turn back and return to the surface, waiting obediently for Chen Chang'an’s return.

Meanwhile, inside the barrier, Chen Chang'an had already spent seven days searching.

Though "searching" wasn’t quite the right word—he was waiting. Since that strange aura had appeared once before, he was certain it would appear again.

"Hm!"

"It’s back!"

Suddenly, Chen Chang'an sensed that faint aura once more. This time, however, he was prepared. The moment it appeared, he locked onto its location.

"Let’s see what’s playing this game of hide-and-seek."

In a flash, Chen Chang'an appeared at the spot where the aura had emerged.

Yet, aside from a modest-sized black stone mountain, there was nothing else here.

Could the aura have come from this black stone mountain?

But what exactly was this black stone mountain? Chen Chang'an couldn’t quite figure it out.

He tentatively placed his hand on the stone mountain—and in the next instant, the scenery before him transformed.

An illusion?

Or another dimension?

One moment, he had been standing in the pitch-black depths of the seabed. Now, he was surrounded by a vibrant, flourishing paradise.

The black stone mountain had vanished, replaced by a towering ancient tree.

Chen Chang'an carefully examined his surroundings. Everything felt real, yet he still couldn’t detect any other presence.

"Greetings."

"Stranger."

A voice suddenly rang out, startling Chen Chang'an.

He turned toward the ancient tree and asked, "You’ve gained sentience?"

"A tree demon?"

This reminded him of the tree demon he had encountered in the Forest of Life and Death within the Chaotic Zone.

"Demon?"

"I am no tree demon."

"I… am the Tree God."