"I think I finally understand why those people back then, even at the cost of their own lives, were willing to venture into the depths of this Burial Spirit Pool to find out what lay within," Chu Feng said.
"Be careful. If something seems wrong, turn back immediately. Don't escape Xia Yun'er's pursuit only to lose your life here," Her Majesty said. After all, Her Majesty shared her senses with Chu Feng, so whatever he could hear, she could hear as well.
The deeper Chu Feng descended, the clearer the faint sounds emanating from the depths of the Burial Spirit Pool became.
It was almost certain that these were no hallucinations — they were real sounds.
This was no ordinary Burial Spirit Pool. It was practically hell itself. Those terrifying wails and roars belonged to souls from the abyss.
Those souls seemed to be crying for help, and at the same time beckoning Chu Feng to fall with them into that boundless hell, to suffer endless torment.
"Eggie, do you think the legendary hell might actually exist?" Chu Feng asked.
"This queen does not know whether hell exists or not, but if it truly does, then this Burial Spirit Pool would be the real gate to the underworld. So you'd best know your limits. If you accidentally cross that gate, you won't be coming back — and forget about finding your mother," Her Majesty said.
"Heh heh, got it, my queen. I'll be careful. If things go south, I'll turn tail and run."
Chu Feng chuckled. Despite his relaxed exterior, he was actually being very cautious — though at the same time, he was excited. After all, the world of martial cultivators was one where danger and opportunity always went hand in hand.
The dangers here went without saying, which was precisely why Chu Feng felt that extraordinary opportunities must be waiting within.
"Eggie, look at the walls of this Burial Spirit Pool," Chu Feng said, pointing.
The walls of the Burial Spirit Pool had been worn smooth over the years by the constant flow of water. However, at this depth, the walls were covered in scars and gouge marks.
These walls were extremely sturdy — at the very least, even when Chu Feng exerted his full strength, he couldn't leave so much as a scratch on them.
Yet with Chu Feng's sharp perception, he could tell that these marks were definitely not natural formations. They looked more like injuries inflicted when powerful martial cultivators clashed, or when someone had forcibly tried to break through.
"Chu Feng, Xia Yun'er won't be chasing you anymore, so don't keep descending. I'm getting a very bad feeling about this place," Her Majesty suddenly said in a tense tone.
"Alright, I'll stop here then," Chu Feng nodded.
Her Majesty could share Chu Feng's senses of sight and hearing, but not his physical sensations. In her daily assessments, she relied on what she saw and heard to make her judgments. But Chu Feng had to admit that her judgments were remarkably accurate — sometimes even more so than his own instincts. Now that she had spoken up, Chu Feng didn't dare descend any further rashly.
Even though he was quite unwilling, he knew his own limits.
"Eggie, you don't think that girl Xia Yun'er would actually come down here, do you?" Chu Feng asked.
"From what I can tell, she wouldn't. She's probably too afraid — otherwise she would have come down already," Her Majesty said.
"In that case, why don't I try to break through my cultivation here?" Chu Feng said.
"Have you lost your mind? What if she comes down while you're attempting your breakthrough?" Her Majesty said.
"We just concluded that she wouldn't come down, didn't we?"
"Besides, that girl is definitely still keeping watch up above. I can't just sit here waiting forever — and it's not safe here either."
"But I think, with the rich natural energy here and by circulating my Divine Punishment Mystic Art, I could attempt a breakthrough."
"After all, I was only a hair's breadth away from succeeding last time. Perhaps here, I'll finally succeed."