"Even if I inherit the Black Tortoise Venerable’s legacy, it’s worlds apart compared to you, so there’s no need for your modesty," Luo Xue said with a helpless sigh beside him. She then added, "However, if we do engage in battle soon, shouldn’t we reassess our strategy? After all, both of you seem to be somewhat affected here. It won’t be easy for me alone to handle the demonic beasts here."

Hearing this, Wang Zhan’s gaze gradually grew more solemn. He was well aware that his combat power would be affected underwater, and the same applied to Jiang Yin beside him. But since they were already here, there was no need to worry further. Wang Zhan’s usual approach was to address challenges as they arose.

In the blink of an eye, Wang Zhan and his companions reached the seabed, where a massive palace loomed. Water ripples encircled the palace. However, instead of entering straight away, the trio waited quietly outside the water ripples.

Wang Zhan observed the water ripples for quite a while, then turned to Jiang Yin. "These unique ripples look like a barrier. We’ll need a plan to get through it, rather than rushing in blindly. What are your thoughts?"

After all, the Deep Water Barrier was one of the most critical locations in the sea domain. Many people sought the treasures allegedly hidden here. However, none had ever managed to leave unscathed, which proved the inherent dangers of this place.

Jiang Yin also started to observe the water ripples carefully. He hesitated for a moment, then retrieved his ancient zither. With a swift strum of the strings, a Water Dragon shot towards the Water ripples. However, after the brief contact, a loud rumble was heard. Although the Water ripples undulated like waves, the Water Dragon failed to shatter them, as if nothing had changed.

Jiang Yin frowned slightly at this unexpected outcome. Even after exerting his full strength, there had been no effect on this water ripple barrier. He spoke in a low tone, "It seems we need to come up with a better strategy to break through. It won’t be as simple as using brute strength."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhan sighed. He too was unsure how to dismantle the barrier, especially as it seemed to possess a gentle force capable of neutralizing all power.

Elements were involved; water usually had the ability to fragment and dissolve other things.

With these thoughts, Wang Zhan walked up to the water ripples and stretched out his hand, touching them. He felt energy rippling at his fingertips, and the enormous water curtain in front of him undulated, creating more water ripples.

Luo Xue quickly rushed to Wang Zhan’s side, grabbed his arm, and asked, "Brother Wang, are you okay?"

Wang Zhan waved his hand dismissively and said lightly, "I’m fine. But we’re stranded here, and it’s proving very difficult to leave. If we can’t find a solution to break through, then we’re truly between a rock and a hard place."

Hearing this, Jiang Yin and Luo Xue glanced back towards the vortex they had entered from. That entrance was now submerged, and they had no idea how to exit. Surrounded by water, the entire place resembled a vast underwater world, with barriers suspended above them. Any misstep could lead to them being engulfed by the sea.

Their priority now was to find a way to break through this barrier.

Wang Zhan agreed, but he couldn’t think of a suitable method. Many potential solutions flashed through his mind, but none seemed plausible enough to pursue.

With these thoughts, Wang Zhan clenched his fists and charged towards the water ripples again. He felt an energy ripple spread out from his punch, but the water ripples remained unchanged. Wang Zhan had to step back quickly. His Fire Deity Armor even began to appear slowly, but to no avail.

Clutching his chest, Wang Zhan spat out a mouthful of blood, startling Jiang Yin and Luo Xue, who hurriedly flanked him.

"Brother Wang, can you hold on?" Jiang Yin asked, glancing at Wang Zhan with a concerned expression.

Wang Zhan merely smiled and shook his head, squinting as he spoke slowly, "I may seem to have suffered some minor injuries, but it’s not as bad as you think. I can still hold on. But there’s one point that needs revisiting. The barrier seems to have a rebound force. If we use brute strength, it will even affect us. However..."

As he spoke, Wang Zhan carefully surveyed their surroundings. He cast a glance at Jiang Yin before saying, "I have a bold idea. If we can’t break through this barrier by brute force, it means that there must be something nearby controlling this barrier."

"So as long as we can find whatever is controlling it, we should be able to break through from here."

Jiang Yin and Luo Xue exchanged glances and then nodded in unison.

Standing to the side, Wang Zhan spoke again, "We don’t yet know how long we can stay on the seabed; oxygen is scarce here. If we need to stay here for a long time, it could potentially affect our bodies. Therefore, our priority is to find a way to open this barrier as fast as we can."

"How about the three of us search separately for any mechanisms nearby as quickly as possible? If anyone finds anything, we must inform each other immediately."

Jiang Yin and Luo Xue nodded, clearly agreeing with Wang Zhan’s intentions. In the blink of an eye, Wang Zhan headed left, with Jiang Yin and Luo Xue also setting off.

After searching the vicinity for some time without success, the trio had no choice but to expand their search area. However, just as Wang Zhan was about to move on from the section of the sea domain he was scanning, he glanced up and spotted a peculiar tombstone.

Wang Zhan immediately brandished his Deep Fire Blade. A Fire Dragon shot upwards. Jiang Yin and Luo Xue, who were searching nearby, noticed the Fire Light. This was a prearranged signal, and they quickly headed towards Wang Zhan, regrouping in moments.

Luo Xue, who reached Wang Zhan’s side first, asked, "Brother Wang, did you find something unusual around here?"

Wang Zhan nodded, pointing at the nearby tombstone before he said, "I had a similar experience when I met the Azure Dragon Venerable. Destroying one tombstone after another was the way to get Within the boundary the Azure Dragon Venerable had established. Looking at the structure here, it seems somewhat similar to what I encountered before. I’m wondering, could breaking the tombstone in front of us enable us to break through the current barrier?"

Jiang Yin approached the tombstone, ran his fingers over it, and said, "That does sound plausible, but we still don’t know what this tombstone is all about. From a closer inspection, it doesn’t look like a key but more like something someone deliberately placed here. Could it be that some powerful expert wished not to be disturbed after death and chose to be buried here?"

Wang Zhan hesitated for a moment and didn’t reply immediately. This was a plausible scenario. When he sought a peaceful place for Hu Lao, he had even ventured to the Summit of Thousand Peaks. Thankfully, he met the Azure Dragon Venerable there and even received his martial arts essence. Could it be... that this tombstone was also left by an expert?

"We can’t worry about all that now," Jiang Yin declared, stepping forward. "No matter what it is, we won’t know the outcome until we smash it."

Jiang Yin, standing to one side, lifted his ancient zither. After strumming it a few times, the figures of Sacred Beasts emerged from thin air, which then rushed towards the tombstone to smash it.

Wang Zhan and Luo Xue quickly retreated to the side.

With a loud crash, the tombstone shattered instantly, apparently not very durable.

But after the tombstone crumbled, everything around them remained the same—the water ripples were still there.

Could this tombstone have been just a decoy? Wang Zhan frowned slightly.

Jiang Yin’s expression was extremely grave as he said, "This Deep Water Barrier is indeed extraordinary. We’ve just entered, and we’re already trapped. It’s no wonder that for years, no one from the sea domain has managed to leave from Within the boundary alive. If we can’t solve the riddle of this barrier, we’ll probably end up as corpses here as well."

"Anyway, there are three of us," Luo Xue chimed in. "Even if we all end up stuck here, so what? We’ll at least have company."

After experiencing life and death, Luo Xue seemed to have gained a broader perspective on things and seemed unfazed by their current predicament.