The water in the pool was silver, emitting a faint, strange fragrance.

Lin Hui sniffed and immediately recognized it as the scent from before.

He sat on the ox cart, watching as it headed straight for the silver pool with no intention of stopping. He frowned at Li Xin Ruan.

"The Deep Domain is underwater. Don’t worry, the water is just a thin surface layer. There’s a huge space underneath where you can still breathe," Li Xin Ruan quickly explained.

Lin Hui said no more, simply waiting and watching as the white ox stepped into the water.

SPLASH.

They were completely submerged—first the carriage, then the reins, and finally, him and Li Xin Ruan.

WHOOSH.

His vision blurred as he plunged through. Looking up, he saw the silver surface of the water rapidly receding above him.

Just as she’d said, there was no water below, only a massive, cavern-like space.

It was a vast, dark gray underground cavern.

Inside the cavern, colorful fish dozens of meters long—reds and blues—swam leisurely through the air.

On the cavern floor below, a sprawling complex of white buildings was clearly visible, their outlines as distinct as toy blocks.

People, men and women, moved everywhere between the buildings, a dense and endless stream of bodies.

At a glance, everyone seemed to be urged on by an invisible force, their steps hurried and their expressions frantic.

"The people in the Deep Domain are divided into two types," Li Xin Ruan quickly began to explain. "One type is the producers. They come here to earn money and Feather Blood by providing services to others. Those are the bustling people you see. The other type is the hedonists. They come for a spot in the Moon Tower. According to the Moon Tower’s rules, to officially enter the Extreme Desire Heaven, you must rank in the top one hundred on the Paradise Platform here."

"Paradise Platform?"

"Yes. That’s where the Moon Tower issues its quests. The quests change periodically, and as long as you complete them and rank in the top one hundred, you’ll be granted entry into the Moon Tower to enjoy the true bliss of Extreme Desire Heaven. Moreover, this bliss also extends your life by twenty years! This is a special treatment only we in Tuyue receive!" Li Xin Ruan said with a hint of pride.

Lin Hui sat on the ox cart, watching it descend. The vehicles ahead of them were splitting off, entering various branch roads.

The ox cart, with no one driving it, skillfully chose an intersection to the right and turned.

As soon as they entered the street, a refreshing and delightful aroma of wine washed over them.

"Since it’s your first time here, little brother, let me show you around." Li Xin Ruan’s eyes glinted as she smiled.

"The bliss in the Deep Domain is mainly divided into four areas: fine wine, fine music, fine beauties, and fine food. My Li Family primarily deals in fine wine, so our businesses are concentrated in this area."

"Fine wine...?" Lin Hui glanced at both sides of the street. Shop after shop was wide open, filled with drunks sprawling every which way.

There were both men and women among them, all with flushed faces and disheveled clothes. Some were passed out cold, while others were groping at the walls. Still others babbled endlessly in some unknown dialect, seemingly boasting about something.

Lin Hui even saw a few children, no older than ten, who had also passed out drunk on the ground, crawling around like insects.

"Don’t you worry, little brother. The wine in this district is all top-grade and won’t harm your body. In fact, it can even strengthen your constitution, allowing your essence and spirit to be nourished and grow stronger through pleasure," Li Xin Ruan said softly.

"How big is this Deep Domain?" Lin Hui asked in a low voice.

"There is one Deep Domain beneath each Moon Tower. This one holds about seventy to eighty thousand people. That doesn’t count those who flow in and out; this is the number of people who can stay here long-term," Li Xin Ruan replied quickly.

"..." Lin Hui fell silent, simply watching the drunks who reeked of alcohol along the roadside. He was speechless.

’I’d prepared myself for all sorts of dangers before coming here.’

’But I ended up in a place like this...’

"Aren’t they worried about theft or other incidents?" he couldn’t help but ask.

"No need. The Moon Tower’s Undead Race stands guard here. They are immortal and indestructible, tireless and sleepless, and they watch over the Deep Domain’s security every single moment," Li Xin Ruan said, shaking her head. "Besides, do you see those fish in the sky?"

Lin Hui followed her finger and saw a massive red-and-white koi in the distance, swimming over a building with a shake of its head and a flick of its tail.

The koi was about the same size as the five-story building below it.

"I see it."

"Those are the second-level adjudicators. They determine the top one hundred rankings on the Paradise Platform and also help maintain security in the Deep Domain," Li Xin Ruan said with a smile. "If anyone dares to cause trouble, they’ll swoop down and eat them in one bite."

The ox cart slowly came to a halt in front of a three-story pavilion.

People were already waiting at the entrance. Upon seeing Li Xin Ruan, a few young men and women hurried forward to greet her.

"Young Mistress, the Master Brewer has been waiting for your goods for a long time. Please bring them in quickly. The new Clear Pool Brew just needs the last three medicinal ingredients," a female steward at the head of the group said, clasping her fist.

This steward wore only a simple, moon-white tube top, white trousers, and small white boots. Her black hair fell to her waist, her features were picturesque, and she had an elegant and charming air.

"Where’s Xiaohan? Why is it you, Xiaohe, who’s greeting me this time? This is my friend. Make proper arrangements for him, and don’t be negligent," Li Xin Ruan said as she disembarked, introducing Lin Hui to the group.

"Xiaohan got pregnant again yesterday. She’ll come to see you this afternoon after she gives birth," the steward, Xiaohe, replied respectfully.

"Pregnant again? Can’t she exercise some self-control? Did she go to the Beauty Area again?" Li Xin Ruan frowned.

"Well... you know how it is in this place. How can anyone control themselves? Back then, didn’t I give birth to thirty in one month before I barely got it under control?" Xiaohe said helplessly.

"Just enjoying it is enough. There’s no need to keep giving birth; it’s too damaging to the body. Remind her of that later," Li Xin Ruan said gravely.

She turned back, smiled at the bewildered Lin Hui, and explained.

"You probably don’t know yet, little brother. Here, girls get pregnant very quickly. After some fun in the morning, they’ll have a big belly by the afternoon and give birth the next day. The children born here grow into adults in just one month. In this tavern, ninety percent of the people are Sister Xiaohe’s own flesh and blood."

Lin Hui: "..."

’My head is spinning a little.’

"But don’t worry about overpopulation, little brother. Giving birth too much is damaging to the girls themselves, so it’s usually only newcomers who can’t control themselves and keep going to the Beauty Area to have fun with the beauties and have children. Think about it: most of the people who come here are good-looking beauties themselves. The children born from the union of two beauties will naturally be attractive. Over time, the people in the Beauty Area here have become a completely different class from those in the outside world. Add to that the natural influence of the Deep Domain, and no one who enters can resist," Li Xin Ruan said with a smile.

"I have a question... If childbirth and growth are so fast here, why aren’t there more people? The population doesn’t seem to have changed much. At this rate, shouldn’t the population be exploding?" Lin Hui couldn’t help but ask.

"Because the children who grow up here die if they leave," Li Xin Ruan said with a gentle smile.

Lin Hui was speechless once again.

’This place is really turning my understanding of the world upside down.’

He recalled the words of the Good Heart Sect’s Dragon Maiden, who had told him to come and see. He had seen it now, so what next?

’Why?’

’Why does the Moon Tower maintain the existence of such a strange area?’

The thought flashed through Lin Hui’s mind.

"Would you like a drink, little brother?"

By now, Li Xin Ruan had led Lin Hui inside the pavilion. Maids had already covered a large table with food and wine, and a tempting aroma constantly drifted into Lin Hui’s nostrils. The fragrance of this wine was countless times better than the so-called "fine wine" outside.

The difference was like that between writing on rough toilet paper and on fine Xuan paper. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Li Xin Ruan seductively offered him a small cup of wine. The liquid was amber-colored and exuded an incredibly tempting fragrance of honey, flowers, and some unknown fruit.

"You’ve come all the way to the Wine Street. If you don’t have a drink, you’ll surely regret it when you leave..."

Lin Hui looked at the small cup of wine and noticed that the Li Family maids and attendants had all gathered around. Their eyes were fixed on the cup in front of him, their gazes greedy and longing.

"Thank you, but no." He still pushed the cup away, refusing.

"Didn’t you come here for life extension or to enter the Moon Tower, little brother? To get into the Moon Tower, you must achieve a bliss ranking. And that ranking is determined by how much pleasure you can feel. The stronger the pleasure you experience, the higher your rank will naturally be..." Li Xin Ruan said with a smile.

"I... don’t like to drink..." Lin Hui managed to push away the wine offered to him once more.

’I remember old man Ah Zhe’s warning: the things that are free are the most expensive.’ Li Xin Ruan was offering him free wine; she must have an ulterior motive.

"Is that so? Then perhaps you prefer fine music? Or fine beauties? It’s hard to leave the Music District once you enter—the music is like an illusion, seeping into every pore and making one lose themselves. As for the Beauty Area... you can’t wear any clothes inside. Could it be, little brother, that you want to go there and... be frank with your big sister?" Li Xin Ruan’s eyes grew hazy. For some reason, the moment she saw Lin Hui, she felt an irresistible pull from him. His aura was scorching, intense, like the finest vintage, making her want to drink him in deeply.

She had a feeling that if she could get close to him, her own level of bliss might ascend to a new peak.

"Come... little brother, come into my arms... we can play a much more interesting game together..." Unconsciously, she downed the cup of wine in one gulp and reached for Lin Hui’s arm again.

WHOOSH.

But in the next instant, a slight breeze blew past, and the person before her had vanished.

Outside the pavilion.

Lin Hui’s figure flickered as he sped through the streets.

’If Li Xin Ruan wasn’t deliberately lying, then she has basically explained part of the Deep Domain’s rules.’

’This place exists to make everyone who enters experience ultimate pleasure. The ones who experience the most pleasure are granted entry into the Moon Tower.’

’He didn’t know what the Moon Tower wanted with these people, but according to Li Xin Ruan, those who entered would have their lives extended by twenty years. This undoubtedly drove everyone into a greater frenzy.’

"Failure to provide bliss within two hours will result in expulsion from the Deep Domain."

As he was running, a clear female voice suddenly spoke in his ear.

Lin Hui stopped in his tracks. He looked for the source of the voice, but his breath caught in his throat.

Directly above his head.

A giant red carp, at least a hundred meters long, was floating there.

The red carp’s eyes were fixed on him, its mouth moving slightly.

"Also, do not worry about phantom fields. There are no phantom fields within the Deep Domain."

"..." Lin Hui stared at it. The shadow cast by the giant red carp completely covered an area dozens of meters around him.

Its immense pressure felt tangible, slowing the circulation of his Internal Strength by twenty percent.

WHOOSH.

The red carp swished its tail and quickly swam away.

Leaving Lin Hui standing alone in the Wine Street full of drunks, a stark and incongruous figure.