Immortal Reincarnation Tribulation

Chapter 271 Bottom of the Lake

"Who exactly are you?" Du Fan looked at Guo Huaifu intently and suddenly asked.

"I think you've probably guessed it by now, senior. The owner of that cave is my ancestor." Guo Huaifu said with a wry smile, uttering a statement that greatly surprised Du Fan.

"What? Ancestor!"

Du Fan was suddenly shocked. He never expected that he would unintentionally cause such a big blunder before he came here.

Du Fan felt that this series of events was too coincidental. First, Guo Huaifu believed that he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator and obtained fifteen fragments of treasure maps. Now, he had come to this treasure site and caught Guo Huaifu red-handed. All of this could be the reason why Guo Huaifu had preconceived notions.

If the other party knew his true background, he would probably even contemplate suicide.

"Yes, I expected this. Since you've already admitted it, I won't make things difficult for you anymore. As long as you can help me open that cave smoothly, I might spare your life." Du Fan nodded slowly and said in a pretentious manner.

"There is one more thing, and I humbly request your permission, senior!" Guo Huaifu felt slightly relieved upon hearing this, but then his expression shifted, as if he had suddenly thought of something. With a determined heart, he immediately clasped his hands in a bow and spoke solemnly.

"Speak," Du Fan said, glancing at Guo Huaifu.

"There is a secret technique passed down in the cave. It is the main cultivation method of my Guo family ancestor. This technique can only be cultivated by those who are not of the Guo family bloodline. I humbly request that you, senior, give me this technique."

"Of course, if you are interested, senior, you can make a copy. As for the other items in the cave, you are welcome to take them." Guo Huaifu took a deep breath and said cautiously.

"Since this technique is a secret method passed down through your Guo family, it is reasonable for you to make such a request. I agree to it. However, I still need to take a look at it first. If I am really interested, I might have to make a copy." Du Fan only pondered for a moment before readily agreeing.

"There's absolutely no problem with this, thank you so much, senior!" Guo Huaifu finally breathed a sigh of relief, his face lit up with joy, and he quickly expressed his gratitude.

"Alright, we've already wasted quite a bit of time here, let's go." Du Fan nodded, then turned and headed straight for the lake.

Seeing that Du Fan was heading in the direction of the cave, Guo Huaifu sighed softly, and the last bit of hope in his heart vanished instantly.

When the two arrived at the lakeside, before Du Fan could make a move, Guo Huaifu spoke first: "Senior, diving to the bottom of the lake is naturally no problem, but my cultivation is too low, so it may be difficult for me to do so."

"Don't tell me you've never been to that cave before," Du Fan said expressionlessly, glancing at Guo Huaifu.

"Of course not. I have a water-repelling artifact that I will use later. I told you in advance so as not to cause any misunderstanding, senior." Guo Huaifu did not dare to be negligent and immediately explained to Du Fan in this way.

"Okay, I understand. Take it out." Du Fan nodded, without saying much.

Seeing that Du Fan didn't seem to care, Guo Huaifu breathed a sigh of relief and quickly took out an oval bead the size of an egg from his sleeve.

This bead is entirely black, like ink, and under the moonlight it shimmers with a flowing light, giving it a somewhat mysterious appearance.

"What is the name of this method?" Du Fan seemed to have become somewhat interested, and couldn't help but take a closer look before asking.

"This magical artifact is called the Water-Repelling Bead. When you carry it with you, you can part the lake water. Centered on this bead, a space with a diameter of about ten feet will not be invaded by the lake water, just like a bubble. If you are in it, you will be safe and sound." Seeing that the other party seemed to be interested, Guo Huaifu gave him a detailed introduction.

"Hmm, this thing is indeed mysterious. Alright, you lead the way," Du Fan said noncommittally.

"Yes." Guo Huaifu agreed and then took a few quick steps forward. When he was close to the lake, he leaped into the water with a "plop".

Du Fan looked down and saw that the moment Guo Huaifu fell into the water, the lake surface seemed to be forcibly pressed down by an invisible force, and it suddenly split open in all directions until Guo Huaifu's body was completely submerged in the lake, at which point the lake surface gradually closed up again.

Du Fan was amazed. He immediately sent out his divine sense to scan the area and found that, just as the other party had said, Guo Huaifu was indeed inside a bubble about ten feet in diameter in the water.

Du Fan smiled slightly, his figure flashed, and he instantly appeared below the lake surface. At this moment, he was also surrounded by a layer of bubbles, and the surrounding lake water could not soak through his clothes, as if he himself was a water-repelling bead.

"Let's go," Du Fan said calmly.

Guo Huaifu was clearly not surprised that Du Fan could demonstrate this ability. After hearing the other party's instructions, he immediately agreed and then, without saying another word, he moved and swam towards a certain direction in the depths of the lake.

Du Fan had been closely following Guo Huaifu at a short distance. So far, Guo Huaifu had not played any tricks on him, and the route he was taking was exactly the same as the route recorded on the treasure map.

About half an hour later, the two of them found themselves in front of a stone mountain at the bottom of the lake. At this time, Du Fan and Guo Huaifu were standing together, inside the bubble created by the water-repelling pearl.

This stone mountain is not large, covering several tens of acres and about a hundred feet high. If placed outside, it would be considered a small hill at most.

On the mountain wall in front of Du Fan and his companion stood a large stone door, about ten feet wide and tall, tightly closed. Just one glance was enough to tell that the door was exceptionally hard and heavy, giving one the vague impression that it could not be opened.

"Senior, this is the entrance to the cave." Guo Huaifu glanced at Du Fan carefully and said in a low voice.

"If I were to make the move, this door would be destroyed. You should open it using your method," Du Fan said calmly.

"Yes." Guo Huaifu nodded and took out another item from his sleeve. It was a token-like object made of bluestone, about the size of a palm, with some rather peculiar patterns engraved on it, which seemed to be quite extraordinary.

Guo Huaifu didn't waste any words. He immediately took two steps forward, came to the stone gate, and placed the stone tablet in his hand into a groove next to the stone gate.

"Please wait a moment, senior. The stone gate will open by itself in about ten breaths," Guo Huaifu said, explaining to Du Fan in case Du Fan had any concerns.

Du Fan nodded slightly, saying nothing, but his eyes narrowed, and he stared solemnly at the blue stone gate in front of him.

Just as Guo Huaifu had said, about eight or nine breaths passed after the stone tablet was inserted into the groove. Suddenly, a deep rumble came from the stone mountain, and the entire stone mountain trembled slightly. Soon after, the two large doors slowly opened with a series of muffled rumbling sounds.

To Du Fan's surprise, as the two stone doors suddenly opened and closed, the lake water outside the cave did not rush in as he had expected. Instead, at the edge of the cave entrance, it was as if an invisible barrier existed, forcefully separating the lake water.

"Senior, there is a water barrier at the entrance of the cave, so the lake water outside cannot seep in. However, you don't need to worry. This is just a low-level barrier that only blocks flowing water. It has no effect on us human cultivators." Guo Huaifu said this when he saw that Du Fan seemed a little surprised.

"Okay, I understand." In fact, there was no need for Guo Huaifu to say anything more. After scanning with his divine sense, Du Fan had already made a judgment. His eyes flashed, and he suddenly took a big step forward. The next moment, he was in the cave behind the stone gate.

Guo Huaifu followed without saying a word, but just before he entered the cave, he took out the stone tablet from the groove.

A few breaths later, the stone door on the mountain wall closed again with a low, rumbling sound.

Du Fan didn't care too much about these things. If he wanted to get out, he was confident that he could smash the seemingly indestructible, heavy stone door with a single punch.

After entering the cave, the two found themselves in a long, narrow tunnel. The tunnel's width and height were similar to the stone door on the mountain wall. The passage was surrounded by hard stone walls and was pitch black. However, since Du Fan and Guo Huaifu were both cultivators, they had divine senses, so they didn't have to worry about bumping into the stone walls.

After walking through the passage for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the two still hadn't reached the end. Of course, there were no branches in the passage they had just passed, meaning that for them, there was only one path forward.

The location they were in was recorded on the treasure map, so Du Fan wasn't too worried.

Du Fan discovered that the narrow passage they were walking through was slightly sloping downwards. Although the slope was not obvious, they had already walked at least several hundred feet forward and should now be below the bottom of the lake.

After a meal, a point of light seemed to appear in front of them.

"Senior, that is the core area of ​​the cave dwelling," Guo Huaifu said.

Du Fan didn't reply and continued walking.

As they continued forward, the point of light ahead grew larger and larger. Finally, after half an hour, the point of light transformed into a stone door emitting a milky white light, standing before Du Fan and his companion.

"Is this a restriction or a magic array?" Du Fan glanced at Guo Huaifu and asked casually.