Before being singled out, Zhang Yiyi already had an answer.

"Let's go together."

She had no reason to hesitate. As long as she didn't withdraw from this temporary team, moving forward and retreating together was the basic principle.

Seeing Zhang Yiyi agree without hesitation, Zhou Ren was overjoyed.

Firstly, this girl's overall strength was formidable. In the earlier sudden crisis, it was because of Zhang Yiyi that they had the chance to escape. If this girl was willing to dive with them to find the third brother, there was a greater chance of success.

Secondly, it further proved Zhang Yiyi's excellent character. Their leader hadn't misjudged her, and they were right to agree to let her join; she was someone worth befriending.

"Since no one objects, let's dive in together now! The longer we delay, the more danger the third brother is in."

Zheng He didn't believe that Zhu Qing was already dead. Although they weren't biological brothers, after so many years together, they had developed a bond.

The Third was indeed quite useless, but he was tough and not so easy to kill.

As for Zhang Yiyi's decision, Zheng He wasn't surprised at all. This girl had never been timid. Even if they left her on the shore to wait, she probably wouldn't have been happy about it.

"Stick close to me!"

Although he believed Zhang Yiyi was strong, given her exceptional performance earlier, he was still worried about safety once they went underwater. He specifically instructed her to stay close to him during the dive.

After all, he had cultivated to the Golden Core stage, with real strength and hidden cards to play. If there was danger underwater, it would be easier to protect the newly recognized 'sister' by keeping her nearby.

Zhang Yiyi understood Zheng He's intentions. Since he was well-meaning, she didn't refuse and obediently followed beside him.

After all, she was the only one in the group with Foundation Establishment cultivation. It was better to have someone watching over her than being excluded or sabotaged in secret.

The moment they entered the water, none of them experienced the same situation as when Zhu Qing had first entered.

There were no screams, no struggles, and nothing inexplicably pulling them under.

Surrounded by spiritual energy, even without water-repelling pearls, their movements were agile, and the effects of the water weren't significant.

Zheng He instinctively glanced at Zhang Yiyi, who was still safe and sound beside him and felt much more at ease.

Soon, the group successfully reached the bottom of the pool. After scanning the area with their divine senses, it appeared that, just as Uncle Guan's three-eyed toad had said, there was nothing unusual.

"Split into pairs and search around to see if there's any hidden mechanism at the bottom of the pool."

Zheng He quickly made arrangements and reached out to pull Zhang Yiyi to go with him, only to suddenly realize she had vanished.

Yes, vanished!

"Linlin! Linlin, where are you?"

He instinctively panicked. From the moment they entered the water to when they reached the bottom, everything had seemed perfectly normal. How could she suddenly disappear?

"Miss Han?"

Zhou Ren also widened his eyes in disbelief. "What's going on? I just saw her standing right next to you, and now she's gone in the blink of an eye."

Indeed, in just the blink of an eye, Zhang Yiyi had vanished, leaving Zhou Ren with a chilling sense of dread.

This lotus pond had now swallowed two of his companions, making it seem like a man-eating pit.

"I'm sure she was right next to our leader when we landed," Zhou Yi said with a grim expression.

They hadn't even found Zhu Qing yet, and now Zhang Yiyi had mysteriously disappeared too. No one could stay calm in such a situation.

Only Uncle Guan stood there in a daze, staring at the spot where Zhang Yiyi had stood, not reacting for a long time.

"Uncle Guan, did you see Linlin?"

Zheng He, noticing Uncle Guan's strange behavior, quickly asked, still clinging to a sliver of hope. How could someone disappear so silently and suddenly?

At least with Zhu Qing, there had been some trace to follow: a disturbance as soon as he entered the water, followed by a scream and a sudden sinking.

But Zhang Yiyi had been right next to him with no warning signs whatsoever as if she had never been there.

"Green Skin said it sensed a momentary spatial fluctuation," Uncle Guan replied, looking worriedly at his young master. "Young master, Miss Han's sudden disappearance should be related to that thing that ambushed us over the lotus pond earlier. As for Zhu Qing, he—"

Before Uncle Guan could finish speaking, a massive undercurrent suddenly surged from the previously calm pool bottom, sweeping toward them.

"Watch out!"

Zheng He shouted a warning, and the group immediately focused on avoiding the current, temporarily setting aside other concerns to escape the immediate danger.

...

In contrast to Zheng He's busy group, Zhang Yiyi was lying unconscious in a vast, empty cave.

In front of her, a strange, rabbit-sized, spiky creature glared at her with bared fangs, as if ready to bite her throat.

"Squeak! Squeak!"

The spiky ball let out two furious cries, venting its anger at the unconscious cultivator in front of it.

It had suffered significant injuries, all thanks to this woman.

Therefore, it wasn't planning to be merciful anymore by simply electrocuting her to death. No, it intended to bite through her throat and tear her apart piece by piece in revenge.

In over two thousand years, it had never been dealt such a heavy blow. Once it killed this detestable cultivator, it would take its time dealing with the others; none of them would escape!

Even if this woman hadn't harmed it, it never intended to let her go.

After all, this female cultivator had sensed and locked onto it even when it used spatial techniques. To it, she was a fatal threat.

The spiky ball now saw her as its mortal enemy, someone it had to eliminate without delay.

However, the woman's sensing ability was so sharp that if not for the interference of the special properties of the lotus pool water, it might not have been able to successfully transport her here using spatial magic.

"Squeak! Squeak!"

Having finished its angry tirade, the spiky ball wasted no time and launched itself like a missile, aiming to bite through Zhang Yiyi's throat.

But while its plan was perfect, the reality was harsh.

Just as it was about to touch Zhang Yiyi, a sudden and powerful defensive barrier appeared around the unconscious woman, completely shielding her.

With a loud "bang," the spiky ball crashed into the barrier and was knocked back, nearly breaking its nose in the process.