Chapter 524: The Meteor Manor

“It’s an undercurrent!” Dongbo Xueying’s expression changed drastically as he urgently transmitted his voice, “Jing Qiu, an undercurrent is coming!”

Yu Jingqiu’s face also paled.

Undercurrents in large lakes and oceans were quite common. Naturally, the massive silver-white water sphere at the heart of the Lakeheart Island, spanning over eighteen trillion miles in diameter, would also have turbulent undercurrents. However, the force of these undercurrents was terrifying—each droplet of water was incredibly dense, making flight within them arduous even under calm conditions. When an undercurrent surged, the danger multiplied.

The impact of an undercurrent was so immense that ordinary Fourth Heaven World Gods couldn’t withstand it—colliding with it would likely mean death. Only the more formidable Great Powers dared to endure the undercurrent’s force with their bodies. Even if they could withstand the impact, they would still be swept away helplessly by the current!

For those with weaker strength, if the undercurrent arrived too swiftly to escape, the only option was to take refuge inside a Starfield Ark. Starfield Arks were incredibly sturdy World God artifacts, far more resilient than the bodies of World Gods, capable of enduring the impact. However, they too would be carried along by the undercurrent. Being swept away by the undercurrent might, with extreme luck, lead to some fortuitous encounters. But in most cases, it spelled disaster.

“Let’s go!” Dongbo Xueying, holding his wife, used the power of Taihao to sense the direction of the vast, surging undercurrent from afar and immediately began fleeing at full speed.

“Rumble~~~” The massive undercurrent spanned hundreds of millions of miles, its speed likely exceeding two hundred thousand miles per second.

In the void, Dongbo Xueying wouldn’t have cared. But within the waters of Lakeheart Island, both he and his wife moved sluggishly. They could only feel the relentless approach of the undercurrent, its vast reach making escape nearly impossible.

“Faster, faster, faster!”

Dongbo Xueying fled desperately.

“If we can’t escape, we’ll have to take shelter in the Starfield Ark and leave it to fate.” Dongbo Xueying felt bitter. He never expected trouble before even reaching the island’s core. Dying in these waters would be humiliating. Yet, history recorded many Fourth Heaven World Gods—even Great Powers—who perished here, never making it to the island.

Whoosh—

Dongbo Xueying and his wife flew with all their might, but everything here was heavily suppressed. World God domains couldn’t be deployed, let alone spatial traversal or other such abilities.

The surging undercurrent was like a colossal beast, crushing everything in its path as it closed the distance—a million miles, nine hundred thousand, eight hundred thousand…

“Xueying, I never thought we’d face such danger so soon after arriving,” Yu Jingqiu transmitted.

“Look—a meteorite!” Dongbo Xueying suddenly exclaimed in delight.

Lakeheart Island.

Around the central core island, over a hundred million meteorites orbited within the waters. These were no ordinary celestial rocks—their durability defied imagination, remaining indestructible to this day. Together, they formed an incredibly profound array, eternally shielding Lakeheart Island.

For cultivators traversing these waters, the meteorites were the safest refuge.

“Hurry, hurry! Left ahead!” Dongbo Xueying and his wife raced toward the meteorite with all their strength. Fortunately, the undercurrent’s direction diverged from the meteorite’s path, allowing them a desperate chance.

“There it is!” They spotted the massive meteorite.

Lakeheart Island meteorites were roughly ten thousand miles in diameter—relatively small, with all hundred million sharing this size. The meteorite itself was pitch-black, its surface etched with enormous grooves resembling ancient, enigmatic formations. Yet these were merely minuscule fragments of the grand array formed by the countless meteorites—far beyond Dongbo Xueying’s comprehension.

The grooves were like canyons.

The couple dove into the nearest groove, over ten miles deep.

No sooner had they entered and caught their breath than a vast force swept over them.

“Rumble~~~” The colossal undercurrent surged past, churning the waters violently as it battered the meteorite. Yet the meteorite stood unyielding, utterly unaffected. Though residual waves still rippled into the canyon, their force was significantly weakened.

“Whoosh—”

Clutching the canyon walls, Dongbo Xueying and Yu Jingqiu steadied themselves as the weaker waves tossed them about. Soon, the turbulence subsided.

“That was close,” Dongbo Xueying exhaled in relief.

“Thank goodness we found a meteorite,” he remarked. “Otherwise, being swept away by the undercurrent would have left us helpless. Though dangers in these waters aren’t frequent, prolonged exposure would inevitably lead to peril—and death.”

“Xueying, look.” Yu Jingqiu pointed downward.

“Hmm?” Dongbo Xueying followed her gaze. The canyon stretched over a thousand miles in length, and deep within its shadows, a faint structure stood.

“A mansion?” Dongbo Xueying was astonished. It was unmistakably a cultivator’s abode.

“Let’s check it out,” Yu Jingqiu urged.

“Alright. Who knows if it’s recent or ancient?” Dongbo Xueying transmitted as they flew closer, his Taihao power spreading to envelop the area.

“With a hundred million meteorites scattered across these vast waters, landing on this one is already a stroke of luck. It’s unlikely to belong to someone from our era,” Yu Jingqiu mused. “Unless it’s an immortal Great Power.”

Soon, the couple stood before the mansion’s entrance. The structure was modest but solidly built. The gates hung ajar, likely forced open over time by the undercurrent’s residual waves.

“It seems long abandoned,” Yu Jingqiu observed.

“Parts are even crumbling,” Dongbo Xueying noted as he stepped inside, spotting signs of decay.

The courtyard was small, leading quickly to a main hall.

The hall was shielded by an array, keeping the waters at bay. Inside, it was barren.

“Desolate,” Dongbo Xueying murmured, proceeding through a rear door into a corridor. Another hall lay beyond—more private, evidently a cultivation chamber.

“Look at the walls!” Yu Jingqiu called from ahead.

Dongbo Xueying approached.

Three distinct sets of inscriptions adorned the walls, each differing in depth and style—left by three individuals.

The leftmost read:

*”I, Zhen Jun, trapped at the Fourth Heaven Realm, built this abode to meditate in solitude, dispatching clones into Lakeheart Island’s ruins in search of enlightenment…”*

Yu Jingqiu frowned. “Xueying, I’ve never heard of this Zhen Jun, a Fourth Heaven World God.”

“Neither have I,” Dongbo Xueying admitted.

“Then he likely never became a Great Power,” Yu Jingqiu sighed.

“Transcending isn’t easy,” Dongbo Xueying said. Though the current number of Fourth Heaven World Gods in the Divine Realm was limited, countless had risen and fallen since its inception—most failing to surpass the final hurdle. The mansion’s first owner was one such soul.

Had he transcended, even in death, his name would have echoed through history—a name they surely would have known.