Zhang Ling was waiting for this moment. He immediately activated the array disc and started the formation.
Instantly, the lake water churned rapidly, forming a water vortex over twenty zhang in size, creating several layers of waves that trapped the iron-jawed crocodiles within.
The layers of waves connected, transforming into a water shield that covered a large area of the water surface.
The two iron-jawed crocodiles reacted immediately, diving underwater and swimming rapidly. However, they could only move within the formation's controlled area, and even diving deeper was hindered.
Zhang Ling sneered, calmly directing the formation, and expanded its coverage further.
After a few breaths, angry roars echoed from within the formation. The two iron-jawed crocodiles emitted black Qi, opened their mouths wide, and shot out streams of highly forceful water, crashing against the formation's water shield, causing it to shake violently.
Then, a layer of blue light illuminated the water, coalescing into a dozen transparent water snakes that continuously coiled around the iron-jawed crocodiles.
The two iron-jawed crocodiles were quite fierce, constantly thrashing their bodies, creating countless splashes as they struggled to break free.
The water snakes,幻化d from the Kui Spirit Water Array, were merely a means of trapping enemies using water spiritual power. Although their restraint on the two high-level desolate beasts wasn't strong, they still caused considerable trouble for the iron-jawed crocodiles.
Zhang Ling flicked his fingers, sending out a dozen yellow beams of light that transformed into light orbs, instantly blooming with bright yellow spiritual light, enveloping the two iron-jawed crocodiles.
The two desolate beasts paused, their mobility greatly affected. They were instantly entangled firmly by a dozen giant water snakes.
Then, a flash of purplish-black light transformed into a small bronze bell, which chimed several times. Under the suppression of the bell's sound, the two high-level iron-jawed crocodiles were even more restricted, their bodies stiffening for a moment, completely bound.
At the same time, a flash of green light shot out, penetrating the eye of one iron-jawed crocodile, and then the other, in the same manner.
In the blink of an eye, the two high-level iron-jawed crocodiles were killed.
Zhang Ling flashed into the formation, collected the corpses of the two iron-jawed crocodiles, and immediately plunged into the water.
The water was dark, but it didn't affect him much. He used his divine sense to explore the water, but could only probe a distance of three to four miles, which was still sufficient.
He occasionally saw large groups of small cyan fish swimming in the water. These fish had also been eroded by the turbid Qi and become desolate beasts, with bone spurs growing on their bodies, making them highly aggressive.
Fortunately, they only had first-order strength, and he was covered by the Spirit Concealing Veil, so these low-level desolate beasts naturally couldn't detect him.
The deeper he went, the faster the water flowed. After descending a thousand zhang, he reached the bottom.
Zhang Ling flicked his hand, revealing a pitch-black seabed. Without a trace of light, he lightly patted his storage bag, tossing out a fist-sized moonstone, illuminating the surrounding area for several zhang. After identifying his location, he headed towards the underwater cave he had discovered earlier.
After a moment, he saw a dark, rocky area.
Beneath a huge reef, there were several pillars shimmering with spiritual light, forming a blue light screen that covered a small, two-zhang-wide cave entrance.
Arriving at the entrance, he glanced at the obstructing light screen.
Zhang Ling acted directly, forming a sword incantation, and several sword lights slashed at it. The blue light screen flickered dimly a few times before turning into bubbles and dissipating.
He flashed inside.
As soon as he entered the cave, the spiritual light pillars at the entrance shook gently a few times, emitting strands of blue light. Connecting with each other, they formed another layer of blue light shield.
This light screen was just a small trick to block water from entering the cave. He had seen it when he first discovered this place; it wasn't some kind of protective formation or restriction for the cave.
Inside was a man-made black stone passage, with a faint mist drifting underfoot. Extending his divine sense forward, Zhang Ling detected some information and walked forward directly.
The passage extended straight for a dozen zhang, then made a turn, extending upwards for a distance.
Before long, he saw an arched stone door ahead, but only half of the door remained, with a pile of stones scattered on the ground.
Zhang Ling smiled. It seemed that cultivators had already explored this place. The stone door had been broken open with brute force. It had probably been searched several times, and there might not be any treasures left inside.
Since he had already arrived, he still walked towards the stone door.
The space behind the stone door was quite large. It was a space of more than thirty zhang, which looked like a hall, but the top of this space was very high, about a hundred zhang high, like a wide vertical shaft.
There were many holes in the cylindrical stone walls, indicating that this place seemed to be just a cave established by ancient cultivators.
The ground was also scattered with stones, like ruins. However, a corner on the right side was shimmering with spiritual light.
Zhang Ling's gaze instantly turned there. A pile of black, shiny crystals, large and small, were piled up there. The crystal surfaces had irregular cracks that shimmered with blue spiritual power, and he could also feel a faint water-attribute spiritual power emanating from them.
"Humph, just a pile of Water Rhythm Stones."
This kind of crystal with weak water-attribute spiritual power was a kind of spiritual ore, but its value was very low. The water spiritual power contained in it was only equivalent to one or two tenths of the spiritual power of a low-grade water spirit stone, and it was quite complex and not easy to absorb.
Water Rhythm Stones were produced in large quantities in the cultivation world, and some low-level cultivators used them as water spirit stones. Foundation Establishment cultivators and above basically didn't care about this kind of spiritual ore.
Some cultivators said that Water Rhythm Stones were water spirit stones that had not been completely formed.
He naturally didn't care about the pile of Water Rhythm Stones in front of him, which numbered in the thousands. However, there were three blue giant eggs placed among them, covered in a layer of black light.
Zhang Ling was stunned, guessing that these might be the eggs laid by the two iron-jawed crocodiles.
The eggs laid by these desolate beasts were not very valuable. Desolate beasts basically couldn't be tamed. If these were three eggs laid by high-level demon beasts, then their value would be considerable, and they could be exchanged for a lot of spirit stones in the market.
Zhang Ling waved his hand and collected the three desolate beast eggs. Then, he began to explore the stone holes in the rock wall, hoping to find some other gains.
Before long, he had checked several stone holes, and they were indeed empty, without any gains.
Zhang Ling was quite disappointed and unenthusiastically checked the remaining stone holes. However, he didn't hold much hope in his heart, thinking that he would be busy for nothing.
However, in a stone hole on the rock wall, he discovered a cave within a cave. Inside was a half-mu-sized medicine field.
However, the medicine field had obviously not been taken care of for a long time, and some sparse flowers and plants were growing on it.
After scanning a few times, he sighed. Only some ordinary first and second-order spiritual herbs were growing on it, and most of them were ice and water-attribute spiritual medicines, which were not of great value.
It seemed that the cultivator who discovered this place before was not interested in these ordinary spiritual herbs either. Zhang Ling muttered a sentence, intending to explore the remaining stone holes and then leave this place.
Suddenly, he stopped and glanced at a cyan bag on his waist, which was a spirit beast bag containing two Ice Spirit Silkworms.
At this time, the bag shook a few times, and the mouth of the bag opened slightly, drifting out a cloud of cold mist. The two Ice Spirit Silkworms crawled out.
These two little guys had reached the level of third-order demon beasts after so many years of cultivation. Each one was about ten zhang in size, and ice-blue patterns appeared on their chubby bodies.
