At this moment, Lin Qian was hovering in mid-air above the Chaotic Star Sea.
Below him, a vast whirlpool had suddenly appeared on the surface of the sea, spinning at high speed.
Lin Qian frowned as he observed the whirlpool for a while before continuing his flight.
However, as he flew, his route became erratic—flying north, south, in circles, and zigzags in all directions.
He did this to see if there was anything unusual about the whirlpool.
From its appearance, the whirlpool didn't seem particularly strange. But the truly astonishing thing was that the whirlpool had been following Lin Qian ever since it appeared!
Lin Qian's erratic flying was a test to confirm whether the whirlpool was really tracking him.
Sure enough, after several tests, Lin Qian realized that the whirlpool below him was indeed following his every move, its position constantly shifting to stay beneath him. And its speed was surprisingly fast.
Staring at the deep, bottomless whirlpool, Lin Qian's expression grew serious. His cultivation was at the Transcendence Realm, and his flying speed was anything but slow. Yet, this deep-sea whirlpool had kept pace with him, never falling behind.
This greatly intrigued Lin Qian. What exactly was this sudden whirlpool?
Furthermore, he could sense that something beneath the whirlpool seemed to be drawing him in, beckoning him to dive deeper.
Lin Qian hesitated for a moment. If he entered this unknown whirlpool...
"Something is definitely strange here, but even if there's danger, I can retreat into the Fantasy Star, so there's no need to worry too much about my safety." After contemplating for a moment, Lin Qian decided to investigate further.
Unable to suppress his curiosity, and knowing that the Fantasy Star ensured his safety, Lin Qian made up his mind.
Without hesitation, Lin Qian plunged headfirst into the deep-sea whirlpool below.
As soon as Lin Qian entered, the whirlpool on the surface of the sea gradually closed up, disappearing into the sea as if it had never existed. The ocean became calm once more, and Lin Qian's figure vanished.
At the same time, in New Qin City in the southern region of the Eastern Continent, Ye Xin received alarming news!
The Southern Division of the Engineering Department had lost contact with Lin Qian.
In this world, the Engineering Department communicated with Lin Qian through the Fantasy Star.
It was through Lin Qian's connection that the Engineering Department of the Soul Martial Continent was able to reach the Fantasy Star's Engineering Department.
The Fantasy Star's Engineering Department would then relay any messages to Lin Qian.
But now, the Engineering Department of the Hua Xia Empire on the Soul Martial Continent had completely lost contact with Lin Qian and could no longer communicate with the Fantasy Star's Engineering Department.
When Ye Xin learned of this, her face turned pale. "Xiao Qian, what's happened to you?"
However, in the next moment, Ye Xin quickly regained her composure and immediately issued orders to the Engineering Department: "Announce through the Soulvision devices that His Majesty is entering seclusion to prepare for a breakthrough to the Saint Realm in order to defend the Empire against the undead army."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Following Ye Xin's command, the Hua Xia Empire's Engineering Department on the Soul Martial Continent swiftly began carrying out the order.
After giving this order, Ye Xin still looked uneasy. If news of Lin Qian's disappearance spread, it would have a devastating impact on the Hua Xia Empire.
For the Empire, Lin Qian was its very foundation. If this pillar were to fall, the entire empire could collapse.
Meanwhile, after entering the whirlpool, Lin Qian found himself falling through a water-filled tunnel, plummeting ever deeper into the depths.
The walls of the tunnel glowed with soul energy, a sensation that was all too familiar to Lin Qian, similar to the passages leading into the underground world.
However, the transition didn't last long. After a short time, the water walls shifted into stone walls, still radiating a powerful array of soul energy.
Now, it looked exactly like the passages that led to the underground world.
Activating his imperial eyes, Lin Qian's golden irises scanned his surroundings while his soul sense expanded, carefully examining everything around him.
The data Lin Qian observed was transmitted to the Engineering Department via the Celestial Mark, and Zhuge Ming immediately began analyzing it.
"How is it going, Chancellor?" Lin Qian asked, his expression tense, while maintaining his downward descent.
Zhuge Ming furrowed his brows and, after a moment of contemplation, replied, "Forgive me, Your Majesty. I haven't yet fully deciphered this array."
"Hmm!" Lin Qian nodded, though he was surprised. Back when they had encountered the spatial arrays leading to the underground world, Zhuge Ming had deciphered them in the blink of an eye. Yet now, he hadn't been able to crack this one.
Still, Lin Qian continued to fall, and by now, he had been descending for over half an hour.
"What, still no progress?" Lin Qian asked, surprised by the prolonged silence from Zhuge Ming.
Moreover, the sheer length of his descent was beginning to make Lin Qian feel uneasy.
"The complexity of this array far exceeds my expectations. I'll need at least three more hours to fully decipher it," Zhuge Ming's voice finally responded, sounding a bit embarrassed.
"Then, what is the difference between this array and the ones we've encountered before?" Lin Qian asked, curious.
He knew full well that when Zhuge Ming said he needed time to "fully decipher" an array, it didn't just mean understanding its functions. It meant being able to recreate the array perfectly, modify its form, and even fix any flaws it had.
As for its basic functionality, Zhuge Ming had likely figured that out at first glance.
"In comparison, this array is at least ten thousand times more stable. It also has a powerful protective mechanism, capable of being controlled. In other words, Your Majesty, it's highly likely that someone is waiting for you at the end of this passage," Zhuge Ming explained.
Lin Qian's eyes narrowed as he stared intently at the dark endpoint below.
Moments later, a faint light began to appear from below.
Suddenly, the space around him opened up, and Lin Qian finally arrived at the end of the tunnel. It was another underground world, but much smaller—only a few dozen meters in diameter. In the center of this space hovered a small floating island, upon which stood a fiery tree. Sitting beneath the tree was an elderly woman.