I Can Strengthen Infinitely

Chapter 259 193: Mysterious Woman

In the pitch-black underground, the sound of water droplets hitting the ground could be heard clearly, as if the place was exceedingly damp.

Reaching the end of the spiral stone staircase, it became apparent that this place was a sealed space, with numerous stalactites above dripping water, and a shallow puddle about several fingers deep on the floor.

In the distance, a raised mound was particularly conspicuous, atop which stood an irregular blue crystal.

Qin Yuesheng immediately walked over, only then realizing that within the crystal, there was a woman whose state of being—alive or dead—was unknown.

She was remarkably graceful and strikingly beautiful. Even with her mouth closed and devoid of any expression on her face, she still exuded an ethereal, almost celestial aura.

This woman was by no means ordinary!

"Beneath the temple, there's only a single person hidden," Qin Yuesheng was greatly astonished. If Wen Tianci, who had been on this island for years to unlock the temple's secrets, knew about this, what would he think?

Judging from her posture, this woman seemed to have been in the midst of cultivation, and then something happened, whether voluntary or due to a sneak attack, that led to her being encased in ice.

Qin Yuesheng tried to understand the situation and reached out to touch the blue crystal.

[Yes/No—Disintegrate 'Ice Profound Ten Thousand Year Cold Crystal']

"Yes."

[Disintegration successful, 'Acquired Ice Profound Ten Thousand Year Cold Crystal Fragments x100']

Suddenly, the entire blue ice crystal vanished, transforming into a mass of ice shards on the ground.

In this circumstance, the woman inside the ice instantly fell out, hitting the ground without any struggle.

"No breath or body heat detected, it seems she's dead," Qin Yuesheng thought to himself.

This place had been sealed for who knows how many years; the woman was frozen within the Ten Thousand Year Cold Crystal, leaving little chance for survival.

Therefore, Qin Yuesheng turned to inspect if there were any other secrets hidden on the mound, and it was at this moment that the woman's finger suddenly moved ever so slightly, and then, unnoticed by Qin Yuesheng, she abruptly opened her eyes.

Her gaze was extremely cold and devoid of any emotion. The moment she saw Qin Yuesheng, she immediately struck out with her palm.

With his back to the woman, Qin Yuesheng suddenly felt a chill on his back, instinctively dodging to the side. But don't be fooled by the ordinary appearance of the woman's palm strike, it carried a terrifying power.

This power was not mere force, but an otherworldly rule, making it utterly unavoidable.

"Pfft!" Qin Yuesheng immediately coughed up a mist of blood, half of his body turning into blood mist under that single strike.

"What!"

Such a terrifying power, as he turned to see the woman coldly preparing to strike again, Qin Yuesheng, in a life-or-death crisis, had a sudden insight, quickly using his remaining hand to pull out the Wheel of Time from his bosom, forcefully pressing the yellow pearl inset upon it.

The Time Water instantly poured into Qin Yuesheng's body, whisking him away from here just before the woman's strike landed, narrowly avoiding what would have been a lethal blow.

"Hmm?" Seeing her target disappear, a rare expression of surprise appeared on the woman's face.

...

Encased in water droplets, as Qin Yuesheng was flung from the timeless river, he drifted a short distance upstream before falling back into the river, disappearing from sight.

...

Bang!

When Qin Yuesheng crashed to the ground, he saw another version of himself walking towards the temple, seemingly intent on disintegrating it.

Yet, just as that other Qin Yuesheng was about to touch the temple's surface, his entire body began to fade and within a few blinks of an eye, vanished into thin air.

Seeing the intact temple, a sense of post-trauma relief instantly flooded Qin Yuesheng's heart.

Luckily, there was the Wheel of Time, a bug-like escape tool, or else he surely would have perished at that woman's hands.

Too powerful, this woman's strength had reached a level where not only was resistance futile for Qin Yuesheng, even escaping was beyond him. Without a doubt, this level of strength was the strongest Qin Yuesheng had ever encountered.

"This place is beyond my current capabilities. If that woman were to escape, the consequences would be unimaginable," Qin Yuesheng thought to himself.

With this thought, he didn't linger any longer and immediately turned to leave the mysterious island.

Roughly an hour after Qin Yuesheng left,

the island suddenly started moving, slowly drifting towards the depths of the East Sea, soon disappearing from the surface of the sea.

...

"Young master, this is where the ruins of the ancient Copper Sword City were located. But at this hour, the sea hasn't receded yet, so you can't see the ruins submerged under the water." An old fisherman wearing a straw hat pointed towards the sea.

Qin Yuesheng had searched many villages on sand islands before he found someone who knew of Copper Sword City's location. After spending some silver to have this person lead him to the site, he was faced with this scene.

"Copper Sword City has been submerged so severely by the East Sea." At this time, not a trace of the city could be seen beneath the surface, forcing Qin Yuesheng to either dive down or wait for the tide to recede.

Seeing Qin Yuesheng prepared to take action, the old fisherman couldn't help but warn, "Young master, this area is notorious for water pirates; we usually don't dare fish here. If not for your generous payment today, I wouldn't have dared to bring you."

"Understood. Since it's dangerous, you can head back. I'll remain here on my own." Qin Yuesheng replied nonchalantly.

"Be careful, young master." The old fisherman sighed in relief, quickly bowed farewell, and left the shore.

Back in the day, Copper Sword City wasn't particularly prosperous, but it was lively enough. After it was flooded, the site turned into a barren, neglected area—a place so desolate it could be described as deserted.

Qin Yuesheng stood by the shore, gazing down at the water.

When you gaze into the sea, it might be gazing back at something.

In truth, Qin Yuesheng disliked waiting. His first thought was to dive down in search of Copper Sword City, but realizing he couldn't swim, holding his breath and staying afloat for the time of a burned incense stick was manageable, yet searching for the city felt as daunting as reaching the skies.

No choice, even though unwilling, Qin Yuesheng sat cross-legged by the shore, waiting for the tide's retreat in earnest.

Fortunately, practicing his skills helped pass the time, sparing Qin Yuesheng from sheer boredom.

After about two hours of practice on the beach, a sudden commotion from afar disrupted Qin Yuesheng's session.

He opened his eyes, immediately spotting a small fishing boat rocking across the waves, closely pursued by a much larger wooden ship.

The sail of the wooden ship bore a large serpent emblem, clutching a knife in its mouth, its eyes vacant—a stark indication of a formidable force.

On his way over, Qin Yuesheng had heard the old fisherman speak extensively about East Sea matters, like how commercial and passenger ships had written flags, whereas only one kind used emblems.

That would be the water pirates, akin to pirates in Qin Yuesheng's mind.

With the chase staged as such, it was only a matter of time before the pirate ship caught the fishing boat.

"Kill them! Try running! Keep running! Hahaha! Once I catch you, I'll clean your heads and use them as chamber pots!"

On the pirate ship's bow, a cyclops wielding an iron knife laughed loudly.

His voice was penetrating; even sitting by the shore, Qin Yuesheng could hear it clearly.

Hearing such brutality, every fisherman on the small boat shivered, aware that they were no match for the pirates. Whether fighting or fleeing, the outcome would only be death.

Perhaps if they were lucky, a Great Tang patrol might come by, offering a chance of survival. Yet given the situation, such luck seemed bleak.

The sea was empty, save for them and the pirates—a dead end.

"Brother Sun, it's over this time," a fat fisherman wiped sweat from his brow, murmuring shakily.

"Fatty Zhu, shut it. Until the last second, no one is allowed to speak such discouraging words." Brother Sun, a tall, skinny Great Han, juggled the sail eagerly, hoping for stronger winds. But the sea was calm, almost windless; his efforts were futile.

"It's over, truly over. We should've never followed that fish school into these waters."

The fishermen lamented in despair, as the entire boat seemed suffocated by defeat.

Watching the chase unfold, Qin Yuesheng couldn't help but feel intrigued.

He didn't know how long he'd be waiting here alone, so a diversion was welcome—perhaps he could commandeer a ship for fun.

Decided, Qin Yuesheng swiftly ran towards the pirate ship. Larger than the fishing boat, it piqued his interest more.

When a pirate unintentionally spotted someone rushing across the sea from the shore, he was utterly confounded.

What on earth?

"Boss! Boss, look! There's something happening!"

Upon hearing this call, the cyclops on the bow quickly looked over, seeing the scene of Qin Yuesheng sprinting across the sea.

"Well, I'll be damned!" He was stunned.

The cyclops knew of the Lightweight Skill allowing crossings over water, yet Qin Yuesheng's effortless traversal wasn't typical of martial masters' feats.

"What on earth is he?" The cyclops couldn't help asking himself.