Ye Yu's agile figure plunged downward into the depths of the sea, resembling a hawk diving at high speed through the air.
The surrounding seawater was as thick as ink, and the deeper he went, the more the light was swallowed up. At a depth of 500 meters, the pressure would be immense for other Non-Ability Users, but Ye Yu remained unaffected.
"This sea is truly bottomless," Ye Yu murmured to himself, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"There must be treasures here, without a doubt."
Ye Yu continued his descent, the pressure around him increasing steadily. However, thanks to inheriting Jinbei's abilities, even at a depth of 2,000 meters, he remained unaffected.
At 1,000 meters, he still hadn't reached the bottom.
Ye Yu felt increasingly grateful for inheriting Jinbei's abilities. If he hadn't chosen Jinbei, even with his formidable physical strength, he would have been crushed by the immense water pressure at such depths, especially since he was only at level 23.
Just then, a faint golden light pierced through the darkness below, catching Ye Yu's eye.
The light was like a star in the dark, flickering and dancing in the abyssal depths.
Ye Yu's heart leaped with joy, and he quickened his descent. As he drew closer, the golden dot gradually enlarged, revealing the outline of a treasure chest, radiating a dazzling golden light.
This chest was five times larger than the previous ones, and its golden glow was even more intense.
Ye Yu was thrilled. "There it is!"
However, just as he prepared to approach and claim the treasure, he froze. A purple light flashed to his side.
Ye Yu turned his gaze to the right and was startled. About ten meters away, there was a swirling purple vortex.
Ye Yu exclaimed in surprise, "A Purple Realm! To encounter a fixed-point Mystic Realm here, and this purple light is more intense than any Purple Realm I've seen before. It signifies that this Purple Realm is of an exceptionally high difficulty, surpassing all others."
Ye Yu marveled inwardly, feeling an uncontrollable surge of excitement.
The formidable strength of the Demon Shark was proof enough of the value of the treasures in this sea, and now the appearance of this Purple Realm undoubtedly meant that the treasures here were even more precious.
After all, the combination of the Demon Shark and the Purple Realm presented two layers of difficulty.
Moreover, participation was mandatory.
Ye Yu looked at the purple vortex and quickly grasped the information about the Mystic Realm.
The Mystic Realm would only appear after the Demon Shark's death and would last for just one hour. To obtain the treasure, one had to reach it within this hour and touch it. Upon success, the Mystic Realm would vanish, and the treasure, along with Realm Experience rewards, would be obtained.
The challenge of this Mystic Realm was that it imposed gravity on this area of the sea. Starting now, for every ten meters descended, the gravity would increase by 1,000 jin. Currently, the treasure was still 200 meters away, meaning Ye Yu would face a maximum gravity challenge of 20,000 jin.
Ye Yu exclaimed, "This difficulty is no joke. If I hadn't contracted with Jinbei, I would have given up immediately. But thankfully, I have him."
For other top-tier prodigies, even if they could defeat the Demon Shark, the battle would have drained them significantly, making participation in this Mystic Realm nearly impossible.
As it was, Ye Yu's stamina was already heavily depleted, and now he faced this terrifying gravity challenge, which was like adding frost to snow.
But Ye Yu didn't retreat. He felt there was still hope.
"The more difficult the challenge, the more precious the treasure. Not only can we obtain wealth, but also gain Realm Experience, a great opportunity for improvement. Excellent, we must seize it. By inheriting Jinbei's abilities, in the sea, it's just like on land—I only bear the gravity of the Mystic Realm, not the pressure of the seawater. Otherwise, the gravity combined with the seawater pressure would be even more terrifying, especially at a depth of over a thousand meters. It's unimaginable how terrifying it would be. So, if I hadn't inherited Jinbei's abilities, I would definitely have given up on this challenge. But fortunately, I did."
Ye Yu took a deep breath and continued to dive toward the seabed.
As the depth increased, the gravity pressed down on Ye Yu like an invisible giant hand.
When he was a hundred meters away from the treasure, the pressure began to mount, as he was already bearing the weight of ten thousand pounds.
When he was eighty meters away, Ye Yu felt as if he were carrying a mountain on his back. The exhaustion from the previous battles, combined with the current gravity, caused every inch of his muscles to ache. The gravity pressed in from all directions, relentlessly squeezing his body.
Even though he had inherited the powerful physique of Demon Oz, he now felt suffocated, his chest tight and breathing difficult.
Ye Yu clenched his teeth, sweat mixing with seawater as it dripped from his forehead. His eyes revealed determination and resolve as he continued to descend.
The gravity increased wildly, and Ye Yu's bones began to creak, as if they might snap at any moment.
When he was only twenty meters away from the treasure, Ye Yu's body had reached its limit. He felt as if every inch of his skin was under immense pressure, and blood began to seep from his pores, dispersing in the seawater and forming small blossoms of blood.
But he was about to reach the treasure. Bearing the weight of eighteen thousand pounds, he continued to approach.
Fifteen meters...
Ten meters...
Ye Yu felt as if his bones were shifting inside his body, and his internal organs were under immense pressure. Yet, he also felt the strength of his own body. Fortunately, he had chosen Demon Oz; otherwise, even with the physical prowess of Red Hair or Roger, he wouldn't have been able to withstand such gravity at level twenty-three.
Meanwhile, on the surface, the crew members were staring intently at the sea, though they had long since lost sight of Ye Yu.
"It's been so long, and we still haven't seen the Captain."
"Could there be more danger down there?"
"It looks calm."
"But it's so deep. Even if something happened at the bottom, it would be hard to notice."
The crew members were growing anxious.
Xia Ling spoke firmly, "Trust the Captain."
Zhang Tian prayed, "Ye Yu, please come back safely."
Eight meters...
Five meters...
By now, forty minutes had passed since the challenge began.
Enduring such terrifying gravity for such a long time tested not only physical strength but also willpower and endurance.
Ye Yu's right arm stretched straight downward as he gritted his teeth and persevered. He wasn't just doing this for the treasure anymore; in such a gravity-intensive environment, it was also a test of his physical body. If he could withstand it, his physical strength would undoubtedly improve further, as it was like undergoing a forging process.
If he couldn't hold on, his body would fall apart. But if he could endure, it would become even more refined and resilient.
Finally, when he was just one meter away, Ye Yu was on the verge of collapse, at his absolute limit. But with the last ounce of his strength, he reached out with all his might, and the tip of his middle finger touched the golden-glowing treasure chest.
The moment he touched the chest, the purple vortex instantly disappeared, and the gravity receded like a tide.
In an instant, the surrounding gravity vanished, and Ye Yu felt as if he had suddenly been transported from hell to heaven. It was incredibly comfortable, and every cell in his body was cheering with joy.
Ye Yu collapsed onto the seabed, gasping for breath. He glanced at the treasure beside him and sighed softly, "To obtain you, it really wasn't easy for me. But this is good—for now, only I can have you. Risk and opportunity are directly proportional."
(End of Chapter)