After Ning Beichen finished instructing the zebra, he jumped directly into the water, immediately attracting countless piranhas and crocodiles to hunt him.
However, with his Profound Void Golden Body, these piranhas and crocodiles couldn't harm him at all, so Ning Beichen couldn't be bothered to pay them any attention.
A large school of piranhas and crocodiles chased after Ning Beichen, and he was like he was dragging a large mass of things, swimming on the surface of the water. Although these piranhas and crocodiles couldn't hurt him, being towed along like this was not a good situation.
Ning Beichen's body trembled, and his internal energy exploded like a bomb, instantly stunning all the piranhas and crocodiles around him. He then took the opportunity to dive down.
About ten minutes later, Ning Beichen discovered a decaying door at the underwater structure and swam inside. However, it was pitch black inside, making it impossible to see anything.
Fortunately, Ning Beichen had brought a high-intensity flashlight with him. He took it out to illuminate the area and saw a square hall.
In the hall, there were five giant stone pillars, supporting the four corners and the center. This was likely why the underwater structure had not collapsed after being submerged for so long.
Ning Beichen used his high-intensity flashlight to examine the hall. He found that the architectural style was neither Eastern nor Western, but rather a blend of both, incorporating elements from both styles.
However, Ning Beichen's curiosity wasn't about the architectural style, but rather about what this place was.
Ning Beichen searched the hall but found nothing useful. Even if there had been something valuable before, it was likely long gone after years of submersion.
This was unlike the blessed lands and grotto-heavens, which were not submerged and often protected by formations that preserved their contents for ages. This place, however, had been constantly submerged, and any treasures it might have held would have long since deteriorated.
Ning Beichen circled the hall without finding anything. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed another entrance within the hall.
This entrance likely hadn't existed originally. It might have formed when the structure submerged and the bricks on one wall decayed, creating a gap.
Furthermore, this wall was covered in long water moss, which effectively concealed the opening, almost causing Ning Beichen to miss it.
Ning Beichen swam through the moss-covered gap and found himself in a small room behind the hall.
This small room contained quite a few items, but they were all covered in water moss, looking like clumps of seaweed. If not for removing the moss, one wouldn't know anything was inside.
Ning Beichen picked up a few items and removed the water moss, revealing the objects within. They turned out to be silver cups, though their surfaces were tarnished black from prolonged immersion.
However, Ning Beichen was certain they were made of silver.
He then examined several other items, which were also silver. This piqued Ning Beichen's curiosity.
It wasn't because of the silver itself; these items were not worth much. Even if they were gold, Ning Beichen wouldn't have cared.
What he was curious about was what kind of power or faction had existed here in ancient times.
Because in that era, silver was a relatively valuable commodity, not something ordinary factions could afford to use, unless it was royalty.
Ning Beichen casually discarded these silver items and then examined a few more. He found they were all silver: silver knives, silver swords, silver cups, silver plates, silver boxes, silver jewelry, and so on.
Seeing these items, Ning Beichen became somewhat disappointed. He suspected that the submerged structure was the remnant of some ancient royal family or the royal court of a small kingdom.
Even if he continued searching, he would likely only find more useless items.
While these items might be priceless treasures to some historians, they were worthless to Ning Beichen.
Disappointed, Ning Beichen left the hall and continued searching in other areas. The findings were largely the same, leaving him utterly disheartened.
However, he did pick up one item, a peculiar-looking box, which he decided to take as spoils.
As Ning Beichen left the structure and began to ascend, he suddenly noticed a domed building that caught his attention.
It wasn't the domed building itself that attracted him, but rather a bird-like statue on top of the dome, which piqued Ning Beichen's curiosity.
This was because Ning Beichen had accidentally discovered that the statue's eyes were glowing.
At first, Ning Beichen thought he was mistaken, but after looking several times and from different angles, he confirmed that the eyes of the bird statue were indeed glowing, and he hadn't misseen it.
Ning Beichen swam closer. Just as he was about to approach the large dome, a giant crocodile, at least ten meters long, suddenly lunged from behind the dome, attempting to bite him.
This crocodile was not only long but also massive.
Its body was estimated to be several times larger than that of a normal crocodile, resembling a giant water buffalo. Its mouth, when opened, reached over three meters wide, and its jaws were filled with sharp teeth.
A foul, fishy stench assaulted Ning Beichen's senses. Even though he had blocked his breathing, the smell was overwhelming.
The crocodile acted like an assassin, hiding behind the dome and waiting for Ning Beichen to get close before emerging and clamping its jaws around him.
The crocodile's bite force was terrifying. Even Ning Beichen, with his Prajna Golden Body, felt pain. His Prajna Golden Body was only at its first level.
This pain enraged Ning Beichen. Primarily, he was less agile in the water than on land, which allowed the treacherous crocodile to bite him.
"Die, you beast!"
Ning Beichen, filled with rage, repeatedly punched the inside of the crocodile's mouth, blow after blow.
Despite its massive size, the crocodile was no match for Ning Beichen. After a barrage of attacks, its head was mangled, and many of its sharp teeth were lost.
The intense pain caused the ten-meter-long crocodile to thrash wildly in the water, leaping into the air and crashing back down, trying to shake Ning Beichen out of its mouth.
However, Ning Beichen's anger had been ignited, and he had no intention of letting go. After a fierce beating, he drew his ancient bronze sword and thrust it into the crocodile's mouth, then violently swung the hilt.