Billy looked around.
Not far from where they stood, there was a hole with a diameter of about three to four meters, from which light was emanating.
The water did not flow into the hole, indicating that it was blocked by a barrier. Billy could also sense faint fluctuations in the formation lines.
“That should be the entrance to the depths!” Eliza Rice pointed at the hole and said.
“Yes!” Billy responded.
“Billy, the Spiritual Line Origin has gained sentience. If it intends to hide, it will be difficult to find it,” Eliza Rice continued.
“After you enter, activate your bloodline power and try to establish some kind of connection with it.”
“Peak Master, why did the old master believe that I can establish a connection with the Spiritual Line Origin?” Billy asked.
He had wanted to ask this question a month ago but didn’t find a suitable opportunity.
The Spiritual Line Origin was the essence of heaven and earth condensed over countless years. How could it establish a connection with his bloodline? He couldn’t understand.
“I don’t know the answer to that question either!” Eliza Rice shook her head.
“But since the old master instructed you to do so, he must have his reasons. You can ask him for more details when you meet him next time.”
“Based on my preliminary estimation, it should be related to your physique and bloodline!”
“Alright!” Billy shrugged his shoulders.
“By the way, although the array on the lake has been activated, it will automatically close again in a month at most,” Eliza Rice continued.
“So, you can only stay inside for a month. Even if you haven’t found the Spiritual Line Origin by then, you must come out quickly.”
“Otherwise, you will be trapped inside!”
“Really?” Billy was taken aback.
“Yes!” Eliza Rice replied. “Alright, go ahead. I’ll wait for your message up here!”
“Okay!” Billy responded and created a barrier to walk towards the entrance of the hole.
To his surprise, after reaching the entrance, he easily passed through the barrier and entered the cave.
Seeing that Billy had entered, Eliza Rice turned around and left.
Then, after removing the barrier, Billy flew downwards along the passage.
After entering for a while, the passage widened significantly, with a diameter of about fifteen to sixteen meters, winding downwards.
He could clearly feel that the spiritual energy inside was denser than outside, and he felt refreshed and relaxed with every breath.
It was much denser than the spiritual energy in his Gathering Spirit Array.
The passage was long, and Billy felt like he had been flying for almost twenty minutes and still hadn’t reached the end.
Along the way, apart from the increasing density of spiritual energy, there were no other abnormalities.
After another ten minutes or so, he finally reached the end of the passage.
“Hmm?!”
Upon reaching the end of the passage, Billy couldn’t help but be surprised.
Before him was a vast underground space. He couldn’t see the end of it, so he didn’t know how big it was exactly.
In the space, besides peculiar stalactites, there were some trees and vegetation that he couldn’t name.
In addition, there were two or three small pools within his line of sight, emitting a faint cold air.
Billy also noticed that the concentration of spiritual energy in this space was two to three times denser than in the passage. With every breath, he felt refreshed and clear-headed.
After adjusting to the light inside for a moment, Billy released his spiritual power to explore.
After about two minutes, he retracted his spiritual power. He could confirm that there were no living creatures in this space except for plants.
Then, Billy aimlessly walked forward.
Along the way, he saw several fruit trees with many unnamed spiritual fruits growing on them.
Other than that, he didn’t find anything else.
Time passed quickly. Two hours flew by in an instant, and Billy still hadn’t found any abnormalities.
“Are you a disciple of Ether Mountain?”
Just as Billy was about to change direction and continue walking, an old man’s voice suddenly echoed in the space.
“Hmm?!”
Billy’s pupils contracted in surprise and quickly scanned his surroundings.
However, there was nothing!
He could only hear the voice but couldn’t see anyone!
“Who are you?”
Billy’s whole body tensed up as he spoke loudly, “How did you get in here?”
While shouting, he felt shocked inside.
He had already used his spiritual power to explore his surroundings earlier and confirmed that there couldn’t be any living creatures present.
But now, an old man was talking to him.
There was only one explanation: the other party’s strength must be far above his own.
Otherwise, with his spiritual power, he wouldn’t have been unable to sense it.
But who exactly was this person? How did they get into the depths of Ether Mountain? Didn’t the old master and Peak Master know about it?
“You haven’t answered my question. Are you a disciple of Ether Mountain?” The old man continued speaking.
“Yes!” Billy replied with just one word.
While speaking, he once again used his spiritual power to explore his surroundings but still found nothing.
“Don’t waste your spiritual power. With your current level, you’re a small potato to me!” The old man seemed to know what Billy was thinking.
“How do I know who you are? How can you prove that you are from Ether Mountain?” Billy took a deep breath and spoke again.
“I don’t seem to have a need to prove myself to you!” Billy narrowed his eyes slightly.
He didn’t know whether this person was friend or foe, so naturally he couldn’t reveal everything to him.
“Young man, don’t be so impulsive!” The old man’s voice sounded again.
“You better prove yourself because it concerns your own life!”
“This is a forbidden area of Ether Mountain. If you can’t prove that you are a disciple of Ether Mountain, I will put you to death!”
The old man’s voice was calm but exerted immense pressure on Billy.
He knew very well that if the other party really wanted to take his life, it would be just a thought away.
“You tell me first who you are. Otherwise…” After taking a deep breath again, Billy spoke once more.
“Arrogant!” The old man’s tone turned serious. “Kneel!”
“Hmph!” Billy snorted coldly. “From the day I was born until now, no one has been able to force me to kneel!”
“Is that so?” The old man responded. “Then let me see how strong your backbone is!”
Before his words even finished, an extremely terrifying pressure swept towards Billy.
Just from this pressure alone, one could tell that the other party was definitely at least above Holy Realm level.
Billy immediately felt suffocated. It felt like two mountains were pressing down on his shoulders. His legs involuntarily trembled, making it difficult for him to move even an inch.
However, he wouldn’t easily kneel. Clenching his teeth, he activated his full strength to resist the pressure from the other party.
“You’ve held on for quite some time. Not bad!” After about two minutes, the old man spoke again. “Let’s try again!”
After speaking, the pressure increased several levels once again.
Billy’s body bent into an arch shape. His knees bent and his whole body trembled at an increasingly rapid rate.
His blood vessels expanded more than twice their normal size. Veins bulged on his forehead, and his breath became irregular.