Only then did Qin Yu exclaim in delighted surprise, "The Spirit-killing Water here is on a loop! You collected a lot of it, so the dripping has slowed down!"
"Duh," Lu Sangjiu said, stowing the last bottle of Spirit-killing Water and shooting Qin Yu a disdainful look.
"What, did you think there was an endless supply of Spirit-killing Water here? Wouldn't this whole place be flooded by now?"
Qin Yu retorted angrily, "Of course I didn't think it was endless! I just assumed someone passing by would trigger a mechanism and the Spirit-killing Water would start dripping… How was I supposed to know it was on a loop?"
He paused, a thought striking him. "But how were you so sure it was on a loop?"
Lu Sangjiu stated unapologetically, "I wasn't. I just wanted the Spirit-killing Water, that's all. This was just a happy accident."
Qin Yu: "…"
'Then what are you so smug about???'
Fuming, Qin Yu decided not to argue with Lu Sangjiu and had no choice but to change the subject.
"Do you have any more bottles? The Spirit-killing Water has slowed down a lot, but it's still dripping."
Lu Sangjiu shook her head in regret. "I'm out."
Without any further explanation, she just pulled a few books and an umbrella from her storage bag.
The items were all ordinary, without a trace of Spiritual Energy. She tossed a book on the ground, opened her umbrella, stepped onto the book, then continued tossing more books ahead of her.
Qin Yu watched, stunned, but he quickly realized that while Lu Sangjiu's method looked foolish and clumsy, it actually… worked!
It wasn't until she was several steps ahead that Qin Yu finally snapped out of it. "Wait! At least give me an umbrella!"
Lu Sangjiu didn't even turn her head. "I don't have an extra. Figure it out yourself."
Qin Yu: "…"
'I knew it!'
Gritting his teeth in anger, Qin Yu knew he couldn't wait any longer. If he did, the books would get soaked by the Spirit-killing Water, and he wouldn't be able to cross at all.
So he frantically rummaged through his own storage bag. He couldn't find an umbrella, but he did find a giant turtle shell.
Although the turtle shell was large, it wasn't from a Spirit Turtle. At the time, he had been purely amazed that a mortal turtle could grow so big and had casually collected it, never imagining he would have a use for it here.
Having finally found something usable, Qin Yu couldn't care less how ugly it was. He hoisted it over his head and hurried forward, stepping on the books.
Lu Sangjiu reached the end a few steps ahead of him. When she turned and saw the sight he made, she couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Oh my, Senior Brother Qin, what a unique look you've got there!"
Still laughing, she took out a Memory Stone. "A rare sight like this… I have to record it and show Senior Sister Ye later. She'll definitely love it!"
Qin Yu was seething. "Lu! Sang! Jiu!"
He quickened his pace, and the moment he reached her side, he tried to snatch the Memory Stone, but Lu Sangjiu was one step ahead, tucking it back into her storage bag.
"What do you think you're doing? Trying to burn the bridge now that you've crossed?"
"Think it through. I'm the one who's done all the work so far. If you hurt me, are you so sure you can get out of here by yourself?"
Her words stopped Qin Yu dead in his tracks. He was helpless. If this were a simple matter of combat, he certainly wouldn't need Lu Sangjiu.
But this place was filled with all sorts of strange contraptions. He had to admit that in this regard, he was no match for her.
'Fine… I'll endure it for now. I can always make my move when the time is right. No matter what, I can't let that Memory Stone get out!'
Ignoring Lu Sangjiu, Qin Yu held up the Luminous Pearl to illuminate the way forward.
This time, a pool of water lay directly ahead, completely blocking their path.
Flight was restricted here, which meant that to get past, they would have to enter the water.
Qin Yu was so startled his voice cracked. "…Don't tell me that's a whole pool of Spirit-killing Water waiting for us?"
Lu Sangjiu shot him a disdainful look. "Are you an idiot? If they had this much Spirit-killing Water, would they have bothered toying with us drop by drop just now?"
"Besides… if this really was Spirit-killing Water, it would actually be easier. You could just take out that turtle shell of yours, and we could paddle right across."
Qin Yu had just been spooked; his mind had jumped to the worst conclusion. Hearing Lu Sangjiu's logic, he had to admit she had a point.
He frowned. "If it's not Spirit-killing Water… then what kind of bizarre trap is it this time?"
Lu Sangjiu thought for a moment. "The Devouring Spirit Sand and Spirit-killing Water are both specialties of the Western Demon Realm. Why don't you think about what other specialty waters come from there?"
Qin Yu froze, a realization dawning on him. The color drained from his face. "This couldn't be… the Ruishui River?"
Lu Sangjiu raised an eyebrow. Annoying as he was, the man certainly knew his stuff. He'd guessed it in one.
It was, in fact, Ruishui River water, but not in its pure form. It was merely ordinary river water mixed with a small vial's worth of the real thing.
Ruishui River water itself has no offensive properties; it simply prevents anything from floating on its surface.
Even if flight weren't restricted here, any person or object passing overhead would be pulled down into its depths, forever lost at the bottom.
Compared to the true Ruishui River, this pool's power was much weaker, but it was still more than any Cultivator below the Divinity Transformation Realm could hope to resist.
The Ruishui River now lay across their only path, and their cultivation levels weren't high enough to resist its power. It was, for them, a considerable challenge.
To test Qin Yu's theory, Lu Sangjiu tore a page from one of the books and tossed it into the water. The paper sank without the slightest hesitation, slowly drifting down into the depths.
She looked at Qin Yu. "Sigh. You really have a knack for jinxing things. You just had to be right about this one."
Qin Yu was in no mood to bicker. His expression grew even grimmer. "…If this really is the Ruishui River, it implies we're facing an even more terrifying possibility…"
He turned to Lu Sangjiu. "The Devouring Spirit Sand and the Spirit-killing Water were one thing, but the Ruishui River… a century ago, that was something only the Moon Palace possessed, and they were the greatest power in the Western Demon Realm."
"Legend has it that a hundred years ago, the Palace Master of the Moon Palace fell, which led to internal conflict. The Ruishui River was supposedly destroyed completely during that time. Nowadays, the only Ruishui River water that exists is what little got out before then. Hardly anyone would be willing to waste it in a place like this."
"But if this place was created before the Ruishui River was destroyed a century ago… then it all makes sense."
Qin Yu's expression grew increasingly grave. "If we're talking about a Great Power who died a hundred years ago, the only one I can think of is…"
Lu Sangjiu lowered her gaze and pursed her lips, quietly waiting for Qin Yu to utter the Daoist name that had been hers for several hundred years.
Then she heard Qin Yu take a deep breath and continue, "…the Body Integration Realm Demon Cultivator, Mo Long!"
Lu Sangjiu nearly choked. "Who…? Who did you say???"
Qin Yu's face was grim. "You're too far removed from that era, so you might not know, but back in the day, that Demon Cultivator, Mo Long, was a Great Demon who wreaked havoc upon the world."
"The story goes that the Ruishui River was originally his. It was only after he was killed that the Moon Palace took over his territory."