Fei was inside the massive and mysterious underground ocean.
He closed eyes and fully expanded his spiritual power. Like invisible tentacles, the spiritual power reached out in all directions, but it wasn't able to detect anything.
After doing some calculations, Fei knew that he could only last about 20 minutes in here.
"I have to leave."
Even though he was at the peak of Nine-Star, he would be in trouble if he ran out of oxygen for an hour. Although he was very curious, he didn't want to risk his life; he clearly remembered the idiom – Curiosity killed the cat.
After he sighed in disappointment, he controlled the sphere he was in and followed the current of the water to move back up.
At this moment, something changed. The underground ocean that was berserk gradually calmed down and the invisible force that was stirring up this ocean suddenly disappeared.
This change shocked Fei, and he subconsciously "looked down" with his spiritual power.
Instantly, his eyes almost popped out of his head.
He suddenly discovered that many mermaid-like creatures were swimming around 1,500 meters below. These creatures were swimming at a fast pace; they would disappear in just a few seconds.
Under these creatures, Fei "saw" a magnificent landscape, and there seemed to a pattern to it.
"Wait... palaces at the bottom of the ocean!? WTF?"
Fei was so shocked that he swore habitually.
He changed his mind and tried to dive deeper to have a better look.
However, his spiritual power was being unleashed at full capacity, and it was depleting since the king had used it for a long time. Fei felt like the area he was able to scan was shrinking, and the water pressure was increasing. As light crackling noises sounded inside the sphere, Fei could no longer sense those creatures and the palaces at the bottom of the ocean.
After some thinking, Fei decided to give up for now; he won't be able to dive down for another 1,500 meters with his current strength. If he forced himself to go down that deep, his body might be crashed into meat paste. If he wanted to figure out what was at the bottom of the ocean, he had to increase his spiritual power. If he wanted to get to the bottom of the ocean and explore the secrets in this ocean, he would have to become a Moon-Class Elite first.
Fei quickly followed the current and went back up to the top.
...
Prince Fairenton and his subordinates were waiting anxiously by a water well that was about three meters in diameter.
Inle jumped into this water well 20 minutes ago with a rope around his waist; he was in charge of figuring out what was going on.
"Are the people of Zenit playing a trick? Didn't something change in the groundwater? Or is there a Demon Beast in the groundwater?" Fairenton thought.
20 minutes had passed, and the water stopped jetting up into the sky.
However, Inle still hadn't returned. If he pulled on the rope, the people on the ground would drag him out of the water.
The water was calm, yet the quietness was killing Fairenton. The only thing that calmed him down was that the water hadn't turned bloody-red yet.
Fairenton was worried because Inle was one of his guards.
Inle was an orphan, and he had been accompanying Fairenton since they were both kids. When Fairenton was sent to the Big Snow Mountain to learn to cultivate as a warrior, Inle was with him as well. Although Inle's official status was Fairenton's guard, he was like a brother in Fairenton's mind.
Inle wasn't that talented; even though he also cultivated in Big Snow Mountain, one of the Cultivation Holy Land, for more than ten years, he was only a peak Three-Star Warrior. However, he was born with a lot of physical strength, and he was good in the water. He was extremely loyal to Fairenton, and this prince always brought him along.
"Don't wait anymore! Pull on the rope and drag Inle up!" Fairenton couldn't remain calm after a while, and he ordered the soldiers to pull Inle up.
"Sh*t! Look! The rope broke..." a soldier shouted.
The rope got pulled out of the water, and everyone realized that it was cut; the edge was clean, so something sharp like a knife probably cut it.
"Damn it!" a lot of soldiers were shocked.
Puff!
Water splashed around in the next second.
Before anyone could react, Prince Fairenton jumped into the water well without saying anything.
"Your Highness?"
"Prince..."
"Sir!!"
The generals who were standing around the water well were stunned. "The prince is willing to put himself in danger for a guard? Who knows if there is a monster down there. If something happened to the prince, Emperor Fuji would be mad, and none of us can live through the punishment," they thought.
Some of the short-tempered generals were getting ready to jump into the water as well.
"Wait," that mid-aged man who looked like a noble of Zenit stopped them. He shouted, "His Highness is powerful, and he would be able to return safely. If you guys go down, you would only be His Highness' burden. Do you want to kill Fairenton His Highness?"
The emotional generals looked at each other in unison and calmed down a little.
"Yuck! Damn you! I don't know how you got the trust of His Highness as a member of Zenit, but I will cut off your head and use it as a toilet for the Sand Tigers if His Highness doesn't come back in 30 minutes!" the Deputy Commander of the troops of Jax grabbed onto the collar of this mid-aged man and threatened. After he was done, he pushed this mid-aged man to aside.
This man staggered after he got pushed back; he almost fell onto the ground.
However, he didn't look mad.
He straightened his collar that was wrinkled as he smiled; it looked like he wasn't affected by the bloody threats at all.
Boom!
At this moment, a ton of water splashed out as a red energy flame appeared.
"Call over the best doctors and healing mages!"
This person was Prince Fairenton. His red energy flames burned vigorously around him, and all the water on him evaporated. Due to the overuse of his Warrior Energy, his face paled.
He had Inle in his hand; this man had already fainted.
Soon, the doctors and mages came over and started the inspection.
"Don't worry, Your Highness! Mr. Inle only fainted due to the lack of oxygen. It looks like his rope got cut by a rock, and he wasn't able to find the exit in time. Although he is injured a little after his body hit against the walls of the water well, it is not a big deal. He should recover in a few days," a white-haired doctor said after the inspection.
After that, a mage in a white robe chanted a spell, and a dash of warm blue energy was injected into Inle's body. Inle's face instantly turned red from pale, and he coughed up the cold water he swallowed.
"It is fortunate that Your Highness found him in time; otherwise, he would be in danger," that mage sighed with an admiring expression, "As a prince, Your Highness' status is truly prestigious. However, you are willing to place yourself in danger for a guard. I, Alahan, really need to praise you for what you did."
This mage was also a white-haired elder, and he had been with the military for a long time. Although he never participated in battles and was only a Two-Star Mage, he had healed a lot of soldiers, and he was well-known and well-respected by them. When he praised Fairenton, it was clear that he truly meant it, and what he said resonated with a lot of soldiers.
The Jax Empire had a strict hierarchy and a lot of slaves. Fairenton was a prestigious prince, and he was willing to put himself in danger for a guard; in the eyes of many low-level soldiers, this prince had the generosity and the kindness that royal members rarely had, and they were all moved by it.
"I'm just... doing what a commander, a general, and a friend should do."
Fairenton lightly frowned and replied with that haughty and cold tone; he didn't expect this old mage to say this, and he didn't like earning respect this way.
"Your Highness! Long live Your Highness! We are willing to battle to the death for Your Highness!" all the soldiers around him kneeled down and chanted.
"We are willing to follow Your Highness and battle for Emperor Fuji His Majesty and Your Highness! We are going to conquer Dual-Flags City for you and take back our Royal Flag! We will make sure that Your Highness' name is heard at every corner and every oasis in Jax!"
All the generals in the area also kneeled down and expressed their loyalty.
Under the bright moonlight, Fairenton's shadow dragged on the sand alongside his dark red cape. With tens of thousands of soldiers kneeling around him, it felt like he was standing on the path of an emperor.