C724 Let's Die Together

Bing Yue had cozied up to Woo Zhengyang like this before. Initially, it was playful teasing and testing, but over time, it became a natural habit, so it didn't mean much.

But this time was different. This time, Bing Yue held on too tightly, and they were in the water. Their clothes were thin, and they could feel each other's warmth, which was a bit distracting.

Despite the situation, Zhengyang knew how to keep his cool. He understood that being trapped underwater could be scary for Bing Yue, and it was normal for her to cling to him for comfort.

"Don't worry! You won't drown. Remember, I have a special tool. If things get tough, we can hide in there, rest up, and find a way out," Zhengyang reassured her.

"Oh, I forgot about that," Bing Yue said, still holding onto him tightly. "But suddenly, I feel like I want to stay here with you. How about you get rid of your special tool, and we just stay here together?"

Zhengyang was speechless. He'd never seen someone so eager to tempt fate, suggesting they throw away their lifeline.

Even though they had the Star Bead, Zhengyang didn't want to use it unless absolutely necessary. Once inside, he could only control it a little, not enough to fight the current. If they got swept into deeper waters, breaking through the ice would be even harder.

After some discussion, they decided to try and find their way back. All they could see was water and ice. It hadn't bothered them while they were playing around, but now it felt oppressive and disorienting. They had no idea which way to go to retrace their steps.

Sitting around waiting wasn't an option, so they marked their spot and swam into one of the tributaries. It wasn't long before they returned. That path led downward, further away from the surface. Continuing would only take them deeper underground.

This exploration made them realize their predicament was even more severe. Just like the last tributary, it branched out further, with immense pressure. They had barely gone a short distance and already felt drained. Simply finding their way was exhausting, without even considering any potential threats.

But they couldn't worry about that now. They marked their path again and entered the second branch. This one was even more complex, like the roots of an ancient tree, with countless passages. Some were wide enough for them to walk side by side, while others were so narrow that only someone as petite as Bing Yue could squeeze through. Zhengyang would get stuck.

Clearly, this wasn't the way they had come, but they decided to explore a bit further. If they could find a spot where the ice above was thin, they might be able to break through to the surface.

Unfortunately, after wandering around for quite some time, they couldn't find such a place and had to return to their starting point to enter the next passage. The two of them kept exploring different paths, hoping to find a way back or a thinner layer of ice. However, there were just too many passages, and after more than two hours, they had only managed to explore one layer without any progress.

The most frustrating part was that nightfall had arrived. Since the ice above allowed light to shine through, it wasn't too dark where they were, and they could even judge the thickness of the ice above by the light's intensity. But at night, even with a light source, it was much harder to determine the ice's thickness.

To conserve their energy, Woo Zhengyang decided they should enter the Star World. However, dealing with the Star World was a complex issue. If they emerged to find themselves in an unfamiliar place or even deeper within, it would be troublesome. Zhengyang suggested breaking through a section of ice to place the Star World inside, but Bing Yue pointed out that it wasn't feasible. The water here wasn't ordinary, and neither was the ice. The water remained warm, which was remarkable, yet the surrounding ice didn't melt despite the warm water flowing constantly, indicating it was anything but simple.

It turns out that the ice layer has an invisible protective film. With this film in place, even warm water can't melt the ice inside. However, if Woo Zhengyang breaks through the ice, he'll inevitably damage this protective film, and the ice will still melt, possibly washing away the Star Bead.

After hearing Bing Yue's explanation, Woo Zhengyang's first thought was that if breaking the film causes the ice to melt, they could use the warm water to break through the ice. But after asking Bing Yue, he realized he was being overly optimistic.

Without the protective film, the ice would indeed melt, but the film regenerates inside the ice layer over time, forming a new barrier. Additionally, the film not only isolates the ice from the warm water but also filters out impurities within the ice. So, no matter how deep Woo Zhengyang digs, the Star Bead would still be pushed out of the ice.

The peculiar ice and water left Woo Zhengyang feeling quite helpless. Not only could he not find a way back, but he couldn't even take a break. With no other options, Woo Zhengyang decided to let Bing Yue enter Star World on her own while he stayed outside with the Star Bead, planning to rest and let Bing Yue search first the next day.

There is another option, and that's bringing Hongnu out. However, Hongnu has just reached the level of a powerful being, and her skills aren't fully stabilized yet. Last time, Woo Zhengyang interrupted her retreat to deal with Huo Dongsheng. Although they were once enemies, ever since Hongnu was won over, she has been completely loyal to Woo Zhengyang, helping him with many tasks. Woo Zhengyang doesn't want to exploit her too much.

Moreover, the more Hongnu's abilities stabilize, the stronger she becomes, and the more she can assist Woo Zhengyang. Unless absolutely necessary, Woo Zhengyang doesn't want to disturb her this time.

When Bing Yue heard that Woo Zhengyang wanted her to stay outside, she was the first to object, insisting on accompanying him in his search. But Woo Zhengyang wouldn't let her have her way and forcibly sent her into the Star World.

After sending Bing Yue into the Star World, Woo Zhengyang took out a glowing pearl. He didn't want to just stand there waiting all night. Even if he couldn't find a weak spot in the ice, he wanted to try his luck and maybe discover the passage they came through.