An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori

Everyone was shocked by the scene unfolding before their eyes.

The pillar of light shooting into the sky, the enormous vortex at the center of the lake, and the receding water—all signs pointed to a major change.

The tension between the two factions was forgotten as their attention shifted toward the extraordinary phenomenon in the lake, silently hoping for the revelation of treasures.

The central vortex in the lake spun faster, expanding its reach as the receding water vanished into the vortex. In just half an hour, the lake had dried up significantly.

Finally, a palace-like structure hidden beneath the lakebed unveiled itself. The grand building was cloaked in an eerie black hue and covered in moss.

Standing in quiet majesty, it resembled a dormant ancient colossal beast, emitting an overwhelming sense of oppression.

"There really is treasure here! This is fantastic!" The sight of the palace excited everyone.

Judging by its size, the previous owner must have been incredibly wealthy, possibly even a royal family member from ancient times.

extensive collection of treasures, enough to establish

intensified, signifying the presence of invaluable treasures concealed within the

up, exposing a dark lakebed. At

lake's waters, along with its monstrous inhabitants, had

enormous sinkhole, with the black palace standing proudly

was also filled with a multitude of

of the pillar of light's emergence, various factions were drawn towards the lake from different directions. All of them were groups who

that anyone who entered the

arrived at the scene, while others who were farther away were

though nobody knew what had caused the phenomenon, its sudden

hour, several forces had

them were exploration teams, martial arts sects, governmental authorities, and even foreign entities. It was truly