Chapter 125

Chapter 125

Wen Qiao recounted to Ning Yuzhou the events that had befallen Blackrock Gorge over the past month, casually mentioning the underground river within it.

"The underground river should be quite long. We were in a hurry back then and didn't investigate other areas. Why don't we pick a time to go and take a look?" Wen Qiao said as she glanced at him.

Ning Yuzhou pondered for a moment before nodding. "Alright, I'll go once I've extracted the venom from these toxic plants."

"Hmm."

Wen Qiao responded cheerfully, turning to rummage through her storage bag, checking what might come in handy. After all, no one knew what secrets the underground river might hold, so being well-prepared was best.

A few days passed before Ning Yuzhou finally found the time. Together with Wen Qiao, they ventured into the subterranean stream of Blackrock Gorge.

The young wolf cub pricked up its ears alertly, realizing they were going out. It tried to follow but was caught by a large tail, dragged back.

"Auuu auuu auuu!!"

The cub howled at the alpha wolf, struggling with all four paws to free itself from the tail.

But how could a father let his cub escape? The cub could only watch helplessly as the two figures receded, until their presence faded from the cave. Then, it turned away from its father in sorrow, sinking its teeth into the large tail.

The alpha wolf flicked its tail nonchalantly. The cub's baby teeth clung tightly to the tail, hanging on like a tuft of fur. With a gentle shake, the alpha could send it flying.

Unaware of the scene in the cave, Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou left after mounting a demon wolf.

The demon wolf spread its wings, carrying them towards Blackrock Gorge.

Azure Rock Oasis wasn't far from Blackrock Gorge. With the speed of a winged demon wolf, they arrived in less than an hour.

Arriving at Blackrock Gorge, the two leaped off the Azure-winged Demon Wolf's back, entering the gorge from its mouth.

Several accompanying Azure-winged Demon Wolves, worried for their safety, followed them into the canyon.

Inside Blackrock Gorge, conditions were similar to when Wen Qiao last visited. The stench of blood had dissipated, and the dried bloodstains on the ground showed signs of fading.

They chose a passage to enter the gorge's cave.

Before entering, Wen Qiao told the demon wolves that had escorted them, "We're not sure how long we'll be inside. Why don't you go back?"

The Azure-winged Demon Wolves whined a few times, firmly shaking their heads, indicating they would wait for them here.

The passages in the cave were too narrow for adult Azure-winged Demon Wolves to fit through. Thus, Wen Qiao hadn't planned on bringing them inside, only asking them to escort her and Ning Yuzhou.

After some thought, Wen Qiao said, "That's fine, but if there's any danger, you must flee quickly. Don't wait for us."

The Azure-winged Demon Wolves whined a few times, acknowledging her words.

Wen Qiao handed each of them a bottle of spirit pills. The Azure-winged Demon Wolves happily took the pills into their mouths, more determined than ever to wait for them and carry them back to Azure Rock Oasis.

In recent days, the Azure-winged Demon Wolves had already accepted Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou as part of Azure Rock Oasis, not realizing they weren't of the same species. They had seamlessly integrated into the demon wolf pack.

Although Ning Yuzhou understood this, he remained silent.

After arranging for the demon wolves, the two entered the tunnel in Blackrock Cave.

Once again, they let two Yellow Crystal Ants lead the way, following behind. Wen Tutoo perched atop Wen Qiao's head, ears perked up, maintaining vigilance.

Though Blackrock Gorge seemed deserted, who knew if bandits might return and hide in the caves. Especially considering the complex network of caves on both sides of Blackrock Gorge, with their familiarity with the area, they might still be lurking.

With the two Yellow Crystal Ants leading the way, they didn't have to exert much effort to find the familiar anomalous stone.

During the rescue of the wolf cub, although they destroyed many caves with explosive beads, Blackrock Gorge was vast, and many places remained intact. This passage, for example, was unaffected.

The anomalous stone still blocked the way, showing no signs of having been moved.

It was clear that the anomalous stone couldn't be taken away with a storage bag, plus it was too heavy. Unless someone possessed Wen Qiao's superhuman strength, moving it would be difficult. That's why the cultivators who had intruded hadn't touched it.

Wen Qiao shifted the anomalous stone enough to create a gap for them to pass through. Together, the two humans and one rabbit entered.

As they remembered, after traversing a narrow passage, they saw the tranquil underground river flowing steadily.

They approached the riverbank, observing the surroundings.

Last time, Wen Qiao had carefully inspected the area, pointing to nearby passages. "Husband, look at those passages. I wonder if they lead outside."

Ning Yuzhou looked in the direction she indicated. "Perhaps, but they might also be dead ends."

Wen Qiao responded with an "oh," then asked, "So which direction should we go now?"

Ning Yuzhou didn't answer immediately. He listened intently to the wind and water, observed the movement of air and scents around them. After a while, he decided, "Let's first follow the river upstream and see where it leads."

"Okay."

Having made their decision, they set off together towards the river's source.

As they walked, they observed the underground river, discovering that its width varied along different sections. The further upstream they went, the narrower the river became. Simultaneously, the water grew deeper, the darkness below concealing the riverbed from sight.

In addition, the riverbank was strewn with pebbles, desolate and barren, devoid of vegetation.

They walked along the riverbank for about three hours before discovering there was no path ahead.

There, a damp rock layer lay, from which the river emerged quietly from a cave, nearly filling the entire cavern. If they insisted on proceeding upstream, they would have to dive underwater.

However, despite the surface of the underground river appearing calm, unknown dangers might lurk beneath, possibly even powerful aquatic demon beasts. Given their current strength, it was best not to venture down lightly.

They retraced their steps.

Returning to their starting point, they continued downstream.

The further they went downriver, the wider the river became. The pebbles by the riverbank dwindled in number, gradually turning from large rocks into sand. After walking for some time, they found that the riverbank had transformed into moist soil, with some shade-loving spirit grasses growing sparsely within.

Unable to resist, Wen Qiao said, "My husband, it seems the river widens downstream, and the soil by the riverbank is more suitable for the growth of spirit grasses. The Golden-Beard Black-Winged Butterfly Flower we dug up that day must have grown somewhere downstream."

"It should be so," Ning Yuzhou said, looking at the spirit grasses by the riverbank. "This underground river is longer than I imagined, and the environment here is quite good."

How so?

As Wen Qiao was pondering this, she saw Ning Yuzhou bend over and pluck a handful of grass leaves from the riverbank.

Startled, she nervously grabbed his hand and said, "Don't touch things randomly with your hands. What if it's a poisonous plant?"

Ning Yuzhou smiled at her, enjoying her concern, but said, "It's fine. In recent days, I've come into contact with many poisonous plants, which haven't had any effect on me."

Wen Qiao responded with an "oh," scrutinized his complexion, and silently squeezed his hand before letting go.

Ning Yuzhou then proceeded to pick some samples of the poisonous plants he saw by the riverbank, storing them in jade boxes as they continued their journey downstream.

The further they went, the wider the river became. Soon, they discovered that the river split into three, flowing towards three different cave openings. The caves varied in size, and it was unknown where they led.

Unable to help herself, Wen Qiao looked at Ning Yuzhou, curious about his insights.

Ning Yuzhou gazed at the three rivers, musing, "The place where we dug up the Golden-Beard Black-Winged Butterfly Flower that day must have been one of these three rivers…"

Since they didn’t know where these three rivers flowed or what lay along their courses, they arbitrarily chose the middle river and launched the small boat they had prepared onto its waters.

The boat sailed downstream without much effort required, gliding smoothly along with the current.

Silence surrounded them, broken only by the sound of the boat moving through the water.

The river surface was about ten feet below the cave ceiling. Standing by the side of the boat, they observed their surroundings. Soon, Wen Qiao noticed that the distance between the river and the cave ceiling was increasing, intuiting that the river seemed to be heading towards even deeper underground regions.

As she thought about this, her ears twitched, and she listened carefully, saying, "There seems to be a waterfall ahead."

Ning Yuzhou was taken aback but did not doubt her judgment. He activated the defensive array on the boat.

This boat was a spirit tool of the Profound rank, casually refined by Ning Yuzhou when he was bored in the past. Its quality wasn’t great, but it was engraved with some defensive arrays. If they encountered any danger, it could hold out for a while.

Soon, they both heard the thunderous sound of rushing water, and the boat’s speed increased.

Amidst the roaring water, the boat skimmed across the surface and then plummeted from a height into the pool below, submerged under the great waters.

For a moment, the boat remained submerged before finally resurfacing, pushed far away by the surrounding currents.

At this point, Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou also got a clear view of their surroundings, momentarily stunned.

The banks of the river were expansive, covered with lush vegetation stretching as far as the eye could see.

This was clearly a vast underground space with abundant forests and grass, highly suitable for the growth of spirit grasses.

Wen Qiao controlled the boat, waiting for it to reach the shore before leaping off with Ning Yuzhou.

They stowed the small boat in their storage bags and walked towards the lush vegetation by the riverbank.

Here, numerous spirit plants flourished, even though they were in a sunless underground space. Due to the moist air and abundant spiritual energy, the spirit plants grew luxuriantly. Vines that thrived in the shade climbed all over the walls around them, adorned with blossoms of purple flowers. The stamens of these flowers glowed, adorning the space like a fantastical and beautiful world.

Wen Tuantuan reached out to grab a fruit from the roadside, sniffed it, and then stuffed it into its mouth to munch on.

Wen Qiao said, "Wen Tuantuan, don’t eat fruit on top of my head, okay?"

Wen Tuantuan jumped to her shoulder to munch.

Ning Yuzhou glanced at it, unable to bear it any longer. "Neither should you munch on Ah Xue’s shoulder."

Wen Tuantuan gave him a look and jumped into Wen Qiao’s arms to munch.

Ning Yuzhou: "…"

Ning Yuzhou extended his hand to lift the audacious rabbit that dared to act spoiled in his beloved Ah Xue’s arms and tossed it away.

Wen Tuantuan leaped in the direction he threw it, the wind gently supporting its body, allowing it to land gracefully on a branch of a tall tree with straight limbs. At the top of the tree, a ring of green spirit fruits hung.

Suddenly, Wen Tuantuan made a puffing sound, spitting out the fruit in its mouth.

The spirit fruit flew out, hitting nearby bushes. A hissing sound followed, and then a gray rock python emerged, lunging at Wen Tuantuan.

Wen Tuantuan let out a threatening growl and suddenly jumped up, smashing into the rock python like a ball of fur while simultaneously flashing its claws to rake across the python’s body, tearing off scales.

The rock python cried out in pain, its golden eyes staring coldly at it as its thick tail lashed out.

Wen Tuantuan deftly dodged, and the tree struck by the snake’s tail snapped with a loud crack.

As Wen Tuantuan and the rock python grappled, Wen Qiao drew out the Sun Bow, nocked an arrow, and aimed at the rock python.

The arrow left the bowstring, shooting forth like a streak of flame, leaving a trail of solar aura in the air.

The rock python sensed danger and forcibly stopped its attack, diving into the nearby bushes.

The stone-golden arrow headed toward the rock python, forcefully breaking through obstacles and pinning the python’s tail to the ground, sinking several inches deep.

The rock python let out a pained cry, writhing violently. Wen Tuantuan once again turned into a ball of fur, smashing down hard enough to break the python’s bones.

The rock python lost its fighting capability, lying weakly on the ground. Wen Tuantuan calmly sat on its head and continued munching on its fruit.

Wen Qiao put away the Sun Bow and happily said to Ning Yuzhou, "My husband, the Sun Bow works really well."

Ning Yuzhou had also witnessed her actions earlier. The Sun Bow was a spirit tool of the Earth rank, imbued with the power of the sun. Its arrows were fierce and domineering, their momentum like the sun itself. Even an Eighth-Order rock python, once targeted, would find it difficult to escape harm.

In truth, Wen Qiao’s strength alone was insufficient to injure the rock python. But because Wen Tuantuan held the python back, coupled with the power of the Sun Bow and the solar force contained in the arrows, the rock python had the misfortune of being nailed to the ground by the Sun Bow’s arrows.

Unexpectedly, an Eighth-Order Rock Python was lurking here. Concerned about potential dangers nearby, Wen Qiao instructed Wen Tutu to scout the area while she guarded Ning Yuzhou's side.

Wen Tutu obediently scoured the surroundings and reported back, assuring her that apart from the Rock Python, there were no other imminent threats in the vicinity.

The reason they hadn't detected the Rock Python earlier was straightforward; it wasn't originally present in this location. Instead, it had sensed their presence and slithered out from a hidden cave, promptly noticed by Wen Tutu who launched an immediate attack.

Curious, Wen Qiao inspected the cave, discovering it concealed behind dense foliage, only wide enough for the adult-sized Rock Python to navigate. Its path remained unknown, veiled in mystery.

Confident that no dangers lurked unseen, the duo proceeded to explore the rest of the space.

As they walked and observed, they found that while the spiritual plants flourished abundantly, there were scarce traces of spiritual herbs. Instead, the ground was littered with toxic vegetation, thriving in the shade, their venomous nature potent and dominant.

Wen Qiao remarked, "Those bandits from Blackrock Gorge must be aware of this place. Perhaps the Golden-Whiskered Blackwing Butterfly was discovered right here. My husband, look at this—there are remnants left by the Golden-Whiskered Blackwing Butterfly."

Ning Yuzhou's gaze followed hers, immediately comprehending the significance of the traces she mentioned.

The Golden-Whiskered Blackwing Butterfly thrives in decaying muck, with its blooms most vibrant amidst the stench of decay.

When it blossoms, the golden whiskers surrounding the petals detach themselves, transforming into golden dust that mixes with the muck, serving as nourishment essential for the butterfly's growth.

Indeed, there was a mire present, and within it lay specks of golden powder, remnants of the whiskers that had once adorned the butterfly.

"You're correct," agreed Ning Yuzhou. "They likely excavated all the spiritual herbs, leaving behind only these toxic plants."

Wen Qiao rolled her eyes, finding fault with the bandits' lack of foresight in sustainable practices. Wouldn't it have been more prudent to leave some seedlings behind for future growth and utilization?