Having defeated the Water Python, the group knew the area was fraught with peril and was by no means a place to linger. After a brief regroup, they immediately pressed on along the underground river. The river grew increasingly turbulent, its raging current surging like an enraged primordial beast.
The deafening roar echoed back and forth through the confined cave, as if threatening to drag everything in the world into the violent torrent. With every step they took, the rushing current pulled at their bodies like an invisible, powerful force. The companions had to stay fully focused, supporting one another as they trudged with difficulty along the treacherous riverbank.
As they pressed deeper, the river channel ahead gradually widened. After rounding a bend, the view opened up before them, and an entirely new underground river world revealed itself without reserve. Huge stalactites hung upside down from the cave ceiling, each one gleaming with colorful brilliance like rare treasures meticulously crafted by nature, that supreme artist of ingenious workmanship.
Chapter 22