After defeating the Water Python, the expressions of the group were as heavy and vigilant as the gloom before a storm. They knew well that this perilous region was like the mouth of a giant beast with countless hidden fangs, where lingering for even a second could prove a fatal mistake—it was by no means a place to stay long. Wasting no time, they swiftly and efficiently packed their gear, replenished their rations and water, and immediately pressed onward along the winding subterranean river.
Along the way, the current of the underground river grew increasingly turbulent and fierce, roaring and surging like an enraged ancient water beast. The bone-chilling water lashed wildly at the banks like ferocious wild beasts, splashing spray that instantly soaked their clothes as the biting cold pierced straight to their bones. The air was thick with the scent of dampness and decay—a mixture of silt, mold, and the sediment of ages, as if every breath carried the weight of a millennia-old vicissitude.
As they pressed deeper, the river channel suddenly widened, and a magnificent, towering waterfall abruptly appeared before them. The water cascaded down from the heights with the momentum of a galloping army of ten thousand horses, its majestic force seeming capable of crushing the entire world. The water crashed into the pool below, producing a deafening roar that echoed continuously through the cavern like muffled battle drums pounding against their eardrums. Behind the waterfall, the…
Chapter 23