Chapter 98: Drifting into Danger! A New Resting Place?

The icy river water seemed to suck out the warm air hidden in the marrow of one's bones.

Wang Shan didn't know how long he had drifted along the Dark River; his innards felt like they were about to be shaken apart, and his head was heavy and muddled, as if stuffed with paste.

"Cough… cough cough!"

He choked on a few mouthfuls of water, a fishy-sweet taste surging straight to his forehead, which made him slightly clearer.

He strained to open his eyes; before him was pitch black, only the sound of rushing water gurgling nonstop in his ears.

"Zhizhe… Zhitao…"

He wanted to shout, but his throat was so dry it smoked, and the sound he made was hardly louder than a mosquito's hum.

After an unknown amount of time, he felt the water beneath him slow a bit, as if his body had struck something hard.

With the last of his strength, Wang Shan flailed a hand and grabbed a slippery piece of rock.

Gritting his teeth, he dragged himself out of the water like a dead dog, bit by bit, and collapsed on a relatively dry stretch of shore.

"Hah… hah…"

Wang Shan panted heavily, every part of his body aching, his soaked clothes clinging cold and heavy to him. Spiritual power? It was long gone, enough to run a horse on.

"System, scan!" he called out weakly in his mind.

"Beep—environmental scan in progress… underground lake region, diameter about three hundred zhang, depth unknown. The air contains trace corrosive gas, concentration low. Prolonged stay would slightly harm the respiratory tract and skin of Body Refining-stage cultivators. No high-energy demon beast response above Third Tier detected. Detected low-level aquatic organisms and fungi…"

"Corrosive gas? Good heavens, this is not letting anyone live!" Wang Shan heard the system's report, feeling bitter in his heart. Just out of the wolf's den, now into the tiger's lair—what kind of thing is this!

However, no high-level demon beasts—this is a stroke of luck amid misfortune.

He felt himself over; during his earlier tussle with the giant lizard and Wan Tianjue, he'd used up most of his talismans, leaving only a few damaged scraps and a mess of demon beast materials.

"System, how many points can these junk items be recycled for?"

"Beep—recycling remnants of a First-level Diamond Talisman yields one Spirit Plant Point. Recycling remnants of a Second-rank Water Escape Talisman yields three Spirit Plant Points… recycling scale fragments of a Third-rank Peak Mutated Giant Lizard yields twenty Spirit Plant Points… total gained: thirty-seven Spirit Plant Points."

Thirty-seven points? Wang Shan nearly choked. What can these Spirit Plant Points do? Not even enough to stuff between his teeth!

"Exchange, the lowest-grade healing pill!" He couldn't afford to be picky now; just staying alive would be good.

"Beep—exchanging for a First-order Return Spring Pill consumes thirty Spirit Plant Points. Host's current Spirit Plant Points remaining: seven."

A pill the size of a pigeon's egg, exuding a faint medicinal aroma, appeared in his hand. Wang Shan didn't bother to taste it; he tossed it straight into his mouth and swallowed it whole.

The pill entered his belly, turning into a weak warm current that nourished his dried meridians and injured body. Though the effect was modest, it at least let him catch his breath, and the feeling of falling apart lessened considerably.

He propped himself up and sat, taking in the underground lake.

The lake water was pitch black, bottom unseen, only faint phosphorescence flickering on the surface. All around were jagged rock walls covered in slippery moss.

"Can't keep staying in this damned place; that corrosive gas sounds bad just hearing it." Wang Shan muttered, beginning to feel along the lakeshore.

After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, his eyes lit up—on one side of the lake he discovered a pitch-black cave mouth.

"An exit?" Wang Shan's spirits lifted, and he staggered over.

The cave mouth was small, only enough for one person to bend through. He poked his head in to look; inside was pitch dark, seeming to be an upward passage.

However, when he tried to go in, he found the passage entrance blocked solidly by several huge rocks.

"Damn it!" Wang Shan couldn't help cursing.

He tried pushing one of the rocks, but it didn't budge an inch.

"Heave-ho!" Wang Shan flushed red, exerting all his strength, yet the rock remained as steady as Mount Tai.

In his current state, not to mention moving a boulder—just lugging a small stone was a struggle.

"Could it really be that I'm doomed to die here?" Wang Shan plopped onto the ground; the hope that had just risen was mostly dashed. He didn't know how his descendants were faring, and wondered whether Wan Tianjue that old dog might also have chased him down the Dark River… Thinking of this made his head feel as big as a bucket.

Just as Wang Shan felt somewhat despairing, wondering whether to jump back into the Dark River to try his luck, the system's voice suddenly sounded in his mind.

"Beep—alert! Alert! Ahead, the passage shows signs of life activity! Energy level: around Body Refining Eighth Layer, quantity: two. The target is attempting to clear the obstruction!"

"Huh?" Wang Shan jolted, instantly springing to his feet. "Someone? Or two Body Refining Eighth Layer cultivators?"

He immediately restrained his aura, clinging like a gecko to a rock crevice beside the passage mouth, exposing only his eyes, nervously staring at the boulders blocking the way.

"System, give me a detailed scan! Where do they come from?"

"Beep—scanning… Target one: male, about thirty, Body Refining Eighth Layer cultivation, wielding a Second-rank Breaking Awl. Target two: male, about twenty-five, Body Refining Seventh Peak cultivation, wielding a First-level Kaishan Axe. Clad in sewn animal hides, carrying simple tools… preliminarily judged as barbarian pioneers or a treasure-hunting squad."

"Pioneers? Treasure hunters?"

Wang Shan's heart stirred. From the meaning, it seemed they didn't know that beyond this passage lay such a dangerous underground world, nor that below dwelled a mutant giant lizard capable of reducing Foundation Establishment cultivators to a sorry state.

"Body Refining Eighth Layer… two of them…" Wang Shan mused. In his present condition, not to mention Eighth Layer—even a Fifth Layer Body Refining cultivator could finish him off. A head‑on clash would surely fail.

But this was the only chance to escape that damned place.

"Let's gamble!" Wang Shan gritted his teeth.

He cleared his somewhat hoarse throat, gathered his emotions, then called out in the weakest, most harmless voice he could manage toward the other side of the rock: "Hey… outside… is anyone out there?"

His voice wasn't loud, but in this silent underground space it sounded especially clear.

"Thud!"

Only a muffled thud came from the other side of the passage, as if someone's tool had fallen to the ground.

Immediately followed was a rustling sound and lowered conversation.

"Big brother, did you hear that? It sounds… like someone's speaking?" a somewhat younger voice said, tinged with uncertainty and tension.

"Don't make a sound!" a steadier voice snapped, "Watch out for a trick!"

Wang Shan's heart tightened; it seemed the other party was very wary.

He quickly shouted again: "Fellow Daoists… fellow Daoists, don't misunderstand! I… I am a cultivator who fell here by accident, trapped and badly wounded, and I'd like to ask you two for a favor!"

To increase credibility, he even coughed a few times on purpose, appearing even weaker.

The other side of the passage fell silent for a moment.

"Trapped? Who are you? How did you get down here?" the steady voice sounded again, full of vigilance.

"It's a long story… I… I'm Wang Shan, chased by enemies, panicked and took the wrong route, and ended up falling down here." Wang Shan spoke half‑truthfully, "Down there… it's dangerous; if you two Daoists could lend a brother a hand, I'll surely repay you handsomely in the future."

Are enemies chasing you? Is it dangerous down there? That voice carried a hint of doubt.

Absolutely certain! Down there… down there is a Dark River, and… and there's something even more terrifying! Wang Shan's voice was kept very low, creating a mysterious and dangerous atmosphere, "I barely escaped with my life."

Another silence.

Wang Shan's heart rose to his throat. Success or failure depended on this move!

After a while, the steady voice spoke again: "Wait inside, don't play tricks! We two brothers will discuss it."

"Okay… okay, thank you, fellow Daoists!" Wang Shan let out a breath.

From the other party's tone, it seemed to have loosened a bit.

"Big brother, is what he says true? Is there really danger down there?" the young man's voice asked.

Hard to say. But his voice really sounds weak, not like he's faking it. Moreover, if we can clear this place, we might actually discover a new area." The steady voice analyzed, "Let's first see the situation; if he truly has no ill intent, helping him is no problem, and we might even get some useful information out of him."

"Then… what should we do?"

"First, shift this smallest stone to open a gap, then we'll see what's inside."

"Good!"

Immediately afterward, Wang Shan heard from the other side of the rock the strained "huff-huff" sounds of effort, and the "clang-clang" of tools striking stone.

"There's hope!"

Wang Shan felt a surge of joy, but he didn't dare let his guard down, still pressing tightly against the rock, ready to respond to any sudden developments.

After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, there was a "crack" and the small rock blocking the top was pried open, revealing a gap just wide enough for one person to pass.

A weak beam of light seeped through the gap, making Wang Shan's eyes, accustomed to darkness, feel a little uncomfortable.

"Person inside, are you still there?" the steady voice came from outside the gap.

"I… I've been here all along!" Wang Shan replied hastily.

"Come out slowly, don't make any unnecessary moves!"

"Okay, okay!"

Wang Shan took a deep breath, straightened his tattered clothes, then carefully, step by step, squeezed out of the narrow gap.

When he had fully emerged from the passage and felt the outside air—slightly turbid yet incredibly familiar—he almost burst into tears from excitement.

Outside the passage stood two men: one burly, with a dark complexion, holding a cold‑glint Breaking‑Armor Awl—this was the Body Refining Eighth Layer cultivator. The other was somewhat frail but sharp‑eyed, gripping a Kaishan Axe, watching Wang Shan warily.

Seeing Wang Shan covered in wounds and in a sorry state, the two men's vigilance eased a little.

"You… really came out of that Dark River down below?" the burly man asked, sizing Wang Shan up and down.

Wang Shan gave a wry smile and nodded: "I was lucky to snatch back my life."

"What… exactly is down there?" the young man couldn't help but ask curiously.

Wang Shan glanced at the dark passage, his heart still pounding, and said: "It's hard to put into words, but it's certainly no good place. Fellow Daoists, thanks for your help—could we first join forces to fully clear this passage? I'd like to leave this damned place as soon as possible."

The burly man and the young man exchanged a glance.

"We can help you clear it, but you have to tell us what's down there." The burly man said, "We two brothers scratch out a living in this wild frontier, and we value information above all."

"Of course." Wang Shan nodded immediately, "As long as I can get out of here, I'll hold nothing back."

At last… I see hope of escaping this damned place!