Finally, after drifting in the water for over forty days, Nan Zhi discovered land while out hunting.
However, she seriously doubted she was still on Earth.
She had never seen green soil on Earth that was tinged with grass-green and interspersed with burning stones.
Large chunks of ore were scattered across the ground, some only half-exposed. Clusters of pale red flames roared and burned, illuminating the shallows where Nan Zhi came ashore.
Even in the water, many knuckle-sized pebbles were scattered about. Miraculously, the flames on the stones were not extinguished; they continued to burn of their own accord.
【Metal Essence Mud: A product of the dissipation of spiritual energy and the decay of nutrients after metal-element spirit herbs wither. It is one of the important auxiliary materials for refining Swift-Walking Pills, Heavenly Fragrance Pills, and Exotic Fragrance Ointment.】
【Sun-Burning Stone: A special ore formed in places where the Golden Crow has passed, imbued with sunlight. It burns constantly and can be used to sharpen sword weapons.】
“This place is definitely not Earth. This deep underground, where would a sun come from?”
Nan Zhi bent down and picked up a Sun-Burning Stone to examine it closely.
The fire did not burn her hand; its temperature appeared to be no more than forty degrees Celsius. Held in her palm, a faint warmth flowed through her entire body. Though it was only the size of a palm, its weight was quite substantial.
She truly was no longer on Earth.
The average thickness of the Earth's crust was only about seventeen kilometers. Compared to the radius of the planet, this layer was as thin as an eggshell.
The strange fish moved at a high speed. Having traveled at full speed in one direction for so many days, they should have long since passed through the upper mantle and fallen into the magma-filled lower mantle.
“A secret realm? A dungeon? Or a different dimension?”
Nan Zhi couldn't help but check the game system repeatedly, but there were no prompts.
She picked up a large Sun-Burning Stone and threw it forcefully toward the ceiling. With a boom, the two-meter-high boulder soared like a blazing fireball, its bright orange-red light dimly illuminating the surroundings.
Rumble...
Rumble...
Boom...
The light vanished, and the dull thud of the boulder hitting the ground echoed repeatedly. Although it was only for a moment, it was enough for Nan Zhi to see the surrounding landscape.
This was an extremely wide underground karst cave. Strange rocks stood like a forest inside, and caves of various sizes were clustered on the stone walls. The smallest could only fit a fist, while the largest were bottomless, their ends invisible.
Nan Zhi tried to explore with her divine sense and found that the restrictions she had felt before had disappeared.
In her perception, these caves were interconnected and ran through each other. There were tens of thousands of dense passages, looking very much like an underground ant nest.
Beside the cave was a vast subterranean riverbank that stretched beyond sight. The water was filled with small Sun-Burning Stones. These burning stones formed a natural strip of light that seemed to guide the way.
Nan Zhi had just emerged from that subterranean river.
She closed her eyes to explore carefully but found she could no longer find the path she had come from. Even the giant fish bus she had spent so much time with had disappeared without a trace.
“There's no going back, that's for sure. I have to find another way out. Fortunately, I have everything on me.”
The exotic fragrance in the air grew increasingly rich and enticing. Nan Zhi patted the jade belt at her waist and took out a Spirit Beast Talisman. With a flash of green light, Hongluo appeared and stretched.
“We're on land? Guniang, where are we?”
Seeing that Nan Zhi had indeed found land, Hongluo was naturally delighted. Noticing the flaming Sun-Burning Stones on the ground, she couldn't help but say excitedly, as if presenting a treasure:
“Guniang, I recognize these! Back when Ma San was still alive, he knew a few sword cultivators. They loved using these stones to polish their sword blades. A piece only as big as a pinky finger is worth a tael of gold!”
They were that valuable?
Nan Zhi looked back, and in her eyes, the scattered stones on the ground all turned into glittering gold ingots.
“I wonder if there are more of these stones further ahead. There's no harm in digging up more. I have a friend who also uses a sword; if I bring these back for her, she'll definitely be happy.”
She couldn't help but marvel at her luck. She took out a medicine shovel and tossed it to Hongluo.
“Any stones or spirit herbs you dig up yourself in this secret realm, I'll store them separately for you. When we get out, you can keep them to give as gifts or exchange them for money, as you wish.”
Raising a child was different from raising a spirit pet. For a young girl of this age, there was a big difference between 'having enough money' and 'having money of her own to control.'
“I don't need that! I'll dig more to trade for cultivation resources so that Guniang can become a Golden Immortal sooner!”
Hongluo was full of energy, her medicine shovel moving so fast it was almost a blur. Since she had little strength, she specifically targeted medium-sized stones, piling them in groups of ten for Nan Zhi to collect.
The two worked in perfect harmony. Before long, Nan Zhi's inventory had three new slots filled with stacks of 99 Sun-Burning Stones.
She didn't even pass over the Metal Essence Mud on the ground, harvesting a full forty cubic meters. This amount was enough to use as food, let alone for alchemy.
“...Ah!”
Nan Zhi was studying which path to take to find the source of the fragrance when she suddenly heard a soft cry from Hongluo not far away.
In a flash, she moved so fast she practically teleported. Upon closer inspection, however, Hongluo wasn't in any danger.
The young girl stood there with an uneasy expression. Not far away by the water lay a woman on her back, her clothes tattered and several wounds exposed.
Her clothes looked somewhat familiar, and a pair of oval glasses with shattered lenses lay by her hand.
“Guniang, I was digging for stones here and saw something lying here. I was about to call you when I realized... it seemed to be a person, so I cried out in surprise.”
Hongluo ran over, hugging Nan Zhi's arm and hiding behind her as she whispered.
“She looks like a woman who met with disaster. I don't know how she ended up here. She's barely clinging to life; she looks like she's about to die.”
“She should be a government official. This secret realm is vast and full of danger. To meet here is a matter of fate.”
Nan Zhi had seen Qin Yue wear a similar black uniform, so she immediately realized the woman's identity.
She was likely a member of the official Special Investigation Bureau from the real world.
But how did their people end up here?
Could they have followed her from the bottom of the Yellow River and entered this unknown place as well?
“Ugh... cough... don't mind me... go... must... go home...”
The woman lying on her back let out a long groan, coughing up a large amount of blood. Her lifeless eyes opened, seemingly looking at Nan Zhi, yet also appearing to be in a delirium.
“Take it back... go... go...”
The crimson blood flowed along the stone beach into the river. Immediately, a series of violent splashing sounds came from the distant caves.
The sound was massive, echoing through the cave clusters like the low growl of a giant beast.
“Something is coming. Hongluo—”
Nan Zhi immediately crouched down and picked the woman up. Hongluo instantly transformed into a small hedgehog and jumped into the wide sleeve of the green robe. Nan Zhi waved her hand to summon a ball of water to wash away the scent of blood, then activated the Hiding Art and sped away along the trail of Sun-Burning Stone flames.
Barely three breaths later, the water suddenly churned into massive waves. Countless thick pillars of water rose out of nowhere, the force causing giant boulders from the cave ceiling to crash down.
Boom!
Boom!
Rumble!
A moment later, two incredibly thick green tentacles, about five meters in diameter, emerged from the water. They lashed wildly in the air as if searching for something, refusing to give up for a long time.
Rate on N.U.
