Divine Tang Era

In the past few days, the amount of stalactite falling from the stone pillars has gradually decreased, and Xu Dan has started cutting again.

Cut everything again, and you've reached the root; the top of the cave is just above.

Fortunately, there is still plenty of natural milk, so there is no fear of running out of food immediately. However, it is better to plan ahead and find a way out or see if there are other foods, as we cannot rely entirely on natural milk.

To the left of the cave is a large area of ​​stalactites, with all kinds of stalactites lying in the cave, like a world of sculptures.

After passing through the stalactite formations for about a few hundred meters, you will reach the end, where there is a stalactite wall.

Calling it the end isn't entirely accurate, because there are several caves in the stalactite walls, some large, some small, and their destinations are unknown. Xu Dan had been here before but dared not explore, fearing he would get lost inside. Now, for the sake of a way out and food, he had no choice but to go and take a look.

The cave was smooth, so Xu Dan used his short sword to dig small holes in the cave wall and held onto them with his hands to avoid slipping into some unknown place.

If we go back, we won't be able to come back; if we go out, we won't be able to get out. We'll starve to death in the cave, and then we're doomed.

The cave is winding and uneven, with ups and downs.

Xu Dan climbed about twenty meters, but couldn't see the end, so he stopped, cut a rock, grabbed it, and threw it forward. The rock landed with a series of crisp sounds, meaning it landed inside the cave, not yet at the end.

If we continue forward, we might get lost.

Xu Dan dared not climb any further and slowly retreated back to the original cave.

It seems there's no hope of finding a way out or food here, so we'll have to look in the other direction.

Unlike the front, the other side of the cave wasn't filled with stalagmites or stalactites protruding from the ground. There were only a few scattered clusters of them, and further on, the ground was flat, but with more crystals. These crystals grew in clusters on the ground, mostly transparent, but some were jet black, and each one was as thick as a thigh.

These things would probably be worth a lot of money in Xu Dan's previous modern society, but now they're just a pile of garbage.

After walking another three or four hundred meters, a huge stone wall appeared in front of him. Xu Dan had been here before, so it was not surprising.

Now we mainly want to check if there's anything we missed before, since we only glanced at it briefly and didn't examine it carefully.

To the left of the stone wall was another stone wall, nothing much to see; to the right was an underground river, its waters surging and flowing ever onward. Xu Dan peered into the direction the underground river flowed, and it was shrouded in darkness, as if a monstrous beast was hiding there, savagely swallowing the river water in one gulp, emitting a strange, wailing sound.

Xu Dan was so frightened that he ran away quickly.

After looking around but finding nothing of value or direction, he decided to go back.

Just as I turned around, I suddenly heard a rustling sound.

"Um..."

Xu Dan turned around alertly. The sound was very soft; if his hearing hadn't improved recently, he probably wouldn't have heard it. Listening carefully, the rustling sound reached his ears again. He was sure he hadn't misheard, so he quickly walked in the direction the sound came from.

There is a tiny hole, about the size of a grain of rice, in the middle of the stalactite wall. It is so small that you can't see it unless you look closely, and the sound comes from inside it.

Xu Dan put his eyes close to the small hole, but couldn't see anything; he put his ear to it, and the sound became even louder.

After listening for a while, it sounded like a group of things crawling. Knowing this was an underground cave, and that snakes, centipedes, millipedes, and other insects were the most likely to stay in such shady places, he instantly felt a chill run down his spine. Although he wasn't afraid of snakes and insects, the thought of a large group of them wriggling together sent shivers down his spine.

This is actually good news.

Because these things always need to go to the surface, meaning that their location has a passage to the surface. And whether it's a snake or anything else, it represents food, something edible, so they won't starve to death in the cave.

At the same time, this is also bad news.

If it's a nest of snakes and insects, you'll have to pass through it to get out. With so many snakes and insects, even if you're not poisoned, you'll be bitten to death.

However, these are all just my own feelings; whether there are snakes or insects over there is another matter.

After thinking for a moment, Xu Dan decided to dig open to see what was on the other side, but he had to be prepared beforehand. If it was poisonous insects, he had to seal the opening immediately to prevent them from getting there. After all, he was still naked.

Instead of digging a hole, he first went to find a thick stalactite, cut it off, flattened one side, and pushed it in front of the rock wall.

Once the hole is dug open, I can plug it up immediately if snakes or insects come after me.

With everything prepared, Xu Dan began digging, careful not to make too much noise lest he break through the hole. He carefully dug little by little. The stalactite walls were very thick, and there was some distance between the direction from which the sound came. After digging about ten meters, he thrust his short sword in and pulled it out, and a clear sound came from ahead.

Xu Dan immediately dared not dig any further. He peered up and saw a magnificent underground world unfold before him.

It was an incredibly beautiful mushroom forest.

Inside the infinitely vast cave, mushrooms stand tall like giant trees.

These mushrooms are brightly colored and come in various shapes. Some resemble goddesses of the Luo River, with exquisite beauty; some resemble celestial maidens in white robes; some resemble young girls with bright eyes and white teeth; some resemble brave young men, majestic and extraordinary; some resemble river pebbles, short and flat; some resemble hellish assassins, dressed in black and masked; some resemble ghosts, all a ghostly green...

Mushrooms come in all shapes and sizes, some vibrant and colorful, others plain and simple, some highly poisonous, others edible—the variety is endless.

Beneath the towering giant mushroom, there are also small mushrooms and some green plants.

These mushrooms are not only tall and beautiful, but some of them also glow. Scattered among the mushroom grove, they resemble streetlights, illuminating the entire cave with vibrant colors and creating a dazzling spectacle.

Beneath the mushrooms, giant salamanders crawled around on the ground, occasionally taking a bite of the mushrooms and crunching away contentedly.

They are said to resemble giant salamanders because these creatures look like giant salamanders, but they have two fleshy horns on their heads that look like mushroom heads, and short whiskers around their mouths, making them look like dragons. Let's call them dragon salamanders for now!

The largest dragon salamanders are five or six meters long, while the smaller ones are more normal in size; they come in all shapes and sizes.

There were some things about the size of two palms, probably newly born, looking silly, running around everywhere.

Xu Dan immediately noticed these little creatures. He had initially thought they were snakes or insects, which had given him quite a fright. He never expected them to be these things, and wondered what they tasted like.

Heaven have mercy, he has no idea how much he wants to eat. Although drinking earth milk can fill him up, he always craves food after not eating for so long. He has never eaten a giant salamander before, and now his chance has come.

Xu Dan did not act immediately, but instead retreated and blocked the hole he had dug.

Back in the original cave, he first found a small stalactite and dug out a stone stove, and then made some stone basins, stone shovels, stone cutting boards and the like.

Only after everything was ready did he run back. He didn't start immediately, but instead observed carefully.

A few days later, he discovered a pattern: every so often, the large dragon salamanders in the cave would enter the underground river and disappear, never to return for a while.

Now, his chance has come.