After waiting for several dozen minutes, Li managed to find a few usable herbs in the meantime.

There were herbs everywhere here. Things that were practically impossible to find for sale outside were almost there for the taking.

If Li was going to explore inside, it was best to be fully prepared. There could be all kinds of things in there.

Li tied the herbs to their body with vines, worried that if something went wrong, there might not be time to think. Once everything was ready, Li went to the cave entrance and tossed the branch in their hand toward it.

It seemed... nothing had happened...

It wasn't pitch-black inside, either. Blue crystals on both sides of the cave gave off a faint glow. Their light barely illuminated the path, but as long as Li was careful, there shouldn't be any trouble.

Li rubbed a hand against the cave entrance, hesitated no longer, and plunged right in!

The cave was full of uneven folds, and the path was hard to navigate. The whole place was slippery, as if some kind of liquid were flowing out from deeper inside. A wave of fragrance drifted through the air.

“Tch.”

The cave was so wet that Li nearly slipped.

As Li ventured farther in, the temperature seemed to rise little by little. The contrast with the outside was so noticeable that it was easy to feel the air growing warmer.

About two minutes later, a huge mass of plants suddenly blocked the path ahead.

The plants formed a wall across the path. Li slowly felt the way forward, peering through the gaps to see that the cave beyond gradually widened into what looked like a sizable open space.

Li broke through the wall of plants and squeezed past. There didn't seem to be anything worth worrying about anymore. Aside from the water, there was nothing particularly unusual here, so there was no need to creep in so cautiously. Li could just relax and go in.

If bad luck struck and Li ran into something, there'd be no chance of getting out of a cave like this anyway. There was no point overthinking it. No regrets—go all the way in!

Without another moment's hesitation, Li headed straight over!

After only a few steps, the space began to widen. It was even larger than Li had imagined. From the cave entrance, it looked like a vast, upside-down triangular chamber.

At the very center of the space lay a pool. Its liquid was a deep blue, giving off a faint glow. A refreshing medicinal fragrance drifted from it.

Even a seasoned potion-maker like Li couldn't tell what was in the pool. But there was no doubt about it: the entire pool was filled with potion!

All around the pool, the ground was covered with every kind of herb.

What kind of place was this?

Why was there a place like this in the Abyss of the Underworld?

Could another potion-maker like Li have fallen to the bottom of the Abyss of the Underworld and built a paradise like this?

Li felt their heart begin to pound. Had they really hit the jackpot? Was this truly the luckiest break they'd ever had?

Step by step, Li approached the pool. Just from the scent, it was clear how complex the potion in it was!

This was definitely beyond anything Li could understand.

Still, this wasn't something to try recklessly. Who knew what the potion-maker had intended to create?

If it turned out to be something strange, Li would be in danger. Better to back away for now and have a look around first.

Whoosh!!!

Suddenly, a gale blasted in from behind. Li didn't even have time to react before being sent tumbling toward the pool!

“You bastard!!!”

Splash!

“At last! At last, I've waited long enough! Hahaha!”

That hollow, ethereal voice echoed through the cave.