Before him stretched a vast expanse of enormous stalactites.
Good heavens.
If this were in his previous life, with various colored lights shone upon it, it would undoubtedly be a five-star tourist attraction.
But now, it seemed to have no other value.
"Look at that one, it's like a stalagmite."
"Look at that one, it looks like a radish."
"Quick, look, does that one resemble a chicken?"
"Quick, that winding one looks like a snake."
Listening to their clamorous discussions, Chen Xiaobei also felt astonished that so many stalactites could inexplicably take on shapes so similar to natural creatures.
It was truly a marvel of nature, a marvel of nature indeed.
But currently, these held little practical significance for him.
After letting everyone fully appreciate the magnificence of nature, Chen Xiaobei led them out of the cave.
They placed large, unmistakable markers along the roadside, not just one, but several.
As they proceeded further, the space began to shrink.
The water surface became wider and shallower, until eventually, they had to wade through it.
After walking another two li, the space seemed to reach its limit.
The area ahead was no longer large enough for a person to stand and pass through.
The water was even shallower, so much so that in some places it seemed to be seeping out from the cracks in the rocks.
Reaching the end, they found absolutely nothing.
The group was inevitably disappointed.
Chen Xiaobei stopped, "Alright, everyone rest for a bit, have something to eat, and then we'll head back."
The group again dispersed in twos and threes, finding slightly drier spots to prepare for their meal.
Was this expedition going to end like this, with nothing discovered?
Chen Xiaobei still felt somewhat unwilling.
After eating a few bites of dry rations, Chen Xiaobei looked up and exhaled a long sigh.
It was during this inadvertent upward glance that Chen Xiaobei saw something flash on the opposite rock face.
Chen Xiaobei's heart leaped with joy, and he quickly rushed forward, holding up his torch.
The rock face was only about a person's height, making it easy to see the whole area.
To his slight disappointment, there was only a cave entrance on the rock face, about three feet wide.
One person could only crawl inside.
Strange, what was that flash?
However, to his surprise, there was a considerable draft coming from the cave.
And it was evident that the air was flowing outwards from the cave.
Chen Xiaobei's heart surged with hope, could this cave lead to another world?
Chen Xiaobei held his torch and slowly crawled into the cave.
The flame of the torch quickly grew larger, rapidly drawn outwards by the wind.
The other team members also noticed Chen Xiaobei's discovery and gathered around.
Seeing this, Chen Sanliang exclaimed with surprise and joy, "Look, it seems like the cave entrance might lead outside!"
Really? After coming this far, if they could find another exit, it would indeed be a discovery.
Chen Xiaobei crawled about another zhang further in.
Ahead were some loose rocks, but it was clear that there was light beyond the debris.
Chen Xiaobei finally understood what had flashed earlier; it must have been a sliver of light from outside that he had caught at a particular angle, nothing more.
So, the exit must be beyond these loose rocks.
Filled with excitement, Chen Xiaobei placed his hands on the loose rocks and tried to push.
Crash.
A piece of debris was pushed down.
The sound of rocks hitting rocks came from outside.
The debris was falling.
The outside was the world of freedom.
Chen Xiaobei became excited.
Excited as he was, Chen Xiaobei remained cautious. Sudden intense light could easily blind him, so he needed time to adjust.
Chen Xiaobei leaned against the wall, covering his eyes tightly with his hands.
To prevent any accidents, Chen Xiaobei turned to Chen Sanliang and the others and said, "The sunlight outside is too strong. Close your eyes for now, just like me."
After covering his eyes with his hands for about fifteen minutes, Chen Xiaobei finally removed them and, while keeping his eyes closed, tried to adapt to the external light.
Another fifteen minutes passed before he slowly opened his eyes.
He tentatively looked outside. The sunlight was a bit dazzling but still manageable.
After confirming there were no anomalies, Chen Xiaobei crawled forward a few steps. He carefully removed the loose rocks one by one and placed them inside the cave, clearing out enough space for his body to poke out. Then, he slowly poked his head out to see what the situation was outside.
He wouldn't have known if he hadn't looked; at first glance, Chen Xiaobei's heart pounded uncontrollably.
A grand canyon, there was a grand canyon before him.
Yes, it was the same grand canyon he had traversed for three days when descending from the peak of Qingniu Mountain. Chen Xiaobei remembered every blade of grass and tree here.
The place he was in was the end of the grand canyon, on the cliff face.
They had climbed back up from here to reach the mountain path.
He leaned further out and carefully examined the cave entrance.
Good heavens, this cave entrance. It was in the far right corner of the cliff.
Let alone the fact that it was covered by debris back then.
Even if half of the cave entrance were exposed now, it would be difficult to find.
After all, this cliff face was immense, and this cave entrance was tiny. Furthermore, several large rocks around the entrance blocked the line of sight.
From his vantage point looking down, his vision was severely obstructed. One could imagine that if someone were standing in the canyon looking up, they wouldn't be able to spot the cave entrance.
Chen Xiaobei retreated back into the cave and briefly described the situation outside.
None of the escort team members he had brought with him had ever traveled through this grand canyon with him.
Therefore, everyone had little interest in the outside world, casting a glance each before returning.
Chen Xiaobei hesitated, wondering whether to walk back through the mountain cave or climb the cliff face and return via the mountain path.
Chen Sanniang looked at the canyon outside, retracted her body, and sighed.
"I wonder what the cliff top looks like."
Another person smiled at him, "Let's go up and see. Perhaps you'll encounter those herb gatherers."
This remark reminded Chen Xiaobei.
If he were to climb this cliff face, the descent would involve a steep slope.
The condition of the steep slope was still unknown, so it was too risky.
With this thought, Chen Xiaobei pushed the loose rocks back, roughly blocking the cave entrance.
Actually, even without blocking it, it would be hard to find.
"Alright, we've found an exit. Our expedition this time is considered a success, and it's time to head back."
For Chen Xiaobei, this discovery was more than just finding an exit; it was about confirming the time. It was nearly noon outside, meaning they had spent a day and a half inside the cave.
Considering the time, if they started walking now and minimized rest, they could exit the cave by tomorrow morning and return home before dark.
Just as Chen Xiaobei and his group happily embarked on their return journey, the Lotus Cult Leader was enduring great hardship.
Walking along the riverbank, the terrain became increasingly rugged and difficult. Not only were the rocks jagged, but thorns even grew from the crevices.
They could only cover a few li in a day, and about ten li in two days.