CHAPTER 1084: CHAPTER 1081: MYSTERIOUS CAVE

"Lin Tian, am I seeing things, or did you just create that huge vortex?" Ning Luoxi exclaimed as she looked at the calm and collected Lin Tian.

Lin Tian put away the Crescent Blade and said casually, "Although it took some effort, at least it destroyed the water plants, didn’t it?"

Ning Luoxi nodded speechlessly, taking a while to respond, "Alright, it was a bit violent, but the result was immediate. Let’s continue diving then."

Lin Tian found it amusing. You’re quite violent yourself, yet you call me out. But thinking about two violent people working together, it might actually be interesting.

Ning Luoxi adjusted her diving suit and, together with Lin Tian, dove back into the water. This time, they had a purpose and headed straight for the cave. Once she reached the bottom, she saw the chaos Lin Tian had caused.

A deep crater had formed at the center of where the vortex had been, surrounding rocks reduced to tiny fragments. The native ruler of the lagoon, the Silver Water Grass, was almost entirely destroyed, with only a few strands still helplessly drifting, posing no threat.

Lin Tian pointed to the entrance ahead and led Ning Luoxi over. He gestured for her to surface for air, as this part of the underwater path could be quite long.

Ning Luoxi dared not slack off. After all, the path ahead was unknown territory, who knew if something more formidable than the Silver Water Grass or the Black Water King Snake would appear.

Once they were underwater again, she saw Lin Tian digging around the cave entrance. Swimming over to take a closer look, she realized he was extracting something like seeds from the roots of the water plants, each one silver-white in color.

Ning Luoxi wrote on her fluorescent board: "What is this?"

Lin Tian replied, also writing: "It’s probably the seeds of the water plants."

Ning Luoxi wrote again: "They look like eggs to me. Whether parasitic eggs or seeds, if you take them out, they won’t grow; they probably can’t adapt to the external water environment."

Lin Tian shrugged and wrote indifferently: "No matter, I’ll take them out and see. The Xiao Family’s lab researches rare plants, they might be interested, maybe they can find some use for them."

After saying this, Lin Tian put away the fluorescent board and, not wanting to waste more time, signaled Ning Luoxi to prepare before swimming into the cave first, with Ning Luoxi following.

Inside the underwater cave, the scene was entirely different. The cave walls were smooth, with no aquatic plants growing on them, and certainly no Silver Water Grass.

Why didn’t the water plants grow inside the cave? A question mark popped up in Lin Tian’s mind, though he realized no one could answer it.

The cave was serpentine, twisting and turning, left, then down, with the highest upward point even rising above the waterline, providing a section without water.

Ning Luoxi took the chance to catch her breath in these air pockets, as the entire waterway was long, even longer than the Dragon-locking Well. Although Ning Luoxi could still manage, having a chance to breathe halfway made the rest of the journey a bit easier.

Who knew how long this cave stretched? If Ning Luoxi reached her breath-holding limit without finding the icy cave, it would be too late to return, a truly dire situation.

Of course, with Ning Luoxi’s intelligence, she wouldn’t let that happen. As she neared her limit, she would certainly retrace her steps back, rather than foolishly swimming to her death.

Who knew how far they swam before another light appeared ahead, reminiscent of the exit to the Underground River’s Dragon-locking Well. With experience now, Lin Tian wouldn’t foolishly assume it was another crossing.

However, seeing the light here, Lin Tian wasn’t sure if it meant there was a light source inside or if they had unknowingly swum to the surface.

The Underground Water System must connect with the surface water system, with more than one outlet, so Lin Tian couldn’t be certain if they had reached the outside.

Lin Tian signaled Ning Luoxi behind him and then sped forward; the two moved quickly, soon reaching the brightest point.

Then they felt their bodies relax, and Lin Tian knew they had surfaced. But just as they did, a piercing cold swept over them, catching even Lin Tian off guard.

If even Lin Tian felt uncomfortable, one could only imagine how cold it was. Ning Luoxi followed him out, her reaction was even stronger, shivering from the chill.

"It’s so cold here!" Ning Luoxi couldn’t help but speak, her breath forming mist as she talked, like people do in winter.

Lin Tian couldn’t worry about the cold just yet because he realized they had come to a vast cave, but the cave walls weren’t grey rock—they were transparent ice.

Indeed, the entire cave, top to bottom and side to side, was filled with ice, this ice containing unknown elements, emitting a gentle glow, even brighter than the Crystal Stone outside the Underground River.

"The icy cave!" Ning Luoxi exclaimed in surprise, eagerly jumping out of the water to touch the icy walls. Feeling the biting cold for real, she exclaimed again: "Lin Tian, it’s really the icy cave. We finally found it!"

Ning Luoxi’s joy was evident, having traversed the long, dank, and humid Underground River, faced the Black Water King Snake, overcome the eerie Silver Water Grass, and swum through an unmeasurable underwater cave.

The journey here had been arduous, any mistake could have led to being swallowed by a snake, parasitized by Silver Water Grass, or lost in the underwater cave, suffocating to death.

This journey had seemed devoid of danger but carried the constant threat of death. Of course, Ning Luoxi thought from her perspective, not knowing that Lin Tian was not so easily killed.

Even after having undertaken many dangerous missions, visited many perilous places, she knew that below the Dragon-locking Well was among the top five dangerous places she had ever been.

Lin Tian also leapt out of the water, curiously observing the cave and feeling the chill within. Having adapted now, he actually felt comfortable.

Zombies fear fire, but not cold. However, even though he was unaffected, he needed to remind Ning Luoxi that in such a place, if she didn’t keep warm, long exposure could harm her.

"Luoxi, quickly circulate your energy to ward off the cold. I feel the temperature here rivals that of the polar regions," Lin Tian reminded.

Ning Luoxi snapped out of her joy and quickly followed Lin Tian’s advice, circulating her energy, and soon the coldness subsided.

She glanced at the instrument on her wrist, showing a temperature of minus fifty-five degrees. Such low temperatures, without any protection, could be deadly. If it hadn’t been for her robust physique, she’d likely have been frozen stiff.

"Wow, minus fifty-five degrees, colder than the coldest place in our country, and even colder than many polar regions. It’s amazing that the water here doesn’t freeze," Lin Tian marveled.