The crocodiles advanced no further. They had reached the deepest part of the cave.
Deep in Heyhey's lair, there was also a massive cavern, filled with Heyhey's toys and a sleeping pallet.
This cave seemed no different.
And its structure appeared almost identical to Heyhey's lair.
Except that the cavern was excessively large, and it housed a waterfall.
"A waterfall?"
A hint of disbelief crossed Chen Fan's eyes. He stood rooted to the spot, staring open-mouthed.
He had never imagined that he would one day see a waterfall deep underground.
He didn't know how deep, but they were surely underground.
He furrowed his brow, carefully observing the place. A lot of groundwater seeped from the wall, forming a waterfall that cascaded down a rock ledge.
The waterfall was narrow, feeding a pool below it, where a single snowy-white lotus grew. There wasn't much to see in the cavern; aside from this waterfall and the lotus, there was nothing else.
There was also a simple sleeping pallet, resembling Heyhey's, made of dried grass and pelts. But it seemed to have been long abandoned.
Just then.
Heyhey let out a whimper, crawled onto the pallet, and sniffed gently.
"Is that lotus some kind of Natural Treasure?"
Zhou Mo ventured from behind, his gaze scouting the cavern back and forth.
"..."
Chen Fan remained silent. He just strode up to the waterfall and looked down at the lotus, before a panel materialized before him.
Extraordinary Treasure Name:* Snow Lotus. (Mature)
Extraordinary Treasure Grade: Green.
Extraordinary Treasure Effect: A Natural Treasure that grows in a unique environment for a hundred years before maturing. A product of heaven and earth, it can be used for refining pills, forging artifacts, and setting up formations.
Ps: If plucked before maturity, it will release a malignant toxicity pervading an area of one li(1 li equals 500 meters).
Within one hour of being plucked, it must be stored in a low-temperature environment; otherwise, its medicinal properties will dissipate.
The panel didn't say much.
This was indeed a Natural Treasure. However, unlike the Mountain Embryo Corpse, aside from refining pills, forging artifacts, and setting up formations, it had no other use. It couldn't stabilize a cave like a Mountain Embryo Corpse.
Chen Fan stood before the waterfall, quietly observing, and did not immediately step forward to pick it.
Its roar echoing within the cavern, the waterfall, with a semblance of a silver river, plunged into the deep pool, stirring up a mist of spray.
And this Snow Lotus floated in the water.
It was pristine white all over, without a speck of dust. Nine petals unfurled, their tips glinting cold.
It looked exceptionally beautiful and would have convinced anyone that it would surely taste great in a stew.
"Station Master."
The blade dangling from his hand, as Zhou Mo paced around the cavern, he dithered, "There was once a great figure living here, wasn't there? Why is there no trace of habitation? There should at least be a bed or a meditation cushion or something, right?"
Chen Fan shook his head. "All I know came from the Eerie King. Since the Eerie King didn't even dare to mention his name, he must have been a great figure. Such a person might usually meditate suspended in the air."
Actually, it might be non-human. For example... it could have been Heyhey's parents.
But he thought that possibility was slim.
After all, a crocodile probably couldn't wield such a large hammer to smash a crater into the mountain.
You-know-who, as the Eerie King referred to that great figure, was likely a powerful cultivator, and Heyhey's parents were merely his pets.
Although he didn't know what this Snow Lotus could be used for, it was, after all, a Natural Treasure. Having it was better than not. Moreover, he could store it in the warehouse, where the medicinal properties wouldn't dissipate.
But he had made this trip especially for a Mountain Embryo Corpse, not the Snow Lotus. So far, he hadn't seen any sign of it. And this cavern was so bare that a single glance sufficed to take in all of it. Should there be a Mountain Embryo Corpse anywhere in it, it would only be beneath this pool.
"Heyhey."
Chen Fan turned toward Heyhey, who was lying nearby, and called softly. Since entering this cavern, Heyhey had been somewhat downcast, which he could roughly understand.
After whimpering once more, unexpectedly, Heyhey dove straight into the pool, creating a great splash of water. A while later, it surfaced again, this time holding a thing in its snout.
"Heyhey, did you bring the wrong thing?"
Eyeing the object in Heyhey's mouth, Chen Fan furrowed his brows.
Mountain Embryo Corpse was nothing strange to him. The one placed in the Eerie Fire was a dark red, pulsating flesh lump, about the size of a human brain, looking like a removed tumor.
But this one, instead of dark red, was an earthy brown color.
It wasn't a fleshy ball either, but rather shaped like a bamboo shoot.
Heyhey opened its mouth, dropping the bamboo shoot at the rim of the pond, and whined, as if to say, "This is it, the scent is the same," and that it didn't know why it looked different.
Chen Fan took a step forward and examined the panel that appeared before the bamboo shoot.
Extraordinary Treasure Name:* Mountain Embryo.
Extraordinary Treasure Grade: Yellow.
Extraordinary Treasure Effect: A Natural Treasure that a great mountain nurtures as it soaks up the essences of heaven and earth over time. Can be used for refining pills, forging artifacts, and setting up formations.
If subjected to disturbances like an earthquake as it grows, it will die prematurely and transform into a Mountain Embryo Corpse.
"..."
Chen Fan fixed a complicated gaze on the panel, speechless.
Heyhey hadn't been mistaken. This thing and the Mountain Embryo Corpse were indeed the same.
Just this one was of a higher grade---the Yellow grade, the same as Vehicle Workshop. The mature form was a Mountain Embryo; if it died prematurely, it became a Mountain Embryo Corpse.
But...
He felt like crying.
Admittedly, it was a good item. After the rainy season, it would definitely sell for a good price if he could find buyers for it.
The problem was, it wasn't what he needed right now.
Right now, he wished for nothing but a Mountain Embryo Corpse to secure the Qualitative Change upgrade direction for the Training Room.
But he had ended up with a better Mountain Embryo. Although more valuable, it was useless to him at the moment.
He felt like an explorer in the wild, starving for three or four days, finally finding an abandoned human settlement, only to discover not a scrap of food or water inside, but instead a whole pile of Eerie Stones. What good was that?
However...
Chen Fan suspected that this thing could also fit his purpose. He would try it once back home. If not, he would see if he could turn it back into a Mountain Embryo Corpse by smashing it to death with a club.
If a premature version was Mountain Embryo Corpse, what a ripe one would turn into after death?