I transmigrated to a chaotic world and became the sole player.

The dimly lit cave was filled with the smell of sulfur and dampness. The seventy or eighty survivors lay or sat, their groans, cries, and suppressed coughs filling the air. Despair and confusion, like the pervasive chill of the underground, enveloped everyone's hearts.

Despite his injuries and exhaustion, Lu Zhao quickly scanned the area. Chen Bai and about a dozen other people who were still conscious were looking at him with hopeful, fearful, and dependent eyes, as if he were their only pillar in this desperate situation.

"Save them first, treat their injuries." Lu Zhao's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable calmness. He sat down cross-legged and took out several jade bottles from his storage bag. These were healing pills that he had refined himself and those he had obtained from the two demonic cultivators he had killed. They were not of high grade, mostly low to mid-grade first rank, but they were still rare and effective medicines for these low-level cultivators and mortals.

He distributed the pills to Chen Bai and a few others who were still able to move, instructing them: "Those with the most severe injuries should be given priority. Take them internally and apply them externally to keep them alive. Everyone, gather together to keep warm and conserve your energy."

Chen Bai and the others received the pills with tears of gratitude. They immediately split up to do their work, some feeding the patients, others bandaging their wounds. Although their methods were crude and the pills were ordinary, there was at least hope. Some of the less seriously injured mortals also struggled to help.

Lu Zhao also swallowed two healing pills and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing. The extinguishing dragon energy flowed slowly, working in conjunction with the medicinal effects to repair his damaged meridians and calm his disordered spiritual energy. The Refining Spirit Technique also slowly activated, soothing his injured soul. He needed to recover some of his combat strength as soon as possible; in this unknown underground world, danger could strike at any moment.

While adjusting his breathing, he did not lower his guard. His powerful divine sense, like invisible tentacles, extended outwards and inwards from the cave passage.

The tunnel ahead wound its way down into the depths of the earth. Scanning with divine sense, the smell of sulfur grew stronger, and the temperature slowly rose. A muffled, thunderous roar of flowing water could be faintly heard from afar, seemingly from an underground river. Within the mixed spiritual energy, the fire and malevolent attributes were more pronounced, suggesting the presence of heat-loving, shade-loving demonic beasts—definitely not a benevolent place.

The passageway behind them (the direction from which they had been teleported down) seemed to extend upwards after a short distance. The air was still damp, but the sulfurous smell had faded somewhat, and a faint, almost imperceptible, fresh scent of the surface world could be sensed.

"Go up!" Lu Zhao made his decision. Although the path upward might be longer and more arduous, it was his only hope of leaving the underground and returning to the surface. Continuing downward would only lead him deeper into a more dangerous and complex underground world, ultimately trapping him to death.

About an hour later, thanks to the effects of the medicine and a short rest, most of the unconscious people gradually awoke. Although still weak, they were at least able to move. The seriously injured were also given basic treatment, and their lives were temporarily out of danger.

Lu Zhao also finished his meditation. Although his injuries had only recovered by 30-40% and his spirit was still exhausted, he at least had the basic ability to protect himself. He stood up and glanced at the barely regrouped group.

Seventy or eighty people, all wounded, dressed in rags, and looking terrified. But compared to the despair they felt when facing the cataclysmic destruction in the underground space, their eyes now held a greater desire to live.

"We shouldn't stay here any longer. Let's go this way, find a way out, and return to the surface." Lu Zhao pointed to the upward-facing tunnel, his voice calm yet carrying a reassuring power.

No one objected. In dire straits, a strong and decisive leader is the backbone of everyone.

The group set off again. Lu Zhao walked at the front, holding a glowing fluorescent stone artifact he had obtained from a demonic cultivator's storage bag, illuminating the path ahead. Chen Bai and a few other cultivators in slightly better condition took the initiative to walk on both sides and at the rear of the group, responsible for guarding and helping the seriously injured and weak.

The passageway was rugged and uneven, the ground slippery and covered with sharp pebbles and slick moss. The air was thick and heavy with the smell of earth and sulfur. The group trudged forward slowly, one step at a time. Every now and then, someone would slip and fall, letting out a muffled groan of pain, but with the help of their companions, they would grit their teeth, get up, and continue on their way.

The paths began to branch out. The dimly lit passageway was like a maze, branching into several narrower forks, their destinations unknown. From some of these forks, unsettling rustling sounds could be heard, or a faint, fishy smell could be detected.

Lu Zhao walked at the front, taking each step with utmost care. He not only needed to illuminate the path ahead, but also to push his divine sense to its limit, probing the movements ahead and in the side passages. Thanks to his cultivation of the "Refining Spirit Technique," his divine sense was much stronger and more refined than that of other cultivators of the same level. Although its range was limited, the clarity of his detection was extremely high.

"Stop." Lu Zhao suddenly raised his hand to signal. The team immediately stopped in a tense silence, not daring to even breathe.

Not far ahead, in the shadow of a protruding rock, lay several lizard-like monsters—"Blind Fire Lizards"—with dark red bodies, rough scales, degenerated eyes, and forked tongues. Sensing the vibrations and light, they raised their heads and hissed threateningly. These monsters lived underground year-round, feared light, but their flames carried sulfurous poison, posing a great threat to mortals.

Lu Zhao didn't use the more energy-consuming Annihilation Dragon Qi; he simply flicked his finger, and several condensed spiritual energy finger winds shot out silently, accurately piercing the heads of the blind fire lizards. The corpses twitched twice and then stopped moving.

"Keep going, watch your step," Lu Zhao whispered, and walked ahead first.

After traveling a while longer, as they passed a fork in the road, a strong, pungent stench wafted towards them. Lu Zhao scanned the area with his divine sense and saw that deep within the fork, countless fist-sized, multi-legged "Bone-Eating Poison Centipedes" were crawling densely packed together. These poisonous insects were not much of a threat individually, but they lived in groups, were extremely venomous, and were fearless in the face of death.

Lu Zhao frowned slightly, raised his hand, and a gentle breeze carrying an aura of annihilation swept across the fork in the road. The bone-corroding venomous centipedes that had surged to the cave entrance seemed to have encountered their natural enemy, instantly stiffening, then their carapaces rapidly lost their luster, and they died in droves. The corrosive nature of the annihilating dragon aura was deadly to these low-level venomous insects.

Along the way, they encountered three or four similar threats, all of which Lu Zhao swiftly eliminated. While this took some of his energy, it also made those behind him even more respectful and reliant on him. In such a treacherous environment, having such a powerful senior paving the way was undoubtedly the greatest guarantee.

However, hope always seems to be accompanied by deeper despair. The group walked for an unknown amount of time in the rugged, damp, and dark passageway—perhaps an hour, perhaps two. Exhaustion, pain, thirst, and the fear of the unknown gnawed at their will like maggots clinging to bones. The initial will to survive was gradually eroded in the seemingly endless darkness. Suppressed sobs and desperate sighs began to rise from within the group.

"Senior...can we...still get out?" A young mortal asked, his voice trembling with tears in his eyes.

Lu Zhao did not answer. He had no answer in his heart either. The underground cave system was intricate and complex. Although he relied on his faint sense of the earth's veins and his judgment of air flow to choose a direction, whether he could reach the surface and when he could do so were all unknowns.

Just as despair began to show in Chen Bai's eyes, Lu Zhao, who was walking at the front, suddenly stopped.

"Shh!" He held up his finger, signaling for silence.

Everyone held their breath, and even the crying stopped.

Lu Zhao listened intently, his brows furrowing slightly before relaxing, a hint of surprise and uncertainty flashing in his eyes.

Ahead, besides the heavy breathing of the crowd and the sound of dripping water, a different kind of sound could be faintly heard.

It's not the dull rumble of an underground river.

Instead, it was... the sound of rushing, crisp, and continuous water? And the sound seemed to be coming from above, from a distance, and with a faint echo.

"Is it a waterfall?" Lu Zhao's heart skipped a beat.

What invigorated him even more was that, with the faint sound of water, the heavy smell of sulfur and earth that had been permeating the air seemed to be diluted by a faint but real scent of fresh grass and moist moisture.

Could it be... that the exit is just ahead?