Chapter 7

Standing beside the log placed at the center of the cave, Er Dongsheng’s eyes emitted a bright green light, a phenomenon that only occurred when a demon was extremely agitated. Ordinary demons would control their bodies to prevent this glow, as it could attract predators.

However, Er Dongsheng was not worried since he was inside the cave, and the entrance had already been blocked by a large rock.

Licking his lips, he looked at the object that was almost a cubic meter in size and couldn’t help but smile widely.

"What is this?"

"This is the heart of the Abyssal Tree, a precious treasure and top-tier ingredient."

The heart of the Abyssal Tree is usually found only in those that have lived for a long time or undergone mutations. There probably aren’t many in this vast forest. Moreover, living Abyssal Trees have formidable defenses, making it difficult for ordinary demons to harm them. Only the violent thunderstorms during the triennial rain season can pose a threat to them. Thus, it’s easy to imagine how rare this thing is.

The inherited memories did not have any records of this, and Er Dongsheng discovered it by chance. After all, this thing is extremely rare, and only third-level demons might have knowledge about it. With the limited knowledge inherited by Er Dongsheng’s demon body, there was no way he would know.

He found this in a dead Abyssal Tree while preparing for the start of the Abyssal Rain Season half a year ago.

At that time, the tree heart was only the size of a palm, with the rest slowly dissipating. However, even this small piece of the Abyssal Tree heart brought him great benefits.

"Such a treasure, such a treasure! My internal and external skills will greatly improve! This time, I’m really lucky."

The heart of the Abyssal Tree is an extremely valuable treasure in the abyss, with very powerful effects. The sap within the heart contains strong life energy, which is excellent for both external cultivation as a nourishing medicine and for expanding cell capacity and strengthening muscles and bones.

The last time, that small piece of the tree heart was used by Er Dongsheng to strengthen his tail and two pairs of demon claws. With the help of external cultivation, these parts of his body became the strongest, as hard and sharp as the weapons used by demons.

Most importantly, the tree heart is also very delicious, tasting very much like bamboo shoots from his previous life but even more delicious.

Having been almost entirely carnivorous for three years, he couldn’t help but drool when he encountered this plant ingredient.

"Let’s not worry about the rest, let’s eat first!"

Using his sharp tail, Er Dongsheng gently cut a small piece from the top corner of the tree heart. Streams of white sap oozed out from the cut, and Er Dongsheng quickly leaned over to swallow every drop.

The cut did not release much sap, but Er Dongsheng swallowed it all, as this was a precious treasure that couldn’t be wasted.

"It seems the sap is mainly concentrated in the center. This is good, it won’t be wasted!"

Holding the small piece of the tree heart, Er Dongsheng turned and walked deeper into the cave.

At the very back of the cave, illuminated by the firelight, a smaller cave could be seen. This was Er Dongsheng’s storage room.

The storage room was not large, about three to four square meters, and it was neatly organized with various items collected by Er Dongsheng over the past three years, including animal bones, strange stones, leaves, and plants, as well as some handmade items he had created.

Actually, there was another food storage room in the cave, specifically for storing hunted prey. The large pile of meat from today had already been placed there.

Entering the storage room, Er Dongsheng began to rummage through it. He was a very organized person, so even though the small storage room contained many items, it was not cluttered and could even be described as extremely tidy.

After a short while, Er Dongsheng emerged from the storage room. In his left hand, he held several strings of purple-black pepper-like plants and some dried plants of various colors. In his right hand, he held a slightly larger stone basin, in which the small piece of the Abyssal Tree heart was placed.

The items in his left hand were all accumulated by Er Dongsheng over the past three years. For example, the purple-black pepper-like plants tasted similar to green peppers from his previous life, with a slight spiciness, making them a rare seasoning in the abyss. Er Dongsheng didn’t have much and usually used them sparingly.

The plants in the abyss come in countless varieties, some toxic, some non-toxic, some edible, and some not. To determine whether a plant or animal is edible, one must either have a talent for identification or rely on accumulated knowledge.

However, Er Dongsheng thought of a clever method. Faced with countless plants, since he dared not try them himself, why not find a creature to test them for him?

Without an opportunity, he created one. Over the past three years, through careful observation and occasionally capturing animals to test for him, he managed to find quite a few edible plants.

Leaving the details aside, Er Dongsheng had already returned with about five to six pounds of meat. The items he had taken from the storage room were now laid out on a long, large green stone slab next to the fire, which he used as a cutting board.

Er Dongsheng planned to make some soup. After three years without water, he had almost forgotten what soup tasted like.

"Tsk, tsk, eating roasted meat for three years and drinking those disgusting animal blood, it almost drove me crazy. I’m glad I managed to hold on."

Grabbing his tail, he washed the tip and started chopping the meat on the stone slab.

"Speaking of which, this tail is much better than a knife. It’s flexible and sharp, though it feels a bit strange to use it for cutting meat, but there’s no time to worry about that. The soup is important."

He then chopped and minced the edible plants and used his claws to gather the chopped meat and plants into the stone basin, added some water, and found a few stones to use as supports, placing the basin over the fire.

The flames burned fiercely, and Er Dongsheng added a few more logs, making the fire even stronger.

"It seems I need to build a stove. After this Abyssal Rain Season, I can store a large amount of water, and in the future, I’ll mainly cook by boiling. It’s too troublesome to cook like this every time."

Thinking about the days ahead when he would have plenty of water, Er Dongsheng couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief. The hard times were finally over!

"Finally, I’ve escaped primitive life. Three years..."

"Living is not easy."

"Keep going, strive to live on."

Er Dongsheng’s journey in the abyss was unfolding step by step.

Starting with this soup...

The sunlight in his memory would never fade...

...He believed...