About seven days later, Ling Jue returned excitedly, reporting to Ning Beichen that he had found a clue about the grotto-heaven and auspicious land, and asked if Ning Beichen was going now.
Ning Beichen was naturally going immediately. He had stayed in Wangjiang for so long, only waiting for this day. If he stayed any longer, he would have gone mad from Ye Ya'er and Li Wanrong.
However, after the two women knew, they insisted on going with him. Ning Beichen did not refuse them. If they were to walk this path in the future, these experiences would be very important for them.
Unless they only wanted to be movie stars for the rest of their lives, Ning Beichen did not want them to.
But neither of these two women was the type to be content with mediocrity and stay at home to be good wives and mothers. On the contrary, both were women with their own ideas and ambitions, which was why Ning Beichen did not refuse them.
After preparations were made, several airplanes landed with a roar in a certain place in Wangjiang.
This was a vast lake.
And according to Ling Jue, there was an underground lake with a drop of several hundred meters in this lake, and the area around this lake had been designated as a wildlife sanctuary. Except for specific areas, tourists were not allowed to go anywhere else.
But these rules were not rules for the big shots in Wangjiang.
With Zhang Jinhong's intervention, they easily entered the area where tourists were not allowed, and they were traveling by helicopter.
It was just that not many people came this time, which was also Ning Beichen's instruction. After all, if there really was a grotto-heaven and auspicious land here, people without cultivation, or with low cultivation, would only be a hindrance if they went in.
"This is Wan Niao Lake. There aren't many birds yet. When they migrate for winter, it will be a forest of ten thousand birds, a spectacular sight..."
A man wearing old-fashioned glasses and dressed like a scholar was explaining the situation here to Ning Beichen and the others.
"Alright, Old Chen, we're not here to watch birds."
Zhang Jinhong told him to shut up.
The group arrived at the edge of Wan Niao Lake. Next, they were going to take a boat into the center of Wan Niao Lake. In the center of this Wan Niao Lake, there was a lake within a lake with a drop of several hundred meters, and that was where they needed to go.
And in order not to startle the birds here, they could not use speedboats, but only human-powered boats.
But fortunately, not many people were going. Ning Beichen, Ling Jue, Ye Ya'er, Li Wanrong, Zhang Jinhong, some divers, and the bespectacled guy from before, plus a few people to help paddle the boats, totaling three small boats.
The three small boats swayed on Wan Niao Lake, and countless birds chirped around. If it weren't for looking for the grotto-heaven and auspicious land, this would be a good place for recreation and relaxation.
However, tourists were generally not allowed to enter here because the original ecological environment was maintained, and it would be destroyed if a large number of tourists entered.
Of course, rules were rules, and they were useless to some people.
Ning Beichen sat on the boat, with the two beauties that even Zhang Jinhong envied beside him. Only Ling Jue looked at Ning Beichen fearfully.
He was not from this world, and apart from Ning Beichen, no one else in this world knew that he came from the world of Transcending Mortality, so he knew how strong and terrifying Ning Beichen was.
The three small boats swayed closer to the center of the lake. However, when they reached here, the boats could not go any further.
Because in front was an underground lake with a drop of about three hundred meters, like a large whirlpool. Once they got close, the boat would be dragged in.
And the area around the center of the lake had many aquatic plants. This place had never been artificially cleaned. If a small boat entered, it would easily get stuck.
"Everyone, our boats can only go this far. The area ahead is impassable. Here is the campsite I have prepared for you."
The small boat shifted a few meters to the right, and there was a small, temporarily erected platform. This platform was only the size of a room, and it was equipped with many diving equipment, oxygen tanks, and food tools, etc.
Everyone from the three small boats got onto the platform. The next step was the first step of the exploration, which was to send divers down to explore the center of the lake first.
Soon, the professional divers who had accompanied them quickly put on their diving gear, then descended with safety ropes and boldly swam into the lake within the lake.
About ten minutes later, they reached the place with the drop. This was the most dangerous moment, as they needed to descend three hundred meters and enter the circular lake below.
Here, a single mistake could lead to being swept away, or getting tangled by something. Although there were safety ropes, it was still a dangerous matter.
These divers dared to go down because they were extremely well-compensated, which was why they risked their lives.
In fact, Ning Beichen had not arranged for these divers, nor did he need them. But this was Zhang Jinhong's idea, probably for safety reasons.
Since they had already taken action, Ning Beichen had no intention of stopping them.
It would be good to let these divers go down and take a look first. If they could discover something, that would be the best possible outcome.
Next, everyone waited patiently for the results.
Each of the divers had an underwater camera on their helmet, so the real-time footage was transmitted to the computer screen on the platform. Those on the platform could see the scene of the central underground lake on the screen without having to go down.
Old Bei was the leader of this exploration team of divers, and he led them down.
He was originally a member of the swimming team, and after retiring, he became a professional diver with twenty years of experience.
The reward for leading this expedition was ten times his usual pay. Although he knew there would be danger, Old Bei really couldn't refuse.
The diving profession was not easy, mainly because of the high risk and the lack of work. Such lucrative jobs were rare even once in a decade.
So, before the operation, Old Bei had told his subordinates that the danger level this time would be very high, and they might even lose their lives. If they didn't want to go, they could stay.
But many subordinates who were not afraid of death, but only of poverty, followed without hesitation.
In this world, for some people, death was not the most terrifying thing. The most terrifying thing was poverty. Poverty was a hundred times more terrifying than death.
Old Bei carefully rappelled down to the center of the underground lake with his subordinates.
There was no land for them to rest here. If they wanted to rest, they could only grab some plant roots exposed above the water to catch their breath. People could not stand.
"Report."
Old Bei's body was impacted by the water falling several meters. Because he was wearing goggles, he could not see the surroundings clearly. He communicated with his subordinates through the internal intercom.