Er Dongsheng stood beside the section of tree trunk placed right in the center of the cave. Both his eyes radiated a vivid green glow—a phenomenon that only appeared when a demon was extremely agitated. Ordinary demons would control their bodies and keep themselves from glowing, since it would attract predators.
But Er Dongsheng was inside the cave, so he had nothing to fear. The cave entrance had already been blocked again by a huge boulder.
Licking his lips, Er Dongsheng stared at the thing that was almost a cubic meter in size, grinning so broadly that he could barely close his mouth.
Speaking of which, what was this?
"This is the Abyss Tree Heart—a precious treasure, and top-tier food at that."
Tree hearts generally only appeared in Abyss Trees that had lived for an incredibly long time or undergone mutation. There probably were not many of them in this great forest. On top of that, living Abyss Trees had formidable defenses, making it difficult for ordinary demons to harm them. Only the berserk thunder during the Abyssal Rain Season, which came once every three years, could threaten them. It was easy to imagine just how rare this thing was.
The inherited memories contained no records of this item. Er Dongsheng had discovered it by chance. After all, it was far too rare. Only third-level demons probably possessed knowledge of it. With the pitiful scraps of knowledge inherited by this demonic body of his, how could he possibly have known?
Er Dongsheng had discovered it half a year ago, when he was preparing for the beginning of the Abyssal Rain Season, inside a dead Abyss Tree.
At the time, the tree heart had only been as large as his palm, while the rest had slowly dissipated. Yet even that tiny piece of Abyss Tree Heart had brought Er Dongsheng immense benefits.
"What a treasure, what a treasure! My internal and external cultivation can make another huge leap! This time, I've really struck it lucky."
The Abyss Tree Heart could be considered an extremely precious treasure in the Abyss, and its effects were astonishing. Its sap contained powerful life energy. Whether used as a nourishing supplement for external cultivation or to expand the cells' capacity and strengthen the muscles and bones, it was exceptionally beneficial.
Last time, Er Dongsheng had used that small piece of tree heart to strengthen his tail and his two pairs of demon claws. Combined with his external cultivation, those two areas could be said to be the strongest parts of his entire body. Their hardness and sharpness rivaled the weapons used by demons.
Most importantly, this tree heart was delicious as well. Its flavor was especially similar to bamboo shoots from his previous life, but even more exquisite.
After eating almost nothing but meat for three years, the moment he encountered such plant-based food, Er Dongsheng's mouth began watering without a second thought.
"Forget everything else for now. I'll eat first!"
Using the sharp tip of his tail, Er Dongsheng gently sliced off a small piece from the top corner of the tree heart. Streams of white sap seeped from the cut, and Er Dongsheng hurriedly leaned his head over and swallowed every last drop.
The cut only released a small amount of sap in total, and Er Dongsheng swallowed it all without wasting a single drop. This was a precious treasure—there was no room for even the slightest waste.
"Looks like most of the tree heart's sap is concentrated in the very center. That's not bad. It won't go to waste!"
Holding the small section of tree heart he had cut off, Er Dongsheng turned and walked deeper into the cave.
At the very back of the cave, under the firelight, a still smaller cave could vaguely be seen. This was Er Dongsheng's storeroom.
The storeroom was not large, only three or four square meters. All sorts of things Er Dongsheng had gathered over the past three years were stored there in separate categories: beast bones, strange stones, leaves, plants, and more. Some of the handicrafts he had made were in there as well.
Actually, there was another food storeroom in the cave, specifically for the prey he brought back. The large pile of beast meat from today had already been placed inside.
Entering the miscellaneous storeroom, Er Dongsheng began rummaging around. He was an extremely methodical person, so although the tiny storeroom held many miscellaneous items, it did not look disorderly. In fact, it was exceptionally neat.
After a short while, Er Dongsheng emerged from the miscellaneous storeroom. In his left hand were several strings of purple-black chili-like plants, along with some already dried plants of various colors. In his right hand, he carried a somewhat larger stone basin, in which the small piece of Abyss Tree Heart he had cut off now rested.
Everything in his left hand had been accumulated bit by bit over the past three years. The string of purple-black chili-like plants, for example, tasted somewhat like the green peppers of his previous life. They were mildly spicy and an exceedingly rare seasoning in the Abyss. Er Dongsheng did not have much of it, so he usually used it very sparingly.
Speaking of which, there were countless varieties of plants in the Abyss—poisonous, nonpoisonous, edible, inedible, and more.
To determine whether a certain plant or animal could be eaten, one either needed an identification-type innate skill or had to rely on knowledge accumulated through experience.
Er Dongsheng, however, had thought of a way to take a shortcut. Faced with the myriad plants around him, since he did not dare try them himself, why not find a creature to test them in his place?
If he had no opportunity, he would create one. Through three years of careful observation, along with occasionally capturing animals to test things for him, he had managed to identify quite a few edible plants.
Enough idle talk. By now, Er Dongsheng had returned carrying roughly five or six pounds of meat. The things he had taken from the miscellaneous storeroom earlier had already been laid beside the fire on a long, narrow slab of blue stone. This was the cutting board he usually used for cooking.
Er Dongsheng planned to make some soup. After three years without water, he had almost forgotten what soup even was.
"Tsk, tsk. Eating roasted meat for three years and having to drink that disgusting beast blood nearly drove me insane. It's a miracle I managed to endure it."
He grabbed his tail, washed the tip with a little water, then brought it down onto the meat on the stone slab, chopping away with a series of thuds.
"Speaking of which, this tail is far more useful than a knife. It's flexible and sharp. Although it feels strange every time I use it to cut meat, there's no time to worry about that. Making soup is more important."
He chopped up the edible plants as well. Then Er Dongsheng's two claws began gathering the chopped meat and plants into the stone basin. He added some water, found several stones to serve as supports, and set the basin over the fire.
The flames roared without pause. Er Dongsheng added several more pieces of wood, making the fire burn even more fiercely.
"Looks like I need to build a stove. After this Abyssal Rain Season, I'll be able to store up a great deal of water. From then on, I'll mainly cook with boiling water. Boiling things like this will be far too troublesome."
Thinking of the days ahead, when he would have abundant water, Er Dongsheng could not help but rejoice inwardly. After suffering came sweetness!
"Finally, I'm leaving primitive life behind. Three years..."
"Living really isn't easy."
"Keep it up. Work hard and stay alive."
Er Dongsheng's path through the Abyss was unfolding, one footprint at a time.
It had begun with this bowl of soup...
The sunlight in his memories would never fade in the end...
...He believed...
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