Underground Paradise

Feeling the heat wave rush toward him, Xinhai instinctively narrowed his eyes and raised a hand in front of his face.

After adjusting to the brighter light beyond the door, Xinhai lowered his arm and looked out.

Even though he had been mentally prepared, the sight beyond the door still made him suck in a sharp breath of Qi, his eyes filled with amazement.

Beyond the door lay a vast "underground world," so enormous it seemed to stretch endlessly beyond sight!

The first thing that caught his eye was a massive sphere of light floating at the very top of the space, radiating steady light and warmth like a miniature sun!

This sun was likely more than ten meters in diameter, its soft yet brilliant glow spilling evenly into every corner and perfectly replicating daylight from the surface.

The sphere did not shine with a harsh white light, but a warm golden hue that called to mind an autumn afternoon.

And beneath this "artificial sun" was a vibrant, fantastical scene.

Underfoot lay soft, fertile soil with a dark red hue.

In the distance were not cold rock walls, but carefully sculpted "mountains" and "hills" with gentle slopes, blanketed in vast stretches of strange vegetation that thrived even in the intense heat.

These plants were no ordinary flora. Most had thick leaves in deep green, reddish-brown, or golden hues, each with a different shape, and all bore plenty of fruit.

Even more astonishingly, several winding "streams" flowed through the vegetation!

The water was not colorless, but faintly milky white and pale blue, with wisps of white hot Qi rising from it—it was clearly mineral-rich hot spring water at a pleasant temperature!

The gentle babble of water added a touch of liveliness and moisture to the blazing environment.

Though the Qi throughout