The surrounding vegetation had long since withered and fallen away, reduced to charred-black remains.
Even the rocks were covered in a layer of strange dark-red moss, giving off a faint fishy stench.
At last, they arrived at the innermost region of Xuanling Cave Heaven.
A gigantic pitch-black cavern abruptly appeared before them.
The cave was bottomless, like the gaping bloody maw of a giant beast, ready to devour every living thing that came near.
The area around the cave entrance was covered in densely packed chains of runes.
They flickered with an ancient, timeworn radiance. They were precisely the layers of seals laid down by a Divine Lord Mighty Being a million years ago.
Yet at this moment, the light of those seals appeared somewhat dim, and fine cracks had even appeared in several of the runes.
An indescribable, terrifying pressure spread out from the depths of the cave.
Even Xuan Tianba, a powerhouse of the Early Divine Sect Realm, felt his heart pounding with alarm.
"This... this is the suppressed devil?"
Xuan Tianba swallowed with difficulty, his voice dry and hoarse.
Old Ancestor Xuan Mang's expression was more solemn than ever.
"That's right. Several million years ago, a Divine Lord Realm mighty being sensed that a devil was wreaking havoc across the living beings of Eastern Continent,
"so he took action and suppressed it here, entrusting our Xuanba Sword Sect to guard it through the generations."
"However, I never imagined that this devil's aura would become so powerful."
The Old Ancestor's voice carried a trace of disbelief.
"Even through layer upon layer of seals, I can still sense its evil power, which is almost overflowing."
"This is definitely no ordinary devil of the Divine Lord Realm. I'm afraid the strength it has recovered is already infinitely close to the