Juli Lu carried Xiang Yuan forward. Passing through a stone gate, the space ahead suddenly opened up.
The secret passage led directly to the forbidden grounds of Slaughter Mountain's main peak, at the heart of the volcanic crater. Perhaps it had been carved out by the Heavenly Demon, or perhaps it was a natural formation—a secluded space cut off from the world.
The ground here was level, thick with the smell of sulfur. Heat waves scalded the air, and every breath felt like dancing with flames.
A vast open plain stretched out before them. At its far end stood a smooth, perfectly even stone wall—the legendary Great Demon Stone Wall. According to rumors, several of the Heavenly Demon Sect's higher martial arts had originated from this very place.
The stone wall towered into the clouds, its surface reflecting the glow of magma like a mass of dark red drifting clouds. There was no writing upon it, no images either. It was strange beyond measure.
Behind the Great Demon Stone Wall lay a cliff, below which rolling magma could be seen, like a furnace of hell endlessly belching heat and sparks—the devilfire spoken of by the Devil Race.
Standing on this flat ground, one could hear the magma boiling below, like the heartbeat of Slaughter Mountain. It left Xiang Yuan feeling deeply unsafe.
What if it collapsed?
More than twenty people stood upon the forbidden ground, facing off in two camps to the left and right. Every last one had the look of the Devil Race. If someone spat, the one getting sprayed would be either a Left or Right Envoy, a Dharma King, or a hall master. Nearly all of the Heavenly Demon Sect's upper ranks had gathered here.
On the left, the man at the forefront had striking red