"We seem to have come too late..."
Inside the cavern, beneath the mountain wall, several people pushed aside a boulder and crawled out through a narrow, collapsed passage.
What greeted them was the aftermath of a great battle. Zuo Zhongliang's belongings lay scattered across the ground, with only traces remaining and not a person in sight.
"Demon-Subduing True Lord..."
His subordinates fell silent. They bent down and picked up a sword hilt with no blade left, along with the tokens and credentials marking his status as an Orthodox God of the Heavenly Court.
"General, come look! There are some strange things here!"
Suddenly, a Heavenly Soldier searching on the other side called out.
He kept his voice low, as though afraid of disturbing something nearby.
Several of the officers serving under Zuo Zhongliang went over to examine what the Heavenly Soldier had found.
"Is this... shed snakeskin?"
The officers exchanged looks, all filled with uncertainty and alarm.
Before them lay the remnants of a gigantic snake's shed skin. Scales the size of fingernails were scattered beside the pool, giving off a bewitching, uncanny gleam against the bloody water.
A peculiar aura unique to powerful demonic beasts lingered nearby, making them shudder in the depths of their souls.
Those who had come were either Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, Night Watchers, or Garrison Commissioners. They dealt with all manner of demons and ghosts year-round, yet none had ever felt such intense evil energy. Even without the creature itself before them, the sight filled them with dread.
"Something truly terrible seems to have appeared here!"
An experienced Night Watcher crouched down and felt around, suddenly discovering signs of movement.
"It crawled that way! The water trails haven't even dried!"
Someone speculated, "Could the Demon-Subduing True Lord have failed to kill this fiend, and