Beyond the hidden door, the demonic qi was even thicker than outside, and the stench grew still more nauseating. It was as though rotting flesh had been piled along both sides of the long passageway and left uncleared for ages, its foul odor gathering here and refusing to disperse.
Beyond that, Su Jiu keenly sensed how jumbled and strange the auras here were.
The passageway was not long; in fact, they could see its end at a glance.
Prison cells lined both sides of it, one after another.
Xia Jue and the others had only taken a few steps before stopping at the nearest cell.
"This... this is one of the magic beasts that attacked us in the forest!" Someone immediately recognized the magic beast imprisoned in the cage.
A thoughtful gleam crossed Su Jiu's eyes. "Senior Brother, you sensed it too, didn't you? This magic beast also carries the Four-Aspect Demon's aura."
Xia Jue nodded. "Or rather, every magic beast in Windforest Star River actually carries the Four-Aspect Demon's aura..."
Su Jiu's pupils abruptly contracted. She suddenly remembered what Little Pearl had once told her: the Four-Aspect Demon's greatest strength was not attacking, but a trait called "assimilation."
As everyone exchanged their observations, a weak yet excited voice suddenly rang out from the darkness. "Are... are you cultivators from outside? From what you're saying, you can't be those dog scoundrels from the Vast Righteousness Sect, right?"
Su Jiu could hear the hope brimming in his voice.
He was so excited that his voice had become slightly distorted, like a drowning man clutching a rope that promised life.
Then came a rattling of chains.
The group's voices gradually faded, and almost as one, they turned toward the source of the sound.
A pair of filthy hands suddenly appeared on the