Redemption of a Born Demon

But coming from Yi Beidou, the words sounded perfectly natural. Even the leaders of the Five Divine Sealing Veins saw nothing wrong with them.

After all, if they were to face a terrifying threat on the Earth Immortal Level, Yi Beidou was likely the only one present who could mount a defense if caught by surprise.

Once the group was finalized, they quickly fell into formation.

Yi Beidou took the lead, with Long Yichen and Durand right behind him. They were followed by Zhou Qingchen, Huang Tianhu, the members of the Donghua Saint Realm, and the other Divine Sealers. The three remaining Divine Sealer leaders brought up the rear, guarding their path from behind.

The lake was not calm. They could feel unnatural currents stirring beneath the surface, most likely caused by some kind of Exotic Beast, much like the Sea Flood Dragon Yi Beidou had encountered on Penglai Immortal Mountain.

This time, however, the Exotic Beast in the depths didn’t attack. The disturbance in the water quickly subsided and moved away from them of its own accord.

Their animal instincts told them that if they attacked, they would be utterly annihilated.

After all, the combined power of the Martial Artists present was enough to sweep across the entire Earth.

As they made their way across, they saw all sorts of debris on the water’s surface—plastic trash, scraps of cloth, and more. Most incredibly, they even saw the wreckage of a cruiser floating on the water.

"It must be from the Spiritual Talisman upheaval a while back," Long Yichen said. "The passage to these ruins must have been stimulated by chance, opening up and swallowing things from the sea."

The group didn’t bother investigating the cruiser’s wreckage. It would be pointless. An ordinary person swept into that passage would have virtually no chance of survival.

Soon, they left the lake behind and set foot on solid ground. They encountered no threats, such as Arrays, along the way.

"There are traces of man-made structures here, but they’re severely damaged."

Tao Zihong brushed aside the vegetation underfoot, revealing stone fragments that were clearly the remains of a building.

"Was this place a small town? The buildings are almost completely destroyed. You can’t even find a single intact structure—it’s all just fragments buried under the plants. It’s as if it was carpet-bombed by high-powered weapons."

"A terrifying battle must have taken place here long ago," Long Yichen said, "likely a clash at the Earth Immortal Level. For beings of that caliber, it’s not surprising that the aftershocks of their fight could obliterate a small town like this."

The group passed the ruins of the town and continued onward toward a continuous mountain range. The peaks rose and fell like a colossal dragon, and the terrain was extraordinary. In the outside world, a place with such topography would undoubtedly be considered a rare Grotto Heaven Blessed Land, a place that sheltered the wind and gathered Qi, influencing the world’s magnetic fields. Even the terrain of Dragon Tiger Mountain couldn’t compare.

"Incredible. How can such perfect terrain exist? It’s as if the Earth Book were written based on this very landscape, a masterpiece of natural creation. Logically, a place like this should have radiant light in the sky and earthly Qi as vibrant as a rainbow. Why is it so gloomy and sinister?" Fang Xiuyuan said in disbelief. He had traveled all over Earth but had never seen such a perfect landscape.

"The Earth Book wasn’t written based on this place," Durand said, shaking his head. "The terrain is so perfect because it was man-made."

"Earth Immortals have the power to move mountains and fill seas."

Yi Beidou agreed, recalling the powers of the Penglai Earth Immortal he had witnessed through Synesthesia.

"Incredible... truly incredible," Fang Xiuyuan muttered to himself.

As they continued on, they found several more locations in the dense mountain forests that seemed to be former settlements. But everything was too severely damaged, and they certainly didn’t have time for a thorough search. Their only discovery of note was the talisman-like patterns found on many of the stone blocks.

Considering the nature of the Spiritual Talisman, the master of this place was likely an expert proficient in Immortal Talismans.

As for things like Prohibition Arrays, they hadn’t encountered any yet, likely because most were utterly destroyed during the great war of the past.

After walking for several miles, the group came across a "canyon."

The canyon was incredibly long and narrow, at least several hundred meters by visual estimate, and just wide enough for two people to walk abreast. It was overgrown with weeds and other plants, but they could still see that the stone walls on either side were perfectly smooth.

It was this very canyon that, at a crucial point, had sliced the "dragon" of the mountain range in two, turning a living dragon into a dead one. As a result, the once-perfect terrain was now filled with a grim, deathly aura.

"This... couldn’t have been carved out by a single blow from some immense power, could it?" Ding Huiyuan said, his face twitching.

The canyon looked as if a great blade had descended from the heavens and sliced the mountain dragon in two. The cut was just too clean.

A brief silence fell over the group.

The true power of an Earth Immortal seemed even more terrifying than they had imagined.

Even modern civilization would have little means of resistance if faced with a being of this level.

It was simply beyond their comprehension.

After walking a while longer and rounding a mountain peak, the group’s spirits lifted slightly.

From this position, their view cleared the mountain range, allowing them to see a towering peak at the very center of the Grotto Heaven.

Topographically, it was the focal point where all the earthly Qi of the mountain range converged—the prominent position of the "dragon’s head."

Furthermore, in the dim light, they could see a radiant glow at the summit. Ribbons of iridescent light, like an aurora, swirled in the air above the peak, seeming to form a unique pattern that pulsed with a mysterious and profound energy.

At the same time, it exuded a hair-raising sense of threat.

"This Grotto Heaven appears to have suffered immense damage. We’ll likely only find something on that main peak. Let’s pick up the pace."

Yi Beidou stared at the glowing summit for a moment. When neither his eyes nor his intuition revealed anything further, he made the suggestion.

The others nodded in agreement. With Yi Beidou still in the lead, the group began to move faster toward the Grotto Heaven’s main peak.

About two kilometers from the main peak, the group came to an abrupt halt.

They had noticed a faint, fluorescent glow coming from a patch of grass not far ahead.

Yi Beidou approached and, with a swipe of his hand, sent a blade of Qi to slice through the weeds, revealing what was hidden inside.

It appeared to be... a piece of jade half the height of a man?

’No, it’s not jade. This is... Earth Immortal Flesh and Blood?!’

Yi Beidou’s pupils contracted. He could feel a life force emanating from the "jade," confirming its identity.

In its dormant state, Earth Immortal Flesh and Blood did indeed take on a jade-like appearance.

"The corpse of one of the Sleepers!" Durand said grimly.

"A Sleeper’s corpse?"

Hearing this, everyone’s expression grew taut.

"Sleepers absorb Earth Immortal Flesh and Blood from various Earth Immortals. After they die, this foreign flesh and blood runs rampant, completely destroying their original bodies. And because the flesh has already been fused through Sacrificial Refining, it doesn’t revert to its original state. Instead, after the rampage subsides, it becomes dormant in the form of a jade-like block."

"Judging by the size of this block, it must be more than half the volume of a human body’s flesh and blood. Only a Sleeper could achieve that. It seems the Spiritual Talisman isn’t the only way into this Grotto Heaven. It’s very likely that Sleepers entered this place sometime in the unknown past," Long Yichen explained in a low voice.

A Sleeper, a being who could Call the Wind and Summon the Rain in the outside world, had died here in silence. The thought sent a chill down everyone’s spine.

"Let’s keep moving," Yi Beidou said. "We can come back to collect this Earth Immortal Flesh and Blood later if we have time." He no longer advanced at full speed, but slowed his pace instead.

Soon, upon coming within a kilometer of the main peak, the group discovered another similar jade-like block.

"More than one Sleeper has died in this Grotto Heaven. They probably explored as a group. And it’s highly likely that all of them died here, with no survivors. Otherwise, the phenomenon on the main peak wouldn’t still be present, and this Earth Immortal Flesh and Blood wouldn’t have been left behind," Long Yichen concluded.

Multiple Sleepers had joined forces to enter this Grotto Heaven, only to all perish here without a single one escaping.

What terrifying thing could possibly be on that main peak?