The Earth-Splitting Divine Bull's face lit up with joy upon hearing this. "Then isn't the entrance right nearby?"
"Probably." Yang Kai nodded.
The group looked around but couldn't spot the faintly glowing entrance they had encountered earlier. Just as they were growing suspicious, Yang Kai beckoned again. "This way!"
With that, he turned and headed in a different direction.
"Lei Long, this kid seems awfully calm about all this—has he been here before?" The Earth-Splitting Divine Bull sidled up and whispered.
"No idea." Great Sovereign Lei Long shook his head slowly. "Just follow him for now. I originally thought he'd only be a drag on this trip, but now we're actually relying on his strength. How ironic…"
"Maybe he's just a blind cat stumbling onto a dead rat?" The Earth-Splitting Divine Bull mused.
Lei Long shot him a glance and said nothing more, picking up his pace to keep up with Yang Kai.
Because he had noticed that while Yang Kai's path would become smooth as flat ground, the stability would collapse shortly after he passed. If they didn't keep up, they'd have to constantly expend energy to resist the surrounding pressure.
Feeling the chaotic currents beneath their feet begin to crumble, none of them dared to let their guard down.
After roughly the time it takes an incense stick to burn, a faint glow suddenly appeared up ahead, entering everyone's field of vision.
"That's the entrance!" The Earth-Splitting Divine Bull cheered, unceremoniously surging past Yang Kai and racing toward it. In moments, he had vanished from sight.
Right behind him, Great Sovereign Lei Long and Cai Die each deployed their own methods to swiftly pass through the entrance.
Yang Kai continued his unhurried approach alongside Li Rong. When they drew close, he sent his divine sense probing inside to confirm there was no danger before entering.
His vision blurred. When it cleared again, he found himself in a strange, otherworldly space.
Above, there were no sun, moon, or stars—only primordial chaos and void, pressing down like thick, dark clouds, with occasional wisps of energy darting through like spectral serpents.
A standard minor mystic realm's structure.
But Yang Kai frowned. He had the distinct feeling that this place was subtly different from other minor mystic realms.
The four demon race members who had entered first were already waiting. Only after confirming that both Yang Kai and Li Rong had arrived safely did they lower their gazes.
Standing within this minor mystic realm, Yang Kai turned to survey his surroundings, his frown deepening.
He discovered that not a single blade of grass grew here—it was utterly desolate, devoid of the faintest trace of vitality. It was as if the entire realm contained nothing but barren wasteland.
Looking ahead, the area roughly a li away was shrouded in grey haze, impossible to see through to any great distance. His divine sense was likewise constrained by an invisible force, unable to probe what lay within.
"Everyone be careful. This place is strange," Great Sovereign Lei Long said in a solemn tone. "When Old Bull and I came here before, we only explored less than ten li before we were forced to retreat."
Yang Kai nodded gravely. Even without the warning, he had no intention of acting recklessly in such an anomalous place.
"This is where the demonic script is inscribed." Lei Long pointed ahead, a flicker of wariness crossing his expression. "But I'd advise you all to take only a single glance. Don't stare for too long, or you might die!"
Surprised, Yang Kai looked in the direction Lei Long indicated. Indeed, not far ahead stood a stone pillar. It appeared to have been placed here a great many years ago, its surface pitted and uneven from the passage of time.
The pillar itself was unremarkable—plain stone of the most ordinary variety.
But the demonic characters carved upon it radiated an aura of slaughter.
The moment Yang Kai's gaze fell upon those characters, he clearly felt a piercing chill of killing intent that sent a shudder through his heart.
The strokes of the demonic script were powerful and vigorous, unmistakably the work of a supreme master.
Yet the faint aura emanating from them made Yang Kai exclaim in spite of himself, and he continued staring a while longer.
In the span of just three breaths, each stroke of the demonic characters suddenly seemed to come alive. They transformed into razor-sharp attacks that shot forth from the stone pillar, rapidly expanding in Yang Kai's pupils.
"You fool, you're looking to die!" Great Sovereign Lei Long's expression changed. He yanked Yang Kai back and positioned himself in front, his colossal divine sense erupting with a boom. A series of muffled pops echoed through the air as Lei Long stumbled back a full step before steadying himself, his face grim.
"I told you not to stare for too long, didn't I?" Lei Long berated him without mercy.
Yang Kai knew he was in the wrong and said nothing, only offering an awkward laugh. He exchanged a glance with Li Rong, and both saw the same startled disbelief reflected in the other's eyes.
Though the demonic script had been carved here for countless ages, it still retained a faint aura—the aura of the Great Demon God!
Scarlet Flame Lei Long and the Earth-Splitting Divine Bull might not recognize it, but Yang Kai and Li Rong would never mistake it.
Moreover, the fact that mere characters left behind for countless years could command such grave caution from two Great Sovereigns of the demon race—probably no one else under heaven could accomplish that, save the Great Demon God himself.
These characters were undoubtedly left behind by the Great Demon God! Yang Kai was certain in an instant.
To witness the Great Demon God's own handiwork in his lifetime was something Yang Kai hadn't expected. But what had the Great Demon God been doing here? And why had he left these characters behind?