After leaving the eerie forest, Grace and her group followed the elderly man’s directions and headed southeast.
The deeper they went into the grove, the denser the fog became. The leaves no longer rustled with their pleasant sound. Instead, an unsettling stillness hung in the air. The faint, fresh scent of the woods carried an underlying trace of something sickly sweet.
“Ms. Linsor, can we really trust what that elderly man said?” Judith asked, lowering her voice and glancing around warily. Grace shook her head, her expression tense. “It’s hard to tell, but this is the only clue we have,” she replied.
If Dustin, a terrestrial immortal realm powerhouse, hadn’t been with them, she never would have dared take the risk. After about an hour of walking, they finally spotted the deep canyon that the elderly man had told them about.
The entrance was narrow, flanked by towering black cliffs that seemed to have been carved with giant blades. Not a single plant grew on the barren rock walls, creating a stark contrast with the forest they had left behind.
A bone-chilling wind howled from the canyon’s depths, carrying a putrid stench of rot that made their skin crawl.
Dim light barely reached the interior. The canyon yawned before them like the open mouth of some monstrous beast, ready to devour any intruder
“This is the place,” Grace said, stopping in her tracks. She gazed at the dark entrance and took a deep breath, trying hard to suppress the unease stirring within her.
Whatever clue to the elixir they sought might lie within, but every instinct warned her the threats inside would dwarf everything they’d encountered so far. It could be worse than the carnivorous flowers, the wailing grass, and possibly even Thymaleon, who could control lightning.
The guards stared nervously at the foreboding canyon. Their hands tightened on their weapons, and their formation drew closer instinctively, bracing for whatever lay ahead
Grace turned to Dustin and asked, “Do you sense anything?”
“There’s something off about it,” he replied. His eyes narrowed as he peered into the darkness. When he tried probing with his divine sense, it was like dropping a pebble into an endless ocean. Some invisible force blocked and disrupted his perception, leaving only murky confusion.
“Follow behind me and stay alert,” Dustin said, giving no further explanation as he led the way into the canyon.
The group quickly followed, clustering closely behind him.
After entering the canyon, they could feel the temperature drop significantly. The cold wind seemed to penetrate their clothing and into their bones. The ground beneath their feet was soft and damp, swallowing every step in silence
Towering cliffs loomed on either side, blotting out the sky. Only a thin sliver of light filtered through a crack above, barely illuminating the path ahead. The air was thick with the stench of decay, now tinged with a sharp, sulfurous bite.
One of the guards accidentally kicked something, producing a crisp sound in the stillness. He looked down to find a segment of bleached-white bone, its shape suggesting it belonged to some large beast.
As they ventured deeper, they discovered an increasing number of skeletal remains scattered on the ground. Some were from beasts, while others were clearly human.
Shattered skulls and broken ribs lay half-buried in the mud, silent witnesses to the horrors that had unfolded inside there.
An unspoken dread began to creep into everyone’s hearts.
“Stay focused. Don’t let fear or dread distract you,” Dustin said. His voice rang out like a bell, carrying a soothing power that swept away some of the fear gnawing at their thoughts.
He could sense that the canyon harbored not only physical dangers but was also permeated by a negative energy that could erode one’s sanity.
After walking another half-mile, the canyon began to open up. The ground was now riddled with pits of varying sizes, filled with thick, bubbling black liquid. It turned out to be the source of the sulfuric stench.
In some areas, vividly colored plants twisted unnaturally from the ground. They moved without wind, as if alive.
Just then, a low, guttural roar echoed from the unfathomable depths of the canyon. It wasn’t loud, but it struck at their very souls, making hearts race and blood run cold.
Dustin stopped moving, his keen gaze locked on a sharp bend in the path ahead. Though his divine senses were being suppressed, he could still detect a powerful presence lurking just beyond. Its strength was likely on par with Thymaleon, but its energy wave was far more savage and chaotic
“Stay sharp,” he said slowly, his right hand resting lightly on the hilt at his waist. Upon seeing his solemnity, everyone’s hearts leap into their throats.
The guards drew their weapons and formed a tight defensive ring around Grace, their eyes locked on the bend ahead.
The low, guttural roar echoed again, but this time it sounded much closer. Accompanying it were heavy, dragging footsteps and the harsh scrape of chains grinding against stone. Then a nauseating wave of stench rolled toward them.
In the next moment, the shadows at the bend writhed. A massive, grotesque figure slowly emerged, radiating pure, unrestrained malice.
It was a terrifying monster, colossal in size and shaped like a lizard but with three heads. Its entire body was covered in black, metallic scales. Between the gaps in its armor, molten red light pulsed like flowing lava.
Six blood-red eyes burned like hot coals, filled with fury and a desire for destruction. Its limbs were as thick as pillars, claws digging deep into the ground. A spiked tail swayed behind it, lashing against the cliff walls and leaving deep gouges in the stone.
But the most arresting feature was the heavy black chains wound around its neck and limbs, etched with luminous runes. Those chains ran into the rock walls, anchoring the beast and restricting how far it could move.
Even though it was restrained, the crushing pressure rolling off it made everyone struggle to breathe, and their knees went weak with fear.
Only Dustin stood firm.
