Chapter 575: Seeing the ‘Thing’
Once they entered the cave, the path ahead was completely dark, with nothing to illuminate the way. However, as high-ranking cultivators at the Grand Duke and Emperor stages, Aldrian and Dureus could see in the darkness. They continued walking deeper underground, and as time passed, Aldrian was astonished to see the passage gradually widening.
"Young master, I know you heard last night that the ’thing’ has a guardian. The guardian is actually a kind of spirit. I don’t know what kind of spirit she is, but she’s incredibly strong. From what I’ve heard, the guardian here has always been the same spirit since ancient times," Dureus sent through a voice transmission as they walked.
"You must already know, young master, that the devil energy here is being suppressed. Don’t you find it strange? The Grand Canyon holds an extremely dense concentration of devil energy, even compared to other regions in the devil territory—yet in the core area, it’s actually suppressed. We don’t know the mystery behind it, but—"
"This place is like heaven for us devil beasts. Even with all the devil energy around, we don’t completely lose our minds because of the aura present in the core. For your information, the lower a devil’s cultivation, the more corrupted their mind becomes, and they tend to act more erratically."
"As our cultivation continues to rise, we gradually regain our sanity and start to take control of our personalities again. However, due to the prolonged exposure to negative energy and a corrupted mind, many devil cultivators end up with a twisted personality in one way or another."
"But in this region, in this area, there is something that can suppress the devil energy—and not just suppress it, but also clear our minds. Even a weakling at the beginner stage can regain their sanity here, which is incredibly valuable in the long run."
"As you can see, we aren’t particularly fanatical or loyal to the Devil Lord and also to what some call the Devil God. Despite our devil origin, we still have the freedom to choose our alignment. We don’t feel bound to that so-called Devil Lord or Devil God."
"Instead, we feel bound to this place—to that thing that makes all of this possible. We don’t really care about its origin. What matters is that it has truly helped us, and it permits us to live in this region. We deeply respect it and honor any agreement it desires, regardless of its strength."
"We can become powerful quickly because of the thick negative energy, and we don’t lose our minds since we can just come to this area." Dureus paused slightly as he had to jump a little because the terrain wasn’t completely even.
"However, here’s the catch. Despite all that convenience, why is this place only filled with beasts and plant beings, and not humans? That’s because of the strange preference of the ’thing’ and its guardian." Dureus continued.
"Their preference?" Aldrian asked curiously.