Chapter 399

Su Chen stepped forward and sat on the stone stool opposite Bai Ze.

"Senior Bai Ze, this is a long story." Su Chen's voice was steady as he recounted his and Sun Wukong's experiences. "We encountered a space-time storm deep in the Spirit Ruins wilderness."

Bai Ze's brows furrowed tightly: "A space-time storm? That is indeed a place of space collapse, but with your cultivation at the time, being sucked into it would mean certain death. How did you escape? And where did the Demon Emperor destiny on Sun Wukong come from?"

Su Chen smiled and said: "Senior, wait for me to tell you slowly."

"We relied on the Innate Spiritual Treasure in my hand to rush out of that space-time storm, but we didn't escape; instead, we were sucked into a space-time barrier." Su Chen recalled. "An ancient Primordial projection constructed by the residual great power of Like Pangu and the Innate Supreme Treasure, the Chaos Bell."

Bai Ze's hand holding the feather fan paused abruptly.

"Primordial projection?" A trace of incredulity flashed in Bai Ze's eyes.

"Exactly." Su Chen nodded. "We spent hundreds of years in that barrier. We witnessed the final years of the Lich Tribulation with our own eyes."

Bai Ze's body shook upon hearing this, and a curious expression appeared on his face.

Su Chen recounted how he and Sun Wukong entered Mount Buzhou, became friends with the Witch Clan, and with the help of the Twelve Ancestral Witches, deduced the divine art "Chaos Nine Turns."

He also spoke of their conflict with the Demon Court.

Bai Ze's expression became complex upon hearing that the two had befriended the Witch Clan but had a grudge against the Demon Court, and had almost died at the Demon Court.

Afterward, Su Chen spoke of Houtu incarnating into the Six Paths of Reincarnation in the Netherworld Blood Sea, recounted the ten Golden Crows sneaking out of Tang Valley, the ten suns scorching the Primordial land, recounted Kuafu chasing the sun until he died of exhaustion, and recounted Hou Yi drawing his bow to shoot down nine suns.

Bai Ze listened to these words, his breathing gradually becoming heavy.

"Ten suns in the sky..." Bai Ze closed his eyes, his voice dry. "That was the beginning of the Demon Court's destruction. Back then, the princes were unruly; I once advised His Majesty to strictly supervise them, but in the end, I couldn't stop them."

Su Chen looked at Bai Ze and continued to recount.

He spoke of the ultimate collision between the Zhou Tian Star Dou Formation and the Twelve Du Tian Shen Sha Formation, the ten-thousand-foot-tall Like Pangu phantom swinging the axe that opened heaven, and the Eastern Emperor Tai Yi hanging the Chaos Bell above his head to shake the Like Pangu giant axe.

When Su Chen spoke of Kun Peng stealing the Hetu Luoshu and fleeing the battle, Bai Ze opened his eyes abruptly, terrifying killing intent shooting from them.

"Kun Peng, that old thief!" Bai Ze gritted his teeth. "I knew back then that this person was too selfish, but His Majesty, considering his heaven-reaching cultivation, kept him in the Demon Master Palace for use. He actually cut off the Demon Clan's last chance of survival at the most critical moment!"

Su Chen's expression remained unchanged, his voice still steady, as he recounted the final outcome.

Emperor Di Jun ignited the black tribulation fire and perished together with the four Ancestral Witches, including Brother Di Jiang and Zhurong.

Eastern Emperor Tai Yi merged with the Chaos Bell, transforming into a world-destroying sun, and dragged the remaining seven Ancestral Witches to the Yellow Springs together.

Mount Buzhou snapped, and the weak water of the Heavenly River poured back into the Primordial land.

Sun Wukong leaned against the stone wall, arms crossed, a trace of heaviness flashing in his eyes.

He had been sworn brothers with Zhurong and the others in that barrier; hearing Su Chen recount this again, he still felt stifled.

Bai Ze slumped onto the stone couch.

This wise man of the ancient Demon Court had red-rimmed eyes, and a bitter smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Heavenly Dao is ruthless." Bai Ze sighed long. "All things are but straw dogs. The Demon Clan ruled the Thirty-Three Heavens, the Witch Clan dominated the Primordial land; in the end, it was all for nothing."

Bai Ze was silent for a long time before looking up at Su Chen again.

"You spent hundreds of years in that barrier." Bai Ze's voice was a bit hoarse. "Did you ever see me?"

Su Chen looked at Bai Ze and pondered slightly.

"I did." Su Chen answered truthfully. "But we didn't interact deeply. After entering the barrier, we became close to the Witch Clan by chance. We didn't have much contact with the Demon Court side."

Su Chen paused, his gaze falling on Bai Ze, his tone becoming a bit tactful.

"However, in that final decisive battle under Mount Buzhou, I watched the battlefield from afar and saw you, Senior." Speaking of this, Su Chen looked at Bai Ze strangely and said tactfully: "At that time, I saw the Demon Court's Demon Sages falling one after another, but I didn't see when you left the battlefield."

Bai Ze's body shook abruptly upon hearing this.

He lowered his head and remained silent.

Sun Wukong raised his eyebrows on the side, his gaze also falling on Bai Ze.

He also felt it was strange; the decisive battle back then was so tragic, how could this first wise man of the Demon Court be alive today?

The atmosphere in the cave dwelling became a bit oppressive.

After a while, Bai Ze let out a low, bitter laugh.

"You must think that I am a deserter who fears death."

Bai Ze looked up and met the gazes of Su Chen and Sun Wukong.

Su Chen did not speak.

Sun Wukong grinned: "Old Sun doesn't believe it. If you were really a spineless person, you wouldn't have been so angry when you heard about Kun Peng just now."

Bai Ze looked at Sun Wukong, a trace of relief flashing in his eyes.

"The moment before the decisive battle broke out." Bai Ze spoke slowly, his voice heavy. "His Majesty summoned me into the Demon Emperor Palace."

Bai Ze's thoughts drifted back to that era.

"His Majesty told me that he had deduced heavenly secrets and sensed a disturbance in the River of Time. He had a premonition that the Demon Clan would face many misfortunes in this battle; the heavenly numbers were set and could not be reversed."

Su Chen's heart shook upon hearing this.

He knew that the disturbance Emperor Di Jun sensed was exactly what he and Sun Wukong had caused by entering the barrier.

Bai Ze continued: "His Majesty gave a death order. He told me that if the Demon Master saw that the Demon Court's situation was not good, I should withdraw from the battlefield and take the Demon Court's last foundation to evacuate."

"I was unwilling to leave and wished to live and die with the Demon Court." Bai Ze's eyes were moist. "But His Majesty said that the Demon Clan cannot go extinct. Someone must survive to keep the roots of the Demon Clan. He entrusted the last hope of the Demon Clan to me."

Bai Ze took a deep breath, trying to calm his emotions.

"I took the foundation and quietly left the Thirty-Three Heavens, watching the Zhou Tian Star Dou Formation collapse, watching the stars fall, watching His Majesty and the Eastern Emperor fall."

Bai Ze's voice trembled.

"For these countless years, I have lived in seclusion overseas, bearing the infamy of being a deserter of the Demon Clan. I dared not show my face, dared not take action, and could only watch the Demon Clan head toward decline."

Bai Ze looked at Su Chen, his gaze filled with extremely complex emotions.

"Dying on the battlefield only takes a moment of blood and courage. But living in hiding with a secret requires enduring ten thousand years of torment." Bai Ze smiled bitterly. "My life was left by His Majesty. As long as the Demon Court's foundation is still there, I cannot die."

Sun Wukong stood straight after hearing these words, put away his usual unruliness, and bowed solemnly to Bai Ze.

He understood that this kind of enduring humiliation and heavy burden was harder than rushing up to fight for his life.

Su Chen sat on the stone stool, his heart clear.

He finally saw the context of the entire Lich Tribulation.

His existence in the barrier allowed Emperor Di Jun to see a variable.

In order to grasp this glimmer of survival, Emperor Di Jun left behind the Sun True Fire and ordered Bai Ze to take away the foundation.

And because he obtained the Sun True Fire, he eventually went to the barrier and achieved this karma.