The scorching flames, endless bolts of lightning, chains of the Sealing Gods that gnawed like countless ants, and boundless loneliness—within this unending span of time, Jing Zhan endured it all. He had forgotten the passage of years, forgotten the ancient glory, forgotten the inheritance of his clan. Yet deep within his memory, there was one presence he could never forget.
Jing Zhan stared fixedly at that crack. A familiar aura seeped through it, and his heartbeat gradually quickened. He subconsciously stepped forward, but in the next instant, the Sealing God Chains on his body yanked him violently back. His back slammed into the rock, sending a wave of piercing pain through him. Jing Zhan paid no heed to the agony surging through his body and once again forced himself forward. He knew Qing Ming was there.
The crack in front of him slowly widened, until it was finally torn open by a surge of force. A figure stepped out slowly from within. Jing Zhan felt every sense in his body screaming in unison. He stared unblinking at that familiar face, a faint smile gradually appearing on his lips. Yet in the next moment, that smile froze the instant he saw the figure following closely behind, and a trace of disgust surfaced on his face.
Qing Ming did not notice the subtle change in Jing Zhan’s expression. He simply looked at Jing Zhan, his voice carrying a slight tremor.
“Jing Zhan.”
The Jing Zhan before him looked extremely battered and worn. Qing Ming could hardly believe his eyes. Although he knew Jing Zhan had been imprisoned here, although he knew human cultivators would show no mercy, actually seeing Jing Zhan’s condition still made him realize he had underestimated the cruelty of human cultivators.
Qing Ming stood there, feeling rage surge within him. Endless strands of black qi spread from his body, forming a massive phantom in the air that lunged toward Jing Zhan.
“Careful!” Old Ghost Head hurriedly warned. He had sensed the aura of the Nine Heavens Thunder Sword Array. Yet Jing Zhan merely looked at Qing Ming’s movements with detachment, remaining silent.
The phantom was about to reach Jing Zhan when a deafening thunderclap suddenly erupted. Behind Jing Zhan, countless streaks of lightning exploded forth with a power that seemed capable of destroying heaven and earth. Seven enormous swords rose into the sky with overwhelming momentum. Thunder crashed down wildly in an instant, and the phantom rushed forward, shielding Jing Zhan beneath it and taking all the lightning strikes on his behalf.
Old Ghost Head secretly glanced at Qing Ming, whose expression was grave, and felt a complicated unease in his heart. Seeing the phantom shielding Jing Zhan beneath it, he knew it was only an illusion, yet he still felt something indescribable.
At that moment, Qing Ming had no time to consider Old Ghost Head’s thoughts. He was fully focused on resisting the thunderous sword formation in the air. Although it was only a phantom and not his true body, it carried seventy percent of his power, yet it was still at a disadvantage against the sword formation. Black qi surged from Qing Ming once more, continuously replenishing the massive phantom. He was determined to protect Jing Zhan.
Jing Zhan said nothing. He simply watched the phantom before him. They had grown up together. They had once been the best of friends. They had once fought their way up from the lowest ranks of the demon clan side by side. They had once entrusted their backs to each other without hesitation. But then Chu Qingyi appeared.
Watching Qing Ming repeatedly abandon his own principles for Chu Qingyi, Jing Zhan had been furious, had argued, had condemned him, had even felt heartache. In the end, cracks formed between them, until their final great war over the survival of the demon race led them to irreconcilable opposition and complete separation.
A faint smile curved Jing Zhan’s lips as memories surged through him. Over the years, he had asked himself countless times—if back then, on the eve of the Great Collapse, he had followed Qing Ming’s advice and chosen to ally with the human race, would the demon race still have been destroyed?
But Jing Zhan lowered his eyes. Even someone who dared to steal the Heavenly Mechanism Disk—how could such a greedy human race be trusted? If not for human greed, how could the ancient world have been punished by the Heavenly Dao? And how could he have watched his clansmen die one after another in misery?
His people would rather die in battle than ever join hands with humans for that so-called slim chance of survival.
Thunder continued to fall. The phantom stood before him without retreating. Jing Zhan let out a cold laugh and, with a flick of his hand toward the flames behind him, a massive serpent of fire formed and shot toward Old Ghost Head.
“Jing Zhan!” Qing Ming called out sharply.
The black qi around him no longer continuously fed into the phantom, but instead formed a giant mouth to intercept the serpent, swallowing it whole. Black qi and flames intertwined violently in midair before the flames gradually dimmed and finally extinguished.
“Ugh!”
The massive phantom protecting Jing Zhan let out a muffled groan as Qing Ming was momentarily distracted. Under another wave of lightning strikes, it began to fade, turning increasingly translucent until it dissipated completely.
Jing Zhan’s cold smile deepened. He looked straight at Qing Ming and endured the overwhelming lightning strikes with his own body.
Across the sea of flames, Qing Ming looked at Jing Zhan’s cold eyes and felt a deep sorrow in his heart.
“You still refuse to let go?”
Jing Zhan sneered.
“Let go of what? Let go of the destruction of my race caused by human stupidity and greed? Is that what you want me to abandon?”
Qing Ming said solemnly, “The human race has already paid the price for its actions. In the Great Collapse of the ancient world, both humans and demons perished together.”
Jing Zhan’s face flashed with mockery.
“Chu Qingyi—is he not of the ancient human race?”
Old Ghost Head truly felt he was being dragged into something undeserved. He knew Jing Zhan disliked him greatly and would inevitably drag him into this. Silently stepping back, he hid behind Qing Ming, hoping Jing Zhan would pretend he did not exist.
Qing Ming remained silent.
“Chu Qingyi knows nothing of the Heavenly Mechanism Disk theft. He was completely unaware.”
Jing Zhan suddenly laughed loudly. After a long moment, his laughter ceased and he roared:
“He didn’t know? How could he not know? Isn’t he the most favored disciple of Nine Void True Lord? Isn’t he Hua Yao’s most beloved junior brother? How could he possibly not know?”
Qing Ming sighed deeply.
“You know his nature. Do you think Nine Void True Lord would tell him something so important?”
Jing Zhan’s eyes swept past Qing Ming and landed mockingly on Old Ghost Head.
Old Ghost Head felt a surge of anger but also a trace of guilt. He wanted to defend himself but hesitated, unsure whether his words or actions might have revealed anything.
Qing Ming said firmly, “Chu Qingyi never revealed any secrets of the demon clan to Nine Void True Lord.”
Jing Zhan sneered again, then said nothing further, only staring at Old Ghost Head.
Finally, Qing Ming spoke again.
“Chu Qingyi is my lover. Jing Zhan, you are my brother. Both of you are equally important to me.”
Jing Zhan fell silent.
What else was there to say?
Since Chu Qingyi appeared, Qing Ming was no longer the Qing Ming he once knew.
For Chu Qingyi, he repeatedly violated clan laws. For Chu Qingyi, he showed mercy to humans. For Chu Qingyi, he even gave up his position as clan leader. And when news spread that Chu Qingyi intended to marry a female cultivator, Qing Ming still did not abandon him.
So what more could be said?
Jing Zhan’s voice turned cold.
“Leave. I do not need your pity brought along with Chu Qingyi.”
Qing Ming’s expression hardened.
“Jing Zhan, I want to save you.”
“I do not need it. I will find my own way out.”
Qing Ming did not respond, his expression resolute.
Jing Zhan’s lips curled in habitual disdain.
“You think you can break the Nine Heavens Thunder Sword Array? Even the three of us—me, you, and Cang Ye—could not break it back then. On what basis do you think you can save me?”
Qing Ming’s expression shifted slightly as he fell into thought.
Old Ghost Head suddenly spoke up.
“The Nine Chaos Cauldron!”
Qing Ming’s eyes lit up.
“That’s right. The Nine Chaos Cauldron is said to refine all things in the world. No matter how powerful the Nine Heavens Thunder Sword Array is, it cannot withstand our demon clan’s sacred artifact.”
Old Ghost Head became excited.
“Let’s go find Little Jade immediately. The Nine Chaos Cauldron is in Zhu Yurun’s possession.”
Qing Ming immediately tore open a spatial rift. Before stepping through, he looked back at Jing Zhan.
“I will definitely bring you out.”
Behind them, Jing Zhan slowly closed his eyes, offering no response.
Only when their auras could no longer be felt did Jing Zhan open his eyes again. He raised his right hand and suddenly drove it fiercely into his chest.
Soon, he withdrew his hand. Between his blood-soaked fingers, he held a white, circular shard. Strangely, the shard bore no trace of blood and emitted a faint glow.
The moment the shard appeared, the Nine Heavens Thunder Sword Array suddenly began to tremble. Crackling sounds filled the sky as lightning surged violently, but not a single bolt struck down.
Jing Zhan ignored the blood still dripping from his chest and studied the shard for a long moment before sighing. Once again, he inserted his hand into his chest and placed the shard back inside his body. When he withdrew his hand, the wound healed at a visible speed until not a single trace remained.
Jing Zhan frowned.
Still not enough.
Even with a fragment of the Heavenly Mechanism Disk, the Nine Heavens Thunder Sword Array merely hesitated—it was not truly restrained.
How, then, could he completely break it?
Could he truly rely on the Nine Chaos Cauldron?
His thoughts turned to the Creation Pearl taken by Leng Qin. He had once believed the Heavenly Mechanism Disk could not function because the Creation Pearl remained within his body, and so he had deliberately handed it over. Yet even without it, the Heavenly Mechanism Disk still could not be used.
It seemed the human race, aside from stealing the Heavenly Mechanism Disk, had at least considered how to activate it. Unfortunately, all the ancient humans were dead—except for that fool Chu Qingyi.
Jing Zhan closed his eyes once more, gathering his strength.
It seemed that if he wanted to escape, he would have to rely on the Nine Chaos Cauldron.