The Witch-Demon Rift, Sowing Discord in Secret

Amid the Chaos Ruins, black light filled the sky, coalescing into a vivid Imprint Stone image—

In the image, "Lu Chen" wielded the Chaos Brick, frantically looting the third layer of Treasure Distribution Cliff and collecting the Taiji Diagram, Pangu Banner, Immortal Slaying Sword Formation Diagram, and other treasures into the Qiankun Diagram.

There was even footage of "Lu Chen" sneaking into the core area and taking the Chaos Source Liquid!

"This Imprint Stone recording is fake!" Lu Chen's face turned livid. "I wasn't even at Treasure Distribution Cliff!"

"The evidence is irrefutable, and you still dare to quibble?" Saint Tongtian's Four Swords of Zhu Xian had already slid halfway from their sheaths, killing intent glinting in his eyes.

The Daoist attendant knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly. "Saints, please see the truth! Lu Chen forced me to do it! He said he'd kill my whole family if I didn't cooperate... I'm only an attendant on guard duty. How could I defy such a vicious man?"

Kunpeng also seized the chance to wail. "That's right, that's right! I was forced, too! Lu Chen said that if I didn't help him fence the stolen goods, he'd expose how I ambushed Hong Yun and colluded with the Devil Dao!"

The two sang the same tune, dumping all the blame on Lu Chen.

The four Saints fixed him with icy stares, their pressure surging over him like collapsing mountains and roaring seas.

Lu Chen's heart sank.

He knew that nothing he said would help now.

The Saints needed a scapegoat, and he was the perfect candidate.

But the instincts of Old Sixth's kind kicked in, and he instantly calmed down.

He couldn't fight back head-on. He had to redirect the blame!

"Saints." Lu Chen took a deep breath, then suddenly smiled. "Do you really believe that a Mid-Stage Quasi-Saint like me could quietly empty Treasure Distribution Cliff, and force the attendant and Kunpeng to cooperate?"

"Why couldn't you?" Yuanshi said coldly. "You wield the Chaos Brick and God-Slaying Spear, and have the Morning Bell protecting you. Your combat strength is already no weaker than a peak Quasi-Saint."

"High combat strength doesn't mean I can break through Saint-level wards." Lu Chen shook his head. "The wards around Treasure Distribution Cliff's core area were personally laid by the Dao Ancestor. If I had that ability, I'd have become a Saint long ago. Why would I stand here talking with you?"

There was some truth to that.

Lao Tzu frowned slightly. "You mean..."

"Someone stole the treasures and framed me." Lu Chen looked at the attendant, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "Daoist attendant, you say I forced you. Then let me ask you this—who told you how to undo the wards around Treasure Distribution Cliff's core area? Without that knowledge, I couldn't even get through the entrance."

The attendant was at a loss for words. "I... You figured it out yourself!"

"Oh?" Lu Chen smiled. "Then tell me, how many variations are there in the core area's wards? When does each weakening period occur? How could an outsider like me know information even the Saints might not fully understand?"

The attendant went pale, stammering without being able to answer.

"Can't answer? Then allow me." Lu Chen's voice rang out. "The core area's wards have nine layers, each corresponding to a Great Dao law. They weaken once every three thousand years, for three breaths each time. Only the attendants who have guarded Treasure Distribution Cliff for years know this!"

"And you"—he pointed at the attendant—"not only know all this, but also know where the Saints' imitation treasures are stored. You can even forge Imprint Stone recordings so convincing that even Saints can hardly tell they're fake! Is that something an ordinary attendant should be capable of?"

All four Saints turned their eyes to the attendant.

The attendant trembled all over and tried to protest, but Lu Chen had already brought out his final trump card—

He pulled an Imprint Stone from his robes—one he'd found in Luohu's treasury—and crushed it!

"Buzz!"

Another recording appeared: the attendant meeting secretly with Luohu's remnant soul. Luohu promised, "When this seat takes control of the Devil Dao again, I'll appoint you Left Envoy of the Demon Abyss, and put you in charge of all demons..."

"This is a recording from the Demon Abyss!" Lu Chen shouted. "If the Saints don't believe me, they can investigate the Demon Abyss. There are still traces there of his communications with Luohu!"

The evidence was irrefutable!

The attendant's face turned ashen, and he slumped to the ground.

Kunpeng was stunned, too. He hadn't expected Lu Chen to have this up his sleeve.

"You treacherous wretch!" Yuanshi, enraged, struck with his palm. The attendant was annihilated in body and soul before he could even scream.

Tongtian then turned to Kunpeng. "As for you..."

"Saint, spare me! I was deceived!" Kunpeng frantically kowtowed. "I'm willing to atone by doing good! I know a huge secret about the Witch Clan!"

"Speak."

Kunpeng's eyes darted about before he suddenly pointed at Lu Chen. "Him! Lu Chen has colluded with the Witch Clan! He secretly gave them a way to break the Great Formation of the Stars, and even helped them forge vicious weapons to counter the Demon Clan!"

Lu Chen's eyelid twitched—this bastard was trying to drag him down with him even as he faced death!

But Kunpeng's next words made Lu Chen's heart jolt:

"I also know the Witch Clan is forging a 'Demon-Slaying Sword'! They're using the essence blood and souls of millions of my Demon Clan's people to make it. Once it's complete, it'll counter the bloodlines of every member of the Demon Clan! And the one who provided the method... was Lu Chen!"

"Bullshit!" Lu Chen roared. "I never—"

"Are you going to claim you don't know how to forge weapons?" Kunpeng sneered. "The Chaos Brick, God-Slaying Spear, and Morning Bell—aren't they all top-tier treasures? If you don't know how to forge weapons, where did they come from?"

The four Saints once again regarded Lu Chen with suspicion.

The Witch-Demon War had reached its height. If Lu Chen really was secretly helping the Witch Clan forge weapons to counter the Demon Clan, he'd be making an enemy of the entire Demon Clan—and of Saint Nuwa!

"This matter needs to be investigated," Lao Tzu said gravely.

"There's no need to investigate." Lu Chen spoke up. "It's true that I know how to forge weapons, but I've never helped the Witch Clan make any Demon-Slaying Sword. However..."

He changed tack. "I did see something else among the Witch Clan—a blueprint for forging a 'Witch-Slaying Saber.' Supposedly, a high-ranking member of the Demon Clan secretly gave it to a spy within the Witch Clan."

He turned the tables and framed them right back!

"A Witch-Slaying Saber?" Saint Nuwa's eyes turned cold. "A vicious weapon specifically made to counter the Witch Clan's bodies?"

"Exactly." Lu Chen nodded. "The method is extremely vile. It requires Ancestral Witch Essence Blood as a catalyst, combined with Chaos fiendish energy... I saw it by chance and thought it was just a rumor."

As he spoke, he secretly watched the four Saints' expressions.

Lao Tzu, Yuanshi, and Tongtian looked calm, but anger flashed in Nuwa's eyes—she was the Demon Clan's Saint. If a high-ranking Demon Clan member really had secretly made a deal with the Witch Clan, it would be treason!

"I will investigate this thoroughly," Nuwa said coldly. "If I find out who did it..."

She didn't finish, but her killing intent was clear.

Lu Chen chuckled to himself. It worked! He'd sown distrust between the Witch and Demon Clans!

"As for the theft at Treasure Distribution Cliff..." Lao Tzu looked at Lu Chen. "Though the attendant was the main culprit, you're still responsible. You're forbidden from entering Chaos for the next thousand years, and must recover at least three of the stolen imitation treasures and return them to Purple Sky Palace."

The punishment wasn't too harsh, clearly leaving Lu Chen some leeway.

"This junior obeys," Lu Chen said, cupping his hands.

"Kunpeng..." Yuanshi looked at the shivering giant bird. "You may be spared the death penalty, but not punishment. You'll guard the North Sea Eye for a hundred thousand years and may not leave."

Kunpeng was relieved, kowtowing again and again. "Thank you for your mercy, Saints!"

With everything settled, the four Saints turned into streaks of light and departed.

Only Lu Chen and the crumpled Kunpeng remained in the ruins.

"Lu Chen... you're ruthless!" Kunpeng ground out.

"Likewise." Lu Chen grinned. "But that Demon-Slaying Sword you mentioned just now... It's not a bad idea."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," Lu Chen crouched down and lowered his voice, "if the Demon Clan thinks the Witch Clan is forging a Demon-Slaying Sword, and the Witch Clan thinks the Demon Clan is forging a Witch-Slaying Saber... why not let them both 'finish' theirs?"

Kunpeng's pupils contracted. "You're going to..."

"I'm going to secretly give both sides the forging methods for weapons that 'counter the other side'—fake ones, of course, with fatal flaws." Lu Chen smiled brightly. "When the war comes, each side will think its weapon can counter the other. Then they'll use them, and the weapons will explode... It'll be quite a sight."

Kunpeng drew a sharp breath. "You're insane! How much killing will that cause?!"

"Under a tribulation, it was always kill or be killed." Lu Chen stood up and patted his shoulder. "Besides, are either the Demon Clan or the Witch Clan innocent? Haven't they shed enough blood?"

He used Brick Escape to leave, leaving Kunpeng sitting there in a daze.

A moment later, Lu Chen appeared at the Witch Clan camp on Buzhou Mountain.

He found Ancestral Witch Zhu Rong recovering from his injuries—he'd been seriously wounded after being trapped in the Great Formation of the Stars—and handed him a scroll of hide.

"Senior, I came across this blueprint for forging a 'Witch-Slaying Saber.' Supposedly, a high-ranking member of the Demon Clan is secretly forging it. Take a look. Could it be of use to the Witch Clan?"

Zhu Rong took it. After only a few glances, he flew into a rage. "What a vicious method! It requires the heart's blood of our Witch Clan's warriors as a catalyst?! Di Jun and Taiyi have gone too far!"

"Please calm down, Senior," Lu Chen said soothingly. "If the Demon Clan is unjust, the Witch Clan needn't be righteous either. I also have a blueprint for forging a 'Demon-Slaying Sword' that specifically counters Demon Clan bloodlines... The materials are hard to find, though. It requires essence blood from Great Luo members of the Demon Clan or above."

"The materials aren't a problem!" Zhu Rong slapped the table and rose. "I'll go catch a few Demon Saints and drain their blood!"

Lu Chen kindly reminded him, "Senior, take care during the forging. The order of the thirty-seventh and eighty-ninth steps mustn't be reversed, or... the furnace could explode."

"Got it!" Zhu Rong hurried off.

Lu Chen watched him go, a cold smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

He also went to the Demon Clan's Heavenly Court and, posing as an "anonymous, well-meaning cultivator," "leaked" the Demon-Slaying Sword blueprint to a certain Demon God.

Of course, he'd tampered with the crucial steps as well.

After finishing all this, Lu Chen returned to his hideout on the outskirts of Buzhou Mountain and instructed his Self Corpse, Hun Yuanzi:

"For the next six months, keep an eye on both the Witch and Demon Clans. Once they finish forging their 'vicious weapons' and the war breaks out, be the first to pick up... ahem, collect the natural treasures left on the battlefield."

"Understood." Hun Yuanzi nodded. "What about you, Original Body?"

"Me?" Lu Chen looked west. "I should pay Spirit Mountain a 'visit' and see Jieyin and Zhunti. Those two old schemers have been too quiet since their reincarnation. It makes me nervous."

A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"Besides... the Dao Ancestor ordered me to recover three stolen imitation treasures. I suspect at least two of them are in their hands."

Brick Escape activated, and he vanished.

The undercurrents in the Primordial World grew ever more turbulent because of Lu Chen's secret meddling.

At that moment, deep within Chaos, inside Purple Sky Palace,

the water mirror before Dao Ancestor Hongjun reflected Lu Chen's every move.

After a long while, the Dao Ancestor shook his head with a laugh.

"This boy... He really can't stand a peaceful world."

"Still, a tribulation needs a catalyst. What he's doing fits the will of Heaven."

The water mirror faded, and Purple Sky Palace returned to silence.

Only the Dao Ancestor's quiet words echoed through the empty hall:

"Lu Chen, Lu Chen... When the day comes that you prove the Dao through Strength, what will become of this Primordial World?"