The Demon Race Shall Forever Guard the Starry Sky, Standing Watch and Helping the Witch Clan

Inside Pangu Hall.

Dijun and Taiyi sat cross-legged, looking at Houtu with confusion in their eyes.

The victor became king and the defeated became bandits. The moment the All-Heaven Star Formation shattered, he had already prepared himself for death. The Witch-Demon Tribes had been at odds for countless years; he had dreamed of killing the Twelve Ancestral Witches, and he figured those Wu Man savages must be itching to drink his blood and eat his flesh.

And reality was just as he had expected. Zhurong, Gonggong, and the others had even been discussing how to divide up his legs.

Yet Houtu had chosen to spare their lives.

"The victor becomes king and the defeated become bandits, but the victor will not necessarily become king. I saved you today because someone once told me that there had never been an eternal victor in struggles for supremacy—only losers!"

A trace of nostalgia appeared on Houtu's face.

"No victors, only losers?"

Dijun murmured to himself, sinking into thought.

"When the Dragon-Phoenix-Qilin Tribes fought for supremacy, the greatest victor was Hongjun. It may seem that our Witch Clan won the struggle between witches and demons, but if you had not struck first, if you had not informed the Human Dao and started this clan war, do you truly think there would have been a victor between us?"

"Haha, ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous! I, Dijun, always prided myself on my grand strategies and farsighted planning, yet I remained stuck at the most superficial level from beginning to end. How tragic. How lamentable!"

Dijun suddenly laughed, his expression complicated and his face full of sighs.

"I concede. This time, I am thoroughly convinced."

Dijun then let out a long sigh. He was no fool; on the contrary, he was exceedingly clever. Otherwise, he could never have led the Demon Race into the ranks of hegemons, nor could it have directly traded places with the Witch Clan in the future.

The moment Houtu spoke, he understood the key to it all.

A glimmer returned to Dijun's dim golden eyes. He looked at Houtu and said seriously.

"Tell me, what do you intend for my brother and me to do?"

"Lead the Demon Race in guarding the boundless Starry Sky. If my Witch Clan faces hardship in the future, you must stand with us through advance and retreat alike."

After thinking for a moment, Houtu laid out the plan that would squeeze Dijun dry to the greatest extent she could currently conceive.

"No problem."

Dijun nodded without the slightest hesitation. Under the judgment of the Human Dao, their Demon Race had already lost.

Being able to obtain the Starry Sky now was not bad at all. At least it was not barren wasteland.

Moreover, the Starry Sky was vast enough to accommodate the entire Demon Race, and they could borrow starlight to increase their cultivation speed.

A hesitant look appeared on Dijun's face. "Um... I have one more request. I'm not sure whether I should say it."

"Speak."

"The Demon Race is scattered to the four winds right now. I need time to gather them again."

"I prepared for that long ago." With a sweep of Houtu's hand, several figures appeared inside Pangu Hall.

They were precisely the Ten Demon Saints.

Seeing that his core team had come to no harm, gratitude appeared in Dijun's gaze toward Houtu.

"Thank you."

"Your Majesty! Eastern Emperor!"

Merchant Sheep and the others were equally excited when they saw Dijun and Taiyi.

"You may leave now."

Houtu opened the restrictions around Pangu Hall.

Taiyi, who had remained silent beside Dijun the entire time, suddenly spoke. "Aren't you afraid that once my elder brother and I walk out of here, we'll turn our backs on our word?"

Houtu smiled faintly and asked in return, "Would you?"

"We would not."

Taiyi shook his head.

"Human Dao above, I, Taiyi, shall bury the hatchet with the Witch Clan and end all disputes. For all eternity, I shall not stand against the Witch Clan. Should the Witch Clan face hardship, I shall do everything in my power to aid them. If I violate this oath, may heart demons descend upon me. May the Human Dao bear witness!"

"Human Dao above, I, Dijun..."

"Human Dao above, I, Merchant Sheep..."

Dijun and the Ten Demon Saints voluntarily swore their oaths one after another.

"Farewell."

Dijun led Taiyi, followed by the Ten Demon Saints, out of Pangu Hall.

"Dijun has left Pangu Hall?"

The instant Dijun, Taiyi, and the Ten Demon Saints stepped out of Pangu Hall, mighty experts from every side became aware of it.

Lu Chen returned to Kunlun Mountain with Tongtian. Tongtian entered seclusion once more, while Lu Chen summoned Duobao.

"Duobao, gather your fellow disciples."

"Alright, I'll go at once."

Duobao nodded, forming hand seals and transmitting voice messages to his junior brothers and sisters.

Before long, several dozen young men and women had gathered inside Lu Chen's cave residence.

The Three Holy Mothers, the Three Xiao Sisters, Zhao Gongming, and the Seven Attendant Immortals. Even without Dingguang Xian this time, Tongtian had still chosen seven attendants.

There were also the Four Saints of Nine Dragon Island, as well as some junior brothers with relatively outstanding cultivation and diligence.

"Your senior brother has a small gift for you."

With a wave of Lu Chen's hand, dozens of gourds appeared, floating before each person.

"Senior Brother, this is...?"

Jin Ling looked at Lu Chen, confusion written across her face.

"This is Spirit Liquid. It will greatly benefit your cultivation. After accepting it, cultivate diligently. Do not waste your senior brother's painstaking intentions."

Sensing the aura emanating from each gourd, Duobao instantly understood what they contained and explained with a smile.

He was extremely familiar with Spirit Liquid. If he had not wanted to comprehend laws before entering the Great Luo realm and then strive for higher-grade Three Flowers, he would have asked Lu Chen for Spirit Liquid and broken through with immense magic power.

Lu Chen shot Duobao an irritated glare. "Don't just talk about your junior brothers and sisters. You should put more effort into your own cultivation too. How long has it been? You still haven't entered the Great Luo realm."

"Hehe. Elder Brother, laws have accompanied you since birth, so entering the Great Luo realm is naturally as easy as drinking water for you. But I don't have that. I can only comprehend them bit by bit, starting from nothing. Naturally, that makes it slower."

Duobao chuckled sheepishly and scratched his head.

Holding their gourds, Jin Ling and the others were filled with delight.

When they heard that laws had accompanied Lu Chen since birth, and that entering the Great Luo realm was as simple as drinking water for him, they were not surprised in the least. Duobao had long since told them all manner of stories about their senior brother, including Lu Chen's innate foundation.

"Go into the Sword Cave and enter seclusion. Don't come out until you have comprehended a law."

Looking at Duobao's silly expression, Lu Chen sighed helplessly.

The Sword Cave was filled with countless sword marks left behind by Tongtian. Every single sword mark had been cut out when Tongtian gained a new insight into the Sword Dao, and their sword intent had gathered over time without dispersing.

"The Sword Cave... I understand, Elder Brother."

Duobao's face immediately fell at those words, but he still nodded in agreement.

It was not as though he had never entered the Sword Cave. But the moment he went in, he felt as if countless sharp swords were slicing his skin, the stabbing pain unbearable. After going once, he had never returned.

He was somewhat afraid of pain.

But now that his elder brother had spoken, there was no escaping it. He could only strive to comprehend a law as soon as possible.

"Nothing has happened on Kunlun Mountain lately, right?"

Lu Chen asked casually.

"No. Ever since Senior Brother led a few of us to seize our cave residences back, those people from the Chan Sect have behaved themselves. But one thing did happen."

"What was it?"

"Ran Deng left Kunlun Mountain and returned to his original cave residence, Cosmos Cave."

"Second Brother, what brings you here?"

"Third Brother, have your disciples yield some of their cave residences."

"Ah!"