Journey to the Purple Firmament Palace, an unexpected turn

When the battle of those years came up, both of them remembered something of it.

But at this point, their expressions changed at the same time.

After Demon Ancestor Luohu had fallen, the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords had passed into Dao Ancestor Hongjun's hands.

Could all these battles have arisen because of Dao Ancestor Hongjun? Was he the true mastermind behind the scenes?

But what purpose would that serve?

They could not make sense of it, yet it turned all their attention toward Dao Ancestor Hongjun.

They wanted to refute the idea, but every spearhead pointed toward that legendary sage.

After discussing it, the two saw that Demon Emperor Dijun was still in fairly good condition and chose to gather here to await reinforcements.

They still had enough people at their disposal.

Once the Ten Great Demon Marshals had recovered from their injuries, they would surely come to help before long.

Just then, Old Ancestor Kunpeng suddenly let out an agonized scream.

A portion of his body suddenly peeled away. That half of his body seemed like some bizarre living creature as it fled swiftly into the distance.

Most importantly, not only did it flee, but it also took the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords with it.

Looking at Kunpeng, who no longer had the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords, Demon Emperor Dijun's face twisted into a savage expression.

He had long disliked this Kunpeng before him.

If not for this fellow, he would never have been reduced to his current state.

This fellow bore much of the blame for the brutal beating he had suffered.

Controlled or not, he would beat him up first and worry about the rest later.

The River Diagram and the Luo Shu instantly enveloped Kunpeng.

Then he charged forward and gave Kunpeng a savage thrashing.

Sect Master Tongtian and Wang Shi stared, dumbfounded, unable to understand what had happened.

Their side had clearly been at a disadvantage.

How had the situation suddenly reversed?

Wang Shi snorted coldly and joined in the beating.

Old Ancestor Kunpeng bore much of the blame for the slaughter of the Demon Court.

Whatever had happened to him, he had to be punished.

Sect Master Tongtian lightly patted his forehead.

"Forget it. I've been in a bad mood lately. I'll vent a little."

He joined in the beating as well.

Poor Old Ancestor Kunpeng was breathing out more than he was breathing in under the three men's assault.

"Please stop, you three mighty lords! Any more and I'll die!"

"Ask whatever you want. I'll tell you everything I know and hold nothing back."

Demon Emperor Dijun stopped.

He glanced at Wang Shi beside him.

"Little brother Stone Spirit, is my foolish younger brother all right?"

Wang Shi shook his head slightly.

"His life isn't in danger, but his essence has been damaged. It will have a serious impact on his future."

He did not lie and told him the truth.

There was no denying that the Demon Court had suffered terrible losses this time.

Demon Emperor Dijun could only resign himself to it.

"As long as he's alive. As long as he lives, he still has a future."

"Restrain him first! Let's gather everyone before anything else."

Soon, the group returned to the Heavenly Court.

Looking at the devastation in the Heavenly Court,

Demon Emperor Dijun sat atop the ruins and sighed softly.

His eyes were filled with desolation.

The mighty Demon Court had fallen into decline under his leadership.

How could he ever forgive himself?

But was all of it truly his fault? In truth, it was not.

"I know you want to ask what happened. Let me tell you."

"After Eastern Emperor Taiyi captured Kunpeng and brought him here, we weren't particularly wary of him."

"We originally confined him to a room and kept a simple watch over him."

"Who could have known he would suddenly seem like a different person..."

Demon Emperor Dijun sank into his memories.

"Demon Emperor Taiyi, I agree! Hurry up and ask whatever you need to ask. I'm willing to join the Demon Court!"

Kunpeng's roar rang out.

It drew the two Demon Emperors over.

Eastern Emperor Taiyi released him with a cheerful smile.

"The position of Demon Master is waiting for you. Why did you hesitate for so long?"

Yet the instant he touched Kunpeng, a figure suddenly emerged from Kunpeng's body.

A spear instantly pierced Demon Emperor Taiyi's heart.

Terrifying baleful qi instantly spread throughout his body, continuously ravaging his cells.

Eastern Emperor Taiyi reacted quickly, and the Chaos Bell automatically protected him as well.

After a toll of the bell,

Kunpeng and the Beast Emperor were sent flying.

Looking at the enormous hole in his chest, Eastern Emperor Taiyi's aura instantly weakened.

Demon Emperor Dijun was horrified and hurriedly fled outside with his younger brother.

Kunpeng and the Beast Emperor would never let them escape. The two pursued them relentlessly.

They swore to slay the two Demon Emperors.

During their flight, however, Eastern Emperor Taiyi's aura gradually stabilized.

He possessed an innate golden crow body, after all. With support from Di Jun, who shared his origin, his injuries gradually stabilized.

But during the pursuit, Kunpeng and the Beast Emperor severely injured all of the Ten Great Demon Marshals. Even the Four Directional Guardian Spirits—the Azure Dragon of the East, the White Tiger of the West, the Vermilion Bird of the South, and the Black Tortoise of the North—were all wounded.

Their efforts, however, also gave the two Demon Emperors the best possible chance to recover.

That was what led to the later stalemate.

Beast Emperor Shen Ni had come within a hair's breadth of successfully assassinating Eastern Emperor Taiyi.

The one tragic loss was Ci Tie, one of the Ten Great Demon Marshals. Surrounded by the Fierce Beast Army that appeared afterward, he had perished.

He was the first Daluo Golden Immortal to fall in this battle.

Among the many members of the Demon Tribe and the many Daluo Golden Immortals, he had ranked among the very strongest.

Yet he had still been grievously wounded and killed, showing just how terrifying these fierce beasts were.

As they listened to the two Demon Emperors' account,

everyone fell silent.

Wang Shi raised a question.

"I saw Old Ancestor Kunpeng holding the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords. If he had used that treasure from the start, neither of you would have had any chance of escaping."

"Could something have changed along the way?"

Demon Emperor Dijun frowned, carefully recalling the battle.

"Something did change. During the pursuit, Kunpeng once stopped and stood motionless."

"Afterward, the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords appeared. I tried to draw Kunpeng away, and that was how he trapped me alone."

It was precisely because of this that they had managed to hold out for so long.

Otherwise, both Eastern Emperor Taiyi and Di Jun would undoubtedly have died.

There was no denying that, had the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, and Fuxi not arrived so quickly, their losses might have been even greater.

Unseen fortune still stood on their side.

Wang Shi frowned.

"There are two troubling issues now. What exactly was that thing that broke away from Kunpeng's body and escaped? Why did it have the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords? Did Dao Ancestor Hongjun give them to it, or were they stolen?"

"The second issue is why Beast Emperor Shen Ni had the God-Slaying Spear. As I recall, the God-Slaying Spear was destroyed during the Dao-Demon War. How could it have appeared again now?"

As the spirit of Buzhou Mountain, he had witnessed many battles. He could not possibly be mistaken about this.

The Dao-Demon War had been fierce, nearly sinking the entire Primordial Continent. That battle had left a deep impression on him, so his memory could not be wrong.