Chapter 39
Zhao Yuanzhou flicked his umbrella upward.
The tip struck a hanging rattle.
Clink.
A strange sound echoed through the illusion.
Instantly, thick smoke erupted from every direction.
The courtyard vanished.
The paths disappeared.
Even the sky seemed swallowed by mist.
“Be careful!” Wen Xiao shouted.
Through the smoke, a familiar figure emerged.
Yellow hair.
Bright clothes.
A familiar grin.
“Ying Lei?”
Bai Jiu stepped forward in surprise.
But Zhao Yuanzhou’s expression darkened immediately.
“No.”
The single word froze everyone..
And a female demon slowly revealed herself.
“Sharp as ever, Zhuyan.”
Before anyone could react, Zhao Yuanzhou suddenly shoved Bai Jiu backward.
“Move!”
BOOM!
An enormous iron cage crashed from the sky.
The others narrowly avoided it.
Only Zhao Yuanzhou remained inside.
The cage sealed shut with a deafening clang.
Wen Xiao’s face changed.
“Zhao Yuanzhou!”
The demon grabbed the bars and released a surge of demonic energy.
His expression finally shifted.
The cage did not move.
Not even slightly.
Again he pushed.
Again.
Nothing.
The female demon laughed.
Cold.
Triumphant.
“Did you really think we would trap Zhuyan without preparation?”
✨✨❄️❄️❄️⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️
Inside the iron cage, Zhao Yuanzhou’s expression gradually darkened.
His fingers brushed against the blackened bars.
Immediately, he recognized the scent.
Zhu Jian’s blood.
Ancient demon blood.
A forbidden seal capable of suppressing nearly all demonic power.
Once trapped inside, even a great demon would become helpless.
“So that’s it…”
Zhao Yuanzhou lowered his gaze.
“No wonder.”
Outside the cage, Li Lun slowly appeared.
His black robes swayed in the smoke…
Before anyone could react, he seized Bai Jiu by the throat and lifted him into the air.
Li Lun smiled.
Then looked directly at Zhao Yuanzhou.
“Choose.”
The single word echoed heavily.
Zhao Yuanzhou’s eyes narrowed.
Li Lun’s smile widened.
“Bai Jiu.”
The young doctor’s face immediately turned pale.
“Or Zhuo Yichen.”
Silence.
Then Zhao Yuanzhou understood.
Not the trap.
Not the cage.
The memory.
The cruel memory Li Lun was trying to recreate.
Eight years ago.
Their first years in the human realm.
A rainy night.
A forgotten courtyard.
An underground prison.
And countless demons trapped inside iron cages stained with Zhu Jian’s blood.
Back then, they had both stood before those cages.
Both witnessed the suffering.
Both heard the screams.
Li Lun had been furious.
Furious at the cruelty.
Furious at the injustice.
Furious that demons were treated as disposable creatures.
That same night, he secretly killed two guards.
Freed a female demon.
And personally escorted her back to the Wilderness.
At the time, Zhao Yuanzhou had understood his anger.
Because the suffering had been real.
The hatred had been understandable.
But now-
after all these years-
that anger had become something else.
Zhao Yuanzhou looked at him quietly.
Then shook his head.
“Li Lun.”
The ancient demon’s smile faded slightly.
“We suffered.”
“We were hunted.”
“We were treated unfairly.”
“But suffering doesn’t justify becoming this.”
Li Lun’s eyes darkened.
Zhao Yuanzhou continued.
“You wanted justice.”
“And somewhere along the way…”
“…you became obsessed with revenge instead.”
“You keep looking backward.”
“You keep dragging the dead into the present.”
“The world was cruel to us.”
“But that doesn’t give us the right to become cruel to everyone else.”
Li Lun laughed.
A quiet laugh.
Painful.
Bitter.
“Easy for you to say.”
“You found people who stayed.”
His voice cracked slightly.
“You found purpose.”
“You found him.”
The last word carried unmistakable resentment.
“And what did I get?”
Because even Zhao Yuanzhou could not answer that question.
✨✨✨✨✨❄️❄️❄️❄️⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️
What Li Lun could never understand was Zhao Yuanzhou’s attachment to mortals.
Even now, standing amid the ruins of his illusion, he could not comprehend it.
“They’re weak.”
“They age.”
“They betray.”
“They die.”
His crimson eyes burned with frustration.
“Why do you care about them so much?”
Inside the shattered cage, Zhao Yuanzhou looked at him quietly.
Then, unexpectedly, he smiled.
As though remembering home.
“Wen Xiao?”
A small laugh escaped him.
“She’s stubborn.”
“Reckless.”
“Always rushing into danger.”
“But she’d throw herself in front of a blade for anyone she cares about.”
Li Lun’s expression darkened.
“Pei Sijing.”
“Cold on the outside.”
“Soft-hearted underneath.”
“She protects everyone even when nobody notices.”
Li Lun clenched his fists.
“And Bai Jiu…”
“He still believes people can be saved.”
“He sees good where others see monsters.”
His voice softened.
“A heart like that is rare.”
Then Zhao Yuanzhou looked toward the distant figure suspended in the air.
“And Yichen…”
Silence.
Even Li Lun waited.
The demon’s eyes softened immediately.
“As long as he stands beside you…”
“It feels like the world can still be fixed.”
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Li Lun stared at him.
Then laughed.
A broken laugh.
A lonely laugh.
“So that’s it.”
The smile disappeared.
His eyes became cold.
“If they’re so precious to you…”
The darkness around him exploded.
“Then I’ll kill them.”
His voice shook.
“And leave you exactly as empty as I am.”
With that, he grabbed Bai Jiu’s head.
Immediately, Bai Jiu screamed.
Blood vessels spread through his eyes.
His entire body trembled violently.
“BAI JIU!”
Wen Xiao rushed forward.
Too late.
A strange divine power suddenly erupted from within Bai Jiu.
Golden light exploded outward.
The iron cage cracked.
Then shattered.
Li Lun’s expression changed.
“What?”
Even Zhao Yuanzhou froze.
The power inside Bai Jiu was ancient.
Pure.
Divine.
Before Li Lun could react, Zhao Yuanzhou burst free.
At that exact moment, Wen Xiao and Pei Sijing arrived.
The battlefield descended into chaos.
Zhao Yuanzhou caught the collapsing Bai Jiu and immediately handed him over.
“Take him.”
suddenly vanished.
Everyone looked up.
And froze.
Zhuo Yichen hung suspended in midair.
His robes were stained red.
One arm dripped with blood.
The sight made Zhao Yuanzhou’s heart stop.
For a moment, the world disappeared.
Only Yichen remained.
The blood.
The wounds.
The pale face.
Something inside him snapped.
The umbrella appeared instantly.
He attacked.
Without hesitation.
Without mercy.
Li Lun met him head-on.
Their powers collided violently.
Mountains shook.
But Li Lun remained terrifyingly strong.
Seeing no other choice, Zhao Yuanzhou pulled out a dagger.
Then-
slashed his own palm.
Blood flowed freely.
Ancient demonic energy surged through it.
The wrath.
The sorrow.
The suffering he had carried for centuries.
All concentrated into a single strike.
The attack landed.
Li Lun staggered backward.
For the first time, genuine despair appeared in his eyes… because Zhao Yuanzhou was willing to hurt himself.
Again.
For humans.
For Zhuo Yichen.
Then suddenly-
a sharp cracking sound echoed through the battlefield.
Everyone turned.
Yichen had landed.
In his hand was Li Lun’s rattle.
The source of the illusion.
The source of countless schemes.
Without hesitation-
he smashed it.
The rattle shattered.
The illusion collapsed.
Li Lun’s power began dispersing.
And deep within his body-
the Undying Wood ignited once more.
Golden flames erupted across his skin.
Li Lun fell to one knee.
The fire spread rapidly.
Zhao Yuanzhou stared.
His eyes filled with grief.
“Li Lun…”
“When Zhao Wan’er sealed you…”
“The intention was never to torture you.”
“The Bai Ze Amulet was meant to weaken the Undying Wood.”
“To lessen your suffering.”
Li Lun smiled bitterly.
“But I never wanted less pain.”
His voice was fading.
“I wanted freedom.”
The fire grew stronger.
Consuming everything
He watched his oldest companion disappear before his eyes.
Tears streamed down his face.
Li Lun had once been his friend.
And now that friend was vanishing.
The flames swallowed him.
The laughter faded.
And silence remained.
Only silence.
Zhao Yuanzhou lowered his head.
Unable to hide his tears.
Unable to hide his guilt.
Nearby, Zhuo Yichen had collected the remaining Yao Water.
But after examining it, Wen Xiao’s expression changed.
“It’s contaminated.”
Everyone looked over.
Yichen nodded grimly.
“Li Lun damaged it before we arrived.”
The hope they had carried into Huaijiang Valley shattered immediately.
The Bai Ze Amulet could not yet be restored.
They still needed another solution.
Another miracle.
Another path.
After a long silence, Zhao Yuanzhou finally stood.
His eyes were red.
“We still have one month.”
He looked toward the distant horizon.
“We’ll find the Divine Wood.”
“We have to.”
No one argued.
Because there was no alternative.
The mission wasn’t over.
Not yet.
The wind swept through the valley.
Carrying away the last traces of smoke.
The last traces of Li Lun.
Slowly, Zhao Yuanzhou turned.
His gaze immediately found Zhuo Yichen.
As though it always did.
The commander stood quietly beneath the fading light.
Exhausted.
Wounded.
Alive.
Relief flooded through him.
Overwhelming relief.
Without a word, Zhao Yuanzhou stepped forward.
Placed a gentle kiss against Yichen’s forehead.
A silent promise.
A silent thank you.
A silent apology.
Then he carefully lifted him into his arms.
Yichen blinked.
“What are you doing?”
“You’re injured.”
“I can walk.”
“No.”
“Put me down.”
“No.”
“Zhao Yuanzhou.”
“No.”
The answer came instantly.
Yichen covered his face.
Completely defeated.
And as Zhao Yuanzhou carried him away from Huaijiang Valley, the setting sun painted the sky gold.
Behind them lay loss.
Ahead of them lay uncertainty.
But for now-
they were together.
And somehow, that was enough.