38: Chapter 38 Punishing Deng Buzhou: Promises Made Lightly Are Easily Regretted

Gong Gong chimed in: "That's right, that's right. We were all cultivating diligently. It was you who kept clamoring to come to the Primordial World to see the excitement. We couldn't refuse you, so we followed along."

"..." Di Jiang was speechless again.

Shebi Shi shook his head and sighed: "Exactly. If you wanted to come, you could have come by yourself. Why did you have to drag us into this? This isn't very kind of you."

Except for Hou Tu, the other Ancestral Witches spoke up one after another, each sentence pointing at Di Jiang, mercilessly exposing him as the instigator.

Di Jiang stood frozen in place, his eyes wide, looking at this group of "brothers" in disbelief.

What happened to living and dying together? What about brotherhood?

Just then, the silent Hou Tu finally spoke, her voice clear:

"This is too much! How can you all shirk responsibility like this and blame everything on Brother Di Jiang!"

Seeing Hou Tu stand up for him, the tension on Di Jiang's face eased slightly, a touch of warmth flashing in his eyes—Sister Hou Tu really understands me.

But the next moment, her words almost made Di Jiang choke.

"Although Brother Di Jiang was indeed improper, leading us into the karma of the Primordial World, his courage to face his mistakes is truly admirable." Hou Tu's tone was sincere, her expression solemn.

"..." Di Jiang was dumbfounded. He suddenly felt that the world was full of schemes, and even the usually innocent Hou Tu had learned such rhetoric.

In fact, one couldn't blame her. Jiang Chen's discipline was too strict; whoever made a mistake would face severe punishment without mercy.

To protect themselves, the Ancestral Witches unhesitatingly pushed Di Jiang out.

One person taking the blame was better than the whole clan suffering.

"Do you have anything else to say?" Jiang Chen's gaze was cold as he stared at Di Jiang, having long since seen through this tacit "scapegoating" play. But he didn't expose it; instead, he was satisfied.

During the Lich Calamity, the reason the Twelve Ancestral Witches fell was precisely because they were too straightforward, understood no strategy, and only knew how to use brute force to break the situation.

Therefore, when teaching them, Jiang Chen deliberately instilled a belief:

Use your brain before acting; don't rely on brute force!

Admittedly, in the face of absolute power, all wisdom is like floating clouds.

But in the Primordial World, a place of deceit, wisdom itself is a weapon of slaughter.

"I... have nothing to say. I am willing to accept the punishment." Di Jiang gave a bitter smile and lowered his head in resignation.

The other Ancestral Witches cast sympathetic glances, as if looking at a hero about to go to his death.

Jiang Chen's lips curled, revealing a near-cruel smile.

"Since you are willing to accept punishment, then so be it." He raised his hand and pointed to the soaring Mount Buzhou, "Within one kalpa, climb to one-tenth of its height."

"Climb Mount Buzhou?" Di Jiang was startled, then turned to look at the towering giant peak.

It was tall and majestic, imposing in momentum, but apart from the residual pressure of Pangu, he hadn't sensed any danger.

"Clan... Clan Leader, are you sure it's just climbing this mountain?" Di Jiang was incredulous. To him, this punishment was as light as a feather.

"You can try." Jiang Chen sneered. He was the first person to truly step onto Mount Buzhou; no one knew better than him—that seemingly tranquil mountain range was actually an abyss of death.

Beautiful from afar, deadly up close.

The Chaos Gale could tear everything apart; the Chaos Fire could burn the universe without a trace; the Chaos Thunder contained the power to destroy the world.

Not to mention the countless small worlds hidden within the mountain, each one a desperate situation of life and death, full of crises and unpredictable.

"One-tenth is too easy. I think I can climb to the top directly!" Di Jiang held his head high, full of confidence.

Jiang Chen shook his head lightly: "Don't speak too soon. Wait until you have actually stepped onto that one-tenth before saying that."

He looked at the other Ancestral Witches and ordered coldly: "You will all climb as well, the task is slightly lighter—one-twentieth."

At first, the Twelve Ancestral Witches didn't care. Mere mountain climbing, what was there to worry about?

But when their feet truly stepped into the range of Mount Buzhou, they realized how naive they had been.

The first ten thousand miles were easy and comfortable.

However, the further up they went, the more the world changed suddenly.

The green mountains and clear waters dissipated in an instant, replaced by a boundless, scorching desert. Yellow sand filled the sky, heat waves surged, and even with the bodies of Ancestral Witches, they felt their mouths dry and breathing difficult.

Even more terrifying was that their cultivation disappeared the moment they stepped into the desert!

Reality? Illusion? No one could tell. The world before them was like a nightmare, indistinguishable between truth and falsehood.

The desert stretched endlessly. They had traveled for a hundred thousand years, yet saw no end. It was like being trapped in a cycle of a maze, unable to advance or retreat, losing all sense of direction.

Anxiety, fear, and anger gnawed at their will like poisonous snakes.

"I'm not walking anymore! It's futile to keep going!" Zhu Rong slumped onto the sand, roaring with irritation.

Everyone stopped one after another, their expressions wilted, their former boldness long gone.

"We underestimated Mount Buzhou. It was transformed from the spine of Father Pangu. How could it be just a mountain to walk on?" Zhu Jiuyin sighed, his tone bitter.

"Hateful! Is this desert real or an illusion? Why, after a hundred thousand years of walking, is there still no end? Could it be that we have been walking in circles the whole time?" Gong Gong roared, smashing a fist into the yellow sand, but only kicked up a cloud of void dust.

Only Hou Tu stood quietly, her brows slightly furrowed, lost in thought.

She was the youngest among the Twelve Ancestral Witches, but also the most clear-headed one.

Looking out, it was a boundless wasteland, yellow sand filling the sky, with no vegetation. Hou Tu stood quietly, and a flash of realization suddenly crossed her clear, water-like eyes. When Gong Gong muttered, "Is this desert real or an illusion?", her pupils suddenly brightened.

"I understand!" She blurted out, her voice crisp.

Di Jiang and the other Ancestral Witches immediately turned their gazes to her, asking anxiously: "Sister Hou Tu, what did you see?"

Hope ignited in everyone's hearts, and they looked at her in unison.

Hou Tu did not answer immediately, but pointed to the vast sea of sand before her, her lips slightly curled: "Dear brothers, tell me—is it real, or is it fake?"

With that one sentence, the whole group fell silent. Real or fake? Everyone looked at each other.

"Oh, just tell us!" Zhu Rong had the most impatient temperament and couldn't help but stomp his feet, "Playing coy is making us anxious!"

Hou Tu only smiled, crouched down, grabbed a handful of sand, and gently tossed it. The sand tumbled in the air for a moment, then dissipated like smoke, leaving no trace.

"So that's how it is." Zhu Jiuyin's eyes flashed, and he said in a low voice.

"Second Brother, what did you understand?" Gong Gong frowned and pouted, looking puzzled.

(Ranking of the Twelve Ancestral Witches: Di Jiang, Zhu Jiuyin, Gong Gong, Zhu Rong, Ju Mang, Ru Shou, Qiang Liang, Shebi Shi, Tian Wu, Yan Zi, Xuan Ming, Hou Tu. Each controls a law: Space, Time, Water, Fire, Wood, Metal, Thunder, Weather, Wind, Electricity, Rain, Earth.)

Not only Zhu Jiuyin, but even Di Jiang, Gong Gong, Ju Mang, and others gradually realized, looks of enlightenment appearing in their eyes.

Only Zhu Rong stood in place, full of confusion. "Why does everyone understand, but I'm still in the dark?"

"Pfft—" Hou Tu couldn't help but laugh when she saw this, "Fourth Brother, it's actually very simple."

"This desert is both real and illusory."

"What?" Zhu Rong was stunned, "Both real and fake? What does that mean?"