Within the demonic aura, the phantom of a Bull Demon faintly appeared, as if awakening from an ancient age, stepping across mountains and rivers, carrying a weight of overwhelming suppression.

“My Lord, step back!” Paimon warned.

Moments later, a thunderous explosion rang out as the demonic energy in the sky erupted completely.

A deafening bellow of a bull resounded, echoing across the heavens and lingering without fading.

The Red-Blade Bull Demon was wreathed in flames, its thick hide glinting with firelight as its mane flowed with the wind. It rose into the air and roared toward the sky in fury.

“Old Bull, what are you raging about?” Paimon laughed.

The Bull Demon turned, the flames in its eyes slowly calming.

“Paimon… and you, Seven-Faced,” the Bull Demon’s voice boomed like rolling thunder, enough to rupture an ordinary person’s eardrums.

“How... did you find me?”

“Don’t worry about that for now, look who this is.” Paimon pointed at Xu Zimo with a grin.

Only then did the Bull Demon turn its gaze toward Xu Zimo.

He hadn’t noticed before, still dazed from awakening and surprised to see Paimon and the others.

“You are…?” The Bull Demon stared for a long time, then his expression suddenly changed. His voice trembled. “M-Master… is it really you?”

“It’s been a long time,” Xu Zimo said with a smile.

Though his memories of the past were nearly gone, this was, after all, once his subordinate.

“My Lord, I’ve missed you so much!” The Bull Demon took one great stride forward and suddenly pulled Xu Zimo into a crushing embrace, tears streaming down his face.

“Old Bull has dreamt of you so many times. I’ve felt guilty for years that I couldn’t die alongside you back then.”

“Don’t get so worked up,” Xu Zimo said, struggling to break free.

But the Bull Demon only hugged him tighter, sobbing louder.

“My Lord, I knew you’d return one day! All these years of waiting haven’t been in vain!”

“Cry if you must, but stop wiping your snot on me!” Xu Zimo said, finally prying himself loose. “Now tell me, how did you end up so gravely wounded and imprisoned here? What happened back then?”

“Indeed,” Paimon added. “Our Lord remembers little of those times. We ourselves only know fragments.”

“This is a long story,” said the Bull Demon. “When the Great War first began, our Lord sent us away while he alone stood against all enemies.”

He sighed deeply. “After the fall of the Blessed Epoch, we drifted through the void for ages. When a new epoch finally formed, the once-great Ancient Demon Race had already fractured. Of the Eighteen Infernal Archons, only nine remained. Many of our kin had vanished. The few of us left followed our Lord into what would become the newly established Nine Heavens.”

“This world?” Xu Zimo asked.

“Yes,” the Bull Demon nodded. “At that time, the Nine Heavens had only just taken shape, the world was young, all beings striving toward enlightenment and cultivation. Through sheer strength, we quickly rose to power and ruled over vast lands within the Nine Heavens.”

He straightened his massive body proudly. “Even the Nine Ancient Gods of that age dared not confront us directly. We ended the Primordial Era and established our own, the Ancient Demon Era.”

“The Ancient Demon Era…” Xu Zimo murmured. “And then? How did you fall to this state?”

“Ah…” the Bull Demon sighed heavily. “After the collapse of the Blessed Epoch, many demons survived, but so did some of our old enemies. Because the Ancient Demon Race grew too strong, we not only ruled the Nine Heavens but began extending our reach to other worlds around it. Our enemies could only cower in hiding, waiting for their chance.”

His tone darkened, fury building within his words.

“Eventually, those enemies allied themselves with the Heavenly Dao of the Nine Heavens,

and together, they sought to annihilate us.”

“The Heavenly Dao?” Xu Zimo frowned. “Why would Heaven itself want to destroy the Ancient Demon Race? Was it afraid of our power?”

“I don’t know,” the Bull Demon admitted. “But our Lord resolved to launch the Ultimate Expedition, to slay Old Villainous Heaven and create a new order.”

He continued, “We gathered every ally and opened the Gate of Ascension to Heaven. Our Lord commanded me to guard the entrance. I wanted to follow you inside, but you refused. When you entered the gate, it closed immediately behind you. Then all those so-called allies turned traitor, led by the Ten Bloodlines.”

At this, the Bull Demon’s nostrils flared, spraying out twin streams of white mist as rage boiled in his chest.

“Those Ten Bloodlines were the ones we had raised to power! Yet they betrayed us, working with the Heavenly Dao from within and without. I was gravely wounded in the battle, and ended up like this.”

“What happened inside the Gate of Ascension?” Xu Zimo asked.

The Bull Demon shook his head. “You forbade me from entering. You and the other Infernal Archons stepped through, and never returned.”

“Do you know of the Heavenly Court?” Xu Zimo asked again.

“The Heavenly Court?” The Bull Demon snorted. “They were formed by those very enemies. When the Ancient Demon Race prospered, they began calling themselves the Heavenly Court, hiding in the shadows and opposing us from there.”

“You were sealed by the Ancient God Zhurong within the World of Flames. Didn’t you know any of this?” Xu Zimo asked.

“The Ancient Gods have always cared only for the Heavenly Dao, they don’t meddle in mortal conflict,” the Bull Demon replied.

“I was unconscious after my injuries. I’ve been asleep since then. Whatever happened afterward, I do not know.”

“Still,” Paimon said thoughtfully, “some pieces fit together. After our Lord entered the Gate of Heaven, he may have failed. The Ancient Demon Race was eventually driven into the Primordial Demon Caves, banished from the world. But too many questions remain. Why did the Heavenly Dao target us? Why did our allies suddenly rebel? And what does the sealing by the Ancient Gods signify?”

“One step at a time,” Xu Zimo said calmly. “The truth will reveal itself eventually.”

“As long as our Lord still stands,” the Bull Demon declared, “there is hope for all Ancient Demons. This time, I, Old Bull, will follow you to the death. Whether against Old Villainous Heaven or the Heavenly Court, they will face the vengeance of the Ancient Demon Race.”

“Enough,” Xu Zimo said. “It’s been ages since you’ve seen each other, catch up for a while. I still have matters to handle outside.”

“Farewell, my Lord!” The Bull Demon’s colossal body knelt low, his voice echoing across the realm.

After leaving the God World, Xie Changliu and Jiang Mozi had searched the Blue-Parasol Ancient-Abyss for a long time, but found nothing.

“It seems we’ll have to go all the way to the bottom,” Xu Zimo said.

He turned to Jiang Mozi. “You’re not fit to descend right now. Stay here and search the upper levels. I’ll go below with Changliu. If anything happens, we’ll come back for you.”

Jiang Mozi, fully aware of his weakened state, nodded without protest.