Chapter 5

Panshi has written two books. Without commenting on their content, he has been diligent, never delayed updates, and always completed his works. He has never formally asked for votes or donations. Now, with his third book, he humbly requests that everyone cast their valuable recommendation votes for the new book, *Chronicles of the Demon Emperor*. For a new book, this is incredibly important! He also asks that all readers, regardless of how they access the book, support him on Qidian, as it is the best encouragement an author can receive.

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After an unknown amount of time, when Zhaoming finally woke up, he found himself locked in a stone cell.

Looking around, he saw Shura lying motionless on the ground. His heart sank, and he immediately went over to lift Shura and lean him against the wall. Shura's breath was faint, and his body was covered with burns, clearly indicating he had suffered greatly.

"Shura, Shura!" Zhaoming gently shook him. After a long while, he saw Shura's lips move slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out. Then, Shura's head fell to the side, and he fainted again.

"Shura, Shura!" Zhaoming was shocked and desperate, but he could do nothing but keep shaking Shura's battered body.

After a while, he suddenly remembered something and rushed to the cell door, shouting loudly, "Help! Help!"

As soon as he touched the door, he felt a jolt, and his vision went black. He cried out in pain as blue lightning enveloped his body, throwing him against the wall and then rolling him to the ground.

The door must have been enchanted by the witch tribe, containing a terrifying force of lightning that nearly killed Zhaoming.

"What's all the noise?" A witch tribe member walked over and shouted into the cell.

"Help... help..." Zhaoming said weakly. The lightning's power was too overwhelming, and he could barely hold on.

The witch tribe member sneered, "Help? You're joking. Worthless demons, if you die, you die. Why should we save you? Even if you survive, tomorrow is the Panshen Festival, and you're still dead meat!"

These insulting words made Zhaoming's blood boil, and he cried out, feeling his vision go black again as he fainted.

When he woke up again, his injuries were mostly healed, but Shura was still unconscious.

Holding Shura in his arms, Zhaoming half-lay on the ground, biting his lip and no longer shouting. He didn't know what lay ahead for him and Shura, but he had decided not to say anything weak to the witch tribe anymore.

In the eyes of those cruel witches, he and Shura were nothing more than ants to be crushed at will.

The future was dark and filled with despair. At this moment, he missed Acao more than ever, and the thought of her made his heart tremble.

"Actually, I just want to go home!"

"At this time, the grass in Qingqiu should be green, right?"

These were the two things Acao said most often. She just wanted to go home, but she could never return.

Why should something as simple as going home be a luxury? Tears slowly streamed down Zhaoming's face, and his heart felt as if it were being scratched by sharp nails.

It's all because of the witch tribe. If it weren't for them, none of this would have happened. If it weren't for them, there wouldn't be so many tragedies.

Acao, protect me, protect me from death. I will live on with your will, and live well.

If I don't die today, if I get the chance, I will kill every witch in the world, leaving none behind.

With this resolve, he bit his lip until it bled, but he felt no pain.

After a while, he heard the sound of a cell door opening. Someone was coming. Zhaoming's breath caught, and he quickly took off the jade pendant and put it in his mouth.

He didn't know if the jade pendant was a precious treasure, but it could heal his injuries and was something Acao refused to give away even in death. He couldn't let anyone take it.

"Hurry up, hurry up! Get the sacrifices out, or Elder Liuli will be angry!" a witch tribe member, who seemed to be a guard captain, shouted.

"Why is Elder Liuli so angry today?" another witch tribe member asked.

The guard captain snorted, "How can she not be angry? The Eastern King of the Immortal Tribe has injured a million of our disciples, and the High Priest had to go confront him."

"The front line with the Immortal Tribe is too long, and the remnants of the demon tribe are still causing trouble at Buzhou Mountain. The elders and clan leaders can't leave, so only Elder Liuli is hosting the Panshen Festival this year. She's naturally furious."

"Stop shouting and get the sacrifices out."

At this moment, the witches who were speaking arrived at Zhaoming and Shura's cell. The guard captain glanced inside and paused, "These are this year's sacrifices? Demons at the Core Formation stage? You're just asking for Elder Liuli to be angry."

A guard flipped through a ledger, "Prince Zhuhong captured them and said these two little demons are special and should be reserved for the High Priest."

The guard captain nodded, "Is that so? Keep them, then. Hurry up and get the sacrifices out."

The witches inside were busy, dragging out the demons from other cells. These demons were all restrained by witchcraft and couldn't move.

Zhaoming watched everything coldly, saying nothing. He and Shura seemed to have temporarily escaped, but it was because they were too weak and not worthy, and because their enemy had given instructions.

This outcome made him even more miserable. I must live, I must become stronger! These two thoughts circled in his mind, as if he were possessed.

Before long, all the demons in the prison were taken out. Suddenly, one of the witches exclaimed, "Oh no, two of them are dead. What should we do?"

The guard captain went over and kicked a few guards, shouting, "You idiots! I said you could beat and play with them, but don't kill them. We don't have many sacrifices this year, and we have just enough."

"What should we do, sir?" the kicked guards asked, trying to hide their pain.

The guard captain frowned, "It's too late to get more sacrifices now!"

He glanced at Zhaoming's cell and said irritably, "Those two will do."

"But... Prince Zhuhong gave instructions..." a guard asked cautiously.

The guard captain kicked him again, "How stupid are you? Prince Zhuhong has gone to the east to search for the remaining demons. Who knows when he'll be back? When he asks, just say these two little demons died of illness."

"Yes, yes!" the guard suddenly understood, put away the ledger, and entered the cell to tie up Zhaoming and Shura, carrying them out one in each hand.

Zhaoming didn't resist, just held his breath and remained still.

Walking through the damp prison corridor and through a large stone door, a sudden burst of bright light made Zhaoming close his eyes and turn his head, his heart racing: What is this?

"The weather is nice today, the sun is shining!" a guard laughed.

Another guard laughed, "Of course, today is the Panshen Festival. The sky wouldn't dare to show its face to the great Pangu!"

Sunlight... Zhaoming's heart trembled. This is sunlight? He looked up, ignoring the blinding light, and gazed at the sky.

There was a bright disk, and the sunlight came from it. This... must be the sun Acao talked about! It feels so good, warming his entire body.

Acao, I see the sunlight, I see the sun, do you know?

At this moment, Zhaoming suddenly felt like crying. His name means "yearning for sunlight," and he had always longed to see the legendary sun. Now, he finally saw it, but it was just before his death.

Why doesn't the sunlight reach the demon garden? It is so dark there.

"Is this little demon crazy? Staring at the sun like that!"

"Who knows? Maybe he thinks he's going to die and wants to see as much light as possible before he closes his eyes."

The witches laughed, carrying the demons up a stone platform several dozen meters high and tying Zhaoming and the others to a stone pillar. The platform was large, with hundreds of demons tied up, all hanging their heads, looking lifeless.

Despite being tied with ordinary ropes, their strength was sealed, and with their hearts filled with despair, they had no intention of resisting.

The witches were powerful, and the demons were weak. Encountering witches outside was already difficult to escape, let alone on Witch Island, the birthplace of the witches.

All the demons were either unconscious or had their heads down, except for Zhaoming, who kept his head up, staring at the sky, at the sun, as if trying to soak up all the sunlight he had lost in his life before he died.

The sun slowly moved west, the light dimmed, and finally disappeared into the western horizon.

Zhaoming's heart grew even colder. This was the first time he saw the sun, but it would also be the last.

Why is this world so unfair? The witches have everything, while I can't even have sunlight.

Under the bright moon and sparse stars, the witches in front began a strange dance, making a lot of noise, which made Zhaoming look over.

Suddenly, he noticed a huge statue in front of him. It was a young man, not particularly handsome, but with a unique presence. He held his hands tightly, looking forward fearlessly.

Even though it was just a statue, it seemed alive, especially the eyes, which glowed with a divine light, like vast stars. There was an indescribable, mysterious power surrounding the statue.

Who is this person? Zhaoming was startled. Even though it was just a statue, it made him feel a sense of standing on the vast earth, holding the universe in his hands, and laughing at the lack of heroes in the world.

If the statue is this impressive, the person must be even more extraordinary.

"Kneel to the great Pangu!" a female witch shouted, and all the witches immediately knelt before the statue.

Pangu, the great Pangu, the one who created the world. Zhaoming suddenly understood but couldn't help feeling a deep resentment.

Why did he create such an unfair world? Why did he create a world where witches oppress demons? Just because the witches worship him?

Worship you, revere you, and you will be blessed; otherwise, you will suffer misfortune and disaster?

Pangu, if you don't like demons, why create them in the first place?

Staring at the statue of Pangu, Zhaoming's eyes were filled with hatred.

At this moment, the witches finished their three kneels and nine bows and stood up. Another female witch began a strange dance on a platform behind the statue, summoning a strange force toward the statue.

Suddenly, countless bright lights appeared in the dark sky, like a meteor shower, heading toward Witch Island.

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