Bambam and Yuchen stood facing each other, their gazes locked in silent hostility. The air between them crackled with tension as Yetao looked on, confused by their instant animosity. With deliberate casualness, Bambam folded one arm behind his back and snapped his fingers.
In that instant, the world froze.
The ocean waves halted mid-crash against the shore, suspended in time like a painting. The trees stood perfectly still, leaves caught in an eternal moment between swaying. Even Yetao's worried expression remained fixed, his pupils dilated in concern but unmoving.
Only Yuchen retained his consciousness. Though his body was immobilized, his eyes could still track Bambam's movements as the other man approached with unhurried steps. The pressure of immense power radiated from Bambam in waves, growing more oppressive with each step he took.
Bambam stopped mere inches from Yuchen, his gaze penetrating and fierce, as if he could see through to Yuchen's very essence. Yuchen felt exposed, vulnerable under that scrutiny.
"This power... I can't face him with my current level of cultivation", Yuchen thought, maintaining his defiant stare despite the overwhelming aura before him.
"Do you think just by sealing your powers and masking it with tainted energy, I can't tell what you are?" Bambam's voice cut through the frozen silence, sharp and dangerous. A dark aura began to emanate from his form, tendrils of black and crimson energy swirling around him. "Did the immortals send you to kill Yetao?"
Shock reverberated through Yuchen's consciousness. "He could tell that I'm an immortal with a single glance?" Despite the tremendous pressure bearing down on him, Yuchen found his thoughts clarifying. Something wasn't right.
"It's true that I'm an immortal," Yuchen admitted, his mental voice steady. "But why do you think the immortals would kill Yetao-gege, when you're their enemy?"
A smirk twisted Bambam's lips. "Do you really not know, or are you just trying to extend your life?" He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Then what made you steal the 'Parallel Eye'?"
Genuine confusion flickered across Yuchen's gaze. "Parallel Eye?" The term meant nothing to him; he had never heard of such an artifact.
Bambam squinted, tilting his head slightly as he studied Yuchen's reaction. He searched for deception but found only authentic bewilderment. Considering how Yuchen had immediately positioned himself protectively in front of Yetao upon arrival, Bambam reluctantly conceded that perhaps his intentions toward Yetao weren't malicious.
With a subtle gesture, Bambam released Yuchen from his temporal restraint, allowing him to move while the rest of the world remained frozen in time—the two of them, now the only beings capable of motion in the suspended reality.
"Then why did you come here?" Bambam demanded, suspicion still evident in his stance.
Yuchen straightened, his gaze unwavering. "Even though I'm an immortal, I would rather care less about a demon lord, unless you didn't kidnap Yetao-gege." His voice hardened with resolve. "Forget about whatever calamity may come. I would've been the calamity myself if you even harmed a hair on him."
The fierce declaration drew a partial smirk from Bambam, one corner of his mouth lifting in what might have been respect. "Then you didn't have to worry," he replied. "Even if the whole world turns against him, I'd be the last one staying by his side."
Confusion flickered across Yuchen's face at the unexpected response. The sincerity in Bambam's words was undeniable, yet suspicion lingered. "Then why did you imprison him? How can I believe you?" Yuchen clenched his fist, emboldened by Bambam's statement.
Bambam sighed dramatically. "I really don't want to do this. Your elder is giving me extra work by making me explain things to you." He waved a dismissive hand. "Why don't you go ask your elder?"
Yuchen rolled his eyes at the deflection. "Fine then. Release us and we'll take our way," he stated firmly, his stance unyielding.
Bambam's eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "When did I say you could take him?" His voice cooled several degrees. "You can go and clear whatever doubts you have by yourself. I'm not letting Taotao go out of this island."
The casual use of the affectionate nickname further incensed Yuchen. With a growl of frustration, he clenched his teeth and shattered the seal constraining his true form. Golden light erupted around him as he revealed his immortal essence, the radiant aura a stark contrast to Bambam's darkness.
"Then I'll just fight you to death since I'm not obliged to obey the Demon Lord," Yuchen declared, launching himself forward with the full force of his unleashed powers directed at Bambam.
Bambam's smile was almost pitying. With negligent ease, he raised one hand and stopped Yuchen's attack cold. The collision of energies sent shockwaves through the frozen timescape, yet Bambam appeared utterly unbothered, having released only a fraction of his true strength.
Blood spilled from Yuchen's lips as he was thrown backward by the repercussion of his own attack meeting such overwhelming resistance. He struggled to remain standing.
"You've lost so much qi by me only releasing two percent of my power?" Bambam laughed, the sound echoing unnaturally in the suspended moment. "Just where did you get the courage, kid?"
Despite the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and the trembling of his limbs, Yuchen's eyes remained fixed on Bambam, burning with undiminished determination. He might be outmatched, but he was far from defeated—not while Yetao's fate hung in the balance.
The demon lord and the young immortal faced each other in the frozen world, one amused, one defiant, while the oblivious subject of their confrontation remained caught between heartbeats, unaware of the cosmic powers clashing over his future like a doll.
As Yuchen struggled to gather his remaining qi, depleted from his failed attack, the jade bracelet encircling his wrist suddenly pulsed with emerald light. The air shimmered, and in an instant, Dorn materialized beside his fallen brother. Without hesitation, he grabbed Yuchen and retreated to a safe distance from Bambam, his movements precise and protective.
Dorn's sharp gaze took in the frozen scene around them—the suspended waves, the motionless trees, and the still figure of Yetao caught between moments. His eyes narrowed as they settled on Bambam, recognizing immediately that only a being of immense power could manipulate time itself. The dark energy radiating from the demon lord confirmed his suspicions.
"Did my trick does not work in the immortal realm?" Bambam asked with a sardonic smile, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Good thing you've arrived. Just pick up this kid and fly to your realm." He gestured dismissively toward Yuchen, the casual diminishment clearly intended to provoke.
Dorn's jaw tightened at the condescension in Bambam's tone. Without a word, he channeled his qi into an intricate circular formation. Glowing green patterns materialized in the air before him, pulsing with immortal energy as they aligned into an attack formation.
Bambam sighed at the display, lifting a single finger lazily. Dark tendrils of demonic energy began coalescing around the digit, a casual gesture that belied the devastating power gathering there.
Before either could unleash their attack, a blinding golden light split the space between them. Thunder cracked through the frozen dimension as a figure materialized amid the brilliant flash—tall, dignified, and radiating ancient power. The Elder had arrived.
Dorn instantly dissolved his formation and dropped into a respectful bow, his head lowered. Yuchen remained upright, still weakened but defiant, his eyes flicking between the Elder and Bambam.
The Elder faced Bambam directly, his gaze unwavering as it met the demon lord's. For a moment, the two powerful beings simply regarded each other, centuries of history hanging in the silence between them.
Bambam broke first, running agitated fingers through his hair as he stepped toward the Elder. "You have the audacity to show your face after what happened?" His voice vibrated with barely contained fury, veins standing out prominently along his neck. The darkness surrounding him intensified, spreading outward to eclipse the suspended morning light, casting their confrontation in shadows.
The Elder remained unmoved by the display, his expression calm but grave. "Do you think doing this will not make history repeat itself?" he asked, each word measured and heavy with significance.
A bitter laugh escaped Bambam's lips, sharp with anger and old pain. "Look who's talking? The one who drove away his son and let him get cursed?" His voice rose with each accusation, the darkness around him pulsing in rhythm with his rage. "You could've stopped at that point and revealed the truth. You just had to bring Taotao into the mess and made me lose my mind." He stepped closer, almost trembling with fury. "Now you're worried about 'history repeating itself,' you old hag?"
The Elder closed his eyes, the weight of guilt visible in the slight slump of his shoulders. His silence was an admission that struck Yuchen and Dorn with confusion. They exchanged glances, baffled by their master's acceptance of such accusations from the demon lord.
When the Elder opened his eyes again, they held resolve. "That's why I chose not to interfere this time," he said quietly. His gaze hardened as he looked at his disciples. "But it's different if you touch my disciples."
"If I wanted them dead, then I could've actually crushed them with a flick of my hand," Bambam retorted, his posture rigid. "Seeing how he dared to attack me, I only chose to do minimal damage since he was Taotao's friend."
The Elder sighed, seeming to age before their eyes. "Suit yourself. We're leaving." He reached out, placing one hand on Dorn's shoulder and extending the other toward Yuchen.
But Yuchen stepped back, yanking away from the offered hand. His eyes blazed with determination and growing suspicion. "What is it about the curse?" he demanded, looking between the demon lord and his master. "Did you try to harm Yetao-gege?"
The Elder studied his youngest disciple's face, recognizing the stubborn resolve etched there. With a deep breath that seemed drawn from the very depths of time itself, he nodded, accepting that the moment for truth had arrived.
"Very well," the Elder said, his voice becoming solemn as ancient memories surfaced. He glanced briefly at the frozen form of Yetao, then back to the watchful demon lord. "It began two thousand years ago, when the barriers between realms were thinner..."
"I had a son centuries ago," the Elder began, his voice carrying the weight of ages. The frozen world around them seemed to hold its breath as ancient secrets prepared to surface.
"You probably won't have heard about him," he continued, his gaze distant with memory. "He was the next successor of the immortal realm's protector after me. He was cultivating well, heeding my teachings—until he met a fox spirit."
The Elder's eyes clouded with regret. "He was already engaged to the moon goddess's daughter, and she loved my son dearly. But my son..." He paused, the words seeming to pain him. "My son fell for the fox spirit."
Yuchen and Dorn listened intently.
"I did not approve of their relationship and drove them away," the Elder confessed, closing his eyes tightly as if to shut out the memory. "That was the biggest mistake I have made in my life."
Bambam's expression remained hard, his arms crossed as he listened to a story he clearly already knew—one that seemed to fuel his anger toward the Elder.
"The lady he was engaged to couldn't accept her love being taken away," the Elder continued. "So she confronted me and asked me to bring him back at any cost. At that time, I was already furious about my son's rebellious stage."
His voice grew quieter, laden with shame. "So I said I don't care whatever happens to him and that she can feel free to do whatever to him. I didn't know that she was being so serious."
The timeless space around them seemed to darken further with the Elder's words, as if the very fabric of their suspended reality responded to the gravity of his confession.
"She confronted him and got rejected for a second time directly. She couldn't deal with the heartbreak and chose to go the wrong way." The Elder's voice fell to barely above a whisper. "She cursed him."
Shock registered on both disciples' faces. Dorn was the first to find his voice. "But the cause of cursing for an immortal would cost their life, right?" His eyes were wide with disbelief.
The Elder nodded solemnly. "She gave up her life to curse him since she couldn't live long without him."
"What did she curse?" Yuchen asked, dread settling in his chest.
The Elder's eyes shifted toward Yetao, who remained frozen in time, oblivious to the fate being discussed around him. Slowly, the ancient immortal walked to stand before Yetao, studying his grandson's face with profound sorrow.
"A curse for his generation to end when they complete their 1000-year cultivation," he revealed, his words falling like stones into still water.
Yuchen and Dorn exchanged horrified glances.
"She specified that if the curse did not take effect, the world shall end," the Elder finished, taking a deep breath that seemed to carry the burden of centuries.
In the heavy silence that followed, the enormity of the situation began to crystallize. The curse wasn't just targeted at an individual—it was bound to the very fabric of reality.
"When her mother and I found out about it, it was already too late," the Elder continued. "Even though she lost her beloved daughter, her role as moon goddess made her join hands with me. We tried our level best to abolish the curse implanted in the land."
His face darkened with the memory of their failure. "But the curse only got stronger by absorbing our powers. It was the strongest curse we ever faced in our lifetime. By the guilt of raising a daughter who was bold enough to end the world, her mother disappeared from her role and from the world." He lifted his gaze toward the frozen sky. "That's when the moon split into two."
The revelation hung in the air, connecting cosmic events to personal tragedy in ways the disciples had never imagined possible.
Yuchen's brow furrowed as he processed the information. "So this is the calamity? What does this have to do with Yetao-gege?"
Before the Elder could respond, Bambam cut in, his voice sharp with barely contained fury. "Because his son is Taotao's father, who died before he could complete his cultivation, and now it falls upon Taotao."
The demon lord's eyes flashed dangerously as he turned to the Elder. "If your elder had a moment of patience to understand his son, then his grandson couldn't be in danger right now."
The Elder accepted the accusation without defense, his head bowing slightly in acknowledgment of his role in the tragedy.
Yuchen's mind raced, desperately seeking a solution. He turned to Bambam, hope glimmering in his eyes despite everything. "If you're here to stop the calamity, then we can save him, right?" His gaze was fixed on Bambam, pleading for an answer that would spare his friend.
Bambam clenched his fist, his knuckles whitening with the pressure. His silence was more telling than any words could be.
"He can't, Yuchen," the Elder said quietly. "Since his life purpose is to eliminate the calamity... by killing Yetao."
The words fell like a death sentence. Yuchen immediately placed himself protectively in front of Yetao, despite his depleted energy and the futility of the gesture against beings of such power.
The frozen moment stretched between them, charged with an impossible choice. The fate of the world balanced on the edge of a knife, with Yetao unwittingly at its center. All eyes turned to Bambam, whose expression had become unreadable.
The demon lord stood at a crossroads that would define not just his future, but the future of all realms. The love that had grown in his heart for Yetao warred against his ancient purpose and the very order of existence itself.
The question hung unspoken in the suspended air:
Would Bambam let the world burn to protect his love? Or would he do what he had been created to do—eliminate the calamity at the cost of destroying the one being who had touched his demonic heart?