Captain of the Shadow Legion

Dai Xieyue, wearing half a mask, stood respectfully and looked at Shendu with fanatical devotion.

It was Shendu who had given him a chance at life and bestowed upon him such formidable power, leaving him deeply humbled. From this day forward, he would offer his absolute loyalty to Shendu.

Beside them, Bibi Dong's pupils flickered as she watched him.

Only moments ago, Dai Xieyue had been groveling on the ground in terror, begging for mercy, until a Shadow Ninja placed half of a crimson mask upon his face. The moment he stood up, he began to worship Shendu with such fervor that it was as if he had been completely enthralled.

To possess such a means of controlling the human heart—was this the nature of a demon? Truly terrifying!

Bibi Dong felt a surge of dread, and the pressure weighing upon her intensified.

The black garment on Dai Xieyue's body was the other half of Shendu's Shadow Mask. Giving Dai Xieyue half a mask not only enhanced his strength but also allowed for the control of his spirit.

Once the mask was donned, the wearer's own consciousness would be encroached upon by the mask's consciousness, and that consciousness was Shendu himself.

Although half a mask would not significantly alter Dai Xieyue's original personality, it would render him unfailingly loyal to Shendu.

In this way, it would be much more convenient for him to act.

Before he could fully assume the identity of Valmont, Shendu temporarily appointed him as the First Captain of the Shadow Legion.

Shendu turned his head to look at Bibi Dong and asked coldly, "Bibi Dong, your authority within Spirit Hall does not seem to be very high."

"That is true. Qian Daoliu is the orthodox leader of the Qian Clan, the former Pope, and the only Peerless Douluo in Spirit Hall. In terms of both influence and strength, I am no match for him," Bibi Dong reported truthfully.

"Have you ever thought of getting rid of him? Taking the position for yourself?"

"My strength is still far from sufficient. If you, Shendu, could assist me..."

"Hmph, if it weren't for those people watching, I would have already reclaimed my Talismans. I wouldn't be reduced to being cautious even when using a mere Shadow Ninja!"

"Those people? What are you referring to, Shendu?" Bibi Dong asked, watching him.

Her heart raced with tension as she focused intently on his reply. That there was something in this world that even Shendu feared made her feel that what followed would be of vital importance to her.

"It is none other than those eight Immortal Gods. How hateful! This world should have been enough with just us demons; why did such things as Immortal Gods have to appear!"

As Shendu spoke, his anger grew, and the surrounding atmosphere turned frigid.

Eight Immortal Gods!

Bibi Dong's eyes brightened, and her mind began to race.

Indeed, where there is negative in the world, there must be positive. If demons were the negative pole, then the gods were surely the positive.

The natural enemies of demons were the gods!

Bibi Dong's heart burned with fervor.

If she could possess their power, she could keep the demons in check and break free from Shendu's control.

However, these Immortal Gods were likely different from the existing gods; they should be far more ancient. Perhaps, like the demons, they had been sealed away.

Yet, she did not lose hope; instead, the corners of her mouth curled into a smile.

A great change in the world was coming. The demons had already emerged—could the Immortal Gods be far behind?

She only needed to wait.

Bibi Dong took a deep breath, calming her racing heart and casting aside her recent thoughts.

Shendu did not monitor her thoughts at all times; when he did, it was accompanied by a red glow. She had already verified this.

"Shendu, the personnel I arranged previously may have already aroused Qian Daoliu's suspicions. He may be investigating me now."

"Try your best not to expose me!"

"Understood. I shall go and attend to my duties."

Bibi Dong bowed and took her leave.

She glanced at the fanatical Dai Xieyue before turning and walking out the door.

Revealing the existence of the eight Immortal Gods was also a setup for what was to come.

After all, he needed both the identity of a demon and an opposing force; only by coordinating the two could he put on a convincing performance.

As for what was in Bibi Dong's mind, he was truly as she suspected: he was not constantly monitoring her.

Seeing through her thoughts earlier had merely been a result of his knowledge of the original story. If he were to use his divine power to probe her, it would consume a significant amount of energy.

Besides, he doubted she could cause him any real harm.

After Bibi Dong emerged, she encountered Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo walking toward her. The two looked worried as they stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, the Great Elder summoned us earlier to inquire about the situation. We could only tell him what we knew."

After speaking, the two lowered their heads, not daring to look at her.

However, Bibi Dong merely waved her hand dismissively and walked past them, completely unconcerned.

It was a joke to think she was a true servant of Shendu; if she were exposed, so be it. She actually wanted to see who was stronger: the powerful Shendu or that man, Qian Daoliu.

Elsewhere, at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

After Spirit Hall spread the news of the demons across the continent, it triggered a wave of demon-hunting, with everyone rushing toward the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Fengzhi, this cannot go on. Soul masters are slaughtering soul beasts in droves. If this continues, there will be no soul beasts left for us to hunt!" Gu Rong said with concern.

"Hmph! Why bother with these matters? If you ask me, what we should be most worried about right now are the demons. Once things like that appear, let alone soul beasts, even humanity will face extinction."

Recalling the records Ning Xiaoyao had made regarding those demons, Chen Xin simply could not imagine what kind of power that was. It was enough to make even the gods tremble.

Ning Fengzhi was not interrupted by the voices of the two men; he kept his gaze focused on the ordinary stone figure in the center of the hall.

"Fengzhi, you've been staring at him for several days now, and we haven't seen any changes. Is it really this stone figure?"

"It shouldn't be wrong," Ning Fengzhi said, gritting his teeth.

"Then what should we do now?"

"Uncle Jian, Uncle Gu, haven't you already spoken to them?" Ning Fengzhi looked up at the two men.

"I went to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family and met with that fellow Yu Yuanzhen. I told him about the demons, but that guy is completely stubborn. He didn't believe a word of it; instead, he laughed at me and Qian Daoliu, saying we were both senile. It's truly detestable," Gu Rong said, his voice filled with resentment.

He had offered a well-intentioned warning only to be heartlessly driven away; no one would be happy about that.

Seeing Chen Xin's furrowed brows, it was clear his situation was much the same as Gu Rong's.

Although the Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire had received him respectfully, it was obvious that he did not truly believe him either.

"Damn it, don't they realize we are doing this for their own good?"

"Sigh, since that is the case, we have no choice but to issue a statement in the name of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect," Ning Fengzhi said with a sigh.

"Fengzhi, are you certain?" Sword Douluo looked at him earnestly.

Once this statement was issued, it would mean standing in opposition to Spirit Hall. After all, they were releasing it to expose the conspiracies of Spirit Hall.

If they did not have the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect and the Heaven Dou Empire to support them, they would be fighting this battle alone.

"We won't mention Spirit Hall for now; we will only release information regarding the demons. Intelligent people will naturally see the truth," Ning Fengzhi said, waving his hand.

"That is for the best."

Hearing this, the two old men breathed a sigh of relief. He was truly worthy of being their Sect Master.

In that case, there would be no major issues.

A few days later.

Spirit Hall, secret chamber.

Shendu watched his godhood as golden divine power flowed into it continuously, already forming a stream.

"Still too little. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has already spoken out, so why are there still people who don't believe it?"

"It seems I cannot wait for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect any longer. Your ancestral grounds should also be revealed to the world!"

Shendu said in a hoarse voice.

Regarding updates, this book is currently being recommended. It will have a major promotion on Friday. After discussing it with the editor, I will continue to update normally, and I will release a large number of chapters once it goes live. Thank you all for your support. Every day before the official launch is spent stockpiling chapters!