Dai Xieyue, wearing half a mask, stood respectfully, gazing at Shendu with fervent admiration.
Shendu had given him a chance to live and bestowed such great power upon him. Dai Xieyue was utterly convinced. From now on, he would offer Shendu his loyalty.
Beside them, Bibi Dong's pupils shifted slightly as she watched him.
Just moments ago, Dai Xieyue had been cowering on the ground, begging for mercy. Then a Shadow Ninja had placed half of a scarlet mask on his face, and he had stood up, fervently worshipping Shendu as if he were being controlled.
What a way to manipulate people's hearts. Was this what a demon was? Truly terrifying!
Bibi Dong was horrified, and the pressure on her grew heavier.
The black garment on Dai Xieyue was half of Shendu's Shadow Mask. Giving him half the mask had not only strengthened him, but had also allowed Shendu to control his mind.
After putting on the mask, Dai Xieyue's own consciousness would be taken over by the Mask Consciousness, which was Shendu himself.
Although half a mask would not change much of Dai Xieyue's original personality, it would make him utterly loyal to Shendu.
This would make it much easier for Shendu to act.
Until Dai Xieyue could take on the identity of Valmont, Shendu would provisionally appoint him as the first battalion commander of the Shadow Legion.
Shendu turned to Bibi Dong and asked coldly, "Bibi Dong, it seems you don't have much authority in Spirit Hall."
"That's right. Qian Daoliu is the legitimate heir of the Qian Clan, the former Pope, and Spirit Hall's only Peerless Douluo. I'm no match for him in either influence or strength."
Bibi Dong reported the truth.
"Have you ever thought about killing him and taking his place?"
"My strength is still far from enough. If you could help me, Shendu..."
"Hmph. If those people weren't watching, I'd have gone to reclaim my Talismans long ago. Then I wouldn't have to be so careful about using even a single Shadow Ninja!"
"Those people? Who are you talking about, Shendu?" Bibi Dong asked, watching him.
She was tense inside, waiting with rapt attention for Shendu's reply. There were actually things in this world that Shendu feared. She felt that what came next would be extremely important to her.
"Who else but those eight Immortal Gods? Infuriating! Demons are all this world needs. Why did things like the Immortal Gods have to appear?"
As Shendu spoke, his anger grew, and the air around them seemed to turn cold.
Eight Immortal Gods!
Bibi Dong's eyes lit up, and her thoughts began to stir.
That was it. Where there was light, there was shadow. If demons were the dark extreme, then the gods must be the light.
Gods were the demons' natural enemies!
Bibi Dong's heart burned with excitement.
If she could obtain their power, she could counterbalance the demons and escape Shendu's control.
However, these Immortal Gods were probably different from the gods who currently existed. They were likely much older, perhaps sealed away just like the demons.
But she did not lose hope. Instead, she smiled, the corners of her mouth lifting.
A great upheaval was about to sweep the world. The demons had already emerged. Could the Immortal Gods be far behind?
All I need to do is wait.
Bibi Dong took a deep breath, calming her racing heart and brushing aside her thoughts from moments before.
Shendu would not check her thoughts all the time. When he did, a red glow would appear. She had already confirmed that.
"Shendu, the people I assigned earlier may have aroused Qian Daoliu's suspicions. He may investigate me now."
"Do your best not to expose me!"
"Understood. I'll get back to work, then."
Bibi Dong bowed and took her leave.
She glanced at Dai Xieyue, whose face was alight with fervent devotion, then rose and headed for the door.
Revealing the eight Immortal Gods had also laid the groundwork for what came next.
After all, he needed both the identity of a demon and that of an enemy. The two identities would work together to make his act more convincing.
As for what Bibi Dong was thinking, Shendu truly was not monitoring her constantly, just as she had guessed.
He had seen through her thoughts earlier only because he had read the original story. If he had used divine power to probe her mind, it would have cost him quite a lot.
Besides, she was no threat to him.
After Bibi Dong left, she ran into Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo coming her way. The two approached with worried expressions and said, "Your Holiness, the Grand Pontiff just summoned us and asked what had happened. We could only tell him everything we knew."
After they finished, they lowered their heads, not daring to look at her again.
Bibi Dong merely waved a hand and walked right past them, unconcerned.
As if! She wasn't truly Shendu's servant. So what if she was exposed? She wanted to see whether the mighty Shendu or that fellow Qian Daoliu was stronger.
Meanwhile, at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
After Spirit Hall spread word of the demons across the continent, another wave of demon-hunting fever swept through the land. People rushed toward the Star Dou Great Forest, each eager to get there before the others.
"Fengzhi, this can't go on. Soul Masters are slaughtering Soul Beasts on a massive scale. At this rate, soon there won't be any left for us to hunt!" Gu Rong said worriedly.
"Hmph! Why bother with that? The demons are what we should be worrying about now. Once those things appear, not just Soul Beasts—even humans will be wiped out."
Thinking of the demons Ning Xiaoyao had recorded, Chen Xin couldn't even imagine what kind of power they possessed. It made even the gods tremble.
Ning Fengzhi wasn't distracted by their voices. He studied the ordinary stone figure in the middle of the hall, his expression intent.
"Fengzhi, you've been staring at it for days, and it hasn't changed at all. Are you sure this is the stone figure?"
"It should be," Ning Fengzhi said through gritted teeth.
"So what do we do now?"
"Uncle Jian, Uncle Gu, haven't you already spoken to them?" Ning Fengzhi looked up at the two.
"I went to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and told Yu Yuanzhen about the demons, but that fellow wouldn't listen. He didn't believe a word of it. Instead, he laughed at Qian Daoliu and me, saying we were both old and senile. What a bastard!" Gu Rong fumed.
He had offered a kind warning, only to be ruthlessly turned away. Who wouldn't be upset?
Chen Xin's brows were knitted too. His experience had been much the same as Gu Rong's.
The Heaven Dou Great Emperor had received him with utmost respect, but clearly didn't believe him either.
"Damn it! Don't they understand we're trying to help them?"
"Alas, since that's how things stand, 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 sure?" Sword Douluo looked at him seriously.
Once the statement was issued, it would put them at odds with Spirit Hall. After all, it was meant to expose Spirit Hall's conspiracy.
Without the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect and the Heaven Dou Empire backing them up, they would be fighting alone.
"We won't mention Spirit Hall for now. We'll only speak about the demons. The clever ones will see the truth for themselves," Ning Fengzhi said, raising a hand.
"That's good."
Hearing this, the two old men breathed a sigh of relief. Their sect master truly lived up to his reputation.
That way, there wouldn't be any major problems.
A few days later.
Spirit Hall, in a secret chamber.
Shendu gazed at his divine throne as golden divine power poured into it in an unending stream, already forming a brook.
"Still not enough. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has already spoken out, so why are there still people who don't believe it?"
"Looks like we can't wait any longer for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect. Your ancestral land should emerge, too!"
Shendu's voice was hoarse.
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