The Second Talisman, Thunder Demon Zhong Su.

At the palace gate.

A large number of guards were locked in battle with Shadow Ninjas, yet more than a dozen guards still surrounded Dai Xieyue.

"Heh, a bunch of clowns," Dai Xieyue sneered with disdain.

He casually fired a White Tiger Evil Light Wave, the black beam of energy surging toward the crowd.

"How bold!"

The burly man in golden armor leading the guards stepped forward, angrily summoning his Blazing Blade spirit.

The crimson blade blocked his front, easily parrying the attack.

This level of power, is he a Spirit Emperor?

A mere Spirit Emperor dares to trespass in the imperial palace? He truly doesn't know how to spell the word 'death'!

The burly man leaped high into the air, sneering as he brought his massive flame blade down.

"Die! I shall use your head to beg the Emperor for mercy!"

The blade fell heavily, but it struck only the hard bluestone floor.

"Bang!"

The sound of metal clashing against stone rang out from the ground.

"What!" The burly man looked left and right, his face filled with terror.

The person who had been standing there just a moment ago had vanished, as if he had transformed into a shadow and escaped in that very instant.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

He jumped back several times to put distance between himself and the spot, gripping his Blazing Blade vigilantly.

"Be careful, the opponent is strange!"

"Understood, Captain."

Inside the palace, some of the Shadow Ninjas had already broken through the guards' blockade and forced their way in. At the very front of the shadows, one figure stood out from the rest.

Dai Xieyue turned his head to sneer, then headed straight into the depths of the palace.

"Damn it, he's inside! Go stop him!" the burly man roared at him, and those around him scrambled to give chase.

How clumsy!

Dai Xieyue disdainfully dodged a Blazing Blade thrown from behind and kicked it into the palace building.

Rumble—

A massive explosion erupted, and the once magnificent building collapsed into a pile of ruins.

Feeling his spirit trapped beneath the rubble and unable to be recalled, the burly man's expression turned ugly as he quickened his pace.

Meanwhile, Dai Xieyue looked at his own power and laughed.

"Hahaha!"

"Shendu is truly powerful; merely half a mask has brought me to this level."

Donning the mask had boosted his strength to that of a Spirit Emperor, and he had gained the shadow properties of the Shadow Ninjas.

With this ability, he could say that there was no place in the world he could not enter.

At the Crown Prince Palace.

Dai Xieyue kicked the door open and walked in with a wicked grin, seeing a refined and gentle man sitting calmly in his seat, watching him.

"If I have offended you, Your Excellency, please speak. Why must it come to this?" the man said indifferently.

He was none other than Xue Qinghe, the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, known among the people as the most outstanding prince.

However, his true identity was Qian Renxue, the daughter of the Pope of Spirit Hall.

Dai Xieyue had long known the other's identity. He stepped forward and sneered, "Heh, Qian Renxue, stop pretending. I have come here under the orders of Spirit Hall to make you hand over the Talisman!"

"Spirit Hall? The Talisman?"

A look of surprise flashed in Qian Renxue's eyes, but the next second, before she could react, the opponent flew straight toward her.

Qian Renxue followed his gaze, looked down, and immediately realized.

His target is this thing at my waist.

She hurriedly clutched the Talisman at her waist, instinctively protecting it.

Just as Dai Xieyue was about to reach her waist:

"How bold!"

A cold, angry snort rang out, and a massive aura sent Dai Xieyue flying backward.

Tap—tap—

Dai Xieyue landed nimbly and saw an elderly woman emerge from behind a screen, her eyes fixed coldly upon him.

In a spot where neither the old woman nor Qian Renxue noticed, a Shadow Ninja emerged directly from beneath their feet, reaching out to grab Qian Renxue's soft hand that held the Talisman.

"Ah!" Qian Renxue shrieked, startled by the pitch-black entity.

Yet, she gripped the Talisman tightly, refusing to let go.

At the same time, the sheep-shaped pattern on the Talisman suddenly emitted a brilliant white light.

In an instant, Qian Renxue felt her soul and body separate. She collapsed to the floor with a thud, her hand loosening its grip on the Talisman, which was immediately snatched away by a Shadow Ninja.

"My Lady!" The old man rushed over, anxiously checking his mistress's condition.

Having secured the Talisman, Dai Xieyue immediately withdrew and bolted toward the door, wasting not a single second.

Hovering above the room, Qian Renxue's soul wore a grim expression.

You little thief, don't think you're getting away. Unable to tolerate his escape, she flew toward him, her soul diving directly into his body.

The moment she entered, she was met with overwhelming darkness and a shattered soul.

Dai Xieyue froze in place, his eyes vacant as he stared ahead, as if he had been possessed.

Qian Renxue's intrusion triggered a chain reaction; Dai Xieyue, the Mask Consciousness, and Qian Renxue's soul became hopelessly entangled, descending into chaotic disarray.

After a fleeting moment, Dai Xieyue regained control of his body, his expression turning ugly.

Damn woman, how dare you try to steal my body. You're courting death, hmph!

He cursed inwardly and quickly fled the scene.

Inside the room, the old man was left frantically shaking Qian Renxue's body, desperate to wake her.

It's over. My Lady has met with disaster; how am I supposed to answer to the Grand Pontiff?

After leaving Heaven Dou City, Dai Xieyue retraced his steps. While passing through Tianshui City, he carefully inspected the Sacred Dragon Carving again, but sensing no trace of the Talisman, he couldn't help but feel puzzled.

However, with his mission still underway, he didn't dwell on it and headed straight back to Spirit Hall.

Spirit Hall, secret chamber.

Dai Xieyue respectfully returned the Talisman to Shendu.

"Very good! Well done!"

Shendu praised him with satisfaction, making Dai Xieyue's heart swell with fervor, eager to offer everything to Shendu.

"Forever loyal to Shendu!"

"Mm!"

Shendu nodded casually, ordering the Shadow Ninja to embed the Sheep Talisman into his body, then waited impatiently to receive his reward.

To his surprise, the reward was the same as before; he only received some divine power, World God affinity, and then the divine token corresponding to the Thunder Demon Zhong Su—the Castanets of Cao Guojiu.

Shendu was somewhat disappointed by this result; he had hoped the divine position would provide him with something more unique.

But even if you collect all the divine tokens, there are still at least four of the twelve Talismans left. What kind of reward would you give? He couldn't help but speculate about the divine rewards.

Shendu withdrew from his mental space, just about to order Dai Xieyue to continue the search, when he noticed something was wrong with the man.

On his sharp-featured face, an expression of panic had emerged.

"Where is this?" Dai Xieyue opened his mouth, but the voice that emerged was a crisp, feminine one.

Qian Renxue was panicked. The moment she took control of the body, she realized she was in a secret chamber, with nothing before her but a dragon-shaped sculpture.

This guy, what is going on?

Shendu found this rather novel. His eyes flashed as he began to examine the state of the body.