Shendu Exposed!

Three clusters of spirit faced off inside Dai Xieyue's mind.

Shendu took a few seconds to understand the situation and couldn't help finding it rather amusing.

How interesting. He hadn't expected Qian Renxue to end up inside Dai Xieyue's body.

That meant he couldn't send her back now. What if she exposed him?

"W-who are you?" Qian Renxue asked fearfully, staring at the mask.

She took a step back from the mask's glowing eyes. It was only a mask, yet she felt as though someone were watching her.

"Heh. Once you know who I am, you won't be able to leave," Shendu rasped playfully.

"Ah!! There really is someone!"

Qian Renxue clutched her chest in terror and screamed. Her shrill voice made the ceiling of the secret chamber tremble!

But not a single sound escaped.

When Qian Xunji had built this secret chamber more than twenty years ago, he had designed it to be soundproof.

"So noisy! Dai Xieyue, get out here!" Shendu lowered his eyes, his gaze cold.

A red light swept over Dai Xieyue's body. His eyes went blank for a moment, then he regained consciousness, a wicked smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. Meanwhile, the power of the mask imprisoned Qian Renxue's soul.

But just as he was about to celebrate his regained freedom, he saw Shendu staring at him coldly.

"Dai Xieyue!" Shendu bellowed.

"Yes, Shendu, I'm here!" Dai Xieyue dropped nervously to his knees and answered in a trembling voice.

"You useless fool! You didn't even realize there was a soul in your head, and you were about to expose me!"

"I wouldn't dare. I, Dai Xieyue, swear I would never betray you, Shendu!"

Dai Xieyue bowed in fear as he spoke, but Shendu showed him not the slightest pity and cursed him out.

After berating him for a while, Shendu lost interest in saying anything more and got straight to the point, his voice cold. "I sent you to find the Talismans. What have you discovered?"

Hearing Shendu's anger subside, Dai Xieyue answered quietly, "I found one. I discovered a Talisman in Heaven Dou City and was about to retrieve it, but I thought your mission was more important, Shendu, so I went and brought you the Sheep Talisman first!"

He wore a fawning smile, his manner exceedingly deferential.

He kept quiet about the Sacred Dragon Carving losing the Talisman. If he told the truth, he would surely endure another round of Shendu's fury.

Shendu had only looked into Qian Renxue's situation and hadn't examined anything else.

"Then get going already!"

"Yes, yes!"

Dai Xieyue scrambled out of the secret chamber, his face full of relief at having escaped disaster.

Walking down the corridor, he wiped away his cold sweat, still shaken. Shendu was terrifying—but only someone like him deserved to be called a demon.

I have to find the Talismans for Shendu. Then he'll put me to even better use!

He clenched his fist, excitedly cheering himself on, and quickened his pace as he left.

Spirit Hall.

From atop the towering wall, Dai Xieyue stood on the golden roof tiles and gazed into the distance.

It was the dead of night. Dressed all in black, he hid beneath the shadow of a tree, nearly impossible to spot.

One day, all of this will belong to Lord Shendu!

The corners of his mouth curled upward in a crazed, wicked grin, and with a whoosh, he vanished from where he stood.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Dai Xieyue leaped along the wall a few times, then plunged into the darkness and disappeared.

Behind the tree, in a corner that had been empty moments before, a young boy gradually appeared. He watched Dai Xieyue leave, his expression cool.

"Shendu! Heh! So you've been hiding this well, have you?"

The pure moonlight fell across his face, revealing a faint sneer.

He turned to look at the place where that man had emerged, then walked over with a mysterious smile.

The secret chamber.

After sending Dai Xieyue away, Shendu continued devising ancient tales about the Eight Demons.

He didn't need to come up with any new patches just yet, but if he worked them out in advance, he wouldn't have to rush or make mistakes when the time came.

Zhou Lan, the long-faced demon who played with gravity. He had once pulled down the moon to use as a stool...

Xiao Feng, the Wind Ancestor. It was only after Xiao Feng came along that air currents began to flow between heaven and earth. As long as the air kept moving, Xiao Feng would never die...

Just as he was deep in thought, the door to the secret chamber slowly swung open.

A young man walked in. The moment he saw the sculpture on the wall, a deep smile spread across his face.

"Ke ke ke! Shendu, I never expected to find you here!"

The young man shut the door and fixed his eyes on Shendu.

"Hsi Wu!" Shendu's hoarse voice rang out. He looked back at the other demon without fear.

"Well, this is a surprise. We suffered through endless loneliness and hardship in Demon Hell, while you've been living comfortably here. Shendu, don't you think you should pay for what you've done?"

The young man transformed in an instant into Sky Demon Hsoi and spoke mockingly.

"Hsi Wu, my brother, listen to me. You can see what state I'm in. I'm powerless to free everyone. As soon as I regain my strength, I'll free them all!"

"Believe me!"

"Hmph! Save that for Po Kong and the others!" Hsi Wu looked at him with contempt.

He wouldn't be taken in by a few words from Shendu.

Still, Shendu's current state had truly surprised him.

"Hsi Wu, just help me get the Talismans back, and I'll free everyone right away!" Shendu continued pretending he was doing his best.

"Find them yourself! And I'm warning you: those demons in Demon Hell won't be able to wait much longer. If you don't let them out soon, they might eat you!"

"Why won't you free them, Hsi Wu?"

"Heh, what a joke. I escaped through my own efforts. Why should I save them? You're on your own!"

Hsi Wu sneered and turned to leave.

In his eyes, Shendu was a fallen phoenix. Who knew how long it would take him to gather all the Talismans, let alone free the others?

For now, he was the only free demon. He could run wild however he pleased. Wasn't that much more fun than letting those fools out?

What he didn't know was that Shendu now controlled the Demon World. He could release whichever demon he wanted, whenever he wanted.

After Hsi Wu's reminder, Shendu began to think seriously.

Of all the other demons in Demon Hell, only Ba Sha was on good terms with him. That was far too few.

But the Eight Demons had always acted independently, and they had never gotten along particularly well. A friendly relationship like the one between Shendu and Ba Sha was already a rare exception!

I need to win a few more of them over!

Otherwise, if he released them later, what would happen if they joined forces and caused trouble?

Especially Zhou Lan. If that guy pulled down the moon again and destroyed the world, Shendu wouldn't have enough divine power to clean up after him.

Who should he approach first?

He recalled each demon's temperament, steadily narrowing down his choices...

Meanwhile, in Demon Hell.

"When is Shendu going to let us out?" Po Kong boomed.

"Shut up! You've already asked 308 times!" Ba Sha glared at him impatiently, her gaze icy.

They continued waiting, and silence fell over the scene.

After who knew how long...

Po Kong: "When is Shendu going to let us out?"