The Shendu Exposed!

Within Dai Xieyue's mind, three spirits stood in a standoff.

Shendu took a few seconds to grasp the situation, unable to help but find it somewhat amusing.

Interesting. I never expected that Qian Renxue would have entered Dai Xieyue's body.

If that were the case, he couldn't send her back; what if she exposed him?

"Who, who are you?" Qian Renxue asked, looking at the mask in fear.

She took a step back as she stared at the glowing eyes of the mask. Although it was just a mask, she felt as if someone were watching her.

"Heh, if you find out who I am, you won't be leaving," Shendu said with a hoarse, mocking tone.

"Ah!! There really is someone here!"

Qian Renxue covered her chest in terror and let out a piercing scream. Her shrill voice caused the ceiling of the secret chamber to vibrate!

However, not a single sound escaped the room.

When Qian Xunji had built this secret chamber over twenty years ago, he had already designed it with soundproofing in mind.

"Too noisy! Dai Xieyue, get out here!" Shendu's eyes turned cold as he lowered his gaze.

A red light swept across Dai Xieyue's body. His eyes went vacant for a moment before he regained consciousness, a wicked grin curling his lips, while Qian Renxue's soul was locked away by the power of the mask.

Yet, just as he prepared to celebrate his regained freedom, he saw the icy gaze of Shendu before him.

"Dai Xieyue!" Shendu barked a reprimand.

"Present! Shendu, I am here!" Dai Xieyue knelt on the ground in a panic, trembling as he answered.

"You piece of trash, you didn't even know a soul had entered your brain? Were you planning on exposing me?"

"I wouldn't dare! Dai Xieyue swears he will never betray Shendu!"

Dai Xieyue bowed low in fear, but he received not a shred of mercy from Shendu, who proceeded to berate him mercilessly.

After cursing him for a while, Shendu had no interest in saying more and coldly cut to the chase: "I ordered you to find the Talismans. What have you discovered?"

Hearing that Shendu's temper had subsided, Dai Xieyue replied in a low voice: "I have made a discovery. Your subordinate found a Talisman in Heaven Dou City. I was about to retrieve it, but thinking that your mission, Shendu, was more important, I decided to prioritize bringing the Sheep Talisman to you first!"

His face was filled with obsequiousness and extreme courtesy.

He hid the news about the missing Talisman from the Sacred Dragon Carving; if he had told the truth, he would surely have endured another round of Shendu's fury.

Shendu had only checked on matters concerning Qian Renxue and had not looked into other situations.

"Then what are you waiting for? Go!"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Dai Xieyue scrambled out of the secret chamber, his face showing the relief of one who had survived a brush with death.

Walking through the secret passage, he wiped away cold sweat, feeling a lingering fear. Shendu was too terrifying, but it was precisely such an existence that deserved the title of Demon.

I must find the Talismans for Shendu. That way, he will value me even more!

He clenched his fists in excitement to encourage himself and quickened his pace to leave.

Spirit Hall.

High atop the walls, Dai Xieyue stood on the golden tiles, gazing into the distance.

It was the dead of night. Dressed in black, he hid in the shadows of a large tree, making him difficult to spot.

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

The corners of his mouth turned up in a crazed, wicked smile, and he vanished from the spot with a whoosh.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Dai Xieyue leaped across the walls, charging into the darkness until he disappeared.

Behind the tree, in a corner that had been empty, a young boy slowly appeared, watching Dai Xieyue's departure with a calm expression.

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

The bright moonlight shone on his face, revealing a faint, cold sneer.

He turned to look at the place where the man had emerged and walked toward it with a mysterious, inscrutable smile.

Secret chamber.

After dismissing Dai Xieyue, Shendu continued to conceptualize the ancient history of the Eight Demons.

Although he didn't need to release a new patch yet, conceptualizing it now would ensure he wouldn't run into trouble or be caught off guard when the time came.

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

Xiao Feng, the Wind Ancestor; only after Xiao Feng existed could the currents of the world flow. As long as the currents did not die, Xiao Feng would never perish...

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

A young boy walked in, and the moment he saw the sculpture on the wall, he revealed a profound smile.

"Heh heh heh, Shendu, I never expected to find you here!"

The youth closed the door, his eyes locked firmly onto Shendu.

"Hsoi!" Shendu's raspy voice rang out as he looked back at the other, equally devoid of fear.

"How rare. We have suffered through the loneliness and misery of Demon Hell, yet you have been living here in peace and comfort. Tell me, Shendu, shouldn't you pay the price for what you've done?"

The youth transformed in a flash into the Sky Demon Hsoi and spoke with a sneer.

"Hsoi, my brother, listen to me. You can see my current state; I have no power to liberate everyone. But once I regain my strength, I will certainly set you all free!"

"Believe me!"

"Hmph! Save those words for Po Kong and the others!" Hsoi's face twisted in disdain.

He would not be fooled by a few words from Shendu.

However, Shendu's current condition was indeed beyond his expectations.

"Hsoi, as long as you help me retrieve the Talismans, I will release everyone immediately!" Shendu continued to feign desperation.

"Find them yourself! I'm warning you, those in Demon Hell won't wait much longer. If you don't let them out soon, watch out—they might just devour you!"

"Why don't you rescue them yourself, Hsoi?"

"Heh, what a joke. I escaped by my own power; why should I bother saving them? You're on your own!"

Hsoi let out a cold laugh and turned to leave.

In his eyes, the current Shendu was nothing more than a fallen phoenix. Who knew how long it would take for him to collect the Talismans, let alone liberate the others?

For now, he was the only free demon. He could do whatever he pleased—wasn't that far better than letting those fools out?

Yet, what he did not know was that Shendu now possessed control over the Demon World and could release whichever demon he chose.

After being reminded by Hsoi, Shendu began to think seriously.

Among the other demons in Demon Hell, only Ba Sha currently had a decent relationship with him, which was far too few.

However, the Eight Demons had always acted independently, and their relationships were poor; a bond like the one between Shendu and Ba Sha was a rare exception!

He needed to win a few more over! Shendu thought to himself.

Otherwise, what would happen if he released them later and they teamed up to cause trouble?

Especially Zhou Lan—if that guy pulled the moon down to destroy the world again, he didn't have enough divine power to clean up the mess.

Who should he start with?

He recalled the behavioral patterns of each demon, constantly filtering and narrowing down his choices...

Meanwhile, in Demon Hell.

"When is Shendu going to save us?" Po Kong bellowed in his booming voice.

"Shut up, that's the 308th time you've asked!" Ba Sha glared at him impatiently, her eyes cold.

The group continued to wait, and silence fell over the scene.

After an unknown amount of time had passed.

Po Kong: "When is Shendu going to save us?"