On the moon.
Wangchuan sat cross-legged at the edge of a crater, the hem of his black robe resting on the lunar dust, his long silver-white hair motionless in the vacuum.
His eyes were closed.
Quiet.
Very quiet.
The universe itself was quiet. Wangchuan liked that quiet, or rather, he thought he did.
In truth, he could no longer distinguish liking something from being used to it.
He opened his eyes.
His Purple Lunar Phase Eyes flashed in the darkness, the lunar phase patterns deep within his pupils slowly turning.
"System."
"Open the character panel."
[Ding.]
A translucent blue panel unfolded before him, suspended in the moon's vacuum, as though projected directly onto his retinas.
Clear lettering, orderly data, impersonal formatting.
[Name: Wangchuan] [Primary template: Tso Lan (complete)] [Secondary template: Shendu (100%)] [Secondary template: Basha (complete)] [Secondary template: Tchang Zu (100%)] [Secondary template: Hsi Wu (100%)] [Secondary template: Dai Gui (100%)] [Secondary template: Xiao Fung (100%)] [Secondary template: Po Kong (100%)] [Race: Human/Demon (switchable)] [Demon Coins: 143]
Wangchuan looked at that number.
Only 143 of the Demon Coins he had obtained from Tengen remained.
He had redeemed all eight Demon Sorcerer templates. Six of them-Shendu, Tchang Zu, Hsi Wu, Dai Gui, Xiao Fung, and Po Kong-had reached 100%.
But that only meant he had mastered the Eight Demon Sorcerers' power at their peak. He had yet to fully master all their respective authorities.
Going from 100% to complete required two hundred Demon Coins each.
Wangchuan did the calculation in his head.
Six templates. Twelve hundred coins.
143 coins.
Nowhere near enough.
He looked away.
"Twelve hundred coins."
"I've almost spent all the Demon Coins I got from Tengen, but there should be a sizable haul from Xiao Long."
At that moment, the eight Demons' powers merged