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Huomu City.
"Shendu, we should go pick up Po Kong together!"
Just back from the Demon Realm, Zhou Lan turned and said seriously.
"Zhou Lan, this whole thing is your responsibility. You took on the job of retrieving Po Kong."
"None of the others are here right now, and now you're telling me we should go together? That's not happening," Shendu replied coldly.
Zhou Lan frowned, stuck out his tongue, and said calmly, "The others might not be strong enough to carry Po Kong, but you and I are."
"We both have the power to levitate beings. Sure, your levitation powers aren't even one-ten-thousandth as strong as my gravity powers, but they come from the same source!"
"If we go together, we'll be way faster."
Shendu's eyes flickered—he was just about to agree.
But suddenly, he paused. Then, in a flat voice, said, "Zhou Lan, if you think our earlier plan wasn't good, we can always call the others again and discuss it together."
"There's no need to talk to me alone. The plan's already set—what's the point of going over it again just with me?"
He'd figured it out—this was Zhou Lan's problem to deal with. It had nothing to do with him, the Demon Lord of Fire.
"Forget it."
Zhou Lan had thought he could manipulate Shendu, but it turned out to be more difficult than expected. No point in pushing it further.
"In that case, see you in a day."
Clearly annoyed, Zhou Lan turned and tore open a rift in space, vanishing from Shendu's sight—and from the ancient Asian continent altogether.
It was obvious he was heading to Po Kong's territory, planning to use his gravity powers to bring her personally to the demon meeting place.
"Ling'er, guard the place."
Shendu glanced at Ling'er, who had been quietly standing there the whole time, and gave a simple command.
"Yes, Your Majesty the Dragon King," Ling'er replied respectfully, bowing her head.
With that, Shendu turned and slashed open a rift in the air, vanishing as well—headed for the meeting spot where everyone would gather in a day.
At the same time, the continent Zhou Lan ruled—known in modern times as Australia—was about to witness the gathering of the eight Demon Lords.
A vast demonic city sprawled across the land, filled with demons wreaking havoc, committing all kinds of atrocities. Humans suffered horribly under their reign.
Inside a massive palace in the city, eight humanoid demons—each giving off a terrifying aura—slowly opened their eyes.
"So this is the power of the Chronicle of Ages... it boosts our strength to almost the same level as the Demon Lords themselves."
"This time, we might not lose."
"That's right. We hold divine artifacts from the future—tools used by human gods to seal the Demon Lords. On top of that, we now have power nearly equal to theirs. We can replace the gods and take down the Demon Lords ourselves!"
"Hard to believe such weak creatures like humans could create such terrifying weapons!"
"We don't know the full price of using the Chronicle of Ages, but who cares? We've already gained the power—what can the Demon Lords really do to us?"
"At this point, we've probably signed our own death warrants by using the Chronicle. So what? Let us go out in a blaze of glory, take a few Demon Lords down with us—it's going to be glorious!"
These demons, the most powerful ones besides the eight Demon Lords themselves, were the current wielders of the divine artifacts. Each of them had accepted the near certainty of death.
But if they could take the Demon Lords with them? Totally worth it.
Besides, their future selves would never have had this kind of power.
All of this came from the Chronicle of Ages.
As for the cost of using it? Not their concern anymore.
All they cared about now… was whether they could drag the Demon Lords into the abyss with them.
One demon spoke up, "According to the Chronicle, the eight Demon Lords will descend upon us tomorrow."
"So what? Our strength is now nearly equal to theirs. Plus, we've got divine artifacts—there's no telling who'll win." The demon holding a flute smirked.
"I wonder... does the Chronicle mention the price we'll pay?"
The one holding castanets muttered grimly.
"No idea."
"When I flipped through the Chronicle, the page with our 'price' was just… a blur. Completely unreadable."
The demon with the lotus bud in hand said flatly, eyes flickering with a hard-to-read expression.
Clearly, he knew the price they'd pay—but had no intention of telling the others.
After all, he wouldn't be suffering alone. And if anyone backed out, the entire plan would fall apart.
But to make sure that the future the Chronicle described actually happens? He was willing to go through the pain. And the Demon Lords would suffer too—eventually.
"Oh really?~" came a seductive, eerie voice from another demon.
"Well then, let's keep using the Chronicle to strengthen ourselves. The future is unknown, right? Let's push this power even further—why not?!"
It was a wild suggestion—but the other seven demons all shook their heads.
"Our power has hit the limit. If we want to go further, we need to become like the Demon Lords—wielders of world laws, immortal and indestructible."
"But the Chronicle doesn't give that kind of power."
"How would you know if we don't try?!"
After a round of back-and-forth, the eight demons finally gave up on pushing further—but they still kept absorbing the dark energy from the Chronicle, constantly strengthening their bodies.
Meanwhile, Shendu had already reached the coast of ancient Australia using both his levitation and high-speed powers.
He gazed out over the land, where thick black energy had changed the very weather. It looked like the end of the world.
But beneath that chaos was a faint hint of righteous energy.
Black energy and righteous energy clashed and twisted together, forming a massive Yin-Yang symbol in the sky.
Shendu wasn't surprised. He knew the divine artifacts were powered by righteous energy.
So he simply stood there, waiting for the arrival of the other Demon Lords.
The meeting was supposed to be "tomorrow," but the Demon Lords could fly across the globe in less than an hour. Their speed was insane.
The only exception was Po Kong, the Mountain Demon. Because of her size, she was the slowest.
But when it came to defense? She was the toughest of all eight Demon Lords.
"Darkness. Light. Time. Divinity..."
Shendu muttered under his breath as he watched the swirling powers over ancient Australia, his eyes full of sarcasm.
Yin and Yang in balance... looking at the situation now—
Demons holding divine artifacts powered by righteous energy? Good and evil working together?
What a joke.
When Shendu himself picked up the Pure Yang Sword, the righteous energy inside it rejected him instantly and triggered the sword spirit.
But Li Yan? He could wield it like it was made for him.
How utterly ridiculous.
Shendu silently mocked it all, staying put—calmly waiting for the other Demon Lords to arrive.
"....."