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"Everyone, attack!"
"Follow me! Let's take down this fire demon and divide up his power!"
Huoyuan had made up his mind. He shouted furiously and pointed straight at Shendu.
At that moment, Shendu felt like he'd just heard the biggest joke since arriving in the Jackie Chan Adventures world.
These demons clearly didn't understand one thing—the eight demon lords born of the dark chi are immortal. They can't die, only be sealed.
Kill him and steal the power of fire? What a joke.
With that thought, a cold smirk appeared at the corner of Shendu's mouth. "You're nothing but ants. No matter how many of you come at me, you'll never move an elephant. At best, you'll all get crushed underfoot."
Only Shendu dared speak so boldly in front of all the high-ranking demons from Huomu City.
But what he said was undeniably true. Even if all 500 of them attacked at once, they were just trying to block a cart with a mantis's arms—ridiculous and futile.
"Hmph! I'll send an army of demons to the Eastern Outpost to take you down, Fire Demon!"
"Demons of the East, you attack first!"
"I'll immediately order the other regions' demons to join me in leading our forces here!"
"You hold the front line for now. I and my colleagues will be right behind you!"
And with that, Huoyuan's projected image vanished into thin air.
Whether he was actually going to send an army or not—no one knew.
But seeing their leader leave the council first, the other three regional heads quickly followed suit.
Still, before leaving, they each tossed out some comforting words to the Eastern demons:
"Don't worry, colleagues. We'll be right back with our lord. You guys go first!"
That line made the 100 high-ranking demons of the East break into a cold sweat.
Go first?What did that mean?They were supposed to go die first?
They all knew full well that the Fire Demon Lord's flames could burn anything. Even they couldn't withstand it. And now they were being told to start the fight?
What the hell were the others thinking?
Shendu already knew that Huoyuan and most of his underlings weren't physically present. He simply let them leave.
After all, this entire continent would eventually bow to his power.
Run? Run where?
To one of the other seven demon lords' territories?
It'd be the same outcome: surrender or die. No third option.
With a flick of his thoughts, the flames dancing around Shendu disappeared. Calm and confident, he walked up to the throne and sat down.
The throne barely fit his massive body, but it worked.
The high-ranking demons could only watch in stunned silence as Shendu took Huoyuan's seat like it belonged to him.
They also noticed two weak, low-ranked demons nearby.
But so what? They were still stuck debating whether to fight or not.
Then Shendu swept his gaze across the crowd and spoke slowly: "You all know I'm one of the eight lords born of dark chi—destined to rule the world."
"Now I'll give you two choices."
"Stand to the left, and you choose your former master Huoyuan. Stand to the right, and you choose me as your new lord."
"That's it. Make your choice."
The room went dead silent. No one said a word, no one dared move from their seats.
Shendu raised an eyebrow in annoyance. "So you've all chosen to stay in the middle… and turn to ash?"
"Well, well, well."
"Such loyal followers of Huoyuan! Don't worry—I'll make sure your bodies get a proper burial."
With a sharp, cold edge in his voice, Shendu made his intent clear.
That was enough. Most of the Eastern demons broke out of their trance and scrambled to the right.
Only eight remained unmoved, still standing their ground.
They were all clad in black-scaled armor, their auras corrupted and tinged with the breath of death.
"You dare betray the master? Aren't you afraid of his wrath?!"
"Huoyuan might be weaker than the Fire Demon, but he was born of death itself! He controls death! He might still win!"
"…Hmph. Easy for you to say."
"You want us to fight the Lord? What are we, cannon fodder?"
"Yeah! We're just here to wear him down for you!"
"You eight were blessed by Huoyuan—that's why you're so loyal!"
"Exactly! The rest of us didn't get anything from him. We're just being smart. Switching masters isn't a big deal!"
Eight voices couldn't outshout ninety-two. The remaining loyalists couldn't talk sense into them, nor change their fate.
Shendu looked at the eight still standing firm. They stared back, unafraid, locking eyes with him.
He gave a faint smile. "I've just been reborn. I was feeling generous, so I gave you a choice. But since you didn't choose, don't blame me."
His voice was soaked in killing intent. Anyone who wouldn't submit to him… would burn.
He was a demon. Sure, he used to be human, and kindness is human nature. But the demon in him far outweighed any leftover humanity.
Decisiveness is a human trait—demons take it even further. They kill without limits.
Just then, one of the eight loyalists stood up and shouted angrily, "Lord Huoyuan will send reinforcements soon! You won't—urk!"
Before he could finish, Shendu vanished in a flash and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him into the air.
"Leader!"
The other seven jumped up, shouting in protest.
"Relax. You'll be next!"
With that, flames ignited in Shendu's palm. He hurled the demon through the air, and before he hit the ground, the fire demon aura had already turned him to ash. Just a cloud of gray mist remained.
A demon over twenty meters tall—dead, just like that.
Huoyuan himself had a massive frame too. That's why his throne could still hold Shendu.
"Everyone, attack!"
"We serve Huoyuan! If we die for him, so be it!"
With that, one of the demons charged forward with a sword—a blade over forty meters long—slashing down at Shendu.
The other six knew how powerful Shendu was, but fear no longer held them back. They went all in.
"Our lord!"
"Let's help him take these guys out!"
"Uh… looks like he doesn't need our help…"
"…"
The demons who had just pledged loyalty to Shendu knew that if they wanted higher ranks, they had to prove their loyalty.
This was the perfect moment.
But the seven loyalists never stood a chance. In seconds, they were reduced to ash. Their resistance vanished into smoke.
Shendu caught the forty-meter blade with one hand and crushed it like paper. Then he whipped his head forward—Dragon Blast!
A blast in the shape of a divine dragon shot from his mouth, glowing with searing heat. As it took form, it let out a thunderous roar.
The flaming dragon chomped down on the sword-wielding demon and swallowed him whole, incinerating him from the inside.
It didn't stop there. The dragon grew larger and swallowed the six charging demons in one bite—none even reached Shendu.
Finally, the flaming dragon burst through the hall's walls and soared into the sky.
A shockwave of scorching heat blasted across the heavens.
The dark sky, once dimmed by black chi, now looked like it had been lit by sunlight.
"....."