-----
-----
Central Hall of Huomu City.
As the lord of Huomu City, Huo Yuan was currently stuffing a large sack full of gold and silver treasures. The bag seemed bottomless, greedily swallowing up every last bit of loot he tossed in.
At that moment, a demon stepped forward and knelt on one knee. "My lord, Huomu City's army has finished assembling!"
"Shall we begin the assault against the Fire Demon?"
Behind him, ninety-eight other demons also knelt in perfect unison.
Every one of them was a subordinate demon who had received Huo Yuan's power and was absolutely loyal to him. Back at the council, they'd all been the most vocal about attacking the Divine Capital.
Huo Yuan flinched for a second, but when he realized it was one of his underlings speaking, he relaxed and turned around smoothly.
With a meaningful tone, he said, "Let's go. The First City Lord just sent word—he wants to meet and discuss a plan to deal with the Eight Demon Lords."
He was just about to leave when the kneeling demon below raised a confused question:"But my lord, weren't you going to lead us personally against the Fire Demon Lord?"
"We saw with our own eyes that the other three divisions have all mobilized and are marching toward the Eastern Hall!"
"I even swore on my true demon name that you would personally lead the charge against the Fire Demon Lord—as long as nothing unexpected happened. That's the only reason they went ahead!"
Huo Yuan locked eyes with the demon who'd spoken.
"My lord..." the demon murmured.
This demon, stronger than most others but still below Huo Yuan in power, suddenly felt the overwhelming pressure of Huo Yuan's demonic bloodline. He trembled uncontrollably.
Looking at his frustratingly honest subordinate, Huo Yuan's anger flared up. He snapped, "Idiot! How could you swear on your demon name? That's beyond stupid!"
"Well then, something unexpected is going to happen. I'll make sure of it!"
With that, a chilling crack echoed through the hall, and the demon collapsed on the spot.
"There—something unexpected," Huo Yuan said with a satisfied look, admiring his own work.
He then turned to the others. "Leaving Huomu City is only temporary. One day, I'll bring you all back."
As soon as he finished, demonic wings unfurled behind him, surrounded by swirling black energy. In a burst of power, he smashed through the roof and soared off toward the center of the continent.
The other demons exchanged glances, then picked up their unconscious comrade and followed after him.
If the demons in the other three halls ever found out their beloved Lord Huo Yuan had bailed on them, they'd definitely blow a gasket.
You were the one who said to start the war.And now you're the first to run.
But the poor fools didn't have a clue. By the time they realized it, Huo Yuan would be miles away.
Meanwhile, the sudden movements of the demon army had the human residents of Huomu City sensing that something was off.
But it didn't take long for them to realize: the demons were about to start a turf war.
With that realization, everyone hurried back to their rundown shacks and stayed inside.
Because when demons fought over territory, they'd always drag human slaves along as cannon fodder.
Eastern Hall
Shendu let out a lazy breath of fire, then looked up toward the sky, where fire-twisted clouds swirled. He muttered to himself, "Impressive. The Fiery Demon's magic is way beyond normal understanding."
"Back in the 'Twelve Talismans' arc, when the new year's Shendu reassembled all the talismans, his power was so weak that Jackie Chan could kick him into next week!"
"Even the fire breath was pitiful."
"Maybe that was due to the influence of good qi and the magic-draining effects of the demon realm."
"Which means, the strength of the other seven demon lords can't be judged based on the original show either."
As he finished thinking aloud, ghostly images of the seven other demon lords appeared in Shendu's eyes.
"Who's calling for another Demon Council? Didn't we just have one? All that nonsense about who's older or younger... Now what is it this time?!"
With a flick of thought, Shendu floated into the air and dropped his massive body onto what used to be Huo Yuan's throne.
Or maybe... this was his throne now—Shendu, the Lord of Fire.
Looking down at the cowering demons below, Shendu said coolly, "Since we've got incoming enemies, now's the time for you to prove your worth."
"My lord, didn't you already wipe out all the enemies?" one demon asked, confused.
Shendu raised an eyebrow, clearly annoyed, but answered anyway: "There are massive demon armies approaching from the west, north, and south. They're all high-ranking demons from Huomu City—your old buddies."
"Do you get it now?"
"You surrendered to me, sure—but what have you done for me? Why should I trust you?"
The hall fell into an awkward silence as the demons bowed their heads.
They could probably handle one front.
But this was nearly the entire army of Huomu City.
With just the Eastern Hall's power? No way.
"Useless trash," Shendu said coldly.
"What use do I have for garbage like you?"
Panic exploded in the hall. Demons scrambled to their knees, begging for mercy—some even smashing their heads so hard on the floor they cracked the stone.
"Fine."
Shendu finally relented and looked toward Ator and Abor—two weaker demons who had followed him loyally up to this point. Then he glanced at the higher-ranking demons still kneeling and begging, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
He let out a slow breath—just a tiny spark of fire.
But as it floated out, a sudden wind swept through the hall. The spark morphed into a blazing inferno, engulfing all the demons.
Screams filled the air, echoing through the palace and beyond. The human slaves nearby trembled with terror.
"I wonder... what kind of monsters my fire magic will turn these weak demons into?" Shendu thought.
When the flames finally died down, many demons lay unconscious, but a few remained standing.
The ones who had survived the "blessing" were barely recognizable.
They now had double wings on their backs, their skin covered in green, scale-like armor that shimmered faintly in the light. Their massive bodies had shrunk to human size.
As Shendu studied them, he noticed they now had two forms, just like him: one humanoid demon form, and the other...
It was a shape he recognized instantly.
It looked just like the mounts that the Demon Sorcerers used in Jackie Chan Adventures, after they rewrote the Book of Ages.
While the newly powered-up demons were still drunk on their strength, Shendu's voice cut through the air like a knife.
"Go destroy every single enemy coming our way. If you still can't win after getting my power—don't bother coming back."
"Ator, Abor—you're in charge."
With that, a powerful burst of energy blasted from Shendu's body, sending the supercharged demons flying out of the hall like leaves in a storm.
His voice echoed after them, cold and commanding.
"....."