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"Changes in the heavens? Ximu, are you sure you didn't see it wrong?!"
Shendu looked confused for a moment, but the doubt quickly faded from his heart.
After all, Ximu was a Demon of the Sky—highly sensitive to any kind of celestial disturbance. And besides, there was no reason for Ximu to lie to him.
But one thing still puzzled Shendu: the Demon-Sealing Formation… right now, only he and Ximu knew about it. So how could the patterns from the formation show up in the celestial anomaly?
Thinking this over, Shendu spoke in a low voice:"Ximu, I trust you when it comes to what you saw in the sky."
"But this Demon-Sealing Formation is something I only just created. I've never shown it to anyone. How could it appear in the sky like that?!"
Ximu was just as confused, but after looking over the strange signs again and again, he was certain—the formation patterns were definitely part of the Demon-Sealing Formation.
"Sixth Brother, it's definitely the Demon-Sealing Formation's operation pattern. It's even about to activate."
Ximu had studied it for a long time before finally saying this.
Shendu frowned. He had just created this formation not long ago, and now it was literally written across the sky? That made no sense at all.
Wait a second—it makes no sense?
Then what about that divine artifact that sealed the Sky Demon Ximu—was it logical for it to show up now?
Not really.
In that case, maybe the magic array's pattern in the sky was also being reflected by some ancient, mysterious force—possibly time itself.
Maybe the demons from ancient Asia, just like the ones Ximu led, had decided to go all out and use the power of time's chronicles to stand against him, the Demon Lord of Fire.
But still, Shendu had previously tried using his soul to search, and hadn't found the sword that sealed him.
All he had now were Ximu's words and the formation pattern that showed up in the weird celestial event.
Watching the demonic energy gathering in the sky, Shendu felt something ominous brewing, though he couldn't quite figure out what it was.
Maybe this was another move from the Chronicles of Time. It seemed like the demons of ancient Asia were really getting desperate.
Looking at Ximu, who was deep in thought, Shendu said,"Ximu, go back to your own continent. I'll handle things here. You don't need to worry about me."
Ximu was still studying the strange patterns in the sky when he heard Shendu's words.
He looked over and finally let go of his doubts."If you're sure, Sixth Brother, then I'll take my leave. I'll visit again another time."
Shendu gave a small nod. "Alright."
As soon as he heard that, Ximu spread his wings. A barely noticeable breeze swept over his body—and in a blink, that bat-like demon vanished from the grand hall.
Once Ximu was gone, Shendu let a faint smile appear on his lips.
"The Demon-Sealing Formation… drains the black aura from demons, the life force of humans, and all kinds of energy—to strengthen the user."
"Interesting. Very interesting."
"So my formation… someone actually managed to steal it."
"Still, I didn't expect that level of desperation to reach me so soon. Let's see—"
"Can you struggling little demon lords actually show me some real power… enough to make me take you seriously?"
"Maybe—just maybe—I'll even get to see the divine artifact that once sealed me during the ancient demon era."
After murmuring to himself for a while, Shendu raised his hand, and a burst of fire exploded. At the same time, a message shot out from Huomu City, landing directly in the mind of the flame dragon in Jin Yan City.
Shendu was giving his orders: begin the attack on the remaining six demon cities—now.
His goal: unify this entire continent under his rule.
At the same time, above the demon cities, the strange celestial phenomenon kept swirling in the sky.
Somewhere deep in a mysterious space where yin and yang intertwined, a massive, glowing golden book floated in front of a three-meter-tall humanoid demon.
He was none other than Liyan, the City Lord of one of the demon cities.
Right now, he was laughing like a madman.
Staring at the seven other demon lords who were trapped beneath a cover of boundless black light, his eyes were filled with cold, ruthless clarity.
"Liyan, what the hell are you doing?!"
"My power is draining! What are you trying to pull?!"
"Are you betraying the pact we all made?!"
"..."
At this point, the seven demon lords already knew exactly what was happening. They'd walked right into Liyan's trap.
The moment they entered this so-called 'Chrono-Space,' an overwhelming force had crushed them in place, making them unable to move. Even worse, their internal power was leaking out bit by bit.
And all that power was flowing straight into Liyan, who stood before the ancient book.
Even their life essence was becoming unstable, like it was about to be ripped out along with the energy.
The fear on their faces was unmistakable.
Looking at the angry, terrified demon lords, Liyan sneered and said,"I've waited a long time for this, my dear colleagues."
"What do you mean by that?!" Han You barked.
"From the moment I found this thing, I was hooked by its ancient, time-defying power. The moment you all left the city, I used my strength to force my way into this space and started flipping through the book."
"That's when I found out what it really was—a book that records the past, the present, the future… everything. The Chronicles of Time."
"It said that eight Demon Lords would rise and rule the world. But I couldn't see further into the future."
"All I saw was a divine sword descending from the heavens—sealing the Demon Lord of this continent, the Holy Master."
"Stop struggling. That formation locking you down is the Demon-Sealing Formation—it was created by the Fire Demon Lord himself. You won't be getting out. Just accept your fate."
As Liyan watched them keep struggling, he casually explained the origin of the array they were trapped in.
Moments later, the power in his body surged, completely overwhelming the other demon lords and forcing them to collapse to the ground.
"Hahahahaha! Weren't you all so eager to resist the Fire Lord? So desperate to defend your turf?"
"Well then—offer me your power, and I'll fulfill your dying wish for you."
The seven demon lords wanted to curse him, scream at him for betraying them—but their power was already gone. They didn't even have the strength left to speak.
Moments later, each of the seven demon lords transformed into glowing orbs of pure life energy and flew into Liyan's body.
In that instant, his black aura exploded in size and power, far beyond its previous limits—he had become something greater than a high demon.
Then, Liyan turned around and looked at the Chronicles of Time. With respect in his voice, he said:
"If you really have the power to defy destiny—then help me defeat the Demon Lord."
As soon as the words left his lips, the book seemed to respond. The ancient, worn pages burst into dazzling white light.
Then, the massive book disappeared.
Left behind in its place… was a sword.
A sword glowing with righteousness, brimming with powerful, magical energy.
When Liyan grabbed it, the righteous energy instantly vanished, replaced by a dense cloud of black aura—the sword's nature had been twisted.
He looked down at the small inscription etched on the blade.
And murmured with a grin,"Pure Yang…"
"....."