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"Is that the Blue Star Compass?"
The moment Zhou Lan took out the Blue Star Compass, even Shen Du was stunned.
This device, only discovered by future generations, was casually created by Zhou Lan like it was no big deal.
If the famous figures from the future ever found out that something they spent a lifetime trying to create—a tool that could map the shape of the Blue Star—had been whipped up by Zhou Lan, the Moon Demon Sorcerer, just three days after his rebirth, they'd probably scream "That's not scientifically possible!"
But sadly, in Jackie Chan Adventures, science never quite measures up to magic.
When Zhou Lan casually said he'd give up the Blue Star and live on the moon instead, Shen Du finally saw the bigger picture—Zhou Lan had the heart of a true leader.
How could a big brother fight his younger siblings over land?
Just this alone made Zhou Lan stand far above the other demon sorcerers.
Sure enough, when Zhou Lan said he wasn't interested in fighting over territory and just wanted to be acknowledged as the eldest of the eight Demon Sorcerers, the others exchanged glances.
Basha was the first to speak. "If you're willing to give up territory, then of course you deserve something in return. I greet you, Big Brother!"
Once Basha spoke, the rest of the Demon Sorcerers followed suit, all recognizing Zhou Lan as the eldest among them.
Only Ximu's face stayed sour, and Shen Du hadn't spoken yet. But seeing what was happening, and under the stares of the six others, Ximu finally forced out, "Ximu greets Big Brother…"
At that point, Shen Du didn't argue further either. "The Shendu greets Big Brother."
But unlike the others, Shen Du wasn't doing this because he was convinced.
He simply couldn't afford to let the others take over the Blue Star while he sat back and watched.
He knew what the future held.
The Eight Immortals would eventually appear, armed with divine relics, and seal away the eight Demon Sorcerers who had ruled the Blue Star for so long. That would be the end of the demon era and the start of humanity's rise.
Knowing how it ends, how could he not fight back?
Calling Zhou Lan "Big Brother" was just lip service. When the real crisis came, nobody would care about titles.
In the future, there would be only one gate left to escape from the Demon Netherworld, and the seven Demon Sorcerers would all fight like hell for that one chance—only for it to fall into the hands of a random girl? What a joke.
The only way to avoid being sealed away was to seize land, research powerful magic, and develop a spell strong enough to go toe-to-toe with the Eight Immortals.
And if that didn't work?
Then he'd dig into the statue curse created by Saint Warrior Lo Pei.
Turn himself into a statue, create some spells to control others' souls, and have them carry the twelve talismans and hide him away.
As a statue, the good guys would think he'd already been sealed.
Once the Eight Immortals ascended and left this world behind, he'd come back and raise hell.
Without the Eight Immortals around, who could possibly beat him, the Fire Demon Lord at his peak?
Meanwhile, Zhou Lan, having gotten exactly what he wanted, spoke slowly:
"Since I'm the Big Brother now, we should also settle the age order among all of us."
"But according to the Bagua symbols, forcing an order isn't the way."
"So here's an idea—let's each use our powers to summon the black energy and let it decide the order."
Ximu, who had been hoping to land the number two spot, immediately looked sour.
But with all the other Demon Sorcerers agreeing to Zhou Lan's plan, Ximu had no choice but to go along.
Following Zhou Lan's lead, the eight Demon Sorcerers each summoned a thick wisp of black mist using their powers drawn from the world itself. The mists gathered and formed something solid-looking yet formless—a shadowy black glow that floated before them.
All of them felt a strange sense of familiarity from the black energy.
The energy had no mind of its own—it acted on instinct. When it took human form earlier, it was only trying to stop the Sorcerers from being born too early and burning up their source power.
Maybe it had picked up some human habits—like showing off.
Now, it appeared again, as if out of instinctual care for the eight Demon Sorcerers it had birthed.
In a blink, it sent a message into each of their minds, then quickly vanished.
And just like that, the age order was decided.
Shen Du wasn't particularly bothered. He didn't care much about the pecking order—it was just a title, not something with any real benefit.
He remained ranked sixth, same as in the original series.
Ximu, however, who had tried to claim the first or second spot, was now ranked last—eighth.
Maybe that was punishment for his scheming.
The fire burning in Ximu's eyes was obvious, making the other Demon Sorcerers chuckle.
Only Zhong Su and Xiao Feng, the Lightning Demon, softly comforted him.
The three of them had similar powers—Zhong Su and Xiao Feng focused on one element each, while Ximu controlled four.
Throughout the whole meeting, Shen Du had mostly stayed quiet, only saying "Greetings, Big Brother Zhou Lan" once.
But now, seeing Ximu so upset, Shen Du suddenly spoke up to calm him:
"Ximu, no need to get mad. The black energy sorted us for a reason."
"We're all pretty much evenly matched—just because someone gets a better title doesn't mean it changes anything!"
Hearing this, Ximu cooled down immediately. He turned to Shen Du and said, "You're right. Titles are just names. Thanks, Sixth Brother."
Shen Du smiled. "No need to thank me. Once I take over my piece of land, feel free to drop by Sixth Brother's place sometime!"
Ximu was confused for a second, but then nodded.
Shen Du wasn't just being nice for no reason. In the original series, it seemed the Shendu wasn't the sole creator of the Book of Spells.
Ximu had helped create it too.
Not to mention, Ximu's powers included wind, rain, lightning, and thunder.
That kind of elemental mastery could be used to develop a powerful magic array.
In ancient legends, mortals had to endure heavenly tribulations to become immortals.
Couldn't Ximu's powers be seen as a kind of heavenly trial too?
They included all four elements, unlike Zhong Su and Xiao Feng's single-element magic.
Getting on Ximu's good side was all part of Shen Du's plan.
In the future battle between demons and immortals, even if Shen Du managed to defeat Lü Dongbin, what good would it do?
His seven brothers would still end up sealed in the Demon Netherworld.
The result was obvious—he'd be left alone, facing the wrath of all eight Immortals.
It would be like that legendary tale: the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each showing off their unique skills.
And Shen Du, with the form of a mythical true dragon, would be the perfect opponent.
Basically, round two of "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea"—but with new powers and chaos.
In the old stories, when the Eight Immortals stirred up trouble in the East Sea, at least the Dragon King and other gods were around to mediate. But in Jackie Chan Adventures, there were no other gods—just the Eight Immortals and the eight Demon Sorcerers.
So the ending was clear: sealed away, banished to the Demon Netherworld, with your wisdom and powers slowly drained away.
That kind of ending sent a chill down Shen Du's spine.
He could only hope there was a way to change fate.
"....."