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As he watched the two demons leave, Shendu slightly opened his mouth and exhaled a thick stream of fire.
Then, bringing both hands together, he gathered the dark energy that lingered throughout the air and began to chant:
"Yaghaladomido Michiya, Yaghaladomido Michiya…"
Buzz—whoosh—howl—
As the incantation echoed through the hall, the fiery breath Shendu had released slowly began to morph into a symbol resembling the character for "departure." The swirling black mist immediately merged into the symbol.
In the blink of an eye, the fusion of energies triggered a violent gale that swept through the grand palace, turning everything upside down. The table that had been used for meetings was tossed into the air, crashing noisily across the floor.
The commotion brought the palace's demon guards rushing in—only to be instantly swept up by the overwhelming winds.
The human slaves trailing behind the demons quickly realized what was happening and slammed on the brakes, barely stopping themselves before stepping into what was becoming a full-blown tornado.
"Master! Master!"
"Please save us!"
More than ten demon guards who had been pulled into the storm screamed in agony, their bodies feeling like they were being ripped apart, and they cried out for help without even realizing it.
But it was no use. Shendu's consciousness had already entered a deep meditative state.
Even if a small part of him was still aware of the outside world and knew what the demons were going through, he wouldn't stop.
This was the first time he was casting a spell of this magnitude—the level of destruction it caused was simply unimaginable.
The only reason the winds hadn't spread beyond the hall was because Shendu had shrouded the palace with his demonic energy. If not for that, the whole place would've been reduced to rubble.
"Yaghaladomido Michiya…"
As the chant quickened, the wind transformed into a devastating hurricane. In an instant, the remaining demons—who had been barely holding on—were torn to pieces, reduced to nothing more than a mist of blood, which was absorbed into the spell.
A while later, the hurricane finally died down.
Shendu slowly opened his eyes and looked at the formless, stone-like orb floating before him. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Just one more step… and this crucial creation will be complete."
With that, he raised his left hand, and a laser shot from his eyes, slicing off one of his fingers. Before it could hit the ground, the finger fused into the orb.
"Come forth—my ultimate creation!"
Suddenly, the palace was filled with searing light. A blazing orb lit up the hall like a miniature sun.
Shendu reached into it and pulled out an artifact from its core.
"This was originally a magical tool used in the original story to detect talismans… but now? It's way more useful than that."
"Someone, come here!"
Shendu called for a demon, but after two and a half minutes, no one had arrived. He frowned.
Then he roared, "I said, someone come here!!"
A moment later, someone finally entered the hall—and left Shendu completely stunned.
Where were the demons?!
Why the hell were humans walking in?!
Did Lu Dongbin break in or something?!
Wait—what am I even thinking?
He shook his head hard and focused on the six humans before him. Five of them wore the ragged clothes of human slaves. He narrowed his eyes.
"I called for demons. What are you doing here?"
The six humans immediately dropped to their knees, trembling as they struggled to speak. "Master, we…"
"Hmph." Shendu's voice dropped cold and low, making all six of them pale in terror.
"Call me Lord!"
They'd thought he was angry because they had done something wrong. Realizing it was just about a title, they breathed a collective sigh of relief.
One of them, a messy-looking woman, fought against the heat radiating off Shendu and said, "Lord… the other demons… were all wiped out by the wind you released earlier!"
"The six of us were lucky. We didn't go in… we were standing just outside the hall."
With those words, all six of them lowered their heads in unison.
Hearing this, Shendu's eyes flickered with thought.
The hall had been empty—how could demons have been caught up in his spell?
Wait a minute…
He did vaguely remember hearing someone crying out for help earlier.
So it was true, then?
He glanced over at the ruined table. There were bloodstains on it. That confirmed it—she wasn't lying.
But hold on—this massive palace only had a few demons?
Where were the rest?
Sure, he'd killed a few guards when he took over, but there should've still been more. He'd shouted for two and a half minutes, and not one demon had shown up?
Something's off.
With a cold tone, he asked, "Why were you the only ones who came? Even if the gatekeepers were dead, what about the other demons?"
The six humans glanced at each other. The woman, pressured by the other five's stares, reluctantly answered, "Lord, the other demons were sent to guard the other palaces in Huomu City."
"As for this eastern palace… there were only a handful of demons left. And… they're all dead now."
"Right now, it's just you and us—your human slaves."
Hearing this, Shendu's face darkened.
The grand city of Huomu—left this vulnerable, all because demons from other districts had to be reassigned here. And now this entire district had no defenders left.
Actually, it wasn't really the demons' fault.
After all, with Shendu—the Fire Lord himself—sitting in the east, no one dared to invade. It made sense that the demons left their posts to reinforce other regions.
Besides, demons had their own selfish motives. Guarding other districts meant they didn't have to deal with him directly.
Most of the fire-infused demon dragons had already moved to the other districts.
Just like humans, demons have instincts too. Some would always stay behind—but none of them wanted to be that guy.
So now, nearly all the demon dragons had left, leaving only a few minor demons behind to hold the eastern sector.
"Great," Shendu muttered. "Now I need something done, and there's no one left to do it."
"I'm the Fire Lord! Future ruler of this whole damn continent! Don't tell me I have to handle everything myself?!"
As soon as he said this, his fiery aura exploded. The overwhelming pressure made the entire palace tremble, as if it was on the verge of collapsing.
"Please, Lord, calm down!"
"Have mercy, my Lord!"
"…!"
The six humans were shaking like leaves. Driven by pure survival instinct and terrified of being buried alive under a crumbling palace, they dropped to their knees and begged him to restrain his power.
"…Fine."
Noticing their pitiful state, Shendu withdrew his aura, his eyes glinting with thought.
So—no demons left in the east. Even if he used his magic to summon them back, it'd take time.
But… this task didn't require particularly strong demons anyway.
Maybe—just maybe—these human slaves could actually do it. They might even be faster than demons.
With that in mind, Shendu said, "There's something I need done—and I want you to do it."
The six slaves looked completely lost.
A demon asking them to handle something?
What the hell could it be?
"....."