It was true, after all. Back in the Dark Hand headquarters, when Chen Long forcibly awakened his consciousness to save Xiao Yu, the armor, though still on him, had lost its divine power completely.
All that remained was, at night when Chen Long slept, a vague echo of a group of people arguing in his ears. But the moment he opened his eyes, the sounds vanished without a trace.
Black felt a pang of disappointment upon learning that Chen Long had lost his divine power.
Black's question stemmed entirely from orders from above.
The higher-ups intended to win over Chen Long's family. It wasn't just because they valued the Demon Warlock's status, but more importantly, it was because of Chen Long himself, who had repelled demons with just a few punches that day. If they could control him, not only demons but the entire world would fall into America's grasp.
It was a pity, however, that the power within Chen Long had vanished, leaving only a piece of armor he couldn't remove.
Soon, a helicopter arrived in front of the antique shop.
As Chen Long, clad in a trench coat, walked to the entrance, the Demon Warlock rushed forward with a package, handing it to Chen Long and saying, "This is a potion I brewed."
Chen Long took the potion and asked, "Demon Warlock, aren't you coming?"
"Uh oh!"
As soon as Chen Long finished speaking, the Demon Warlock jabbed two fingers into Chen Long's head.
"I'm old, I can't take planes. Do you want my old bones to fall apart?"
Chen Long asked again, "Then, is this a potion that can defeat the Shendu?"
"Just figuring out how to get the armor off you has given me a massive headache. Where would I find the time to brew a potion to defeat Shendu?"
"Besides, do you think Shendu is that easy to defeat?"
Chen Long said, "Then this is for the demon Shendu is going to release? Uh oh!"
Without a word, the Demon Warlock struck him again.
"There are specific spells to deal with demons. Right now, I don't even know which demon is coming out, so how can I find the corresponding recipe?"
"Then what's this potion for?"
The Demon Warlock explained, "The divine power in the armor hasn't vanished; it's just hidden. This potion can temporarily stimulate the hidden divine power within the armor. Perhaps once the divine power on the armor is depleted, it can be removed."
"Uncle Dragon, take me with you."
Xiao Yu, with a tear-streaked face, tugged at Chen Long's pants, pleading.
"Xiao Yu, this isn't like before. There's a high possibility another demon like Shendu will appear. It's very dangerous. You should stay home and be good. Besides, I need your sharp mind to help the Demon Warlock."
Xiao Yu knew it was dangerous, but that couldn't curb her adventurous spirit.
However, after Chen Long's repeated refusals, Xiao Yu was left behind, and Chen Long boarded the helicopter alone.
Before the helicopter took off, the Demon Warlock turned and went back to his study to continue researching spells against demons.
Only Section 13 and Black saw Chen Long off.
Watching the helicopter gradually disappear into the distance, Black let out a sigh of relief. His mission was finally complete.
But as he looked down, he exclaimed, "Huh? Where's Xiao Yu!?"
Unlike Chen Long's family, Bai Qi and his group, who entered Japan through the Shadow Kingdom, moved with incredible speed. Disregarding customs, they reached the safe house in Tokyo by noon.
At the safe house, besides Bai Qi and the three members of the Dark Hand, there were also people from the Organization.
Following Kuroha's "rat-catching" operation, a large number of foreign spies within the Organization had been purged, either captured or killed. Although the Organization's human resources were halved, it at least ensured their security and secrecy.
"Lord Shendu, you have arrived."
The men in black before them were specially selected, loyal dead men of the Organization, with 120% loyalty to both the Organization and Bai Qi.
"How many shrines are there in Tokyo?"
The leading man in black glanced at the person behind him, clearly surprised by the question. Did a demon want to visit shrines for worship?
Despite his thoughts, the man in black honestly replied, "There are a total of forty-five shrines, large and small, twelve of which are famous in Tokyo."
Japan was such a peculiar place. It was as if here, a radish could be deified as a god of harvest, an umbrella could be called a god of rain, and some yokai were even considered spirits. Anything could become a god, which was utterly absurd.
It was precisely because of this bizarre culture of ghosts and gods that there were over forty shrines, large and small, in the relatively small city of Tokyo, not to mention the fallen ones and those worshipped by people spontaneously.
Why was Bai Qi looking for shrines? Was he really going to worship?
Of course not.
Bai Qi was a demon himself. How could a demon worship gods? Moreover, he doubted the authenticity of these common gods in Japan.
The reason Bai Qi inquired about shrines was that Bo Gang's corresponding Hell Gate was located within a shrine.
"You few." Bai Qi pointed at the men in black from the Organization and began issuing orders, "From now on, escort these three to all the shrines in Tokyo. Inform me immediately if the Panku Box shows any signs."
After making these arrangements, Bai Qi retrieved an item from the Shadow Kingdom: a staff he had used for self-preservation before his revival.
Tapping the staff, a spirit emerged from the dragon's head.
"Who dares summon the great She... Lord Shendu."
Heng G had intended to play coy, but upon seeing Lord Shendu before him, he became so excited he could barely speak.
"Lord Shendu, what are your orders?"
Bai Qi was somewhat speechless regarding Heng G. This was undoubtedly the most unprofessional spirit he had ever encountered.
When Bai Qi subdued Heng G, he had intended for the spirit to act as a combat force to assist him. However, he later discovered that Heng G was a homebody, successfully inheriting the personality traits of his previous master. He spent his days either sleeping in the staff or conducting dangerous alchemy experiments in his secret chambers.
Like the master of the ancient castle, Heng G also enjoyed delving into alchemy and creating alchemical creatures.
However, the difference was that the master of the ancient castle aimed to create intelligent alchemical beings, whereas Heng G's idea was that alchemical creatures were tools, weapons; why would they need intelligence? As long as they were powerful and durable, that was enough.
Thus, with Bai Qi's substantial funding, Heng G created a batch of not-weak alchemical creatures for Bai Qi. They lacked intelligence and operated solely on instinct, driven by an endless lust for killing and bloodthirst.
"Heng G, it's time to showcase your alchemical creatures."
Bai Qi was well aware that if he intended to release the demons from hell, Zheng Qi would inevitably try to stop him. The protagonist group would undoubtedly appear. Recalling Chen Long's outrageously powerful strength earlier, Bai Qi shivered.
To safely complete the release of the demons, he needed to buy himself sufficient time.
This was where he needed enough cannon fodder. The alchemical creatures created by Heng G were powerful, lacked intelligence, and were fearless of death, making them perfect for buying him time as cannon fodder.