The man was just an ordinary office worker, with no money to seek out renowned onmyoji or divine officials. Even though he offered a sum that was quite substantial for him, in the end, only a newly opened shrine was willing to help.
The shrine's divine official was an elderly man. Upon hearing the man's plight, he was very righteous. After accepting the money, he, along with two miko, performed a ritual for the man. He even allowed the man to stay at the shrine, saying that this way he would receive divine protection and monsters would not dare to cause trouble.
However, the outcome was…
Utterly futile.
Within a few days, the shrine was bloodbathed. The man, the divine official, and the miko were all killed, their deaths eerily consistent: their mouths were slit open, and then their hearts were pierced.
The appearance of the Kuchisake-onna marked the beginning of a series of bizarre incidents. On the Sudaan Novel Network.
In the days that followed, there were appearances of Kitsunebi, Goblins, and even reports of people claiming to have seen a Great Tengu. More and more demons and monsters that only existed in myths and legends gradually appeared in the public eye.
To return to the present.
Sometimes, people never know their limits unless they push themselves.
Under Bai Qi's carrot-and-stick policy, the "Three Idiots" worked with incredible efficiency.
Bai Qi had originally expected that finding the location of the Demon Gate in such a large city as New York would take at least two or three days. To his surprise, in just half a day, the "Three Idiots" sent word that they had found the location of the Demon Gate.
Upon receiving the news from the "Three Idiots," Bai Qi left the coffee shop and quickly rendezvoused with them through the Shadow Kingdom.
Seeing Bai Qi emerge from the shadows, Ras, holding the Pan Ku Treasure Box, said first, "Master, after our investigation, the Pan Ku Treasure Box's reaction is strongest here. We..."
Before Ras could finish, Afen pushed him aside and continued, "Based on our speculation, the Demon Gate is most likely located there."
Following the direction Afen pointed, a tall skyscraper appeared in Bai Qi's sight, with the giant red letter 'a' logo hanging on it, making it incredibly conspicuous.
When Bai Qi recognized the building, a wry smile touched his lips.
"How could it be here?"
The location indicated by the Pan Ku Treasure Box was none other than Stark Tower.
Looking around, Zhou Zhou asked cautiously, "Master, what do we do? Should we break in?"
The "Three Idiots" had witnessed Bai Qi's strength. If Bai Qi was determined to break in, the few security guards in the building wouldn't be able to stop him. However, doing so would create quite a commotion. Zhou Zhou was afraid that once the Demon Gate was opened, the Holy Lord would simply leave, leaving them behind.
Although the possibility was slim, it still existed.
As for Bai Qi, if it were any other location, he would have charged in without hesitation. But this time was different. The Demon Gate's location was Stark Tower. He knew that at this time, S.H.I.E.L.D. was recruiting the Avengers.
And Tony Stark, in his Iron Man suit, was one of their considerations. To this end, S.H.I.E.L.D. had also sent Black Widow to go undercover within Stark Industries for investigation.
If Bai Qi chose to force his way in at this moment, it would inevitably attract S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attention.
This alone did not align with Bai Qi's consistent principle of low-key operation and quiet profiteering.
Moreover, compared to a frontal assault, Bai Qi had a legitimate reason to enter Stark Tower without any obstruction.
Tomorrow night, Stark Industries would be hosting its grandest technology exhibition here, having sent out invitations early. Renowned companies from both within and outside the country would be attending, such as Wayne Enterprises and LexCorp. And as a rapidly rising entity that had developed the fastest in the past year, the Umbrella Corporation was also on the guest list.
At that time, Bai Qi, as the mastermind behind the Umbrella Corporation, only needed to give a word and he could enter Stark Tower with a proper identity. Opening the Demon Gate would then be a simple matter.
Thinking this, Bai Qi no longer hesitated. He simply said "Let's go" to the "Three Idiots" beside him, and the shadow ninjas quickly surrounded the four of them, taking them into the Shadow Kingdom.
The reason for Bai Qi's urgency was entirely an instinctual reaction. Just moments ago, Bai Qi had a sudden bad premonition. Coupled with the fact that in the original story, Uncle and Tarak had this premonition before encountering trouble, Bai Qi had ample reason to believe his premonition was accurate.
Bai Qi's premonition was indeed accurate. Shortly after they had entered the Shadow Kingdom and departed, Uncle and Chenlong arrived by car.
After getting out of the car, Uncle adjusted his glasses and, following the direction of his compass, walked towards Stark Tower. His legs were remarkably spry. Chenlong alighted the car closely behind. Seeing Uncle determined to rush into the building, he quickly stepped forward to stop him.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
By the time Chenlong caught up, Uncle was already arguing with the building's security personnel.
Perhaps seeing Uncle's age, the head of security, upon arriving, dared not forcibly remove him, fearing that the old man might collapse and he would be unable to bear the responsibility. He could only patiently persuade him repeatedly.
"I'm sorry, sir, we have regulations here. No appointment, no entry. Please return, or if you have something to say or a message to deliver to someone, I can relay it for you."
"Hey! Didn't Grandpa say there's demonic black energy in this building, and it will be very dangerous if it's not investigated immediately?"
After hearing Uncle's words, the security captain's head throbbed even more. In his eyes, Uncle was just another magic enthusiast.
Magic enthusiasts were a newly coined term that emerged after the Holy Lord's resurrection, used to refer to those who were fanatically devoted to magic. Among these people, there were two factions. One faction revered demons, believing that demons were not inherently evil. They called themselves staunch supporters of the Holy Lord, believing that the Holy Lord's appearance was to lead people into a great magical era, making the world more free and democratic.
The second faction was the conservative one that rejected demons. They believed that the current technological era was fine. Even if magic were to be incorporated, technology should remain dominant, and there was no need to abandon current developmental achievements to pursue magic. Demons were not good things; they brought not freedom and democracy, but disaster, war, slaughter, disease, and death. Only by driving the Holy Lord back to hell could the world return to its rightful path.
As the landmark building of the entire New York, and given the influence of Stark Industries in the United States, Stark Tower already received a significant number of people causing trouble daily.
Some were scientists who felt their talents were unappreciated, some simply wanted to find a job at Stark Industries, and some were spies from other companies attempting to infiltrate Stark Industries to steal core technologies.