Thanks for the invitation, I just entered the chat group after traveling through Under One Person.

Chapter 179 Relying on District 13?

The Book of Time just sits there, practically unused. Therefore, altering it would inevitably incur enormous costs or risks. When the Holy Lord returned to Hell, during his conversations with other demons, they revealed that they all knew about it but dared not touch it.

While the power of history is immense, the consequences of rewriting it are unbearable for ordinary people, even for beings like the Eight Great Demons. Once history is rewritten, it could lead to unpredictable chain reactions, or even devastating consequences. It's like a nuclear weapon; once used, it will inevitably cause severe repercussions.

The Holy Lord fixed his gaze on the annals of history, entirely because it was the last glimmer of hope. He would rather risk rewriting history than endure the torment of being imprisoned in hell, his magic and wisdom slowly eroded away.

At the same time, rewriting history may trigger a series of unpredictable consequences, and may even cause the rewriter to lose control of the situation. This uncontrollability makes the history book an extremely dangerous tool.

However, it was precisely this unpredictability that attracted Rick's attention. He enjoyed the process of getting things out of control and then bringing them back on track.

Rick had already picked up the pen beside him, found a blank page in the history book, and begun to write. Morty wanted to go forward to see what Rick was writing, but before he could get close, changes began to occur within himself.

"Are you Valmont?" Just as Chen Long and his group were about to set off, a familiar figure appeared in their sight. It was Valmont, the boss of the Mafia.

Valon looked extremely disheveled. His hair was a mess, with a few strands sticking haphazardly to his forehead. Sweat and dust mingled together, making his once clean face look filthy.

His green suit had lost its usual neatness; the shirt collar was open, wrinkled and clinging to his body, torn in several places, revealing an equally disheveled undershirt. His trousers were in even worse shape, with holes worn through at the knees and the legs covered in mud and bits of grass, as if he had just crawled out of a mud pit.

At this moment, Valon's eyes revealed exhaustion and helplessness, a bitter smile playing on his lips—a self-mocking expression of his powerlessness. His steps were unsteady, each step incredibly difficult, as if all his strength had been drained away, leaving only his weary body barely holding on.

He exuded an air of dejection, a stark contrast to the usually spirited Valon. His face, which he usually groomed daily, now bore a ring of stubble.

"Valon, what happened to you? Why are you looking like this ugly monster?" Jade asked Valon in his current state, her innocent words ringing true.

Cheng Yiyi and the others also cast curious glances at him. In the animated series, Valmont had been in a sorry state and down on his luck more than once, but never as disheveled as they were seeing now. In the animation, the destitute Valmont at most resembled a homeless man, but the Valmont in front of them looked no better than a beggar.

Homeless people and beggars are two different professions. Homeless people make a living by scavenging, and they won't ask for money unless someone offers them help. But beggars are different; they mainly rely on actively seeking help to make a living.

Therefore, homeless people will try their best to look neat and tidy within their means. Beggars, on the other hand, need to make themselves look as pitiful as possible within their means in order to evoke sympathy from others and thus profit.

At this moment, Valon squatted down by the roadside, holding a bowl or something, looking exactly like a beggar.

"Chen Long, I need your help." Valon's eyes lit up when he saw it was Chen Long, and he immediately spoke up.

"What!? Valmont, you big bad guy, you actually came to ask us for help?" Children's world is black and white. In Xiaoyu's eyes, Valmont is an evil villain.

“Dad, we need to be careful,” the tall Tru said warily to his father, then cautiously looked at Valon. He had switched sides from Valon himself, so he knew that no matter how poor Valon looked now, being ruthless was a basic requirement for becoming a mafia boss.

The other party's disheveled state may indeed be genuine, but it's also quite possible that Valon intends to use them to achieve some other purpose.

"Impossible, we would never help you!" Chen Long flatly rejected the idea. The cartoons were all about Valmont's henchmen outsmarting Chen Long; they wouldn't show children what the Mafia was like. For real Mafia members, having blood on their hands was the bare minimum. "Ouch~ Dad, why did you hit me?"

"Let's hear why Mr. Valon has become like this. There's also something else; you can all set off first, and we'll see how things go." The old man wanted to use Valon to find out about the situation on the Holy Lord's side. The last part of his sentence was directed at Cheng Yiyi and the others, telling them to head to Venice first.

"Dad, we'll be going now. Xiaoyu, do you want to come with us?" Cheng Yiyi greeted them, while also trying to lure Xiaoyu away. Xiaoyu's quirky personality was quite endearing, at least they all liked her.

"Me?" Xiaoyu was somewhat tempted, but after looking at Valon, she shook her head and decided to stay to prevent their Dragon Team from failing.

Cheng Yiyi and the others didn't linger and decisively headed to Venice. They figured their father and the others could handle the Holy Lord and Daolong. Their priority was to obtain the Eye of Aurora as soon as possible, collect as many magical items as possible, and prepare for the uncertain fate of Rick Morty.

Chen Long, Xiao Yu, and Tru all held a negative attitude towards Valmont. Old Man, of course, also disliked this mob boss, but he understood the principle that yin and yang could be interchangeable. If the dark side couldn't accept Valmont, then Valmont could become an ally on their side.

Even if Valon had his own ulterior motives, overall, they were in a better position, as they could obtain more detailed information from him. And, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Valon's request for their help was likely for the sake of his three rather unreliable subordinates.

As expected, according to Valmont's account, after Shendu and Daolong cooperated, Daolong used black magic to turn his three henchmen and Alfred into black magic warriors.

Then they usurped his territory and drove him out. To be precise, not driven out, but he escaped from the Shadow Legion's pursuit, which is why he looks so disheveled now.

As for why Daolong didn't turn Valmont into a Dark Warrior as well, it's worth noting that Valmont's personal fighting ability was no less than Chenlong's, and he was also a very strong fighter.

Daolong didn't do that because he couldn't. Valmont's influence in the Dark Aura faction wasn't as great as Shendu's, but it wasn't much weaker than Daolong's. His Dark Aura magic could affect Valmont, but he couldn't completely transform him into a Dark Aura warrior.

"Hey~ Are we really sure it's okay to just barge in without any preparation?" Valon couldn't help but complain. He hadn't expected Chen Long and his group to be so reckless. After learning the exact location of the Mafia's hideout from him, they immediately set off to attack. Shouldn't they have come up with a detailed plan first, and perhaps even teamed up with agents from District 13?

District 13? District 13? The world would have been ruled by demons countless times over by now. Everyone knows that even the super moose in amusement parks is far more reliable than District 13.

"No need, this is their weakest moment," the old man said confidently. If nothing unexpected happens, the Holy Lord will soon lose control of the Shadow Legion; he'll be a helpless statue. Then they'll only need to deal with Blade Dragon as their enemy.

Meanwhile, in the Mafia's former stronghold, several dark-skinned warriors wielding various weapons stood or crouched in a corner. An old man holding a staff stood before a statue.

The statue of the Holy Lord, like a giant dragon poised to pounce, is eternally etched into the stone wall. Its body meanders and coils, forming flowing curves, as if it might break free from its constraints at any moment and soar into the sky.

The disc-shaped body was covered with scales arranged in a neat and orderly fashion, each scale seemingly containing an evil power and shimmering with a dark luster.

The dragon's head has blood-red eyes that seem to see into the deepest fears of the human heart, revealing an undeniable evil and cunning. A cold smile plays on its lips, and its horns are sharp and powerful, like two swords.

Of course, the most distinctive feature is the twelve octagonal holes on the sculpture's body, each inlaid with a rune. These holes are arranged in an orderly fashion, like stars adorning the Holy Lord's body. Some of these holes already have runes embedded in them.

(End of this chapter)