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

Chapter 180 Everyone has their own agenda
This large stone plate represents the Holy Lord, the sixth of the eight great demons. Ranked sixth, corresponding to the Fire Demon of the Li trigram, he is not only sixth in rank, but his style of doing things is also that of a true sixth-ranking demon: inherently evil, cruel, cunning, treacherous, vicious, and greedy. He is untrustworthy, fickle, and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. More than once, he has deceived other demons before betraying them.

When he appeared in spirit form for the second time in the story, he was so scared by Chen Long and his group that he was worried he might have to go back to hell and face the other seven demons again. So when he modified the Book of Time, he didn't betray the other demons but brought them along.

This guy is also the most unique of the eight demons, and the villain with the most skills in the whole film. In addition to having the attribute of wielding fire, he also has the power and ability of twelve zodiac talismans, and can absorb the magic of the Shadow Mask to control a large number of shadow legions for his own use.

The main reason is that Shendu is both a demon and a great sorcerer. His special qualities don't stop there; his reputation is far greater than that of other demons. The leaders of three major evil forces—Vallon the Black Hand, the sorcerer Daolong, and Tara, the leader of the Shadow Legion—all know Shendu's name.

At this moment, the talismans embedded in Shendu's body include his own natal talisman, the Dragon Talisman, and the Sheep Talisman, which allows the soul to leave the body. It is thanks to the Sheep Talisman that Shendu can still move around freely, but only his soul.

The snake charm that grants invisibility is also with Shendu, but it's not very useful to him. After all, as long as his body is in its current state, even if he becomes invisible, he'll still stay in the same spot. The snake charm only makes him invisible, not disappear.

The remaining majority of the talismans were in the hands of Chen Long and his group. Among them, the Rat Talisman and Tiger Talisman, which were most important to the Holy Lord, were personally kept by Old Man. Tru carried the Ox Talisman, which could maximize his physical strength advantage, and the Chicken Talisman, which would make him more agile.

The monkey and pig talismans were in Chen Long's hands, but Chen Long was generally not used to using talismans against enemies. Xiao Yu was naturally the one who used talismans the best.

At this moment, Jade used the power of the Rabbit Talisman to activate it on the car they were driving, and the car sped towards the lair that Valon had pointed out.

The bloodshot eyes of the still-statue-like Holy Lord suddenly glowed, and a phantom emerged from the statue. It was the Holy Lord's soul, in the form of a dragon with a snake's body, like a transparent, legless dragon with ribbons wrapped around its body, but more like a clawless dragon.

When the Holy Lord floats in the air in his soul form, he constantly moves his lower body up and down. Because the soul is an invisible special energy body, ordinary people cannot see it with normal vision, except for the Black Mage Daolong.

"Holy Lord, what's wrong with you?" Dao Long looked at the Holy Lord, who had suddenly left his body, with a puzzled expression, not understanding why the Holy Lord was suddenly so agitated.

"It's Chen Long... Chen Long and his group have arrived. And they're carrying my talisman. We must retrieve it this time." The Holy Lord had originally intended to leave his body to fly over and check the situation, but considering his repeated setbacks with Chen Long, he retreated back into the statue and spoke.
"This is our territory now. This time, we'll make sure they don't leave alive. Gan Wencui, you and the Shadow Legion go and have a go at Chen Long and his guys." Dao Long commanded his newly recruited subordinates.

"Gan Wen Cui" were three loyal henchmen of Valon: Rasu, Afen, and Zhou. Daolong transformed them into shadow assassins and gave them new names—Gan, Wen, and Cui.

"Gan" corresponds to "pole," representing a three-section staff that can transform into a six-foot stick. "Wen" corresponds to "blade," representing a shuriken shaped like a windmill with a spinning blade. "Cui" corresponds to "hammer," representing a giant warhammer.

There is also a shadow assassin named Shan, who is unarmed and transformed from Afu. Shan's core combat ability is a combination of powerful magical attacks and Afu's superb fighting skills, and he is also endowed with lightning effects in his attacks.

"Yes." Gan Wen and Cui Shan stood up and responded.

After a moment of silence, the Holy Lord said to Daolong, "There is a serious problem now: I have lost control of the Shadow Legion."

"Huh?! What?" Dao Long's expression changed. With a formidable enemy at hand, the Holy Lord had no reason to use such a clumsy excuse to prevent him from exerting his strength, which meant the Holy Lord wasn't lying. Dao Long's already aged face furrowed even more deeply: "Could it be that the general of the Shadow Legion has been resurrected?" As a black energy mage, Dao Long was familiar with these beings who had committed evil deeds, ruled, and even attempted to rule the world, including demons and the Shadow Legion. He naturally knew the origin of the Shadow Legion controlled by the Holy Lord.

"It shouldn't be. The magical contract I once used to command the Shadow Legion allowed me to maintain control over them that wasn't much weaker than that of the Shadow General. Even if Tara were to resurrect, she couldn't completely strip me of my control over the Shadow Legion," the Holy Lord's hoarse voice explained.

The Holy Lord still doesn't know why he lost control of the Shadow Legion. The fact that he hasn't been worn down to a fool after so many years in Hell speaks volumes about the power of his former dark energy. Now, he can't use any magic at all and can only rely on Daolong, the dark energy wizard.

"Take my Dragon Talisman and Snake Talisman, you can use them." The Holy Lord and Daolong were not in a subordinate relationship, but rather a cooperative one. Although both of them harbored their own ulterior motives and were thinking about how to become the final victor, that was something to be dealt with after Chen Long and his group were dealt with.

Now that he has lost control of the Shadow Legion, Shendu is suddenly at a disadvantage in this situation. Shendu also needs to demonstrate his value, so he lends two talismans that can be used in battle to Daolong.

He wasn't worried about Daolong pocketing the talisman; to become the ultimate victor, he first needed to eliminate his enemies. If he didn't contribute anything, he'd be more easily betrayed by Daolong.

Moreover, without the Shadow Legion, he's currently in a statue-like state, unable to move. Daolong could easily take away his talisman himself at any time, so it's better for him to proactively offer to lend it out, demonstrating his sincerity in continuing the cooperation.

Daolong didn't stand on ceremony with the Holy Lord and directly took the Dragon Talisman and the Snake Talisman into his hands. The Snake Talisman could allow him to hide, while the Dragon Talisman was the most destructive talisman; a surprise attack might just be enough to eliminate the enemy.

"Luckily, I was prepared." Dao Long turned his gaze to Gan Wen and Cui Shan. He swung his black magic staff at the four of them, and four streams of black energy flew towards them, instantly enveloping them.

Dao Long couldn't help but feel a little regretful. The methods he had set up on Gan Wen and Cui Shan were meant as a backup plan, a means to compete with the Holy Lord after defeating the righteous forces. Now, he had no choice but to use them prematurely.

As the black mist dissipated, the four shadow assassins who appeared in sight underwent some changes in appearance. They were encased in armor, the main body of which was a deep gray. The material appeared ordinary, but it was actually crafted from an unknown magical artifact, gleaming with a faint metallic sheen in the dim light.

The breastplate of the armor features a raised center forming a breastplate, its surface engraved with intricate and mysterious patterns, resembling ancient runes and radiating an indescribable magical power. Smooth lines extend from the sides of the breastplate, seamlessly connecting with the shoulder armor.

The shoulder armor was edged with a ring of small silver rivets, while the arm and leg armor were relatively long and fitted snugly against the four men's limbs. A large cloak buckle was attached to the back of the armor, securing a red cloak.

This is Daolong's trump card, an advanced version of Shadow Assassin, the Ultimate Gray Samurai. Clad in armor and crackling with lightning, the Ultimate Gray Samurai, capable of resisting the power of talismans, is named Saju Hunjia.

In the original storyline, these gray samurai didn't even have a chance to show their abilities before being turned back to their original forms by their father. Whether they could actually resist the power of the talismans is unknown. However, since Daolong used them as a way to counter the talismans, they must have some skill.

In the original story, Dao Long used this method to take revenge on Shen Du. However, judging from the current situation, Dao Long was prepared all along, just waiting for the right moment to use it against Shen Du. But an unexpected turn of events forced him to use this method prematurely. It seems that regardless of the circumstances, it's all related to Shen Du.

(End of this chapter)