Deep in the distant Netherworld,
Pong Kong,
the Earth Demon, stood before Hsi Wu with her colossal physique.
Her figure, illuminated by the firelight, resembled a living mountain.
Rugged rocks covered her entire body, and her voice was laced with mockery.
"Hsi Wu, your stay in the mortal realm was truly brief."
Pong Kong's words carried a hint of disdain.
Hsi Wu,
the Wind Demon,
though not as massive as Pong Kong, had a fierce fire of rage burning in his sharp eyes.
He had never expected
that just as he had escaped the bonds of the Netherworld, the power of Chi would drag him back into this dark world once more.
"It seems our fates are quite similar,"
Pong Kong continued, her voice echoing through the vast, empty Netherworld.
Faced with Pong Kong's ridicule, a blazing fury ignited in Hsi Wu's heart.
He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails nearly dug into his palms.
"Jackie Chan!!!"
He never imagined that shortly after leaving, he would be sealed back into the Netherworld yet again.
It was utterly infuriating!
"Hmph! Do you think I'll willingly let myself be sealed here like you?"
Hsi Wu glared, gritting his teeth as he spoke.
A cold smirk tugged at the corner of Pong Kong's mouth, her tone contemptuous:
"Unwilling, and what of it? Neither of you nor I can break free from this damned seal."
Pong Kong's voice was heavy with helplessness and despair.
"Your door has been locked."
Pong Kong continued to taunt him, as if aiming to completely crush Hsi Wu's last shred of hope.
"You'll never get out again."
These words struck Hsi Wu's heart like a heavy hammer, plunging him into deep agony.
Hsi Wu cast a vicious glare at Pong Kong, a resolute light flashing in his eyes that burned with endless rage:
"One day, I will find a way to break this seal and return to the mortal realm!"
His voice carried an indomitable will, as if declaring his determination to the entire world.
However,
Pong Kong laughed with utter disdain:
"Don't dream. You and I have been trapped here for thousands of years without finding a way out."
Her words revealed a pessimistic sentiment, as if she had long since abandoned the pursuit of freedom.
"Do you think you're Shendu, able to travel between the two realms?"
Pong Kong's words were like a sharp blade, piercing Hsi Wu's heart.
Hsi Wu roared in fury:
"That's just because you lack the courage to try!"
His gaze was filled with scorn and dissatisfaction toward Pong Kong.
Pong Kong fell silent for a moment, then slowly said:
"Perhaps you're right, but for now, we have no choice but to accept reality."
Her tone grew calm and rational, attempting to coax Hsi Wu into calming down as well.
Hsi Wu took a deep breath, struggling to quell the raging fire within.
Finally, Hsi Wu coldly spat out two words:
"Step aside!"
Hsi Wu let out a roar, his voice sounding like a violent tempest, his eyes revealing unquestionable resolve.
Then,
he turned around and returned to his own part of the Netherworld, continuing his seemingly endless imprisonment.
Seeing this, the other demons dispersed.
They were long accustomed to such scenes.
Both Pong Kong and Hsi Wu had been sealed away again after only a brief taste of freedom,
clearly because a powerful wizard had appeared in the mortal realm.
"Hmph, that fool Hsi Wu is too weak; getting sealed away that easily,"
the Earth Demon Tso Lan remarked with contempt.
"Exactly. If it were me, I wouldn't end up like him," the Sky Demon Xiao Feng chimed in.
Without a doubt, Hsi Wu had also been sealed by that wizard.
However,
the other demons didn't take the matter to heart.
In their view,
the reason Hsi Wu and Pong Kong were sealed must have been because their powers were not strong enough.
If it were any of them, they would never let such a thing happen.
"Don't be too arrogant, you lot; that wizard's power cannot be underestimated,"
Zhongsu interjected from the side.
"Zhongsu, what are you afraid of? We're demons—are we really going to fear a mere human?"
"That's right! Once we're all released, we'll definitely show that human what for!"
Such towering arrogance!
Indeed!
Even after being sealed for thousands of years, these demons remained arrogant and haughty, showing not the slightest shred of awe toward humans.
They seemed to have forgotten
why animals could only live in the wilderness while humans were able to create a brilliant civilization.
Not far away, Zhongsu fell into deep thought.
His eyes flashed with the light of wisdom, as though he were plotting something.
If his memory served him right,
following the order of release for the demons, the next one to be freed by Shendu would be Tso Lan.
Finally!
After thousands of years of imprisonment, he too was about to regain his freedom.
Zhongsu's heart was filled with anticipation, yet tinged with a trace of unease.
"Zhongsu, what are you thinking about?"
Xiao Feng, the Sky Demon, asked with curiosity.
"None of your business, is it?"
Zhongsu frowned and replied.
"Ha, Zhongsu, looks like you're scared too. You're far too timid. We're demons—how could we possibly lose?"
"You..." Zhongsu started, but trailed off.
"Enough with the 'you's, Zhongsu."
At that moment,
Pachu swished her fish tail and swam over.
"Zhongsu, Xiao Feng, I suspect Shendu is playing games behind our backs to keep us trapped in the Netherworld forever!"
Pachu gripped a giant boulder tightly with one hand, her tone fraught with anger.
Zhongsu remained unimpressed internally, believing that Pachu had misunderstood Shendu and that Shendu had simply been plagued by bad luck.
However,
Pachu remained firmly convinced that Shendu was plotting a conspiracy.
She pointed out that if Shendu truly wanted to save them, he should have done so long ago.
Xiao Feng pondered for a moment before offering his own view:
"That's unlikely. Shendu doesn't have the ability to lift our curse.
If he doesn't release us, he'll remain trapped inside that human himself."
He then
further explained that
even if that human died, Shendu's soul could not escape, because it would be imprisoned within the corpse,
rotting and stinking away alongside the body.
Pachu listened to Xiao Feng's words, but remained unconvinced.
She retorted:
"That doesn't prove anything. We cannot completely rule out the possibility that Shendu has another plan.
Perhaps he's scheming some way to rid us of our curse."
Her eyes gleamed with distrust.
Pachu's suspicion of Shendu had never ceased; she constantly pondered the moves Shendu might make.
Suddenly, a possibility struck her:
"What if he transforms that human into a demon and then devours his soul? Wouldn't Shendu be reborn?"
"He would once again become a demon with a physical body, ruling the earthly kingdom alone."
This thought filled her with fear and unease.
Xiao Feng doubted Pachu's conjecture, pointing out the potential consequences of such an action.
Even so,
Pachu insisted that Shendu might well be pulling strings behind the scenes.
"Oh god, holy crap, what the hell."
"Is Pachu seriously this smart?"
"Don't fish only have a three-second memory?"
Zhongsu was astonished to find that half of Pachu's speculation was actually correct.
He clearly remembered that
Pachu had been the very last of all the demons to successfully break free,
and prior to that, she had adamantly refused to lift the curses placed on the other demons.
As for Shendu, he had once attempted to modify Valmont's body,
trying to turn him into a demon, though unfortunately that plan had ultimately ended in failure.
"Right now, we can only rely on Shendu's power to gain our freedom."
Zhongsu had a clear head and knew that making an enemy of Shendu at this stage would do them no good.
For all he knew, the moment you stepped outside, he'd dig a pit for you
and send you right back.
Zhongsu continued:
"We must keep our cool and not let emotions dictate our judgment.
After all, we still need Shendu's help for now."
"But can Shendu really be trusted?"
Pachu asked.
Her voice carried a tremor, clearly as she struggled to suppress her anger.
Pachu hadn't guessed wrong.
As everyone knows, Shendu has zero integrity.
"For now, we have no other choice."
Zhongsu's voice sounded quite calm, yet it was fraught with unquestionable firmness.
His fathomless red eyes stared straight ahead,
as though able to pierce through all obstacles and see the direction of the future.
"Hmph, whatever. Once I get out there, I'm definitely going to settle accounts with Shendu!"
Pachu said, grinding her teeth with a face full of fury.
Her gaze, flooded with rage, was like rolling, relentless waves that threatened to erupt at any second.
Pachu thought to herself:
"Shendu, you wretched creature, actually trapping me here! I'll make you regret this, I'll make you see what I'm capable of!"
"Pachu, calm down for a moment.
The most crucial thing right now is to figure out how to get Shendu to let us out.
If you tick Shendu off, we really won't be getting out of here."
Xiao Feng gently advised, his tone carrying a trace of worry and helplessness.
Pachu retorted in her mind:
"Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down! I've been locked away here, stripped of my freedom, and this is all Shendu's fault!"
"I know, but I simply can't swallow this anger!"
Pachu shouted, clenching her fists so tightly
that her nails sank deep into her palms, as if trying to vent all her fury.
Pachu roared angrily in her heart:
"Shendu, just wait, I will make you pay the price!"
"Alright, let's focus on figuring out how to exact our revenge on Shendu once we're out,"
Zhongsu spoke up again.
His words carried a hint of faint amusement, attempting to ease the atmosphere and divert everyone's attention.
Pachu fell silent for a moment, then quietly seated herself on a floating rock.
Her gaze grew deep and focused, as if she were plotting a thrilling revenge plan in her mind.
Pachu silently swore to herself:
"Shendu, your doom is coming.
The moment I get out,
I'll make you taste what it's like to be retaliated against, and make you pay a heavy price for everything you've done!"