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"Don't disappoint me. As the Lord of Fire, it's beneath me to personally step in and conquer this land. Just a trace of my fire demon aura is enough to transform your strength and help me rule this continent!"
"Still… I don't even know what this land I'm standing on is called in the future."
Shendu let out a soft sigh. A flicker of purple flame, brimming with demonic energy, floated down into the great hall and incinerated the corpses of demons who couldn't withstand the baptism of fire.
His eyes glowed faintly red. With a mere thought, the power of his demonic lordship let him take in the whole continent's power structure in a single glance.
"Eight cities, eight lords... But that massive central city—there's something about it I can't quite see through."
"No. I'm the demon who holds the power of Li Fire. There's no way I can't see through a force in the Jackie Chan Adventures world."
For a moment, confusion flashed across Shendu's face—but it vanished just as quickly.
Even if he couldn't see through it, it didn't matter. If the demons he's empowered with his fire aura couldn't take it down, he'd do it himself.
Right now, there probably wasn't anyone in this world who could force any of the eight Demon Lords to go all out.
After all, they were the pinnacle of power in the Jackie Chan Adventures world.
Shendu closed his eyes. Wisps of flame began to form out of the void, swirling around him protectively as he entered a meditative state, his spirit diving into the Demon Consciousness Realm to guard his physical body in the real world.
Outside the hall, the demons who had received a massive power-up from the fire aura finally snapped back to their senses.
They looked around in sync, grinning slyly. As one, they declared:
"For the Fire Lord—slaughter all traitorous demons!"
With that, led by Abuyato, the demons transformed into massive dragon-like forms. Wings sprouted from their backs, and their bodies were covered in shimmering green scales—they looked like true Western dragons.
Only half of them transformed, but their bodies were already wreathed in dense black energy, their presence unstoppable.
As soon as they charged into the opposing demon forces, it was total chaos. The disorganized rabble was completely overwhelmed.
Blood flowed like rivers. The slaughter didn't stop.
Amid this chaotic demon war, Shendu sat calmly inside the grand hall, his consciousness having entered the special spiritual realm exclusive to the Eight Demon Lords.
The moment he arrived, he saw a clash of demon lord powers.
Floodwaters roared, covering the skies. Thunder crashed. Lightning and rain mingled in a dark, stormy world.
Mountains rose from nothing, smashing down all around—though some mysterious force seemed to suspend them mid-air.
Wild, raging gales filled the air, turning into razor-sharp blades of wind that tore through the floods and sliced apart the lightning.
As Shendu stepped in, all these massive elemental attacks—wild and indiscriminate—suddenly turned toward him.
Seeing this, Shendu narrowed his eyes. He gathered fire demon energy from the realm into his hands and formed a massive, sun-like fireball, cracked with searing heat. He hurled it forward in fury.
The fireball smashed into the chaotic elemental storm, clashing with the attacks conjured by the demon lords' powers.
In an instant, the attacks vanished.
Then, the other seven Demon Lords appeared before Shendu.
Their terrifying auras filled the demon realm, like they could crush anything. But here, only the eight Demon Lords born of black energy stood.
The eight locked eyes in silence, the tension growing heavier and heavier.
Finally, one of them—his skin tinted blue, four arms crossed, a snake-like tongue flicking from his mouth—spoke meaningfully.
"Brothers… we were all born of black energy, all Demon Lords. We've talked about seniority before, but never settled it."
"I, Chou-Blu, have gathered you all today to settle this once and for all—who ranks oldest to youngest."
"Otherwise, the next time we meet on this planet, things are going to get real awkward."
"We're siblings, born of the same black source. We should work together, not be scattered across different corners of the world like we are now."
Shendu glanced sideways at Chou-Blu, surprised. In Jackie Chan Adventures, Chou-Blu wasn't necessarily scheming, but he definitely had deep plans and zero regard for humans.
The moment he escaped the Demon Netherworld, he tried to knock the Moon out of orbit, throwing the whole world into chaos.
At first glance, it seemed pointless. But if he had succeeded, the yin-yang balance of the Jackie Chan Adventures world would've shifted drastically.
The Moon leaving orbit would've caused another massive surge of dark energy—potentially awakening all kinds of hidden, ancient demons.
And now here he was, calling for a demon meeting just to decide who's the eldest? Shendu didn't get it.
But just as Chou-Blu finished speaking, a figure surrounded by elemental energies—wind, rain, thunder, and lightning—spoke slowly:
"He makes a good point."
"We're the eight Demon Lords, each born from the evolution of the Bagua symbols."
"If we're deciding seniority, then I, Xi-Mu, should be the eldest."
"In the Bagua, Qian is first—and I, Xi-Mu, was born from Qian. I'm the Heavenly Demon Lord. The big brother role belongs to me."
His statement left the other seven, Shendu included, with no good rebuttal.
If you really followed the Bagua order…
Xi-Mu would be the eldest brother. Bai Sha would be the second sister. Shendu (Shengzhu) the third brother. Zhong Su the fourth. Xiao Feng fifth. Chou-Blu sixth. Bo-Gang seventh. Di Kui eighth.
In the original show, Chou-Blu was the oldest. Now, he was bumped to sixth. Xi-Mu had gone from "little bro" to the boss.
Shendu had plenty of ways he could argue against Xi-Mu's logic—but he didn't bother.
Why would he? In the original story, Shendu was sixth. If they went with this new ranking, he'd be third. That worked in his favor.
"Since no one has anything to say, then we'll go with the Bagua order for seniority!"
"I, Xi-Mu, will be the eldest, and the rest of you follow the sequence."
Xi-Mu's eyes gleamed with satisfaction. But just then, Chou-Blu frowned.
He had called this Demon Lord meeting specifically to claim the title of "eldest." And now that title had just been snatched away by the Heavenly Demon Lord.
In a flash, Chou-Blu pulled out a glowing blue orb and tossed it into the center of the circle where the eight stood.
He said coldly, "Xi-Mu's argument isn't wrong, but using Bagua symbols to decide seniority is a little ridiculous."
"I, Chou-Blu, was born on the Moon. I'm the Lunar Lord. I used demonic energy to shape the map of this world!"
"This world has eight full continents, surrounded by countless seas."
"You all know the Moon is where I was born—and it's the best place for me to cultivate."
"So if you all agree to make me the eldest, I'll stay out of any territorial disputes on Earth. The land can be yours."
With that, Chou-Blu floated back gracefully, waiting for the others' replies.
"....."