It seems I can't stay here any longer.
Xu Le sighed inwardly. He had originally intended to stay and continue learning magic, but since he had such a good opportunity, taking the talismans directly wouldn't be a bad idea. Anyway, judging by the time it took, the next plot point—the breaking of the seal on the eight demons—would begin soon after this incident. However, he had already acquired talismans, the Shadow Legion, and some air magic in this world, enough to open the next world. It was about time for him to leave this world and return to obtain more treasures once he had sufficient strength.
Xu Le looked at the group of people who were discussing, quietly went upstairs, gently touched the table and magic book that he had used for more than half a year, and whispered, "Today, I will have to say goodbye to this world for the time being."
The night was pitch black, as if an endless expanse of thick ink had been painted across the sky, without even the faintest starlight, seemingly symbolizing the carnage to come in the darkness.
Jackie Chan, Snake, and Bull Warrior bid farewell to their father. Because the mission was dangerous, Parker was arranged to rest at their father's shop, while the others hurriedly headed toward the address given by Chief Black.
On the rooftop, the masked man in black robes looked indifferently at Jackie Chan and his group, then glanced at Old Man's Antique Shop and said in a somewhat hoarse voice, "Let's go."
In the darkness, a shadow warrior appeared carrying a throne. Xu Le sat on it, leaned back in the chair, and suddenly felt a sense of control over the world, which he found somewhat captivating. Then, he disappeared into the darkness with the shadow warrior.
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Chapter 18: Battle, Interesting? (Let's try two chapters a day)
On the top floor of the building in the city center, Valon looked at the still-unawakened Holy Lord on the wall, his expression somewhat grim.
This was too impulsive. He offended District 13 and the behemoth that is the United States. Although this superpower will not devote too much energy to dealing with him, the current wanted notice has already made him a pariah.
If he could undo his mistakes, he'd want to travel back in time, slap his past self a few times, grab his tie, and yell at him not to do it. But it's too late for regrets now. He even feels his building isn't safe anymore and he needs to prepare to evacuate soon, so he's come to ask the Holy Lord for his opinion.
Hearing Valon's call, the stone statue inhabiting Shendu slowly awoke, its eyes glowing red again, but this time filled with anger and dissatisfaction: "Valon, you woke me up before you had collected all the talismans. Don't you want your treasure anymore?"
"Holy Lord, I have no choice. I'm wanted by the authorities now, and my current place isn't safe anymore. I can't help you find the talismans at all. Please think of something quickly, otherwise if I get caught, no one will help you collect the talismans."
Valon, having nothing to lose, was fearless and willing to take the plunge. He was now a wanted man; if he could escape this crisis, everything would be fine; otherwise, he faced life imprisonment. He was desperate, and he no longer had the energy to search for the treasure. Solving this immediate problem was the key.
"Valon, let's retreat first. But you must hand over the twelve talismans to me before the New Year, or I will not let you go." The Holy Lord also understood the key point and gave up struggling here. After all, as long as he could escape, there was still a chance. If he was caught, it would be all over.
Valon breathed a sigh of relief. He was afraid that Shendu would stubbornly stay and try to steal the talisman, and that he was being granted permission to retreat was truly a blessing from God. He had already decided that when he got back, he would buy a cross to wear and then go to church to donate a thousand dollars... too much, a hundred dollars.
"Valon, you can all surrender now." With a 'bang!', the wooden office door was kicked open, and the hooded bull warrior walked in first. Jackie Chan, holding a mafia member's tie, knocked him unconscious and threw him in front of Valon.
"What's going on? Why didn't my Shadow Warriors warn me of your arrival?" Shendu was genuinely surprised this time. The red light in his dragon eyes grew stronger, as if a surge of anger was rising within him. Jackie Chan and his group attacked the building, but not a single Shadow Warrior came to warn him. He had just tried to contact them, but not a single Shadow Warrior responded to his call. Now, he was truly helpless, unable to get help from anyone.
"Who knows? Maybe you've done so many evil deeds that these Shadow Warriors couldn't stand it anymore and abandoned you." Jackie Chan shrugged and joked with Shendu.
"Vallon, take them down quickly." Shendu ignored Jackie Chan's mockery and immediately ordered Vallon. Now that he had lost the Shadow Legion, he had no body and could not move, making him a sitting duck. He couldn't even use his spells properly. Now, he could only rely on Vallon.
Valon kept his head down, his expression unreadable. Suddenly, he turned around and, with lightning speed, plucked the only dragon and snake talismans from the groove of the Holy Lord's stone carving. Looking at Holy Lord with smug satisfaction, he said disdainfully, "Holy Lord, you'd better pray for yourself. As for me, I'll just take the talismans and leave. Since your treasure didn't arrive, use these talismans to compensate me."
After saying that, the Dragon Talisman lit up, and a pillar of fire shot towards Jackie Chan and his group.
"careful"
Jackie Chan had a bad feeling when he saw Valmont snatch the Dragon Talisman. Sure enough, the flames of the Dragon Talisman were about to reach him. He immediately pushed aside the two people next to him and rolled to the ground. The flames passed by them and hit the wall, burning a hole in it.
Jackie Chan looked at the wall with a large hole burned through it and thought to himself, "That was close." If they had been hit by that flame, today would have been the anniversary of their deaths.
"Valon, how dare you betray me." Shendu's voice grew increasingly low. Valon's betrayal today reminded him of the time when he was betrayed by his subordinates, defeated and dismembered by the immortal gods. If eyes could kill, Valon would have died countless times from his eyes. Moreover, Shendu's eyes could indeed kill; his eyes held lightning. Unfortunately, without the talisman, Shendu was just a weakling in the face.
Valmont didn't care about Shendu's threat. He already knew that Shendu had lost control of the Shadow Legion, and without any talismans, he was just a talking stone statue. However, it was still annoying to have someone making a fuss by his side. Valmont picked up the Dragon Talisman, aimed it at Shendu, and shot out flames, shattering the stone statue in which Shendu resided.
"Vallon, you'll regret this. I'll rise from hell to seek revenge." As Shendu was about to return to hell, the dragon's soul stared intently at Vallon, its voice as cold as the depths of winter, chilling to the bone. Vallon shivered involuntarily, but then he remembered that Shendu might not return for many years, perhaps even long after he was buried.
After dealing with Shendu, Valmont felt a huge weight lifted from his shoulders, and his mood improved considerably. He then glanced at Jackie Chan, his anger surging, and grabbed the Dragon Talisman, ready to settle both old and new scores. The Dragon Talisman lit up continuously, bursting forth with flames. Jackie Chan desperately dodged the pillars of fire, sweating profusely, but still accidentally set his outer clothing on fire. Fortunately, he managed to remove it in time, preventing burns to his flesh.
As for the bull warrior and the little snake beside him, they were in even worse shape. The bull warrior had multiple burns on his chest and chest, but he was still gritting his teeth and persevering. The little snake was slightly better off, only his hands were burned. Fortunately, the wounds were not very deep, and as long as he applied special burn ointment after the battle, they would not leave scars.
Yes, it's a scar. For women, beauty is indeed the most important thing.
Valmont looked at the disheveled Jackie Chan and laughed heartily. He remembered how Jackie Chan used to cause him trouble at every turn, treating him like a monkey in a play. But now, Jackie Chan was being easily tricked by him, which was incredibly satisfying. Thinking of this, he mocked, "Jackie Chan, you're still being arrogant. Keep playing the hero and rescuing others. But too bad, now you can only be burned alive by me."
Jackie Chan glared hatefully at Valmont. If anyone else had obtained the Dragon Talisman, he could have tried to snatch it, but Valmont's skills were no less than his own, and he had absolutely no chance. Was he really going to die here today? Even with Jackie Chan's strong will, he couldn't help but feel a sense of despair. But what made him feel guilty was that he had dragged Bull Warrior and Snake into this mess, making them a burden.
"I'm sorry," Jackie Chan said to his teammates with some remorse.
"What discouraging talk? Bull Warrior is invincible." Bull Warrior remained optimistic, even after being wounded again. The little snake narrowly dodged a pillar of fire, wiped the sweat from its brow, and whispered, "It's alright, we'll definitely survive."
Valon watched this scene of life and death without a trace of pity. Instead, his pleasure grew stronger. He continued to cast the Dragon Talisman with his right hand while tossing the Snake Talisman lightly into the air with his left. With a nonchalant air, he quipped, "How amusing."
Suddenly, a dark figure darted out, and Valon was caught off guard and kicked away. The talismans slipped from his hands, but before they could fall to the ground, two pale hands caught them and stood aside quietly waiting.
“This is quite interesting!” A black-robed, masked man flew in through the window shattered by the pillar of fire, looking down at the four of them.
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Chapter Nineteen: Crushing
Valon rolled several times, trying to curl up to minimize his injuries, and barely managed to stand up. His arrogant expression had vanished completely. His face was covered in dust from rolling on the ground, and there were still wood chips stuck in his hair, but he didn't care about that anymore. When he looked up and saw the black-robed masked man floating in the air, he gritted his teeth and said, "It's you again."
"So what if it's me? Don't you find it interesting? I'll make you even more interesting." A voice, altered by a voice changer, came from the black robe, making it impossible to tell if it was male or female. The black-robed person took the dragon and snake talismans from the shadow warrior beside him, and then turned his gaze back to Valon.
"So it was you who controlled the Shadow Legion, causing Shendu to lose his eyes and ears?" Valon looked at the Shadow Legion, who actually obeyed the mysterious black-robed man in front of him, and his hands and feet felt a little cold. He had lost those two talismans, and since they were in a high-rise building, he couldn't escape from here on his own.
Thinking of this, Valmont turned around and shouted to the Dragon Team, who were huddled together guarding against the man in black robes: "Jackie Chan, you see, we can only escape from here by cooperating. And you want to get the talisman back, right? Let me tell you, the talisman in District 13 belonged to this man. I only killed a few people. He stole the talisman before me. So if you want to get the talisman back, you have to defeat him with me."
Valmont had thought it over carefully, but he knew he couldn't escape alone. The men in black were menacing, and he couldn't possibly be with Jackie Chan. He understood the principle that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Although he had just considered killing Jackie Chan and his group, in this life-or-death situation, swallowing his pride and asking Jackie Chan for help wasn't a big deal. Only by surviving could anything be possible. He believed that if Jackie Chan wanted the talisman back, he would definitely cooperate with him.
Jackie Chan, who was standing to the side, was also a little hesitant. The black-robed man who suddenly appeared had saved his life to some extent, but one thing is one thing. If, as Valmont said, all the talismans were on that man, then there would really be a problem. Moreover, Valmont had not used any other talismans, and there were no other talismans on the stone statue of Shendu. It seemed that the talismans were most likely on this black-robed man.
However, the man in black robes has the Shadow Legion and has just obtained the Dragon-Snake Talisman. Now that he possesses all the talismans, no one dares to say they can defeat him.
"What are you still hesitating for? If he takes all the talismans today, he will be the next Shendu, and he will be freer than Shendu." Valmont threw a Shadow Warrior who was about to ambush him to the ground with an over-the-shoulder throw, and shouted angrily at Jackie Chan who was still hesitating.
The black-robed figure floating in the air silently watched the farce unfold. Yes, a farce. To him, whether these guys were allied or not, it wouldn't affect his ability to seize the talisman.
"Jackie Chan, are you sure you want to fight me? If you do, you'll have to bear the consequences. The two people behind you will also pay the same price. Can you handle it?"