If Bai Qi had not reacted quickly, in less than half an hour, the dark energy within him would have gone completely berserk with the help of the dark energy mother, breaking through the seal. At that point, the dark energy mother would have poured all her power into Bai Qi, elevating his strength to an unprecedented peak.
He managed to calm the restless dark energy within his body and let out a long sigh. Bai Qi's face broke into a smile as he looked at the scrolls filled with ancient wisdom brought back by the Shadowkhan.
However, this successful haul was not enough to satisfy Bai Qi. To contend with the forces of good, he needed more leverage. Thus, Bai Qi began to recall other valuable items from the original story.
Lotus Temple had already been visited. The remaining items included the flamboyant Origami Ninja, who was eventually sealed in a jar by Uncle, the Dragon Tooth hidden beneath the bridge, the Shendu's Bracelet that could grant two extra arms, the necklace that allowed instantaneous teleportation anywhere, the sentient gloves of Bluebeard, the two actors working for his father's friend who could phase through walls, the gem that brought misfortune, the other seven Shadowkhan masks, and the seven demonic energies scattered across the land.
Thinking about it, he had quite a few targets.
These magical items would all prove useful to him in one way or another.
The Origami Ninja seemed rather useless, being captured by Uncle and sent to the police station, but that was because his opponent was the protagonist team, who were essentially cheating. The valuable artworks found in the Origami Ninja's safe clearly showed how successful he had been before encountering Uncle.
Then there was Shendu's Bracelet, which granted two extra arms. As the saying goes, two fists are no match for four hands. Entrusting it to someone like Kraiten or Afu could significantly boost their strength. The most crucial item, however, was the necklace that allowed travel across the world. With the necklace, Bai Qi would no longer have to worry about being ambushed by the protagonist team.
As for the most overpowered artifact in the entire adventure, the Time Dragon's Talismans, Bai Qi felt it was best to avoid it as much as possible.
The Time Dragon's Talismans were tied to causality, and arbitrarily altering history was akin to traveling back in time and changing the past, which would trigger a chain reaction.
Even if history were forcefully rewritten, with the forces of good holding a significant advantage, a series of unforeseen events would inevitably steer history back onto its original course.
In the original story, Shendu, possessing Uncle's body, rewrote the Time Dragon's Talismans, yet he and all the other demons were still sent back to the Underworld by the protagonist team.
You might think it was sheer luck that Xiao Yu tore off a page just as she was about to be erased, but no, that was the work of the forces of good orchestrating events from behind the scenes.
The Time Dragon's Talismans were off-limits, but other good things could be acquired. For instance, the magic paper talisman that turned the Origami Ninja into a paper figurine – could it be used to turn others into paper figurines as well?
Although paper figurines were not particularly strong and had many fatal weaknesses, it had to be admitted that they were incredibly convenient for stealing. He could have the Shadowkhan keep an eye out for the paper figurine. If possible, it could be recruited; if not, it could be sacrificed for its parts to create a new paper figurine.
However, whether it was the paper figurine or Shendu's Bracelet, these were mere additions for Bai Qi. The truly important things were collecting the talismans and paving the way for his resurrection. With the new year drawing closer, Bai Qi's revival became increasingly urgent.
The world he was currently in was not solely inhabited by Uncle. Besides the protagonist team, the biggest troublemakers were S.H.I.E.L.D.
His revival as a major demon, especially on American soil, was something S.H.I.E.L.D. could not ignore.
Bai Qi's plan was to prepare some "gifts" for S.H.I.E.L.D. in advance. When he revived, these gifts would detonate everywhere, drawing S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attention away from him.
Speaking of diversions, the first thing that came to mind was the alchemical creatures Bai Qi had acquired from the ancient castle.
The stitched monster was just one of many alchemical creatures. There were also various other types, numbering over thirty in total.
Bai Qi had already instructed the Shadowkhan to secretly disperse the "ice pops" containing the frozen alchemical creatures across several densely populated cities. When he revived, releasing them all at once would create a true carnival of chaos.
"Shendu, what do you need me for?"
The office door opened, and Valmont walked in.
Bai Qi, seated at his desk, said, "Valmont, you haven't brought me any talismans in a while."
Valmont replied with a sigh, "Shendu, it's not that I don't want to. I've sent out over eighty percent of the Dark Hand members to search for talismans, but we just can't find any."
Valmont inwardly lamented; who wouldn't want to make money? The problem was the lack of results.
Seeing Valmont's dejected expression, Bai Qi's lips curled into a smile. "The Shadowkhan have discovered the Horse Talisman in Antarctica. Now, have your men dress warmly and retrieve the talisman for me."
Upon hearing Shendu's words, Valmont's brow furrowed. Something was off. If the Shadowkhan had already found the talisman, why didn't they just bring it back themselves instead of sending his men on a wild goose chase?
Valmont did not believe Shendu would be so generous as to give him money.
As it turned out, Valmont's suspicions were correct.
The Horse Talisman had indeed been found in Antarctica, but there was a problem.
The Horse Talisman was housed in a dilapidated temple, protected by arcane magic that prevented the Shadowkhan from approaching. It was out of options that Bai Qi had sent Valmont and his men to retrieve it.
Of course, Bai Qi would never reveal this to Valmont.
Bai Qi put on an impatient expression and asked, "Are you going or not?"
"Yes, yes, please let me go!"
Valmont nodded his head vigorously.
Valmont rubbed his hands together and asked, "Then the reward afterwards..."
"It's all yours."
Upon receiving Bai Qi's affirmation, Valmont was so overjoyed he nearly leaped. He hurriedly rushed out of the office, making calls to arrange for planes and personnel, busying himself with great enthusiasm.
As for the final outcome, it was somewhat unexpected for Bai Qi.
The Dark Hand members did manage to retrieve the Horse Talisman from the temple. To be safe, Bai Qi had instructed the Shadowkhan to wait outside the temple. As soon as Valmont's subordinates emerged, they were to immediately seize the talisman and prevent Uncle from intercepting it.
As expected, inside the temple, Valmont's subordinates clashed with Uncle. After a brief, intense confrontation (which was essentially Uncle toying with them), La Shek seized the opportunity and dashed out of the temple with the talisman.
Just as he was about to hand the talisman over to the Shadowkhan, Uncle, appearing out of nowhere, unleashed a barrage of spells that temporarily severed the Shadowkhan's connection to the Shadow Realm.
What followed was Uncle's pufferfish spewing projectiles like a Gatling gun, blasting all of Bai Qi's dispatched Shadowkhan into wisps of black smoke. Uncle then successfully snatched the talisman back from Valmont's subordinates. With the assistance of a helicopter dispatched by Sheriff Black, they made a swift escape with the talisman.