Bai Qi felt a flicker of doubt as he looked at the various tasks on the mission board. He couldn't possibly refuse them all, as completing these tasks would grant him rewards.
To surpass the dark energy with positive energy as quickly as possible, he needed to improve his strength rapidly. However, relying solely on the resources of this world wouldn't be enough. Bai Qi needed some "outside help."
The tasks given by the system were precisely this "outside help" for Bai Qi to increase his strength.
For his first mission, it was better to be cautious and start with some simpler ones.
While the rewards offered by the a919 universe were indeed tempting, the Supernatural Universe was far too treacherous. With entities like the Sirians, the Tattlers, and the Angels and Demons, the Earth of the a919 universe was a chaotic battleground. Without any preparation, even Bai Qi would likely perish.
"Why not try a mission from the e657 universe first?"
The One Piece world had a limited ceiling. Apart from the random draws, which might hold some appeal for Bai Qi, the Six Powers of the Navy and the famous swords were of no use to him. Even if he obtained them, he would only give them to his subordinates.
However, compared to the a919 universe, the missions in the e657 universe were safe, making it ideal for testing the waters.
Just as Bai Qi was preparing to accept this mission, the shadow in front of him stirred. Then, a shadowy ninja appeared before Bai Qi.
"What is it?"
The shadowy ninja produced a tablet and stood before Bai Qi. On the other side of the tablet were Rasu and the others.
"What is it?"
Afan looked at the Sacred Master on the screen and scratched his head, saying, "Sacred Master, the box you gave us, Rasu... he twisted and twisted it until it became like this."
Afan stepped aside, revealing Rasu behind him, holding the Pan Ku Treasure Box with both hands. The Pan Ku Treasure Box was emitting a green light. The protruding parts were broken: the topmost horizontal line, and the two below it.
If Bai Qi remembered correctly, this was the trigram Ken, corresponding to Bo Gang, the Mountain Demon, one of the Eight Demons.
It was quite a coincidence. In the original story, the first demon to be released was Bo Gang, the Mountain Demon, which Rasu accidentally activated while fiddling with the Pan Ku Treasure Box.
It seemed the matter of the time-space mission would have to be put on hold for now.
Following the shadowy ninja, they quickly returned to the Sacred Temple through the Shadow Realm.
When constructing the Sacred Temple, Bai Qi had specifically instructed the shadowy ninjas to create numerous hidden chambers.
These chambers were invisible under normal circumstances and could only be revealed and activated by using specific magic.
It wasn't that Bai Qi was particularly cautious or prudent. He simply felt that a demon's palace wouldn't be fun without hidden chambers and mechanisms.
These chambers were not idle during normal times. They were filled with all sorts of magical books and items collected by the Shadow Troop from their travels around the globe, along with some trinkets Bai Qi had tinkered with in his boredom.
These so-called chambers were no smaller than the main halls of ordinary palaces.
As for why he built such large chambers, it was thanks to Bai Qi's own imposing stature.
Although Bai Qi could use his magic to return to normal size, doing so would diminish the majesty of a Sacred Dragon, and how could he face his loyal subjects outside?
He entered one of the chambers.
This chamber was different from the others. It did not contain many items. The empty room had only a mirror covered with a cloth.
He lifted the cloth, and a series of ferocious faces filled the mirror, their crimson eyes enough to make a child cry.
"Sacred Master!?"
"It's the Sacred Master!"
"Sacred Master, when will you let us out!"
"Sacred Master, don't forget, your Fiery Aura is still in our hands."
The figures in the mirror were not humans, but the remaining seven great demons suffering and toiling in hell.
This was no ordinary mirror. Injecting it with magic could connect to hell, making it the only magic mirror capable of communicating with the underworld.
Originally, this item had been gathering dust in the Sacred Master's treasury.
After all, the Sacred Master had no intention of releasing the other demons. As for the Fiery Aura, its absence wouldn't be a dealbreaker.
It was only after Bai Qi obtained the Pan Ku Treasure Box that he moved this magic mirror from the treasury.
Seeing them babbling incessantly, Bai Qi simply covered the cloth back over it. After a long while, when the sounds from within had completely ceased, he lifted it again.
"Had enough noise?"
Bai Qi wasn't going to humor these demons, not giving them even a shred of a good expression.
"Sacred Master, it's been over a hundred years. When will you let us out?"
Zhong Su was the first to ask, his tone laced with a hint of dissatisfaction.
After Zhong Su spoke, Basha quickly added, "Sacred Master, don't forget, we still hold your Fiery Aura. If we're not released, you'll never get your Fiery Aura back."
Looking at the two demons, Zhong Su and Basha, Bai Qi's expression turned grim.
Among the demons, if anyone was truly despicable, it would undoubtedly be Zhong Su.
In the original story, the Sacred Master possessed Valgan and released him. After his release, the latter not only failed to show gratitude but, by virtue of the Sacred Master being without a physical body, turned him into a slave, to be beaten and scolded at will.
As for Basha, while she hadn't done anything excessively wrong to the Sacred Master, the Sacred Master was fire, and Basha was water. They were naturally incompatible, and they had quarreled frequently even in ancient times.
"What I want to say is, I hope you recognize one thing: I am the demon on the ground now, and I am the one who will save you from hell, and only me. As for when that will happen, that is my decision."
"And Basha, if you dare to threaten me with the Fiery Aura again, do you believe I won't open your hell gate forever and let you suffer in hell for eternity?"
"Sacred Master, you!"
Being reprimanded by the Sacred Master, Basha was furious, yet she was powerless.
As the Sacred Master said, only he could save them.
If things truly devolved into a mutual destruction, the Sacred Master might genuinely abandon his Fiery Aura and keep her imprisoned in hell forever.
Losing the Fiery Aura would only mean the Sacred Master losing some of his power; it wouldn't fundamentally harm him. However, in hell, they endured constant torment, relentlessly eroding their intelligence and strength.
Although their status as primal demons granted them immortality, if this continued, their strength and intelligence would eventually be worn away by hell. By then, even if they were released, they would be useless.
"Alright, alright, everyone, stop arguing. The Sacred Master will certainly not forget our agreement."
Seeing the atmosphere turn awkward, Xiaofeng immediately stepped forward to mediate.
"Sacred Master, we are all brothers and sisters. Please don't take it out on Basha and Zhong Su. They've been in hell for too long. However, you still need to release us as soon as possible."
Among the Eight Demons, Xiaofeng appeared the most amiable, often acting as a peacemaker when the other demons argued. He played both sides, offending no one among the eight great demons, and even managed to earn a good reputation.
However, Bai Qi could see that Xiaofeng was a meddler. While he appeared to be mediating, he always managed to gain some small advantage from it.