Bai Qi had already returned from Raven's spiritual world, and Raven, exhausted from the mental strain, had fallen into a deep sleep.
To understand what had transpired, we must go back to Bai Qi's conversation with the Three-Eyed Demon in the spiritual world.
Within the spiritual realm, Bai Qi was using his psychic powers to punish the defiant Raven. As Raven cried out in pain, the Three-Eyed Demon, who was being tormented by lightning, spoke.
"Outsider from beyond this world, spare the child. As a father, I will apologize for her foolishness."
This time, the Three-Eyed Demon directly revealed Bai Qi's outsider status. However, what shocked Bai Qi even more than being recognized as an outsider was that the notoriously brutal Three-Eyed Demon was actually showing leniency towards him, all for the sake of preventing Raven from suffering further.
Bai Qi looked at the Three-Eyed Demon and sneered, "Why bow down because of her? She's merely a tool for your use, isn't she?"
This time, the Three-Eyed Demon offered no reply, his six eyes fixed intently on Bai Qi.
"Very well, I understand."
After all, Bai Qi had been a father himself. He understood the Three-Eyed Demon's feelings perfectly. Even if his daughter was initially just a tool for exploitation, they were still father and daughter. Filial bonds, sometimes, are truly inexplicable.
Bai Qi waved his hand, releasing Raven. With a snap of his fingers, a black magical vortex erupted from the ground, gradually forming a sphere that enveloped Bai Qi and the Three-Eyed Demon.
Witnessing this, Raven, having recovered from her pain, attempted to enter the vortex, but her efforts were repeatedly thwarted. Whether through magic or brute force, she was always repelled by the swirling energy.
Inside the spherical vortex, Bai Qi casually waved his hand, and a chair materialized out of thin air. He then sat down leisurely.
"Now, you may apologize to me."
Despite his reluctance, the Three-Eyed Demon suppressed his anger for his daughter's sake and said, "I can sense that this seal you've modified not only strengthens the original seal but also absorbs my power. Is that correct?"
Bai Qi did not deny the Three-Eyed Demon's inquiry and nodded in affirmation.
Bai Qi was not one to act without motive. How could he possibly have strengthened Raven's seal on the Three-Eyed Demon without any personal gain?
As the Three-Eyed Demon had observed, the reinforced seal appeared stronger than before. To ensure the Three-Eyed Demon's compliance, a punitive mechanism was added. In reality, Bai Qi had tampered with it. The incantations on the chains, while inflicting pain on the Three-Eyed Demon, also absorbed his power and stored it.
Though Bai Qi's subtle manipulation was covert, his opponent this time was the Three-Eyed Demon, who detected it despite its secrecy.
The Three-Eyed Demon looked at Bai Qi and said, "I am not ignorant of the outside world. Through those eyes of Ross, I can see everything she sees, feel everything she feels. And I saw how that scoundrel used his sweet words to deceive her!"
The more he spoke, the more agitated the Three-Eyed Demon became, like an old father whose prized cabbage had been ruined by a pig.
However, Bai Qi was indifferent to these sentiments. He frowned and said, "I have no interest in your family matters. If you wish to regale me with your pitiful old grievances, I must decline."
Seeing Bai Qi's attitude, the Three-Eyed Demon surprisingly did not get angry. Instead, he changed the subject and said, "Outsider, I wish to make a deal with you."
Hearing the Three-Eyed Demon's proposition, Bai Qi's interest was instantly piqued. He shifted his posture and said, "I'm listening. Continue."
"Due to that Superman's reckless actions, the entire Justice League and Earth have suffered devastating blows from Darkseid. The losses are immense, and before long, the entire Earth will face annihilation."
"What? The great Three-Eyed Demon now cares about Earth's safety?"
The Three-Eyed Demon scoffed, "Earth's survival has nothing to do with me. I wouldn't care even if the entire universe were to perish. However, I know that my daughter is now undertaking an extremely dangerous plan with that Superman. Therefore, I wish to make a deal with you."
The Three-Eyed Demon paused and continued, "I can offer three-tenths of my power as exchange for your assistance to them."
Frankly, it was a tempting offer. Three-tenths of the Three-Eyed Demon's power was no small amount. However, Bai Qi had no intention of accepting it so readily. As a proper demon, even with such an alluring offer, some negotiation was inevitable.
"Why should I agree? The one they are confronting is Darkseid. It's no exaggeration to say the odds are slim to none. Moreover, I've already made some arrangements with the seal. All I need is to wait for some time, and your power will eventually be mine. Tell me, why should I agree to your deal?"
In response, the Three-Eyed Demon remained unperturbed and said, "You are correct. Under normal circumstances, you have no reason to agree. But now is different. Ross is going to confront Darkseid. If she dies, I will perish with her. At that point, will you still have the time to slowly extract my power?"
The Three-Eyed Demon's words left Bai Qi speechless. What followed from the Three-Eyed Demon truly cornered Bai Qi.
"Furthermore, as an outsider, you cannot remain in this world for an extended period, can you?"
Upon hearing the Three-Eyed Demon's words, Bai Qi's confident expression darkened. After a few seconds of thought, he said, "I can engage in this transaction with you, but the terms need to be slightly altered. Firstly, your power must increase by another tenth. After all, as you know, this is a very dangerous undertaking, so I require four-tenths of your power."
The Three-Eyed Demon nodded, remaining silent.
"I will only assist them openly three times with their plan. After that, I will shift to the shadows, secretly bolstering their efforts."
"Agreed."
"Finally, their plan ultimately involves counter-attacking Apokolips. Facing Darkseid will be inevitable then. He is too powerful; I will not engage him in combat."
After the Three-Eyed Demon agreed to Bai Qi's three conditions, the deal was officially struck.
As a down payment, the Three-Eyed Demon immediately transferred one-tenth of his power to Bai Qi. After verifying the integrity of this portion of power, Bai Qi accepted it.
With the deal concluded, Bai Qi no longer had any reason to remain in Raven's spiritual world. He dissolved the vortex and withdrew from the spiritual realm.
Upon returning to his own body, Bai Qi saw the Shadow Warrior, wielding a samurai sword, preparing to behead Clark. Startled, Bai Qi hastily called out to stop him.
This was no joke. Clark was Earth's only hope for a counter-attack on Apokolips. If he were to be decapitated by his own Shadow Warrior, who knew what chain reaction that would trigger.