The abstract potion concocted was just one of many measures arranged by Old Man. Then, he produced a large, black pill from who-knew-where and forced Chen Long to swallow it.
Afterward, he brought out over a dozen more different potions and pills, making Chen Long take them in a specific order. The sheer quantity and bitter taste had numbed Chen Long.
"Why am I so stupid?" he thought. "If I hadn't stepped up back then, I wouldn't have to go through all this suffering."
However, despite his thoughts, Chen Long knew in his heart that he was the only one who could take this risk. After all, Xiao Yu was his niece, and protecting her was his obligation. If someone else had made the sacrifice while rescuing Xiao Yu, Chen Long would never have forgiven himself.
Once all the preparations were complete, Old Man finally produced the mark of the demon. After much hesitation, he tattooed it onto the back of Chen Long's hand.
Looking at the demon mark on the back of his hand, Chen Long spoke after a long pause, "Why don't I feel anything at all? Old Man, how do I open the entrance to the Shadow Kingdom?"
"You don't need to search for it deliberately. Just call out to the darkness deep within your heart."
With Old Man's help, Chen Long quickly succeeded in summoning the darkness within him.
The shadow beneath Chen Long's feet began to twist, gradually expanding outwards in all directions to form a black circle with a radius of over a meter.
"I've opened the gate to the Shadow Kingdom. Everyone, follow me."
As he spoke, Chen Long's body began to sink into the shadow. Black, Nick Fury, and two elite S.H.I.E.L.D. agents followed closely, stepping onto the shadow around Chen Long. The next moment, all four descended into the shadow.
Witnessing this magical sight, Coulson also wanted to go, but Old Man stopped him.
Old Man took off his shoe, pulled off one of his socks, and used a thread from it to tie to his wrist. He then handed the remaining sock to Coulson and said, "You need to stay up here. This magic sock will bring us out of the Shadow Kingdom when we're done."
Looking at the warm sock in his hand, and then at the people entering the Shadow Kingdom, Coulson felt a pang of dissatisfaction. However, he knew that someone had to stay behind, so he could only nod in agreement.
Soon, everyone arrived in the Shadow Kingdom.
Compared to Earth with its gravity, the environment of the Shadow Kingdom was more like space, with no gravity and no absolute direction.
Upon their sudden arrival, the group was still a little unaccustomed. Fortunately, Old Man intervened in time, using magic to form a green bubble that enveloped them.
"Alright, we don't have much time to waste here. Let's hurry and find Xiao Yu."
Facing Old Man's words, Chen Long found himself at a loss and asked helplessly, "Old Man, the Shadow Kingdom is so vast, how will we know where the Holy Lord has hidden Xiao Yu?"
This was not just Chen Long's question; the others had the same one.
"You have now established a connection with the Shadow Kingdom. Seek answers from the darkness within you, and the Shadow Kingdom will respond," said Old Man.
Chen Long followed Old Man's instructions, closed his eyes slightly, and began to seek answers from the depths of his inner darkness. The next moment, Chen Long's eyes snapped open.
Chen Long's eyes seemed to pierce through time and space, the vision within rapidly stretching forward, piercing through layers of obstruction, and seeing Octavius's laboratory deep within the Shadow Kingdom. He also saw Xiao Yu tied to an operating table.
When Chen Long retracted his gaze, he gasped for air like a drowning person who had just been rescued.
"How is it, Chen Long? Did you find Xiao Yu's location?"
Chen Long nodded and said, "I found it. Follow me."
Under Chen Long's guidance, the group moved swiftly through the Shadow Kingdom. Along the way, the scent of living beings emanating from them attracted the attention of many native inhabitants. Some of them, with their bad tempers, were even preparing to attack the group. However, upon seeing the demon mark on the back of Chen Long's hand, these inhabitants chose to let them pass.
Although they remained highly vigilant towards Chen Long and his group, they no longer showed any intention of attacking.
Led by Chen Long, the group moved quickly towards Octavius's laboratory. As they grew closer, Chen Long suddenly exhibited abnormality.
Chen Long's eyes glowed with a scarlet light, his expression ferocious. In an instant, he turned and attacked Old Man beside him, his hands tightly gripping Old Man's neck, with such ferocity that he seemed intent on strangling him to death.
Black and Nick Fury were both startled by Chen Long's sudden outburst. Fortunately, they were both experienced individuals and quickly reacted, pulling Chen Long away from Old Man from the left and right.
Even after being pulled away, Chen Long showed no intention of stopping. Instead, he turned to attack Nick Fury behind him.
Who was Nick Fury? He was the undisputed head of intelligence, and not someone a disoriented Chen Long could handle.
Under Nick Fury's assault, the disoriented Chen Long didn't struggle for long before being successfully subdued.
By this time, Old Man had also recovered. Looking at the struggling Chen Long, he said, "The demon mark has begun to erode Chen Long's mind. Control him."
As he spoke, Old Man produced a pill.
Nick Fury restrained Chen Long from behind, Black pried open Chen Long's mouth, and finally, Old Man shoved the pill into Chen Long's mouth and forced him to swallow it.
The pill took effect quickly after it went down, restoring Chen Long's sanity.
"What happened to me?"
Chen Long, having regained consciousness, found himself locked by Nick Fury from behind. His head throbbed painfully, as if it were about to explode.
"Are you sure he's okay?"
After receiving confirmation from Old Man, Nick Fury released his grip on Chen Long's arms.
Just as Chen Long was about to speak, Old Man's knuckle flicked his forehead again.
"Old Man..."
At this moment, Chen Long looked like a wronged child, unsure of what mistake he had made.
It didn't matter that Chen Long didn't know; the others had seen it clearly. If the two intelligence chiefs hadn't reacted quickly, Chen Long would have strangled his own father to death with his bare hands. He deserved the flick on the forehead.
However, Old Man clearly had no intention of answering Chen Long's question. Instead, he shifted the topic, saying, "The demon mark has begun to affect you. My magic won't last much longer. Hurry and take us to find Xiao Yu."
Chen Long rubbed his forehead. Although he was somewhat confused, finding Xiao Yu as soon as possible was the most important thing. Everything else could wait.
Under Chen Long's lead, the group finally arrived at Octavius's laboratory deep within the Shadow Kingdom. Moreover, with the help of Old Man's pills, Chen Long's occasional outbursts were successfully suppressed.