Compared to the brute force of Di Kui, Bai Qi's methods were far more effective and safer.
At the beginning, he would put a legitimate and acceptable target in front, acting as a spokesperson to voice his opinions and fight for his interests, while he himself remained hidden behind the scenes, only appearing when necessary.
This was like the Black Hand Gang in the beginning and the Umbrella Corporation established later.
All Bai Qi had to sacrifice were minor favors, money, power, even immortality.
These things, which seemed insignificant to Bai Qi, were unattainable for many, who would even give up everything to possess them.
Bai Qi exploited this, using financial leverage to drive the entire Black Hand Gang to work for him, thus successfully achieving resurrection; he then established the Umbrella Corporation, using power and knowledge to tie a large number of talents to his cause, and further used money to give Umbrella's development a green light, making it develop at an incredibly rapid pace.
Once Umbrella grew sufficiently large, it used its influence in the US and even worldwide to carry out many unsavory acts for Bai Qi.
After joining the Illuminati, Bai Qi's actions became even more unbridled, and he seized Kutor, becoming a king in the true sense of the word.
Most importantly, through the operations of the Illuminati and Umbrella, Bai Qi was still a king in a legal and legitimate manner.
Currently, using Kutor as a base, Bai Qi secretly conducts assassinations and controls, while outwardly extending his reach to various parts of the world through the Magic Academy.
First, it was the neighboring island nations, and now, with the appearance of Di Kui, he has controlled Western Spain, and soon the island nations will also fall under Bai Qi's control.
Because of Bai Qi's actions, not only has he lived well until now, but even the Justice League and SHIELD cannot openly oppose him.
Leaving the Prime Minister's residence, Bai Qi appeared in the sky above a volcano the next moment.
Looking at the magma about to erupt below, Bai Qi's lips curled up, and without a word, he leaped into it. This scene was witnessed by the three survivors, Chen Long and the others, who had just escaped.
"Dad, what is the Holy Lord doing?"
Old Daddy adjusted his glasses and said, "The Holy Lord is going to absorb the fire energy from the volcano to enhance his own power."
"Ah!" Chen Long exclaimed in shock and quickly said, "Can we stop him?"
"Stop him? Why should we stop him?"
Chen Long was puzzled. Trull, standing beside him, explained, "Because of Di Kui, the volcanic eruption is a foregone conclusion. If the Holy Lord can absorb all the fire energy from the volcano, he can prevent the eruption, and the surrounding cities will be saved."
"So, in the end, it's the Holy Lord who saves these people?"
Chen Long said with disbelief after hearing Trull's explanation.
"Don't celebrate too early. The Holy Lord is doing this merely to create a reason for him to openly absorb the fire energy from the volcano."
With that, Old Daddy waved his hand, signaling Chen Long and Trull to quickly leave this dangerous place.
Chen Long wanted to say something more, but was stopped by Old Daddy's raised hand. "I know what you want to say, but I tell you, it's impossible. Without targeted magic, none of us are a match for the Holy Lord. Rushing in will only be a futile sacrifice of your lives."
"Oh."
Chen Long nodded, disappointed.
Originally, he had wanted to sneak attack the Holy Lord while he was absorbing the volcano's fire energy, to control him and force him to hand over Xiao Yu. But after hearing Old Daddy's words, he knew it was impossible. He could only wait until they returned to find Black or Nick Fury to think of a way.
"Xiao Yu, you must be alright."
At this time, within the volcano, Bai Qi had revealed his true form, soaking in the scorching magma, as comfortably as if he were taking a bath.
During this period, through Bai Qi's continuous efforts, three of the twelve talismans have been unsealed and have completely merged with Bai Qi, namely the Rat Talisman, which converts stillness into motion, the Tiger Talisman, which balances yin and yang, and the Dog Talisman, which grants immortality. In addition, the Goat Talisman, which targets the soul, and the Horse Talisman, which heals all injuries and illnesses, are also covered with cracks due to Bai Qi's efforts.
However, by absorbing the volcano's fire energy this time, Bai Qi did not intend to break through the relatively easier Goat Talisman or Horse Talisman. What Bai Qi wanted to challenge was his core Dragon Talisman.
Originally, due to the Dragon Talisman's special nature, Bai Qi had planned to attempt it only after all eleven other talismans had broken through their seals. However, the current volcanic fire energy was too compatible with Bai Qi, and even more so with the Dragon Talisman.
Therefore, Bai Qi decided to take this opportunity, not to break through the Dragon Talisman's seal, but merely to loosen it.
Perhaps feeling it was enough, Bai Qi submerged his entire body into the magma, and with every breath, the fire energy from the volcano converged towards Bai Qi from all directions.
His pores opened to absorb as much fire energy as possible.
As a large amount of fire energy was absorbed by Bai Qi, the temperature of the volcano began to decrease at a visible rate.
After gathering the absorbed fire energy, Bai Qi, with the aid of magic power, launched an assault on the Dragon Talisman's seal.
Boom!
The magic power, wrapped in fire energy, struck the Dragon Talisman heavily, and the effect directly impacted Bai Qi.
The intense pain made Bai Qi feel as if his entire body was being torn apart.
But Bai Qi did not stop attacking the Dragon Talisman.
One strike, two strikes, three strikes...
With each strike, Bai Qi had to endure the tearing pain of the impact.
If the effect were significant, it would have been better. After more than ten strikes, the Dragon Talisman only trembled a few times with each impact, and the seal did not show the slightest sign of loosening. Instead, the fire energy drawn from the volcano was consumed at a visible rate with each strike.
Boom!
With the final strike, the last wisp of fire energy from the volcano was drawn and consumed by Bai Qi. The surrounding magma, lacking the support of fire energy, rapidly cooled and solidified.
However, even after Bai Qi had drawn all the fire energy from the entire volcano, he was still unable to loosen the Dragon Talisman's hard seal, not even by a single bit, let alone leave a small crack on it.
Bai Qi was not disheartened.
He hadn't held out much hope in the first place. As the most firmly sealed among his twelve talismans, it would have been strange for Bai Qi if the Dragon Talisman's seal were to loosen with just the fire energy of a volcano.
However, Bai Qi did gain some benefit from this impact. At least his body strength became more resilient after repeated tempering. The fire energy absorbed from the volcano did not disappear but was absorbed by Bai Qi's body after the impact on the talisman, becoming a part of Bai Qi's power.
After completing all this, Bai Qi opened his eyes and stretched lazily.
Crackling...
With the sound of cracking rocks, Bai Qi, having completed everything, soared into the sky and disappeared from everyone's sight at an extremely fast speed.