In the depths of hell, a deathly silence reigned.
The final image in the water mirror was of Victor gleefully playing with the Dragon Talisman.
That wisp of Bansha's original demonic energy, like a weary bird returning to its nest after completing its mission, joyfully burrowed into his body, even 'thoughtfully' paying 'rent'.
The water mirror flickered a few times before finally extinguishing completely, dissipating into a wisp of blue smoke.
Only a deathly silence remained, along with an atmosphere thick with what could only be called 'utter devastation'.
Pang Gu, Zhong Su, Xiao Feng, Westwood, Curse Blue, Dan... the gazes of the several demons simultaneously fell upon Bansha, who was slumped on the ground.
At this moment, Bansha no longer possessed the usual majesty and ferocity of the Water Demon.
Her dark blue body lay limp on the scorched earth, tentacles drooping weakly. Her empty eyes stared at the spot where the water mirror had vanished, as if all her soul and strength had been drained, leaving her without even the energy for anger.
The entire demon resembled a broken, discarded doll that had been played with to ruin.
Even Westwood, who usually reveled in schadenfreude and loved watching a good show, was unusually silent this time, not letting out his signature shrill laugh.
Flapping his bat wings, he hovered in mid-air, looking at Bansha's pitiful state. A hint of... complicated emotion, a sense of shared tragedy, actually flickered in his crimson eyes.
An indescribable, heavy silence enveloped all the demons.
They had lived through immeasurably long ages, witnessed the rise and fall of countless civilizations, experienced the brutal war with the Immortal Deities, and were ultimately sealed in this endless hell.
They believed they had seen all the absurdities and oddities the world had to offer.
But... something as preposterous as today's events was truly unprecedented since the dawn of creation!
Demonic energy! That was their primordial power as demons, a symbol of their authority, a tool for corruption and control!
But now?
Bansha's demonic energy not only failed to corrupt that human kid named Victor, but instead, as if it had found its true love, it eagerly and actively threw itself into his embrace!
And it even brought its own 'rent', settling down comfortably in a 'kidney suite' within his body!
What the hell is this?
This is no longer simple betrayal!
This is like raising a daughter for thousands of years, only for her to suddenly elope with some unreliable street urchin she's known for less than half a day.
And before leaving, she even steals the family heirloom to use as her 'dowry'!
An intense feeling of humiliation and the bitterness of being cuckolded right before their eyes gnawed at each demon's heart like venomous insects.
They were the lofty, ancient demons! Beings who held dominion over their respective domains!
When had they ever suffered such an insult?!
"Uhh..."
Dan scratched his head, breaking the silence in a muffled voice, his tone thick with confusion and a barely perceptible trace of worry.
"Big brother... why do I feel... a bit uneasy in my heart?"
He pointed to the area of his stone chest.
"If Second Sister Bansha's demonic energy is like this... then in the future, if we get a chance... could my demonic energy also..."
He couldn't finish, but the implication was clear.
Just the thought of his own demonic energy left in the human world possibly one day acting like Bansha's—not causing destruction but instead serving someone, paying rent, and taking up residence—made Dan feel his stone core grow cold.
Pang Gu's massive body squirmed uneasily. The lightning crackling around Zhong Su's body seemed erratic. The whirlwind stirred by Xiao Feng appeared somewhat listless.
Even the most carefree Westwood instinctively drew his wings closer, as if seeking a bit more security.
Curse Blue floated in the air, his eternally cold and indifferent face now tightly furrowed.
As the eldest and wisest among the Eight Demons, the impact he felt at this moment was far greater than the others.
This completely overturned his understanding of power, corruption, and essence!
What kind of power does that human named Victor possess?!
Have the carbon-based lifeforms in the human world become this... abstract now?
Curse Blue suddenly felt that all the grand plans he had spent countless ages researching and preparing for their return to the human world seemed so... pale and laughable in the face of such an 'unpredictable reality'.
For the first time, he felt a deep doubt about his own wisdom and schemes.
Meanwhile, Bansha, slumped on the ground, remained oblivious to her brothers' reactions.
She just stared blankly ahead, her lips moving soundlessly, repeatedly muttering a few broken syllables:
"...rent... my demonic energy... paying rent... settled in..."
With each mutter, the water currents around her grew more chaotic, their color turning even darker.
Clearly, the Water Demon's sanity was teetering on the brink of collapse.
In hell, the desolate atmosphere of shared misfortune was so thick it was almost palpable.
For the first time, the demons realized that the seemingly crazy human boy might be more capable of shaking the very foundations of their existence than any Immortal Deity.
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