The Seven Shadows

"Yes, there is indeed a 'Seven Shadows.' To the Alliance's Seven Gods, the Seven Shadows serve as their covert counterparts—perhaps even a reserve force. They operate in the shadows, known only to a select few. Take me, for instance—I am the shadow of Death itself. Do you understand?"

Suddenly, Xiao Feng's eyes brightened with realization. "So what you're saying is that your power is immortality, and I sense you are even more formidable than Hades himself."

"Hades is but a mere automaton cloaked in human flesh. His immortality is a façade. If his mechanical bones were shattered, not even Zeus could save him."

Pandora, overhearing, couldn't help but retort, "Who did you say is just a mechanical man clad in flesh?"

Xiao Feng quickly interjected, "Calm down, we're not talking about you. Go on, Gui Yao, tell us more. Who else belongs to your Seven Shadows, and why did you break away from the Sanctuary?"

"Our faction's chief deity is Satan," Gui Yao replied casually. "He's temperamental but fiercely loyal to us brothers. However, his volatile nature made him hard to get along with, leading to a fallout with Zeus. Satan wanted to emerge from the shadows, but Zeus forbade it, resulting in a great war. Neither could kill the other. Yet Zeus and his consort managed to trap Satan in some unknown prison. After that, the Seven Shadows refused to follow Zeus and fled—if we hadn't escaped, we'd have met a grim fate. That's how I ended up here."

"I couldn't risk being found by the Alliance forces, so I formed a bandit gang to mask my true identity. Later, the Dark Dragon Sect approached me and provided significant support. To grow our strength and rival the Alliance armies, we had to expand. Actually, we never plunder ordinary civilians—we only target Alliance forces. You saw for yourself—we even led assaults on Alliance troops in the sanctuary just days ago."

Xiao Feng absorbed the information, nodding thoughtfully. "By your account, the Seven Gods must still be alive—except maybe Hades, whom we tore apart. Your Seven Shadows all survive, then? If you could unite them, that would be an overwhelming force."

Gui Yao nodded. "Indeed. By strength, we Seven Shadows even surpass the Seven Gods."

"Do you want to rescue your leader, Satan?"

"Of course, who wouldn't?"

"Good. Can you still contact the other members?"

Gui Yao frowned. "I can try, but they don't always heed me—probably because I'm the weakest among them."

"Very well. If you can locate them and persuade them, I'll help you—and we'll exact our revenge," Xiao Feng promised.

"As long as we can rescue the boss, anything is negotiable."

Xiao Feng turned to Pandora. "Alright, let's move. It's time to confront Black Dragon. There's much to be done."

Pandora nodded. "Fine. I'll take your jeep; you drive mine."

Xiao Feng raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I don't like being around that mutt Tu Gou," Pandora tossed out a casual excuse.

Xiao Feng smiled knowingly, stepping out of his jeep and heading toward Pandora's vehicle. Muttering to himself, "It's not because you dislike him—it's because you can't catch up with me."

Starting his engine, Xiao Feng watched as Pandora shot past with a hum, raising her hand in a cheeky farewell.

Behind them, Tu Gou grinned. "Xiao Feng, isn't Pandora provoking you?"

Xiao Feng chuckled. "Hold on tight."

With a roar, his jeep surged forward, chasing Pandora's speeding silhouette.

Pandora, exhilarated, piloted Xiao Feng's jeep with ease, glancing in the rearview mirror as Xiao Feng's vehicle steadily gained on her. "I don't believe it—you're catching up!"

Beside her, Rush, securely strapped in, muttered, "Crazy… all of you are insane."

Pandora smirked. "There's a difference between crazy and crazier…" She glanced again in the mirror, startled to see Xiao Feng's jeep closing the gap rapidly.

"How is this possible?" she asked Gui Yao, bewildered. "Why is his jeep faster than mine?"

Gui Yao merely shrugged, smiling faintly. "How should I know?"

Meanwhile, Rush, sitting in the back, noticed something odd immediately.

Xiao Feng was using his abilities to levitate Tu Gou inside the jeep, effectively reducing the vehicle's load. Additionally, he was amplifying the jeep's speed with his psychic powers. This explained why his jeep was far swifter than Pandora's.

Rush shook his head and said to Pandora, "Xiao Feng is just on another level, Miss Pandora—you can't beat him."

"Why? Why?" Pandora challenged, clearly unwilling to concede.

Rush reclined, gripping his seatbelt tightly. "Honestly? Because Xiao Feng isn't entirely human."

Pandora snapped back, "If he isn't human, then what exactly is he?"

Rush sighed. "I don't know… none of us really do."

Pandora, the Earl, and Rush were all left dumbfounded—Xiao Feng's true nature remained an enigma to them all.