American variety show world begins with subduing Jason

"...The most important thing now is to hurry to the Holy City to see that Papal Statesman, and to repent bitterly for all the sins of your life, so as not to attract a large number of Crusaders and tear you, this seemingly treacherous demon lord, to pieces."

"Hehe, sorry to disappoint you, I already secretly informed the Sanctuary." With a flick of his finger, the dark red crown emitted a soft, metallic hum. Dean said casually:

"It's an old tradition for witchers to use dark power as tools. As long as they check regularly to ensure their minds aren't corrupted, nobody bothers them except for a few jealous kids who're almost insane."

"Tch, which eye saw me being jealous, you stinking brat!" Zhu Mingyao snorted coldly, his left middle finger sticking out and forming the Spirit Official Mudra, deliberately waving it in front of Dean's face. Before the other could laugh and curse back, he stabbed it down at the prisoner. Golden light seeped in like silk threads, freezing all supernatural changes, about to turn him into a puppet.

While saying this, Zhu Mingyao was indeed somewhat envious. Although the bloodlines activated by the two were relatively shallow, their auras were extremely high. Even though their origins were not the Seraph and the Demon God of Hell from the original work, their status was not far off.

He also understood why the two brothers were so confident: setting aside the classic, fancy propaganda, although Heaven and Hell are said to be two separate entities, in reality they are still under the control of the Christian system.

The characteristic of the Christian system is that it emphasizes a strict hierarchy, where angels and demons alike must be restrained and unable to exert their power in front of those in power.

The high-ranking gods and demons of the current pantheon have long since vanished. With the two brothers working together, they can almost easily deal with all the supernatural beings from the Cross system. Even if they can't defeat them, they can always escape!

After all, in times of human prosperity, even those demons and gods who survived the end of the Dharma era knew that the once weak and short-lived species were no longer as powerful as before, and they did not have the courage to launch a large-scale pursuit.

“But you still underestimated your family’s enemies…” Zhu Mingyao’s thoughts raced through his mind, but he didn’t say it aloud.

If the person on the other side is indeed Azazel, the lieutenant of Hell, he is known as the "Powerful One of Gods," a peerless figure who can move the wilderness and the sea at will and whose name is recorded in the Bible. He is definitely not Karami from the original "Supernatural" comics, who can only play with some minor special effects.

"We have no leads at the moment. Your aimless wandering around is just a waste of time. I suggest you all go back and discuss this further."

Just as the two were about to speak, he made a gesture to calm them down and offered a reasonable and measured solution:

“Since there are high-level demons lurking around, threatening the entire human society, how can the Federation government stand idly by? Let them take the lead and at least get the intelligence sorted out.”

"This is too slow, what if that beast gets away..." Dean, his face flushed with rage, hurriedly shouted, eager for revenge.

In the midst of the argument, a panicked and indistinct groan suddenly rang out: "No, don't kill me! I know where the demon you're talking about is!"

As if someone had cast a silence spell, the surrounding air instantly became still, and the three of them lowered their heads in unison, their gazes immediately focusing on the fish swimming at the bottom of the pot beneath their feet.

……

……

Patches of crimson clouds, shrouded in the blood-red glow of the setting sun, struggled and drifted along the horizon. The last glimmers of light they left behind shattered in the rugged, deep valleys, only to be helplessly swallowed by shadows.

"You should know the consequences of lying!" Standing under the dense shade of the forest, Zhu Mingyao waved his sleeves to disperse the dampness from the mountains and coldly warned the monster leading the way.

Dozens of meters in front of them, the ground was littered with withered branches and leaves, as if a large group of creatures had trampled over them, but other than that, there was nothing unusual.

The Rakshasa demon, who was half a head taller than an NBA center, hunched over and tried to shrink into a ball, saying with a mournful ugly face, "It's absolutely true. That guy appeared here three days ago and subdued the werewolf tribe here. I was hunting nearby at the time and happened to witness it with my own eyes."

As if recalling a terrifying scene, its bluish-black face darkened even more. "The leader of the werewolf shamans resisted, and was instantly transformed into a lowly hellhound. If I hadn't served a Brahmin guru in Punjab a hundred years ago, received the Vedas, and been good at concealing my aura, I probably would have been captured by now."

Zhu Mingyao scratched his chin and interjected, "So you changed your hunting patterns that you've had for years, wanting to have a good meal and then abandon your nest to escape to another place to avoid trouble."

"Your Highness, your Dharma eye is all-seeing, penetrating the earth, water, wind, and fire." The Rakshasa demon flattered him repeatedly, his tone still carrying a faint curry accent.

As it spoke, it clasped its hands together, knelt down obsequiously, and its sharp claws blurred and disappeared into its eye sockets as they covered its face.

Its dirty, heavy fat trembled slightly, as if enduring excruciating pain, and then it grabbed a ball of white light and obediently raised it above its head.

“This is a visual memory from that time. I am willing to take refuge and offer my life mantra to the Venerable One, only asking to be spared my life.”

So he's used to serving others, he's really cunning and ruthless, no wonder he's been able to live a carefree life for so many years... Zhu Mingyao gave the Wen brothers, who were hesitant to speak, a wink, indicating that he wouldn't be bewitched. He took the ball of white light and suppressed it into the Sanyuan Palace.

I keep my word. Shattering your soul and reshaping your consciousness is a way of sparing your life!

He found a gleaming silver mirror, placed it on the ground under the rising moon, calculated its position, and silently recited an incantation:

"The moon appears, a final burst of light before death!"

The white light was instantly coated with a layer of silvery frost-like moonlight, and rolled onto the mirror surface like a round water ball.

Bizarre and fantastical illusions then arose—

In the sky, the moon was bright and the stars were few. A deep roar tore through the dark night. On the rocks and beside the tree roots, dozens of giant wolves of various colors, as big as calves, panted heavily and stared with red eyes as they slowly emerged and surrounded a figure from afar.

In the desolate wilderness, surrounded by ferocious beasts that would terrify even the bravest person, the situation was quite the opposite. The pack of wolves howled and hesitated, appearing fierce but actually weak.

The figure stared straight ahead, showing neither deliberate arrogance nor any other emotional fluctuation, as if facing nothing at all.

"My time is precious. I'll say it only once: obey, or... die!"

The viscous, purple flames wrote the contract on the parchment scroll, reflecting the endless decay within the dim, yellow eyes!

Chapter 378 Son of Hermes

Obey or... die!

The middle-aged man, wearing a worn yellow jacket and with an unremarkable appearance, spoke words so harshly that they seemed absurd and comical, almost like the ravings of a madman.

The fel energy contract that could float and burn fiercely beside him turned the comical into a chilling sight!

However, the problems of this world cannot be solved by empty talk alone.

Wolves have been known since ancient times for their arrogance and aloofness. Even though modern biologists have revealed the husky-like heart beneath their cool exterior, no one can deny their fierce and ruthless fighting nature.

Moonlight rolled across the soft, silvery-gray fur, emitting a pearly, shimmering glow. The old werewolf at the head of the pack stood up, his bull-like body stretching and creaking with deformed joints.

His fur billowed back and parted, forming a rugged coat that revealed the old yet vigorous face of the strange shaman. Two dark brown eyes, set between the wrinkles of time, shot out a sharp, savage gaze.

"Wolves are like the long wind that sweeps across the mountains and fields; they will not accept any enslavement. Get out of our territory, you demons!"

His thumb brushed across the skin of the small drum at his waist, and a deep, resonant vibrato that shook every inch of the land suddenly rang out. This was the war song of the wolf pack, their declaration of freedom, each drumbeat like the roar of a wild beast.

Invisible sound waves compress in the air, creating chaotic vortices powerful enough to tear steel apart, with phantoms of various shapes appearing and disappearing within them... The spiritual essence accumulated from the deaths of thousands of birds and beasts in the mountains and forests is transformed into a malevolent spirit by witchcraft, capable of even causing an elephant to suffer instant cardiac paralysis.

Faced with such an attack, even a demon from a lower plane must be treated with caution... right? The werewolf priest thought with certainty.

Then... he died.

The shattering sound waves and the surging tide of spirits, like wolves and tigers, rushed in, only to stop abruptly before the figure, as if they had crashed into a void. They only stirred up ripples, and without making a sound, they vanished without a trace.

A faint, yellowish light appeared, like the remnants of a sunset, or the dust of the Gobi Desert, drifting down alone. Carrying the aura of impending destruction, it ignored the armor formed by swirling air currents and the rock-hard flesh, sinking straight into the depths of the old wolf's soul.

"Ugh—!" The short groan only lasted halfway before suddenly falling silent, like a sigh on the verge of death.

Beneath the clear, silvery moon, a robust body, as strong as an old oak tree, withered and collapsed. From within the black smoke and demonic flames, a canine creature, its fur stripped away and bony spikes protruding, obediently rose.

Without procrastination, without pity, without wasting any words, the cold and decisive "arguments" are worth more than a thousand words.

All the beasts then submitted.

The law of nature dictates that the strong prey on the weak, and the pack of wolves trembled in fear as Purple Flame left his mark.

Within the image, the demon wielded life and death with overwhelming power. Outside the image, Zhu Mingyao clicked his tongue in confusion.

Although the opponent displayed formidable strength, at most they could only reach the [Lord Rank], meaning they were either a projection or an avatar.

His clandestine act of recruiting dark monsters puzzled him—why be so cautious? With the rank of a demon god of hell, wouldn't he need more underlings?

He shook his head and continued watching. The camera angle trembled slightly, indicating the extreme horror of the voyeur in the distance.

"Hmm?" The man suddenly raised his head, and a dim yellow light poured out from his eyes like a flood, sweeping across the forest in a few seconds.

The demonic light closed in on the viewer in an instant, and those watching the illusion could almost feel the despair of the Rakshasa demon.

However, at that moment, a glimmer of light suddenly appeared in the wilderness in another direction.

"it's me."

A pool of azure water flowed seemingly slowly but actually swiftly, and a large, plump Black woman rode the waves barefoot.

"My area is already finished, your progress is too slow," came the soft voice that contrasted sharply with her appearance.

The man silently dispelled his supernatural powers and said emotionlessly, "My [Guardian] domain reversed into [Destruction] the moment I fell into hell. It's not suitable for this kind of delicate work. It would be much faster to corrupt them all into demons."

“Then it loses its original meaning.” The Black woman lightly stepped on the water, making the surface as smooth as a mirror, reflecting numerous eerie and grotesque shapes:

Plump maggots burrowed around on the zombie's body, occasionally landing on the lizardman's glowing scales, only to be flicked away in disgust.

The slender Wendigo devoured the human flesh in its hand, and above it, ethereal ghosts danced like gray mist, greedily sharing the blood essence.

"Don't underestimate humans these days; they're not fools," the woman said solemnly.

"We only send out these weak incarnations to carry out our missions, and we try our best to subdue them and not convert them into our followers, just for safety's sake."

"—There are already powerful figures following behind. If we leave a trace, their location can be easily divined. I don't want to be surrounded."

The burning sheepskin billowed and swept around, causing the giant wolves to rise into the air involuntarily, transforming into wolf-head runes that adhered to the scroll. The demon parasitizing the man hissed, "So I suggest we just charge over there and detonate that nascent hell, to see if they still have the leisure to chase us."

"And by the way, you'll be able to seize that [thing's] power, right? Among everyone, you're the only one with the same system and similar attributes as it, making you the perfect supplement."

"Hmph! Everyone is doing the same thing for themselves. Haven't you also found excellent prey?" The demon was not angry when his hidden thoughts were exposed. He just snorted coldly, implying that he was not completely unaware.

“Your Highness Azazel, don’t judge others by your own standards. The ocean’s embrace is always broader than the lava of hell…” The black woman’s thick lips curled slightly.

“I don’t intend to selfishly keep it all to myself; rather, I’m happy to share my discoveries with my companions.” She held out her palm, the warm, glistening water reflecting off a small object.

“Since the great son of Hermes has fallen into depravity and madness, attacking and devouring the spirits of nature to prolong his life, I, as a fellow clansman, feel obligated to help him break free.”

"Your ruthlessness and decisiveness amaze me." After seeing the object clearly, the demon exclaimed with a mixture of sarcasm and sincerity. "If it were back then, you would have had a place on the obsidian throne of the Nine Hells."

"Thank you for your praise. The panpipes consist of seven pipes. Only after all seven are collected will the location of the master's slumber be revealed. We will need our allies to do the rest..."

During the negotiations, the figures disappeared into the distance, and the scene vanished, leaving Zhu Mingyao and his two companions speechless for a long time.

The Wen family's duo were naturally shocked by the true identity revealed by their enemy. The formidable reputation of Satan's lieutenant was known even to ordinary believers who had read the Bible, let alone witch hunters who were well-versed in mysticism.

What Zhu Mingyao was interested in was what the black woman had taken out.

It was a golden, hollow reed stalk with remnants of beeswax used as an adhesive on both sides.

Just like what he's holding in his hand right now.

Recalling the sparse information revealed by the unknown entity, his face became extremely solemn.

“Reeds…panpipes…son of Hermes, it was [He].”

It seems we'll need to find outside help for this.

Chapter 379 A bright future

For sun-loving people, early spring in Seattle can be a tough time.

Influenced by the temperate maritime climate, this city in the northwestern corner of the Federation experiences a constant drizzle from November to March each year. The sky is always overcast, with thick clouds that seem ready to press down at any moment, making it hard to breathe.

The same is true tonight.

Raindrops tapped incessantly on the window, making a soft, monotonous sound, like nature gently humming a lullaby, gradually lulling one into sleep during the endless wait.