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A barren wasteland. The only thing that moved was the gentle breeze brushing across the endless plains. In the middle of it all stood a massive, solitary palace.
This was ancient Australia, ravaged by the Time Vortex. No life. No mountains, no rivers. Just earth.
It seemed like it would stay like this forever—until, out of nowhere, a giant door appeared, glowing with the yin-yang pattern. From the swirling vortex, a scroll floated out.
The scroll, radiating the power of the Eight Trigrams, unrolled slightly—unleashing eight towering figures.
"Ahh... the sweet air of freedom!" Wind Demon breathed in deeply, eyes lit up as he looked up at the sky.
"We're finally out!" Earth Demon said, scanning the surroundings. This colorful world was a sight for sore eyes.
"Bo just wants food!" Bo, now much smaller than before, clutched his rumbling stomach.
"Looks like we don't need to fight over this continent," Earth Demon muttered, eyeing the vast emptiness.
"Our magic took a big hit... it'll take years to recover. This is going to slow down our growth," Sky Demon said grimly, eyes darkening as he thought of the price they'd paid to summon the Eight Trigram Formation.
"But the gift from the world's natural energy is worth more than what we lost!" Water Demon said with a rare hint of joy, clearly feeling the benefits from the ritual.
"…"
"Shendu, what are you looking at?" Mountain Demon strolled over and asked, puzzled.
While the others were celebrating, Shendu stood there staring at a seemingly empty patch of ground.
"There," Shendu narrowed his eyes, "You don't see the palace over there?"
Mountain Demon looked. Nothing but dirt. He shook his head.
Seeing this, Shendu didn't bother explaining further to someone as thick-headed as Mountain Demon.
"Shendu, what's over there?"
"I'm seeing traces of time energy… and a faint outline of a palace," Water Demon said, slithering over and staring at the same spot.
"Time energy, huh? I'd rather steer clear of that. Last thing I want is to get dragged back into the Demon Netherworld," Earth Demon said, flapping his wings as he drifted closer to Shendu.
"Shendu, we really should be thinking about how to study even stronger magical formations."
That caught Shendu off guard. He turned and gave Earth Demon a surprised look.
He hadn't expected Earth Demon to be interested in studying magic formations. But the truth was, the incredible power of the Eight Trigram Formation—which had just broken them out of the Demon Netherworld—had left a deep impression on him.
That formation had combined the powers of all eight Demon Lords. Nothing in this world could stand against it.
"That place is the Palace of Time," Water Demon said firmly. "Inside are the Time Chronicles. We need to get in there."
"This kind of power—it has to be in our hands. No one else's."
Water Demon had noticed the anomaly. The palace, born from time itself, clearly housed the sacred Time Chronicles. If anyone else got their hands on it, and tried to rewrite the past or future, the consequences could be devastating. That idea made even Water Demon anxious.
"Just as I thought…" Shendu's eyes narrowed. His hunch had been right.
In the original timeline, the Demon Lords had different levels of strength—but the top three were always Water Demon, Shendu, and Earth Demon.
The rest? Practically neutered. Even now, they were clearly the strongest among the group.
"How come I don't see any Palace of Time?""There's nothing there! Water Demon, Shendu, Earth Demon—where are you even seeing this palace?!""Hurricane told me there's nothing there!" Wind Demon protested.
"…"
"Let's go." Shendu didn't bother answering their questions. He just started walking toward the "empty" space.
Water Demon silently floated after him, heading straight for the Palace of Time.
Earth Demon flicked her tail and gave the five clueless demons a scornful look. Her raspy voice dripped with sarcasm. "Did the formation suck all your magic dry? Can't see a thing?"
"What was that phrase humans use again?"
She paused dramatically, then sneered, "Useless trash!"
With that, she sauntered off toward the palace.
The five demons left behind froze, stunned for a second. Then it hit them—Earth Demon had just insulted them to their faces.
Furious, they started to follow, but before they could say anything, their anger faded. Their pupils shrank in shock.
Shendu, Water Demon, and Earth Demon had vanished into thin air.
Panicking, the rest rushed forward, barely catching up as they passed through the magical barrier concealing the palace from the outside world.
Inside the Palace of Time, everything was tinted black and white. But the black glow dominated—making the place look like it was drowned in shadows.
Still, the black light wasn't oppressive. In fact, it illuminated the whole palace, making the details clearer.
Shendu stepped inside, scanning the hall. His eyes locked onto a massive book resting on a platform, shimmering with the flow of time.
"The Time Chronicles…" he muttered, stepping forward.
Water Demon had just entered too, his gaze instantly drawn to the same book. Without hesitation, he floated toward it.
As Shendu approached, he observed the hall's structure carefully. His thoughts began to race.
The palace built around the Time Chronicles was a mirror of the world's balance—yin and yang.
But now, darkness reigned. The Demon Lords ruled. Righteousness had all but vanished.
That explained why the palace glowed with black light, though streaks of rainbow energy still shimmered within.
In a future yet to come, Shendu would possess Jackie Chan and rewrite the Time Chronicles. At that point, this entire hall would glow pure white.
Just like the world above—where righteousness once again took the lead, and evil was on the run.
He snapped out of his thoughts. Shendu had reached the book, which towered over him in size. Slowly, he flipped it open.
There it was—a detailed record of how the eight Demon Lords formed the Eight Trigram Formation and broke out of the Demon Netherworld.
He was about to turn to the next page—to peek into the future—when Water Demon suddenly blocked him.
"Shendu," he said firmly. "Don't look ahead. We're in this together, all eight of us. But we have no idea what price we might pay for seeing the future. Let's just look at the past."
Shendu paused. Then gave a small nod.
Water Demon had a point. The future hadn't happened yet. If they peeked too far ahead, there could be a heavy price. The past, though—that was already written. Safe to read.
Meanwhile, Earth Demon and the rest had also arrived inside the palace.
"....."