Tossing the temporarily unusable Scythe into his satchel, Li Feng waved his hand and opened a portal back to the RV.
Inside the RV, Ward, who had nothing better to do, was lounging on the sofa watching a movie. The sudden appearance of the portal startled him, and he quickly drew his gun, aiming at the intruder. Only when he recognized Li Feng did he reluctantly lower his weapon and say, "Alright, you're a mage. Your entrances are very... magical."
Li Feng rolled his eyes. "Does S.H.I.E.L.D. have some kind of disease? Why does everyone here love pulling guns so much? If you hurt yourselves, don't come crying to me for medical bills."
As he spoke, Li Feng glanced around and pressed his face against the car window, searching for Coulson's figure. He asked in confusion, "Where are they? Did they really go to eat and leave you here starving alone?"
Ward's eyebrow twitched slightly as he replied helplessly, "Before Carter Slade left with you, he warned Johnny Blaze to be careful of Witch Heart Demon targeting his family and friends. Johnny Blaze seemed to realize something and hurried off on his motorcycle. Coulson was worried Witch Heart Demon might harm civilians, so he took three researchers with him to support Johnny Blaze."
"Bringing three researchers to fight Witch Heart Demon? Is Coulson planning to deliver takeout to the demon?" Li Feng scratched his head and plopped onto the couch, shouting, "Kreacher, get me a beer and some peanuts."
Then he turned to Ward and said, "Forget Coulson, who knows nothing about devils—even Johnny Blaze, whose job is hunting devils, might not be able to handle Witch Heart Demon. That thing doesn't have a soul, which means Johnny Blaze's most powerful weapon, the Penance Stare, is completely useless against it."
Ward narrowed his eyes in thought as he walked toward the beer dispenser, murmuring softly, "What about Kreacher? Could he deal with Witch Heart Demon?"
"Nope," Li Feng shrugged, giving Ward a strange look as he prepared to pour him a beer.
Suddenly, Li Feng seemed to realize something, half-guessing and half-certain as he said, "Don't tell me Coulson took Kreacher to fight Witch Heart Demon."
Seeing Ward nod innocently, Li Feng instinctively looked out the window at the dusk outside. His lips twitched as he jumped up from the couch in alarm, shouting, "Dammit, Coulson! Ward, call him right now—"
Before he could finish, Kreacher—covered in tattered rags and blood—appeared inside the RV, looking utterly exhausted as he brought Coulson, Melinda, and the others back with him.
At the sight, Li Feng wasted no time. He immediately cast healing and purification spells on Kreacher while pulling out a few drops of Eternal Spring water from his satchel to drip into Kreacher's mouth.
Under the effects of the spells and the water, Kreacher's physical wounds healed completely, though he still looked filthy.
Li Feng sighed in relief, about to point at Kreacher's nose and start scolding—but seeing the house-elf's dejected, drooping head, he suddenly felt a lump in his throat.
"Kreacher..." Unable to bring himself to yell, Li Feng waved his hand helplessly and rubbed his temples. "Go rest." Nearby, Coulson, his face slightly dirty, walked up to Kreacher and sincerely said, "Thank you." Then, with an apologetic look, he turned to Li Feng and said, "I'm sorry that Kreacher was put in danger because of saving us. I didn't expect to encounter Witch Heart Demon and Abigail during the day. Thankfully, Kreacher is alright now."
Li Feng shot Coulson an annoyed glance and replied, "You just didn't expect Witch Heart Demon and Abigail to be so powerful during the day, did you?"
Coulson nodded awkwardly. Truth be told, he had previously heard Li Feng mention that Johnny Blaze couldn't transform into the Ghost Rider during the day. Combined with the legend that Devils only emerged at night, he had subconsciously assumed that daytime was the best opportunity to capture, study, or eliminate them.
So when he saw Johnny Blaze rushing toward the city with a worried expression, Coulson—brainwashed by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ideology—immediately followed him, believing it was his duty as a shield for the citizens. His plan was twofold: protect the civilians from the Devil's harm and seize the chance to capture the Devil to save the world.
However, Johnny Blaze had arrived at the cemetery on his motorcycle, while the only vehicle available to them was a magically powered RV. With Li Feng absent, they couldn't even start the RV, let alone drive it.
As for trying to keep up with a motorcycle on foot—that was pure fantasy. They were agents, not superhumans. Even if they could sprint at world-record speeds for a short time, how could they possibly maintain that pace all the way to the city?
Fortunately, Coulson knew that Kreacher could keep up with Li Feng even when he transformed into black mist for rapid movement. Relying on his own "good guy" charm, he convinced Kreacher to help, allowing them to follow Johnny Blaze.
Similarly, upon arriving at Johnny Blaze's home, Coulson was grateful he had brought Kreacher. There, they not only witnessed Johnny Blaze's beloved being held hostage by a dripping-wet Devil but also encountered Witch Heart Demon, whose face was deathly pale from severe blood loss, and Abigail, the Wind Demon, her hair disheveled and surrounded by swirling gusts.
Witch Heart Demon, of course, was left to Johnny Blaze to handle. But Witch Heart Demon knew the Ghost Rider too well, and with a hostage in hand, Johnny Blaze was forced to fight cautiously. After just a few exchanges, he was overpowered and pinned to the ground.
As for Abigail, she showed no mercy toward Coulson, who was trying to rescue the hostage. She fought ruthlessly—one moment dissolving into wind to dodge bullets, the next slashing at Coulson with Wind Blades.
If not for Kreacher repeatedly risking his life to tackle Abigail, Coulson and his team would have been wiped out entirely.
After hearing Coulson's explanation for why Kreacher was severely injured, Li Feng fell silent for a moment, then looked at Kreacher with a complicated expression. Others might not know, but Li Feng was well aware that if Kreacher were to face the Witch Heart Demon or Abigail at full strength, he would have the will but not the means. However, Kreacher's chances of successfully helping Johnny Blaze rescue his lover were actually quite high. After all, comparing the power the Water Demon could exert during the day with Kreacher's strength, one would find the two were evenly matched, with little difference between them.
But now, Kreacher had chosen to confront Abigail head-on. The reason was simple—Kreacher knew Li Feng wanted Abigail, so he was trying to get close to her in order to teleport her right in front of Li Feng.
Li Feng took a deep breath and silently thanked Kreacher with a bitter smile before asking Coulson, "What happened next? Did they save her?"
Coulson shook his head grimly and said, "The soaking wet guy saw Johnny Blaze subdued by the Witch Heart Demon and immediately turned into a puddle of water, wrapping around Johnny Blaze's lover and leaving. The Witch Heart Demon demanded that Johnny Blaze retrieve the San Venganza Scroll from Carter Slade and exchange it for his lover in the town of San Venganza. After saying that, he left as well."
At this point, Coulson recalled Li Feng mentioning earlier that Carter Slade had something even Devils coveted, as well as Li Feng saying he wanted to be a courier after meeting Carter Slade. Narrowing his eyes, he guessed, "The San Venganza Scroll that Witch Heart Demon mentioned is in your hands, isn't it?"
"Why do you ask?" Li Feng scratched his head curiously. "Did you see me take any scroll?"
Coulson nodded and said, "I think Carter Slade hid the San Venganza Scroll inside the shovel, and that shovel"—Coulson stared intently at Li Feng—"was taken by you."
Well, since the other party had already figured it out, Li Feng saw no point in hiding it. He shrugged and said, "I did take the San Venganza Scroll, but it's not in my hands now." Pausing, Li Feng, afraid that Coulson might ask him to retrieve the scroll from the non-existent Leonor, lied, "You might as well forget about the San Venganza Scroll—it's been destroyed."
Coulson was taken aback. After a moment of thought, he asked, "Did your Pseudo-angel friend do it?"
Seeing Li Feng nod in confirmation, Coulson asked doubtfully, "After all this, I'm really curious—what exactly is the San Venganza Scroll? Why do so many Devils want it? And do you know what kind of Devil Witch Heart Demon is?"
"Legend has it that Witch Heart Demon is Mephisto's unfilial son," Li Feng stroked his chin and said. "But I know Witch Heart Demon doesn't even have a soul. He's more like an experiment created by Mephisto."
Li Feng had reasons for this speculation. Look, Witch Heart Demon's body is active but lacks a soul, making it a perfect vessel for a Devil to possess. In a way, it's quite similar to a reanimated corpse.
So Li Feng couldn't help but wonder if Witch Heart Demon was Mephisto's experiment in preparation for future possession—just that the experiment wasn't perfect yet, which was why Mephisto hadn't possessed him.
Plus, Hell's security might be a bit lax, allowing Witch Heart Demon to escape and attempt to install a soul for himself. That way, he'd gain freedom while also making Mephisto give up on possessing him. After all, Mephisto wouldn't go through all that trouble just to inhabit a body that couldn't unleash its full potential.
"Mephisto's child?! An experiment?!" Coulson's eyes widened at the staggering implications in Li Feng's words. He grimaced and said, "Austin, that's not a funny joke at all."
Li Feng spread his hands, giving a 'believe it or not' look, then continued, "You're focusing on the wrong thing. Didn't you hear me say Witch Heart Demon has no soul?"
Coulson rubbed his throbbing temples and motioned for Li Feng to go on.
"The San Venganza Scroll contains an astonishing number of evil spirits. If Witch Heart Demon devours them, he'll gain his own soul, and his power will become… troublesome," Li Feng paused, then added uncertainly, "Without using Pseudo-angel Feathers, I'm not sure if I can even handle Witch Heart Demon." Coulson asked, "What if we use the Pseudo-angel Feathers?"
Li Feng shrugged and said, "Probably just a big dish."
At this point, Li Feng narrowed his eyes and looked at the shoulder bag, thinking to himself: "With Pseudo-angel Feathers and a Scythe that absorbs divine energy, wouldn't Witch Heart Demon just be a big dish?"