The day after Xu Yi and Hong Jing arrived, Xiong Zhuangzhuang, Yu Xiaoyu, and Ji Buwang arrived.
On the third day, Bei Xinghan arrived.
On the fourth day, Bai Shan arrived, and the seven-person team was assembled.
"Sister Xu, long time no see, you look as radiant as ever." As soon as Bai Shan saw Xu Yi, the pleasantries flowed effortlessly.
Xu Yi was quite pleased by this and smiled, beckoning him to sit beside her.
Bai Shan happily agreed. However, before he could reach Xu Yi, a figure had already taken a seat beside her.
Bai Shan's round face drooped, "Sister Xu~ Look at Lu Zaiye, he's taking my spot!"
Ji Buwang remained still, his expression composed.
Xu Yi glanced at Ji Buwang with surprise but didn't reprimand him. Instead, she said to Bai Shan, "Lu Zaiye might have something to tell me. You can sit over there."
Xu Yi knew who was more important between Bai Shan and Lu Zaiye.
"Hmph!"
Bai Shan shot a glare at Ji Buwang, then rolled his eyes at Yu Xiaoyu on Xu Yi's other side, before reluctantly finding a random seat.
"Everyone is here. Now let Lu Zaiye explain the mission to us."
Xu Yi looked at Ji Buwang after everyone had taken their seats.
"According to information received by the Academy, the demon race has recently shown signs of tearing up the peace treaty. The Academy's mission is for us to enter Zhuzhou to investigate the demon race's situation, infiltrate their ranks as much as possible, and obtain the most valuable clues."
As Ji Buwang finished speaking, Bai Shan crossed his arms and said sarcastically, "No way, is the Academy mistaken? The highest cultivation among us is only Sister Xu at the early Integration stage. Going to Zhuzhou would be seeking death."
Zhuzhou was the demon race's stronghold. A single demon there could drown them with a spit.
Bai Shan thought the old fogeys at Kunlun Academy must have lost their minds to come up with such a devious plan.
Although the others didn't chime in, their expressions revealed varying degrees of unease. No one believed they could escape Zhuzhou unscathed.
"The Academy had already considered this. These are the jade talismans prepared by the Academy for us."
Ji Buwang waved his sleeve, and six red jade talismans floated to each person.
"What's the use of these jade talismans?"
Xiong Zhuangzhuang grabbed a talisman and examined it up and down.
Bai Shan, impatient, immediately injected his spiritual energy into the talisman.
*Bang!*
Everyone looked towards the source of the sound, all sporting peculiar smiles.
Someone couldn't hold back and chuckled first, then the laughter spread like wildfire.
"Hahaha!"
Among them, Xiong Zhuangzhuang's laughter was the most robust, making the entire roof seem to shake.
Bai Shan, puzzled, looked down at his own body.
Nothing seemed wrong.
Before he could look up, something flickered in front of his eyes.
He stiffly reached up to his head.
Soft.
And a little elastic.
He panicked and summoned a water mirror. Looking at himself in the mirror, with two short, chubby red tentacles on his forehead and eyes as red as a rabbit's, he felt like crying.
This was too ugly!
He refused.
"Hahahahahahahaha!"
Xiong Zhuangzhuang couldn't help himself and let out another earth-shattering laugh.
Xiong Zhuangzhuang swore upon his Dao heart that he truly didn't mean to laugh.
But he had seen so many demons in the Myriad Buddhist Sect's secret realm, and none of them were as... unique as Bai Shan.
"Cough! Cough!" Xu Yi saw Bai Shan's face turn green and managed to suppress her laughter, which was about to escape her throat, and then she choked.
However, before she could even cough twice, a hand gently patted her back, helping her regain her breath.
She shivered inexplicably, her eyes widening like bells. She stared at Ji Buwang in horror, the cough completely startled out of her.
Something was wrong!
Lu Zaiye wasn't right!
Under Xu Yi's gaze, Ji Buwang calmly withdrew his hand, pretending nothing had happened, and looked straight ahead, his heart pounding wildly.
"You..."
Xu Yi wanted to say something to Ji Buwang, but in the end, she said nothing.
She was overthinking things, right?
Lu Zaiye seemed perfectly normal.
"No laughing! No laughing!"
Bai Shan yelled angrily, standing up.
However, as he stood up, the two tentacles on his head shook more vigorously, and Xiong Zhuangzhuang's laughter, which had just subsided, erupted again.
"Xiong Zhuangzhuang, you're still laughing!" Bai Shan glared at Xiong Zhuangzhuang, "Hurry up and activate that jade talisman. I want to see what you'll turn into!"
"Hahaha, alright, hahaha, I'll do it too."
Xiong Zhuangzhuang, still laughing, followed Bai Shan's instructions and injected his spiritual energy into the red jade talisman.
*Bang!*
The smoke dissipated.
Bai Shan's face turned almost purple as he looked at the transformed Xiong Zhuangzhuang.
"How is it? How is it?"
Xiong Zhuangzhuang grinned and asked loudly.
"Hmph!" Bai Shan snorted and plopped back into his seat.
Yu Xiaoyu, however, took a careful look and nodded, "Not bad."
"Really."
Xiong Zhuangzhuang happily summoned a water mirror and then showed a satisfied smile, "Indeed, it's not bad."
Xiong Zhuangzhuang's demon form didn't differ much from his original appearance. Besides his eyes turning red, the biggest change was that his body expanded by a noticeable amount, making his clothes appear tight and giving him an imposing aura.
After Xiong Zhuangzhuang, the others also injected their spiritual energy into the talismans.
*Bang bang bang!*
Bai Shan's face completely darkened.
Why was he the only one who looked ugly?
Were those old guys at Kunlun Academy targeting him on purpose!
He was so angry!
Xu Yi's figure became taller and more slender, her face covered in dark red demonic patterns, making her appear more enchanting and devilishly charming.
Yu Xiaoyu grew a pair of dark red demonic horns on his head. Hong Jing remained bald, but his scalp and entire face were covered in black scales, only revealing a pair of deep-set eyes.
Ji Buwang's black hair turned red, and a blood-red mole appeared below his right eye, adding a touch of allure.
The most striking transformation was Bei Xinghan.
Bei Xinghan was already exceptionally handsome. After demonizing, his beauty seemed to be magnified several times, possessing an aggressive charm. His pointed ears were particularly noticeable.
"Bei Xinghan, you're too good-looking."
Xu Yi stared at Bei Xinghan's face, exclaiming in admiration.
Bei Xinghan's brow furrowed slightly, and a chill emanated from him.
He hadn't wanted this either.
He could already imagine how much trouble he would cause appearing in demon territory like this.
"Bei Xinghan's appearance is very advantageous. With him here, we won't have to go to great lengths to set traps to lure the demons." Ji Buwang said calmly.
Demons were lustful and enjoyed pleasure. They couldn't resist approaching attractive individuals of their own kind, and a few words would be enough for a fleeting encounter.
With Bei Xinghan's looks, he was bound to attract numerous admirers, and they would simply have to wait for them to come to them, effortlessly dealing with the demons.
"Lu Zaiye is right. Bei Xinghan, we'll have to trouble you."
"Bei Xinghan, the responsibility of demon slaying falls to you."
Bei Xinghan's expression softened slightly, and he nodded gravely.