Five days later, Xu Yi and the other six left Xianzi City, traveled north, and finally stopped at the border of Shizhou.
"Is that the demon realm over there?" Yu Xiaoyu stared at the vastly different environment beyond the border and said blankly.
After the peace treaty was signed, a barrier was erected outside Zhuzhou, trapping the demons within it. Demonic energy gathered and lingered in the sky above Zhuzhou, and over time, Zhuzhou became shrouded in black mist. From within Shizhou, only a vast expanse of black mist could be seen.
"Such an evil aura." Xu Yi's expression was solemn. Even before the demon race had fully occupied the Myriad Buddha Sect's secret realm, she had felt extremely uncomfortable. Once inside Zhuzhou, that feeling would only intensify.
"Everyone, once you enter Zhuzhou, you must proceed with caution and absolutely do not reveal your identities." Hong Jing, whose Buddhist beads were always in his hand, had put them away. As a neighbor to the demon race, Hong Jing knew firsthand the terror of demons. They were about to enter the demons' lair, and if they were exposed even for a moment, the alerted demons would tear them to shreds.
"Mhm! We'll be careful!" the others agreed in unison, their expressions grave.
"How should we enter?" Xu Yi looked at Ji Buwang.
"I will use a spiritual talisman to tear open an entrance in the barrier. Ten breaths later, the rift will close." Ji Buwang raised his hand and took out a talisman from his sleeve. Xu Yi curiously looked at the runes on the talisman, which were spiritual patterns she had never seen before. She felt a momentary itch of curiosity, but remembering the current special circumstances, she suppressed her strong desire for knowledge.
Ji Buwang glanced at Xu Yi, then used his spiritual power to activate the talisman and pressed it against the barrier ahead. The talisman ignited without wind, quickly creating a rift in the barrier, and demonic energy immediately surged out from the opening. Ji Buwang raised his hand to block the demonic energy with his spiritual power and said to the group, "Quick!"
Without needing further prompting, the group immediately transformed into streaks of spiritual light and entered the rift. Ji Buwang waited until the talisman's spiritual power was exhausted and the rift was about to close before leaping in. The moment he entered the barrier, a red talisman he carried automatically sensed him, and his appearance instantly transformed into that of a red-haired, red-eyed demon. He scanned his surroundings, found Xu Yi, and silently walked to her side. He then took out a new spiritual talisman from his sleeve and handed it to her.
Xu Yi:!
Xu Yi accepted the talisman with a delighted expression and asked silently, "For me?" Ji Buwang nodded. "Thank you," Xu Yi replied with a smile, holding the talisman and treasuring it. Ji Buwang felt his mood lift seeing Xu Yi happy.
The barrier trapping the demons had been in place for nearly a thousand years and had long since lost its original potency. Besides the talisman in his hand, there were many other ways to open the demon realm's barrier. The demons within Zhuzhou also used similar methods to escape. Although the five major sects were vigorously pursuing these demons in secret, the demons had developed for a thousand years and researched many new spells previously unseen, adding significant difficulty to their capture. This was one of the reasons Kunlun Academy wanted them to enter Zhuzhou. It was irrational to launch a full-scale war without understanding the demons' situation. Knowing oneself and the enemy was the key to victory.
"This jade talisman seems to be able to block demonic energy!" Yu Xiaoyu had been cautiously guarding against the surrounding demonic energy since entering the barrier. However, she had just made an important discovery: these demonic energies were completely blocked by the jade talisman and could not get close. This meant that even in demon territory, they did not need to worry about the demonic energy causing damage to their bodies, thus removing a major concern.
The others were overjoyed. Their biggest worries before were the demonic energy and the exposure of their identities, but this jade talisman surprisingly solved both problems at once. Bai Shan finally believed that Kunlun Academy was not sending them to their deaths but genuinely wanted them to investigate the demons' situation.
"Where should we go now?" Bai Shan asked, his tentacles swaying. He had to admit, his adaptability was strong; he had already grown accustomed to these two tentacles.
"Let's head north." Bei Xinghan observed for a moment and replied calmly. They were currently at the southernmost and most remote part of Zhuzhou. As long as they headed north, they were bound to reach the demon-concentrated areas.
"Agreed."
"I concur."
The others had no objections, and the seven began their journey north.
...
"Jililagula guluya zha..."
"Speak human! Speak human!" Bai Shan punched the demon beneath him twice on the head, snarling.
"...Ji gua! Ji gua!"
"I said speak human! Speak human!"
Xu Yi and the others frowned, watching Bai Shan pound the unfortunate demon's face, their mouths twitching slightly.
"He refuses to speak!" With a final punch, the demon completely lost consciousness. Bai Shan shook his fists and stood up, looking impatient. He hadn't expected this guy to be so ugly yet so stubborn. No matter how he hit him, he refused to speak the human language. He walked over to Xu Yi and the others, only to find them looking at him with that strange expression again. He flicked his tentacles and said irritably, "Why are you looking at me! If you have the ability, go and ask him!"
"Mmm..." Xu Yi considered her words and said softly, "Bai Shan, have you considered that perhaps he doesn't *refuse* to speak human language, but rather he *cannot*?" Bai Shan's face stiffened, and then he stubbornly argued, "Then it's his own fault for not knowing." Not even able to speak human language, truly useless. Xu Yi shook her head helplessly. This fainted demon was the first demon they encountered after entering Zhuzhou, with a cultivation level around the Golden Core stage. Upon seeing them, this demon immediately turned and fled in the opposite direction, only to be captured by the short-tempered Bai Shan and beaten soundly before it could even utter a complete sentence.
"Does anyone here know the demon language?" Xu Yi hadn't considered this question before entering. The demons they encountered in the Myriad Buddha Sect's secret realm all spoke human languages, so Xu Yi had naturally assumed all demons could speak. Xiong Zhuangzhuang, Yu Xiaoyu, and Bei Xinghan shook their heads one after another.
"I do," Hong Jing said.
"You do?" Bai Shan's eyes lit up, and he asked curiously, "What was that demon saying before he fainted?" Hong Jing suppressed the upward curve of his lips. "He was begging for mercy, begging for mercy from the great king."
"Hahahaha." Xiong Zhuangzhuang laughed so hard he couldn't stand up straight. "What's so funny? I *am* their great king!" Bai Shan flicked his head, a hint of pride in his voice. Xu Yi ignored him and said to Hong Jing, "Then, when he wakes up, I'll leave the questioning to you."
"Alright." Although Bai Shan had tried his best to control his strength, the gap in power between him and the demon was too great. It wasn't until three days later that the demon finally woke up in pain.
"He's awake, he's awake!" The moment the demon's eyes opened, he saw Bai Shan shouting loudly. Nightmare washed over him. The demon closed his eyes and fainted once more.
Bai Shan:!