The group secretly felt fortunate that they had arrived a night early.
Sensing many strands of divine sense slowly moving away, they could now be almost certain of one thing: some powerful divine senses were likely expanding outward, clearing a certain area to lock it down and prevent outside cultivators from entering.
Such continuous, large-scale sweeps of divine sense were extremely taxing, even for Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators. Therefore, when there were demonic cultivators sending people to search on-site, loopholes would appear instead.
Not being discovered before didn't mean they were safe. The illusion formation Li Yan and the others were in was in constant danger of being seen through.
"The safest place now is inside Zhouyang Town. Only by mixing in with them can we find the two inside agents, and it will be harder for others to discover us.
"As the senior brothers have said, this situation indeed looks like a mobilization before a large army marches."
As he spoke, a worried look appeared in Li Yan's eyes. He hadn't expected this mission to encounter such a sudden turn of events. Although nothing was certain, they definitely had to prepare for the worst-case scenarios they could imagine.
"If that's truly the case, we have no more time to wait. We must enter Zhouyang Town, and we must complete the mission tonight.
"Otherwise, not only will the mission fail, but even the road back might become a battlefield. We will surely be exposed," Li Yan paused for a moment and continued.
He also felt they could wait no longer and spoke his thoughts. After tonight, even returning might become a distant hope.
But how to sneak into Zhouyang Town, that was the key at the moment.
"Junior Brother Li is absolutely right. But how can we get close to Zhouyang Town now?"
Hu Xiaowang couldn't think of a way to quietly enter Zhouyang Town. He and Yan Feijun, perhaps because of their similar status, had always felt a sense of shared misfortune.
During this mission, the two felt a particular empathy for each other and often discussed plans via voice transmission. Since they knew they couldn't avoid the mission, they naturally wanted to complete it smoothly to get the promised rewards from the sect. But after arriving here, they had been unable to come up with a good plan.
He was now asking Li Yan how to "get close to Zhouyang Town," which showed he was completely clueless.
Hearing Hu Xiaowang's question, the others all nodded. They, too, had of course seen the problem and had been trying to think of a solution. So much time had passed, yet they were still at a loss.
Sun Guoshu considered himself skilled at gathering information, but now that he couldn't use his divine sense and couldn't get close to the target, he was also at his wit's end.
"Hehe, I have a plan that should allow us to enter Zhouyang Town," Li Yan suddenly chuckled in a low voice as the others looked over.
Hearing that Li Yan already had a plan, the four of them couldn't help but feel a jolt of energy. It was good to have a plan. Only by taking action would the possibility of completing the mission draw closer.
"Oh? Junior Brother Li has a plan? Please enlighten us!" A flash of excitement appeared in Yan Feijun's eyes, and he hurriedly asked in a low voice.
The illusion formation he had set up naturally had a sound-insulating effect. As long as it wasn't something extremely private, speaking was the most direct way for the four of them to communicate.
A faint, unnoticeable smile touched the corners of Li Yan's mouth. "We'll transform into a demonic clan scout squad, evade the patrol teams on this mountain, then sneak out from one side and enter the town openly."
Li Yan, of course, had long had a plan in mind. Hiding here was just to find the right opportunity and to confirm the situation inside Zhouyang Town.
But when the other four heard the plan Li Yan casually mentioned, Hu Xiaowang and Yan Feijun almost cursed out loud. Anyone could have thought of that plan. Did he really think he was the captain and everyone else was an idiot?
The reason they hadn't proposed this plan was that it wasn't very feasible. The scout squads here were unique.
Each squad was led by two demonic cultivators, with the rest composed of foreign cultivators or South Sea cultivators. Moreover, the South Sea cultivators were definitely under some kind of restriction.
If they were to transform into a demonic clan scout squad, where would the two demonic cultivators come from? Although they could change their appearance, they had none of the unique demonic art aura of a demonic cultivator. As long as the other side wasn't completely stupid, they would spot the flaw with a little attention.
Of course, you could just transform into a squad of human cultivators and say that the two demonic cultivator leaders had died on the mission.
But in that case, the most likely outcome would be that not only would the five of them fail to blend in, but they would become the most conspicuous target.
A squad of purely human cultivators returning to Zhouyang Town would be targeted by demonic cultivators the moment they arrived. It would be better if they were all foreign cultivators.
If they were South Sea cultivators, they would naturally have to determine why the restrictions hadn't been triggered, causing their deaths. Or, if they had obtained the tokens from the dead demonic cultivators, why would they willingly return here?
No one would be foolish enough to have a chance to escape, only to come back with the restriction tokens in hand, begging others to continue controlling their lives.
It was precisely because of this situation that Yan Feijun and the others hadn't even proposed the plan of transforming into a demonic scout squad to blend in yesterday.
To think that this Junior Brother Li, with such a solemn expression, would come up with a plan that anyone could have thought of.
Was he really so anxious that he had lost his composure, or had he simply not thought of this point at all? He had been putting on an act for so long, looking so calm, but in the end, it was all for nothing.
This time, even Bai Rou frowned prettily. However, she still thought about Li Yan's plan for a moment, considered her wording, and then said softly.
"Junior Brother Li, there are still some problems with this plan. We can't replicate the aura of a demonic cultivator. We'll end up being the most conspicuous squad, and we'll likely be targeted by the demonic cultivators as soon as we appear."
Hu Xiaowang and Yan Feijun were rolling their eyes internally. Their Junior Sister Bai was really trying to save Li Yan's face. To think she would bother to state such an obvious point. And her tone was so patient, as if she were explaining it to him. They really didn't know what Martial Uncle Wei was thinking. This Li Yan was not even as good as Bai Rou, yet he had temporarily seized power and become the captain.
Throughout the journey, aside from providing some assistance with flying, it was mostly the four of them clearing the path ahead. His contribution was even less than Sun Guoshu's.
However, at least Li Yan had been willing to disregard his own safety and risk his life to lure away two demonic cultivators. This point had made Hu and Yan feel that Li Yan's courage and luck were decent. But now, that little bit of good feeling had vanished completely.
It was one thing for Li Yan to be an idiot himself, but he also saw everyone else as being the same as him.
Just as the others were grumbling internally, Li Yan suddenly gave Bai Rou a smiling nod and said faintly.
"Oh, that's simple!"
In the next moment, a cloud of black gas suddenly erupted from Li Yan's body. The black gas surged in an instant, and before the astonished gazes of the others, Li Yan vanished before their very eyes.
In his place stood a towering giant of a man with skin like iron, bulging muscles, and bare arms densely covered in patterns.
The giant stood amidst the churning black gas, his figure looming and indistinct. The patterns on his body resembled ferocious ghost faces, shifting and changing with the flexing of his muscles, as if they were alive.
His face was none other than that of U Yuan, one of the two demonic cultivators who had been chasing them a few days ago. At this moment, the demonic qi surging from U Yuan's body was like a tide, and in the perception of Hu Xiaowang and the others, this demonic qi was exceptionally pure.
This sudden transformation gave the four of them a huge fright. Their reactions were extremely fast; with a leap, they distanced themselves from Li Yan, their gazes instantly becoming as sharp as knives.
Their backs were pressed against the barrier of the illusion formation, and Spirit Power surged from their bodies, ready to strike at any moment.
"Who... are... you?" Hu Xiaowang said, one word at a time.
At the same time, Bai Rou's flustered voice also rang out. "You... you... what did you do to Junior Brother Li?"
Although Yan Feijun and Sun Guoshu didn't speak, light was already flickering unstably in their hands. Even though they would be exposed the moment they attacked, they couldn't be bothered with that now.
In their perception, the person before them was a true demonic cultivator, his demonic qi incomparably pure. Their first reaction was that Li Yan had been subjected to Body Seizure or a demonic clan restriction when he was being chased.
Li Yan's soul and body were now controlled by a demonic cultivator. He had followed them and hidden here to figure out their plans. Now that they were at the demonic cultivators' lair, it was time for him to make his move.
Just then, Li Yan's voice came from "U Yuan's" mouth.
"Why the panic, everyone? Would the enemy demonic cultivator, for the sake of controlling me, so easily abandon his own body to seize a human one?"
Li Yan's voice coming from a strange, large man's mouth made the four of them feel particularly strange and uncomfortable.
However, Li Yan's words also reminded them that the conditions for Body Seizure were harsh, requiring a match in physical body, soul fluctuations, and so on.
Moreover, a cultivator could only perform a Body Seizure once in their lifetime. Besides, demonic cultivators were known to value their own bodies the most. They would never be willing to seize the body of a human cultivator unless it was their last resort.
"Then the demonic qi on your body?..." This time, it was Sun Guoshu who asked.
They had only recently come into contact with true demonic cultivators; before, they had only heard of them.
Demonic cultivators were notoriously brutal, even to themselves. Once defeated, they would immediately self-detonate with extreme ferocity.
Bai Rou and the other three had never obtained the corpse of a demonic cultivator, let alone studied one. At most, they knew that they couldn't use a demonic cultivator's magical treasures, as they couldn't be controlled.
Only cultivators like Wei Zhongran, who had fought against demonic cultivators for a long time, would know some of the origins of demonic arts and the physical structure of demonic cultivators.
Hearing the explanation from "U Yuan's" mouth, and hearing Li Yan's own voice, Bai Rou, though still extremely uncomfortable looking at him, was the first to feel a sense of relief. With just one sentence of explanation, she already believed him a little.
But the others remained tense, waiting for Li Yan's answer. Hu Xiaowang and the other two didn't relax their vigilance in the slightest; on the contrary, the Spirit Power surging from their bodies grew even more intense.
Li Yan suddenly raised a thick arm. This movement startled the four of them, thinking "U Yuan" was launching a surprise attack.
With the exception of Bai Rou, the Immortal Arts that Hu Xiaowang and the others had been charging were instantly unleashed. But just as they were fired, the demonic qi on "U Yuan" vanished. His appearance, however, remained that of U Yuan. Li Yan's voice quickly came through.
"Senior Brother, Senior Sister, please calm down!"
Bai Rou was the first to sense the human aura on "U Yuan." In her anxiety, she also shot out a streak of white silk, but this white silk was aimed at the Immortal Arts unleashed by Hu Xiaowang and the others.
But before the white silk could intercept them, Li Yan strangely disappeared from his original spot. Just as the others were greatly alarmed, Li Yan's figure reappeared in an instant.
Li Yan stood on the "Cloud-Piercing Willow," his body bobbing slightly in the air. "U Yuan's" face was now calm. He pinched an object between two thick fingers and answered Sun Guoshu.
"Here, the key to the demonic qi is this item!"