The bald old demon couldn’t figure out what Zhang Yan was planning, but he secretly rejoiced in his heart, "I originally intended to gather a few more disciples pretending to be injured to send forward. Now, however, things have become much easier. No matter how cunning this little thief is, these dozen disciples, though inferior to me, have skills without any flaws. Looking at this little thief, he’s merely at the Xuan Guang First Realm. Once my puppets get inside, they’ll swarm him and kill those few people, then snatch the tokens and wipe out all Mingcang Sect disciples on the island. At the very least, this would delay two days, right? By then, matters over at Jin Tanggong’s place should be taken care of."
What he didn’t know was that the six Flying Palaces had long been collected by the child, making the contest for Bamboo Island irrelevant. However, none of the demons cared about this. In their eyes, if the bald old demon succeeded in this matter, it would certainly be ideal. If not, it wouldn’t really matter—why dampen his mood? Thus, no one bothered to tell him this.
Zhang Yan saw these disciples return and immediately estimated that his previous inference was correct; something unusual must have happened ahead.
Though he hadn’t realized these people’s hearts and spirits had already been tampered with, a cultivator has countless methods to threaten or control individuals—it’s not limited to Demon Sect techniques. He didn’t need to overthink; just observing their words and actions already revealed several suspicious points.
Initially, he intended to stop Tu Song. But after reconsidering, given Tu Song’s earnest and noble demeanor, and his strong sense of camaraderie, unless Zhang Yan killed him, he would surely open the prohibition. Besides, once one person entered, it would set a precedent, allowing a second, then a third.
More likely, Tu Song himself might inadvertently leak the entry spell into the formation. If a Great Demon learned about this, there would be no stopping them.
Since that was the case, he decided to let them all in. There were merely fifteen people in total. If there truly was anything sinister, he could simply kill them all.
Tu Song initially thought Zhang Yan was being sarcastic, so he moved a bit further away. Only after seeing Zhang Yan indeed not step forward to intervene did he find peace. Waving the token in his hand, he opened the prohibition. Yet, he was cautious enough to close the prohibition immediately after these people entered one by one.
Observing his actions, the bald old demon silently sighed in relief that he hadn’t acted recklessly. After all, Perch Eagle Land was separated from Bamboo Island by some distance. In the vast waters, where there was no place to hide, even a brief moment of activated prohibition was insufficient for him to rush over.
Now, seeing the disciples afflicted with his demon curse entering the prohibition one by one, he solidified his conviction. His face turned sinister, and with a cold smile, he activated the spell, instantly stirring the hatred and murderous intent buried in those disciples’ hearts.
Pan Hong had just stepped onto Bamboo Island when a thought suddenly emerged deep within him: "Here I am fighting for my life, yet these two remain unscathed. And that’s not all—they riddled us with criticism and suspicion upon our return instead of offering solace or aid. These two truly deserve death!"
This thought wasn’t entirely new; it had existed before but never surfaced. Like an ordinary person seeing gold and silver beauties, the instinct to steal and possess arises in one’s heart. Still, rationality always prevails, preventing most from acting on such impulses.
But something was different now. The moment this idea surged within Pan Hong, he couldn’t suppress it. His hatred demanded action—he had to kill those two to quell his fury. This wicked blaze in his heart grew fiercer, as though only fulfilling his desires would rid him of his restraints and grant him absolute bliss and joy.
The more he thought about it, the stronger the intent became. By the end, aside from the thought of killing these two, all other considerations were cast aside. Before long, his gaze toward Zhang Yan and Tu Song was filled with undisguised murderous intent.
It wasn’t just him—behind him, the dozen other disciples were similarly driven by various reasons, all consumed by the same overwhelming bloodlust.
At this point, these disciples had already fallen into the demon realm, entirely reduced to tools in the hands of the bald old demon. Even if the old demon removed the demon curse, they would no longer revert to being the initial Mingcang Sect disciples.
Watching these individuals now bursting with savagery and an overwhelming murderous aura, even Tu Song realized something was wrong. He hesitated, wanting to retreat, but it was already too late.