"As for Kyōjūrō, he can actually walk under sunlight... Did his Martial Spirit awakening eliminate the side effects of being a demon, or did his body mutate during the process of crossing worlds?"
Wu Tong watched Kyōjūrō's figure strolling leisurely under the sun, noting the absence of the "tattoos" that once adorned his body.
If not for knowing this guy was Kyōjūrō, Wu Tong would hardly have recognized him, given how drastically he had changed.
After all, the demon race from the Demon Slayer world, much like vampires in Western mythology, couldn't walk in sunlight. They were purely nocturnal creatures, traversing the world only in the dark of night. Exposure to sunlight would burn them to ashes.
"Whatever, not my problem. After extracting the world coordinates from him, I'll hand him over to Mobius and the others as a test subject. They'll probably be thrilled to have an almost-immortal specimen."
"Besides, given the crimes he's committed, death wouldn't be enough punishment. Being an experimental subject is practically a mercy for him."
"An almost-immortal lab rat? Where? Which one among those people is it?"
Mobius's voice suddenly rang in Wu Tong's ear, slightly distorted and brimming with barely contained excitement.
"Uh... Did I say that out loud?"
Hearing Mobius's voice, Wu Tong looked down and saw the green-haired bratty girl standing before him. He froze, then glanced at the others nearby.
They nodded in confirmation, their expressions telling him everything.
Realizing what had happened, Wu Tong felt so embarrassed he could've dug a three-bedroom apartment with his toes.
"From which part did I start talking?"
"From the 'pleasant surprise' part. Now stop changing the subject—tell me, which one among them is my dear lab rat?" Mobius replied offhandedly, her gaze fixed intently on Wu Tong.
Almost immortal... Is it lifespan, time, or regenerative abilities?
Any of these could be groundbreaking for my research.
What exactly does Wu Tong mean by 'immortal'?
No matter what, this could significantly advance my work.
How exciting. Following Wu Tong to this world was definitely the right decision. It hasn't been long, and he's already found something fascinating.
With this, my dream of attaining infinity might not be so far-fetched after all.
Seeing the fervor in Mobius's eyes, Wu Tong understood. Anyone familiar with Mobius knew of her obsession with infinity.
Demons, while not truly immortal, possessed remarkable longevity and regenerative abilities. With such traits, it was no surprise Kyōjūrō had caught her attention.
Snapping back to reality, Wu Tong gestured to Mobius. "That guy over there—the one with pinkish-red short hair, golden pupils, and a lean build—he's your target. But hold on, I need to retrieve something from him first. After that, he's all yours."
He then turned to Elysia and the others, meeting their gazes.
"Don't worry, this guy isn't a good person. His kind feeds on humans, and he's killed countless people. He deserves death a hundred times over—even death row inmates have more humanity. So, no need to pity him."
Hearing this, the resolve in Elysia's eyes hardened.
"Let's go already. I can't wait to meet my little lab rat~," Mobius urged impatiently.
Seeing her eagerness, Wu Tong decided it was time to act. With stowaways like these, there was no room for delay.
Not that they could escape, but caution was always wise.
"Alright, let's go. Time to meet the two stowaways who sneaked into our world."
With that, Wu Tong deactivated the soul tool concealing their group and led the way toward Shrek Academy's team and Granny Snake's group.
——
Meanwhile, the Shrek team, locked in a tense standoff with Granny Snake, remained oblivious to Wu Tong's musings—and even less aware that one of them had already been marked.
The two groups continued their confrontation, both intent on claiming the spirit ring of the Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent lying on the ground.
"...Brother Zhao, now that the facts are clear, shouldn't you return this Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent to us?" Chao Tianxiang spoke first, demanding the spirit beast and presenting evidence of their prior attack on it.
But Zhao Wuji, ever the brute, wasn't having any of it.
"Senior Snake, I'm afraid this matter isn't so straightforward," Zhao Wuji replied slowly.
Chao Tianxiang frowned. "Brother Zhao, are you saying you refuse to return the serpent to us?"
Meng Yiran, standing beside her grandmother, couldn't hold back. "What's so complicated about this?
"We discovered this four-thousand-year Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent first. If we hadn't injured it, would you have captured it so easily?
"Hand it over now, or don't blame me for being impolite."
As she spoke, she raised her serpent-headed staff.
Before Zhao Wuji could respond, Ma Hongjun cut in. "Miss, that's not quite fair. In the Star Dou Great Forest, all spirit beasts are ownerless.
"Maybe you did find and injure this serpent first, but we're the ones who caught it.
"Calling it yours just because of that seems unfair. While it might suit you, it's equally suitable for one of my brothers.
"A gentle spirit beast like this would greatly benefit his Martial Spirit too."
Meng Yiran's expression turned icy. "How shameless can you be? How dare you spout such nonsense."
"This Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent is at least four thousand years old. Trying to swallow it whole might just break your teeth.
"Besides, no matter how 'suitable' you claim it is, could it possibly match my Serpent Staff Martial Spirit? I doubt any of you have a serpent-related Martial Spirit."
Indeed, this Phoenix-Tailed Crested Serpent was at least four thousand years old.
...
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(End of Chapter)