Chapter 219: After Crossing Over, Seeing a Person for the First Time

"Sss! It still hurts so much!"

"My body, my body!"

"So dark, so terrifying!"

The world shifted from bright to dark; Feng Xue rubbed his head hard, heard Liu Yunxi's voice, and rolled his eyes, locking his lifespan as he said—

"You look like a snake!"

"Boom!"

Smoke rose, and Liu Yunxi, who had taken spectral form clinging to him, regained her body. He was about to retrieve Mo Ying's physical form from the Hu Tian Bag when he suddenly noticed many eyes fixed on him.

This was the first time he'd been seen right after crossing over; Feng Xue felt his skin crawl and immediately tried to cast a substitution technique—but it failed to activate. A chill spread from his tailbone to the crown of his head.

From a shoulder-level view, all he saw was an endless string of numbers, their owners being grotesque ghost-flame skulls, twisted and sinister humanoid shapes, a long-horned youth in a trench coat, a white-haired girl with protruding fangs, and a dog head…

"I'm a werewolf, thank you!"

"Ah, sorry… huh?" Feng Xue's gaze turned Solemn. The creature with a Husky's head, no taller than his ankle, sighed and said:

"I can smell emotions and surface thoughts. Though I should introduce myself, still…"

He turned slightly, stepping aside to let the long-horned youth in the trench coat take the front position:

"Hello, new companion. I am Dobiou Mephisto, lord of the Demon City, current Demon King. Welcome to this world. I recall the Demon Dragon race can alter their form—could you shrink down a bit?"

"Demon Dragon?" Feng Xue froze internally, only then realizing he was still wearing the Kitara "costume." He did not immediately dispel the Faith Core: Kitara's possession, but silently cast a shaman's spell to guide the devotional energy.

Even after burning away most of the impure devotional energy, Kitara's body—over twenty meters long—slowly shrank until it became a two-meter-tall 【Wu You Yan Fa】 form. Any special effects fan would recognize this appearance: it was Kitara's other form—Monster X.

(Approximate appearance)

After confirming none of the others objected to his new form, he asked:

"This world? Companion?"

"Correct. Whenever human power grows, new companions cross over into this world," said the skull crowned with azure flame, its voice like bones grinding. "I am the first servant of the Demon King—Ash. My profession is Bone King. I've sensed the spirit energy on you—you're a Necromancer, perhaps? Or a legendary Dragon Lich?"

"????" Feng Xue felt question marks almost popping from his forehead. The dog—no, the werewolf—shook his head:

"I can smell the scent of the living and Lei Ting. This newcomer is likely an Elementalist."

"Clearly a Beast Tamer! Didn't you see that talking snake? Hey, can I have a few drops of your blood? I've never tasted dragon blood!" The white-haired girl with red eyes shoved past the werewolf, staring at Feng Xue with hungry eyes, as if she'd pounce the moment he blinked. But then a humanoid figure, seemingly stitched from mismatched parts, grabbed her by the collar and spoke in a cold voice:

"This one is Bi Gelei, a vampire, profession Blood Mage. I am the automaton Mary, profession Puppeteer."

"My name… hmm, you can call me Kitara. As for my profession—it's complicated, but I suppose I'm勉强 a Wizard?" Looking at this group of dark fantasy demons, Feng Xue instinctively gave a false name, lifted up Liu Yunxi—who was still examining her body—and said:

"So, could you first tell me what's going on here?"

"Even if you ask, this isn't something I can explain right away. Your undead is about to go berserk—deal with it first," said the skull calling himself Ash. Feng Xue then remembered Mo Ying's physical form was still in the Hu Tian Bag. He immediately pulled out the scroll.

He knew living beings with consciousness couldn't be stored in the Hu Tian Bag—but he never imagined ghosts counted too!

Listening to Mo Ying's "Wu wu wu" sobs, Feng Xue felt at a loss, but couldn't comfort her in front of all these demons and monsters. Yet these grotesque-looking creatures were surprisingly friendly—they all gave him gentle, "I understand" glances. The Demon King snapped his fingers with a stylish flair, and a classic succubus maid emerged from nowhere.

"You'll need time to rest. She'll take you to your room and explain basic常识. The rest can wait until dinner."

Though the Demon King's suggestion was reasonable, Feng Xue shook his head:

"No. I need an answer that lets me feel safe staying here—or I'd rather leave now."

He currently possessed both Undeath and Regeneration—his tone was utterly confident, as if to say: explain or I'll just kill my way out.

"How dare you spurn the Demon King's kindness!"

The skull crowned with blue flame roared in fury, but the "young" Demon King, Dobiou Mephisto, raised a hand to halt it, speaking calmly:

"Your desire to know immediately is understandable. But the Summoning Chamber isn't a place for chatting. Come with me."

"Is this guy really the Demon King?" Feng Xue followed, dragging the giant sack over three meters wide, yet couldn't shake the feeling that this Demon King was oddly "Ming Feng simple." The werewolf, who claimed to sense emotions, seemed to pick up his thought and immediately leaned in:

"Undoubtedly, Lord Dobiou is the Demon King—the most orthodox high demon. But we're all unlucky souls sharing the same fate; there's no need to maintain false dignity."

"Fate?" Feng Xue caught the word, his expression subtly altered.

The dog seemed ready to answer, but at that moment, the group had already passed through a long corridor of dark Gothic style—yet not gloomy—and arrived before a long table.

Aside from the exaggerated throne at the head, all other chairs were ordinary, differing only in the emblems carved on their backs.

The Demon King sat at the head; the others took seats along the sides. Feng Xue noticed they'd deliberately left some seats open. After scanning, he finally found an unmarked chair midway and sat down. As he did, the chair glowed with a mark formed by three dragon heads.

The hall, blending meeting chamber and banquet hall, brightened further. As a map materialized at the center of the table, Dobiou's voice finally spoke:

"In short, like the old tales go—we are the Demon Army, being hunted by heroes. The only problem? The heroes… are too many…"

(End of Chapter)