So it turns out I'm the demon!

Just as Jiang Mu was about to leave, she suddenly looked up at the sky as if she had sensed something.

Suddenly, tiny, pale golden specks of light began to float in the sky.

These spots of light, as fine as dust and as light as the downy umbrellas of dandelions, slowly rose from above Jingtan's corpse.

Then it dispersed silently, drifting towards the city below the mountain.

"What is this?"

Jiang Mu frowned slightly and cautiously spread her divine sense.

"Master, this seems to be the Buddhist 'incense rain'."

Si Rumeng, who was knowledgeable and experienced, explained softly, "It is said that in Buddhism, once a highly accomplished monk passes away, the incense and vows he accumulated during his lifetime will be returned to heaven and earth."

The incense smoke rained down upon the world, to inform believers within a hundred miles that the Holy Buddha had returned to heaven.

"A high-ranking monk? A holy Buddha?"

Jiang Mu snorted coldly, his face full of disdain, "A lump of dung rotting in a latrine dares to call himself a high monk?"

He didn't look at the shower of light again, and waved his hand to put the treasure ship away.

When I looked down to inspect the hull, I found several new cracks, and my heart ached so much that my lips twitched.

Jiang Mu cursed under his breath and waved his hand to put the treasure ship back into his storage ring.

Before leaving, he took Jingtan's headless corpse with him.

He's the Buddha of Hailing Prefecture, after all. I'll show him to Ye Zhifei later.

After descending the mountain, Jiang Mu grabbed a monk at random in the temple and, after some interrogation, learned about Abbot Jingtan's daily living quarters.

It is a secluded, forbidden area located behind Jingtan Temple.

Jiang Mu arrived at the forbidden area of ​​the villa.

The layout of the mansion was eerie; instead of the tranquility of a Buddhist temple, the green tiles and blue bricks were permeated with a decadent, strange fragrance. Several large halls stood within the courtyard.

Jiang Mu took the lead and pushed open the first hall on the left.

After just one glance, Chu Lingzhu and Lan Rou'er covered their mouths.

Inside the main hall, dozens of young women's corpses were hanging densely.

These women were all completely naked, with beautiful faces, and looked to be no more than twenty years old.

His body swayed gently with the airflow inside the hall, like a pendulum.

Although they were dead, their bodies did not rot or stink. There was even a faint Buddhist light surrounding them, as if they were sealed in some kind of preservative amber, maintaining a sense of freshness.

"Killing that bald monk is too lenient on him!"

Seeing this, Si Rumeng's beautiful eyes blazed with fury, and she gritted her teeth and cursed hatefully.

Jiang Mu's face was as still as water.

He retreated and then kicked open the door of a side hall next to him.

The scene inside this side hall was even more absurd.

Dozens of young and beautiful women were gathered inside.

They are just still alive.

They knelt on the ground in unison, facing a huge portrait of the Buddha Jingtan hanging on the wall, with their hands clasped together.

His eyes were empty yet fanatical, and he was chanting scriptures.

They didn't even react to Jiang Mu and the others' intrusion, as if they had become soulless puppets.

Jiang Mu stood at the door and glanced inside, but didn't go in. He simply waved his hand casually as he turned around.

An invisible blade of energy swept past, tearing the portrait on the wall into pieces in mid-air.

The sound of tearing silk made the women turn around in confusion, only to see Jiang Mu's retreating figure.

Finally, Jiang Mu arrived at the main hall.

Pushing open the door, a warm breeze carrying a blend of sandalwood and a decadent scent wafted in.

The layout of the main hall is quite different from that of ordinary Buddhist halls.

In the center stands a Bodhisattva statue carved from white jade.

The Bodhisattva's face is compassionate with lowered eyebrows, and his hands are in the teaching mudra.

Originally a Buddha statue with a very righteous aura, the surface of the statue was covered with several yellow paper talismans with blood-red runes.

The walls were covered with murals.

The figures in the painting are all depicted in a posture of male and female practitioners, with delicate and vibrant brushstrokes, and some parts are even outlined with gold powder.

"oops!"

Chu Lingzhu and Lan Rou'er only glanced at it before their faces turned bright red with embarrassment. They cried out in surprise and turned away to cover their eyes.

"What a scoundrel! Disgusting!"

The young female doctor, filled with shame and indignation, spat and cursed repeatedly.

Jiang Mu calmly admired the incense for a while, then walked to the incense table.

On the altar was a booklet with a gold-leaf cover.

【Great Bliss and Illumination in Harmony Meditation】

Jiang Mu saw the name on it and her heart stirred. She picked it up and casually flipped through a few pages to read.

This manual begins by stating that "bliss and emptiness are not two."

It is the pursuit of ultimate physical pleasure in order to break down the discriminating mind and directly perceive the so-called luminous Dharma body.

When both practitioners reach their peak, they visualize light filling the ten directions, transforming the "pleasure" of desire into the "emptiness" of wisdom.

By not indulging in desires, one can attain enlightenment in this very moment.

Jiang Mu put away the superior cultivation manual, then flipped through several dusty scriptures beside it, shook his head and sighed:

"This Jingtan Temple was actually a very orthodox ancient temple a thousand years ago. It's just a pity that in this generation, the evil monk Jingtan forcibly distorted the doctrine and added this kind of evil pleasure meditation method."

While Jiang Mu was studying the ancient books, Si Rumeng stared at the white jade Bodhisattva statue, her beautiful eyes shining brightly.

Seeing this, Jiang Mu suddenly said:

"I remember you mentioned before that you wanted to change the foundation of your spiritual practice and asked me to help you find a Buddha statue with spiritual power. How about this?"

Si Rumeng shook her head, her tone tinged with regret:

"This Buddha statue itself has a very strong Buddhist aura, and it has obviously been consecrated and blessed by truly eminent monks throughout the ages. It has been blessed by incense for thousands of years and is a true treasure that can protect the temple."

Unfortunately, the abbot tainted its original essence with evil talismans, and now the Buddha's light is mixed with impurities, making it unusable directly.

Before it was corrupted by evil magic, this statue would naturally be the best choice.

But if I were to forcibly assimilate it now, I fear I would plant seeds of inner demons within its soul. In that case, the demonic energy wouldn't be completely purified; instead, it would bring in all sorts of other chaotic things, resulting in more harm than good.

Jiang Mu thought for a moment, then strode over to the Bodhisattva statue.

He reached out and placed his hand on the Bodhisattva statue, then infused it with demonic energy.

The statue began to tremble slightly, and the talismans on its surface turned into powder one by one, which fell onto the incense table.

The foulness contained within was gradually stripped away under the cleansing force of the demonic energy.

When the last trace of impurity was cleansed, a layer of pure white Buddhist light shone through the depths of the jade, as gentle as the first rays of dawn.

The originally dark and gloomy hall was now illuminated by this soft light.

In a daze, the jade Bodhisattva was no longer a stone, but truly resembled a compassionate deity who had just descended from the clouds.

"this……"

Si Rumeng's almond-shaped eyes widened, and her cherry-like lips parted slightly.

"What are you standing there for? Come here."

Jiang Mu withdrew his hand, took out the bronze Buddha lamp, turned his head and shouted at Si Rumeng, who was still in a daze.

Si Rumeng seemed to wake from a dream, and her breathing immediately became rapid.

She darted to Jiang Mu's side, her gaze towards the Buddha statue revealing undisguised longing.

"How do we do it?" Jiang Mu asked.

Si Rumeng quickly composed herself and replied respectfully:

"Meng Nu does indeed possess a secret technique that allows her to merge with this statue. However, during this process, due to the inherent conflict between demonic energy and Buddhist light, Meng Nu's soul will be attacked."

Therefore, Master needs to use the incense and prayers from this Buddhist lamp to stabilize Mengnu's soul and protect my true spirit from dissipation.

"Alright, go ahead and do it. I'll protect you."

Jiang Mu nodded in agreement.

He knew that Si Rumeng was planning to take a path against the heavens that no demon in the world dared to imagine or have ever taken.

First, use Buddhist power to purify your own demonic energy.

Then, by relying on the Buddha statue to accumulate the incense offerings and vows of believers, they could break free from the constraints of the star system and find a new path to ascension. Jiang Mu was also eager to see with his own eyes whether this crazy idea could succeed.

Si Rumeng gave him a grateful look: "Thank you, Master."

She tried to calm her agitated emotions, faced the white jade Bodhisattva statue with its radiant light, and slowly closed her eyes.

The woman's slender, fair fingers began to change, transforming into ten supple, delicate, green tree branches.

The branches continued to grow, twining and clinging to the body of the white jade statue.

Then.

At the end of each branch, a tender green leaf sprouts, its veins swirling with enchanting patterns, gently adhering to the surface of the Buddha statue.

In an instant, the pure white light surrounding the Buddha statue brightened a bit.

The Buddha's light shone down on Si Rumeng.

Si Rumeng let out a painful groan, her beautiful features contorted instantly, and veins bulged on her forehead.

Although this Buddha's light was not as violent as the one emanating from Abbot Jingtan, even the gentlest Buddhist light was scorching to the soul of a tree demon.

This time, however, she did not back down.

Upon seeing this, Jiang Mu immediately activated the bronze Buddhist lamp in his palm.

The golden flame of the lamp wick leaped, and wisps of incense smoke, like threads of prayer, drifted out, blessing Si Rumeng and protecting her crumbling soul. Time slowly passed.

The tree branch runes that Si Rumeng's fingers transformed into began to gradually merge with the white jade statue.

The black demonic aura surrounding her was gradually purified and evaporated under the constant washing of the Buddha's light.

I don't know how much time passed.

As the last wisp of demonic energy dissipated from Si Rumeng's brow.

"boom!"

A burst of blazing white light erupted from Si Rumeng's delicate body.

The white light, like a rising sun, enveloped her and the statue, causing them to slowly float and rotate in the air.

Jiang Mu's skin stung from the sudden burst of white light.

He frowned slightly and placed the Buddha lamp directly on the incense table, letting it release its own incense power to protect him.

He then retreated to the entrance of the main hall to observe.

"Go out first."

As the temperature inside the hall rose higher and higher, Jiang Mushen, fearing that the two women might get hurt, simply took them to the courtyard.

As soon as the three stepped out of the main hall, they saw that the courtyard was already packed with people.

The women who had been kneeling and chanting scriptures in the side hall were now all gathered in the courtyard, clutching daggers and scissors.

They were covered in incense smoke.

His face was twisted with hatred and violence.

"You killed Buddha!"

The woman at the head of the group pointed scissors at Jiang Mu, her voice shrill, "You demon, you should pay for Buddha's life!"

As he spoke, he rushed towards Jiang Mu.

Dozens of brainwashed women behind them, like mad dogs, brandished daggers and pounced on Jiang Mu and his companions.

Jiang Mu frowned, but didn't say anything more, just waved her hand.

Several dark red blades flashed out, silently slicing across the necks of these women in an instant.

In the next instant, dozens of heads rolled off.

Headless corpses lay piled up in pools of blood like dumplings.

He had given these women a chance to leave with dignity, but since they insisted on dying for scum, he naturally wouldn't be lenient.

"Jiang Mu! What are you doing!?"

A sharp, angry shout suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate.

Ye Zhifei rushed into the courtyard.

She glanced down at the corpses scattered on the ground, and a chill ran down her spine.

"Manager Ye, what a perfect time! I was just about to come looking for you later, and you've delivered yourself right to my doorstep."

Jiang Mu's lips curled into a mocking smile.

"Didn't you swear before that my two friends were captured by some deep-sea dragon demon? How come they're here at Jingtan Temple? Headmaster Ye, aren't you going to explain?"

Ye Zhifei choked, her face turning pale and then red.

She stared at the two women behind Jiang Mu, then glanced at the corpses scattered throughout the courtyard. An absurd thought exploded in her mind, and she asked in a trembling voice:

"Jingtan...where is the abbot?"

"I killed him," Jiang Mu said casually.

"Nonsense!"

Ye Zhifei retorted, her facial muscles twitching, "You, a mere seventh-realm cultivator, think you can kill him?"

Jiang Mu pointed to the corpse not far away:

"I've already crushed his head. The body is lying there. If your eyesight isn't good, you can come closer to see."

Following Jiang Mu's finger, Ye Zhifei's gaze froze. It was a headless corpse draped in a tattered cassock.

Ye Zhifei turned around stiffly.

At the foot of the courtyard wall, a headless corpse lay sprawled, its robe torn to shreds, but clearly belonging to Abbot Jingtan.

Ye Zhifei's mind went blank.

How could this happen?

This was completely outside of any of her plans.

She had even planned ahead: if that bald monk Jingtan were to go too far and seriously injure Jiang Mu, she would step in as a peacemaker, playing both the good cop and the bad cop to smooth things over.

But right now, Jiang Mu is standing perfectly fine, while Jing Tan has turned into a pile of rotten flesh.

This is the sky of Hailing Prefecture.

Almost all the people of Hailing Prefecture worshipped him devoutly, and that's how he disappeared?

"Jiang Mu, do you even know how big of a mess you've made?!"

Ye Zhifei snapped out of her daze, pointed at Jiang Mu, her sharp voice filled with panic and anger.

"That's the Buddha! The reason why so many people in Hailing Prefecture can live and work in peace is all thanks to the Buddha's presence here!"

No wonder incense rained down from the sky just now...

"You're absolutely not leaving Hailing Prefecture today, you're dead!"

"Buddha?"

Jiang Mu scoffed, looking at her as if she were a clown.

"Ye Zhifei, there's a limit to how much you can deceive yourself. Go inside and see those innocent women who were hanged in the main hall, see these believers who have been brainwashed to the point of not even daring to die."

What's the difference between them and livestock raised in slaughterhouses?

As the city magistrate of Daqing, you are paid by the emperor, yet you willingly become the lackey of the evil monk, allowing him to wreak havoc on the people of the city.

With this kind of behavior, how dare you bark like a wolf in front of me?

Ye Zhifei's face changed from pale to ashen, then a more violent rage overwhelmed her guilt, and she roared with contorted features:

"What do you know? Do you really think you're some kind of saint who saves all living beings?!"

Jiang Mu, how old are you? How much have you seen of the world? What's a few women to sacrifice for the peace of a city?

What does it matter if some ordinary people are sacrificed?

They may be livestock, but as long as the Buddha is around, they at least have hope and faith.

Living with faith is better than being devoured by demons!

Hearing this sophistry, Chu Lingzhu's pretty face turned pale with anger, and she couldn't help but spit out a contemptuous saliva.

"I've never seen such a shameless old hag!"

Jiang Mu was too lazy to waste any more words with her and said expressionlessly:

"Chief Ye, from now on, Zhao Xianzheng will take over the position of Chief of Hailing Prefecture. I will personally submit a detailed report to the Chief Commander later."

Ye Zhifei was stunned for a moment, then laughed in exasperation:

"Jiang Mu, who do you think you are to talk such big words?"

Even if you are the most favored prodigy in the General's hands, you have no right to strip me of my official position. I was appointed by the imperial court. What authority or responsibility do you have? Just you wait, you'll soon be in for a beating.

Every single person you kill today will make you regret ever stepping into Hailing Prefecture!

Having said that, she flicked her sleeves and prepared to leave.

"You don't seem to have understood me." Jiang Mu's soft voice sounded from behind. "I said I would report to the Chief Commander because... you're going to die and can't be the Chief Commander anymore."

Swish!

The stone slab beneath Jiang Mu's feet shattered with a deafening roar, and he appeared before Ye Zhifei in an instant, like a bolt of lightning.

at the same time,

A phantom image of a fire god, ten feet tall, rose up behind Jiang Mu.

The intense firelight turned the courtyard a deep red.

The Blood Frenzy Blade Technique, imbued with the Blood River True Knowledge, condensed into a ten-foot-long scarlet blood blade, which slashed down towards Ye Zhifei!

Ye Zhifei was caught off guard by the sudden attack and hurriedly took a half step back.

He put his hands on his waist.

Two silver-glowing iron rings flew out from his sleeves and instantly transformed into a ring-shaped light shield about half a person's height, blocking his way.

boom

Ye Zhifei was sent flying backwards, crashing through the wall.

She coughed as she stood up, looking at Jiang Mu as if she were a madwoman:

"You want to kill me? Jiang Mu, do you know what you're doing? I'm the commander of a city! Are you out of your mind to dare touch me?!"

Jiang Mu walked over step by step, her tone chilling:

"As the magistrate of a city, you colluded with the evil monk to murder the families of your colleagues. You are not even as good as a guard dog." "Besides, you swore a solemn oath to me in the yamen. You said that if you had even the slightest intention to harm my friend, you would be struck by lightning and die a horrible death."

I believe that the most important thing in being a person is to be honest and trustworthy.

Since you made that vow, I should do you a good deed and help you fulfill that promise.

Ye Zhifei was furious.

She, a dignified city magistrate, was threatened with her life by a mere young boy.

"You little beast, you're asking for it!"

Ye Zhifei's twin rings flew out of her hands, transforming into two spinning silver blades, one facing forward and the other backward, aiming to strangle Jiang Mu around the waist.

At the same time, he slapped the ground with his right hand.

More than a dozen yellow paper talismans flew out from his sleeve, burning into a fire dragon as they skimmed the ground.

Jiang Mu released streaks of sword energy from his body.

The dark red blades clashed together to form a strangling net.

The two moon-locking rings, transformed into silver blades, crashed into the blade net, just like two kitchen knives thrown into a meat grinder, instantly shredded into pieces.

The fire dragon that rushed close to the ground had no chance to reach Jiang Mu's toes before it was extinguished by the wind pressure generated by the blade's energy.

"That's amazing!"

Ye Zhifei was secretly alarmed.

Then, Jiang Mu's figure suddenly disappeared from the spot.

The next instant, he appeared behind Ye Zhifei like a ghost, his crimson Dharma form and his true form simultaneously throwing punches at each other.

Ye Zhifei felt a chill run down her spine and lunged forward almost entirely on muscle memory honed through years of life-and-death experiences.

At the same time, he threw out a thick shield formed from star power.

boom!

The woman coughed up a mouthful of blood, her legs went weak, and she rolled away in a sorry state, barely avoiding a fatal blow.

Her hair was disheveled, and her eyes were bloodshot: "You little beast!"

The woman suddenly opened her mouth, and two enormous black and white pythons, each tens of feet long, shot out and strangled Jiang Mu from the left and right.

"Is that all you've got?"

Jiang Mu chuckled and rubbed his hands together in front of him.

A powerful blade of light erupted from his palm, transforming into a dark red ribbon several meters long, which twisted the two black and white giant pythons, severing them inch by inch. Ye Zhifei was terrified.

At this moment, she finally truly felt the terror described in the rumors about Jiang Mu.

One of them, at the seventh level, was suppressing her, who was at the eighth level.

A thought of escape arose in the woman's mind, and she turned and fled towards the outside of the courtyard.

【Qianjin Mountain】

However, Jiang Mu didn't give her a chance and threw out the gold.

A golden mountain, gleaming brightly, descended from the sky, pressing down on Ye Zhifei.

"Bang!"

Ye Zhifei was pinned to the ground, blood gushing from her mouth and nose.

She gritted her teeth and forced herself to circulate her cultivation technique, burning her essence and blood. A purple light emanated from her body, and a tortoise shell slowly condensed around her, forcefully supporting the Thousand Gold Mountain.

Just as the woman was about to break free, two dark lights flashed by.

They are coffin nails.

The two Soul-Locking Coffin Nails, which were seized from Yang Mo, were modified by Jiang Mu with demonic energy and became his most convenient imprisoning hidden weapons.

"Pfft!"

The coffin nails pierced right through Ye Zhifei's shoulders.

"ah"

Ye Zhifei let out a scream, pinned to the wall and unable to move.

As she watched Jiang Mu slowly approach, her heart was consumed by boundless fear and despair. She roared, her voice trembling with fear:

"Jiang Mu, even if I have made a thousand or ten thousand mistakes, it should be the court that tries me and the chief judge that decides my case!"

Who do you think you are? How dare you abuse your power?!

If you kill me today, it will be treason, and the court will certainly not let you off!

Jiang Muping looked into her eyes and said in a calm tone, "Are you done?"

Ye Zhifei opened her mouth, as if she was about to curse again.

But when she met Jiang Mu's cold gaze, which seemed to look at her as if she were a dead object, her inner defenses finally crumbled.

She knew that this man was truly capable of killing her.

In her extreme fear, her voice softened, and she pleaded:

"Master Jiang, I was forced into this situation. That evil monk Jingtan is too powerful and is the local tyrant of Hailing Prefecture. With the Liuli Chanxin Sect backing him up, what can a mere supervisor like me do?"

If you release me, I swear I will truthfully report to the court and present the details of this evil monk's crimes.

You slew the evil monk and saved the people of Hailing Prefecture. This is an immense achievement, and the imperial court will surely reward you handsomely... I can also give you all the resources I've accumulated over the years..."

Once upon a time, she was the powerful and influential ruler of Hailing Prefecture.

The Eight Realms Venerable Ones hold power in their hands.

But now, she is like a moth nailed to a specimen board, without even the strength to flap her wings.

All they could do was beg.

Jiang Mu reached out and pinched her neck with his five fingers, tightening his grip little by little.

"You..."

Jiang Mu said calmly, "Let's go down and personally accompany that evil monk to his grave. That way, you'll have someone to look after you on the road to the underworld."

Feeling the pressure on her throat increasing, Ye Zhifei burst into tears and snot.

"Jiang Mu, I was wrong... I really know I was wrong... You can't kill me, I'm the Chief, Jiang Mu, I beg you!"

"You already know you were wrong."

Jiang Mu looked at her bulging eyes, which were swollen from lack of oxygen, with a cold gaze. "All you know is that you're going to die."

"Crack!"

Ye Zhifei's throat bone was crushed cleanly and decisively.

Her eyes remained open, with a final trace of fear and resentment in her pupils, staring straight at Jiang Mu, her eyes wide open in death.

Jiang Mu inserted his right hand into her lower abdomen, dantian, and pulled out a warm star pill.

He casually wiped away the bloodstains and put it into his storage space.

Murder and robbery.

It flowed smoothly like clouds and water, completed in one breath.