So it turns out I'm the demon!

Jiang Mu looked at the black-stockinged feet so close to her, but did not reach out.

This woman is unpredictable; who knows if she'll suddenly lash out and deliver another cruel blow to his heart?

Seeing that Jiang Mu remained unmoved, Ji Hongyuan chuckled.

She bent her alluring long legs and pulled them back in, casually tucking her toes back into her high heels, and sighed softly:

"Little Jiang, you're really wary these days. Okay, I'm just kidding. Here, this gift is for you."

With that, she flipped her jade-like hand.

A black brocade box appeared out of thin air from his fingertips and was tossed to Jiang Mu.

Jiang Mu took it.

Upon opening the box, a look of astonishment crossed my face.

There were no magical treasures radiating spiritual light or any rare elixirs inside, but rather a pair of black silk stockings.

"Don't worry, it's brand new."

Seeing Jiang Mu's strange expression, Ji Hongyuan covered her mouth and chuckled, "It's definitely not my original sock, you can take it without worry." If it wasn't worn by you, then it's worthless... Jiang Mu then frowned and said, "Then why are you giving me this tattered sock?"

"You can use it to pick up women. Give it to whomever you want."

Ji Hongyuan extended a slender, pale finger and pointed to her long, shapely legs, then smiled.

"This is made with special ice silkworm silk, impervious to ordinary water and fire, and it even nourishes the skin. It's just a little gift to please a girl. You're not naive enough to think that I'm going to give you some kind of amazing treasure for free, are you?"

Jiang Mu looked completely bewildered.

I briefly thought about the women around me...

This thing seems to be most suitable for Aunt Shui, who has the most voluptuous and mature figure.

Once we get to Fazhou City, if I can coax Aunt Shui into wearing this outfit...

Sigh, with a formidable enemy at hand, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Ji Hongyuan stretched lazily and said:

"For the next few days, I will stay by your side in spirit form, so that these little girls in the car won't see me."

"When you need my help, just call my name, as before. I'll be there whenever you call."

The woman winked at him.

As soon as she finished speaking, Ji Hongyuan disappeared into thin air.

The carriage returned to its previous silence, with only the steady, long breaths of Chu Lingzhu and Lan Rou'er remaining.

Outside Tanzhou City.

Inside a tent in the demon clan's camp.

A middle-aged man dressed in a black robe, with a thin face and a somewhat refined demeanor, was sitting at the table sipping hot tea.

Beside him lay a wooden sword.

This person was Zhang Weiyuan, an inner sect elder of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect.

Not far behind him, in front of the bed, was another man, as burly as a bear with a face full of scars, who was getting dressed.

A young girl was lying on the bed.

The girl was no longer breathing; her slender arms hung limply at the edge of the bed, several joints nearly twisted.

The burly man casually picked up the girl's corpse, lifted the tent flap, and threw it out.

Outside the tent, several low-level hyena demons, drooling, had been waiting for a long time. As soon as they saw the flesh and blood being thrown out, they swarmed forward and began to tear and devour it frantically.

"What a fucking useless person!"

The man tore off a rag and wiped the blood off his body, then walked to Zhang Weiyuan's table and slammed his fists heavily on the surface.

"Senior Brother Zhang, I just don't understand why we don't go directly to Huzhou City?"

I'm going to kill Jiang Mu!

I want to tear that little beast Jiang Mu to pieces with my own hands, why should I stay in this shabby tent?

Why!?

Pang Dasha's eyes turned red, and he became agitated.

"Senior Brother Zhang, we watched Xiaocheng grow up, step by step, to become a prodigy, enduring countless hardships and suffering countless wounds. Just because of that damned Jiang Mu, he was killed without a second thought, not even leaving a complete corpse. Senior Brother Zhang, don't you have even the slightest desire for revenge?"

Zhang Weiyuan put down his teacup and frowned.

He looked at his junior brother, who was in a fit of rage, and sighed helplessly: "Da Sha, can't you control your temper?"

Do you think I'm not heartbroken?

But this time we can use the excuse of coming down the mountain to take revenge, and we should try our best to hide our identities.

The Demon Slayer Division has already issued a warning, saying that Yun Xiaocheng died while vying for an opportunity in the secret realm, and that both sides acted according to their own abilities, so Jiang Mu cannot be blamed. Don't you understand?

The imperial court simply doesn't want our Ten Thousand Swords Sect to secretly retaliate against their Demon Slayer Division's top prodigy for Xiao Cheng's sake!

At this point, Zhang Weiyuan's tone became more stern:

"In order to safeguard the overall situation, the sect leader has also issued an order strictly prohibiting anyone in the sect from going out to seek revenge on their own."

We were able to come out this time because we received a secret instruction from the Grand Elder.

The elder repeatedly instructed that they must keep a low profile.

"Are you shouting here to let the whole world hear that my Ten Thousand Swords Sect disregarded the imperial court's orders and openly went to kill an official of the court?"

Pang Dasha's face flushed red from the scolding, and he said in a gruff voice:

"But what's the point of us hiding in this monster's camp all day?"

I heard that the Red Umbrella Cult has already made a move against Jiang Mu in Huzhou City! Damn it, if they kill Jiang Mu first, what's the point of me coming all this way?

Are you just going to stand here in the cold wind watching monsters eat meat?

As they were cursing, the tent flap was suddenly pulled open from the outside.

The person who came was Nan Zhi.

Upon seeing this woman, Pang Dasha's pent-up anger found an outlet, and he angrily questioned her:

"Protector Nanzhi, you personally promised to let me kill Jiang Mu myself, so why did your Red Umbrella Sect members take action first in Huzhou City?!"

Nan Zhi smiled slightly.

"Elder Pang, please rest assured, Jiang Mu is not that easy to kill."

Moreover, according to the intelligence we have, he has now been officially transferred by the commander-in-chief to Fazhou City.

Ultimately, they will definitely come to Yunzhou City.

"real?"

Pang Dasha stared wide-eyed, looking on with suspicion.

"Others may not understand him, but I do." Nan Zhi toyed with a strand of hair hanging down her chest and sneered, "He will not only come, but he will come very arrogantly."

Zhang Weiyuan, who had been keeping his eyes closed and silent, suddenly opened them.

He stared intently at Nan Zhi, his gaze sharp:

"Guardian Nanzhi, you are the only one in this demon camp who knows the true identities of us fellow disciples."

I don't know what deal the Grand Elder secretly made with you, but I still want to remind you that our only purpose in coming here is to kill Jiang Mu.

"Besides that, we will absolutely not do anything for your Red Umbrella Cult."

"That's natural."

A hint of mockery flashed across Nan Zhi's eyes.

They act like prostitutes while trying to maintain a virtuous image; these hypocrites from reputable families will always have this disgusting face.

She clapped her hands.

The curtain was lifted again.

Two monsters with pig-like snouts led five or six pretty girls in with hemp ropes.

The girls huddled together, trembling, their eyes filled with despair and fear.

Nan Zhi smiled and said:

"We are in the middle of nowhere, so the hospitality is inadequate. I had my men pick a few decent-looking farm girls from nearby villages and towns and send them over to entertain the two elders."

If these few are too delicate and can't withstand the test, I'll just have the monsters below capture a few more batches.

Anyway, outside this city of Fazhou, the one thing that's never short of lives is human lives.

Zhang Weiyuan glanced at the crying girls, his eyes showing no pity. He frowned, then closed his eyes and sat down to meditate again.

They adopt an "out of sight, out of mind" attitude.

But the hot-tempered Pang Da Sha showed no mercy.

He grinned maliciously and pulled the two crying, begging girls into his arms, one in each hand.

Hearing the screams behind her, Nan Zhi curled her lips into a mocking smile, turned around, and walked out of the tent.

They hadn't gone far from the camp when a guard in a red robe hurriedly approached, knelt on one knee, and said solemnly:

"Guardian, urgent military news has arrived from Huzhou City. Eagle King is seriously injured and has led its remaining forces back to the North Sea in a sorry state! The Little Guardian and our spies in the Demon Slayer Division have been completely wiped out."

They were all killed!

Currently, Ran Qingshan is organizing reinforcements from Huzhou City, who are heading this way. Also, Jiang Mu has already set off. "I already know."

Nan Zhi gazed at the sunset on the horizon, which was about to be swallowed by the night, and sneered disdainfully.

"I warned that self-important young girl long ago that we must not use such stupid methods to deal with Jiang Mu."

She insisted on being ambitious and reckless, ignoring all advice.

Her death in Huzhou City is entirely her own fault; she deserves to die.

Nan Zhi waved her wide sleeves and said sternly:

"Notify all demon kings that they need not pay attention to the defeat of Huzhou City, and should proceed according to the original plan."

"yes!"

The guard nodded emphatically and turned to leave.

Nan Zhi glanced back at the tent from which the girl's cries echoed, and murmured:

"Jiang Mu, Jiang Mu, can't you be a little smarter? Why do you have to go against us?"

Nighttime.

After days of rapid travel, the demon carriage finally arrived at Tanzhou City.

Jiang Mu had the two carriages parked in a relatively secluded mountain valley, gave Chu Lingzhu and the others some instructions, and then went alone to sneak towards Fazhou City to scout.

After a while.

Jiang Mu stood on a high cliff, overlooking the battlefield ahead.

The city was completely surrounded by a dense swarm of monsters.

From the foot of the city wall to the distant horizon, as far as the eye could see, there were only dark, swarming demons.

Demonic energy surged into the sky, gathering into a cloud vortex in mid-air.

At this moment, the demon horde is attacking the city frantically, while the city's protective array has been activated, with a huge, inverted, azure, semi-transparent light shield protecting the city.

Under the relentless onslaught of the demons, ripples of varying sizes spread across the surface of the blue barrier, its light flickering.

Jiang Mu strained his eyes to observe for a while.

"Fortunately, although the attack is fierce, the foundation of the city's protective formation is still stable, and it should not be broken in the short term."

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as the great formation remains intact, Aunt Shui in the city is safe for the time being.

If the main force provides support, it will still be in time.

Moreover, Fazhou City is guarded by a garrison commander, who is Tian Wenjing's younger brother and a powerful figure in the eleventh realm.

With him in the city to keep watch, we are safe for the time being.

"It's definitely impossible to force our way into the city now. Once the city's protective formation is activated, not even a fly can get in."

To rashly storm the demon race's central camp is tantamount to suicide..."

Jiang Mu glanced around as she pondered.

His gaze passed over the dark mass of attacking troops and landed on the camps behind them.

Having personally participated in the defense of Yancheng, Jiang Mu had a good understanding of the demon army's tactics and formations.

He knew very well that this army of demonic beasts numbered in the tens of thousands.

However, half of them were merely reinforcements invited by the Red Umbrella Cult or the Demon King. They mostly wouldn't actually participate in the siege; they were just there to provide support. The defenses of these outer camps were relatively lax, and the number of demons stationed there was not large.

They are the best targets for creating chaos.

"Since we can't confront them head-on, let's try setting fires in the rear and causing some chaos first."

Jiang Mu's figure flickered and disappeared into the night.

The tent was brightly lit.

Several demons huddled together, drinking and eating heartily, chatting animatedly.

The leader was a human-bodied minotaur that was over three meters tall.

A giant axe stood beside him.

Judging from its aura, this bull demon was probably at the peak of the fifth rank, making it a minor leader in this outer camp.

"Chief Niu, I heard that you went to join the fun during the last major battle in Yancheng?"

"A toad demon asked in a fawning tone."

The bull demon wiped the wine stains from his mouth, and two smug white puffs of breath escaped from his nostrils as he said:

"That's right. During the last great battle, our king accepted a hefty invitation from the Peacock Demon King to go and oversee the operation!"

Just like the siege of the city of Fazhou this time.

As the King's trusted confidant, I was fortunate enough to accompany him to the front lines several times. Can you guess how many demon slayers' blood I drank from under my axe in those battles?

"How many?"

A weasel demon nearby curiously stretched its neck.

The bull demon puffed out its broad, hairy chest, extended its five thick bull toes, and waved them in mid-air:

"Fifty!"

The tent fell silent for a moment.

The weasel demon coughed twice and chuckled awkwardly:

"Old Niu, you're exaggerating a bit too much. Surviving there and killing five demon slayers is already quite an achievement, let alone fifty..."

"Bullshit!"

The bull demon glared, its eyes, as big as copper bells, flashing with ferocity.

"What nonsense am I spouting? I'm a top-tier fifth-order expert! Those human demon slayers are nothing but a bunch of good-for-nothings who can only throw out a couple of broken talismans. They're not worth mentioning!"

"If you don't believe me, go out and ask around. If that expert hadn't suddenly appeared in the city that time, and if I, Old Niu, had led the charge into the city, we would have killed even more!"

The toad demon shrank back, intimidated by its imposing aura, but still mustered its courage and asked again:

"Chief Bull, I've heard there's a guy named Jiang Mu who's quite powerful. He killed many of our brothers in Yan City, and even several great demon kings couldn't handle him. Have you seen him?"

"Pshaw! That's all just hearsay and rumors, boosting the morale of others while diminishing our own!"

The bull demon snorted disdainfully, grabbed a piece of bloody raw meat, and began to chew it voraciously, mumbling indistinctly.

"Well... I did run into that guy surnamed Jiang on the battlefield back then, and we went toe-to-toe for hundreds of moves."

He is indeed quite skilled, especially in his movement techniques, which are very strong.

We only exchanged a few blows before I, Old Niu, injured his arm. Unfortunately, that kid was agile and ran faster than a rabbit; I chased him for a long time but couldn't catch him, and he escaped with his life.

"Really?"

The monsters nearby listened in a daze.

"How could this be fake?"

The bull demon stood up, looked around at his henchmen, and sneered.

"The leaders of the other mountain strongholds who went to Yancheng with me last time all died at the hands of that Jiang guy. Only I, Lao Niu, survived. Why?"

It's because only I, Old Niu, have the strength to confront him head-on and defeat him.

What a pity...

The bull demon sighed and shook his head, saying, "I heard that the boy surnamed Jiang is in Huzhou City this time and won't be coming to Fazhou City."

Otherwise, if he dared to show up here, he would let you all see for yourselves that so-called geniuses are worthless in front of me, Old Bull. Seeing the Bull Chief's confident and bold demeanor, the demons in the tent burst into cheers, raising their wine bowls and casting admiring and worshipful glances at him.

"The Bull Chief is mighty!"

However, the echoes of the flattery hadn't even faded yet.

The tent curtain was suddenly torn open.

A night breeze, carrying a bloody killing intent, swept into the tent, causing the candlelight to flicker.

The demons were startled and turned to look at the entrance of the tent.

A handsome, tall man stood with his hands behind his back.

The elite demon guards standing at the door had already fallen to the ground.

"Who are you?!"

The toad demon with a large belly was terrified. He kicked over the wine table in front of him and a large knife appeared in his hand.

The other monsters drew their weapons and stood guard.

"Get out of my way!"

Suddenly, a loud roar came.

Suddenly, the bull chieftain stood up, grabbed a giant axe, and charged towards Jiang Mu with overwhelming momentum.

The other demons in the tent were taken aback at first, but then a surge of admiration welled up in their hearts.

As expected of Chief Niu, who could fight against the number one genius of Daqing and escape unscathed, he didn't even bother to find out the details of this expert who had infiltrated undetected. Without uttering a single word, he picked up his axe and attacked!

These are the true men of their demon race, Baturu, tough guys!

next moment.

"Thump!"

Just as the bull leader rushed to within three feet of Jiang Mu, it suddenly and with remarkable ease dropped the giant axe in its hand.

His knees slammed heavily onto the muddy ground.

Using the momentum of the charge, he plowed two furrows in the ground and slid down to his knees right in front of Jiang Mu's toes.

Immediately afterwards, he prostrated himself in a deep bow.

"Niu Xiaoliu greets Lord Jiang!"

"May Lord Jiang enjoy boundless blessings, longevity as long as the heavens, and eternal happiness!"

Author's Note: (One chapter tonight, I'm having some writer's block)