So it turns out I'm the demon!

The golden light shield shattered.

A massive black blade of light slashed down on the chest of the stone giant.

Tian Wenyuan's enormous body, which was hundreds of feet tall, instantly shattered and disintegrated, then transformed into an ordinary human-sized form, which crashed heavily to the ground, creating a deep crater.

The suspended city of France shuddered and fell back to its original position.

The others were dumbfounded.

The town's garrison commander was defeated just like that?

Looking at Jiang Mu, who stood imposingly in mid-air, Shui Miaozheng's head was still buzzing.

She had only ever seen Xiao Jiang so fierce when he was sprinting.

Lord Chang murmured, "Father, come quickly and see the immortals."

Jiang Mu's eyes flashed with murderous intent, and his right hand once again formed a knife-like shape with his fingers, ready to take advantage of Tian Wenyuan's illness and kill him completely.

However, at that moment, a peaceful Buddhist light suddenly shone above the pit where Tian Wenyuan had fallen.

Like a blooming golden lotus, it sheltered Tian Wenyuan within.

"Great is the true nature, illuminating all directions, unmoving and all-encompassing, self-evident beyond words..." A ethereal and vast Buddhist chant echoed between heaven and earth, "Amitabha."

As the chanting of the Buddha's name ended, the image of the Buddha appeared behind Tian Wenyuan.

In an instant, the murderous aura in the world seemed to be swept away.

But within this peaceful atmosphere, there was a vast and powerful pressure that could make all things submit. Even Jiang Mu, who was at the eleventh realm at the moment, felt a sense of stagnation and pressure in his soul.

"Boy, stop pretending. Release your divine sense and let me take over this body."

Within Jiang Mu's body, Wenren Guhong's voice rang out, "With your meager abilities, you can't defeat this bald monk."

Jiang Mu hesitated for a moment.

He knew very well that once he completely let down his guard, his physical body would be completely surrendered.

But the sense of oppression he felt from that Buddha statue far exceeded that from Tian Wenyuan's.

They were not opponents he could contend with.

He relinquished control.

In the next instant, Wenren Guhong's consciousness swept through every inch of his meridians.

Jiang Mu felt as if she had been pushed to the back. She could still see, hear, and feel, but the control of her body had been completely handed over to another person.

It felt like sitting in a speeding carriage.

The wheels are turning under your own feet, but the reins are in someone else's hands.

The moment Wenren Guhong took over the body, Jiang Mu's aura also changed.

The previously violent and ferocious aura began to subside, transforming into an even deeper and colder sense of oppression.

"Finally... out."

Wenren Guhong twisted his neck and let out a low sigh.

He hunched his back slightly.

With a "whoosh," a pair of enormous, semi-illusory wings, formed from silver-white runes, unfolded from his back.

Its outstretched wings are a sight to behold.

"What a pity."

Wenren Guhong said with great regret,

"If my soul hadn't been injured by that bastard Gengjin Sword Fiend from the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, I could have recovered at least another 20% of my strength and returned to the twelfth realm."

He looked up at the Buddha statue and smiled:

"Truly like the ancient Buddha... So it was you, you old bald monk. You do have some tricks up your sleeve, actually merging your true soul into the Dharma form, relying on the offerings of incense and the power of vows to prolong your life and achieve immortality."

Like an ancient Buddha, he clasped his hands together, his aged voice echoing through heaven and earth: "If this humble monk is not mistaken, you are Wenren Guhong." Wenren Guhong!

Upon hearing this name, Tian Wenyuan and Xu Chen, who were standing some distance away, changed their expressions drastically.

Before the peerless demon Jiang Chaoxi emerged, this "Wenren Guhong" was the undisputed number one demon. His cultivation was unparalleled, making him the undisputed leader of the demonic path.

Legend has it that this demon lord once loved a woman in his youth, and that woman later became the queen of the Mirror Kingdom.

When Wenren Guhong learned of this, he tried to seize it, but failed and was seriously injured.

He was saved by a woman as he was on the verge of death.

He eventually married that woman.

But who would have thought that many years later, the great demon Jiang Chaoxi would suddenly appear and kill this woman for reasons unknown.

Overwhelmed with grief and indignation, Wenren Guhong went to seek revenge on Jiang Chaoxi.

As a result, he was beaten half to death.

After that, he completely disappeared from public view, and everyone thought he was long dead.

"The old bald monk still recognizes his true self."

Wenren Guhong stretched his limbs and said coldly.

As if guided by an ancient Buddha, his eyes lowered, his voice ethereal: "Wenren Guhong, there is no enmity between us. This karmic situation is not what you sought. This humble monk can decide for you to leave today with this peerless body. You must not meddle in the affairs of Fazhou City any further, how about it?"

"After all, your spirit is damaged. If you were to fight this humble monk to the death, your hard-won chance of resurrection would likely be reduced to ashes once more."

Wenren Guhong sneered:

"You old bald donkey, do you think I don't know your true nature?"

"Today I have ruined your plans. If you succeed, the first person you will kill will be me. Now, either you get out of here, or I will kill you." The ancient Buddha sighed.

"If that's the case, then let's see who's the best."

It was as if the ancient Buddha raised his arm and held the Buddha lamp in his palm.

The golden flames on the lamp wick shot up several feet, their tongues licking the air, emitting a low, chanting sound.

Wisps of bluish-gold smoke rose gently from the flames.

The smoke swirled and condensed in mid-air.

In just a few breaths, it transformed into a hundred-foot-long dragon of smoke.

The dragon's head is held high, its whiskers cascade down like a waterfall, and its scales are formed from condensed smoke, each one flowing with scriptures.

"roar"

The smoke dragon roared and opened its massive jaws.

Countless tiny "己" characters were flashing in the mouth.

"A trivial skill."

A look of disdain flashed in Wenren Guhong's eyes.

He raised his right hand, his five fingers forming a claw, and grabbed at the void.

In an instant, he forcibly drew in the flowing clouds and fierce winds from the high sky, condensing them in his palm into a spear several feet long.

The surrounding air was shaken out in a circle of white waves.

Swish!

The spear moved like lightning, piercing through the dragon's wide-open mouth and exiting from its tail.

After being pierced by the spear, Yanlong's body froze in mid-air before exploding into a cloud of smoke.

But the smoke did not dissipate.

They recombine the moment they dispersed, and then become two again.

They pounced down simultaneously, one from the left and one from the right.

Wenren Guhong waved his hand to recall his spear, then swept it horizontally with a backhand motion. The spear tip drew a crescent-shaped silver light in the air, severing the smoke dragon on the left in half. But just like before, the severed smoke condensed into a new dragon shape.

Wenren Guhong's expression darkened slightly, and he thrust out his spear repeatedly.

Each sweep of the spear's light shredded the smoke dragon. But those smoke dragons were like an endless hydra...

Two become four, four become eight.

In the blink of an eye, dozens of smoke dragons had densely packed in the air, blotting out the sun.

The dragon's roar was deafening.

They almost completely blocked Wenren Guhong's escape routes.

Just as the smoke dragon stopped splitting and instead formed a massive golden vortex ready to close and crush it, Wenren Guhong suddenly opened his mouth wide. A powerful suction force erupted from his mouth.

He inhaled the smoke dragon into his stomach.

Immediately afterwards, Wenren Guhong's abdomen bulged, and he opened his mouth again.

A rolling thundercloud spewed from his mouth.

In an instant, it expanded to a radius of a hundred feet, enveloping the ancient Buddha Zhenru.

Electric sparks danced within the thick clouds.

Each bolt of lightning was accompanied by a deafening thunderclap as it struck the golden body of the Buddha's image.

"All transformations originate from the mind, and all phenomena return to nothingness. Use their own methods against them!"

Wenren Guhong let out a proud long cry.

The once golden body was greatly diminished by the bombardment of demonic lightning, and even the Dharma body became somewhat transparent, as if it would dissipate in the wind at any moment.

It was as if the ancient Buddha bowed his head and sighed softly:

"The great path lies in opportunity, but opportunity is beyond my control... Alas, I was just one step away. In the end, it was my obsession that was too deep."

The Buddha lamp flew out and floated to the center of the eyebrows of the ancient Buddha.

The flame on the wick began to flicker, and the brightness increased exponentially.

In the blink of an eye, the lights illuminated the pitch-black world, making it as dazzling as a new star falling from the apocalypse.

Then, it exploded with a bang!

"That old bald monk has no martial ethics; he actually detonated his own divine artifact!"

Wenren Guhong's expression changed.

He dared not be careless, and the pair of golden wings behind him quickly closed forward, enveloping his body.

The bursting Buddha lamp transformed into rings of golden light, spreading outwards in a circular pattern.

The rocks on the ground were vaporized, and the low-level demons that were nearby were instantly refined into a pile of white ash.

The people and demons on the periphery were terrified and quickly activated their protective qi.

As the explosive light completely engulfed the world, turning it into a blinding white, devoid of all color and sound, Wenren Guhong, who was directly in the blast, was sent flying hundreds of feet backward.

It crashed into a forest.

It crashed into countless trees along the way, finally landing on a mountainside and creating a dent.

His wings were charred black by the Buddha's fire.

The edges were still burning with remnants of golden flames.

"That old bald monk ran away."

He coughed twice and struggled to sit up.

Sure enough, the Buddha was gone.

The explosion left a huge crater nearly 100 meters in diameter at its center, with wisps of white smoke still rising from the bottom.

After examining his own soul, Wenren Guhong's face turned grim.

"Kid, take it easy for now. My soul has been severely injured and I need to recuperate for a while. Take good care of yourself during this time. Don't die, or I'll be finished too."

After saying that, he handed control of his body back to Jiang Mu.

Jiang Mu felt a lightness in her mind and regained control of her body.

He moved his stiff fingers, trying to adjust to the sudden feeling of weakness, when his gaze suddenly sharpened.

Behind a pile of ruins in the distance.

A figure stumbled and fled into the distance.

It's Tian Wenyuan!

Surprisingly, he wasn't quite dead yet and tried to slip away in the chaos.

"Trying to run away?"

Jiang Mu snorted coldly, and the image of the Fire God reappeared behind him.

He made a fist with both hands and slashed out with several swords in succession.

Streams of blood-red blade energy, like the scythe of death, swept towards Tian Wenyuan's back.

Sensing the deadly edge behind him, Tian Wenyuan quickly turned around, his face filled with panic and anger.

He crossed his arms, conjuring a golden shield of light in front of him.

He barely managed to block the first few sword strikes, but was forced back several steps by the force. He roared angrily, "Jiang Mu, you little beast! You dare to kill a town garrison commander?! Aren't you afraid the imperial court will exterminate your entire family?!"

Jiang Mu's face was cold, and she was too lazy to listen to his nonsense. She slashed down with her long sword again.

Blood vessels were visible around Tian Wenyuan's eyes, making him look like a vengeful ghost.

"Fine, since you won't give me a way out, then let's die together! Even if I die, I'll drag you down with me, you arrogant brat!" He plunged his hands into his emptied abdomen.

His body swelled up, and disgusting blisters appeared on his skin, making him look like an inflated balloon.

Then it roared and charged wildly towards Jiang Mu.

puff-!

A jet-black longsword suddenly pierced out silently from the void.

It pierced through Tian Wenyuan's chest and abdomen.

The sword was covered with dense lines, which were not engraved but were countless fine lines of cause and effect, which were frantically drilling into Tian Wenyuan's body along the sword.

With each causal thread that burrows into his flesh, a portion of his spiritual energy is drained away.

His body deflated rapidly, like an air sac punctured by a hole.

Tian Wenyuan looked down at the black sword tip protruding from his chest, his face full of disbelief.

Xu Chen stepped out from behind him, his face cold.

The black compass behind him was spinning.

The second black sword that had been condensed had taken shape.

His body was stained with blood, and the twig bracelet on his wrist was emitting a faint green light.

"This sword strike is for her."

The second black sword pierced through and embedded itself in Tian Wenyuan's lower back.

The threads of cause and effect spread continuously from the sword, weaving a dense net within Tian Wenyuan's body, firmly locking away his remaining spiritual energy and life force. Tian Wenyuan's full head of gray hair flew wildly in the wind.

He turned his head, his face contorted in a ferocious rage, and roared:

"Xu Chen, even if I become a vengeful ghost, I will devour you alive and ensure you never find peace again!"

Jiang Mu didn't give him a chance to catch his breath.

With a flick of his arms, red blade light poured down on Tian Wenyuan like a torrential rain.

Each strike of the blade tore a layer of flesh from his body.

Under the dual assault of the blade's energy and the black sword, Tian Wenyuan's body was like a fish being scaled on a chopping board, with layers of flesh and blood splattering out, revealing the unrecognizable bones underneath.

"No!!!"

In extreme pain and resentment, Tian Wenyuan's mangled body exploded.

Fragments of flesh and blood scattered in mid-air, only to be pulverized into finer powder by the remaining blade energy, ultimately leaving behind a wisp of blood mist that slowly dissipated. As Tian Wenyuan perished, his [Yinghuo] star position returned to the starry sea above the nine heavens.

When the blood mist dissipated, the blood moon that had been devoured by the celestial dog suddenly reappeared.

It then shattered, turning into countless fragments that fell from the sky.

Each fragment trailed a long, luminous tail as it fell, like a blood-red meteor shower.

The death of a cultivator at this level of star rank is often accompanied by unusual phenomena.

The Way of Heaven has come to an end, shrouded in darkness.

The low-level demons outside and inside the city went berserk after being stained with the blood light, their eyes all glowing with blood.

Like a mad dog, it tore at the surrounding cultivators and even its own kind.

A wolf demon gnawed off half of a boar demon's ear, and the boar demon squealed and knocked over a hyena next to it. The monsters rolled around in a heap, tearing at each other, with blood and flesh flying everywhere.

The battlefield was thrown into chaos.

Jiang Mu was blasted dozens of feet away, his back slamming into a broken tree stump. He felt a sweet taste in his throat and spat out a mouthful of blood.

When he stood up unsteadily, he felt as if tens of thousands of wasps were buzzing and flapping their wings in his ears.

My head was spinning, and my vision was blurry.

He bit his tongue, using the pain to force himself to wake up, and looked around to find the place in complete disarray.

The trees were either snapped in half or were still burning.

A nearby stream had been blasted and its course altered; the water, mixed with blood and mud, flowed across the cratered ground.

Not far from him, another Daqing army was also scattered, with many wounded soldiers groaning in pain.

Leading the group was the deputy general, Chen Xuan, whose face was filled with fear.

Just then, a group of monsters driven mad by the blood moon fragments discovered them.

There were at least a hundred of them, swarming out of the grove, their eyes flashing an abnormal red light, drool dripping from their mouths, as they charged wildly toward the still chaotic group of soldiers.

"Form ranks! Form defensive ranks!"

Chen Xuan jumped back a large step, shouting in terror, "Where are the ballistae? Don't let them charge!"

But the soldiers were already disoriented from the explosion, and their formation had long since collapsed.

Faced with this group of incredibly fast, crazed demons, the ordinary soldiers didn't even have time to raise their shields and spears. By the time they managed to get up, the first few crazed demons had already rushed to the front of the formation.

The soldiers looked ashen-faced.

Just as they were in despair, several dark red blades flashed from the side.

The hyena demon at the very front was cut into three pieces in mid-air, its black blood and entrails splattering all over the ground.

Immediately afterwards, the monster behind it seemed to be pushed by a meat grinder.

The dull thuds of flesh tearing together blended together.

In just a few breaths, hundreds of frenzied monsters were wiped out, leaving only a pile of remains on the ground.

It was Jiang Mu who made the move.

Still shaken, the soldiers, after confirming they had escaped death, all looked at Jiang Mu with gratitude and awe.

Chen Xuan, who was hiding in the back, also breathed a sigh of relief, panting with lingering fear.

"Jiang Mu!"

A sharp female voice suddenly rang out from above.

But then Nan Zhi, holding a red umbrella, flew over.

Several demon kings followed behind him.

Nan Zhi's gaze swept over the pile of Tian Wenyuan's remains on the ground, then turned to Jiang Mu, who was panting heavily and whose Fire God Dharma Form had dissipated. An excited expression appeared on her face.

"The garrison commander of Tanzhou City is dead; this is the perfect opportunity to seize the city!"

Nan Zhi laughed triumphantly.

Then, she closed her red umbrella, pointing the tip directly at Jiang Mu, and roared sharply at the several great demon kings beside her:

"Jiang Mu is seriously injured now, his Dharma form has dissipated, and his star power must be depleted! Quick, let's attack together now and kill him!"

Once we kill him, no one in Yunzhou City will be able to stop us!

Kill him!

In Nan Zhi's eyes, besides hatred, there was also a deep fear.

This kid's growth rate is just too abnormal.

He's a completely unreasonable monster.

If he continues to grow like this, he will surely become a major threat to the Red Umbrella Cult!

The powerful demon kings exchanged glances.

They had just witnessed the earth-shattering battle of the gods, so they were naturally extremely wary of Jiang Mu.

But sensing Jiang Mu's weakened state, he felt that this was indeed a good opportunity, and in the end, greed triumphed over fear.

"Kill him!"

Several powerful demons attacked, joining forces with Nan Zhi, who had unfurled her red umbrella, to encircle and annihilate Jiang Mu from all directions. Jiang Mu tried to activate the Fire God's Dharma Form once more.

However, the crimson phantom image condensed behind him for a moment, then dissipated like a rain-soaked campfire, emitting a few wisps of smoke before vanishing again. He decisively gave up, unleashing dozens of sword energies around his body, using offense as defense.

The blade clashed with the demon king's claws and the evil light of the red umbrella within a small space.

Sparks flew everywhere, and shockwaves rolled.

Just as everyone was in a chaotic mess, a sharp, high-frequency noise suddenly rang out in the area.

The sudden noise felt like someone was sticking a needle into my ear.

Whether it was Jiang Mu, who was struggling to hold on, or Nan Zhi, who was full of murderous intent, or those huge demon kings, they were all stunned by the sound and their faces showed pain.

The noise grew increasingly sharp.

Jiang Mu covered her ears with both hands, feeling as if a red-hot knife had been plunged into her brain.

The pain was so intense that his vision went black, and his knees buckled, almost causing him to collapse to the ground.

At the same time, his cultivation level was also suppressed.

Jiang Mu attempted to teleport away from this strange area, only to discover that the surrounding spatial laws had been completely locked down by some kind of force.

He couldn't even move an inch.

Not only him, but Nan Zhi opposite him was also in agony, her face contorted as she knelt on the ground, clutching her head.

Those eighth-tier demons couldn't withstand the soul-piercing pain and revealed their true forms, writhing and howling in agony on the ground, unable to move an inch out of this strange area.

The soldiers in the distance, however, were not disturbed by the noise.

Chen Xuan was already preparing to run away with his men.

He was quite frightened by the mad demon earlier, and now that he saw several demon kings appear, he wished his parents had two more legs.

I had only taken two steps when I noticed that the noise behind me had suddenly stopped.

Turning my head, I saw this bizarre scene.

"What's wrong with them?"

Chen Xuan looked completely puzzled.

The guards beside him were also dumbfounded, and hesitated before saying:

"General, they seem to be bound by some force. Should we go and help Lord Jiang?"

"Help my ass!"

Chen Xuan slapped the guard's helmet and cursed in a low voice.

"Those demon kings are immobilized; that's a chance for us to escape from heaven! Why are you still going to join them? Once they recover, you'll be the first to die!"

The guard looked at Jiang Mu with a hint of pity in his eyes: "But Lord Jiang just saved us..."

"Let's get going!"

Chen Xuan was too lazy to waste words with him and turned to leave.

After taking a few steps, I suddenly stopped.

He turned back to look at Nan Zhi and the demon leaders, his eyes flickering, and thought to himself, "These are high-ranking members of the Red Umbrella Sect, and several demon leaders too..."

If we can kill them all at this moment.

Chen Xuan then killed the evil cult's protector and annihilated several great demon kings, thus gaining the immense merit of saving the people of a city.

Such a monumental achievement, worthy of being recorded in the annals of Daqing, was enough to allow him to bypass mediocre talents like Lin Anchang and Chang Dawei, and be personally commended by the emperor, directly transferred to the central government in the capital, to enjoy a lifetime of wealth and honor.

Chen Xuan's heart began to race, and her breathing became heavy.

"Fire thunderbolts at them."

Chen Xuan suddenly spoke.

The guards were stunned.

"My lord... Lord Jiang is still there."

"I know!"

Chen Xuan grabbed the guard by the collar and spat in his face.

"I told you to launch the Thunderclap Bomb, are you deaf?!"

"Quickly! Push the remaining ballistae over here, load them with the highest-level bombs, and fire them in their direction!"

Chen Xuan's face was contorted with excitement.

Since running over to attack them is risky, let's just use wide-range long-range weapons to blow them to ashes!

The guard's face turned pale.

The surrounding soldiers also heard the order and looked at each other in bewilderment.

Although these soldiers were Chen Xuan's subordinates, they had all been trained by Chang Dawei, and they were still grateful to Jiang Mu for saving their lives. Were they to be ordered to fire on their savior?

Who could bring themselves to do that?

"What are you all standing there for? Launch the Sky-Shattering Thunder!"

Chen Xuan's eyes turned red, and she screamed hysterically.

"If we can wipe out the high-ranking members of the Red Umbrella Sect and the leaders of these demons, it will be an unparalleled feat capable of reversing the fate of the Great Qing Dynasty! Sacrificing Jiang Mu for the greater good is his honor!"

But still no one moved.

"Hurry up, you bunch of useless cowards! What are you dawdling for? Once they regain their mobility, we're all doomed!"

Fearing that Nan Zhi and the others might break free from their confinement at any moment, Chen Xuan, consumed by rage, drew his sword from his waist.

"Whoosh!"

A flash of cold light.

The guard who was still trying to persuade him was beheaded by Chen Xuan with a single sword stroke.

Chen Xuan, holding a blood-dripping longsword, pointed at the remaining soldiers and roared fiercely:

"Are you not even listening to me?! Anyone who disobeys orders will be executed without mercy! Load and fire!"

The soldiers were terrified by their commander's brutality.

They could only grit their teeth and frantically load the enhanced giant thunderbolts into the last two intact ballistae.

But when he aimed at the area where Jiang Mu was, he just couldn't bring himself to fire.

"Useless trash, get out of my way! I'll do it myself!"

Chen Xuan was furious.

Fearing he would miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get promoted and make a fortune, he rushed over and kicked the soldier next to the crossbow cart to the ground.

He personally grasped the firing lever of the heavy crossbow.

"Clatter!"

Chen Xuan pulled it down forcefully.

"Boom! Boom!"

Two specially modified, enhanced thunderbolts ripped through the night sky, striking precisely the area imprisoned by the mysterious noise. The earth shook violently!

An orange-red fireball shot into the air, its shockwave carrying debris and metal fragments that scattered in all directions.

It indiscriminately swept across a space of several tens of feet in radius.

With their cultivation and protective aura suppressed, Nan Zhi and the great demons were unable to withstand this pure physical destructive force.

The two great demons closest to the center of the explosion had their arms blown off.

Jiang Mu was not spared either.

The blast wave crashed into his chest.

He was blown into the air and rolled more than ten meters on the ground before coming to a stop.

At the same time, the piercing noise that stabbed into his mind became even sharper and more piercing, as if it were about to split his skull open.

"What the hell is this lousy noise?!" Jiang Mu cursed inwardly.

"it works!"

Chen Xuan, watching from afar as the crowd was blown to pieces, was overjoyed.

He was so excited that he was trembling all over.

He immediately turned and rushed toward another ballista, preparing to personally load the thunderbolts.

However, just as his hand touched the ballista, a sudden chill came from behind him.

Chen Xuan was, after all, a fifth-level martial general, and his reaction was timely.

Before he could turn around, he mustered all his strength and rolled to the side like a lazy donkey, tumbling out in a sorry state.

"boom!"

Almost at the same instant he lunged out, a huge, jet-black tomb blade, carrying a violent, malevolent aura, descended from the sky and smashed into the spot where Chen Xuan had just been standing.

The sturdy, heavy crossbow was violently cleaved in two from the very center by this single strike, like a fragile wooden toy.

Wood chips and metal scraps flew everywhere!

Chen Xuan turned around in shock.

But then a slender, aloof figure appeared behind them.

The girl was short and slender, and she carried a pitch-black tomb knife that was larger than her whole body.

A black dress fluttered fiercely in the cold wind.

Her delicate yet cold face was filled with murderous intent, and her beautiful eyes surged with black demonic energy.

It was Duanmu Li!