So it turns out I'm the demon!

"What? Are you surprised to see me?"

Jiang Mu's gaze was cold.

Nan Zhi concealed the surprise in her eyes, and smiled radiantly:

"It's not too surprising; you'll definitely get caught up in this place too."

Speaking of which, I really owe it all to you this time. By some twist of fate, I entered the blessed land left behind by the great demon Jiang Chaoxi and obtained this extraordinary opportunity.

"Master Jiang, shouldn't this protector really thank you properly?"

Jiang Chaoxi's blessed land?

Jiang Mu was startled.

No wonder this place is so disgusting; it turns out to be the lair of the legendary number one demon.

Jiang Mu's gaze swept over the two great demon corpses lying not far from Nan Zhi's feet, and he said indifferently, "It seems that the two great demons who were ambushed on the road were also your doing."

You even betrayed your own allies who came to help you. Protector Nanzhi, you truly are a beast.

Nan Zhi gently twirled the red umbrella in her hand, and the silver bells under the eaves jingled crisply as she giggled:

"Jiang Mu, we are all cultivators. Let's not embarrass ourselves with those hypocritical morals and let's not make a fool of ourselves. The Great Dao is like walking a single-plank bridge. There's only one chance, and there's no room for a second person to walk across it side by side."

"You block my path today, so naturally I'll kill you. Tomorrow you'll try to steal my opportunity, do you expect me to talk to you about chivalry? If you were Jiang Mu, would you have shown mercy?"

Jiang Mu untied Lan Rou'er from his back and gently placed her on a flat rock. He turned to Duanmu Li and instructed, "Keep an eye on her." Then, he walked towards Nan Zhi, sneering:

"You make a good point. The strong prey on the weak; that's the law of nature. So, it's perfectly reasonable for me to kill you now, isn't it?"

Sensing the terrifying killing intent emanating from Jiang Mu, Nan Zhi frowned slightly, a hint of apprehension flashing in her eyes.

After all, the psychological trauma this kid inflicted on me before was still quite significant.

Nan Zhi pointed to a lone boat moored on the shore behind her and said:

"Jiang Mu, do you see that ship behind me? Only by boarding that ship can we cross this sea of ​​suffering and reach the other shore to obtain the true inheritance. But this ship will not reach the shore smoothly; there will inevitably be more dangers and perils along the way."

"Why don't we put aside our grudges for now and join forces? Once we've safely reached the other side and overcome these difficulties, we can each seize opportunities based on our own abilities. What do you say?"

"Not good."

Jiang Mu didn't utter a single extra word.

boom!

Behind him, the image of the God of Fire rose from the ground, his body wreathed in flames.

The once calm sea was forced to recede by this force, revealing the white sand beneath.

He clasped his hands together in front of his chest, his fingers interlaced.

A dark red blade of light slowly emerged from between his two palms, stretching from the left horizon to the right horizon, as if someone had drawn a horizontal line across the entire coastline with a giant ruler.

Blade light flashed.

"What an ignorant and stupid dog!"

Nan Zhi cursed under her breath, opened the red umbrella, and the umbrella surface spun rapidly.

Runes lit up simultaneously on the umbrella surface, spreading from the center of the umbrella to the eaves, instantly forming three layers of runic light shields in front of him.

Each layer of light shield is separated by a rotating vortex, which deflects force and momentum.

The blade struck the first layer of light shield, which shattered instantly.

The second layer of light shield barely held out for half a breath before being cleaved open by the blade's force.

The third layer of light shield was pressed into an inward-curving arc by the blade's aura, and the runes on the umbrella surface darted wildly, emitting a piercing buzzing sound.

Then the umbrella and the whole thing were flung away.

Nan Zhi, gripping the umbrella handle, flew backwards for dozens of feet before finally coming to a stop, blood spurting from her tiger's mouth.

Jiang Mu gave her no chance to catch her breath.

The shadow demon silently emerged from beneath her feet, stealthily gliding along the sand to Nan Zhi's back, before unleashing a black arc blade from below.

With the tip of the Nanzhi umbrella slightly turned back, the red umbrella suddenly closed and transformed into a short spear.

Boom!

The red umbrella struck the ground, and pulses spread out, shattering the shadow blade.

"Jiang Mu, there's no point in fighting me! I'm telling you now, this ship..."

Nan Zhi tried to say something, but Jiang Mu activated teleportation, disappearing from the spot and reappearing above and to her right.

The power of the Dharma Image slammed down with a single palm strike!

At the same moment the woman dodged, Qianjin Mountain also descended from the sky.

"Damn it!"

Nan Zhi tossed the red umbrella over her head.

The umbrella is opened and hung upside down; as it rotates, eight short blades pop out from the tips of the umbrella ribs.

The short blade spun as it met the Thousand Gold Mountain, relentlessly slicing at the spiritual light at its base. The mountain's descent slowed slightly, and she seized the opportunity to dodge, narrowly avoiding being crushed.

Without giving them a chance, Jiang Mu spread his wings and swooped down from mid-air.

The Dharma form and his true form simultaneously unleashed their punches, blocking each other's retreat.

Nan Zhi held the red umbrella horizontally in front of her.

The umbrella took the first punch head-on, making a creaking sound, and the woman was sent flying backward, her back hitting the rocks at the edge of the beach.

The rocks shattered instantly, and the woman coughed up blood.

The second punch followed immediately. Nan Zhi hurriedly tried to turn to the side, but the force of the punch grazed her shoulder and slammed into the sand, creating a crater several meters wide. The splashing sand pelted her head and body.

Before she could even climb out of the pit, Jiang Mu had already emerged from the sandstorm, his five fingers forming a long sword, which he then slashed down at her.

Its main focus is speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness!

Ordinary cultivators cannot unleash such powerful attacks continuously, but Jiang Mu has unlimited endurance and is not afraid of running out of star power.

It's all about going all out.

This is similar to sparring with Shui Miaozheng on the bed.

But Nan Zhi was, after all, a high-ranking protector of the Red Umbrella Sect with considerable cultivation, so she quickly held the red umbrella in front of her.

The blade struck the umbrella, sending sparks flying.

Two of the umbrella ribs broke off, and the red umbrella tilted to one side.

She took the opportunity to roll out of the range of the blade, knelt on one knee, panting heavily, her skirt covered with scorch marks and tears.

"You brat!"

Nan Zhi gritted her teeth and slammed the red umbrella to the ground, the tip of which pierced the sand.

The surrounding sand grains were shaken and jumped up, then spun into three three-zhang-high sand whirls, which simultaneously swirled towards Jiang Mu from three sides.

Jiang Mu snorted coldly, without dodging, and his Fire God Dharma Form shook its arms outward.

The fire wave exploded outwards in a thick, circular pattern in all directions.

The sand swirl only held on for two breaths in the scorching waves before turning into loose sand and falling to the ground with a clatter.

Jiang Mu passed through the sand curtain and stepped forward.

A simple, brutal straight punch landed on the protective umbrella that Nan Zhi had hastily erected.

Bang! !

The woman, along with her umbrella, was thrown into the air, bounced twice on the beach, and finally rolled into a patch of shallow water.

She struggled to get up, her arms bracing themselves on the sand, but her elbows trembled so much that she couldn't even support the weight of her upper body.

He reached out to grab the red umbrella, only to find it completely broken.

Jiang Mu walked up to her, looked down at this woman who had been haunting him since the first day he transmigrated, and asked:

"Did you leave any last words?"

Nan Zhi's eyes finally revealed the fear of impending death.

"Jiang Mu, you can't kill me!"

Nan Zhi said sternly, "Back in Yancheng, and even earlier, I had countless opportunities to easily kill you."

But because I value your talent and want to win you over, I've shown you mercy and let you off the hook!

Otherwise, how would you have survived to this day?

"If you kill me now, how are you any different from those ungrateful, despicable people who repay kindness with enmity?!"

Hearing this ridiculous logic from the robbers, Jiang Mu couldn't help but laugh in anger.

"Nan Zhi, Nan Zhi, your shamelessness has truly opened my eyes."

Jiang Mu conjured a long blade in his hand, the tip aimed at her throat.

"Since you follow your bullshit logic of 'survival of the fittest,' then you can only blame yourself for being blind back then and not killing me beforehand if you end up in my hands today."

This is in accordance with the way of Heaven, isn't it?

Having said that, Jiang Mu swung his sword and slashed down.

Just then, the bell on Nan Zhi's wrist suddenly rang out.

Nan Zhi's expression shifted from fear to surprise, and then from surprise to ecstasy in an instant.

She quickly grabbed the bell and crushed it with force.

Then he screamed at the top of his lungs, "I'm here! Come save me!"

"Bang!"

Almost simultaneously, a screen of light appeared in front of the woman, shattering the knife that Jiang Mu had swung.

The next moment, the air above Jiang Mu's head began to swirl.

A crack opened in the void.

It's like someone poked a hole through the back of a piece of paper.

Then, a figure emerged from the crack.

As the figure descended, a suffocatingly powerful pressure descended from the sky. The once calm sea began to churn, and waves crashed onto the beach one after another.

Jiang Mu was also forced back several steps by this oppressive force.

He steadied himself, looked up, and was taken aback.

The newcomer was tall and robust, with a square face, and his body was surrounded by an aura of plant essence.

Wherever the aura passed, tiny green shoots sprouted from the sand beneath their feet, only to be crushed by the surging pressure.

King of Ginseng!

How did it get here?

Jiang Mu was puzzled.

The two sides had a conflict at first, but later in the temple's secret realm, Ling Ye obtained an opportunity from the other party's mother. Under the radiance of maternal love, the Ginseng King chose to let them go.

Of course, Jiang Mu also agreed to help the other party find her sister.

Nan Zhi staggered to her feet and laughed, a laugh tinged with the nervousness of someone who had just escaped death.

"King of Ginseng, I knew you wouldn't keep me waiting too long."

She pointed at Jiang Mu, her previous fear turning into a ferocious hatred.

"Kill him! That brat ruined our plans. If you kill him, you can have everything I promised you!"

Jiang Mu stared directly at the tenth-tier demon in mid-air and said coldly:

"I never expected that a dignified demon king would actually collude with these rats from the Red Umbrella Sect."

The King of Ginseng said calmly:

"The world is a bustling place, all driven by profit. Jiang Mu, I never expected to see you again so soon. But we were never really friends anyway, each of us was just looking out for our own interests. So this time, all I can say is sorry."

Nan Zhi was initially nervous upon seeing that the two knew each other. But upon hearing the Ginseng King's words, her tense expression immediately relaxed, and she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the great benefits she had promised had worked; this tenth-tier demon king was ultimately on her side.

Jiang Mu's mind raced, trying to figure out a way to break the deadlock, but his face remained calm: "Don't you want to find your sister anymore? I promised you..." "I don't believe you can help me find her."

The King of Ginseng interrupted him, "I have already searched in my own way, so I have no hope for you." Jiang Mu felt a sense of helplessness and couldn't help but curse inwardly.

If I had known that this ginseng spirit was so unethical, I should have fooled that old devil Wenren Guhong a little longer and let him stay in my body a little longer as a free henchman.

Now look what's happened; Old Ghost has gotten himself into trouble.

How can a lone True Immortal fight a tenth-level demon?

That's a question that could kill you.

Just as Jiang Mu was pondering how to fight to the death, the King of Ginseng's gaze inadvertently swept over Lan Rou'er, who was lying not far away.

At first, the ginseng king didn't pay much attention.

They assumed it was just some unfortunate cultivator who had died here.

But just as it was about to look away, its gaze suddenly stopped and fixed on Lan Rou'er.

The next moment, the King of Ginseng's eyes widened little by little, and something was churning rapidly deep within his pupils.

With a whoosh, he rushed straight to Lan Rou'er's corpse.

Duanmu Li, who was standing guard nearby, was shocked and immediately raised his tomb knife to slash at the ginseng king.

"Get out of here!"

The demonic aura emanating from the King of Ginseng surged.

The girl's petite body was blasted away.

"Ah Li!"

Jiang Mu's expression changed drastically, and he sprang up, trying to rush over to save the person.

But as soon as he moved, he was bound by a bright green tentacle that the Ginseng King casually flicked out, rendering him unable to move.

"King of Ginseng!"

Jiang Mu struggled to no avail, then shouted sharply.

"Back in the Fallen Soul Swamp, I saw that you were a decent and upright demon. If you want to help the Red Umbrella Sect kill me, I, Jiang Mu, will take your place! But don't touch any other innocent people, at least for the sake of the opportunity your mother once gave to my friend."

King Shen ignored Jiang Mu's angry roar.

It knelt on one knee, carefully examining Lan Rou. Then, it extended its fingertip and touched the girl's forehead.

Jiang Mu's heart skipped a beat.

What does this monster want to do?

Could it be that he harbored some malicious intentions because he saw that Lan Rou'er was pretty?

On the other side, Nan Zhi, clutching her still throbbing chest, saw that the Ginseng King was hesitant to kill Jiang Mu and instead staring blankly at a female corpse. She couldn't help but urge him anxiously:

"Lord Shenwang, delay will only lead to trouble. Kill Jiang Mu quickly!"

That girl is already dead. If you like this kind of fresh and tender style, once we get out, my Red Umbrella Sect will help you catch a hundred live, beautiful young girls for you to enjoy.

"This kid is really too strange. If this drags on, who knows what underhanded tricks he'll pull next..."

"Shut your mouth!"

King Shen turned around and roared angrily, his whole body radiating murderous intent.

Nan Zhi was so angry that she choked on her own words, her face turning ashen.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but faced with the oppressive aura of the Ginseng King, she ultimately swallowed her words with a livid face.

The King of Ginseng closed his eyes again.

The fingertip placed on Lan Rou'er's brow suddenly released strands of emerald green light.

The green light, full of the vitality of plants, entered the girl's brow and then, like a green cocoon of light, slowly enveloped Lan Rou'er's petite body.

Jiang Mu, who was desperately trying to break free by activating her star power, was stunned when she saw this scene.

After a long while, the green light gradually seeped into the body.

Lan Rou'er, who had been lifeless, suddenly trembled.

Immediately afterwards, a pattern resembling a willow leaf appeared in the center of the girl's smooth brow.

The patterns shimmered with a soft, luminous light, exuding a sense of natural beauty.

The Ginseng King stared at the leaf pattern between the girl's eyebrows, as if he had been frozen in place, and was somewhat dazed.

Suddenly, it raised its head and burst into laughter.

Jiang Mu, Duanmu Li, and Nan Zhi, who were not far away, all looked at it with complete bewilderment.

Could it be that this demon king has gone mad from demonic possession?

Before the laughter subsided, the Ginseng King suddenly rushed in front of Jiang Mu, grabbed his collar, and roared almost against Jiang Mu's nose:

"Tell me! What happened to my sister? Where is her soul?"

younger sister?

Everyone present was stunned by these words.

Jiang Mu stared wide-eyed at the Ginseng King as if he were an alien: "You...you're saying Rou'er is your sister?"

"nonsense!"

King Shen roared in exasperation, spitting all over Jiang Mu's face.

"You look so much like me, like we were made from the same mold. Are you blind? Can't you see?"

Jiang Mu glanced at the ginseng king's cold and stern face, then turned to look at Lan Rou'er, whose features were delicate and beautiful.

He shook his head: "Sorry... I really can't tell at all."

The ginseng king's noodles twitched twice, too lazy to argue about the matter, and he grabbed Jiang Mu's collar again, loudly demanding:

"I ask you, where is my sister's soul?!"

Jiang Mu's mind was still buzzing. The sheer volume of information left him momentarily stunned. He subconsciously replied, "Her soul was taken to the other side. I'm trying to find a way to bring her body there and retrieve her soul."

The Ginseng King glanced at the Bitter Sea, then turned back to stare coldly at Jiang Mu.

next second.

The Ginseng King, who had been exuding murderous intent, suddenly grabbed Jiang Mu and hugged him tightly, patting his back forcefully and laughing heartily.

"Good, you're not bad, you're really damn good!"

"I knew you were a man of your word! You truly kept your promise and helped me find my long-lost sister. I, the Demon King, was right about you!"

Jiang Mu, who was being held in the arms of a tenth-level demon, rolled her eyes as she was slapped.

Only now did his malfunctioning brain finally piece together all the clues.

Recalling Lan Rou'er's own account of the massacre of the Lan family in Yuancheng, and later, at the bottom of Blue Moon Pool, Master Yu Wu revealed that a mysterious person had hired them to search for the "Seven Aperture Ginseng Fruit" at the Lan family.

Everything, everything, fits together perfectly!

It turns out that what the Lan family hid back then wasn't some inanimate treasure at all.

The so-called treasure is none other than Lan Rou'er herself!

Lan Rou'er is the one who transformed into human form, the "Seven-Aperture Ginseng Fruit".

She is the younger sister of this tenth-tier Ginseng King.

Furthermore, Lan Rou'er was able to activate the Buddhist aura within the Buddhist treasure's heritage because her birth mother gave birth to her in that temple in the secret realm.

What made Jiang Mu even more uneasy was...

He had just taken care of this "Seven-Aperture Ginseng Fruit" in the carriage not long ago.

"What the hell………"

Jiang Mu was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

Sleeping on a herb?

Did they eat a fruit on their wedding night?

This kind of outrageous and absurd operation is probably unprecedented and will never be repeated.

But why doesn't Lan Rou'er have any demonic aura?

That's strange, so very strange.

At this moment, the most shocked person was undoubtedly Nan Zhi.

Seeing that the tenth-level demon king, who was just about to crush Jiang Mu, suddenly become sworn brothers with Jiang Mu and hug him tightly.

Nan Zhi felt a sudden dizziness, as if she had fallen into an ice cave.

It’s over.

The sky has fallen!

They thought they had found a powerful ally, but this ally turned out to be a relative on the spot and became a member of the opposing camp.

In her despair, Nan Zhi's eyes darted around, trying to find a glimmer of hope.

Suddenly, she saw that the small boat on the beach had changed.

The originally dark gray hull now exudes a warm, jade-white glow.

On the deck at the bow of the ship, the last drop of water fell precisely from a timekeeping device resembling a "water moon water clock".

"Time is up!"

A look of wild joy erupted in Nan Zhi's dim eyes.

She glanced at the Ginseng King, who was still "deeply embracing" Jiang Mu, and while he wasn't paying attention, she swallowed a pill, endured the excruciating pain, and rushed wildly toward the small boat.

Once you get on that ship, you can cross the sea of ​​suffering.

Once we obtain the Great Demon's inheritance, it's uncertain who will kill whom!

However, when she was less than three feet from the boat, an invisible barrier suddenly lit up, sending her flying and crashing heavily onto the beach. "Damn it, why isn't it working!"

Nan Zhi climbed out of the sand, her face filled with disbelief and despair.

Actually, she had been on this beach for a long time before Jiang Mu appeared, and had even tried to board the ship.

But each time, it was repelled by this restriction.

Later, she discovered the "Water Moon Water Clock" at the bow of the ship and assumed that the ship's restrictions would automatically be lifted once the water clock's time was up. But now that the time has clearly come, why can't she get on board?

What exactly went wrong?

The commotion on Nanzhi's side caught the attention of the Ginseng King.

Shen Wang released Jiang Mu, turned his head and stared coldly at Nan Zhi, who had fallen on the beach, his eyes revealing murderous intent.

Nan Zhi forced a stiff smile:

"Lord Ginseng...Lord Ginseng, are you mistaken? How could that girl possibly be your sister?"

This must be some kind of illusion Jiang Mu has used to deliberately mislead you, Lord King. Don't forget, our Red Umbrella Sect made a promise to you…

"promise?"

King Shen snorted coldly and waved his hand.

The ropes binding Jiang Mu loosened, freeing him from his restraints.

It turned to Jiang Mu and said, "You can handle this woman."

What a load of bull, what a promise from the Red Umbrella Cult—none of it matters when it comes to finding my sister.

Jiang Mu stretched her arms, which were numb from being tied up, and turned to walk towards Nan Zhi.

"What goes around comes around, Protector Nanzhi."

Jiang Mu sneered.

Seeing Jiang Mu closing in step by step, Nan Zhi said resentfully:

"Jiang Mu, if you kill me, our Red Umbrella Sect will never let you go. You will regret it!"

"I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn't kill you."

Jiang Mu raised his right hand, and the tip of his fingertip shone with a blade-like light.

"Whoosh!"

A crescent-shaped blade of energy shot out, as fast as lightning.

Nan Zhi's head slipped off her neck and rolled onto the beach.

The headless corpse collapsed to the ground with a thud.

However, the next moment, a bizarre scene unfolded.

Nan Zhi's headless corpse, lying on the ground, began to melt rapidly, including her clothes, flesh, and bones... turning into blood in the blink of an eye. A wisp of smoke rose from the blood.

The red smoke slowly gathered in mid-air, turning into the shape of a paper umbrella.

Under the red umbrella, the faint silhouette of a woman appeared.

The woman's ethereal figure looked at Jiang Mu, her voice low and gloomy: "Jiang Mu, it's you again."

"A body of divine consciousness?"

The King of Ginseng's expression changed slightly, and he took a step forward to stand in front of Jiang Mu.

"Just who are you, sir? To possess such abilities, you must be at least a great cultivator at the twelfth realm."

Jiang Mu called out her name: "Honglian".

He had met this woman once before.

During the crisis in Yancheng last time, it was this woman who was hiding in the shadows and secretly absorbing the city's fortune, but she was discovered by Mo Huaisu.

At that time, this woman even used his body as a vessel to engage in a magical battle with Mo Huaisu.

Jiang Mu had already experienced the woman's unfathomable nature back then.

The phantom of the Crimson Lotus hovered in mid-air, looking down at Jiang Mu, and said calmly:

"Jiang Mu, I originally intended to have Nan Zhi spare your life and accept you into the sect. But you have repeatedly thwarted my Holy Sect's grand plans and even killed Nan Zhi."

You have lost your last chance to join the Red Umbrella Cult. From this day forward, you are the Red Umbrella Cult's mortal enemy.

"Oh? You make it sound like your Red Umbrella Cult was so friendly to me before."

Jiang Mu retorted, "However, since we've run into each other today, I happen to have a question I'd like to ask you."

I remember you've always identified yourself as the leader of the Red Umbrella Cult, haven't you?

But a few days ago I unexpectedly learned a very interesting inside story... The real leader of the Red Umbrella Cult was actually Jiang Chaoxi's personal disciple back then, and he was a man.

So, Lady Guren, where exactly is that "true leader" hiding behind you now, cowering like a turtle?

Honglian remained silent for a few moments, then sighed softly:

"The red umbrella weeps blood, without birth or death; the red umbrella spreads like a canopy, all spirits mourn..."

As soon as the words were spoken, the red light dissipated.

The red umbrella is gone, the woman is gone, and all that remains on the sand is a pool of dark liquid being slowly washed away by the waves.

Jiang Mu cursed:

"Damn it, they didn't even give us a chance to loot the corpse."

As the red umbrella phantom disappeared, the King of Ginseng's tense shoulders finally relaxed slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "The Red Umbrella Sect truly lives up to its reputation as the number one sect in the world. This woman named Honglian is terrifying."

He turned to look at Jiang Mu and solemnly instructed her:

"If you ever run into her again, you'd better be extra careful."

Jiang Mu nodded.

The ginseng king turned his gaze to the small boat on the shore and suddenly realized:

"I suddenly remembered. Back then, Jiang Chaoxi killed a great demon king and claimed its treasure land for himself. This must be the place. Anyone who enters this place, if their cultivation is not strong enough or their destiny is not strong enough, will have their soul automatically extracted and then sent to the Valley of the Other Shore to serve as nourishment for the array eye."

The only way to cross this sea of ​​suffering and reach the other side is by ferry.

"That ship has a 'Water Moon Water Clock' at the bow. If the time isn't right, or if your luck isn't good enough, even if your cultivation is extraordinary, you can't force your way on board." Jiang Mu frowned deeply.

"But the water clock on that boat clearly ran out of time, so why was Nanzhi still imprisoned and thrown away?" "Because what's floating on this beach isn't a real ferry."

Jiang Mu was taken aback and looked around:

"Besides this ship, is there anything else here?"

King Shen walked to the edge of the beach and pointed to the deep, churning sea on one side, saying:

"Come and see here."

Jiang Mu was taken aback, and quickly walked over.

He looked in the direction the ginseng king pointed and immediately gasped.