So it turns out I'm the demon!

The fog swirled through the forest, creating a dark and gloomy atmosphere.

The deeper Jiang Mu went, the more he could feel an aura constantly eroding his mind.

Occasionally, some blurry images would flash by.

However, these illusions did not interfere with him much.

After all, with the blessing of the "Cold Moon Ice Heart Technique" and the protection of the Heavenly Origin Chess Piece to keep the mind clear, all the illusions that appeared could dissipate on their own.

When Jiang Mu returned to the hillside where she had been blocked earlier, she suddenly heard a faint, intermittent cry for help coming from deep within the forest. "Help...help me..."

The voice sounds like a woman's.

Jiang Mu followed the cries for help and went to investigate.

He parted a thicket and saw a woman huddled shivering at the base of a tree.

The woman's face was deathly pale, her skirt was torn, revealing a section of her pale calf with several streaks of blood on it.

Although she was dressed in coarse cloth and wore simple clothes, she was quite charming and beautiful.

Her eyebrows and eyes were curved like distant mountains shrouded in mist, her nose was small and straight, and her figure was plump, exuding a soft and mature charm.

Especially her pair of watery, peach-blossom eyes, so charming and alluring.

Upon seeing Jiang Mu, the woman's beautiful eyes lit up.

She struggled to stand up, but the movement aggravated the wound on her leg, causing her to groan softly and fall back down. She could only plead pitifully with Jiang Mu:

"Young master, please save me! There's a monster here, it's terrifying..."

Jiang Mu sized up the woman and asked calmly:

"What are you, a woman, doing in this desolate wilderness in broad daylight?"

The woman's beautiful eyes were filled with tears, and her voice was filled with sorrow:

"I am from Yuancheng. There was war there, and I accompanied my husband on our escape. We came to Fazhou to seek refuge with relatives so that we would have a place to stay."

Who knew that we would get lost at the foot of the mountain and wander into this old forest, where we would encounter a monster... To protect me, my husband fought the monster alone, letting me run away first.

"I fled here in a panic, and my leg is injured. I can't find my husband either, and I don't know if he's alive or dead..."

At the end, the woman choked up and cried.

Her slender, delicate shoulders trembled slightly, evoking endless pity.

Jiang Mu nodded thoughtfully:

"Oh, I see. Since there are demons in this place, your husband, an ordinary man, is bound to die."

Well then, I think you're quite good-looking, and you have a pretty big butt, so you seem like someone who'd be good at bearing children.

"It just so happens that I'm currently lacking a wife to warm my bed and carry on the family line. Since your husband is dead, I'll take over and take care of you from now on, how about that?"

Hearing such vulgar words, the woman, who was still weeping with her face covered, was stunned.

Her pretty face immediately flushed red, and she shrank back behind the tree roots in fright, saying in a trembling voice:

"Young...Young Master, please don't make such a joke about me..."

"joke?"

Jiang Mu walked straight up and squatted down, reaching out to pinch her delicate chin and gently lifting it upwards, forcing the woman to look at him. "I'm not joking with you. Anyway, your husband is dead, and you, a weak woman, will have no one to rely on if you go out. You might as well obediently come back with me, lest you end up working as a slave at such a young age."

If you don't agree, then I'll leave now and won't take you with me. I'll leave you here to fend for yourself.

You should know that the monsters in these mountains are extremely ferocious.

They love women like you with delicate skin; they'll peel your skin off piece by piece, remove your tendons, and then carve your flesh off slice by slice to eat with their drinks…

As he spoke, Jiang Mu brazenly stroked the woman's delicate face with his fingertips, an act that was nothing short of lewd.

Jiang Mu's fright made the woman's face even paler than before, and her eyes filled with tears.

"Young...Young Master...how could you...how could you do this..."

However, the next moment, the hand that was caressing her cheek suddenly slid down and grabbed her neck.

Jiang Mu's gaze was icy, and he said in a cold voice:

"Alright, stop pretending. You think you can fool me with your clumsy seduction tricks?"

Although I don't know how you managed to hide your demonic aura, a demon is a demon. No matter how well you try to act human, the inherent wickedness in your bones can't be concealed.

The woman's alluring face flushed purple from lack of oxygen, and she desperately pried Jiang Mu's hands apart, begging for mercy:

"Young...Young Master...I am not...a demon..."

Jiang Mu was too lazy to listen to her nonsense and tightened her grip on her fingers.

Click!

The woman's neck was snapped cleanly and decisively, her head slumped limply, and she died instantly.

However, the very next second after the woman stopped breathing, her body turned into a clump of white hair.

"Hehe... Young master really doesn't know how to cherish a beautiful woman."

A soft, alluring woman's laughter drifted over.

Immediately afterwards, a white cat appeared on a branch that stretched out at an angle not far away. Its four limbs nimbly stepped on the twigs, and its fluffy tail hung down from the branch, swaying gently.

Then, the white cat transformed into the appearance of the woman from before.

However, compared to the dignified and delicate appearance she had just disguised with coarse cloth and thorns, the cat demon was now wearing a light white, luxurious, slit dress.

As the wind blew, her fair thighs were faintly visible.

She leaned lazily against the tree trunk, her figure tall and slender, a long, thin pipe between her fingers, the copper mouthpiece between her bright red lips as she puffed out smoke.

"It really is a cat demon."

Jiang Mu's gaze swept over those long legs, and she said indifferently, "Pretty sexy."

The cat demon laughed.

She removed the pipe from her lips, gently tapped the copper mouthpiece against her chin, and chuckled sweetly:

"Would you like to see me at my most seductive, young master?"

Jiang Mu said coldly:

"Don't give me that nonsense. I'm asking you, nine young men went missing in Xiaozhu Village and Dachai Village the other day. Did you do it? Where are they? Did you suck them dry like a dried-up corpse, you slut?"

The cat demon brought the pipe to its lips, took a deep drag, exhaled a string of beautiful smoke rings, and chuckled leisurely:

"What young man? I've never seen him before."

"Large numbers of people have been coming to these mountains lately. Who knows which greedy demons have eaten a few hotheads? Young master, please don't smear my dirty laundry."

"It seems they are dead."

Jiang Mu's eyes turned colder, and then he asked, "A group of Demon Slayers went up the mountain just now. Where are they now?"

The cat demon laughed:

"Young master, I'm not a search dog kept by your Demon Slayer Division. You ask me? Who am I supposed to ask?"

"They won't shed a tear until they see the coffin!"

A cold glint flashed in Jiang Mu's eyes, and his figure suddenly disappeared from the spot.

The cat demon's pupils contracted slightly as it instinctively sensed a chill coming from behind it. Before it could turn around, it swung its pipe behind it.

A burst of sparks shot out of the pipe.

However, it was too late!

Before the sparks could spread out, they were cleaved in two by the falling crimson blade.

With a muffled thud, the cat demon was sent flying backward.

She tumbled awkwardly in mid-air before barely managing to regain her balance.

As she rolled over, her slit dress billowed up, and her two long legs drew a stunning arc in the air.

The cat demon stared at Jiang Mu in horror, a storm raging in its heart:

"This kid's cultivation level is clearly only at the sixth realm, so how come he's so fierce in a fight?"

Before she could think any further, the surrounding black mist was torn apart simultaneously by dozens of sword energies.

The blade energy came slashing in from every angle.

The cat demon quickly opened her mouth, and a cloud of smoke billowed from her throat, swirling around her and condensing into a huge smoke ring that enveloped her. The blade's energy slashed into the smoke ring, creating ripples.

Immediately, the blade energy dissipated.

【Qianjinshan】!

A majestic golden mountain, shimmering with golden light, appeared out of nowhere, carrying a terrifying pressure that could suppress all gods and demons, and crashed down on the cat demon.

boom!

The cat demon couldn't dodge in time and was pressed under the golden mountain.

However, the moment it was suppressed, the cat demon suddenly transformed back into its original form. Then, using some unknown magic, it slipped out from the bottom of the mountain. As soon as it landed, the white cat reverted to its womanly appearance.

However, her long dress was torn in several places, and her face was covered in mud and ash, making her look extremely disheveled.

She stared coldly at Jiang Mu, gritting her teeth as she said:

"Good lad, you've been hiding it well, even carrying such a magical treasure with you. I've really seen something new today."

Before he could finish speaking, a gust of cold wind swept in from behind.

The cat demon's pupils contracted, and she instinctively lunged forward, only to have a sharp shadow blade slash down at her back.

It was the Shadow Demon.

With a sharp, tearing sound, the fabric at her lower back was ripped open by the blade's energy, exposing a large expanse of her fair skin to the air. Had she been even half a second later, it wouldn't have just been her clothes that had been torn open.

Before the cat demon could recover from the shocking attack...

"Dharma form, open!"

Jiang Mu gave a low shout.

A fiery god of fire, his body engulfed in blazing heavenly flames, rose up from the ground behind him.

Jiang Mu leaned closer, his movements mirroring those of the Dharma Image behind him.

He slammed his right fist down at the cat demon!

"Bang!"

A powerful punch was thrown.

The cat demon spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward, crashing heavily into a pile of rocks.

"Cough...cough cough..."

She struggled to her feet, clutching her chest and coughing repeatedly.

After she stopped coughing, she glared at Jiang Mu and complained, "Couldn't you have been a little gentler? It hurts a woman a lot when she gets hit in that area."

Jiang Mu's eyes were cold as he said indifferently:

"You're not even a person, what are you pretending to be a woman for?"

After saying that, he moved swiftly and teleported back to the other party.

The enormous fiery iron fist of the Vulcan avatar behind him once again slammed down on the cat demon with an oppressive force.

It looked like it was about to smash him into a pulp.

The cat demon cursed under his breath, "Madman."

She dared not resist any longer and quickly transformed back into her original form as a white cat.

At the same time, he unleashed all the demonic energy within his body, condensing a thick and solid shield of demonic energy in front of him.

The shield's surface was covered with demonic patterns, resembling a layer of bone armor.

"BOOM!!"

The fist of the god of fire slammed into the demon shield.

The sound of bones cracking came from the shield, and cracks appeared.

The demonic pattern attempted to repair itself, but the cracks spread far faster than it could be repaired.

With a crash, it shattered into pieces.

The cat demon's true form, hidden beneath the demon shield, was also shattered into points of light.

The point of light flew dozens of feet away, then reformed into the woman's figure, staggering several steps before regaining her balance.

She gave Jiang Mu a deep look, put the pipe back in her mouth and took a deep drag. Her listless complexion recovered somewhat, and she said indifferently, "Alright, I guess I'm just unlucky to have run into a monster like you today."

Kid, you're from the Demon Slayer Division, aren't you? You'd better save your energy to save your companions.

That pretty boy from the Qishan Sect named Shang Quan, in order to save his own life in the maze, used evil magic to drain the life essence of several of your Demon Slayer subordinates.

I'm not lying to you. If you're late, your remaining companions will probably all be dead.

She pointed her pipe into the air.

The smoke formed the shape of a cat's paw above her head, as if waving goodbye to Jiang Mu, then added:

"Also, let me reiterate. I didn't kill any of those missing young men you mentioned."

If you're looking for someone, go look elsewhere.

Having said that, the cat demon exhaled a puff of smoke.

The smoke swirled and billowed in the air, transforming into a black dragon with each breath.

The black dragon roared, its mouthful of fangs formed from smoke aimed at Jiang Mu, and it roared down, trailing a trail of smoke!

Jiang Mu raised her hand.

The Vulcan image behind him threw a punch in sync with him.

The smoke dragon was blasted apart starting from its head, and the black smoke exploded in all directions, diluting the fog within a radius of dozens of feet.

When the smoke cleared, the cat demon had vanished without a trace.

Jiang Mu closed her eyes and sensed the lingering scent of smoke from the other person, so she gave chase.

After chasing for a short while, several familiar figures appeared vaguely in the fog ahead, forming a defensive circle back to back.

It was Meng Zhen and several of his subordinates.

"Master Meng."

Jiang Mu emerged from the mist.

Upon hearing the sudden sound, Meng Zhen and the others, who were like startled birds, shuddered.

When Meng Zhen recognized Jiang Mu, he was overjoyed.

But the next second, he seemed to realize something, and his expression suddenly turned wary and ruthless: "Damn it, trying to use illusion magic to fool us again? Brothers, kill them!"

Meng Zhen shouted.

After saying that, he swung his sword and slashed at Jiang Mu.

The demon slayers behind them, their eyes red, also rushed towards them.

Jiang Mu swayed her feet and easily dodged, then released her Dharma form again to reveal her identity.

"Look closely, it's me!"

Jiang Mu said coldly.

Upon seeing the familiar Dharma image, Meng Zhen and the others froze on the spot once again.

"Is it really Lord Jiang?!"

A hint of doubt still lingered in Meng Zhen's eyes. "But weren't you just kept out and unable to come in?"

Jiang Mu retracted her Dharma form and glanced at him indifferently:

"There's nowhere in this world that can truly confine me. Where's Duanmu Li? Why isn't she with you?"

Upon hearing Jiang Mu mention Duanmu Li, the last trace of doubt on Meng Zhen's face vanished, and he finally believed in the identity of the person before him.

At the same time, everyone's tense nerves completely relaxed.

After all, with Jiang Mu around, their chances of survival were much greater.

With a face full of frustration, Meng Zhen recounted in detail what had happened after they entered the maze.

"My lord, the cat demon's illusions are too powerful. Several of my brothers have died under mysterious circumstances."

As for Miss Duanmu... we got separated from her.

"We can't find our way out, and we don't know what happened to the Qishan Sect members."

As Jiang Mu listened to Meng Zhen's story, the words the cat demon left behind before it departed came to mind.

His eyes flickered slightly as he asked:

"Is there someone named Shang Quan in the Qishan Sect's group you mentioned?"

"That's right."

Meng Zhen nodded.

Jiang Mu fell into deep thought.

The cat demon said that Shang Quan killed the Demon Slayers to protect himself, but it's unclear whether that's true or not.

Never mind, I'll test the waters when I see the person.

"This place is not safe to stay for long."

Jiang Mu made a quick decision and said in a deep voice, "This illusionary mist array is having too much of an impact on your minds. I'll take you out first."

"Thank you, sir."

Meng Zhen and the others breathed a sigh of relief.

Jiang Mu said no more and began to circulate the "Cold Moon Ice Heart Technique" to ensure his mind was clear. At the same time, he mobilized the "Stream Water" in his Dao Palace to dispel illusions and ensure his location was correct.

In less than half an incense stick's time, the group successfully walked out of the Taoist temple's illusionary maze.

As soon as Jiang Mu stepped out of the illusion array, his gaze suddenly sharpened. He saw three people sitting cross-legged in an open space ahead, meditating with their eyes closed. It was Shang Quan and his junior brothers and sisters.

"Huh? They actually escaped before us?"

Meng Zhen's face showed surprise.

Although we had a bit of an unpleasant argument just now, we are still friends who have been through thick and thin together.

Meng Zhen prepared to go up and say hello.

But as soon as he took half a step, Jiang Mu raised her hand to stop him.

"grown ups?"

Meng Zhen looked up at Jiang Mu and noticed that the other party had a cold expression. He was a little puzzled, but he didn't dare to ask any more questions.

Jiang Mu strode toward the three of them.

Hearing the noise, Shangquan and the other two also opened their eyes from their meditation.

When Shang Quan saw so many demon slayers emerge from the mist, a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.

He thought these demon slayers were going to die inside, but they all came out.

"You're lucky."

Shang Quan snorted inwardly, calmly stood up, and was about to say a few polite words when Jiang Mu suddenly pointed at Shang Quan and the other two and shouted fiercely, "Arrest them!"

Meng Zhen and the other demon slayers following behind Jiang Mu were all dumbfounded.

We looked at each other, wondering what the Lord Chief was up to.

However, out of absolute obedience to Jiang Mu, they drew their swords and quickly dispersed, surrounding Shang Quan and the other two.

"What are you doing?!"

The female disciple from Qishan was terrified and pointed angrily at Jiang Mu, demanding, "We are disciples of the Qishan Sect! Do you people from the Demon Slaying Division intend to arrest members of a prestigious sect without cause?"

Jiang Mu didn't look at her.

His gaze remained fixed on Shang Quan from the moment he spoke, and he said coldly:

"You really think you can get away with what you've done? I saw everything. If that cat demon hadn't been holding me back, my colleagues wouldn't have died at your hands."

"You Qishan sect pride yourselves on being a prestigious and righteous sect, having slain countless demons, so you think you can disregard the officials appointed by the imperial court?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present changed their expressions.

The two Qishan disciples also looked at Shang Quan.

Shang Quan's face darkened.

He didn't know Jiang Mu, but seeing the other party's confident demeanor, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Did this person really witness himself committing murder?

Shang Quan was too lazy to deny it, and sneered:

"Your colleagues were already under the influence of hallucination poison. Even if I hadn't killed them then, they would have killed each other in the hallucinations. I intervened to help them break free and save them from further physical suffering."

"Bullshit!"

Meng Zhen was furious when he saw that the other party admitted to murder.

"Who the hell do you think you are, some kind of reputable sect? Even if my brothers are poisoned, it's none of your business, an outsider, to lay a hand on them!" Jiang Mu said.

"Since you've admitted to killing him, there's nothing more to say. Just surrender obediently."

"Surrender?"

Shang Quan sneered, "I, Shang Quan, have always been responsible for my actions. I killed the man, so what?"

He put his hands behind his back, his tone arrogant.

"If I were you, I would take these idiots and leave Lüxiang Mountain as soon as possible, instead of staying here to die."

In Shang Quan's opinion, the cultivation levels of these demon slayers in front of him were all subpar.

There wasn't a single one of them who could fight.

Jiang Mu stopped wasting words with them and turned to Meng Zhen, saying:

"You can have those two. Kill them without hesitation. As for this pretty boy, I'll teach him a lesson."

"Yes, sir."

Meng Zhen led the remaining Demon Slayers towards the two fellow disciples behind Shang Quan.

Upon seeing this, Shang Quan's eyes revealed a murderous intent.

Just as he was about to intervene, his vision suddenly blurred.

A young face with sharp, angular features was thrust directly in front of him, startling him.

"Snapped!"

A crisp slap rang out.

Jiang Mu swung his right hand in a wide arc, delivering a solid blow to the other person's buttocks.