novelapdf Chapter 114 Get off your horse!
Chapter 114 Get off your horse!
Under the trees not far away.
You Dashan stared blankly at the scene, his mouth agape, as if he had seen a ghost.
He rubbed his eyes hard and then pinched his thigh hard.
What just happened?
Am I hallucinating because of excessive blood loss?
￥H””
Jiang Mu wiped the blood off the knife, then suddenly slapped his forehead, muttering with some annoyance, "I acted too quickly. I should have left one alive to escape back and report; maybe we could have caught more."
That's it, the trail has gone cold.
He turned around, looked at You Dashan who was still frozen in place, and asked, "Do you know if there are monster lairs nearby?"
"what?"
Yu Dashan's brain was still short-circuited, and he just stood there dumbfounded.
Jiang Mu frowned slightly, about to speak again.
Suddenly, he noticed a faint blue demonic shadow appearing next to the magic tank.
The shadowy form was exactly the same as the tigress demon from before.
Jiang Mu gently touched the demonic shadow.
The demonic shadow of the tigress immediately dissipated, turning into a wisp of blue smoke that only Jiang Mu could see. After circling in the air once, it meandered away in a certain direction deep in the dense forest.
Jiang Mu understood instantly.
This ability is similar to that of the previous snake demon shadow; it also has the function of tracking the demonic aura of its own kind.
Since we have navigation, we don't need a guide anymore.
Jiang Mu glanced at You Dashan, who was still in a state of shutdown, and waved his hand, saying:
"Alright, we don't need you here anymore. Go down the mountain, there's a dilapidated temple there, just wait there. People from Huzhou City will come to meet us later, it's safer there."
After saying that, he skillfully dissected the three-headed tiger demon's corpse and took out its demon core.
It absorbs all the demonic energy contained within into the magic tank.
Then, carrying the blood-stained longsword, he sped off without looking back in the direction where the smoke was rising.
They disappeared into the thick fog in the blink of an eye.
You Dashan then shuddered and realized what was happening.
He stared at the mangled flesh and the two halves of the corpse scattered on the ground, along with the little tiger's head that had rolled into the grass. His legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground. He slapped himself hard, his voice trembling as he said:
"Is this... even human?"
Following the wisp of green smoke, Jiang Mu swiftly traversed the intricate mountain forest.
About fifteen minutes later.
The wisp of smoke stopped in front of a very secluded crack in the mountain wall, and then disappeared into it.
Jiang Mu stopped and looked up to examine her.
This is a naturally formed cave entrance, surrounded by waist-high weeds and thorny shrubs.
Without the guidance of the blue smoke, it would be extremely difficult for ordinary people to discover.
The cave entrance was pitch black, resembling the gaping maw of a giant beast.
A chilling wind blew out of the cave, carrying with it the smell of blood.
"It should be a demon's lair."
Jiang Mu narrowed his eyes and directly activated the [Earth Star Observation] divine power.
A faint glimmer of starlight flashed in his eyes.
In an instant, the once pitch-black cave became much clearer in his eyes.
He stepped into the cave.
As soon as you step inside, you feel a sticky, greasy feeling under your feet.
Looking down, one could see the ground covered with dark, dried bloodstains, along with numerous mangled human skeletons and broken swords and armor belonging to the demon slayers.
"It seems that the missing branch in Yancheng was most likely destroyed here as well."
Jiang Mu made a guess in his heart.
Instead of venturing deeper, he first summoned "Shadow One" and left it behind a rock at the cave entrance as a teleportation anchor.
After doing all this, he gripped his long sword and crept along the winding passage into the bone-chilling depths.
After going about a hundred meters deeper, the view ahead suddenly opened up.
A huge natural cave has appeared.
Countless stalactites hang upside down from the top of the cave, resembling sharp fangs.
In the center of the cave, a huge pool of blood was dug out. The blood in the pool churned and bubbled eerily.
Beside the blood pool stood several thick stone pillars.
On each stone pillar, a mangled, bloodied person was chained together.
Their clothes were stripped off.
Most of them are already dead.
Only one burly middle-aged man still managed to retain a sliver of life, but his collarbone was pierced by an iron hook, his head drooping, and blood dripped from his toes into the pool of blood below.
The cave is not a dead end, but rather connects to several branching paths and partitioned caves.
At this moment, from the depths of those caves, intermittent screams and desperate cries could be heard, mixed with the excited roars and savage cries of the demons.
Clearly, there are still victims suffering.
Jiang Mu's eyes turned cold, and he was about to sneak over and make a move when suddenly...
"clatter."
A small pebble rolled down to his feet with a soft thud.
Jiang Mu's heart skipped a beat, and she turned her head to look to her right.
A head peeked out from behind a huge broken monument not far away. The person was waving at him, gesturing for him to come over.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a young girl.
Jiang Mu frowned, hesitated for a moment, and then silently darted over.
Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that two people were hiding behind the stone tablet.
They were all wearing the official uniforms of the Demon Slayer Bureau.
The girl peeking out had a rather ordinary appearance, even somewhat unremarkable, and was short with a bit of baby fat.
The man squatting next to her was also very young.
He was about twenty years old, with bright, piercing eyes, and was vigilantly observing the activity inside the cave.
"Come here! Crouch down!"
The girl pulled Jiang Mu into the shadow of the stone tablet and said in a low, urgent voice.
Jiang Mu squatted down.
The girl looked at his Demon Slayer's uniform and asked, "Which region's Demon Slayer's Division are you from?"
"Huzhou City".
Jiang Mu's gaze swept over the two of them. "Are you from the Demon Slayer Division of Yancheng?"
Upon hearing the words "Huzhou City," a hint of surprise flashed in both of their eyes.
The girl shook her head and whispered quickly, "My name is Ming Cuicui, and this is my senior brother, Zhu Chang. We are from the Demon Slaying Division of Fazhou City." (Fanzhou City?)
Jiang Mu's heart stirred.
He immediately recalled Ran Qingshan's roundabout reminder before he left, mentioning the "Water Master Shui Miaozheng".
Unexpectedly, I ran into her subordinates here first.
He asked in confusion, "What are you doing here?"
Ming Cuicui pointed to the people tied to the pillars in the direction of the blood pool, her small face full of resentment:
"We received an order from the General Headquarters to assist in the investigation, saying that a branch of the Yan City had gone missing in the vicinity of Bailu Peak. The Water Chief then dispatched small teams to search, and my senior brother and I's group found our way to this godforsaken place."
We sent out an emergency distress signal before we came in, and now we're just waiting for the others to arrive so we can wipe out this demon's lair in one fell swoop!
By the way, why are you alone?
Jiang Mu said calmly:
"I was also looking for my missing colleague; the clues led me here. The others are still searching elsewhere, but I'm faster, so I got here first." "You're incredibly bold!"
Ming Cuicui's eyes widened, her face filled with lingering fear.
"You dare to venture into such a dangerous place all by yourself? If it weren't for my senior brother's sharp eyes, noticing your official uniform and realizing you were human, and stopping you with stones, you really were planning to rush out and die?"
This girl has a very sharp tongue, and it's clear that she's usually a straightforward person who speaks her mind quickly.
Jiang Mu smiled and did not offer any explanation.
He could tell that Ming Cuicui was at around the third level of perfection, while the man next to her was at the fourth level.
That makes sense; those who can come out on major missions are all of high cultivation level. Those at the first or second realm have no reason to come; they'd just become food for the monsters. Jiang Mu cut straight to the heart of the matter: "Have you figured out the situation? How many monsters are here, and what's their strength?"
Zhu Chang withdrew his gaze, his expression grave, and said:
"We've done enough. Before we came in, we captured one outside and interrogated him. This is a large lair of demons, with nearly a hundred demons gathered inside."
There are at least ten third- and fourth-tier monsters among them.
There are two leaders, both at the peak of the fourth tier of demonic cultivation. In addition, it is said that a tiger demon couple, along with their cub, frequently go out hunting, and their strength should not be underestimated.
"A tiger demon couple and a child?"
Jiang Mu raised an eyebrow. "Oh, those three don't need to be a problem."
"Why?" Zhu Chang was taken aback.
"Because I already cut them down outside."
Jiang Mu's tone was indifferent.
Zhu Chang and Ming Cuicui were both stunned, staring at him as if he were an idiot.
But Jiang Mu's attention was entirely focused on another number.
"A hundred or so..."
Jiang Mu could barely suppress the urge to smile.
What a bumper harvest!
He patted Ming Cuicui on the shoulder and said in a relaxed tone:
"Miss Ming, Brother Zhu. Since we're waiting for the others to arrive, and we're just killing some monsters anyway, I'll go kill a few to liven things up. You two stay here and hide, and when the opportunity arises, rescue as many people as you can."
"What?!"
Ming Cuicui was so frightened she almost screamed, and grabbed his sleeve.
"Are you crazy! Didn't you hear what my senior brother just said? A hundred demons! Each one of them could drown you with a single spit! You're just a third-realm cultivator..."
Jiang Mu looked at her and corrected her earnestly:
"Miss Ming, the spittle of a hundred demons can't drown a person."
"you……"
Ming Cuicui choked and couldn't catch her breath.
What kind of time is this? Are we discussing whether spit can drown a person?!
Jiang Mu said no more and gently patted her shoulder.
"Stay here and don't move."
He flashed like a black lightning bolt, rushing directly towards the nearest demon cave.
"Hey! You!"
Ming Cuicui was in a great hurry and was about to get up to chase after him, but was stopped by her senior brother Zhu Chang.
"Don't go!"
Zhu Chang stared at Jiang Mu's disappearing figure, gritting his teeth as he spoke.
"He doesn't want to live anymore, and neither do you?! Don't reveal our location, or we won't even have a chance to save him!"
Ming Cuicui was so anxious that she stamped her feet, and her eyes were red.
"But……"
"There's no 'but' about it. He brought this upon himself, so he can't blame anyone else."
Zhu Chang gritted his teeth and said, "Aren't there many people like him in the Demon Slayer Division? Once they gain cultivation, they become more and more arrogant!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a demon's head flew out and landed beside the blood pool.
The two were startled and instinctively peeked out to look.
Then they saw the head of a mid-stage fourth-tier demon turning around by the pool.
The monster still looked bewildered.
Zhu Chang: …..…”
Ming Cuicui: ..."
In the dense forest,
A team of about twenty elite soldiers was flying towards the location where the signal had been sent.
The leader was a woman around forty years old, dressed in a tight-fitting, light gray outfit. Although her appearance wasn't stunning, she exuded a capable and elegant air. Her name was Tang Guixin, the fourth hall master of the Demon Slayer Division in Yunzhou City.
Five realms of cultivation.
She is one of the most trusted confidantes of the Master of Water and Zither.
At this moment, her lips were tightly pursed, her brows were furrowed, and her figure was like a strong grass in the wind, each leap covering several meters.
"Faster! Faster!"
Tang Guixin gave a low shout, her voice filled with anxiety.
The wind howled in her ears, stinging her cheeks, but she dared not stop for a moment.
"Master, please don't worry too much."
Seeing her serious expression, one of her assistants comforted her, "That girl Cui Cui is clever, and Zhu Chang is there to look after her. Zhu Chang is always steady and reliable; he'll definitely be able to protect her."
"What's the use of being steady?"
Tang Guixin's eyes remained filled with worry as she said in a deep voice,
"According to intelligence, it's a large lair inhabited by over a hundred demons. Once their whereabouts are exposed, facing such a horde of demons, let alone Zhu Chang, even I might not be able to escape unscathed!"
Another demon slayer, panting, interjected:
"Master, Master Yang's group is closest to White Deer Peak. Judging by their speed, they should have arrived earlier than us."
"Don't mention him!"
Tang Guixin was unusually angry, her tone icy.
"That spoiled brat is just here to play around. Can we really count on him? In the last few missions, he either cowered or acted on his own, ruining so many things!" Everyone fell silent.
Everyone knows that the young master surnamed Yang joined the Demon Slayer Division in order to pursue the Water Master.
He's not very capable, but he's a master at taking credit and dragging others down.
The crowd fell silent and quickened their pace.
Fifteen minutes later, they finally arrived at the hidden entrance to the cave.
really.
The surroundings were quiet; apart from the rustling of the wind and the movement of the grass, there was not a trace of Yang Tangzhu or his companions.
Although Tang Guixin had a premonition, seeing this scene still made her feel a surge of anger.
"You bastard!"
She cursed under her breath, suppressing her anger, and quickly gave instructions:
"Old Zhang, you take three men and guard the cave entrance, setting up a makeshift warning talisman. The rest of you, come with me into the cave, be careful!"
She took the lead and sneaked in with a knife, followed by her elite troops in single file.
The deeper you go, the stronger the pungent smell of blood becomes.
Tang Guixin gripped her long sword tightly, her heart pounding in her throat, ready for a fierce battle at any moment.
However, when they entered the cave and saw what was inside, everyone was stunned.
Their steps stopped in unison, as if they had been frozen in place.
Inside the vast cave, corpses lay strewn everywhere.
Countless demon corpses were piled up, severed limbs and broken arms were everywhere, and thick black blood pooled in puddles, making people's heads throb. In this chaotic slaughterhouse, Zhu Chang and Ming Cuicui from their own family were squatting on the ground, carefully bandaging the wounds of three Yancheng demon slayers who were covered in blood and flesh but were still clearly alive.
There was no fighting, no demonic tide.
There was only deathly silence and a heavy, bloody atmosphere.
This scene was truly shocking.
The expressions on everyone's faces changed from tense to blank, with their mouths agape, unable to come to their senses for a long time.
"Sister Tang!"
Ming Cuicui, who was busy at work, looked up and saw Tang Guixin. She immediately waved and called out in surprise.
Tang Guixin then seemed to wake up from her dream.
He rushed forward in two strides, his eyes scanning the surroundings, his voice trembling slightly:
"What... what's going on?"
Ming Cuicui's expression was complicated.
Even now, the girl's head is still buzzing.
She swallowed and said:
"We ran into a colleague from Huzhou City. Then... he rushed in, and then... he killed all the monsters here." *Hiss*
Upon hearing this, everyone gasped in unison.
Are the demon slayers in Huzhou City really that powerful?
Looking at the mountain of demon corpses, they roughly counted at least a hundred!
They were all killed just like that?
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Tang Gui's mind, and she asked with a burning gaze:
"Is Huzhou City... occupied by that Yan Fenghuo, the so-called 'Desperate King of Hell,' and his men?!"
Yan Fenghuo's name was renowned throughout the Demon Slayer Divisions of several surrounding prefectures.
He was a notorious madman.
His men are all ruthless and fearless.
Tang Guixin had always admired this person, but had never had the chance to meet him.
In the face of this situation, apart from the legendary ruthless Yan Fenghuo, she really couldn't think of anyone else who could have such methods!
"..."
Ming Cuicui was taken aback for a moment, and was about to explain.
Just then, a series of footsteps sounded.
Jiang Mu, carrying a tiger demon's head, emerged from a side cave.
His body was stained with mottled demon blood, and the lingering chilling aura of killing intent made everyone present gasp for breath.
"thump."
Jiang Mu casually tossed the tiger demon's head into the blood pool, stirring up a wave of blood.
He looked up and saw Tang Guixin and the others, and was taken aback at first, then a warm smile appeared on his face:
"Sorry, I started before you arrived. But don't worry, I know the rules. Everyone gets a share, and you'll definitely get some of the credit. I never hog anything."
Tang Guixin was very excited and quickly stepped forward to bow, her tone full of admiration:
"I've long admired your name! Tang Guixin, the Fourth Hall Master of Yunzhou City, greets Hall Master Yan!"
Master Yan?
Jiang Mu was taken aback for a moment, then realized what he meant and couldn't help but chuckle:
"Master Tang, you've misunderstood. I am not Yan Fenghuo."
"My name is Jiang Mu, and I am from the Eighth Hall of the Demon Slayer Division in Huzhou City."
"Jiang Mu?"
Tang Guixin and the other members were all stunned and looked at each other in bewilderment.
I've never heard of that.
Only after they carefully examined the young man before them did they realize with astonishment that the aura emanating from him was only at the fourth realm. They had been so intimidated by his terrifying aura that they hadn't noticed it at first.
Tang Guixin felt somewhat embarrassed and was filled with doubt. She quickly asked, "May I ask, young friend Jiang, where is Hall Master Yan? Has he already left with his men?"
She subconsciously assumed that Yan Fenghuo must have led the team to do this, and that the young man in front of her was just left behind to clean up the mess.
Jiang Mu shrugged: "Old Yan didn't come."
Tang Guixin blinked, not immediately understanding what the other person meant: "Didn't come?"
"Sister Tang..."
Zhu Chang walked over, his eyes filled with fervent admiration as he looked at Jiang Mu: "Did you come alone, Lord Jiang?"
"One person? Then what about the demons here..."
"It was me and Lord Jiang who killed him together."
Zhu Chang, who had previously taken advantage of the chaos to finish off a dying demon, puffed out his chest and proudly announced:
"Master Jiang and I together slew 104 demons!!"
The cave was deathly silent.
Tang Guixin and the others looked at each other, their expressions as if they had heard a fairy tale.
After a long while, thanks to Ming Cuicui's vivid narration, everyone finally managed to accept this absurd yet shocking fact. The gazes they gave Jiang Mu had changed from shock to awe, as if looking at a deity.
Having worked in the Demon Slayer Division for so many years, they had seen fierce and ruthless people, but they had never seen anything so outrageous!
Is this guy a god?
Just then, a member responsible for guarding outside the cave rushed in and reported to Tang Guixin:
"Master, Master Yang and the others have arrived!"
Upon hearing this name, Tang Guixin's face instantly darkened, a surge of anger rising within her, and she cursed inwardly:
"They've come just in time; they can't even collect the bodies while they're still warm!"
She took a deep breath, suppressed her anger, and led everyone out of the cave.
As soon as they stepped out of the cave, they saw a dozen or so well-dressed demon slayers standing outside.
Two low-level demon corpses lay carelessly on the ground.
It was obviously a casual rip-off on the way.
Among the crowd, the most eye-catching was a young man in his early twenties.
This man had distinct features and was quite handsome, but there was a frivolous and irresponsible air about him.
At this moment, he was riding a tall, magnificent horse.
He was also holding a folding fan in his hand.
Seeing Tang Guixin come out, the Yang Hall Master said with a half-smile:
"Master Tang, it seems you've already taken care of things inside? It wasn't for nothing that we cleared the outer obstacles and eliminated your worries for you." Tang Guixin looked at his smug, self-satisfied expression and said coldly.
"We really have to thank Young Master Yang. You've really covered a lot of ground. If you had arrived even half a step later, we would probably be cold as bones by now."
Yang Tianci wasn't annoyed. He put away his folding fan, tapped it in his palm, and laughed:
"Master Tang, please don't get so angry. We're all colleagues, just with different roles. Now that the demon has been eliminated, let's split the credit between our two halls as always, how about that?"
Here we go again!
This guy, relying on his family background, is always late or leaves early on missions.
Finally, they shamelessly took half the credit.
If it weren't for the fact that the Water Master would secretly make up for their achievements, the brothers of the Fourth Hall would have been driven to their deaths by this spoiled brat long ago.
Tang Guixin remained expressionless and coldly refused:
"I can't make the decision this time. This whole nest of demons was killed by Lord Jiang of the Demon Slaying Division of Huzhou City. He had already cleaned up the entire den when we arrived."
"Master Jiang?"
Yang Tianci was taken aback, his expression turning somewhat grim, and he asked suspiciously,
"How come I've never heard of this person? How many of them came? How did they manage to get there before us?"
"Just one." Tang Guixin held up one finger.
"one?"
Yang Tianci chuckled and shook his head.
"Master Tang, even if you don't want to share my credit, you don't need to make up such lies to fob me off, do you?"
One person wipes out a whole nest of demons? Do you think he's some kind of god descended from heaven?
At this moment, his gaze passed over Tang Guixin and fell upon Jiang Mu, who was slowly walking out of the cave entrance.
Yang Tianci looked Jiang Mu up and down and saw that the other party was only at the fourth level of cultivation, which made him even more certain that Tang Guixin was lying.
But then he rolled his eyes, pointed at Jiang Mu, and laughed:
"This must be Lord Jiang from Huzhou City, right? Alright, since we're colleagues, I'll give you face. I'll share one-tenth of the credit for this achievement with you, as a token of our friendship."
His tone was condescending.
However, Jiang Mu seemed not to hear him at all.
He squinted, his gaze fixed on the horse beneath Yang Tianci, which seemed somewhat familiar.
Upon closer reflection, it seems to be the horse that his subordinate Zhang Dachi rode when he arrived.
When the troops were divided earlier, Jiang Mu specifically instructed them to hide the horses behind the dilapidated temple at the foot of the mountain.
Now, this horse has appeared under the crotch of this spoiled brat.
strangeness……
Seeing that Jiang Mu ignored him and stared straight at him, Yang Tianci felt offended. His face darkened, and he was about to reprimand her.
But then Jiang Mu suddenly stepped forward, his murderous aura erupting, and pointed at Yang Tianci, shouting sharply:
"Get off your horse!!"