So it turns out I'm the demon!

Chapter 74 Hey, you surnamed Jiang, kneel down!

"Is this bug of yours reliable or not?"

Jiang Mu stared at the girl beside him who was intently teasing the cicadas, her face filled with suspicion.

He originally planned to just take the box and chase after them himself, which would be more efficient.

As it turned out, Chu Lingzhu said that she had personally fed and raised this "Shadow Chaser Cicada," and that it had become attached to her and wouldn't work without her as its "cicada mother."

Helpless, Jiang Mu had no choice but to take this burden with her.

Chu Lingzhu remained silent.

She stared intently at the bright green cicada larvae in the box.

Sometimes it would listen intently to the frequency of the cicada's wing vibrations, and sometimes it would purse its little mouth and make a few strange hissing sounds, as if it were communicating with the insect.

Then it kept adjusting its direction of progress.

About half an incense stick later.

The girl suddenly stopped, her bright eyes lighting up: "Right here!"

Jiang Mu's spirits lifted, and he looked around, his brows furrowing involuntarily: "Black Soil Village?"

He knows this place well.

I just farmed a bunch of snake demon experience packs here.

Chu Lingzhu pointed her slender finger to the right front: "The worm is not far ahead."

She instinctively tried to walk forward, but Jiang Mu grabbed her arm, saying, "Wait."

"What's wrong?"

Chu Lingzhu turned around, puzzled.

Jiang Mu squinted and scanned his surroundings, then took out the domino that could conceal one's aura from his pocket, infused it with demonic energy to activate it, and then stuffed it into Chu Lingzhu's hand: "Take it."

"What is this?"

"Don't ask, just take it."

Jiang Mu circulated his star power, trying to conceal his aura as much as possible.

Chu Lingzhu gripped the dominoes tightly, becoming somewhat tense as he did so. She kept her eyes on the cicadas in the box while carefully taking each step.

Soon, the two arrived at the edge of the temple.

Chu Lingzhu stopped and pointed to the carriage in the distance:

"It's right there!"

Jiang Mu pressed her head down, lowering her body, and then pointed to a pit overgrown with weeds next to her:

"Hide there, don't move, don't make a sound."

"oh oh."

Chu Lingzhu obediently shrank into the pit, hugged her knees with her hands, and pulled a few handfuls of dry grass to cover her head, leaving only her big, dark eyes showing a rare display of docility.

Jiang Mu placed one hand on the knife, held his breath, and slowly approached under the cover of the overgrown weeds and ruins.

They arrived at the carriage.

It was quiet all around, and there seemed to be no one in the temple.

There was only a dead squirrel at the temple entrance; its body looked as if it had been stretched, which was quite strange.

Jiang Mu gently lifted the carriage curtain with the scabbard and glanced inside.

The carriage was filled with familiar burlap sacks.

It really was that batch of "corpse orchids".

Just then, Jiang Mu's alertness suddenly rose, and he quickly retreated.

laugh!

A sharp sword light grazed past where he had been standing!

He Shuangying stood before the carriage, sword in hand. The moment he saw Jiang Mu's face clearly, his pupils contracted.

"It's you!?"

He never expected that it would be Jiang Mu who appeared!

Because He Shuangying was wearing a mask, Jiang Mu initially only felt that the other party's figure was familiar, but when the other party spoke, he was also stunned:

"He Shuangying!?"

Holy crap, how come it's this kid?

The shock lasted only a moment, and then a surge of joy welled up in Jiang Mu's heart.

It's truly a blessing from heaven.

Just when I was worried about where to find a "legitimate star official" to cause trouble, this guy actually delivered himself into the pot!

What a coincidence!

At this moment, everything became clear.

It turns out that the Divine Sword Sect was indeed secretly breeding demonic creatures.

"Hmph, I told you long ago that the Divine Sword Sect colluded with demons. Now that they've been caught red-handed smuggling illegal medicines, what else do you have to say?"

Jiang Mu shouted coldly.

He Shuangying regretted it the moment he spoke.

Upon realizing his identity had been exposed, he instinctively wanted to deny it, since the three words "Demon Slayer Division" represented the imperial court.

Even though he was the young master of the Divine Sword Sect, he was still intimidated.

"What Divine Sword Sect? I don't know what you're talking about! You've mistaken me for someone else!"

He turned and dashed into the woods.

I don't want the goods anymore!

As long as he isn't caught by the other party, and as long as he stubbornly denies it, Jiang Mu has no solid evidence to prove that the Divine Sword Sect is colluding with demons, based solely on a mask.

Want to run?

Do you really think you can just fly away after you've already secured a government position?

Jiang Mu snorted coldly, and with the full power of his Serpent Step, he transformed into a blur and chased after them.

However, He Shuangying was also extremely fast.

As a legitimate "Earthly Hidden Star" star official, the supernatural power granted by this star position is a great enhancement to lightness skills and agility.

Logically speaking, it shouldn't be difficult for him to shake off Jiang Mu, who is at the same cultivation level.

He Shuangying himself also thought so.

however--

Jiang Mu is cheating.

Each time he used the Serpent Step to charge forward, he would throw the first demonic shadow forward, then instantly teleport to the shadow's location, continuing to charge forward, throw shadows, and teleport...

The demonic energy circulated between consumption and recovery, without even a slight disturbance in its aura.

Then He Shuangying discovered in horror—

No matter how he activated his star power or changed his route, he couldn't shake off the guy behind him.

The distance is even getting closer little by little!

"grass!!"

He Shuangying was so anxious that his face turned red and he was about to explode.

Why is this guy chasing me so closely?

Could it be that a secret technique has been activated?

Sensing that his own energy was starting to decline, and that if he continued to flee, he would probably be the first to exhaust himself, He Shuangying panicked.

Just then, a sudden inspiration struck him.

and many more!

This guy, from the moment he appeared in the temple to the chase all the way here... seems to have been the same person from beginning to end?

There was no ambush.

There was no large force from the Demon Slayer Division.

He was the only pseudo-star official cultivator at the third realm chasing me.

Why would I run away?!

Killing someone from the Demon Slayer Division is certainly a grave crime.

But the prerequisite is that someone has to see it and catch them in the act.

In particular, Jiang Mu did not recognize him as He Shuangying at first, and even after investigation, there was no way to verify it.

In this desolate wilderness, disposing of a corpse is all too easy.

Upon realizing this, He Shuangying's eyes flashed with murderous intent.

It's done!

He abruptly stopped, turned around, and stared coldly at Jiang Mu who was chasing after him.

"Not running anymore?"

Jiang Mu also stopped in her tracks. "Can't run anymore? Young Master He, you're so young, how come you're so weak?"

He Shuangying, no longer bothering with pretense, reached out and ripped off his mask, slowly drawing his long sword from his waist.

"Lord Jiang, do you realize you've made a fatal mistake?"

"Oh? I'd like to hear more about it."

Jiang Mu responded verbally, but in his mind he was quickly calculating how to kill his opponent.

Yes, that's right.

It means to kill!

If they are simply captured and handed over to the Demon Slayer Division for trial, following the proper procedures, then seizing their star position will be as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Only by killing them on the spot can we have a chance.

"You shouldn't have come chasing after me alone."

He Shuangying's expression was gloomy and arrogant. "Even a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone a tiger you're chasing."

My second uncle once taught me that when killing the enemy, one should be decisive and avoid talking too much.

But at this moment, He Shuangying just wanted to say a few more words.

There was no way around it; I'd been feeling stifled for too long.

Moreover, his star position naturally and absolutely suppresses the Lord Jiang in front of him.

He was intoxicated by this sense of superiority.

He wanted to humiliate the other person thoroughly before they died.

Especially since this guy also killed his little bubble-blowing fish.

Although he was also there to kill the fish and silence them, but—only I can kill my baby fish, who do you think you are!

"Do you think you're a tiger?"

While speaking, Jiang Mu secretly threw the Shadow Demon behind the opponent, planning to launch a sneak attack.

Dealing with a legitimate star official is not easy; thorough preparation is required.

He Shuangying raised his longsword, a hint of pity in his eyes: "Lord Jiang, do you know what the most tragic thing for a cultivator is?"

Before Jiang Mu could answer, he said:

"That is when you have gone through all kinds of hardships and thought you have climbed to the top of the mountain, and you want to reach out and pluck the stars, but you find that the summit in your eyes is nothing more than the dust under other people's feet."

"The great road is vast and the starry sky is boundless. Some people are born standing on the clouds, while others... spend their entire lives looking up from the mud."

Jiang Mu rose up, sword in hand:

"Then I really want to see whether Young Master He's feet are on a cloud peak or a cliff."

You can't see it.

He Shuangying's eyes suddenly turned fierce. "Because—you're not qualified!"

The longsword in his hand was suddenly swung out!

He only used three-tenths of his strength in that sword strike.

That coward doesn't deserve his full strength!

At the same moment, Jiang Mu swung his sword to meet the attack, unleashing his full power without reservation, his spiritual energy surging like a tide.

"Do these pseudo-stars even deserve to draw their swords before the orthodox?"

He Shuangying's star power suddenly erupted, and the pressure of a true star official of the "Earthly Hidden Star" poured out, like the sky collapsing and crashing down!

His tongue thundered, and he roared:

"Kneel down!!"

Clang——

The deafening clang of metal shattered eardrums.

Then came a "thump".

He Shuangying bent his knees and slammed them heavily into the mud.

He knelt down.