I became the demon of the female devil

Chapter 382 The Eldest Princess's Purge Plan! She's not even bothering to act anymore!

"Won't?"

Chen Mo frowned and said, "Your strength is comparable to that of a Supreme Being, so how come you don't even know how to perform a soul search?"

"You know I'm only 'comparable,' I'm not a true supreme being," Chu Yanli said irritably. "Besides, you don't think soul searching is a simple matter, do you? If I had that ability, would I need to go through all that trouble to monitor Tang Xingbang?"

Chen Mo then realized what was happening.

The people he usually interacts with are the top figures in Kyushu, and they are already used to this kind of method.

In fact, the Empress once said that to completely separate the soul, an extremely delicate technique is required. Even if she did it herself, she would only turn the other person's head into mush, and the memories obtained would not be complete.

On the contrary, the Daoist Master, whose strength was slightly weaker than hers, was more proficient in this art.

Chu Yanli's power comes from dragon energy. Although she is extremely strong in combat, she is still somewhat lacking in skill.

"It's a pity we didn't know beforehand that Xu You was the Empress, otherwise we would have let her search us first."

Chen Mo hadn't expected to be caught by the Empress. Now that she'd run away in anger, he probably couldn't be counted on for the time being.

"Fine, I'll give it a try."

He walked up to Wang Kui and asked in a deep voice, "Is there anything else you want to say?"

Wang Kui's clothes were soaked with cold sweat, and he stammered, "My lord, I really don't know anything. Tang Xingbang and I are just colleagues; we have no dealings with each other..."

He knew perfectly well that he could never admit to something like this, no matter what.

No matter what kind of torture they are subjected to, they can grit their teeth and endure it. But once they admit to colluding with the barbarians, there is no way out!
"OK then."

Chen Mo nodded.

Wang Kui hadn't expected the other party to be so easy to talk to. Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he heard a cold voice: "Then you can go die."

A semi-transparent, jet-black arm appeared behind Chen Mo, grabbed him, and lifted him into the air.

Wang Kui was horrified and exclaimed, "You...you can't kill me! To harm a court official without evidence is a capital offense under the laws of the Great Yuan Dynasty..."

"Talking about laws with the Tianlin Guard? I think you've really lost your mind."

Chen Mo sneered, "You seem to have no idea what's going on. When it comes to barbarians, we'd rather kill the innocent than let the guilty go free. Since you refuse to confess, you have no value whatsoever. What's the point of you living?"

click-

The giant hand tightened continuously, and under the pressure of the immense force, Wang Kui's bones broke inch by inch. His eyes bulged out, his face turned bluish-purple, and his mouth was wide open, but he couldn't make a sound.

At the same time, a foul stench spread out.

The flesh and blood rapidly decayed and withered, looking like a melting candle.

"vomit--"

The officials present turned pale, and some even lay on the ground and vomited.

They were just civil officials working in the government office; they had never seen such a scene before.
Even Yu Zhe, the commander of the Xuanjia Guard, glanced at him slightly.

This Lord Chen's methods seem a bit sinister...

“I’ll tell you… I’ll tell you everything…” Wang Kui’s voice was hoarse, and he managed to squeeze it out of his throat with difficulty.

"It's too late," Chen Mo said calmly.

In just a moment, most of his body had turned into blood, and you could even see his beating heart through his sternum.

Chu Yanli's eyes were indifferent, showing no intention of stopping him.

Wang Kui finally realized that the other party was not threatening him. Faced with the fear of death, his psychological defenses completely collapsed, his body trembled uncontrollably, and turbid liquid flowed down his legs. He had actually lost control of his bladder from fright.

"almost."

Chen Mo activated his soul power, his dark eyes transforming into vortexes that instantly dragged Wang Kui into an illusion.

This matter is of great importance. Even if the other party is willing to confess, they may conceal some facts in order to save their own life.

The safest approach is to first destroy his mind and maximize the effect of [Eternal Dream].

However, this also has a drawback: if the other party, like Magistrate Ji Weifeng of Fengmu County, uses Gu worms to shield their memories, then nothing can be obtained from them, and it might even alert them.

This is also why he didn't take action against Tang Xingbang immediately.

Fortunately, it seems that Wang Kui was not implanted with a Gu worm.

Under the influence of the supernatural power, his expression became wooden, and he revealed everything he knew.

Just as Chen Mo guessed, the slave trade had existed for a long time and had formed a complete chain of interests over the years.

However, the officialdom in southern Xinjiang underwent a major reshuffle, and with Chu Heng's incident, the transactions were forced to stop until recently when they resumed "delivery".

The difference this time is that the buyer's demand is very large, and they require the goods to be parked in Bailucheng for "secondary processing" before they can continue north.

This so-called "processor" is none other than the Gu Shen Cult, which suddenly emerged in the last two months.

They need to implant some kind of Gu worm into the bodies of barbarian slaves, and then exchange this for corresponding benefits.

Wang Kui didn't know much about the person behind the scenes, only that the other party came from Kyoto and had an extraordinary status. He not only connected the upstream and downstream, but also rebuilt the transportation routes. He was also in charge of coordinating with the barbarians and the Gu God Cult.

"Just as I expected."

"The other party intends to imitate Chu Heng and use barbarian slaves to corrupt officials in the court."

"But his methods were even more ruthless. He planted the 'Heart-Eating Gu' in the barbarian slaves' bodies beforehand, so that during intercourse, they would be infected without their knowledge and become puppets that could be controlled by others."

Chen Mo's eyes darkened slightly as he said, "If he really succeeds and gains control of important officials, there will likely be huge chaos!"

Chu Yanli understood what this meant, and her expression became even more serious, but she was still somewhat puzzled, "There are plenty of beautiful women in the capital, why go through all the trouble of transporting barbarian slaves? Wouldn't that be even riskier?"

Chen Mo shook his head and said, "No matter how beautiful a woman is, she's nothing special to those officials. They've long since grown tired of her. On the contrary, barbarian women have a unique charm. It's said that their soul-stirring and bone-melting pleasure can make people unable to stop. Otherwise, the case back then wouldn't have implicated so many officials..."

"However, there must be other reasons besides that."

"If the goal of the person behind the scenes is to overthrow the Yuan Dynasty, it would be difficult to do so by simply manipulating the court officials; they would need to rely on external forces."

"The demon race is barbaric and ignorant, and they are unlikely to accomplish great things. Chu Heng has already proven this with his life. So the only remaining partner is the barbarians in the south."

Chu Yanli fell silent upon hearing this.

This is the only explanation that makes sense at the moment.

So those barbarians haven't given up yet and are preparing to "invade" the Yuan Dynasty in a different way?
"It seems my thinking has always been correct." Chu Yanli said quietly, "Invaders will never repent. They will come back as soon as they find an opportunity. The only solution is to slaughter them all, completely exterminate their race, and incorporate all their territory into the Great Yuan Dynasty."

Chen Mo: "..."

It's not surprising that someone capable of such a feat as "slaughtering thousands of miles to build a mound of corpses" would utter such words.

The eldest princess was never a supporter of imperial power. In her eyes, the emperor could be replaced at any time, but the territory of the Great Yuan Dynasty would never be allowed to be invaded by foreign tribes.

"That's too far."

Chen Mo looked at Wang Kui and said, "Tell me everything else you know."

Wang Kui said blankly, "The buyer wanted too much of the goods this time, so they were shipped in two batches. The second batch is currently docked at Jinsha Port, while the first batch arrived in Bailu City three days ago."

? !
Chen Mo's expression changed, and he pressed for an answer: "Where is that shipment now?"

Wang Kui shook his head and said, "I don't know. Tang Xingbang was in charge of this matter personally, and I wasn't allowed to have any contact with him at all."

Chen Mo and Chu Yanli exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with seriousness.

No wonder the other side was in such a hurry to get rid of Tang Xingbang; it turns out they were sacrificing a pawn to save the king.

The first batch of barbarian slaves arrived in Bailu City ahead of schedule, and they may have already been infected with Gu worms. If they were to flow into the capital, the consequences would be unimaginable!
Next, Wang Kui confessed all his accomplices, and Yu Zhe stood beside him, writing them down one by one with pen and paper.

After confirming that nothing else could be vomited out, Chen Mo simply snapped his neck. The aura of hatred surged, corroding the corpse completely, causing it to vanish into thin air.

Seeing this horrifying scene, several officials from the Maritime Trade Office felt their scalps tingle.

What terrified them even more was that there really was a mole in the Maritime Trade Office, and it was their own superior!
"The person behind this must be planning to move the barbarian slaves. We can't delay any longer; we must act tonight!" Chu Yanli frowned, hesitatingly saying, "But the fact that the other party was able to break through the Xuanjia Guards' blockade makes it quite difficult to capture him..."

Chen Mo stroked his chin and pondered, "That group of barbarian slaves should not have been sold yet, otherwise the other side would not have been in such a hurry to silence them. Since they are not in Jinsha Port, where could they be hiding?"

hum-

Just then, the communication jade tablet emitted a fluctuation.

"It's news about Ye Zi'e. There's some activity at Ziyun Temple." Chen Mo's eyes flashed.

“I’ll go with you,” Chu Yanli said.

Chen Mo shook his head and whispered, "Wang Kui only exposed some small fry. There are definitely more corrupt officials in the prefecture. Besides, Her Majesty the Empress is still here. You can't leave without permission. Proceed according to the original plan."

"This... alright." Chu Yanli hesitated for a moment, but did not insist. She turned to Yu Zhe and said, "You go with him. Follow Commander Chen's orders throughout the trip. Report any developments immediately."

"Yes."

Yu Zhe bowed his head and responded.

"Let's go."

Chen Mo's body crackled with electricity as he shot off like an arrow.

Yu Zhe unleashed a burst of energy from his feet, leaping into the air and following closely behind. Even though he was wearing heavy armor, his speed did not drop.

Two streaks of light, one purple and one black, streaked across the sky and flew towards the outskirts of the city.

In mid-air, Yu Zhe glanced at Chen Mo and took the initiative to speak: "Lord Chen and I are colleagues, but this is the first time we have met."

Chen Mo was not only a commander of the Qilin Pavilion, but also a general in the Imperial Guard. Like Yu Zhe, he was a member of the Imperial Guard.

However, the Xuanjia Guards are of a higher rank, being one of the Left and Right Wing Guards, and are among the elite of the elite.

Apart from the emperor, only the eldest princess who possesses both the Imperial Edict Seal and the Tiger Tally can mobilize them.

"To be honest, the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel are too busy, and I rarely have the time to go to the palace," Chen Mo said casually.

In fact, he went to the palace more often than he went home.

However, he was always running between the Imperial Concubine and the Empress, and hardly ever performed his duties. If investigated, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was receiving a salary without working.

Yu Zhe didn't seem to care, and said with a smile, "Chen Da has solved a series of major cases and saved the people from suffering. It would be a waste of his talents if he spent his days patrolling and guarding the palace."

"We've only been in Bailu City for a few days, and we've already figured out the whole story. I think the case will be solved soon, and that will be another great achievement."

Chen Mo shook his head and said, "We haven't figured out the details of the Gu God Sect yet, and we haven't found the location of the barbarian slaves. It's too early to talk about these things now."

"Isn't that simple?" Yu Zhe waved his hand and said, "I think Lord Chen is proficient in illusion. As long as we arrest that Taoist Xuanzhen and interrogate him, everything will be clear."

"Leaving aside the fact that the Gu God Sect has methods to block memories, my supernatural power isn't omnipotent either; it's not that effective on those with strong wills." Chen Mo paused slightly, turning to look at Yu Zhe. "However, how does Lord Yu know the name Xuanzhen? I don't recall ever mentioning it to you before?"

Yu Zhe smiled and explained, "Her Highness the Princess gave prior instructions and even sent a team of Xuanjia Guards to secretly monitor Ziyun Temple, in order to prevent the Gu God Sect from getting wind of it and running away quietly."

Chen Mo understood, "Your Highness is indeed very thoughtful."

While the two were talking, they had already arrived at the foot of the mountain.

As soon as they landed, Ye Zige and Li Yuan quickly came to greet them.

"Master Chen."

"Who is this……"

Ye Zige looked at Yu Zhe, who was dressed in black armor.

“Commander Yu of the Xuanjia Army came with the Eldest Princess; he's one of our own.” Chen Mo looked around, frowning, and asked, “What’s going on?”

At the foot of the mountain, a bustling crowd could be seen, creating a lively and noisy atmosphere.

Looking up along the winding mountain road, you see crowds of people, shoulder to shoulder, almost forming a long dragon.

Li Yuan said, "Ye Qianhu and I have been guarding this place since early morning. There was nothing unusual at first, but just after 9 a.m., the gate of the Taoist temple suddenly opened, and then people started to come over one after another, and the crowd grew larger and larger..."

Ye Zige added, "I asked Lu Shuyuan to investigate. The reason is that someone went door to door distributing notices saying that today is the day of the fasting ceremony at Ziyun Temple, and they can pray for blessings and ward off disasters for the people of the city for free."

"Pray for blessings?"

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow.

He learned from Xiao Die that the Ziyun Temple held a prominent position in the city.

It is said that when the barbarians invaded Nantu, Bailu City fell in just three days.

The barbarian soldiers stormed into the city, burning, killing, and looting. The people were like lambs to the slaughter, powerless to fight back. Only a small number of people escaped to the mountains and were spared thanks to the protection of the Ziyun Temple.

Moreover, the "True Martial God" worshipped in the temple is extremely efficacious, not only able to control floods and reduce fires, but also to cure diseases and eliminate disasters.

Now that the gates are wide open and all comers are welcome, and they can even receive blessings from the True Lord, it has naturally attracted a large number of people.

"It seems they've realized the danger and want to use the common people as a shield, making us hesitant to act." Chen Mo's eyes narrowed slightly, and he quickly figured out the crux of the matter.

This tactic was indeed effective; if they had led their men directly to attack the Taoist temple, these people might have perished.

If a forced evacuation is carried out, it is difficult to guarantee that no members of the Gu God Cult are among them.

This is a perfectly legitimate and overt scheme.

"Why don't we seal off the mountain gate first to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the chaos and escaping?" Yu Zhe suggested.

“No need, they would have run away long ago if they wanted to.” Chen Mo gave a cold laugh. “This is just drinking poison to quench their thirst, and the other side knows that. So, the only purpose of doing this is to buy time…”

"My lord, what do we do now?" Li Yuan asked.

Chen Mo said, "I'll go in and take a look first. You and Commander Ye should go to the prefectural government immediately and report this matter to the Princess."

“Okay.” Li Yuan nodded.

With their abilities, following Chen Mo would only distract him; they would be better off doing what they can.

Watching the two figures disappear into the horizon, Chen Mo finally looked away.

At this moment, Yu Zhe spoke up, "Let me go with Lord Chen; we can look out for each other."

"That's fine, but isn't your armor a bit too conspicuous?" Chen Mo looked him up and down.

"Simple."

Yu Zhe placed his hand on his chest, and the beast patterns on his breastplate glowed. The originally hard armor became soft and transformed into a black robe.

Apart from being a bit burly, he looked no different from the ordinary people around him.

Facing Chen Mo's surprised gaze, Yu Zhe smiled and said, "The armor of the Xuanjia Guard is different from ordinary standard armor. It is made by the weapon refiners of the Imperial Workshop and has more than a dozen variations to deal with different situations."

"Tsk, elites are indeed elites. Their rank must be at least Earth Rank, right?" Chen Mo shook his head and sighed.

"Lord Chen is joking."

"Alright, let's not delay any longer, let's go."

Chen Mo put on the bone mask, blurring his face, and mingled with Yu Zhe into the crowd, walking along the mountain path towards the Taoist temple.

As the crowd entered the main gate, they saw that the ceiling of the main hall, which had been destroyed the night before, had been restored to normal.

A three-tiered altar was erected on the open ground in front of the hall, with a huge bronze incense burner in front of it, with hundreds of incense sticks inserted on it, and wisps of smoke rising and intertwining in the air.

A group of Taoist priests sat on the ground, chanting scriptures and playing music, creating a solemn and dignified atmosphere.

An old Taoist priest with a white beard, draped in a crimson crane-feather cloak, stood on the altar, holding a magic sword, stepping on the steps of the ritual, and murmuring incantations:

"I humbly behold the Three Pure Ones above, the origin of all energies, whose majestic power protects all living beings..."

The old Taoist priest's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

The pilgrims around stood quietly, their eyes lowered, their expressions incredibly devout.

"With the radiant essence of Yang, I beseech the True Martial God to sweep away all impurities, purify all Qi, and pour forth sweet dew to universally benefit all living beings..."

The old Taoist priest moved with graceful ease, his clothes fluttering in the wind.

He took a step forward, plunged his long sword into the incense burner, and flicked it upwards, sending incense ash flying through the air and enveloping everyone.

After inhaling the inhalation, the worshippers' complexions quickly became rosy, and they all looked radiant.

"My chronic leg pain is gone?"

"My chest doesn't feel tight anymore, and I feel like I have inexhaustible energy!"

"It's Zhenwu Divine Lord! The Divine Lord has manifested!"

"May the Heavenly Venerable grant you boundless blessings! This humble one pays homage to the Divine Lord!"

The pilgrims were incredibly excited and immediately knelt down, prostrating themselves in worship.

Chen Mo and Yu Zhe, standing in the middle of the crowd, seemed like cranes among chickens, appearing extremely out of place.

Chen Mo's eyes gleamed with a purple-gold light as he watched the Gu worms fluttering among the incense ash, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"Damn it..."

"So you're not going to act anymore, huh?"

(End of this chapter)