So it turns out I'm the demon!

Chapter 428 Triple Spy

"So they're just scum from the Demon Slayer Society."

Jiang Mu feigned sudden realization, forcing a look of shock and anger onto his face, and gritted his teeth as he said, "I thought all the members of the Demon Slayer Society were dead, but I didn't expect there were still a few survivors hiding in the gutter."

Protector Wang looked at him with a sneer: "Even a cunning rabbit has three burrows, so why would we put all our chips in one basket?"

However, the destruction of the sealed altar in Yunzhou City and the killing of the Black Rakshasa are indeed heavy losses for our Demon-Slaying Society. I have also received a decree from the main altar, ordering us to withdraw from Yunzhou City.

Before we leave, I hope that Lord Jiang will accompany us.

"Companions?"

Jiang Mu stared coldly at her: "I thought you were going to kill me directly."

Protector Wang walked up to him, scrutinizing Jiang Mu's handsome and dashing face with burning eyes: "It would be hard to find another young prodigy like Lord Jiang in this world. A good bird chooses a good tree to perch on. If Lord Jiang is wise enough to abandon the darkness and join our Demon-Slaying Society, he will be a good choice."

Not only will I guarantee your life with my own head, but when the leader establishes the sect in the future, your power, status, and path of cultivation will surely advance even further.

"At that time, I will ascend to the Ten Realms of Venerable Ones through the Dharma; why should I serve as a beast of burden in this corrupt court?"

Jiang Mu asked, "What if I don't agree?"

The smile on Protector Wang's face faded slightly, and he said in a chilling tone, "What will happen if you don't agree? I imagine Lord Jiang already has the answer in his heart. Besides, I don't think Lord Jiang is the kind of person who would be willing to sacrifice himself for righteousness, do I?"

Jiang Mu fell silent.

The lizard demon, which had been hiding in the shadows, was overjoyed to see that Jiang Mu had been suppressed by the secret sect's treasure.

It couldn't contain itself and jumped out, laughing loudly, "Lord Jiang, I never expected that you, the mighty God of Slaughter, would have such a day."

Dongguo Laosan remained standing at a distance, watching with a frown.

Jiang Mu glanced at the lizard demon, stared at Protector Wang, and sneered, "To be honest, I'm increasingly looking down on your Demon-Slaying Society. You keep claiming to be acting on behalf of Heaven and punishing all demons, but behind the scenes you're colluding with demons."

If I, Jiang Muruo, were to join your ranks, wouldn't my reputation be completely ruined?

"The demons of the world are endless, and cannot be eradicated by killing alone. In that case, it is better to use demons to control demons."

Protector Wang smiled and retorted sarcastically, "As for your so-called reputation? Are you, Lord Jiang, truly clean? Back in the Fallen Soul Swamp, you seemed quite close to the fox demons of Qingqiu, weren't you? Where was your 'reputation' then?"

Jiang Mu was somewhat surprised.

The information about the Demon Slayer Association is quite detailed.

However, he hesitated now, wondering whether he should pretend to agree to join, so that he might be able to find out the Demon Slayer Society's lair.

Just as they were making plans, a black crow suddenly flew in from the sky.

A crow flapped its wings and swooped down from the sky, landing on the shoulder of a believer on the outskirts.

The follower took a wax-sealed pill from the crow's beak, unwrapped it, took out a slip of paper, and jogged to present it to Protector Wang.

"Guardian, we're from the main altar."

Protector Wang unfolded the note, glanced at it, and his expression immediately darkened, his eyes filled with displeasure.

She sighed, crushed the note, and said to Jiang Mu, "I'm sorry, Lord Jiang, your luck is very bad. I have no choice but to send you on your way."

With that, she turned and left, leaving the lizard monster with the words, "Kill it."

Upon hearing this, the lizard monster excitedly licked its lips.

It walked up to Jiang Mu and grinned maliciously, "Does Lord Jiang remember that you once killed a lizard demon? That was my kin, and today I'm avenging it."

As it spoke, it raised a palm and slapped down towards Jiang Mu's crown.

"boom!"

A loud bang.

A figure was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into a diamond statue behind him, spitting out blood.

Wang, who was walking in front, sensed that something was wrong.

Looking back, they were horrified to see the lizard monster lying on the ground, groaning in pain. Jiang Mu, who should have been imprisoned, was now standing with one foot on the lizard monster's head, his expression indifferent.

"What happened?"

Protector Wang was completely dumbfounded, his head seemingly filled with question marks.

Wasn't this guy's star position already restricted?

Why does he still possess cultivation?

Dongguo Laosan, who was watching from a distance, almost popped his eyes out. Without any hesitation, he turned and ran.

The other members of the Demon Slayer Guild were also dumbfounded, standing there speechless.

The most bewildered was undoubtedly the lizard monster that was being trampled under Jiang Mu's feet.

Staring at Jiang Mu's mocking, cold face, it was terrified, losing most of its senses. It yelled at the top of its lungs, "Guardian Wang, you filthy woman, you fucking tricked me!"

"May you be reborn with a sharper mind."

Jiang Mu's feet suddenly sank.

The lizard demon's body was crushed underfoot.

However, it was still a seventh-order great demon. Although its physical body was crushed by Jiang Mu, it still managed to use a secret technique to extract its demon soul, which turned into a streak of light and fled in panic into the distance.

As the lizard demon fled, it cursed all of Protector Wang's ancestors for eighteen generations.

Jiang Mu threw out two coffin nails.

The ghostly light flashed like lightning, instantly piercing the lizard demon's soul.

"Spare me—"

The monster's pleas for mercy were still stuck in its throat when it was torn apart and strangled by the coffin nails, leaving not even a trace.

The once mighty demon king of the desolate mountains has thus met a frustrating end.

Only at this moment did Protector Wang finally realize what was happening.

She swayed and darted off in another direction. But before she had gone more than a few feet, a murderous intent swept over her from behind.

Jiang Mu's blade energy surged like a tornado, carrying immense power as it chased after her.

Protector Wang cursed under his breath and immediately shook a string of bells on his right wrist.

"Clang clang clang!"

The bell rang, and the surrounding void distorted and vibrated slightly.

In the blink of an eye, dozens of bells, each the size of a temple's bronze bell, appeared out of thin air, surrounding Jiang Mu and vibrating together.

This magical artifact can specifically target the mind, disrupt one's intellect, and confuse one's five senses.

However, for Jiang Mu, who had only recently experienced the [Mystic Lotus Embryo Illusion Array], it was undoubtedly child's play.

"break!"

He didn't even bother to drink the stream water; his blade energy swept around him like a whirlwind, shredding all the bells to pieces.

Jiang Mu continued moving, closing in on Protector Wang.

"This is outrageous!"

Seeing that the other party was like a dog's tail, impossible to shake off, a ruthless glint flashed in Protector Wang's eyes.

She took out a red pill, tilted her head back, and swallowed it.

The next moment, blood seeped from her seven orifices, her body began to swell, and her aura rose accordingly.

The scattered pebbles and clods of earth seemed to be magnetically attracted, flying towards her and enveloping her, instantly forming a stone figure several meters tall.

"roar!"

The stone man roared and swung a huge fist at Jiang Mu, crashing down like a mountain.

Wherever the fist passed, sand and stones flew.

"The Dharma form, manifest!"

Jiang Mu shuddered, and the image of the Fire God rose from the ground behind him.

His entire body was engulfed in raging flames, a crimson hue like the sun, exuding overwhelming power. Without any fancy moves, he delivered a single punch to the stone giant!

"Bang!!"

The stone giant's fist immediately shattered and exploded.

Then, the enormous body shattered into pieces on the spot, sending shards of stone flying. Protector Wang's true form was also sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground and spitting out a mouthful of black blood.

One move to suppress!

Before she could catch her breath, Jiang Mu activated his Dharma form again and unleashed a punch.

The ground was smashed into a large crater.

Protector Wang lay paralyzed at the bottom of the pit, his limbs twisted, his meridians severed, and he was left with only a faint breath.

Jiang Mu dispersed his divine form, walked to the edge of the pit, looked at the woman who was no longer human, and said indifferently, "Look at you, you're too hasty in your actions. I was just about to agree to join your Demon-Slaying Society, but you turned around and wanted to kill me. It's disheartening."

Protector Wang looked at Jiang Mu with the eyes of someone looking at a monster, and asked in a weak voice, "I—I don't understand—why didn't the [Great Brahma Vajra Subduing Evil and Subduing Slaughter] work on you?"

It clearly—could imprison your star position—”

Jiang Mu spread his hands, looking completely innocent, and said, "I don't know what happened either, that damn thing just didn't work."

"Cough cough cough————"

Protector Wang coughed, and bloody saliva kept oozing from the corners of his mouth.

She clung to her last breath and pleaded, "Jiang Mu, please spare me. If you spare my life, I can persuade the main altar that the Demon Slayer Society will never be your enemy again and will not cause you any trouble."

From now on, wherever you, Jiang Mu, go, my sect will keep a safe distance.

If you kill me, you will incur even deeper hatred from the Demon Slayer Society. At that time, no matter where you flee to, the Demon Slayer Society will fight you to the death.

Jiang Mu chuckled, looking at her as if she were an idiot: "You were about to kill me just now, do you think I'd still believe your nonsense?"

The last glimmer of hope in Protector Wang's eyes was shattered.

She gave a bitter smile, and a blinding light suddenly burst forth from her chest as she cried out, "Then let's die together!"

"boom!!"

Protector Wang actually self-destructed.

Jiang Mu hadn't expected the woman to be so decisive, teleporting away to a hundred feet away in quick succession while simultaneously unleashing her sword energy to dissipate the violent power emanating from her self-destruction layer by layer.

After the shockwave subsided, Jiang Mu returned to the edge of the pit.

Inside the pit, the remains of Protector Wang were long gone, leaving only a few pieces of cloth and some bone fragments.

Even the Star Pill is gone.

A cultivator of this level would definitely destroy their Star Core if they self-destructed. Clearly, the other party would rather self-destruct than leave anything for Jiang Mu.

"What a pity. I was planning to dig out his heart and send it to that woman Ji Hongyuan as a midnight snack, but he self-destructed pretty quickly."

Jiang Mu snorted coldly.

He spread his divine sense and quickly locked onto a person who was fleeing.

With a flap of his demonic wings, Jiang Mu soared into the sky. When he landed, he was already blocking the man's path.

The one who ran away was none other than Dongguo Laosan.

"Wait, wait!"

Before Jiang Mu could even make a move, Dong Guo Lao San quickly raised his hands and shouted, "We're on the same side, Lord Jiang! We're on the same side! I was just about to go rescue those villagers. They were imprisoned by the Demon Slayer Society, but they're still alive!"

"One of our own?"

Jiang Mu sized up the shifty-looking guy in front of her, her eyes filled with suspicion.

Dongguo Laosan wiped the cold sweat from his face and hurriedly explained, "To be honest, I was originally a member of the Imperial Guard. Nine years ago, I was ordered to infiltrate the Demon-Slaying Society. If you don't believe me, you can ask Lord Hai for confirmation."

Oh, by the way, I sent you a secret message yesterday. I wonder if you received it.

Jiang Mu asked in surprise, "You sent that secret letter?"

Upon hearing this, Dongguo Laosan breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly said, "This humble servant knew that the Demon Slayer Society was going to deal with you, sir, and that they even had a special magic weapon to counter it, so I thought I would remind you in advance. I just didn't expect you to come anyway, and I certainly didn't expect you to be so powerful."

Why did you remind me?

Jiang Mu's tone softened, "It seems the Inner Guards and our Demon Slaying Division don't get along very well, do they?"

Dongguo Laosan said with a righteous expression, "I don't care about the Inner Guard and the Demon Slaying Division. In my heart, Lord Jiang is a young hero who is rare in our Great Qing Dynasty. He has made great achievements in slaying demons and monsters and is a model for all cultivators in the world."

My esteemed respect for you, sir, is like a surging river, never-ending. If anything were to happen to you, it would be a loss for our Great Qing, and a loss for all the people of the land.

This flattery was so sincere and genuine.

In fact, the reason why Dongguo Laosan reminded Jiang Mu was to leave himself a way out.

If Jiang Mu is indeed captured and killed by the Demon Slayer Society, it won't matter to him; he can just continue playing his part.

However, if Protector Wang and his group fail to trap Jiang Mu, they can still consider it a favor to have done them a favor in advance by sending this warning letter.

It's like getting a protective charm.

After all, even though he was an undercover agent of the inner guard, he was well aware of the conflict between the Demon Slayer Division and the inner guard. If Jiang Mu refused to acknowledge him and killed him on a whim, who would he complain to?

Therefore, I first sent a secret letter to establish a good relationship and leave myself some security for survival.

Jiang Mu suppressed his murderous intent and asked, "Besides Protector Wang, are there any other people here?"

Dongguo Laosan straightened up slightly, nodded, and said, "Yes. Originally, there were more than thirty followers in the village responsible for forming an array and guarding the village, but when you displayed your great power just now, these rabble were terrified and scattered in all directions. Should I go after them now?"

"No."

Jiang Mu waved his hand and said, "They can't escape."

He changed the subject, asking with interest, "You said you've been undercover in the Demon-Slaying Society for nine years. Where is their headquarters? You should have some idea, right?"

"This... I truly do not know."

Dongguo Laosan wore a bitter expression. "If I had known where their hideout was earlier, I would have reported it to the court long ago and ended my undercover mission. Why would I have been hiding until now?"

Jiang Mu wasn't surprised and continued to press, "Then you must have some information about the other secret outposts and contact agents, right?"

Dong Guo Lao San said, "Now that the branch altar in Yunzhou City has been destroyed and these remnants have been wiped out by the lord, there should be no members of the Demon Slaying Society left in the city."

However, I do know of several secret outposts in other prefectures, including those in Lord Jiang's hometown of Huzhou City, and also in Yan City.

Jiang Mu took out a small notebook and a specially made charcoal pencil from his pocket and tossed them over: "Write it down."

"Yes, I will write it right away."

Dongguo Laosan did not hesitate and quickly took the notebook and began to write.

Before long, he returned the notebook and pen he had written, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Lord Jiang, in fact, after learning that the Demon Slayer Society was going to use a secret treasure against you, I immediately met with Lord Hai Baichuan and told him the truth."

Lord Hai felt that you were capable enough to handle the situation, so he did not intend to intervene and strictly ordered me not to interfere.

I was just unsure, which is why I took the risk of informing you.

Seeing Lord Jiang's incredible prowess in easily dealing with the demon and the woman, this humble servant feels deeply ashamed. It seems Lord Hai was indeed farsighted, trusting Lord Jiang's abilities.

Jiang Mu put the notebook away, looking at him with a half-smile: "Trying to sow discord, huh? You old rascal, you're quite cunning."

"No, no!"

Dongguo Laosan trembled with fright and waved his hands repeatedly in defense, "Your Excellency is wise and discerning. Even if I had ten thousand lives, I would not dare to spread rumors under your watchful eye."

Having a cunning mind isn't a bad thing.

Jiang Mu said calmly, "If you didn't have all these tricks up your sleeve, you wouldn't have been able to stay undercover for so long without getting into trouble."

Now that everyone's dead, what are you planning to do? Go back to the Imperial Guard?

Dongguo Laosan sighed and said with a bitter smile, "This humble servant of the Inner Guard naturally cannot return. The mission is not yet completed, and I cannot bear the blame if Lord Hai finds out."

Right now, all I can do is continue contacting the Demon Slayer Society and try to infiltrate them again. Rest assured, my lord, I have a way to regain their trust.

If my identity is accidentally exposed, I'll simply die; that would be considered serving my country loyally.

Jiang Mu pondered for a moment before speaking, "You're a smart man, and smart men often live long. If you can find the Demon Slayer Society's lair, tell me the information, and I'll personally find a way to get you into the Demon Slayer Division and make you my subordinate."

Upon hearing this, Dongguo Laosan was overjoyed.

He immediately knelt down on the ground with a thud: "This humble servant is willing to serve you, my lord, even at the cost of going through fire and water."

He's a triple agent now.