That wretched vixen has disguised herself as my wife!

The guard from the capital city leaned on his sword, panting, and choked on the air.

Countless comrades had already fallen with a cry of agony, yet the shadowy figures before them remained densely packed, and sharp laughter occasionally rang in their ears, as if mocking their overestimation of their abilities.

His overexertion made his consciousness gradually blur, and he suddenly thought of many things from the past.

The day I received my entry permit, the day I swore an oath with my colleagues, the day I was promoted to work under Vice Envoy Chen...

Everything felt so distant, like something from a past life.

Perhaps this is the final flashback before death, Shen Duwei vaguely thought. He was about to die, just like his companions who had just fallen.

They all died at the hands of the real enemy hidden within the clones. The Divine Guards were initially eager to avenge them, so they swung their swords with all their might.

But now his fighting spirit and physical strength are gradually fading away, and he is finally going to die at the hands of the enemy.

Shen Duwei's vision gradually darkened, but his battle instincts, honed over many years, were frantically awakening his last vestiges of reason.

Danger!

The guard wiped the sweat from his face, strained to open his eyes wide, and met the grotesque face with its empty, hollow eyes.

With just one glance, he almost trembled and couldn't lift his sword.

This is not something that can be killed by swords or blades; it is a demon that has come back from hell!

The other party seemed to have seen through his weakness, and the smile on his face grew wider and wider until the lower half of his face was covered by fangs. The serrated blade in his hand did not look like an ordinary weapon either.

So this is the kind of weapon the vengeful spirit uses.

The Divine Guard was no longer able to wield his sword, so he simply gave up resisting completely. Covered in the blood of his comrades, he waited for the sharp blade to slit his throat as well.

almost.

He could already smell the stench emanating from the demon's mouth.

The Divine Capital Guard let out a bitter laugh in his heart.

To die at the hands of such filthy creatures is a disgrace.

The moment the thought crossed their minds, the Divine Capital Guards froze.

Because a jet-black blade pierced the puppet's throat with pinpoint accuracy.

The person holding the knife slowly rotated the handle, shredding its entire neck.

The puppet, exhausted, knelt down.

"..."

The guard's hand gripping his sword trembled. He still didn't feel the relief of surviving a disaster. He only felt that the young man in front of him, though indifferent, made him feel at ease.

"If you're not strong enough, step back."

Jiang Jingming drew Wujiu and nodded slightly at him.

For him, the Divine Guards who are still fighting on the field deserve respect.

Most people who come here have already lost all faith before the fight even begins.

Since the people of the Duyue Sect are not the demons and monsters described in the rumors, then the people of the Divine Capital Guard are not necessarily all court lackeys seeking fame and fortune.

The stereotypes people have about the Duyue Sect also apply to the Shen Du Wei.

Jiang Jingming only gradually came to understand this principle after he emerged from Mangya.

Composing himself, Jiang Jingming lowered his eyes and stared at the lingering sinister smile on that face.

This is still not the puppet's true form.

However, since they share the same life force, what they see and feel should be the same as each other.

Jiang Jingming then drew his sword with one hand and stepped down, stomping the puppet's head under his foot.

"Aren't you going to show yourself?"

His voice was low and deep, as if he were talking to a dead body:

"Don't you have something to say, someone to identify? Now is your last chance—before I kill you, or you kill me."

As he spoke, he stomped his feet hard.

He nearly crushed the puppet's head, its brain matter mixed with dark blue blood, dripping from the cracks in the bluestone slab.

Suddenly, all around became deathly silent.

All the shadowy figures stood still, letting the swords pierce through them. They simply raised their heads and looked up at the dim sky.

Jiang Jingming's words seemed to have moved the puppet's true form, and for a moment all was silent.

The bloodthirsty Shen Du Guards also sensed the change in the situation. Their sword-wielding hands trembled slightly, unsure whether they would face an even more severe situation next.

Chen Sha turned around in the crowd and looked at Jiang Jingming.

The change in circumstances must be related to this young man, but he doesn't yet know exactly what happened.

Jiang Jingming's gaze followed the suddenly silent shadows, black crow feathers fluttering in the gloomy sky.

Gradually, they gathered together, forming a blurry human shape.

"Is it a human or a ghost?"

Lu Zhao knelt on the ground, panting heavily.

His physical strength had reached its limit; he had just faced a puppet head-on and was stabbed in the shoulder.

If it weren't for Aqing's timely intervention, his left hand would almost have been rendered useless.

That would be just like the protagonist of "The Divine Bird Hero"...

Lu Zhao slapped himself hard across the face, forcing himself to stay conscious.

"It's human."

Jiang Jingming stood beside him and said calmly:

"Perhaps, he is the only one among the enemies who can be considered human."

As if he had heard what he said, the person suspended in mid-air suddenly let out a violent and sharp laugh.

His voice was unpleasant, hoarse, and eerie, making his laughter sound like the howl of an owl.

It sounds very desolate.

The man suddenly looked up, and the raven feathers surrounding him scattered, revealing his true appearance.

The black hood covered the upper half of his face, revealing a pale, bloodless lower half with an exaggerated grin.

"Thank you all for coming here to keep my appointment."

Jiang Jingming looked at him quietly, recalling the description of the mysterious sorcerer given by the tea stall owner in front of the Posuo River.

It's the same person.

Jiang Jingming made up his mind.

"You charlatan, today is your death day."

With a flick of his sleeve, Chen Sha unleashed a powerful and heavy palm strike.

Unexpectedly, the sorcerer neither dodged nor evaded, and a tidal wave of palm wind swept past his side.

"Vice Envoy Chen is so angry, how can I possibly bear it?"

His voice, though tinged with laughter, was still hoarse and shrill, making one's ears ache slightly.

"Since you have made a pact with us, why don't you show your true face? Since you want to declare war on my Divine Capital Guard and injure my disciples, today, we shall fight to the death."

Chen Sha stepped forward alone, his words barely containing the barely suppressed rage that was about to erupt.

He knew every god who died here, and even if he himself died here today, this blood debt could not go unpaid.

"It was just a misunderstanding."

The warlock was still grinning:

“Vice Envoy Chen, the murderer of the entire Tingpu Manor family is still at large. You bear the heavy responsibility of investigating the truth of this case. Don’t you want to know who the murderer is?”

As he spoke, he seemed very excited. With each gesture, the wide sleeves of his robe slipped down, revealing a pair of hands as withered as dead wood, like those of a skeleton.

"I will not believe a single word of your demonic words."

Chen Sha coldly uttered a sentence, then flipped over and stood up, instantly closing in on the sorcerer's side.

Chen Sha curled his fingers into a claw and unleashed a vicious grappling move aimed straight for his vital point.

The warlock, facing his deadly attack, neither dodged nor flinched, maintaining that eerie smile.

As they drew closer, a stench of rotting corpses assaulted their nostrils.

Chen Sha did not back down in fear because of what he heard and saw; he unhesitatingly used this killing move to the extreme of his lifelong cultivation.

"..."

Just as he was about to touch the warlock, his movements froze on the spot.

It was as if some invisible pressure was holding him tightly, and no matter how hard he tried, his fingers could not move forward even an inch.

"Unfortunately, it seems that only by breaking Vice Envoy Chen's hands and feet will he patiently listen to my words."

The sorcerer's smile, hidden beneath his hood, was pale and sinister.

As his words fell, Chen Sha clearly felt the pressure growing heavier and heavier, almost crushing his arms.

At the final moment, a clear, sharp sound of a blade slicing through the air appeared out of nowhere.

Jiang Jingming arrived on the wind, his white robes billowing, moving with the speed of a bird's feather.

He held the knife in both hands, the blades slashing down, drawing a silvery-white arc in the air, sharp as if it were the embodiment of murderous intent.

The pressure that had been weighing on Chen Sha suddenly dissipated, and he let his hands fall limply, his forehead soaked with cold sweat.

Without hesitation, Jiang Jingming sheathed his sword, turned around, grabbed Chen Sha by the back of his collar, and steadily brought him back to the ground.

"Chen Sha!"

"Vice Envoy Chen!"

Xie Yunqi and Lu Zhao hurried over to check on Chen Sha, who had been rescued.

Chen Sha's face was ashen. He shook his head to indicate that he was alright, but his arms were still trembling uncontrollably.

"I overexerted myself and injured my muscles and bones. To avoid any long-term effects, I need to rest for a while."

Fang Zhiyi walked to the side and, with just one glance, was able to determine the extent of his injuries.

Jiang Jingming stood with his hand on his sword, raised his head, and looked at the sorcerer's smile, which seemed somewhat stiff.

His move just now was a feint; both the drawing and the sheathing of his sword were fluid and decisive.

However, his acting skills were quite good, and he successfully fooled the sorcerer, causing him to release Chen Sha and giving himself the opportunity to save the man.

"It seems you're not all-knowing and all-powerful after all."

Jiang Jingming curled his lips into a cold smile.

Chapter 145 Knowing the Meaning Without Regret

"Hey, Jingming."

Xie Yunqi moved closer and grabbed his sleeve:

"Look, isn't that guy angry?"

"Seems to be."

Jiang Jingming nodded.

The sorcerer remained suspended in mid-air, his long sleeves hanging down, concealing his rotten, wooden hands.

If you look closely, you'll see that he's still smiling, but that smile makes him seem even more dangerous.

As if in response to their conjectures, several figures suddenly floated up from the silent shadowy crowd, hovering in the air like sorcerers.

"These are the puppets that were just hidden among them!"

Xie Yunqi frowned as he recognized it.