Chapter 289 The Hero Reveals His Blade

Chen Mu gritted his teeth, tightened his grip on the soul-slaying blade, and prepared for a desperate final stand; even if he were to die, he would carve a wound into this beast.

Just at this critical moment.

"Stop."

A voice came from the depths of the night, unhurried and even carrying a hint of laziness, yet it caused that three-zhang-tall Demon General to freeze instantly. Its giant claw hung suspended three feet above Chen Mu's head, the ghostly blue demonic fire on its claws mere inches from his face.

The Demon General let out a low whimper, retracted its giant claw, and its massive body took a few steps back, a trace of respect actually appearing in its eyes.

Everyone on the city wall was stunned.

Chen Mu's gaze sharpened as he looked in the direction from which the voice came.

In the night, a figure slowly walked over.

The figure moved unhurriedly, stepping over the corpses littering the ground. Every step was calm and composed, as if this were not a battlefield of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, but his own backyard.

Chen Mu recognized that face.

Jiang Xiong.

He was dressed in a black brocade robe with a jade belt hanging at his waist, a faint smile playing on his lips. Every gesture exuded the demeanor of a superior. That demeanor was different from Qi Huan's official authority, and even more different from Cheng Xiaoqing's composure; it was a high-and-mighty condescension, as if everyone present were merely ants on a chessboard.

His gaze first fell on Chen Mu, and he nodded slightly, as if greeting an old friend, before passing over him to look at the stunned faces on the city wall.

Cheng Xiaoqing's face was ashen. He stared fixedly at Jiang Xiong, his lips trembling slightly.

"Jiang Xiong... is it you?"

Jiang Xiong smiled, standing with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over Cheng Xiaoqing's face with a touch of amusement.

"Brother Cheng, have you been well? Tonight's play is even livelier than I imagined."

His voice was gentle, but these words struck Cheng Xiaoqing like a bolt of lightning.

Cheng Xiaoqing's fists clenched until they cracked, blue veins bulging, and fire almost spewed from his eyes.

"You are colluding with Fentian?"

Hearing this, Jiang Xiong's smile deepened, and he waved his hand, as if correcting a naive child.

"Brother Cheng, don't put it so harshly. What do you mean by collusion? It is merely each taking what they need."

As he spoke, he paced to the side of the Demon General and raised his hand to pat its foreleg. The Demon General lowered its head and let out a low whimper, as if responding.

"The Demon King Fentian needs the incense Power Of Will from the human world to improve his cultivation, and I need some assistance to accomplish great things. Isn't this a match made in heaven?"

Cheng Xiaoqing gritted his teeth and said, word by word.

"Those commoners... those commoners who were demonized... the plague and the Life-Saving Temple..."

Jiang Xiong nodded, smiling quite candidly.

"Correct, it was all arranged by me."

His voice was unhurried, as if he were recounting a trivial matter.

"Brother Cheng, you should know that the Great Wu Dynasty has been established for a hundred years and is already terminally ill. The imperial court is dim-witted, officials are corrupt, and the commoners are suffering. What necessity is there for such a Dynasty to exist?"

"My Jiang Family has been loyal for generations, but what have we received in return? We are suppressed everywhere, guarded against everywhere. Those people in the imperial court wish they could uproot my Jiang Family completely."

As he spoke, his tone gradually became impassioned.

"Since that is the case, why can't my Jiang Family take its place? Why must the Great Wu Realm only bear the surname Chu? In terms of Bloodline, achievements, and foundation, in what way is my Jiang Family inferior to the Chu Family?"

Cheng Xiaoqing did not speak, just stared fixedly at him, his chest heaving violently.

Jiang Xiong smiled and continued.

"The Demon King Fentian needs Power Of Will, so I had that white-haired elder under my command go to various villages to administer medicine. The medicine contained demon seeds. Those who drank the medicine had the demon seeds planted within them. Ordinarily, they were no different from normal people, but once the demon seeds matured, they would completely transform into demon soldiers to be used by me."

"I had the commoners build those Life-Saving Temples. Half of that Power Of Will nourishes the demon seeds, and half is offered to the Demon King Fentian. It kills two birds with one stone; why not do it?"

He paused as he spoke, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"But speaking of which, Brother Cheng, I must thank you very much for my success."

Cheng Xiaoqing's face was ashen, and he did not speak.

"The plague in those few villages, coming so timely and so fiercely—did you think it was truly a natural disaster? Heh..."

He chuckled softly, his gaze falling on Chen Mu.

"The blood and fur of that Bat King were all brought back from Kaoshan Village by Chen Mu himself."

Cheng Xiaoqing's pupils contracted sharply, and he suddenly looked up at Jiang Xiong.

"You..."

Cheng Xiaoqing spoke, his voice unusually hoarse, but Jiang Xiong waved his hand and took over the conversation.

"Brother Cheng, why did you think I asked you to collect those demon blood samples for research? Heh heh... Does my Jiang Family need to borrow your hands to research demons?"

He paused and paced forward two steps.

"I had people mix the blood and fur of that Bat King into the water source. The commoners in those villages drank the water and contracted the plague. The plague came quickly and went quickly, which just gave that white-haired elder a reason to enter the village to administer medicine. The medicine administered contained demon seeds. Once the commoners drank it, the seeds were planted in their bodies, waiting only for the time to mature, and they would become my people."

Cheng Xiaoqing's fists clenched until they cracked, blue veins bulging, and his entire arm was trembling.

He had known Jiang Xiong for many years.

Over these years, they had drunk wine together, discussed the Dao together, and discussed the affairs of the Demon Suppression Division together. He respected Jiang Xiong as a member of the Jiang Family of the North, who had an extraordinary demeanor, handled things thoroughly, never put on airs, and had always regarded him as a friend he could confide in.

But now this person, this person he regarded as a friend, had used him to do such things.

Those innocent commoners, just because they drank the contaminated water, contracted the plague and had demon seeds planted in them, eventually becoming things that were neither human nor ghost.

They could have lived their lives peacefully, farming, weaving, raising children, living ordinary and stable lives like millions of other commoners in the world.

But now? They lay under the city wall, corpses piled into mountains, blood flowing like rivers, the stench rising to the sky.

And all of this was because he, Cheng Xiaoqing, had personally handed those Bat King blood and fur samples to Jiang Xiong.

Cheng Xiaoqing's eyes were bloodshot, his lips trembling violently, and a low roar emitted from his throat.

"Jiang Xiong!"

He suddenly drew the long blade at his waist and was about to pounce towards Jiang Xiong, but Huo Chao was holding him tightly from the side, his voice trembling.

"Banner Master! Banner Master! Don't be impulsive, if you go over there, you're just throwing your life away!"

Cheng Xiaoqing struggled violently but was held down firmly by Huo Chao and two other old soldiers. The blade hung in mid-air, its tip pointing at the black-clad figure under the city wall, while a beast-like roar came from his throat.

Seeing him in this state, Jiang Xiong only shook his head slightly, his gaze carrying a hint of pity, then turned his head, his gaze falling on Chen Mu.

"Chen Mu."

Jiang Xiong spoke, his tone changing suddenly, filled with the sincerity of someone confiding in another.

"Chen Mu, I have been watching you. Starting from Yunmeng, I watched you walk step by step to today. You killed the City God, killed Xu Changze, killed that bunch of idiots from Beimang—I have seen every single thing."

"You have ability, you have Heart-Nature, you have decisiveness, and more importantly, you have things that others do not."

He paused, a flash of deep meaning in his eyes.

"I know you have secrets hidden on you, and I don't care what those secrets are. I only care about one thing: are you willing to come with me?"

Chen Mu frowned slightly and did not speak.

Jiang Xiong continued, his voice taking on a hint of seduction.

"The Great Wu Dynasty has been established for hundreds of years. It looks stable, but in reality, it is already rotten. Those big shots in the imperial court only care about fighting for power and profit, and local officials only know how to exploit the commoners. What Demon Suppression Division? What Jade Bell Guard? They are merely medicine to prolong the life of this corrupt Dynasty."

"But how long can this medicine prolong it? Three years? Five years? Or ten years?"

He took a step forward, his burning gaze fixed on Chen Mu.

"I am different. What I want is this world."

"My alliance with Fentian is not to be a running dog for demons, but to borrow his power to overturn this corrupt Dynasty. When the day comes that this world bears the surname Jiang, I will share the empire equally with Fentian, rule with humans and demons together, and create an unprecedented prosperous age."

As he spoke, he took out a jet-black Medicinal Pill from his bosom and held it in his palm.

"This is the Longevity Pill."

Jiang Xiong's voice became increasingly low.

"Fentian and I have researched for ten years and finally refined this thing. Take this pill, and your Lifespan can increase by three hundred years. Furthermore, you can be reborn, stepping into a higher Realm. After three hundred years, there will be a second one, a third one. As long as you are willing, you can live on forever, living until the end of time."

"Chen Mu, haven't you always wanted longevity?"

Chen Mu's gaze flickered slightly, but he did not speak.

Jiang Xiong looked at him, the smile on his lips deepening.

"I know what you want. You want power, you want longevity, you want to no longer be manipulated by anyone. I can give you all of these."

"Come with me, and we will achieve great things together. When the day comes that this world bears the surname Jiang, you will be the number one person under my command, sharing longevity with me."

He paused, his voice filled with a hint of sincerity.

"If you don't believe me, you can take this pill right now. I will give you three hundred years of Lifespan for free."