Chapter 31 Cooperating to Slay Demons

The dilapidated temple door was half-open. Chen Mu signaled to Liu Ziming, and the two crept silently toward the temple, observing carefully.

Inside, there were actually three villagers who had already been demonized. One was sitting while two were standing; the temple's idol had toppled over, and the offerings were overturned.

The demonized villager sitting on the incense table was exceptionally burly, with glossy fur all over its body and pitch-black sharp claws. The aura it emitted had clearly reached the Early Stage of the Dao Entry Realm; it was evidently the giant cat demon managing this place.

The two slightly smaller ones stood straight on the left and right, like Protectors of a deity.

"This one looks tough to deal with. To dare to remove the idol and take its place, it must have some real skill."

Liu Ziming lowered his voice, his expression grave.

Chen Mu nodded slightly. After a brief moment of thought, a plan formed. He signaled to Liu Ziming and pointed to the side of the temple wall.

Liu Ziming understood immediately. Enduring the pain, he moved silently to that side to prepare for support.

Chen Mu took a deep breath, deliberately stepped heavily, walked boldly to the courtyard gate, and shouted a provocation.

"The Demon Suppression Division is handling a case, purging evil spirits!"

"Roar—"

A roar erupted from within the temple immediately. Following that, the temple door was smashed open from the inside by a massive force. Wood splinters flew, and a huge figure charged out.

"The Demon Suppression Division? Those who dare disturb the Old Ancestor while eating shall die!"

The giant cat demon's throat emitted a growl filled with killing intent. Before the words had even faded, its body had already lunged toward Chen Mu like lightning.

Its sharp claws tore through the air, emitting a shrill screech, aiming straight for Chen Mu's head.

The force of this single strike far exceeded that of all the cat demons seen before.

Chen Mu dared not take it head-on. He instantly activated the Divine Void Step, his figure splitting into two as he quickly dodged to the left and right.

The giant cat demon's claw missed, and the entire force landed on the ground where Chen Mu had been standing.

"Boom!"

The bluestone ground was gouged with deep furrows, and broken stones splashed everywhere in an instant.

"You fool! Is that all you can do, use brute force?"

Chen Mu's phantom spoke to mock it, attempting to enrage the opponent, while his real body quietly closed the distance slightly while dodging.

The giant cat demon was indeed enraged. Upon hearing this, it roared wildly and twisted its body to pounce on the speaking phantom of Chen Mu.

Now is the time!

Liu Ziming, who had been lying in ambush on the side, seized the moment when the giant cat demon's flank was wide open. With a roar, ignoring the injury to his leg, he lunged out from the wall and slashed down with his Dao.

He poured all his strength into the Dao, unleashing the most ruthless move of the Asura Blade Technique—The Asura Slash!

"Clang!"

The blade entered flesh, but it wasn't the familiar sensation of cutting; it felt as if he had struck a hard object soaked in water.

Liu Ziming was shocked; the neck muscles of this giant cat demon were surprisingly tough!

Even with all his strength, this strike failed to sever its head, only embedding itself deeply into the neck as blood sprayed out wildly!

"Awoo—"

The giant cat demon felt the pain and its massive body shook violently, followed by an earth-shattering howl that pierced the ears like demonic sound.

Liu Ziming felt a wave of sound crashing over him like a mountain. His whole body trembled, and he nearly lost his grip on his Dao.

Just at this critical opening when the cat demon's attention was drawn to Liu Ziming, Chen Mu moved.

He pushed the Divine Void Step to its limit. His figure suddenly became as light as nothingness. With a tap of his foot, he leaped into the air.

He did not lunge straight at the cat demon but instead stepped with pinpoint precision onto the back of the Dao that Liu Ziming had embedded deep into the giant cat's neck.

The timing of this step was perfect, converting his own weight and a burst of skillful force into a sudden downward momentum.

"Crack!"

A crisp sound of bone breaking echoed. Liu Ziming felt a downward pressure coming from the blade.

The previously incredibly tough neck finally could not bear the burden. With the blade no longer obstructed, he dragged it downward fiercely.

The giant cat demon's neck was completely severed by this strike, with only a bit of skin and flesh connecting it.

Its sharp claws immediately lost power and stiffened in mid-air. A moment later, its massive body collapsed with a thud, twitching incessantly on the ground.

Chen Mu did not pause; he immediately stepped forward and delivered a finishing blow with his sword, ending it completely.

[Killed a Dao Entry Realm Walking Corpse, plundered 25 years of Lifespan.]

A notification sound rang out, and Chen Mu breathed slightly heavily. He glanced at Liu Ziming's Dao, which had already chipped, and felt a chill in his heart.

The strength of this giant cat demon was already close to the Dao Entry Realm. If not for the strategy of distracting it and successfully launching a sneak attack, a head-on confrontation would have been difficult and time-consuming, even if they could win.

Liu Ziming limped over at this moment, still feeling lingering fear.

"Goodness, this thing is really tough. You almost messed it up!"

Chen Mu shook his head without speaking and casually dealt with the other two ordinary demonized villagers, which was as easy as cutting vegetables.

The two took a short breath and continued advancing toward the end of the village. Their cleanup work became more proficient, and they grew more silent.

The slight discomfort in their hearts had long been crushed by cold killing intent and the reality before them.

Chen Mu and Liu Ziming could no longer remember how many households they had cleared.

Every time they pushed open a door, they were greeted by either terrified screams or the hissing of beasts.

Every time they stepped into a home, what they saw was either a slaughterhouse or villagers tortured beyond human recognition.

"Next household!"

Chen Mu's voice was hoarse as he pointed to a courtyard near the edge ahead.

This courtyard looked slightly tidier than the others. Although the earthen walls were old, they were not heavily damaged. The courtyard gate was tightly closed, but there was no lock on it.

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing vigilance in the other's eyes.

Chen Mu signaled for Liu Ziming to stand guard on the flank, while he stepped forward to push the door as before.

The door was actually bolted from the inside.

Chen Mu frowned slightly and applied a bit more force.

"Creak—"

The bolt snapped at the sound, and the wooden door swung inward.

A person was standing in the courtyard.

A village woman wearing coarse cloth clothes, with messy hair and a haggard face.

She was about thirty years old, thin, and standing in the center of the courtyard at a loss. There were traces of cleaning at her feet, which was completely different from the chaos elsewhere.

What surprised Chen Mu even more was that there was no Demonic Qi on this woman, nor were there the black fur, slit pupils, and sharp claws of the demonized villagers. She looked just like an ordinary, terrified village woman.

However, in this Sangye Village, which had long since become a demon den, an ordinary village woman was in itself the greatest anomaly.

When the woman saw the door smashed open and Chen Mu rushing in with a sword, she trembled, and the color drained from her face.

The next second, unlike other demonized villagers who would hiss or stand still, she turned abruptly and ran toward the main room.

"Trying to run?"

Chen Mu snorted coldly, instantly gave chase, and blocked her in the main room.

Almost simultaneously, Liu Ziming also endured the pain and rushed a few steps to block the side window, preventing the other party from escaping through the window.

The woman was flanked from front and back, with no way out. Backed against the cold earthen wall, her hands tightly clutching the hem of her clothes, her lips trembling, and her eyes filled with pleading.

"Don't... don't kill me."

"I... I am not a monster! I have not been possessed!"

Chen Mu did not act immediately, but he did not let down his guard either, simply looking her up and down, scrutinizing her.

"Not possessed?"

"Then how have you survived until now? The people in this village have either become blood food for the monsters or have become Puppets."

"Why should you be an exception?"

Upon hearing this, a trace of struggle flashed across the woman's face. Then, as if she had made up her mind, she fell to her knees with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly.

"My Lord, please spare my life. I really haven't harmed anyone!"

She was incoherent, her face smeared with tears and snot.

"It was the Cat Immortal... the Cat Immortal didn't take my body, and it even... gave me power."

Cat Immortal, power.

Chen Mu caught the key words, his eyes turning even colder.

"Explain clearly."