Chapter 298 - 142: The Sword Immortal’s Reincarnation, Aunt Shui’s Mistake

Chapter 298: Chapter 142: The Sword Immortal’s Reincarnation, Aunt Shui’s Mistake

"I won’t accept this! I fucking refuse!"

Watching the Wolf Demon look as if it had suffered some great injustice, Jiang Mu nearly burst out laughing.

’This guy’s got quite a temper.’

Shui Miaozheng’s expression was serene. Rainwater gathered along the edge of the glowing umbrella above her, cascading down like a beaded curtain.

She looked down at the wretched Wolf Demon and said coolly,

"I didn’t come to kill you. I’m only here to confirm something. Have the people from the Red Umbrella Sect approached you? And did you agree to cooperate with them?"

The Wolf Demon spat out a mouthful of muddy water. Its jade-green eyes, full of defiance, glared at the woman.

"If you want to kill me or cut me to pieces, do as you please. Why bother with such sanctimonious excuses? I, Mu Zilang, have occupied this territory for sixty years. When have I ever feared you lackeys from the Court?

To fall at the hands of an Eighth Realm expert today... I accept my fate!"

It craned its neck, presenting its throat in a show of bold defiance.

Shui Miaozheng, however, didn’t seem angry. Instead, she furrowed her delicate brows, her beautiful eyes carefully studying the faint aura circulating around the Wolf Demon.

A moment later, her expression shifted, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.

"That’s not right... This fundamental aura about you... You’re not a pure Demon! You’re a human Cultivator?!"

"A human Cultivator?"

Jiang Mu, standing nearby, jumped in surprise and took another careful look at the Wolf Demon on the ground.

No matter how he looked at it, this was a living, breathing wolf.

And its demonic aura was thick and menacing.

’Could it be an exceptionally advanced transformation art?’

The Wolf Demon clearly hadn’t expected its origins to be seen through so easily. A flicker of panic crossed its eyes before it forced itself to remain calm and snorted,

"What human Cultivator? I’m a Demon! No, I’m a wolf!"

Seeing Jiang Mu’s bewildered expression, Shui Miaozheng began to explain.

"Some Cultivators of the Human Race, whether to extend their lifespan or to pursue power through forbidden arts, choose to consume special demon blood. They transform themselves into demonic cultivators, which we commonly call Demons.

But this process isn’t irreversible, and most Demons still retain their human form, with only parts of their bodies showing demonic characteristics at most.

But this one here..."

She pointed at the Wolf Demon, her voice laced with confusion.

"Although the fluctuations of his Divine Soul are masked by demonic energy, its core is still that of a human.

Yet his physical body is entirely that of a demon.

This means he has completely forsaken his human form, refining himself into a wild beast."

Realization dawned on Jiang Mu, quickly followed by astonishment.

’Who in their right mind would give up being human to become an animal?’

’What kind of bizarre fixation is that?’

Shui Miaozheng’s gaze locked onto the Wolf Demon, her tone turning severe.

"Once a human Cultivator completely transforms into a bestial form, it’s tantamount to severing their own path of cultivation. It’s nearly impossible to change back, and they even risk gradually losing their humanity.

You clearly have the foundation of a Fifth Realm Cultivation Level. If you had just continued your training step-by-step, you could have had a promising future.

Why would you do such a thing?

Furthermore...

When a Cultivator of the Human Race becomes a demonic cultivator, any Star Position they’ve attained should automatically dissolve. So why... can I still sense residual fluctuations of Star Power on you?

Are you using Star Power to forcibly hold on to the last vestiges of your humanity?"

Faced with Shui Miaozheng’s barrage of questions, the Wolf Demon silently lowered its head.

It no longer roared or retorted.

It just lay there in the mud, letting the rain wash over its fur, completely silent.

The scene fell into a stalemate.

As Jiang Mu looked at the silent wolf, the words of the old woman from the village suddenly flashed through his mind.

’Sixty years ago...’

’A woman...’

’Watching over newborns...’

A theory began to form in his mind.

He took a step forward, stared into the Wolf Demon’s eyes, and asked abruptly, "Did you turn yourself into... this... for a woman?"

The Wolf Demon’s head shot up.

Then, just as quickly, it lowered its head again. Its claws pawed restlessly at the muddy ground, as if a sensitive nerve had been struck.

Seeing this, Jiang Mu was certain.

’Looks like I guessed right.’

He continued slowly,

"The village elders say that when you first came to this mountain sixty years ago, there was a woman with you. Later, that woman disappeared. I’m guessing... she’s no longer alive, is she?"

The Wolf Demon’s body began to tremble.

Whether from the cold rain or from Jiang Mu’s words, it was hard to say.

"And for the past sixty years, whenever a child is born in the village, you sneak over to the family’s courtyard wall and stand watch for a night..."

Jiang Mu said, "You’re waiting, aren’t you? Waiting for that woman to be reincarnated?"

"You... Just who are you?!"

The Wolf Demon could no longer maintain its composure.

It struggled to get up, but was held down firmly by Shui Miaozheng’s Spiritual Power.

Jiang Mu clapped his hands and chuckled.

"We’re from the Demon-slaying Bureau. If we couldn’t even dig up that much, how could we keep our jobs?

Alright, since we’ve come this far, I won’t beat around the bush.

Normally, we have orders from on high: any Demon suspected of colluding with the Red Umbrella Sect is to be killed on sight, no questions asked."

Jiang Mu’s tone suddenly shifted.

"However, my Water Director here is kind-hearted. Seeing as you’ve protected the villagers all these years and never caused any harm, she’s willing to give you a chance. To let you off the hook.

The condition is that you truly have nothing to do with the Red Umbrella Sect, and you’re willing to cooperate with us."

The Wolf Demon was stunned.

It looked at Jiang Mu, then at Shui Miaozheng, whose expression was cool but who didn’t contradict him.

It seemed to be weighing the truth of his words.

After a moment, it sneered and turned its head away.

"You’d be kind enough to let me go? Cut the crap!

You people from the Demon-slaying Bureau have always been ruthless. The way you were acting before, you looked like you couldn’t wait to skin me alive. Why play the good guys now?"

Jiang Mu wasn’t annoyed. He simply said,

"If we really wanted to kill you, you’d already be a corpse after the Water Director’s last move. Why would we bother capturing you just to stand here in the rain talking nonsense?"