The greatest questionable point to Wu Yu was that the demon that massacred Qingsang City was going for their lives and gouging their hearts out. It didn't care about anything else.
As for the demon in front of them right now, he simply injured but did not kill, let alone gouge their hearts out. Also, his objective was clear, which was to release the demons imprisoned by the Wind and Thunder Dao Sect.
There was a further point. The demon that had massacred Qingsang City didn't want to expose its identity. However, the demon in front of them wasn't hiding at all and wasn't worried about Wu Yu and the group recognizing his appearance.
Moreover, how could it be so coincidental to encounter the demon that massacred the city once they arrived at the Wind and Thunder Dao Sect?
When things were too coincidental, it became unrealistic.
Therefore, just before He Taozi prepared to surround and strike the young demon, Wu Yu suddenly let out a loud cry. "Wait a minute! Don't start the fight first!"
His cry disrupted the plans of his group. He Taozi was about to strike but was taken aback by Wu Yu's cry. At that instant, anger blew up in him!
However, before He Taozi said a word, Wu Yu immediately looked into the eyes of the demon and asked loudly, "Let me ask you. Are you responsible for gouging out the hearts of 2,000 cultivators at Qingsang City, which is just a short distance from the Wind and Thunder Dao Sect?"
That demon was clearly shocked by Wu Yu. He curled his lips to the side and remarked, "I'm not interested in committing such disgusting acts. It seems like I've been made the scapegoat for someone?"
If it wasn't him, Wu Yu felt that a battle to the death with him would not be within the boundary of the current mission. Therefore, he said to He Taozi, "Senior Brother He, the way this demon acts is different from the demon that massacred Qingsang City. His objective is to release the imprisoned demons. Moreover, he injures but does not kill, and he does not hide his appearance. I don't think he is the demon we are looking for."
Gu Hongming, who was at the side, snorted and said harshly, "These are just tricks of the demon designed to fool our eyes. It would only work against dumbasses like you! He definitely knew that we were coming and therefore misguided us on purpose! Even if it wasn't him, all demons are the arch enemies of cultivators. Moreover, he deserves death for infringing upon the grounds of the Wind and Thunder Dao Sect!"
He Taozi wasn't as rash as Gu Hongming. The truth was, standing in his perspective, he knew that this demon would not be easy to deal with. In fact, even if the six of them were to surround and attack it, they might not be successful. In the worst case, some of them might be injured or killed!
If he wasn't the demon they were looking for, he would be beyond the mission. Even if he was killed, the merit points obtained would not be as much as from the mission. Instead, this would increase the sacrifices unduly. As the leader, he had to consider all of this. Therefore, he did not act and simply stared harshly at the young demon. "How can you prove that you aren't the demon that massacred the city?"
The other party was apathetic. "I have no intention to prove anything to you. If you want a fight, you will get it. Otherwise, I don't have time to fool around with you."
The truth was, if he was really that demon and he could hide at the moment, he should be trying his best to prove that he was not the demon.
Ye Jingming commented softly, "Senior Brother, I agree with Wu Yu. It might not be this demon, and it wouldn't be easy to deal with him..."
"How do you know that he isn't the accomplice of that demon?" Gu Hongming interrupted.
While they were quarrelling, the young demon got impatient. The six of them had surrounded him, so he just walked directly towards the direction of Wu Yu. When he was in front of Wu Yu, he met his eyes and ordered, "Move aside."
Wu Yu replied, "You took actions to save the demons but did not kill the humans. If demons could be distinguished as good and evil, you would be a good demon. There's a demon that massacred 2,000 cultivators and committed a heinous sin. To prevent us from killing the wrong demon, you have to prove that you aren't responsible for the massacre. Otherwise, I won't let you leave."
"You said there are good and evil demons?" The two of them exchanged gazes. He was clearly stunned by what Wu Yu had said. He looked inquisitively at Wu Yu and said, "Shouldn't cultivators be killing every single demon they encounter? For you guys, demons are the embodiment of evil and should be eliminated on sight. As a Shushan disciple, you dare to make such treacherous remarks?"
Wu Yu knew that he had said a little too much. However, this was really what he felt. Therefore, he did not avoid the conversation. "You have to prove yourself. Otherwise, don't blame us for not being courteous."
The demon stared at him instead and asked. "What's your name?"
"A righteous person wouldn't lie about his name. I'm Wu Yu." Although the demon was strong and had an extremely rare bloodline, Wu Yu wasn't intimidated by it. Instead, he answered resolutely without his eyes flickering.
"Hehe. You are the first cultivator I've seen that makes such remarks. On the account of this, I shall give you proof today." The young demon took several steps back. He disregarded others and simply kept his eyes on Wu Yu. A smile appeared on the edge of his lips.
After which, he said to He Taozi, "Are you the leader?"
"Yes, I am."
"This is the first time that I left the Endless Demon Seas. I have never killed a human nor demon before. If I had killed 2,000 men and dug out their hearts, I would definitely have a strong smell of blood on me and vengeful spirits around me. Take a look! Do I have any on me?"
He Taozi and the group exchanged glances. The truth was already clear in their minds. This demon wasn't the one they were looking for. Moreover, just as this demon had said, this was the first time they had encountered a demon without any smell of blood. He was as clean and pure as a piece of gemstone.
Even Wu Yu had killed quite a number of people.
Therefore, when the demon said that he had not killed a single man, Wu Yu was shocked. However, he agreed with what the demon had said. He rarely saw a demon who was as pure as him. Consequently, he was likely to be very young. In fact, he might just be the same age as Nangong Wei.
He Taozi was wary of his strength. Now that the other party had proved himself, he had a reason to back off. He waved his hands and said coldly, "Alright, we understand that you aren't the killer. However, this isn't the territory of the demons. I'll advise you to leave quickly and return to the Endless Demon Seas!"
The demon chuckled. "The heavenly continent doesn't belong to anyone. This is also not the territory of Shushan. You guys don't have the right to restrict me!"
After finishing his words, he walked past Wu Yu and left.
When he walked past Wu Yu, he said softly to Wu Yu, "Wu Yu, let's meet again if we are fated to meet. You can address me as Jiu Ying." After which, he left rapidly and disappeared from the vision of the group.
Gu Hongming was a little furious. "You might have let the mastermind or perhaps the accomplice get away!"
Su Qing smirked and said, "Don't act like that after he's gone! That demon might seem young, but his bloodline is exceptional. He is at least at the seventh tier of Yaodan. If we were to fight with him, I'm not sure how many of us would die before we could pin him down. If I asked you to die, would you be willing to?"
Gu Hongming replied, "Don't put us down while praising it. In my eyes, that demon is just as such!"
"Stop the quarrels!" He Taozi was fuming. He took a glance at Wu Yu and reminded, "Wu Yu, watch your words in the future. Demons are our arch enemies. There aren't any good demons. There are only brutal and bloodthirsty demons! If you had said those words in Shushan, you would've been imprisoned at the Core Sword Cell for at least three years."
With regard to this, Wu Yu didn't want to comment.
Perhaps he was very much influenced by the Ninth Spirit. Wu Yu felt that the demons he had encountered were much more sentimental than most humans. As for the sword cultivators from Shushan, they were colder and more ruthless, like machines.
At this moment, the crowd felt a surge of demonic aura. They looked towards the direction where the Jiu Ying had headed to. To their astonishment, they saw a black shadow appearing out of nowhere in the skies. That black shadow was a little far from where they were. Soon, it dove into the clouds. Although it was just an instant, the crowd still saw the appearance of the demon.
That was the demon known as Jiu Ying!
However, he had turned back into his demon form as he flew further.
They could vaguely see that his demon form was a huge beast with pitch black scales. It looked a little like the divine dragons that had grown wings. Those huge wings were like sharp knives that cut through the clouds easily as it flew.
However, what really shook Wu Yu and the group was that the demon had nine long savage-looking heads. Each head was like a dragon's head, or a snake with sharp fangs and horns!
He had a total of nine heads!
Jiu Ying!
Those nine heads had fearsome looks. Their sharp teeth glowed in a shine that sent chills down their spines.
When this demon, which had nine heads, strong wings, and four thick limbs that were covered in dragon scales, flew into the skies, Wu Yu and the group immediately recalled a remark from the city lord of Qingsang City.
That demon seemed to have a lot of heads with black flames surrounding them.
Vaguely, they could see one of Jiu Ying's heads surrounded by black flames.
In that instant, Wu Yu was completely stunned. All the information they were presented with before pointed to the fact that Jiu Ying wasn't the demon that massacred the city. However, when he revealed his demon form, he was undoubtedly the evil existence that had killed others and gouged out their hearts. This was a huge difference from Wu Yu's conjecture and analysis. Moreover, he was the one who suggested that Jiu Ying wasn't the demon they were looking for from the very beginning...
"Chase," He Taozi growled angrily as he took off on his sword immediately.
"Wu Yu! You have made a grave mistake! Damn you!" Gu Hongming roarred and turned green from anger. He followed closely behind He Taozi. At this moment, the most important thing to do was catch up with that demon.
The others also gave chase. Wu Yu stood back for a moment and could only follow behind. However, his mind was still dishevelled.
He couldn't believe that the demon that massacred the city was Jiu Ying. If he could hide, transform, and lie to this extent, how terrifying would he be? However, Wu Yu could tell from his eyes that he was pure.
There weren't many demons who could be as pure as him....
He believed his intuition and felt that this wasn't as it seemed. However, the truth laid bare in front of him. If the Jiu Ying truly was the demon they were looking for, Wu Yu would have to bear a huge responsibility for letting it escape.
It was just that Wu Yu rarely doubted himself.
"We were all too careless. We should have asked him to turn back into his real form previously. Damn it, damn it!" Gu Hongming grumbled angrily. From time to time, he stared at Wu Yu with his bloodshot eyes and couldn't wait to tear Wu Yu apart!
At this moment, even though He Taozi had taken off at full speed, it was a little too late to catch up with it. However, they were all Shushan disciples, so they did not give up. He Taozi was at the tip of the pack and opened up a distance from the rest in an instant.
Ye Jingming felt helpless too. "That demon was too cunning. Even we trusted him!"
"This is all Wu Yu's fault! It's about time we kick this brat away!" The more Gu Hongming looked at Wu Yu, the more violent he shook in anger.
Soon, He Taozi stopped. This was because Jiu Ying had disappeared.
Seeing this, Gu Hongming roared angrily and charged towards Wu Yu. "Don't stop me. I'm going to cripple this dumbass!"