I Become a Martial Arts God in the Chaotic Demon World

"What is going on here? Why is everyone so tense with swords drawn and crossbows loaded?"

Liu Xunqi approached with a confused face, looked at Zhang Jiangbei, and then at Han Zheng.

"Jiangbei, how did you end up covered in Blood Slaughter Demon Qi? What in the world happened?"

Liu Xunqi felt that something was amiss and shouted lowly.

Han Zheng sighed, "Lord Liu, your foster son colluded with Demons to ambush me and attack Washing Sword Pavilion, even attempting to eradicate my entire Kui Character Camp. I just uncovered his plot; it's as simple as that."

Liu Xunqi's figure swayed, staring at Zhang Jiangbei in disbelief, "Han, is what you said true? Did you really collude with Demons?"

Zhang Jiangbei looked at the heavy Demon Energy engulfing him and sneered, "If I say no now, foster father, would you believe me?"

"Why!?"

Liu Xunqi, furiously, said, "I have no biological sons and have always raised you as my own, even the resources you got are perhaps more than what those young talents at headquarters could access.

Yet, you colluded with Demons and harmed your colleagues. What for? What could the Black Mountain Demon offer you!"

Zhang Jiangbei sighed, "You got one thing wrong, foster father. I did not collude with Demons. I have been a man of the Black Mountain Demon King even before I joined Demon Cleansing Bureau and became your foster son.

Do you remember the Zhang Family of Feiyun Mountain twenty years ago?"

Liu Xunqi frowned, "I remember, the Zhang Family nominally managed Spiritual Medicine fields on Feiyun Mountain, but in reality, they sold those Spiritual Medicines to Demons who made Human Pills out of them, and my Demon Cleansing Bureau executed their entire family."

"It wasn't the entire family; one was outside, and that was me, Zhang Jiangbei!"

Zhang Jiangbei's face twisted with hatred, "My family never harmed any innocent lives; we just sold some Spiritual Medicine to those Demons, and for that, we were wiped out, becoming a merit for your Demon Cleansing Bureau. How unjust is that?

What Black Mountain Demon King could give me is very simple; revenge!"

"Unjust? Your Zhang Family sold Elixirs to Demons. After they turned them into Human Pills, their strength surged, they even breached the county city, and you say you didn't harm innocent lives?"

"If not our Zhang Family, someone else would sell them. Why should our family be the one exterminated?"

Liu Xunqi lamented, "Since you joined the Demon Cleansing Bureau, I had high hopes for you, even deemed you capable of taking over my Taishan Prefecture.

Who would have thought you harbored resentment all this time!"

"Can the hatred of an exterminated family ever dissipate?"

Zhang Jiangbei laughed loudly, "A victor becomes king, a loser an outlaw; I only regret not being able to avenge the annihilation of the past!"

As he spoke, Demon Energy around Zhang Jiangbei surged wildly.

Han Zheng was about to use the Blood Shadow Floating Light Technique to stop Zhang Jiangbei, but the swelling of the Demon Energy was so rapid, that in an instant, Zhang Jiangbei had burst into a mist of blood!

Seeing this, Liu Xunqi sighed deeply, his eyes somewhat reddening.

His foster son, the successor he had nurtured, turned out to be a spy sent by the Demons; these sudden changes caught Liu Xunqi unprepared.

After a long while, Liu Xunqi seemed to recover somewhat and turned to Han Zheng with a sigh, "I'm sorry, Han, I intended to help you, but it nearly caused you harm.

I never would have expected Zhang Jiangbei to be a spy sent by the Demons, considering he joined the Demon Cleansing Bureau before he was even ten.

In any case, I was negligent, and I will take the initiative to ask for punishment and apologize to headquarters."

Han Zheng nodded slightly, "You certainly should ask for punishment and apologize, and escaping a capital punishment is inevitable."

Liu Xunqi was stunned, and so were Ye Liuyun and others.

In their eyes, Liu Xunqi was somewhat pitiable.

His successor, whom he treated like his own son, turned out to be a Demon spy, constantly harboring the intent to kill him.

Seeing Zhang Jiangbei blow himself up in front of him must have been a huge shock to Liu Xunqi.

Reasonably, Han Zheng should have advised him not to take it to heart; how could he kick a man when he's down?

Besides, even if Liu Xunqi had been negligent, that couldn't warrant death, could it?

Liu Xunqi paused for a moment, then lifted his head to look at Han Zheng, his gaze gradually sharpening.

"I, Liu Xunqi, have risked my life for the Southern Mountain Demon Cleansing Department for many years. A single oversight shouldn't be enough to warrant my death, should it?"

Han Zheng replied indifferently, "Lord Liu, stop with the act. Have Luo Daoren come out as well.

Do you think that just because Zhang Jiangbei is dead, you can explain everything away? It's not that simple."

As he finished speaking, Su Wuming had already revealed an emanation of Evil Qi on his Coiling Dragon Spear, pointing it straight at Liu Xunqi.

Ye Liuyun and the others also reacted immediately, and in a flash, all the Xuanjia Guards from the Kui Character Camp drew their weapons, aiming them at the people Liu Xunqi had brought.

"Zhang Jiangbei has already taken all the blame; why would you still suspect me?"

Liu Xunqi stared at Han Zheng, his face not showing anger or annoyed embarrassment, but rather a look of confusion.

"Because I am a suspicious, dark-minded petty person."

Han Zheng looked at Liu Xunqi with a half smile and said, "Liu Xunqi, you think you've done a good job at playing your part, portraying yourself as someone who does not engage in internal conflicts within the Demon Cleansing Department, solely dedicated to eliminating Demons as a loyal servant.

Unfortunately, you've overplayed your hand.

In a place like the Southern Mountain Demon Cleansing Department, where the Local Faction and the Capital Faction have been in conflict for decades, how could you possibly not side with anyone and please both sides?

You might get away with not aligning with Xu Cunbao, as Lord Xu would not trouble you.

But how could you not give in to Wu Yunfei and his people? If you didn't bleed a little, how could Wu Yunfei tolerate you occupying Taishan Prefecture, such a wealthy State Mansion?

To put it bluntly, there are very few straightforward and clean characters among those who can garrison a region here in the Southern Mountain Demon Cleansing Department.

Moreover, since I arrived in Taizhou Prefecture, you have been very cooperative and enthusiastic, yet ironically, I am the person best aware of his own limitations.

What capabilities do I, Han Zheng, possess to make a Quasi-Master of the Dan Sea Realm, an old and experienced Garrison Captain, so enthusiastic about me?

Furthermore, my investigation along the way has been filled with coincidences, almost as if someone was leading the way for me.

I accidentally learned from the Great Wind King that Luo Daoren was in Taishan Prefecture, but everything that followed was no accident.

You gave me the distribution map of the Demons in Taishan Prefecture, marking the Jade-Faced Gentleman most prominently to send me after him—always hesitant and unwilling to join under the Black Mountain Demon.

If I were to eliminate the Jade-Faced Gentleman, it would be akin to helping you remove a Demon force that was unwilling to cooperate.

If the Jade-Faced Gentleman killed me, that would be even better for you; either outcome would be a win for you.

Then I learned from the Jade-Faced Gentleman about Asking Sword Manor, which was another trap you'd set.

It led me to conflict with Asking Sword Manor, thereby drawing the Washing Sword Pavilion into a fight with me.

Plus, I suspect you had further plans that once I clashed with the Washing Sword Pavilion, you'd immediately add fuel to the fire and blow things up!

Unfortunately, I saw through this move, and the Washing Sword Pavilion did not break with me.

And Luo Daoren is truly cautious in his actions, even designating someone like Zhang Jiangbei as a scapegoat.

Even if things were eventually exposed, you could pin it on Zhang Jiangbei, and you, Liu Xunqi, would not be exposed, perhaps only branded as negligent in supervision.

It just makes Zhang Jiangbei pitiful, dying without realizing he was just a scapegoat.

Tsk tsk, I now know why the Black Mountain Demon was not the strongest among the Four Great Demon Kings back then but still made the biggest mess.

Just one Luo Daoren was able to meticulously plan at multiple levels, penetrating the Demon Cleansing Department to this extent, with even Zhang Jiangbei being a pawn placed casually over twenty years ago.

How many people were involved when the Black Mountain Demon swept through the Southern Mountain all those years ago?"

Han Zheng genuinely sighed.

Currently, the Southern Mountain remains strong with powerful warriors like Chen Baxian physically keeping the Black Mountain Demon from appearing.

There are also true workers like Wen Tingyun and Xu Cunbao, the Xuanjia Guards, who are much stronger than six decades ago when Yan Xuankong had just disappeared.

But even so, the Southern Mountain Demon Cleansing Department is still deeply infiltrated by the Black Mountain Demon; who knows what it was like sixty years ago?