Although Wu Yu did not hurry to use the core-tail talisman, he did not drop his guard.

Hearing Jiu Ying speak thus, Wu Yu was still suspicious, and kept his distance. Even his fingers continued to hold firm the core-tail talisman, ready at a moment’s notice.

Anyone else would already have used the core-tail talisman upon seeing Jiu Ying appear.

"An evil energy? It must be a demon. Thus the rest say that you are the demon's accomplice," Wu Yu probed.

Jiu Ying gave a cold snicker. "Fools naturally have foolish thoughts. I do not feel that the being responsible for the massacre is a demon. In truth, I appeared here today to prove to you that this matter has nothing to do with me. I happened to pass by, and saw other demon brethren being imprisoned. My only goal was to regain their freedom."

"If not a demon, then what is it?" Wu Yu felt more torn the more he spoke.

Jiu Ying waved a vague hand, saying, "I don't know about that. It's the business of your Shushan, and none of mine."

Wu Yu considered this for a moment, then glared at him. "If it is as you say, and this matter has nothing to do with you, then you can completely leave this area. Since the matter does not concern you, then shouldn't you leave with your head held high?"

After all, if he was not involved, then he would not be here explaining himself. Instead, he should be putting as much distance between them as possible. After all, he was a demon, and at odds with the Shushan Immortal Sect.

The sect that had the worst relationship with the demons was the Shushan sword cultivators.

In response to Wu Yu's query, Jiu Ying brushed it off. "My nature has always been like this. I don't like to be framed or maligned. In the matter of killing someone to take their heart, that is something that we demons might not even do. That is why I am even more curious than you are. Who is it that is using the reputation of demons to commit such blasphemous deeds?"

From the manner that Jiu Ying had just displayed, he did in fact seem to be such a person. If he was not a busybody, he would not have gone to save the young demons.

Deep down, Wu Yu felt that his entire manner and personality were completely different from the devil responsible for the massacre. And from his words, it seemed like he could be trusted a little.

But Wu Yu still said, "No matter how pretty your words, there is still something that you cannot explain. It's said that the demon responsible for the Qingsang City massacre can disguise its appearance, but not the fact that he has a few heads. Much like your original form."

His burning gaze pierced the young demon. He wanted to see how this proud youth would respond.

Jiu Ying was indeed taken aback for a moment. He now understood why Wu Yu and the others still suspected him. However, he gave a derisive laugh. "In this vast world, there are many demons with multiple heads. Even you martial cultivators can change your shape to appear thus. If I am judged to be the culprit on this point alone, then you Shushan sword cultivators are too unintelligent. Alright then. Since you still do not believe me, then I will stay here to accompany you. We'll see how it goes."

Jiu Ying hid within the dark clouds, but did not leave.

It seemed like he intended to wait with Wu Yu for the real killer to show up.

"This Jiu Ying is strange. If he is the killer's accomplice, then what is his plan for staying here? If the real killer came here, he would definitely bring things to a quick conclusion!

"Just because he hates being framed for others' crimes, he refuses to leave this place. Don't his actions make a little sense?

"If he really is that demon, he can naturally see that I am but a third tier Jindan Dao cultivator. He would not even take me seriously, and would massacre the entire Wind and Thunder Dao Sect in the shortest time possible."

Wu Yu stared at Jiu Ying, his mind racing.

This mission was full of suspicion. He had a premonition, as though he had fallen into a vortex that he could not crawl out of.

He looked all around him. Just as Jiu Ying had said, in a perimeter of 50 kilometers, everywhere his eyes could see, a sinister, cold, eerie aura lingered. Souls were scattered across the land.

This sort of eeriness greatly differed from the vulgar violence of demons.

Jiu Ying could not be bothered to debate the issue. He sat cross-legged in the clouds, closing his eyes to rest. Almost as though he knew that at the Lan Ling Sect, something must be happening elsewhere.

Wu Yu's attention was completely focused on the five tail talismans.

Occasionally, he would glance at Jiu Ying. The youthful demon's complacent face was filled with vigor. He was resolved, and would be unlikely to change his mind, given his personality.

Time passed, and there was no news from the Wind and Thunder Dao Sect. Wu Yu had started to relax his guard against Jiu Ying a little, regarding him as a strange youthful demon.

After about three days, just as Wu Yu had started to loosen a little, a talisman suddenly came flying towards Wu Yu! It was a core talisman! On the core talisman was a single message: Sky Fissure Sword Sect!

The Sky Fissure Sword Sect was a tributary of Shushan. Within the nearby powers, it was one of the closest to Shushan, and the place was being guarded by He Taozi.

When he received the core talisman, He Taozi's intention was clearly to get Wu Yu and the others to head towards the Sky Fissure Sword Sect at speed. He would temporarily hold the demon at bay, and wait for the rest to arrive before finishing the demon together!

Since the demon had appeared there, then the Wind and Thunder Dao Sect was temporarily safe. Wu Yu could not care that much. He immediately mounted his sword, setting off for the Sky Fissure Sword Sect.

But he was a little worried.

If Jiu Ying remained here while he was gone, what if Jiu Ying destroyed the entire Wind and Thunder Dao Sect?

And whether he left or not would prove his identity.

What calmed Wu Yu a little was that that when he had received the core talisman, Jiu Ying had come strolling out of the clouds wordlessly.

Jiu Ying still maintained his human form, but from behind him appeared meaty wings as sharp as knives, covered in black scale armor. When the meaty wings flexed, a grey gust danced, and the resulting dust caused the nearby trees to wither and lose their vitality.

"Lead the way," Jiu Ying said, giving him a mild look.

The way he was so enthusiastic made Wu Yu believe him a little more. Many times, one's gaze was where it was hardest to lie. And Jiu Ying's look was extremely clear.

Hu!

As Jiu Ying flew, his entire body began to sprout black scales at a speed visible to the naked eye. He became even sturdier, and morphed into a huge creature. His beautiful head instantly split into nine parts, malevolent heads that howled angrily. Even his bloodline held an advantage, causing demons to tremble and living things to wilt.

Weng!

Jiu Ying flapped his powerful, meaty wings. In a flash, he disappeared, and his flying speed was much faster than Wu Yu's own. This clearly proved that Jiu Ying was even stronger than He Taozi.

And by a considerable margin.

"You're too slow. By the time you arrive, the cows will have come home. I'll give you a lift. Do you dare?" Jiu Ying said mildly as he flew beside him.

"If you dare to take me, I naturally dare to accept your offer!" Wu Yu said, and leaped down on Jiu Ying' broad back, fastening himself on top.

"Demons need a thousand years in order to form a Yaodan. The fact that this Jiu Ying is so strong means that he is probably much older than I am."

When Jiu Ying opened up his speed, he blitzed through the clouds. As they whizzed past, Wu Yu still sat as stably as if he was on solid ground. Jiu Ying had opened up an airstream that allowed Wu Yu to ride effortlessly.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh....

From all around, the raging wind howled.

Not knowing what was going on at the Sky Fissure Sword Sect, Wu Yu felt uneasy. Qingsang City and the Lan Ling Sect's cases made him realize that the situation was not as simple as he had imagined.

Could he beat the demon this time and achieve great success? Logically, if the demon met He Taozi, then that was the best situation for Wu Yu and the others.

"Since we won't be there so quickly, how about a chat to ease the boredom?" Suddenly, Jiu Ying extended a head backwards towards Wu Yu's face, which gave him a scare.

"What do you want to talk about?" Wu Yu asked.

Jiu Ying' tongue was stuck to his forehead as he asked of Wu Yu, "You actually believe me now, right?"

Wu Yu nodded frankly. "That's right. I trust my own judgment."

Jiu Ying gave a snicker and said, "In all my years, this is the first time I met a martial cultivator willing to trust a demon. And a sword cultivator at that. Before, I heard you say that demons could be divided into those good and evil as well. I felt that was quite interesting. But I want to ask: to Shushan sword cultivators, aren't demons all vermin that should be killed? You've appended good and evil to what is vermin to them. Aren't you afraid that you'll be kicked out of the sect?"

Wu Yu did not think twice. "I have my own mind. Shushan's rules are not the be-all and end-all. In truth, martial cultivators and demons are indeed great enemies. There is a sea of blood and enmity between the two. As a martial cultivator, my duty is to kill demons. However, I, Wu Yu, do not kill innocent demons."

On this point, Wu Yu had thought long and hard before. Partly, it was his own stand, and partly it was his will. His worldview, rather than his position. Wu Yu felt that what was even more unshakable was his nature. If he allowed hatred to blind him, then the saying "For every grievance someone is responsible, for every debt there is a debtor" would be proven true. Bigotry led others, and he was unwilling to follow their lead.

This was why he was very different from the majority of Shushan disciples.

"Interesting, interesting. I think the same way as well. Although my parents inculcated a deadly hatred between humans and demons from young. But judging by what I have seen, good and evil in this world are not divided by race, but manifests in everybody. The hatred between the two groups has persisted for too long. If it could be mitigated, to the point of peace, I feel it would be a task of invaluable merit," Jiu Ying said.

Wu Yu was stunned.

Invaluable merit.

He had not expected to hear words like mitigating hate and invaluable merit from a demon's mouth.

Of all the demons that he had met, they were savage and vicious to the extreme when facing martial cultivators. Of course, martial cultivators killed demons, and never left them alive.

To think that there would actually be a demon who wanted to resolve the head, and had invaluable merit as his goal.

This was truly out of his expectations.

And in truth, Jiu Ying also thought that this sword cultivator was someone out of his expectations.