Strict Investigation of the Land Demon

The moment Contestant No. 8 died, the live chat in the tournament stream exploded.

[Damn!! This No. 2 is insane!!!]

[Forget No. 8, even I got fooled!]

[He talked like that, and it was all a bluff against the demonic faction?]

[Not just the illusions—even real demonic cultivators would’ve been completely conned…]

[Who is No. 2? Zhong Yi, the True Disciple?]

[That "killing the wrong person" move does feel like his style…]

[By the way, which one is the Old Demon Lu? A bunch have died, and we still haven’t seen him.]

[Ugh, he’s got insane luck!]

[Heh heh, once the meeting ends, identities will be revealed…]

[Old Demon Lu’s about to meet his end!]

…

In the live broadcast, every contestant’s identity was hidden.

Only after turning into a "soul state" would their roles be exposed.

So,

when the meeting concluded and No. 8’s soul ascended, the word [Avenger] flashing above his head—everyone’s brains short-circuited.

[What?? No. 8 wasn’t the Death Curse Master???]

[Wait wait… am I hallucinating??]

[Then how did No. 8 die??]

[Holy crap!! No. 2 is Old Demon Lu!!!]

[???]

…

After the second round’s meeting ended, all players regained their true appearances.

“Can’t hide my identity anymore, but… it should be over now.”

Lu Ze smirked confidently.

Ahead of him, Zhou Qiaoling’s figure came into view.

“No. 2… Holy—Old Demon Lu!??”

Zhou Qiaoling had initially seen the number "two" above Lu Ze’s head and thought she’d found salvation.

But the moment she recognized his face, she knew things weren’t that simple.

“Demon my ass… I’m a certified good guy.”

Lu Ze scoffed and strode forward.

“You’re really on our side?”

Zhou Qiaoling hesitated, stopping in her tracks.

Even though Old Demon Lu was universally despised, his earlier speech had convinced everyone he was clean.

“Good as gold.”

Lu Ze grinned—then in one swift motion, his blade flashed, and Zhou Qiaoling collapsed into a lifeless heap.

“Now then…”

Lu Ze glanced at his cooldown timer.

The seconds ticked away like a death knell.

His identity was still hidden, and the others still trusted him.

The [Hunter] was dead. The [Avenger] was dead. The [Glutton] was dead.

Lu Ze had taken the guise of the [Swordsman], and no one had questioned it.

Which meant—he was the only one left with a blade.

Only three players remained.

No. 1, judging by his demeanor, was Zhong Yi.

No. 5 was most likely the [Artisan].

No. 10’s identity was unknown.

If he killed either Zhong Yi or No. 10, then cursed No. 5, the game would end.

Of course, gathering more intel would be the safer play.

His blade was ready again, and as fate would have it, he ran into No. 1 and No. 10.

Just as he’d guessed—No. 1 was Zhong Yi.

“Lu… Lu-shidi? What the hell?!”

Zhong Yi smacked his forehead, as if seeing a ghost.

If anyone else had pulled off that earlier performance, Zhong Yi would’ve sworn they were innocent.

But if it was Lu Ze…

Something felt off.

“Why hasn’t it ended yet? What are your roles?”

Lu Ze feigned wariness, eyeing Zhong Yi.

“I already said last round—I’m the [Swordsman].”

“No. 8 was the only one who attacked. If the three demonic players were still alive, there’d be way more bloodshed… So, aside from the [Scout], the other one eaten by the [Glutton] on the first day was probably demonic.”

“Three demonic players are gone, the [Glutton] is dead too…”

Lu Ze kept his distance, analyzing aloud.

“That leaves the [Dullard Owl].”

Zhong Yi nodded, suspicion shifting to No. 10 beside him.

“State your roles, then we’ll head to the ancestral hall… One wrong vote, and it’s over.”

Lu Ze gave a calm nod.

He knew Zhong Yi was a logical thinker.

If he presented airtight reasoning, even Zhong Yi’s bias against him wouldn’t matter.

This—

Was his chance to turn the tables.

“I—I’m the [Saint]!”

Under their scrutiny, No. 10 panicked.

“Wait! What if the [Dullard Owl] is already dead, and No. 5 is a hidden demonic player?”

No. 10 suddenly recalled something.

“During the first round, I saw him hide in armor and claim to be the [Artisan]…”

“Oh?”

Lu Ze’s eyebrow rose.

He’d already deduced No. 5’s role earlier, but No. 10’s words confirmed it.

The endgame was clear.

His blade lashed out toward No. 10.

“!?”

Zhong Yi froze.

In that instant, everything clicked.

No. 8 wasn’t the [Death Curse Master]…

Lu Ze was.

Lu Ze leisurely shook a wind chime over the corpse, and the final three players materialized in the ancestral hall.

“I’ve really lost to you…”

Zhong Yi laughed bitterly.

Improvisation, acting, deduction—

Lu Ze had outplayed them all.

Looking back, he could only admit defeat.

“Wh-what’s happening??”

No. 5 was utterly lost.

He’d spent two days with Zhong Yi, who never attacked him—clearly a good guy!

No. 4?

No. 4 took out a [Death Curse Master] yesterday!

Also a good guy!

Unless…

Had he misread his own role?

Was he actually demonic???

“Two against one… but guess what? Is the [Death Curse Master] still alive, No. 5 [Artisan]?”

With victory in sight, Lu Ze crossed his arms, smiling.

“You’re demonic? How the hell are you demonic??”

No. 5 shook his head in disbelief.

[Death Curse]—activated!

Target: No. 5.

Role—

[Artisan]!

A final surge of violet-black demonic energy pierced No. 5’s chest.

The game instantly shifted to the results screen.

[Demonic Faction Victory!]

The tournament stream’s chat erupted.

[No way… that was next-level deception???]

[If you covered his name and face, who’d guess he was demonic?]

[Without the name, I’d praise his 200 IQ play. With the name? Screw you, Old Demon Lu, up to no good again!]

[Someone investigate this guy—he plays demonic roles too well to be acting…]

[Even real demonic cultivators would kneel before him.]

…

…

Meanwhile, in the actual demonic faction’s domain.

“Why is this kid a righteous cultivator? If he joined us…”

“Tch! Even I couldn’t match his cunning!”

“Damn those righteous sects, stealing such talent!”

…

Every demonic cultivator present was in awe.

“If we don’t eliminate him, he’ll become our greatest threat!”

Han Yiwen’s frown deepened, his pressure mounting.

This damn…

Not only were they outmatched in cultivation, now even in schemes?

Nowadays, even in schemes and calculations, they were being outmatched by the younger generation...

Especially this guy named Lu Ze—his cunning and slyness were so natural it didn’t even seem like an act!

"I think we should try to recruit him?" someone below suggested.

"How do we recruit him?"

"These righteous cultivators love nothing more than sparring and discussing the Dao... We can approach him under the pretense of seeking guidance, then slowly lure him into the demonic path..."

The gathered demonic cultivators brainstormed ideas.

Han Yiwen pondered and realized it might actually work.

This kid’s devious mind made him seem like a natural-born demonic cultivator!

With that thought, Han Yiwen logged into "Demonic Path Slaughter" and sent Lu Ze a message...

...

"Wants to learn from me and exchange ideas? Hah... What fools."

Lu Ze chuckled and shook his head.

This person calling himself [Hall Master Han Yiwen] was unmistakably a demonic cultivator—he recognized it at a glance.

During the competition a few days ago, he had noticed discrepancies in the demonic points awarded after some matches.

When certain people died, no demonic points were deducted!

After careful comparison, he confirmed a group of demonic cultivators who were eliminated in the first round.

[Hall Master Han Yiwen] was one of them—and he even used his real name online.

Lu Ze had initially planned to ignore it.

But remembering Mu Yawen’s recent brush with inner demons, he decided to casually do a good deed.

He sent Han Yiwen a message:

"Esteemed cultivator Han Yiwen, congratulations! You have been selected as a lucky contestant in this event. The organizers will gift you a Nascent Soul-level treasure! Please provide your contact address, and I, Lu Ze, will personally deliver it to your doorstep~"

Then, he sent a brief message to Mu Yawen:

"Hey? Senior Brother Mu, there’s something I need to tell you..."

...

...

Demonic Cultivator Gathering Spot.

"Huh!? I won a prize? That kid is coming to deliver the treasure himself?!"

Han Yiwen stared at Lu Ze’s message in delighted disbelief.

They had traveled thousands of miles to this place precisely for the Nascent Soul-level treasure reward.

Not only had they finally gotten their wish, but Lu Ze—the very person they valued highly—was coming to them personally?

"Hahaha! I was just worrying about how to get close to him, and now he’s delivering himself to us..."

Han Yiwen laughed maniacally, his eyes gleaming with malice.

"When he arrives, we’ll take both the treasure and the man!"

"Once we have you, whether you join the demonic path or not won’t be your choice..."

"Let me show you what a real demonic cultivator is... Heh heh heh..."