Jeers and gloating shouts came from all around, extremely noisy. Chen Shi followed the sound and looked around, seeing that there were many similar cages nearby with people locked inside. There were immortals, demons, and even monsters, locked up just like him to suppress all their transformations, trapped within the cages.
"Quiet!"
A loud shout came from outside the cages. Chen Shi followed the sound and saw that the walls and pillars outside the cages were crawling with many Bi'an—with tiger heads and tiger bodies, dragon claws and dragon tails. They were several zhang long from head to tail, crawling on the walls and pillars as if walking on flat ground.
The largest one among them suddenly jumped down, landed on the ground, and walked slowly through the dark prison. Speaking with a human voice, it said grimly, "Those who are locked into the Heavenly Prison are all guilty people. Not a single one is wronged. I smell deep sin in your scents!"
It bumped into a cage, its voice rolling like thunder: "You knocked over the Heavenly King's glazed cup, a capital crime. You peeked at palace maids bathing, a capital crime! You stole an Immortal Pill, a capital crime! You, you, and you, are all capital crimes! In this Heavenly Prison, there is no innocent person!"
It came before Chen Shi's cage, glanced at Chen Shi, and said, "As a heavenly soldier, you brutally murdered a garrison commander in broad daylight in an attempt to seize power. Your crime is unforgivable!"
Chen Shi hurriedly said, "I am innocent! Yin Fenglou and I had a fair duel..."
"Shut up!"
The Bi'an snorted and barked, "Whether you are guilty or not, a sniff of my nose tells all! I smell the scent of sin on you!"
It sniffed hard, revealing