Demon Suppressing Guard

Biodata

Power Progression

Background

The Demon Suppression Division was established by Great Chu as its dedicated organization for combating demons. Its provincial-level Demon Suppressing Guards were the empire's principal anti-demon force, while county yamen Demon Catching Divisions handled lesser cases as auxiliary personnel. Guards also instructed these local divisions in martial arts when assigned to missions nearby 26.

A Demon Suppressing Guard nominally outranks ordinary officials by three levels, though internal standing is determined by strength. The organization also monitors martial arts sects, making it one of Great Chu's most powerful enforcement bodies 26.

By the time of the Yunzhou reforms, the wider Guard had suffered from the losses of a major war eight hundred years earlier and could barely sustain its existing structure. Chu Jiang's rise, the destruction of hostile sects, and the seizure of demon-lair resources gave the Yunzhou bureau the manpower and funding to rebuild aggressively 204.

Duties and Authority

• Demon suppression — Hunts demons, dismantles demon lairs, and protects threatened settlements. Its members are expected to fight on the front lines and accept the possibility of dying in combat 26 150.
• Martial-world oversight — Monitors martial sects and intervenes against groups deemed to endanger public order or collaborate with demons 26.
• Undercover intelligence — The Shadow Guard is an internal branch whose agents infiltrate sects and other strategically important factions under false identities 82.
• Emergency enforcement — Guards can conduct arrests, confiscations, sieges, and wide-area searches under their commanders' authority 395 604.
• Regional stabilization — Under Chu Jiang's reforms, the Yunzhou force was intended to maintain a permanent presence in every county rather than operate only through temporary missions 189 204.

Organization

Yunzhou Three-Armies Reform

Chu Jiang ordered the expansion of Yunzhou's Guard to 30,000 members, divided into three armies of 10,000. This exceeded the Imperial Court's normal 20,000-person limit for a local Demon Suppression Bureau 608.

Shadow Guard

Shadow Guards pose as members of martial factions while secretly reporting to the Demon Suppression Bureau. Smaller groups are easier to infiltrate, while reaching senior positions within large sects is exceptionally difficult 82.

Wen Kai exemplified the branch's work: under one of his aliases, he rose to become Qingfeng Village's Second Village Chief, then helped expose the village and guide the Guard's assault against it 83.

Equipment and Infrastructure

• Kirin Robes — Standard official attire identifying Demon Suppressing Guard personnel 32 117.
• Demon Suppressing Blades — Standard sabers carried by guards; Fu Yunxuan and other personnel employ them in combat 32 111 117.
• Spirit Locking Chains — Used to restrain prisoners by sealing and physically securing them 84 604.
• Wind Chasing Horses — Mounts used by guards on patrol and escort duties 117.
• Warships — Large-scale transport used to deploy thousands of guards across Yunzhou's commanderies 335.
• Seven Star Demon Suppression Array — Yunzhou headquarters' defensive formation, capable of drastically slowing invaders, killing Human-Demons with starlight blades, and sealing powerful captives beneath a Demon Suppressing Pillar 155 156.

Training and Culture

Demon Suppressing Guards are shaped by frequent combat and heavy casualties. Compared with same-level disciples of martial sects, they are generally considered more dangerous in battle because the Division's work exposes them to constant life-or-death conflict 188.

Under Chu Jiang, exceptional service was rewarded with captured resources, pills, cultivation techniques, Demon Refining Fluid, and Thunder Tribulation Liquid. These programs created strong personal loyalty among Yunzhou's troops and rapidly raised the bureau's overall strength 84 290 679.

The Guard's culture places institutional allegiance above personal ties. Even after infiltrating Qingfeng Village and receiving favorable treatment from its leaders, Wen Kai refused to abandon the Division 83.

“To live is to be a person of the Demon Suppression Division, and to die is to be a ghost of the Demon Suppression Division!”
— Wen Kai 83

Story Role / Major Operations

• Qingfeng Village operation — Wen Kai's infiltration enabled the Guard to assault Qingfeng Village; its leadership and members were overwhelmed by the force deployed under Chu Jiang 83 84.
• Yunzhou headquarters defense — During Earth Fiend Hall's night raid, the Guard activated the Seven Star Demon Suppression Array, repelled the infiltrators, and captured Silver Protector 155 156.
• Yunzhou expansion — Following campaigns against demon lairs and major sects, the bureau expanded beyond 5,000 members and began establishing a permanent county-level presence 204.
• Three-commandery relief — Nine commanders led thousands of guards by warship to support Annan, Dahe, and Lingfeng Commanderies during coordinated demon blockades 335.
• Purge of corrupt branches — Zhao Hu seized the Lei Prefecture Demon Suppressing Camp after its personnel imprisoned and abused civilians; Chu Jiang subsequently accused its commander of abandoning the Guard's duty to suppress demons and protect the people 496 498.
• Defiance of Prince Yan's decree — Fu Yunxuan rejected an order to strip Yunzhou of its Guard and Regent's Imperial Guards, then arrested the imperial envoy and defeated his armed escort 602.
• Yunzhou demon purge — After Chu Jiang suppressed Earth Fiend Hall leaders outside Yunzhou City, the Guard was dispatched across every prefecture to eliminate demons and arrest those sheltering them 604.
• Rebellion suppression — Under the Regent's edict, the Guard counterattacked Prince Zhennan's forces in Fengtian County and helped reclaim rebel-held territory 612 613.
• Liberation of Black Wind Island — Zhao Hu and the Guard freed humans captured by demons, while further units cleared demon-held islands throughout Lake Beishen 705.

Relationships

• Chu Jiang — Yunzhou Pacification Commissioner, later Regent; expanded, equipped, and personally cultivated the Yunzhou Demon Suppressing Guard into a major regional force 204 290 608.
• Fu Yunxuan — Commander under Chu Jiang who directs deployments, leads field operations, and acted on behalf of Yunzhou during his absence 81 335 602.
• Wang Chao, Ma Han, Zhao Hu, and Zhang Long — Senior commanders and core officers who lead Guard formations in major enforcement and military operations 290 395.
• Shadow Guard — Internal intelligence branch responsible for long-term infiltration and surveillance of martial factions 82.
• County Yamen Demon Catching Divisions — Auxiliary local agencies that handle less dangerous demon cases and receive martial instruction from the Guard 26.
• Great Chu Imperial Court — The Guard is a state force, though Yunzhou's contingent ultimately followed Chu Jiang and Fu Yunxuan rather than Prince Yan's administration 26 602.