Demon Queller Envoy

Great Jing Dynasty, Cangyun City.

Among the glazed tiles of the Demon Suppression Palace, only the central hall was brightly lit.

Inside the hall, dozens of young people in identical black robes stood ramrod straight, the atmosphere oppressive.

They were the newest batch of Probationary Demon Suppressors from Cangyun City's Demon Suppression Division.

Shen Che stood amid the crowd, his expression calm and his breathing long and steady.

He was different from the others.

He was a transmigrator.

He had come to this world, where demons ran rampant and human lives were as cheap as grass, seventeen years ago. More than anyone, he understood the importance of strength.

To survive, to live with dignity, he had begun practicing martial arts from the moment he could walk.

Fortunately, this body had decent talent. At seventeen, he had reached the Body Tempering Realm.

With that achievement, he had successfully knocked open the doors of the Demon Suppression Division.

But only he knew that this was far from enough.

In this world, the Body Tempering Realm only counted as cannon fodder. Against a true demon, one would not even be fit to fill its teeth.

His true reliance was the "Time Manipulation System" that had bound itself to him when he transmigrated.

But this damned system had an activation requirement—it had to kill demons and obtain so-called "Time Value" before it could activate.

That created a vicious cycle.

Without strength, how could he kill demons? Without killing demons, how could he activate the system and grow stronger?

Joining the Demon Suppression Division was his only chance to break the deadlock.

"Silence."

A deep, powerful voice came from the head of the hall.

Everyone shuddered, and the hall instantly fell silent as a graveyard.

The speaker was the chief of Cangyun City's Demon Suppression Division.

He too wore a black robe, but a battle saber—the emblem of the Demon Suppression Division—had been embroidered on it in gold thread. His face was stern, and he carried an imposing authority without needing to rage.

"I know that every one of you is a standout selected from a hundred, the finest among Cangyun City's younger generation."

Chen Xiao's voice echoed through the hall.

"But in the Demon Suppression Division, your past glory is worth less than dirt."

"Here, the only standard by which you are judged is how many demons your blade has slain."

"Demons are not fellow disciples sparring with you in the training grounds. They are cunning, cruel, feed on humans, and will use every possible method to tear apart your bodies and devour your flesh."

Chen Xiao's words were cold enough to pierce bone, turning many of the young people's faces pale.

"The first lesson in becoming a Demon Queller Envoy is not martial arts, nor cultivation techniques, but courage."

"Without the heart of a strong man who dares face demons, even the strongest martial arts are shit."

"Tonight, you have only one assessment task."

Chen Xiao paused, his sharp gaze sweeping over every person.

"Enter the Demon Suppressing Prison and personally kill an imprisoned demon."

As his words fell, a wave of stifled gasps rose from the crowd.

The Demon Suppressing Prison!

It was where the Demon Suppression Division held living demons, the nightmare of every child in Cangyun City.

And now, they Probationary Demon Suppressors were actually being sent there to kill demons?

"Afraid?"

Chen Xiao let out a cold laugh.

"If you're afraid, you can get the hell out now. The Demon Suppression Division does not raise trash."

No one dared move, and no one dared answer.

What a joke. They had come this far—who would quit now?

"Very good."

Chen Xiao nodded in satisfaction.

"The demons in the prison have all been suppressed by formation arrays. Their strength is less than a tenth of their peak, and most are at the Body Tempering Realm."

"For you, this is both a challenge and an opportunity."

"Killing demons will not only temper your courage, but also allow you to personally experience demonic aura, laying the foundation for future missions outside."

With that, he waved his hand.

A clerk from the Demon Suppression Division stepped forward carrying a tray. On it were nearly a hundred black iron tokens, each carved with a different number.

"Come forward one at a time and collect a token. The number on it corresponds to your target tonight."

The crowd lined up and went forward in turn to collect them.

When it was Shen Che's turn, he took a token. It felt icy cold in his hand.

Three words were carved on the token: First Level, Ninety-One.

"The token is both the key to open your cell door and proof of your identity."

Chen Xiao's voice rang out again.

"Remember, the assessment lasts one shichen."

"One shichen from now, gather at this entrance. Those who return alive will have passed. Those who do not return may stay inside forever."

"Additionally, the Demon Suppressing Prison has three levels. Your range of activity is limited to the first level. No one may proceed to the second level without authorization!"

"Move out."

Chen Xiao wasted no further words. He turned and strode toward the hall entrance.

The entrance to the Demon Suppressing Prison was located in an inconspicuous corner of the rear courtyard of the Demon Suppression Palace: a massive stone staircase leading underground.

The staircase spiraled downward, its depths unfathomable. Every short distance along the walls, a moonstone emitting a faint glow had been embedded.

The light was dim, barely enough to see by.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the stone stairs beneath their feet finally came to an end.

Before them lay a broad passageway, with cells sealed by thick black-iron bars as wide as bowls on either side.

This was the first level of the Demon Suppressing Prison.

"Find your targets. One shichen. Keep track of the time."

After dropping those words, Chen Xiao turned and stood guard at the entrance, ignoring everyone else.

Nearly a hundred Probationary Demon Suppressors looked at one another, then quickly scattered, each searching for their cell according to the number on their token.

Shen Che gripped the saber at his waist and followed the door numbers as he searched.

First Level, Eleven.

As he passed a cell, an old and feeble voice came from within.

"Young man, stop."

Shen Che paused and looked inside.

In the shadows of the cell sat a white-haired old man in tattered prison clothes, his hands and feet bound by thick iron chains.

"This old man sees that your bones are extraordinary and your vital blood abundant. You are a martial arts prodigy found once in ten thousand. What a pity that the cultivation technique you practice is crude beyond compare, wasting such fine talent for nothing."

There was a strange allure in the old man's voice.

"As long as you let this old man out, I will pass on to you an unrivaled divine art—the Heaven Devouring Demonic Art. This art can devour all things between heaven and earth and turn them to your own use. Cultivate it to the utmost, and you can ascend to the heavens in a single step, becoming the strongest being in this world!"

Had it been some young man with an unsteady mind, he would probably have been tempted on the spot.

An unrivaled divine art, ascending to the heavens in one step—who could withstand that temptation?

But Shen Che merely glanced at him.

A faint demonic aura lingered around the old man.

It was very weak, but it could not fool him.

Besides, if the technique was really so fucking amazing, why had the old man not cultivated it himself? Why was he still locked up here?

Trying to feed me a pie in the sky, are you?

Shen Che ignored him and walked away.

"Hey, young man, don't go! We can negotiate the price! If you don't want the divine art, how about divine weapons? This old man knows the location of an ancient hidden treasure..."

The voice behind him grew increasingly frantic before finally turning into furious curses.

Shen Che turned a deaf ear.

Those imprisoned demons would use any means possible to survive.

Temptation, deception, feigned weakness—those were all their specialties.

The moment someone believed their lies and opened the cell door, there was only one outcome—being torn to pieces.

He continued forward and quickly found his target.

First Level, Ninety-One.

The cell was dark, and he could only make out a humanoid silhouette curled up in the corner.

Shen Che did not rashly approach. Instead, he observed it first.

Complex runes had been carved into the floor and walls of the cell, forming a suppressive formation array.

It was this formation array that had weakened the demon's power.

He pressed his token against the large lock on the cell door.

"Click."

With a soft sound, the black-iron lock opened.

Shen Che took a deep breath and slowly pushed open the heavy cell door, drawing the standard-issue long saber from his waist at the same time.

"Black Tiger Saber."

The blade was long and narrow, gleaming with cold light beneath the moonstones.

As the cell door opened, the silhouette in the corner moved.

It slowly rose to its feet, revealing its true form.

It was a demon covered from head to toe in azure scales, nearly two zhang tall and powerfully built. Its arms hung past its knees, its nails sharp as blades.

Its face had neither mouth nor nose, only a single enormous eye staring fixedly at Shen Che, filled with savage brutality and bloodthirsty desire.

"Roar!"

The Azure Scaled Demonic Beast gave a low roar and lunged at Shen Che.

Rather than retreat, Shen Che advanced.

"Black Tiger Saber Technique, Second Form—Tiger Descending the Mountain!"

The saber flashed!

Shen Che's figure crossed past the Azure Scaled Demonic Beast.

Slash!

A massive head soared into the air, dark green blood spraying outward.

The Azure Scaled Demonic Beast's enormous body swayed, then crashed heavily to the ground. It twitched a few times before falling still.

One slash. A beheading.

Clean and decisive.

Just then, an icy mechanical voice rang out in his mind.

[ Ding! ]

[ Detected: Host has slain a demon for the first time. Time Manipulation System officially activated! ]

[ Detected: Host has slain 'Azure Scaled Demonic Beast.' Time Value obtained: 10 points. ]

It was here!

He had waited far too long for this moment.

"Time Value..."

Shen Che's thoughts raced.

Since it was called the Time Manipulation System, the use of this Time Value was most likely to modify things related to time.

For example, the time spent cultivating martial arts?