Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell

"The Demon Subduing Bureau will be handled by me, I will do my best to stall them. In the meantime, you need to quickly revive the Princess for me. Once it's done, our initial agreement will still stand. Don't disappoint me again," Wu Huannian said in a deep voice.

"As you command." Steward Chu bowed and then walked out of the dark room.

There was no longer any need for her to concern herself with the situation here; all the pressure would be borne by Wu Huannian alone.

Within a single day, the Spring Full Pavilion was sealed by the Demon Subduing Captains, and all the Malevolent Spirits and demons within were slain by them, leaving no survivors.

Meanwhile, the Marquis Wuyi's mansion, located more than ten streets away from the Spring Full Pavilion, was surrounded by the Demon Subduing Captains, with no one allowed to enter or leave.

These two major events instantly spread throughout the entire Chaotian Capital, igniting a nationwide topic of discussion.

The Demon Subduing Bureau had always only intervened in matters related to Malevolent Spirits. Could it be that the Spring Full Pavilion and the Marquis Wuyi's mansion were both connected to Malevolent Spirits?

Through the word-of-mouth spread by traveling vendors, the two incidents became the talk of the town in Chaotian Capital, yet no one could ascertain the specific details.

Ning Xiu, far away in the Demon Subduing Prison, had no idea how much of a stir his anonymous tip had caused. He was completely engrossed in the fervent work of executions.

After finishing the execution of the Malevolent Spirits in twenty cells, Ning Xiu went to find the head jailer to request another twenty Malevolent Spirits for execution.

However, the head jailer was worried that Ning Xiu, having just stepped into the Ninth Rank in martial arts, had unstable power.

He was concerned that such frequent executions might affect Ning Xiu's state of mind, leading to a drastic change in his mentality and planting the seeds of future trouble.

Therefore, he rejected Ning Xiu's request, saying he would arrange it for him tomorrow.

There had been precedents before. Some newcomers to the Demon Subduing Bureau went out to subdue demons.

In the end, due to excessive killing, they were overwhelmed by Evil Qi, their minds were corrupted, and they fell by the wayside, which was a great pity.

So, the head jailer's intention was to let Ning Xiu take a break. Once one reached the Ninth Rank in martial arts, the Internal Energy within them could invisibly dilute the Evil Qi clinging to the martial artist.

It wasn't too late to continue executing Malevolent Spirits tomorrow.

But this made Ning Xiu anxious. The head jailer didn't know how much benefit he could gain from executing Malevolent Spirits.

Having finally managed to stay in the Demon Subduing Prison for two days, where the gains in Universal Proficiency felt like picking up money for free, he naturally had to seize every second.

But he had only executed twenty Malevolent Spirits so far, and they wanted him to stop? Was he being treated like a child?

Ning Xiu was naturally unwilling, but no matter how much he explained or guaranteed, he couldn't change the head jailer's mind.

The latter was a retired member of the Demon Subduing Bureau, formerly a Demon Subduing Captain. He had retired due to an injury and then came to the Demon Subduing Prison to manage it. In terms of seniority, Ning Xiu, even as an Iron Horse Demon Subduing Captain, couldn't order him around.

With no other option, Ning Xiu, having exhausted his explanations, had no choice but to compromise and return to the room he was staying in, waiting until tomorrow.

The next day.

Everything was as usual. Like a puppet, he received the cells to be executed for the day from the jailer, and like a puppet, after executing the Malevolent Spirits, he could move freely.

However, for He Yunlang, life had undergone a slight change.

Looking at the bound ox demon in the cell, He Yunlang forcibly pried its mouth open with a tool and dropped the Black Origin Pill he had obtained from that demon into the ox demon's mouth.

Watching the Black Origin Pill disappear deep into the ox demon's throat, He Yunlang's gaze immediately became expectant.

Whether it was true or false depended entirely on the ox demon's reaction.

"Moo!" Just a few breaths after consuming the Black Origin Pill, the ox demon's entire body began to grow a large amount of muscle at a visible rate.

As it stomped in panic, distinct hoof prints appeared on the ground, which it definitely couldn't have made before.

It was evident that the ox demon's strength had significantly improved after consuming the Black Origin Pill.

After waiting for a while longer and seeing that the ox demon was still in good condition and showed no abnormal reactions, He Yunlang finally felt relieved. It seemed that the demon hadn't lied to him; this Black Origin Pill could indeed enhance physique and strength.

After executing the ox demon, which was no longer of any use, He Yunlang did not hesitate and immediately put all the remaining Black Origin Pills into his mouth.

"I must show those Demon Subduing Captains who is the most suitable person to join the Demon Subduing Bureau," He Yunlang said confidently after swallowing the Black Origin Pills.

The moment He Yunlang consumed the Black Origin Pills, the demon trapped in cell ninety-seven of the Xuan Zone lost its breath, becoming a corpse.

Soon, He Yunlang felt a powerful force surging within him, and his body began to develop striated muscles. He tried throwing punches and kicking.

Both his speed and power were vastly superior to before. At this moment, He Yunlang firmly believed that if he had been like this on the day the Demon Subduing Captains were selecting people, he would have been chosen immediately.

Just as He Yunlang was feeling pleased, he didn't notice that a tiny human face was slowly appearing on his tongue.

If one looked closely, they would immediately recognize the owner of this face as the demon who had given him the Black Origin Pills.

"Greedy fool, you ate it after all," the demon chuckled, 'Gei gei gei'.

In the quiet cell, this laughter and sarcastic voice were extremely clear, causing He Yunlang's expression to freeze instantly.

He looked around vigilantly, "Who?"

Could it be that there was a second Malevolent Spirit in this cell?

"You don't need to know. Anyway, from now on, this body will no longer belong to you." The demonic face on He Yunlang's tongue began to disappear.

He Yunlang had no room to resist at all. His vision instantly went black, and he immediately collapsed to the ground.

But then his eyes opened again, his gaze now seeming like that of another person, completely devoid of He Yunlang's original demeanor.

"This move of mine has been hidden for so long, and it has finally succeeded." 'He Yunlang' who got up from the ground looked at his new body and exclaimed with joy.

He Biao was a demon who had fallen halfway, a follower of the 'Corpse Immortal' from Yellow Wind Cave on Five-Head Mountain. He was skilled at occupying others' bodies through various means to achieve the effect of Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell, faking his death to be reborn.

When he was captured and brought to the Demon Subduing Prison, before being locked into his cell, He Biao had used a small trick on a Malevolent Spirit inside the prison. When that Malevolent Spirit died, its body would be occupied by He Biao.

But even so, he still couldn't escape this underground Demon Subduing Prison.

So the key was to manipulate the executioners who dealt with Malevolent Spirits. Only by possessing an executioner's body could one escape the Demon Subduing Prison and leave Chaotian Capital.

He Yunlang was that lucky unlucky fellow.

He had executed the Malevolent Spirit that He Biao had tampered with, and unexpectedly learned of He Biao's existence.

The Black Origin Pill was He Biao's method for achieving his goals.

In fact, He Biao hadn't completely lied. Otherwise, the Demon Subduing Bureau wouldn't have spared his life until now. His Black Origin Pills did have the effect of strengthening the body and power, but they also had the effect of allowing him to possess other people's bodies.

However, for Demon Subduing Captains, they could easily detect the abnormality within the Black Origin Pills, so He Biao had never tampered with the Black Origin Pills given to Demon Subduing Captains.

Unremarkable martial artists like He Yunlang, who hadn't even reached Ninth Rank, were his best targets.

The cautious He Yunlang, as long as he couldn't resist the greed to consume the Black Origin Pill, was destined to be taken over by He Biao.

After a quick familiarization with his new body, He Biao didn't delay. He immediately left the cell and intended to find the exit of the Demon Subduing Prison.

Walking down the corridor of the Xuan Zone, Ning Xiu felt particularly joyful. Today, he had been assigned another twenty Malevolent Spirits by the head jailer.

It was mainly because the man was too kind. Fearing that Ning Xiu's state of mind might change drastically after killing too many Malevolent Spirits, having just entered the Ninth Rank of martial arts, he deliberately limited the number of Malevolent Spirits Ning Xiu could execute daily. Otherwise, Ning Xiu would have been even happier.

If he could freely slaughter Malevolent Spirits within two days, he would execute all the Malevolent Spirits in the entire Demon Subduing Prison, even if it meant staying up all night without eating or drinking. How much of a fortune would that be overnight?

Just as Ning Xiu was gradually approaching the first cell he was assigned, a familiar figure walked towards him from not far away.

"He Yunlang, what a coincidence, running into you again," Ning Xiu greeted with a smile.

"Mhm, I have something to attend to, I'll be going now. We'll chat later."

But today's He Yunlang seemed a bit strange. After hearing Ning Xiu greet him, he only gave a perfunctory reply.

Yesterday's sneakiness, today's absentmindedness.

These behaviors made Ning Xiu feel a bit worried about this friend, one of his few. Yesterday, he had overlooked He Yunlang because he hadn't thought much of it. Today, no matter what, he had to ask the other party clearly.

Perhaps he had encountered some difficulties recently, or maybe he was in a bad mood for not being selected by a Demon Subduing Captain.

Seeing that He Yunlang didn't intend to stop and talk to him, Ning Xiu blocked his path and said, "He Yunlang, you don't seem very happy lately. Let's talk about it, brother."

Seeing the young man blocking his way, He Biao instinctively frowned. From the other person, he could feel a scorching aura that made him very uncomfortable.

Generally, only martial artists who had cultivated their Blood Energy to a very vigorous level would produce such a feeling.

Although demons were human, because of their degeneration, they were closer to Malevolent Spirits, so they also greatly feared the Blood Energy emanating from martial artists.

"No need, you go about your business," He Biao said, feigning calmness, and then bypassed Ning Xiu.

At this moment, Ning Xiu's expression suddenly changed slightly. Today's He Yunlang seemed a little different from usual.

Changes in a person might not be noticeable to those who haven't spent much time with them, but Ning Xiu and He Yunlang had been friends living in the Champion Camp for over a year, so he was naturally more familiar with him.

The moment He Yunlang walked away, Ning Xiu inexplicably used the Spiritual Eye Qi Observation Technique.

Instantly, he saw a faint Evil Qi lingering around He Yunlang, with a shadowy figure flickering within the Evil Qi.

"Stop right there. Tell me, what is my name?" Ning Xiu immediately shouted.

He Biao's heart skipped a beat. Had he been discovered? Impossible.

His possession technique only took over the body; it didn't grant him the original owner's memories. How could he possibly answer Ning Xiu's question at this moment?

Seeing that He Yunlang didn't answer immediately, Ning Xiu knew that this person was definitely not He Yunlang. Someone who wasn't He Yunlang appearing in the Demon Subduing Prison disguised as He Yunlang clearly indicated something fishy was going on.

In an instant, Ning Xiu strode forward, his right fist instantly turning crimson. This was the Pure Yang Extreme Fist.

The Primordial Yang Fist had just evolved into the Pure Yang Extreme Fist and had not yet been used in combat. Its true power was unknown. Now, it had a perfect test subject.

Feeling the heat emanating from Ning Xiu's fist, He Biao inwardly lamented his misfortune.

He was truly unlucky. Not long after leaving, he ran into an acquaintance of the original body, and one who was stubborn and meddlesome.

Now, a fight was unavoidable. And this wasn't even the worst part. One must remember that this was the Demon Subduing Prison. If the commotion from their fight attracted other jailers, He Biao's plan to quietly escape the Demon Subduing Prison using the Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell technique would naturally become impossible.

The only solution now was to silence the person in front of him permanently, and as quickly as possible.

He Biao immediately took off his upper garment, chanted a spell, and saw his chest rapidly wriggle, then split open to reveal a huge vertical mouth filled with fangs.

"Swallow!"

In the blink of an eye, this massive vertical mouth expanded dozens of times, growing from He Biao's chest at an astonishing rate, and bit down on Ning Xiu, engulfing him.