Specters (Please Bookmark and Vote)

The Demon Suppression Bureau was enormous.

Though the Demon Suppression Prison was only one part of the Demon Suppression Bureau, it was not small in the slightest.

To be honest,

as a place for suppressing and sealing demons and specters, it counted as a heavily guarded ground within the Demon Suppression Bureau. There was no way it could be too small.

From the outside,

the Demon Suppression Prison resembled an ancient city. Its walls were built from bluish-green bricks and stone, mottled bloodstains staining them, steeped in bloodshed, killing intent, and antiquity.

A rectangular opening lay beneath the wall, with two stone lions suppressing either side.

Shen Changqing understood

that opening was, in truth, the entrance to the Demon Suppression Prison.

The entire Demon Suppression Prison had only one entrance and exit.

On the surface, the entrance to the Demon Suppression Prison did not appear to be guarded by heavily armed troops. It showed none of the strict security one would expect from a place holding prisoners of such importance.

In truth,

the Demon Suppression Prison did not need many guards.

The reason was simple.

Because the Demon Suppression Prison existed within the Demon Suppression Bureau, and the Demon Suppression Bureau itself was an impregnable prison.

Demon Slayers stood before it, and Guardians stood behind it.

Should any demon or specter emerge from the Demon Suppression Prison, the experts within the Demon Suppression Bureau would notice it the very next second. There was absolutely no chance of it leaving the Demon Suppression Bureau alive.

These matters

were things Shen Changqing had only heard through hearsay.

Still, in his view, there was considerable basis for them.

Otherwise,

there would not have been a complete lack of powerful experts stationed at the entrance and exit of the Demon Suppression Prison.

He stood where he was for several seconds.

Shen Changqing took a deep breath and stepped into the Demon Suppression Prison.

However—

the instant he passed the stone lions, an unimaginably dense stench of blood rushed straight at him. It nearly suffocated him, and beneath that bloody assault, his entire body seemed to have fallen into an ice cellar.

Fortunately,

when the bloody aura struck, powerful vitality and blood surged within Shen Changqing's body, scattering that cold, bloody chill.

Thirteen Guardians Body-Hardening Art!

His steps paused slightly.

Shen Changqing continued onward.

This was not his first time entering the Demon Suppression Prison. He had experienced the bloody assault within it once before.

The last time he had entered the Demon Suppression Prison, he had not yet mastered the Thirteen Guardians Body-Hardening Art. He had stood frozen in place for nearly half an hour before gradually adapting.

Compared to last time,

this time, a brief pause was enough for him to recover.

Therefore,

Shen Changqing gained a little more confidence in his own strength.

The entrance to the Demon Suppression Prison was a long corridor. There were no wall lamps on either side, leaving it steeped in eerie darkness.

An ordinary person walking through such a corridor would inevitably feel fear.

But for Shen Changqing, who had experience,

the dark corridor did not stir much turmoil in his heart.

It was not only Shen Changqing. Every probationary Demon Slayer was a person of formidable mental fortitude.

Without sufficient mental fortitude, one was not qualified to enter the Demon Suppression Bureau.

Every expert in the Demon Suppression Bureau would have to face demons and specters in the future. There would inevitably be countless terrifying scenes, so powerful mental fortitude was needed as support.

Otherwise, death would be the only road in the end.

Though the corridor was dark,

Shen Changqing's steps did not pause in the slightest.

Very quickly,

a faint light emerged at the end of the dark corridor. Before long, the light gradually became clearer.

By the time he completely left the darkness, the scene had changed entirely.

Oil lamps burned all around, driving away every trace of darkness.

Several people clad in iron armor and wearing iron helmets with face masks stood guard there, sabers hanging at their waists. Their exact appearances could not be seen.

When they saw Shen Changqing appear,

one of them stepped forward and blocked his path.

"Who goes there? Present your credentials!"

"I am Shen Changqing, a probationary Demon Slayer of the Yellow Division. I have been ordered to inspect the Demon Suppression Prison. Here is my manual!"

Shen Changqing stopped and presented the Demon Suppression Prison Manual Liu Chang had given him.

Anyone assigned to inspect the Demon Suppression Prison would receive a Demon Suppression Prison Manual.

The Demon Suppression Prison Manual

recorded certain precautions within the Demon Suppression Prison, while also serving as a pass for entering it.

After every mission was completed, the Demon Suppression Prison Manual had to be handed back.

Upon seeing the Demon Suppression Prison Manual in Shen Changqing's hand,

the man immediately stepped aside.

Seeing this,

Shen Changqing put away the Demon Suppression Prison Manual, cupped his hands toward the group, and walked inside.

There were no heavily armed troops guarding the outside of the Demon Suppression Prison.

But within the Demon Suppression Prison, some soldiers stood guard.

He was not especially clear about the origins of these soldiers, but anyone who could remain within the Demon Suppression Prison year-round was certainly no ordinary person.

When he had come last time,

Shen Changqing had not felt much about the soldiers guarding the Demon Suppression Prison.

But on this visit, he had a different feeling.

Because he had achieved some success in the Thirteen Guardians Body-Hardening Art, his senses had become sharper.

Shen Changqing could clearly sense

the surging vitality and blood contained beneath those iron suits of armor.

Even though he had cultivated the Thirteen Guardians Body-Hardening Art to the third level, he would most likely still be no match for these soldiers.

The Demon Suppression Prison was divided into five levels. The uppermost level held no demons or specters at all; only soldiers stood guard there.

Shen Changqing was currently on the uppermost level.

The moment he descended to the second level, a bone-piercing chill surged forth.

Though that chill was powerful, it had little effect on him.

After all, ordinary probationary Demon Slayers could move freely through the second level, much less Shen Changqing.

After reaching the second level,

Shen Changqing immediately opened the panel to take a look.

The Kill Value section showed no changes for the moment.

Looks like I need to inspect the place first!

Kill Value had first appeared after being triggered within the Demon Suppression Prison.

Since then,

Shen Changqing had studied it carefully and ultimately reached a conclusion.

That was, demons and specters possessed Kill Value. But there was no need to kill them. As long as he appeared in a place where demons or specters were present, that was enough.

As for the specifics,

he still needed to study them further.

Opening the Demon Suppression Prison Manual, Shen Changqing directly skipped the preliminary precautions and turned to the official contents.

The first thing he saw

was a portrait of a woman.

The woman in the portrait appeared seductive and enchanting, as though she could captivate one's very soul.

He gave it a simple glance, then turned it over. There was no image on the back, only written records.

Name: Enchantress Rank: Grievance-Rank Specter Description: Skilled in spiritual attacks. Often uses female beauty to ensnare souls. Once drained the blood essence of nearly ten thousand people across five villages, before being captured by the Demon Suppression Bureau and imprisoned in the Demon Suppression Prison.

Shen Changqing closed the Demon Suppression Prison Manual and headed toward the first cell on the second level.

The layout of the Demon Suppression Prison was not much different from the prisons in his memories of his previous life. There were cells after cells, isolating all the things that needed to be detained.

When he reached the first cell,

Shen Changqing's vision abruptly changed.

The cell that ought to have been cold now became, in his eyes, a warm boudoir. Within it, a woman with waist-length hair sat before a dressing table with her back to him.

Through the bronze mirror upon the dressing table, Shen Changqing could see that seductive, captivating face.

All of a sudden,

the woman stopped combing her hair. Then she turned back with a smile, every glance and movement brimming with charm.

Shen Changqing remained expressionless.

Seeing this,

the Enchantress rose from the dressing table and swayed toward him with lotus steps. As her vermilion lips parted, a fragrant breeze washed over him.

"Sir, I wonder whether this humble one's beauty can catch your eye?"

"—"

Shen Changqing did not answer. He merely stood there.

"Why does Sir remain outside without moving? Why not come in and sit for a while—" As she spoke, the woman suddenly cast him a flirtatious glance. The garment draped over her shoulders slipped down slightly, revealing a snowy-white, fragrant shoulder.

Shen Changqing turned and left, causing the woman's expression to freeze at once.

Looks like there's no way to obtain Kill Value from her!

As Shen Changqing departed, he shook his head inwardly.

He had stood outside the cell for quite some time, yet he had gained no Kill Value at all.

From this, it was clear

that the possibility of obtaining Kill Value from the Enchantress was already very low.

Therefore,

Shen Changqing could not be bothered to waste time on her. There were so many demons and specters suppressed in the Demon Suppression Prison; there was no need to hang himself from a single tree.

As for the Enchantress's appearance,

to be honest, he had no interest in it whatsoever.

Though she looked exceptionally seductive and alluring, ordinary specters did not actually possess physical forms. They all showed themselves through illusions.

Perhaps what he saw was a seductive, captivating woman, but in someone else's eyes, she might take an entirely different form.

These matters

had been specifically explained to him on his first day entering the Demon Suppression Bureau.

The precautions in the Demon Suppression Prison Manual contained the same records.

Thus, no matter how the Enchantress changed, it was of no use to Shen Changqing.

"If there's nothing to gain from the Enchantress, then I'll see what's in the next cell!"

Shen Changqing opened the next page of the Demon Suppression Prison Manual, read the information recorded there, and headed toward the next cell.

The Demon Suppression Prison Manual recorded what sort of demons and specters were imprisoned in every cell.

The requirement for inspecting the Demon Suppression Prison was that whatever existed within each cell had to match the manual's records.

If the manual recorded something as imprisoned, but the cell was empty, then one had to be cautious.

In such a case,

it was highly likely that whatever had been imprisoned inside had escaped for some reason.

It did not take long

before Shen Changqing arrived before the second cell.

It also held a Grievance-Rank Specter, but unlike the Enchantress, that Grievance-Rank Specter had transformed into something else.

He paused briefly.

The Kill Value did not change at all.

Shen Changqing decisively moved to the next cell.

As expected,

the next cell also held a Grievance-Rank Specter.

Specters were divided into several levels. The lowest among them were the Nether Level and Grievance Rank. The Nether Level was the weakest and was generally slain directly by the Demon Suppression Bureau. Only Grievance-Rank Specters and above were qualified to be imprisoned.

Very quickly,

he reached the final cell on the second level.

Shen Changqing's steps also came to a halt.