Great Qin, Year Thirty-One

As for the Enchantress,

Shen Changqing was already very familiar with her.

He came to the Demon Suppression Prison six times every month, and every time he entered, the first thing he saw was this strange creature.

Yet what left him speechless was—

The Enchantress looked no different every time she manifested.

Over time,

Shen Changqing had nearly come to believe that alluring woman was the Enchantress's true appearance.

For two months,

he had gone to the Archive Pavilion punctually once every five days.

Aside from searching for other martial arts,

he spent the rest of his time seeking information concerning demons and strange creatures.

These matters,

in theory, could be understood simply by consulting some full-fledged Demon Slayers.

Unfortunately,

the Yellow Division Demon Exorcist Court was vast, and Shen Changqing did not know any official Demon Slayers, leaving him with no way to inquire into such matters.

Liu Chang, on the other hand, would have been a suitable candidate.

But although the man's attitude had softened somewhat, he never answered Shen Changqing's questions. He only spoke of whatever he was willing to say.

Regarding this,

Shen Changqing greatly admired the Demon Suppression Bureau's laissez-faire approach.

They recruited newcomers, explained only the most basic rules, taught nothing else, and left everything to them to figure out on their own.

Thus,

he could only rely on himself and search the Archive Pavilion for information.

Fortunately, while the Archive Pavilion might not have had much else, it had no shortage at all of records on demons and strange creatures.

As long as he went to the relevant section, any book he pulled from the shelves contained similar material.

After a while,

Shen Changqing had gained a considerable understanding of demons and strange creatures.

"In the thirty-first year of Great Qin, the sun and moon lost their light. Falling stars descended from the heavens, accompanied by streams of fire. That very day, demons and strange creatures threw the world into chaos, bringing calamity upon all beneath heaven and shaking the realm.

"To maintain stability, Great Qin established the Demon Suppression Bureau, taking the slaying of demons and suppression of strange creatures as its duty, purging the world to preserve peace!"

Looking at the Enchantress before him, Shen Changqing recalled the information stored in his mind.

It was clear enough.

Demons and strange creatures had not existed since ancient times. They had appeared out of thin air in the thirty-first year of Great Qin.

It was now the three hundred and eighty-first year of Great Qin.

In other words, demons and strange creatures had existed for more than three hundred years.

The Demon Suppression Bureau had only been established after demons and strange creatures appeared. Though its history was somewhat shorter than theirs, it still spanned over three hundred years.

"I always thought so-called demons and strange creatures arose after people died and underwent all sorts of transformations. Now it seems I was overthinking it—"

Shen Changqing shook his head slightly, then left the cell where the Enchantress was held.

More than three hundred years.

Great Qin had still not uncovered the origins of these things. No matter how curious he was, there was no way for him to learn much more.

Still, another possibility existed.

Great Qin might have long since uncovered the origins of demons and strange creatures, only to seal the information away for some reason.

But whichever it was,

it was not something a mere probationary Demon Slayer like him could involve himself in.

After passing the Enchantress's cell, Shen Changqing proceeded along the rows of cells. In less than half an hour, he had completed his inspection of the second level.

The inspection complete,

he had no intention of leaving and headed directly for the third level.

The moment he entered the third level,

a dark figure came into view.

Shen Changqing's expression tightened. Instinctively raising his Pure Yang True Qi, he fixed his eyes on the shadow.

The shadow was not the demon or strange creature he had expected, but a Demon Slayer.

Seeing the robe the other man wore,

Shen Changqing understood that, like himself, he was also a probationary Demon Slayer.

"Strange. Wasn't I assigned to inspect the third level today? Why has another probationary Demon Slayer come?"

Meng Shan frowned as he looked at Shen Changqing.

Only one person was needed to inspect each level of the Demon Suppression Prison.

When he had accepted the mission, he had never seen another probationary Demon Slayer assigned to the third level.

Though curious,

Meng Shan did not reveal much. He merely cupped his hands. "Meng Shan, probationary Demon Slayer of the Black Division. May I ask who you are?"

"Shen Changqing, probationary Demon Slayer of the Yellow Division!"

Shen Changqing returned the salute.

He had not expected to encounter someone from the Black Division Demon-Slaying Academy here.

After that simple exchange,

neither said anything more. They merely nodded before passing one another and departing.

Standing at the exit to the third level,

Meng Shan could not help turning back for another look. He immediately saw that Shen Changqing had not paused at all, instead walking straight toward the entrance to the fourth level.

This sight

sent a jolt through his heart.

"Anyone who dares enter the fourth level is certainly no ordinary Meridian Opening Realm cultivator. Since when did the Yellow Division Demon Exorcist Court have such a formidable probationary Demon Slayer?"

Having been here for more than half a year, Meng Shan knew very well how dangerous the fourth level of the Demon Suppression Prison was.

Even now, with only one step separating him from the Meridian Passage Realm, he did not dare enter the fourth level.

Yet a probationary Demon Slayer dared to do so.

Either the other man was courting death, or his strength was formidable enough to rival that of a true Demon Slayer.

"Yellow Division Demon Exorcist Court, Shen Changqing!"

Meng Shan silently repeated the name, committing it to memory.

For a probationary Demon Slayer to be qualified to enter the fourth level, if that man did not die, then his strength was certainly not ordinary.

Once Meng Shan became an official Demon Slayer in the future, he might well have dealings with him.

However,

he had no intention of secretly investigating any further.

Within the Demon Suppression Bureau, prying into another person's private affairs without authorization could bring a fatal disaster.

What was more, in Meng Shan's eyes, Shen Changqing was far stronger than himself.

Unless he had a death wish,

he would not stupidly charge into the muzzle of a gun.

Meanwhile,

Shen Changqing had already stepped into the fourth level.

That probationary Demon Slayer from the Black Division had been nothing worth mentioning.

He remembered Meng Shan's name, but had no further plans for the time being.

Shen Changqing had visited the Demon Suppression Prison no fewer than ten times before, yet he had never intended to enter the fourth level.

This time was different.

Two days ago, his Pure Yang Art had officially broken through to the third level. Of the nine levels of the Pure Yang Art, reaching the third level could be considered a modest accomplishment.

Shen Changqing felt that the Pure Yang True Qi in his dantian was nearly more than twice as abundant as the true qi from the Thirteen Guardians Body-Hardening Art had been.

Therefore,

he entered the fourth level.

"It has been a long time since any Kill Value came in. Fourth level, don't disappoint me!"

Enduring the onslaught of coldness, Shen Changqing's Pure Yang True Qi circulated automatically, neutralizing the chill within his body as he walked toward the first cell.

The layout of the fourth level

was much the same as the previous two.

The moment he reached the first cell, a thick stench of blood rushed straight at him.

The bloody stench was so intense that even Shen Changqing, who had grown accustomed to the smell of blood, felt violently unwell.

He retreated half a step and peered into the cell.

Inside, a creature roughly human-sized was forcibly bound in place. Its body was covered in azure scales, its arms were grotesquely long, and its face had no features at all.

Its limbs, head, and other parts of its body were all pierced through by thick iron nails, forcibly pinning it in place.

Though it struggled fiercely, not a single drop of blood flowed from its wounds.

"A demon!"

Shen Changqing's expression changed immediately as he looked at the creature nailed within the cell.

Demons were existences of a higher order than strange creatures.

Any demon, if left unchecked, was capable of slaughtering an entire city.

He had only seen illustrations of demons in the Archive Pavilion. He had never truly seen a living demon before.

The demon before him

was the first.

Looking at it, Shen Changqing could clearly sense the violent aura emanating from its body, as well as the nauseating stench of blood.

If he stared for too long,

an uncontrollable feeling of terror would even rise within his heart.

Shen Changqing forcibly calmed himself in the face of the changes stirring within him.

Demons were powerful,

but the cells of the Demon Suppression Prison were not so easily breached.

Though the cell appeared simple, countless measures had actually been arranged upon it, serving to isolate and seal.

Otherwise,

the imprisoned demons and strange creatures would have escaped long ago.

Although his gaze remained on the demon, Shen Changqing's attention had already shifted to the panel within himself.

"Strange!"

"Why isn't there any?"

Half an hour passed.

The Kill Value on the panel had not changed in the slightest, and Shen Changqing's expression gradually darkened.

The Kill Value from before

had all been obtained from demon remnants—

"Wait, demon remnants!"

Shen Changqing grasped the key point. His consciousness immediately withdrew from the panel, and he once more observed the demon before him.

Demon remnants could provide Kill Value.

Yet the demon before him could not provide any Kill Value.

Then the question was—

There had to be some difference between the two, one that prevented him from obtaining Kill Value.

The most obvious difference

was that demon remnants were, strictly speaking, dead things. Though they appeared to be alive, they were not alive in the true sense.

As for this,

Shen Changqing had learned it through the Archive Pavilion.

Demon remnants were not living creatures, whereas the demon before him was clearly a genuine living creature.

Having worked through the crux of the matter,

Shen Changqing had confirmed one thing.

"Kill Value can only be obtained from dead demons. It cannot be obtained from living demons—no, that's not right!"

"If Kill Value cannot be obtained from living demons, then likewise, it certainly cannot be obtained from living strange creatures. That is why I cannot obtain Kill Value from strange creatures."

"In other words, if there are dead strange creatures, perhaps I can obtain Kill Value from them!"

After sorting through the threads of the matter, Shen Changqing had gained a much deeper understanding of the panel within him.

At the very least, he now had what could be considered a complete guess as to how Kill Value was obtained.

What remained

was to verify it through practice.

But Shen Changqing also understood that he had no way to verify it now.

Because he had no authority to kill the demons and strange creatures within the Demon Suppression Prison, and with his strength, he was incapable of killing the things imprisoned there anyway.

"This can only wait until later!"

Shen Changqing took a deep breath. Still unwilling to give up, he toured the other cells on the fourth level.

Unfortunately,

everything imprisoned on the fourth level was a living demon.

In the end,

he could only leave helplessly.

PS: I couldn't even make the top ten of the contract ranking. Feels like this is about to flop—please vote, please vote!