Prison Warden

In the mysterious and dangerous Demon-Subduing City, Hu Mang found a third teammate.

A strange old cultivator.

The old cultivator gave Hu Mang an odd sense of familiarity: he reminded him of Uncle Ma, a neighbor from his old residential compound.

Only this was an enhanced version.

At the very least, he was definitely twice as old, and possibly more than twice as old.

West of the city, Thunder God's Shrine

The statue of the Thunder God stood on a raised platform due north of the main hall. It had three eyes and held a golden whip and a thunder decree. Its face was majestic and fierce, its red robes had darkened somewhat, and faint arcs of electricity or spiritual light wound around its body.

Whenever muffled thunder rumbled in the sky, the Thunder God's three eyes would glow faintly, and terrifying divine light would sweep across the entire hall.

There were few people present, only six.

Since the Thunder God's Shrine was an absolutely safe, neutral place,

There were bound to be conditions, or rather, restrictions on entry.

The restrictions differed between shrines in different districts.

Some required a thunder decree specifically used to enter.

Others required the cultivation of a corresponding Thunder Method or a Lightning Spirit Root.

The rules for this Thunder God's Shrine in the west of the city were somewhat unusual.

There was no real threshold for entry, but Thunder God's Shrine had a limit on the number of people inside.

That limit was six.

As long as there were six people inside Thunder God's Shrine, its doors remained tightly shut.

But they were not shut permanently.

At a fixed time each day, the doors would open, allowing cultivators outside to enter.

But they stayed open for only one hour.

Once the hour was up, the doors would close automatically.

And if the number exceeded "six," the "Thunder God" would manifest and kill people at random until the number was back down to six.

This Thunder God's Shrine had been under the control of Big-bearded Zhang Ping, Ghost Makeup Min Yao, and their group.

They kept only six people stationed in Thunder God's Shrine, while the rest took turns going outside to capture Routou.

The one in charge of guarding the shrine was the gang's other leader, He Chang.

In terms of cultivation alone, he was even stronger than Zhang Ping. But unlike Zhang Ping of the Copper Coin Sword, who had brought a small group of his own, He Chang had no companions. Moreover, things that had happened in Demon-Subduing City had made him vicious and reclusive, making him just right for guarding the Routou and hostages in Thunder God's Shrine.

Just then, a thunderclap exploded across the sky. Deathly pale lightning tore through the dim shrine, illuminating He Chang's face-

How was that still a human face?!

Bluish-black flesh stretched taut over his cheekbones, his lips were split at the corners, and sinister fangs had pierced uncontrollably through his gums and protruded outward.

Several Routou saw this and shuddered.

They knew how brutal this "blue-faced ghost" was.

But strangely, only half of He Chang's face was blue and fanged. The other half looked like that of a horse-faced man, bearing a measure of human numbness and indifference.

When the oil in the lamp on the offering table ran dry, the doors of the Thunder God's Shrine crashed open. A cold wind rushed in, carrying a faint trace of moisture.

Perhaps because thunderclouds gathered over Demon-Subduing City and never dispersed, a torrential downpour fell there every few days.

Judging by the moisture in the air, the next downpour was not far off.

Normally, this was when Zhang Ping and his people returned with the Routou they had captured.

The "wicked" were killed.

The "good" were kept until they became wicked, then killed.

But this time, something seemed a little different.

The doors opened, yet no one came in for a long while.

He Chang's expression gradually grew solemn. He slowly rose to his feet, his Ghost Eye fixed on the entrance.

As thunder rumbled, a severed head was thrown in from outside in broad daylight. It rolled several times across the floor before striking a lightning-conducting pillar and coming to a stop, revealing a face covered in a curly beard, its eyes wide open.

Zhang Ping!

In fact, even without seeing his face, everyone present knew who the dead man was from that distinctive beard, bristling like steel nails.

Soon, one head after another was thrown inside: Min Yao, Xu Gu, Chen Yu...

Besides Zhang Ping's little group, there were even several lone-wolf hunters among them.

The expressions of the two guards besides He Chang grew grave, even horrified.

He Chang swept his gaze over the heads scattered across the floor and said,

"Zhou Yu's head isn't here. Looks like he led the others in a revolt."

At the mention of Zhou Yu, the eyes of one of the two female cultivators present immediately lit up.

Soon, footsteps sounded, confirming He Chang's judgment exactly.

Zhou Yu walked in expressionlessly. His gaze swept past He Chang and settled on the young girl, and a hint of a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

"Zhou Yu, you betrayed us?"

One man shouted angrily.

Zhou Yu did not so much as look at him, keeping his eyes fixed on He Chang instead.

"Enough nonsense. There's still plenty of time. Are you going to fight me?"

"You're not worthy of fighting me," He Chang said coldly. "Call out the person behind you."

"No rush, no rush. Nobody needs to rush," an aged voice sounded at just that moment.

"You-oh my, you gave this old man a fright-"

The old cultivator Chen Sheng, who had been about to show off, shuddered in fright when he saw He Chang's blue face and fangs.

He Chang likewise looked him over and said coldly,

"Old thing, it's not you either."

"Of course it's not me. Fellow Daoist Thunder Official, you planted three nails outside this Thunder God's Shrine. If we didn't pull them out, once we came in, you could shut the doors and have those three outside use a lightning-guiding method to spur the Thunder God into subduing demons. When that happened, you, the Thunder Official, would surely be fine, while all of us would die."

At that, not only the three Routou but even He Chang's two accomplices looked at him with doubt and alarm.

He Chang glared at Chen Sheng and said fiercely, "Old thing, you certainly know a lot!"

"A little, just a little. I merely enjoy studying miscellaneous subjects. Judging by your face, you obtained your Thunder Official post at the Thunder Ascension Platform, didn't you? And it looks like you failed. Becoming a 'remnant of the divine dynasty' isn't so easy. Some people can't manage it even if they want their very nature to change."

He Chang's expression grew more vicious, especially on the blue-faced, fanged half, where lightning began to flicker constantly. In the faint light, it actually bore some resemblance to the statue of the Thunder God behind him.

"No wonder you can enter Thunder God's Shrine. You're a fellow who failed to change classes. A genuine 'remnant of the divine dynasty' can't enter this shrine, can they, Old Man Chen?"

With those words in a deep voice, a "demonic monk" strode inside, carrying three freshly severed heads in one hand and a long spear flashing with fierce lightning in the other.

He Chang stared at him, his gaze moving from those murky yellow demonic eyes to the immortal weapon Shattering Thunder. His eyes grew more solemn.

Hu Mang also looked him up and down. This blue-faced, fanged fellow gave him a sense of danger as well, especially that half of his face-

He turned his grip slightly, and Innate Thunder Patterns slowly lit up along the shaft of Shattering Thunder. Traces of madness and excitement flickered in his murky yellow eyes.

"Well? How about a good, exhilarating fight to the death?"

He Chang stared at him. He could hear no trace of bluffing in his tone.

Discerning right from wrong and truth from falsehood fell within the authority of a "Thunder Official."

So he really meant to fight him to the death?!

He Chang stared at Hu Mang, and the air seemed to congeal.

Both sides held their breath.

After all, private fights were permitted inside the Thunder God's Shrine during this hour.

And once a fight started, it would inevitably end with one side wiped out.

Yet after the standoff had lasted only a short while, He Chang suddenly calmed down.

"You win. From now on, this Thunder God's Shrine is yours."

With that, the "half-faced Thunder Official" stepped out of the shrine without looking back. The two behind him hesitated, but one look at the heads covering the floor sent a shiver through them, and they quickly followed him out.

The frozen atmosphere abruptly broke.

"Brother!"

One of the young girls, who bore some resemblance to Zhou Yu, immediately threw herself into his arms, her voice thick with tears.

Zhou Yu stroked her head, and a genuine smile finally appeared on his face.

"Finally, I can get a good night's sleep. These past few days have had me trembling with fear. Little Zhou, hurry up and clear these heads away for me. Don't you find them unsettling?"

Hu Mang's gaze fell on the other two "Routou."

One man and one woman. Neither looked particularly remarkable.

Not every "Routou" was qualified to be brought in here.

Besides, He Chang had not taken these two with him when he left.

"Who are they?"

Hu Mang looked at Zhou Tong. As a hostage, she had to know something.

Zhou Tong gave Hu Mang a fearful glance, then looked at her brother. Seeing Zhou Yu nod, she said quietly,

"The man's name is Xu Qing, and the woman's name is Gong Lei. I don't know where either of them came from, but Xu Qing often talked with He Chang about something. As for Sister Gong, I haven't heard her say a word since I was locked up here."

Hu Mang looked at Xu Qing. So this one could talk?

Seeing this, Xu Qing mustered his courage and said, "I'm actually not close to He Chang."

"Mm. If you were, he probably would have taken you with him. So who are you close to?"

Xu Qing's gaze drifted instinctively toward Zhang Ping's head.

"You're close to him?"

"No, no, no, Master, please don't misunderstand. It's not me. It's my master. My master, Turbid Sha Old Man, knows him. I don't."

"Turbid Sha Old Man? Your master is the one who cultivates the Five Turbidities Great Method?" Old Man Chen asked with interest. "I've heard of him. Didn't he become an Attendant in the Liang Kingdom?"

"Yes, yes, that's my master," Xu Qing said, his eyes lighting up. He hurried to explain, "After my master heard that Demon-Subduing City had opened, he brought me here to explore it. Then we couldn't get out. Whether Zhang Ping or He Chang, we only met them here. We aren't close."

"Looking at you, you seem neither like a Routou nor a hostage. So what's your situation?" Old Man Chen pressed.

Xu Qing gritted his teeth and said,

"To tell you the truth, my master probably went to become a 'Prison-Subduing Official.'"

Hu Mang and Chen Sheng exchanged a glance.

Another "remnant of the divine dynasty"?