Chapter Sixteen: The Demon Suppression Bureau

“So this is the Demon Suppression Bureau?” Bai Li Feihong looked at the building before him in astonishment.

Square and imposing, it stood out starkly among the surrounding structures. Rising abruptly from the ground, it towered twenty zhang high. Constructed from massive gray-white stones, it seemed unbreakable—no less grand than the pyramids of his former life. The stones were carved with twisted, enigmatic patterns, imparting a sense of mystery.

The Demon Suppression Bureau was located on the western edge of Dongbin City, right by the sea, facing the Eastern Ocean. Guards stood watch all around, strict and vigilant. At the checkpoint, Bai Li Feihong confirmed he was here to participate in the Bureau’s selection; only then did the soldiers let him pass.

“I’ve lived in Dongbin City for so long, and today is the first time I’ve discovered this building.” He marveled, “No wonder my old colleagues used to say, if you haven’t set foot in the west of the city, you can’t truly call yourself a Dongbin native.”

It was indeed grand and magnificent. Rumor had it that inside the Bureau were prisons designed specifically to confine the most vicious monsters and demons. Only a city as wealthy as Dongbin could afford to construct such an enormous edifice.

In front of the Bureau was a vast plaza. In its center stood a colossal stone, with a giant sword embedded within it.

“A sword in stone?!”

On the stone were inscriptions detailing the origin of the Demon-Slaying Sword. The first Warden of Dongbin City, by the Eastern Ocean, slew the Kun Demon and used its bones as beams and the stones of Dongbin Mountain as materials to erect this Demon Suppression Tower.

The Kun Demon was notorious for stirring up giant waves, transforming them into tsunamis that inundated the coastal regions of the Yuan Empire. Countless families were destroyed, souls perished and became the demon’s sustenance.

The Dongbin Demon-Slaying Sword—that was the name of this weapon.

Bai Li Feihong glanced down at his own long blade, and in comparison, it was nothing more than a toothpick.

“Was the first Warden of Dongbin a giant?”

The sword was three zhang long, half a zhang wide, its blade still stained with blood, exuding a chilling, sinister aura. Hundreds of years had passed, yet the blood of the demon lingered, its murderous intent undiminished.

Despite his curiosity, Bai Li Feihong could not bring himself to approach; the oppressive force emanating from the sword was overwhelming. He feared the sword's murderous will might tear him apart.

Following the signs, he entered the building.

Within the vast hall of the Demon Suppression Tower, a long line had already formed.

“So many young martial artists with triple blood in Dongbin City?”

The hall was packed with people, many carrying weapons like himself. He noticed several who bore no signs of blood energy at all. Bai Li Feihong dared not make judgments; after all, he himself could conceal the blood energy cultivated from his Four Seas Fist.

More people continued to stream into the building. There was no one from the Bureau maintaining order, yet everyone who entered did so cautiously, with no sign of chaos.

The hall now held no fewer than a thousand people.

On a raised platform, Zheng Yishan observed the dense crowd, a slight sneer in his heart.

The Demon Suppression Bureau was not a place one could enter casually. There could not possibly be so many triple blood martial artists under the age of twenty-five in Dongbin City. Clearly, opportunists had come to try their luck.

Gongyang Yan was also observing the crowd. Her eyes shone with silver light; under her strange ocular technique, the martial artists among the crowd were plain to see.

“Hm?” A ripple broke across her pale, icy face. “Someone actually managed to evade the Dongbin Demon-Slaying Sword and infiltrate my Bureau.” In the past, she would have drawn her blade and struck them down without hesitation.

“But everything is two-sided. An exposed infiltrator is a guiding beacon.”

Both lines of clues Zheng Yishan had been following were severed, and he was worried about losing the trail. Yet the enemy had boldly infiltrated the Bureau—a daring demon, indeed rare.

Gongyang Yan realized this opponent might be unlike any she had encountered before: cunning and elusive. “Among this crowd, there are a few who truly meet the Bureau’s selection criteria.”

She relaxed the threshold, seeking new recruits—not merely to assemble a squad, but for deeper reasons. As Zheng Yishan thought, those who could reach triple blood martial artist level before twenty-five were from substantial families in Dongbin City. Many noble clans had sent their outstanding youths to participate, knowing that joining the Bureau was the most effective path to greater martial power.

Once they entered that mysterious world, their families would gain a broader perspective, seeing the deeper truths of reality. Noble houses had heard many ancient legends and knew they were not mere myths; often, what circulated outside was only the truth the court had tried desperately to conceal.

“Zheng Yishan, you will preside over this selection.”

As one of the Bureau’s few Grade A Demon Suppression Wardens, Zheng Yishan was overjoyed. “Yes, Warden.”

He composed himself, descended to the stage, and stood before the assembled crowd. Over a thousand pairs of eyes stared at him, but Zheng Yishan felt no anxiety.

Nervous? Why?

Strength was not determined by numbers alone. Even with many blood energy martial artists present, if Zheng Yishan truly unleashed his power, they would be as lambs to the slaughter.

“Those who do not meet the requirements, please leave the Tower immediately. Otherwise, you will be punished with thirty lashes.”

Zheng Yishan’s expression was stern, and his powerful aura pressed upon the crowd like a mountain.

Thud!

A group of people, unable to withstand the pressure, knelt on the ground. With that move, he eliminated ninety percent of the candidates.

“Those still standing, step forward. Anyone remaining who does not leave within five minutes will be punished.”

He withdrew his aura, speaking with commanding force.

That instant of pressure filled nearly a thousand hearts with terror, as if plunged into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. Hearing Zheng Yishan’s words, they scrambled to their feet and hurried toward the exit, desperate to avoid a beating.

Many were opportunists, focusing only on the power held by the Bureau, while ignoring its true purpose: to slay demons. Weaklings who managed to enter would find no fortune, only disaster, becoming fodder for monsters on the battlefield.

“He’s touched the threshold of Spirit Refinement.” Gongyang Yan nodded in approval. Aside from his greed, she found Zheng Yishan reliable. Indeed, a man with flaws was easier to manage.

Bai Li Feihong swallowed hard, awed by the martial prowess before him. “Is this martial force? No, this Demon Suppression Warden has already grasped deeper martial concepts—he simply hasn’t unleashed them yet.”

The Blood River Blade technique described martial force, and Bai Li Feihong had never fully understood it. Now, he felt its truth: even if the senior before him stood still and allowed Bai Li Feihong to attack with all his limbs, he could not harm him in the slightest. That aura alone could suppress him into immobility.

“Now, anyone over twenty-five, please leave. The Bureau can determine your bone age and thus your true age.”

Zheng Yishan spoke coldly.

He glanced at several older martial academy masters—the strongest among the group. But age had drained their potential, and they had reached their peak. Entry into the Bureau would only waste resources.

He did not know why Gongyang Yan had relaxed the criteria this time. When he had joined, at twenty-two, he was already a nine blood martial artist and had mastered a secret martial technique, touching the edge of extraordinary martial arts. The entry exam had required hunting a Grade D demon.

The four grades—A, B, C, D—corresponded to the stages of Bone Refinement, Marrow Refinement, Viscera Refinement, and Aperture Refinement. Above them were great demons, requiring Spirit Refinement to confront. The vampire bat demon was a Grade A monster. The Night Demon, though terrifying, was only Grade D.

Yet the martial artists who stepped forward refused to move.

Zheng Yishan flashed a cruel grin. “Was it my kindness that gave you false hope, made you think you could gamble your way in?”

His words struck home; many martial artists lowered their heads, harboring such hopes. For the pursuit of true martial arts, what was a beating? Many were already at six or seven blood levels; leaving now meant they would never reach true martial power. If, by luck, the Bureau accepted them, it would be a blessing beyond compare.

“Fools.”

A surge of power swept from Zheng Yishan. His ten fingers gathered frost, sending ten streams of icy energy through the air. Ten martial artists were engulfed by frost.

“No!” Their cries echoed through the Tower, then they were frozen into statues.

“The Bureau has killed!” “Run!” Many martial artists shouted in terror, fleeing toward the exit.

“Ice Finger Technique!”

He pointed with both hands, freezing those struck into ice sculptures.

“Sir, if Zheng Yishan continues like this…” Vice Warden Tie Wuya voiced his concern.

“Don’t worry, Elder Tie. Zheng Yishan is teaching our future members what rules are, and demonstrating our strength. Those who truly qualify will not back down after witnessing his power,” Gongyang Yan replied confidently.

Many trembled in fear, but the younger martial artists looked at Zheng Yishan with excitement.

Zheng Yishan was pleased. Despite repeated warnings, some still tried their luck. Did they think the Bureau was a charity? He was also teaching the newcomers a lesson: the Bureau was a place of slaughter, always has been—more brutal than the army, the Yuan Empire’s most core martial institution.

Of course, Zheng Yishan was full of rage. Both demon cases had lost their leads. The vampire had not been found, and how the vampire bat demon emerged remained unclear. Worse yet, Gongyang Yan had bestowed a magical artifact, the Demon-Seeking Compass, which lost the Night Demon’s trail at sea.

The Demon-Seeking Compass was from the Empire’s most mysterious Divine Surveillance Bureau. This treasure could track enemies anywhere, once locked onto them. Yet, perhaps the Night Demon possessed some mysterious power that blocked its pursuit.