The Demon-Subduing Prison is part of the Demon-Subduing Division,
to tell the truth.
As the place where monsters, demons, and strange creatures are suppressed and sealed, the Demon-Subduing Prison is already one of the most critical locations in the Division.
Seen from the outside,
the Demon-Subduing Prison looks like an ancient fortress, its walls built from green bricks, smeared with mottled bloodstains, suffused with a chilling, ancient aura of violence and slaughter.
A rectangular gap exists beneath the wall, flanked on both sides by two stone lions in silent vigil.
Shen Changqing understood.
That gap was actually the entrance to the Demon-Subduing Prison.
The entire Demon-Subduing Prison had only one entry and exit.
On the surface, the entrance and exit to the Demon-Subduing Prison did not seem heavily guarded, no sign of rigorous security for such a critical holding area.
But in truth,
the Demon-Subduing Prison didn't need many soldiers to guard it.
Simple as that.
Because the Prison was inside the Division, and the Division itself was an unbreakable cage.
Demon Hunters in front, Defender Envoys in the rear.
If any monster or strange being emerged from the Demon-Subduing Prison, the powerful figures in the Demon-Subduing Division would sense it the next second—there is absolutely no way they would leave the Division alive.
Such things—
Shen Changqing had heard only in passing.
But as far as he was concerned, it was highly probable.
He stood in place for a few seconds.
Shen Changqing took a deep breath, striding into the Demon-Subduing Prison.
However—
The instant he crossed the stone lions, a blood-reek so dense it was suffocating washed over him, nearly asphyxiating him—so intense that he felt as if he'd plunged into an icy abyss.
Fortunately,
as the blood-reek struck, powerful vital energy surged up from within Shen Changqing's body, dispersing that chilling bloody cold.
Thirteen Bodyguards Body Refinement Technique!
He paused just a fraction,
then Shen Changqing continued forward.
It wasn't his first time in the Demon-Subduing Prison; he'd already experienced the bloodthirsty onslaught within.
The first time he entered the prison, he had not yet mastered the Thirteen Bodyguards Body Refinement technique—he'd stood frozen in place for almost half an hour before he slowly adapted.
Compared with last time,
this time just a brief halt had been enough for him to recover.
Therefore,
Shen Changqing now felt he had a better grasp of his own strength.
The entrance to the Demon-Subduing Prison was a long corridor with no lamps on either side, plunging it into an eerie darkness.
An ordinary person walking through such a passage would probably be overcome by fear.
But for Shen Changqing, with his prior experience,
the dark corridor failed to disturb his heart much.
Not just Shen Changqing—any Probationary Demon Hunter had a strong will.
Without strong willpower, one was unqualified to enter the Demon-Subduing Division.
Every powerhouse in the Division would one day face monsters and ghosts, scenes of terror would be inevitable—thus, a strong mind was essential.
Otherwise, sooner or later death was the only road.
Despite the darkness of the corridor,
Shen Changqing's steps did not falter in the slightest.
Soon,
a faint light appeared at the end of the corridor, and gradually the light grew clearer.
By the time he emerged from the darkness, the scene changed entirely.
He saw oil lamps burning all around, sweeping away all shadows.
A few men in iron armor, iron helmets and visors obscuring their faces, sabers at their waists, stood guard there.
When they saw Shen Changqing appear,
one of them stepped forward to block his path.
"Who goes there? Show your identification!"
"I'm Shen Changqing, Probationary Demon Hunter of the Huang Department. Ordered here to inspect the Demon-Subduing Prison. Here's my manual!"
Shen Changqing stopped and presented the Demon-Subduing Prison Manual that Liu Chang had given him.
Anyone assigned to patrol the Demon-Subduing Prison would be issued such a manual.
The Demon-Subduing Prison Manual—
not only included notes on caution within the Prison, but also served as a pass for entry.
Each time the mission was completed, the manual had to be handed back.
Seeing the manual in Shen Changqing's hand,
the man immediately stepped aside.
Seeing this,
Shen Changqing tucked away the manual, cupped his hands to the guards, and proceeded inside.
Outside the Demon-Subduing Prison, there were no heavy guards.
But inside, some soldiers did keep watch.
He didn't know where those soldiers came from, but anyone able to endure the prison's environment year after year was surely no ordinary man.
The previous time he had come,
Shen Changqing hadn't thought much about the guards stationed inside.
But this time, he felt something different.
Because his mastery of the Thirteen Bodyguards Body Refinement had sharpened his senses.
Shen Changqing could clearly sense—
those armored men radiated vigorous vital energy beneath their armor.
Even with the third layer of his Thirteen Bodyguards training, he'd likely still be no match for those guards.
——
The Demon-Subduing Prison was divided into five levels. The uppermost level did not hold any monsters or demons, only soldiers standing vigilant.
This was the level Shen Changqing was on.
As soon as he descended to the second level, a chilling current assailed him.
Though the cold was strong, it had little effect on him.
For ordinary Probationary Demon Hunters, moving freely on the second level was no problem—let alone for Shen Changqing.
Once on the second level,
the first thing Shen Changqing did was check his attribute panel.
In the column of Slaughter Value, there was no change for the moment.
"Looks like I need to make a round of inspections first."
The first occurrence of Slaughter Value had been triggered in this Demon-Subduing Prison.
Ever since,
Shen Changqing had studied it intently and finally reached a conclusion.
That is, monsters and strange beings carried Slaughter Value, but he didn't need to kill them; simply appearing where they were was enough.
As for the details—
He'd have to investigate further.
Opening the Demon-Subduing Prison Manual, Shen Changqing skipped the usual notes and flipped directly to the main content.
What met his eye—
was a portrait of a woman.
The woman in the painting looked enchantingly alluring, as if she could seize your soul at a glance.
He studied it briefly, then turned to the back. There was no picture there, but there was some text.
Name: Meinv
Rank: Resentment Level Monster
Description: Skilled in mental attacks, commonly seduces with feminine charms; once drained the essence blood of nearly ten thousand across five villages. Later captured by the Demon-Subduing Division, and is now imprisoned here.
Shen Changqing closed the manual, heading toward the first cell on the second level.
The layout of the Demon-Subduing Prison wasn't much different from the prisons in his past life—row after row of cells, each isolating whatever was to be contained inside.
When he reached the first cell,
Shen Changqing's vision abruptly shifted.
The cell that should have been cold and lifeless became, in his eyes, a warm boudoir. Inside, a long-haired woman sat before a vanity, her back turned to him.
Through the bronze mirror atop the vanity, Shen Changqing could see her captivating, seductive face.
Suddenly—
The woman's brush stilled mid-motion, then she looked back with a smile, radiant and beguiling.
Shen Changqing's face was expressionless.
Seeing this,
Meinv rose gracefully from the vanity, gliding closer with fragrant breath spilling from parted red lips.
"In my lord's eyes, does my beauty please you?"
"——"
Shen Changqing made no reply, just stood there.
"Why does my lord stand outside, unmoved? Why not come in and sit for a while—" As she spoke, the woman cast him a sultry glance, her robe slipping from her shoulders to reveal snowy skin.
Shen Changqing turned and left, leaving the woman's expression frozen in place.
"Looks like there's no way to get Slaughter Value from her."
Departing, Shen Changqing shook his head inwardly.
He'd stood outside that cell for some time, but hadn't gained any Slaughter Value.
Clearly,
gaining Slaughter Value from Meinv was most unlikely.
So,
Shen Changqing didn't bother wasting more time on her. After all, there were so many monsters and demons in the Demon-Subduing Prison; there was no need to fixate on a single one.
As for Meinv's form—
honestly, he had no interest at all.
No matter how alluring she appeared, most strange monsters didn't have a real physical body, only showing illusions to others.
What he saw as a bewitching beauty, others might see as something else entirely.
This sort of thing—
had been explained on his very first day in the Demon-Subduing Division.
The notes in the Demon-Subduing Prison Manual also mentioned as much.
So, no matter how Meinv changed, it was of no use to Shen Changqing.
"If there's no problem with Meinv, then let's see what's in the next cell."
Shen Changqing flipped to the next page in the manual, checked the information stored there, and moved on to the next cell.
The manual recorded which monsters or strange creatures were locked in which cell.
The requirements for the prison inspection were simple: the contents of each cell had to match the record in the manual.
If the manual said something should be locked up, but the cell was empty, that was a problem.
Such a situation—
likely meant what was inside had escaped for some reason.
It didn't take long—
Shen Changqing arrived before the second cell.
There too was a Resentment Level Monster imprisoned, but unlike Meinv, this one had taken a different illusionary form.
After a brief wait,
his Slaughter Value still didn't change.
Shen Changqing moved crisply on to the next cell.
As expected,
the next cell also held a Resentment Level Monster.
Strange monsters were divided into several classes, with the lowest being Ghostly and Resentment Levels. Ghostly Level was the weakest—almost all were killed outright by the Division. Only those at Resentment Level and above were qualified for imprisonment.
Soon,
he had inspected the last cell on the second level.
Shen Changqing's steps came to a halt.