Chapter 14: Chapter 14: Demon-slaying Bureau Martial Artist, Reward
Only now, after personally experiencing a bloody battle, did Su Bai truly understand the importance of strength.
’Huh? What’s this?’
The moment he slew the Demon Fiend, a small, light blue dot suddenly began to flash within the Purification Tripod in his mind.
Curious, Su Bai focused his thoughts, and the blue dot trembled slightly.
"Slew one Second-Level Demon Fiend. Received one lottery chance!"
’A Second-Level Demon Fiend? A lottery chance?’
Su Bai froze.
A moment later, a virtual prize wheel appeared before his eyes.
Su Bai gave it a casual spin.
"Congratulations, Tripod Master! You have received a reward of 10,000 Experience Points!"
After Su Bai claimed the reward, the total in his Experience Points column increased by ten thousand!
’I didn’t expect slaying a Demon Fiend to come with a bonus.’
Su Bai muttered, a hint of a smile on his face.
The rewards for slaying a Demon Fiend were much greater than just idling.
Of course, idling was safe. Slaying Demon Fiends, on the other hand, was far too unpredictable. One mistake, and you could be dead.
So, Su Bai decided to stick to his cautious plan: slow and steady idling it was.
’I’ll put all these Experience Points toward my Realm.’
After a moment’s thought, Su Bai used the Experience Points to raise his Cultivation to the Ninth Level of Tongxuan Realm!
He was now only one step away from breaking through to the Qi Sea Realm!
After the breakthrough, Su Bai’s strength had grown. If he were to encounter that Demon Fiend again, he would be able to slay it even faster.
After raising his Realm, Su Bai activated the Concealing Breath Scripture.
He suppressed his aura, making his Realm appear to be at the Third Level of the Tongxuan Realm.
’Strange. Where’s the Prison Chief of Zone Eight?’
Su Bai waited in the lounge for a while, but the Prison Chief of Zone Eight never showed up.
He couldn’t help but grow suspicious.
Logically, with such a huge commotion and the heavy scent of blood, it was impossible for the Qi Sea Realm Prison Chief not to have noticed.
’Could something have happened to him, too?’
The thought made Su Bai even more uneasy.
Although this Demon Fiend was strange, it was no match for a Qi Sea Realm Martial Artist.
’Could there be an even stronger Demon Fiend in Zone Eight?’
Su Bai’s heart tensed. Just as he was about to use a Body Technique to flee...
...a Martial Artist dressed in a special black uniform entered the lounge.
The man glanced around the scene, his expression unchanged. He seemed completely accustomed to such sights, utterly unfazed.
’Someone from the Demon-slaying Bureau!’
Seeing the man’s attire, Su Bai’s heart skipped a beat.
’It seems the nearby Demon-slaying Bureau has already noticed the commotion here.’
’That’s why they sent a Martial Artist to investigate.’
Su Bai couldn’t see through the man’s Cultivation at all.
’This man’s Cultivation... he must be beyond the Qi Sea Realm!’
With this thought in mind, Su Bai stepped forward and spoke respectfully.
"Su Bai, Prison Chief of Zone Seven. Greetings, Sir!"
The Demon-slaying Bureau was a special institution within the Great Xia Dynasty. Though its Martial Artists were few, they were all exceptionally powerful.
Furthermore, the Demon-slaying Bureau was highly favored by the Emperor of Great Xia, and every member held an official rank. That was why Su Bai had bowed.
"You killed it?"
The man glanced at Su Bai, then at the pool of blood on the ground, and asked with a curious expression.
Su Bai chose his words carefully before speaking. "Sir, when I entered Zone Eight, I saw the Prison Guards locked in a fierce battle with a Demon Fiend. I joined the fray, and after a bloody struggle..."
At this, Su Bai’s expression darkened, and he continued in a hoarse voice.
"...we finally... vanquished the Demon Fiend!"
The Martial Artist from the Demon-slaying Bureau seemed uninterested in the details. He took out a turquoise Jade Bottle and walked over to the pool of black blood.
Then, using some unknown technique, he collected the pool of black blood from the ground into the Jade Bottle.
Su Bai watched this, making a mental note.
"You did well slaying the Demon Fiend. Rest assured, once the investigation is complete, you will be well rewarded."
After collecting the Demon Fiend’s blood, the Martial Artist from the Demon-slaying Bureau left with that single remark and departed in a hurry.
He seemed completely unconcerned with the lives or deaths of the Prison Guards.
To him, they were just insignificant pawns, not worth a second thought.
He was heading back now primarily to investigate how this Demon Fiend had managed to infiltrate the prison in the first place.
After the man left, Su Bai let out a sigh of relief.
「Several hours later.」
The results of the Demon-slaying Bureau’s investigation were in.
It turned out that the prison riot hadn’t been confined to Zone Eight. Several other districts had also been invaded by Demon Fiends!
In some districts, the invading Demon Fiends were so powerful that even the Qi Sea Realm Prison Chiefs were no match for them. They and their Prison Guards were all slaughtered.
The reason the Demon Fiends had been able to infiltrate the prison was that some of the Prison Chiefs themselves had colluded with them.
That was how the Demon Fiends had found their opening.
「Seventy-Seven District.」
Su Bai had arrived.
"Uncle Da, were you injured in the Demon Fiend attack?"
Su Bai asked, looking at Li Da, who was still visibly shaken.
"I’m alright. When the Demon Fiends attacked, I happened to be reporting to the Head Chief, so I dodged that bullet."
"It’s a shame about Old Zhang and Old Chen, though... sigh."
Thinking of the old Prison Guards he had worked with day in and day out, Li Da sighed, his heart heavy with grief.
There was nothing to be done. Faced with the terrifying Demon Fiends, the Prison Guards were no match, despite their skills. They had been brutally killed.
Su Bai sighed as well.
A few of those old guards had been good to him.
He never thought they would all die in this upheaval.
「That afternoon, in a residence within the city.」
Su Bai and Li Da attended the funeral for the fallen Prison Guards.
"Sigh... They were all poor souls."
Li Da sighed, a wave of sadness washing over him.
A Prison Guard.
The job seemed decent, and the pay was good, but in reality, they were in constant danger. You never knew when your time was up.
"I hope the Great Xia Dynasty takes good care of their families."
Before leaving, both Su Bai and Li Da left behind some silver taels—a small contribution to help.
「The next day, in a public square.」
Su Bai watched as several Prison Chiefs were brutally executed before his eyes, his heart turning to ice.
’I can’t believe the Prison Chief of Zone Eight actually colluded with Demon Fiends!’
Now he finally understood why the Zone Eight Prison Chief had never appeared that day.
’He must have fled immediately after releasing the Demon Fiend.’
Of course, facing a massive manhunt by the Demon-slaying Bureau, he was found out no matter how well he hid.
A Martial Artist from the Demon-slaying Bureau sat upon a Jade Chair, coldly watching as the Prison Chiefs were brutally executed.
At that moment, Su Bai understood why the Demon-slaying Bureau had summoned all the Prison Chiefs.
They were making an example out of them.
The Demon Fiend uprising had caused the Great Xia Dynasty to suffer great losses.
In some districts, the Prison Guards and their chiefs had been completely wiped out.
Replenishing their ranks quickly would be a difficult task.
「Evening came.」
Su Bai was just about to enter the palace.
Just then, he saw an official of Great Xia approaching him with a smile.
