Start slaying demons from the proficiency panel.

As expected, Ning Xiu soon felt new bones growing between his ribs, making the gaps between them disappear.

After enduring the pain that had emanated from his bones, he felt as if he had been elevated, and he could clearly perceive the enormous changes that had taken place within him.

Although Ning Xiu has not yet tested the defensive power of the eighth layer of the Golden Bell Shield, he is very confident that if he were to face the Three-Faced Demon again, the opponent would definitely not be able to break through his Golden Bell Shield.

"Now, in terms of strength, I should be able to be considered as having entered the eighth rank," Ning Xiu thought to himself.

……

【Pure Yang Fist: Nine Levels (31/5000)】(+)

[Golden Bell Shield: Eight Layers (12/4000)] (+)

[Spiritual Vision: Level 1 (21/200)] (+)

【Mahavairocana Sutra: Level 5 (310/2000)】(+)

General Proficiency: 510

……

Both Pure Yang Fist and Golden Bell Cover underwent a tremendous qualitative change, but this also caused Ning Xiu's original 13000+ points of general proficiency to be completely depleted in an instant.

However, none of this matters, since he can stay in the Demon Suppression Prison for another two days. There is plenty of time, enough for Ning Xiu to go and harvest a few more waves of general proficiency.

Just as Ning Xiu was happily executing evil spirits in the Demon Suppression Prison, a major event occurred within the Demon Subduing Division.

Outside Tianmu Tower, a burly man with wolf-like eyes and a square face strode in. Behind him followed ten Demon-Subduing Guards, all of whom were at the Bronze Leopard level.

Judging from the fact that these ten Demon-Subduing Guards kept a distance of three steps from the man and dared not cross the line in the slightest, only Demon-Subduing Guards with higher ranks than them could enjoy this treatment.

"My lord, I found this this morning while I was tidying up. The writer did not leave a signature." A clerk greeted the man with both hands, holding a letter, his face full of anticipation.

Qin Daorong, Silver Tiger Demon Subduer of the Demon Subduing Division!

This person is a well-known figure within the Demon Suppression Division.

Upon opening the envelope and seeing the scrawled handwriting on the letter, Qin Daorong's expression shifted from shock to anger.

How ironic that evil spirits could use brothels as a shell to gather and hide in the capital city where the Demon-Slaying Division is stationed!

Furthermore, they had never discovered this matter before. If it weren't for the person who wrote the letter exposing it, Chunmange might not have been able to exist peacefully in Chaotiandu for much longer.

"Zuo Yuanhao," Qin Daorong shouted.

"Your subordinate is here." A bronze leopard demon-subduing officer immediately stepped out from the ranks and bowed in response.

"Go and inform all the available Demon-Subduing Officers in the department. Everyone must immediately rush to the Marquis of Wuyi's residence and surround all entrances and exits. No one is allowed to leave the Marquis of Wuyi's residence without my permission."

Zuo Yuanhao hesitated for a moment: "My lord, we do not yet know the authenticity of this letter. Wouldn't it be too hasty to surround a prince's mansion without any investigation?"

"The information that appeared in Tianmu Tower is better believed than not. Enough with the nonsense, just do as I say."

"As ordered."

"The rest of you, now come with me to Chunman Pavilion."

Qin Daorong's style of doing things can be summed up in four words:

Swift and decisive!

When he arrived at Chunman Pavilion with nine bronze leopard demon-subduing guards, there was absolutely nothing amiss from the outside.

However, upon breaking down the door, they discovered that, just as the letter had stated, there was indeed an evil aura within Chunman Pavilion, and several rat-headed, human-bodied servants were hiding in a corner of the main hall, sharing a dead sheep.

“My lord, someone has set up a magic array here to suppress evil energy, making it impossible for any evil energy to leak out. In addition, this is the property of Marquis Wuyi, and no one usually thinks of coming here to inspect it.” One of the demon-suppressing officers, a cultivator, spoke up.

Evil spirits, demonic beings—all the evidence is irrefutable.

Qin Daorong stood still and waved his hand, saying, "Kill. Except for the demons who need to be spared for questioning, leave no other demons or evil spirits alive."

Nine bronze leopard demon-subduing officers instantly launched an unprecedented massacre within the Chunman Pavilion, which was usually known as the number one brothel in Chaotiandu.

Meanwhile, at the Marquis of Wuyi's residence.

In the dimly lit underground room, Manager Chu of Chunman Pavilion stood motionless in front of the table. Her face, covered with dense, spiderweb-like scars, looked particularly ferocious under the candlelight.

In front of Steward Chu sat a man dressed in a python robe. He had a full head of white hair and melancholy eyes. Although he was somewhat overweight, it could not conceal his superior air.

This person is none other than Marquis Wu Huanian, one of the thirty-six kings and marquises of the Shang Dynasty.

"I trust you so much, and have entrusted this matter to you, providing you with plenty of money and treasures. Now you're telling me that the secret of Chunman Pavilion has been discovered by the Demon Subduing Division?" Wu Huanian crushed the wine cup in his hand, staring fiercely at Steward Chu, his murderous aura exploding instantly.

Manager Chu lowered his head: "We have portraits of everyone in the Demon Subduing Division. Anyone who comes to Chunman Pavilion in disguise will immediately attract our attention. But I didn't expect that the few who came to Chunman Pavilion last night, according to my later investigation, were actually newcomers who had just been selected into the Demon Subduing Division. We didn't have time to collect their identities, which is why we overlooked them."

Wu Huanian said angrily, "Why not find an opportunity to kill him, and let the guy who discovered the secret leave Chunman Pavilion alive and return to the Demon Subduing Division?"

"It was my fault. I thought that with Sanmian personally taking action, it would be enough to deal with a newcomer who had just joined the Demon Subduing Division. I never expected that Sanmian would die at the hands of that Demon Subduing Captain."

Wu Huanian slammed the table to pieces, and at the same time grabbed Steward Chu by the neck, growling like a wild beast: "I risked the crime of betraying the Great Shang Dynasty by colluding with your Black Heaven Sect, not so you could apologize to me here! My beloved concubine, I just want my beloved concubine to come back to life! Tell me! How far has your ritual progressed? How much longer until it succeeds!"

Faced with Wu Huanian's grappling technique, Manager Chu dared not resist and could only calmly reply, "One hundred men. We only need the essence of the last one hundred men to succeed."

"Fine, then even if I have to do everything in my power, I will help you stall until these hundred people succeed. This is your last chance, so don't disappoint me again, or your Black Heaven Sect will be buried with my beloved concubine." Wu Huanian released his grip and said coldly.

Just then, a knock sounded on the door of the secret room, followed by a deep, hoarse voice saying, "My lord, the Demon Suppression Division has suddenly sent men to surround the entire Prince's mansion."

Upon hearing this news, Manager Chu's face turned grim; her worst fears had come true.

The boy who killed three people and returned alive to the Demon Subduing Division has already revealed the secret of Spring Pavilion.

"Your Highness, Chunman Pavilion has probably already been occupied by the Demon Subduing Division. The Princess's body is still there. We must hurry up and capture these last hundred people," Steward Chu said, bowing his head.

【014】The Cicada Sheds Its Shell

"I will do my best to hold off the Demon Suppression Division. In the meantime, you must get the Queen Consort resurrected. If it succeeds, the original agreements we made will still stand. Don't disappoint me again," Wu Huanian said in a deep voice.

"Yes, sir." Steward Chu bowed and then walked out of the dark room.

The current situation no longer requires her attention; all the pressure will be borne by Wu Huanian.

In a single day, Chunman Pavilion was sealed off by the Demon-Subduing Officer, and all the evil spirits and monsters inside were slaughtered by the Demon-Subduing Officer, leaving no survivors.

Meanwhile, the Wuyi Marquis's Mansion, which is more than ten streets away from Chunman Pavilion, was surrounded by Fumowei and his men, and no one was allowed to enter or leave.

These two major events quickly spread throughout the entire capital city, triggering a nationwide buzz.

The Demon Extermination Bureau has always only intervened in matters related to evil spirits. Could it be that Chunman Pavilion and the Marquis of Wuyi's Mansion are related to evil spirits today?

Through word of mouth spread by itinerant vendors, the two incidents became the talk of the town, but no one knew the truth.

Ning Xiu, far away in the Demon Suppression Prison, was unaware of the uproar his anonymous letter of denunciation had stirred up, as he was completely absorbed in the intense execution work.

After executing the evil spirits in the twenty cells, Ning Xiu went to the head jailer to apply for the execution of another twenty evil spirits.

Unexpectedly, the prison chief was worried that since he had only just entered the ninth rank of martial arts and his strength was unstable, such frequent training might affect his personal character and cause a drastic change in his mentality, thus sowing the seeds of disaster. Therefore, he rejected his application and only said that Ning Xiu would be arranged for tomorrow.

This made Ning Xiu anxious. He had finally been able to return to the Demon Suppression Prison for two days, and the general proficiency he gained was like free money, so he naturally had to seize every minute and second.

But we've only executed twenty evil spirits so far, and you're already telling me to stop? Are you kidding me?

Ning Xiu was naturally unwilling, but no matter how he explained or assured him, he couldn't change the mind of the prison guard chief.

The other party was a retired member of the Demon Subduing Division and was once a Demon Subduing Captain. He resigned due to injury and came to this Demon Suppression Prison to manage it. In terms of seniority, even if Ning Xiu were a Demon Subduing Captain, he would not be able to order the other party around.

With no other option, Ning Xiu, whose mouth was dry from explaining, had to compromise and return to his previous residence, planning to go again the next day.

The next day.

Everything was as usual. Like puppets, they received their execution cells from the jailers and, after executing the evil spirits like puppets, were free to move around.

But for He Yunlang, life has changed somewhat.

Looking at the bound bull demon in the cell, He Yunlang forcibly pried open its mouth with a tool and then put the Black Yuan Pill he had obtained from the demon into the bull demon's mouth.

As He Yunlang watched the Black Yuan Pill disappear deep into the bull demon's throat, his eyes immediately lit up with anticipation.

Whether it's true or false depends entirely on the bull demon's reaction.

"Moo!" Just a few breaths after consuming the Black Yuan Pill, the bull demon's entire body immediately began to grow a large amount of muscle at a speed visible to the naked eye.

With its frantic stomping, it left behind slightly dented hoof prints on the ground, something it could never have done before.

It is clear that the bull demon's strength was significantly enhanced after consuming the Black Yuan Pill.

After waiting a while longer, seeing that the bull demon was still in good condition and had not shown any abnormal reactions, He Yunlang was relieved. It seemed that the demon had not lied to him; the Black Yuan Pill could indeed enhance physical strength.

Without hesitation, He Yunlang executed the bull demon, who was no longer of any use, and immediately put all the remaining Black Yuan Pills into his mouth.

"I'm going to show those Demon Slayers who's truly the most suitable person to join the Demon Slayer Division," He Yunlang said confidently after swallowing the Black Yuan Pill.

The moment He Yunlang swallowed the Black Yuan Pill, the demon trapped in cell number ninety-seven of the Xuan District lost his breath and became a corpse.

Soon, He Yunlang felt a powerful force gradually emerging within his body, and his body began to develop defined muscles. He tried punching and kicking.

Both its speed and power are far greater than before. At this moment, He Yunlang is very confident that if he were the current version of himself when the Demon Slayer was selecting people that day, he would have been chosen by the Demon Slayer immediately.

Just as He Yunlang was feeling happy, he didn't notice that a tiny human face was slowly emerging on his tongue.

If he looked closely, he would immediately recognize that the owner of this face was the demon who gave him the Black Yuan Pill.

"Greedy fool, you really did eat it after all." The demon laughed loudly.

In the quiet cell, the laughter and sarcastic voice were extremely clear, causing He Yunlang's expression to freeze instantly.

He looked around warily: "Who's there?"

Could it be that there is a second evil spirit lurking in this cell?

"You don't need to know that. Anyway, from now on, this body no longer belongs to you." The demonic face on He Yunlang's tongue began to disappear.

He Yunlang had no chance to resist at all. His vision went black instantly, and he collapsed to the ground.

But then he opened his eyes again, and his gaze became like that of a different person, losing the original feeling of He Yunlang.

"I've been hiding this move for so long, and it's finally succeeded." He Yunlang, who got up from the ground, looked at his new body and exclaimed with joy.

He Biao was a wicked man who fell into depravity halfway through his life. He believed in the "Corrupted Body Immortal" of Huangfeng Cave in Wutou Mountain and was good at using various means to possess other people's bodies, thereby achieving the ability to escape death and be reborn.

On the day he was captured and taken to the Demon Suppression Prison, He Biao used a little trick on an evil spirit in the prison before he was locked up. When the evil spirit died, its body would be possessed by He Biao.

Even so, he still couldn't escape the underground demon-suppressing prison.

Therefore, the key is to bewitch the executioners who are responsible for eliminating evil spirits. Only by possessing the executioners' bodies can one escape the Demon Suppression Prison and leave Chaotian Capital.