A Buddhist Arhat.
This was an existence beyond first grade. Transcendent and otherworldly, its power was so potent that it brought an overwhelming shock to the entire universe.
The relic was left by an eminent monk when he passed away. It contained the inheritance of Buddha's teachings. Some people even said that it was meant for reincarnation.
An existence such as the numen of Arhat was like the misty clouds in the sky, ethereal and unpredictable.
The world had only heard the name of the immortal, Buddha. So, even if they were to meet face to face, without fate or a causal relationship, there was no way they could recognize it.
Zhou Yi had slain countless demons and monsters, but from what he could recall, there were only three tasks that involved the numen of an Arhat. Although it was barely a glimpse of the numen for all three encounters, what he saw was deeply etched in his mind.
"Congratulations, Master. Shortly, you will definitely attain the status of an Arhat in Buddhism!"
"I am just a humble monk who dares not take credit for anything. Without your guidance, my benefactor, how could I have overcome the inner demon within me? How could I have gained enlightenment and stepped onto the great path?"
Fahai executed his Buddha-dharma, and the Arhat relic appeared over Zhou Yi's head. Then, an endless light of Buddha began to cleanse Zhou Yi's physical body, dispelling all the evil air within his body.
Zhou Yi now had an aging face and white hair and looked no different from the other executioners who had been exposed to the erosion of evil air over a long time.
In truth, this was just a disguise to create a false impression. There was not a trace of evil air in his body. On the contrary, it was so pure and flawless that it seemed almost like a congenital body of a Dharma.
Zhou Yi cast his magic power, and wisps of evil air were sucked into his body, starting from the bottom of his feet. But this evil air was then dispelled out of his body by the Arhat relic again. Fahai, who had been so focused on casting the spell, found nothing unusual.
A few moments later, the evil air became extremely sparse degree. Zhou Yi's white hair turned greenish-gray, while his rickety and hunched body became straight and upright.
"Thank you for saving my life. If it wasn't for your wooden fish, I would have died many times over the years."
Zhou Yi took out the wooden fish that he kept close at heart. Having been placed under the influence of the evil air for eight long years, the Buddha light that it contained had long dimmed to a dull luster.
The evil air in the torture rooms of the prison was extraordinary. It was accumulated from the countless demons and devils slew and destroyed over the years. Not to mention the mortal executioners, even ordinary monks would be affected if they had stayed around for a long period. If the impact of the evil air was mild, they might experience regression in cultivation. But if the impact was strong, they might go crazy with obsession.
"My benefactor, please don't stand on ceremony. If you need my help for anything at all in the future, please feel free and speak your mind."
Fahai, who had forcibly urged the activation of the Arhat relic, was feeling somewhat out of breath as he spoke, "Soon, you will be leaving the torture rooms. This is the Buddha's decree of Golden Light Temple. The doors of our Buddhist Sect will always be open for you!"
"Thank you, Master."
Zhou Yi received the Buddha's Decree from Fahai. It was a simple golden token with three ancient seals of the Golden Light Temple on the front and a Buddha's Dharma image on the back.
This time, it was a sincere expression of gratitude. Fahai obviously knew that there was something nasty going on within the torture room. He left the Buddha's Decree with Zhou Yi in advance to ensure that Zhou Yi's life was protected.
Zhou Yi's original intention was first to fake his death and then look for an opportunity to leave the Demon Slaying Department.
The underground prison of the Demon Slaying Department seemed to be rather loosely guarded. In truth, security was lax on the inside while extremely tight on the outside, and trying to escape was no easy feat at all. There were various prohibitions on all sides of the prison. The only way out was the opening on the ground outside the logistics department.
Not to mention that there were countless arrays laid around the cave entrance on ground level to keep it heavily guarded. The logistics department itself was also teeming with masters and experts. After all, it was a place where the essence of demons and devils were stored. It could be said to be a great treasure trove.
Now with the Buddha's Decree, he could openly go out as an executioner. The ten-year deed that he signed to sell himself was expiring soon. And the Demon Slaying Department would not be able to force him to stay.
"I will be waiting for you at the Golden Light Temple and we can sip on some Bodhi spirit tea together."
Fahai's voice lingered in the air, but his body had long disappeared like how a dream bubble would burst and dissipate to nothing.
Not to mention how fast such a spell-like this was, it was already a hundred times more brilliant than an escaping light. The thing that made Zhou Yi feel so greatly envious had to be this inheritance of the Arhat.
"No rush! There will be an escape method, and also, divine weapons. There will be everything!"
"Driving the Fog and Riding the Clouds, as well as Flying into Seclusion from the Tiangang Spells, or even the legendary Rainbow Transformation Technique, are all famous supernatural powers!"
Zhou Yi could not help but imagine himself standing on the Fiery Wheels with hands holding onto a Tai Chi streamer, and then, with a single somersault, he would traverse a distance of a hundred thousand miles…
After leaving, Fahai specially made a trip to the Demon Slaying Department to make a report. He told them that Zhou Yi was his good friend, so when the ten-year contract was due, the Demon Slaying Department should not make things difficult for Zhou Yi.
Ten years as an executioner!
Recalling the documents with Zhou Yi's records, it turned out that he was indeed a refugee recruited nine years ago. And up till now, he was still alive.
For a while, the Demon Slaying Department was alarmed. Since the day that the torture rooms of this prison had been established, not a single executioner had ever been able to walk out alive.
This was also why many officials who lost in their grapples against the imperial court were not imprisoned in the imperial prison but were instead banished to the torture rooms of this prison.
In that case, what should be done with Zhou Yi's case?
Since there were no precedents, the reports were sent layer by layer up the hierarchy and finally fell into the hands of the commanding officer, King Chu.
"Ten years an executioner, such exquisite technique, so highly-skilled that it can almost attain the level of Tao… what a pity, he is a progeny of the Way of Martial Art."
King Chu gave the following approval: According to the contract, Zhou Yi shall be allowed to leave. Considering his ten years of meritorious contribution in slaying demons, an exception will be made for him to be enlisted in the logistics department's list.
"The King is wise and brilliant!"
With such a decision, he would not be doing anything that preceded the doings of his ancestors. Neither would he incur the dissatisfaction of Master Fahai.
The logistics department, the department overflowing with riches and all that was valuable, was where many descendants of noble families and aristocrats would do anything to enter.
For a civilian of humble background like Zhou Yi to be enlisted in the logistics department, it could be said to be the greatest reward anyone could have been bestowed with.
During the morning roll call.
Captain Wang announced the reward that Zhou Yi would receive in front of all the executioners. In less than a year, Zhou Yi would become an official of the logistics department.
"Thank you for the reward, Your Majesty. Thank you, Captain Wang."
The physical changes in Zhou Yi's body were also attracting much attention from the other executioners these days. When asked for the reason, he merely said that it was a reward gifted to him by an immortal master.
Now, everyone knew that Zhou Yi had actually been around for more than nine years.
The new executioners were indifferent and thought nothing about it. But the faces of those who had been around for about half a year were filled with disbelief.
"Senior Zhou, this is… you are simply amazing!"
"How could you have actually lived through ten years here?"
"Soon, you will become an official of the logistics department!"
"Congratulations! Congratulations!"
In empathy, Zhou Yi had given hope to all the executioners as a role model. There were subtle changes in their vitality, aura, and spirit, and they all seemed to be much more alive.
Aura-observing technique!
There was a flash of magic light in Zhou Yi's eyes as he looked at each one of the executioners. The grayish-white aura that represented decadence had become a little lighter. There were additional hints of green that represented life and vitality on the excited faces of a few executioners.
"Hope and fighting spirit will work their influence on one's aura, which will, in turn, stimulate one's life potential."
Suddenly.
A dash of blood-colored light among the crowd caught Zhou Yi's attention. It was from Feng Jun, an executioner who recently arrived.
Through his aura-observing technique, Zhou Yi detected the light of blood hovering above the man's head. That light was a representation of sudden, violent death.
Sudden, violent death was different from one's life waning from decadence. Most of such deaths were due to accidents.
"An accident that will happen in the torture rooms. Could it be that Feng Jun will come to encounter a difficult demon today? One that even all the arrays and prohibitions in the torture room will have difficulty confining?"
Zhou Yi pondered and decided to follow Feng Jun to take a look. If it was something he could handle easily, he could lend a helping hand.
Over the years, Zhou Yi had helped his fellow executioners in the slaying and eliminating demons and monsters. And there were often where he had secretly gone to their rescue.
"Alright, everyone, silence, please. In the future, Zhou will be in the logistics department, so, inevitably, he will still be seeing us often enough."
This was the effect that Captain Wang hoped to produce, to evoke a glimmer of hope in the executioners.
Recently, the number of monsters in the torture room had increased dramatically, and the executioners' tasks were increasingly burdensome. The death rate among them was also getting higher. Even if the Demon Slaying Department provided better food and accommodation, when faced with the threat of death, negative mindsets and reluctance to work diligently would inevitably arise.
Captain Wang clearly knew that it was impossible to survive ten years with just diligence and a fighting spirit. The key was to get acquainted with an upper third-grade immortal master.
"Wang Laosan, prison cell number C17, prison cell number C9."
"Bai Laoliu, prison cell number B4, prison cell number C32."
...
"Zhou Yi, prison cell number B17, prison cell number B3."
...
"Feng Jun, prison cell number B24, prison cell number C3."
...
After receiving their assignments, all the executioners dispersed in a flurry.
In the past, it was rare for an executioner to be assigned two tasks in one day. But now, it was uncommon for an executioner to only be assigned one task.
Zhou Yi made a mental note of the prison cell numbers that were assigned to Feng Jun. First, he completed his assigned task, which was to deal with a fat wild boar spirit and a colorful poisonous spider.
Leaving a phantom of himself with his magic power on the original spot he was in, he made haste for the prison cell door. He saw some blood light wafting out of a cell and entering another prison not far away.
With a frown, Zhou Yi opened the door of prison cell number B24. Inside the cell, he could only see the corpses of Feng Jun and a leopard spirit. He went up to them for a closer look.
"Vitality, aura, and spirit were all thoroughly devoured. What a powerful evil spell!"
So, he cast a body concealment spell and hid in the shadows to observe. After a long time, Zhou Yi saw Han Er carrying the remains of a fish demon as he emerged from a prison cell and walked towards the Demon Refining grotto.