Zhou Yi slowly opened his eyes. There was a purplish red fog obscuring his vision, so he could only see vague human figures swaying in front of him.
Through the aura-observing technique, he saw that the evil aura was initially colorless. Then it became red, which in turn became scarlet, and at the point where it could no longer get any redder, it turned purple.
The Demon Slaying Department had been around for such a long time and exterminated so many demons and monsters that the accumulated amount of evil aura had almost condensed into a tangible substance.
"No wonder executioners do not live long. With such a thick and dense evil air eroding their bodies unceasingly, it will be strange instead if they don't die fast!"
Previously, Zhou Yi was still quite baffled as to why on normal days, he would not see anyone else from the Justice Department around in the prison. He was also puzzled about the fact that the captain of the prison would only show up in the morning to assign tasks and thereafter not be seen anywhere in the prison.
Now, most of his doubts were answered. Even they were also unwilling to linger in a place where there was such an overwhelming evil aura.
The next thing he heard was the voice of a physician. "The evil aura had entered his eye. Fortunately, it has not damaged the pupil, so he will get better after a few days of rest."
The moment Zhou Yi was blinded, the bronze bell of prison cell C27 was triggered, and the captain immediately came over to investigate the matter.
After checking that Zhou Yi's body was not possessed by the mouse spirit and verifying that the mouse spirit was completely dissipated, the captain summoned a few other executioners and got them to carry Zhou Yi back to the sleeping quarters.
Accidents were frequent affairs for executioners. When slaying demons, the executioners had to be mentally prepared as they were always at risk of meeting with an accident. So, in Zhou Yi's case, losing his sense of sight was really not a big deal.
The physician left a few medicinal pills and left the Justice Department in a hurry. Obviously, he did not want to stay long either.
The pills were not inferior medicinal drugs. If they were sold to people in the outside world, wealthy merchants would most probably laud them as treasured elixirs with excellent heart-cleansing and eyes-brightening effects.
The ingredients used to refine medicinal pills were basically the processed residues of demon organs from the logistics department.
Having a ready supply of such medicinal pills was also one of the benefits of working in the Demon Slaying Department.
Since Zhou Yi was blinded in both eyes, there was no way he could slay demons. Thus, Captain Lu approved his leave of rest.
In the blink of an eye, seven days passed.
The boomerang effect of using the aura-observing technique gradually subsided. Much to his relief, Zhou Yi finally regained his sense of sight. Throughout the entire recovering period, he had been forcing himself not to think about slaying demons.
This world was fraught with danger, and even within the Demon Slaying Department, great horrors were lurking. He had to build up strength for self-protection as soon as possible.
During the next routine morning roll call, Captain Lu, who was always so punctual, was late.
Executioners were not soldiers trained for battle. Most of them were refugees before joining the Demon Slaying Department, while the others were former prisoners who were given a second chance at life so that they could make themselves useful. Seeing that the captain did not turn up on time as he usually did, they formed their little cliques and began to chat among themselves.
Zhou Yi cast the aura-observing technique and looked over at the executioners of Division A.
Sporting a grayish-black aura, Shi Liu was a torpid and lethargic sight to behold. If he were to consult a fortune-teller about his life, he would probably be told that he would be facing an "impending bloodshed."
From the same batch who joined the Demon Slaying Department half a year ago, Shi Liu had lived the longest. Even Zhou Yi had died once.
Li Dazhuang had a grayish-white aura, which was an indication that his days were numbered.
Deng Li had a grayish-white aura, so he was not going to live long either.
Li Yun also had a grayish-white aura, so his days were numbered as well.
Zhou Yi scanned through the auras of around a dozen executioners at one go and realized that all of them shared a common characteristic. They were all going to die soon.
"This is such a…unique characteristic of the torture rooms!"
Half an hour later…
Lu Gang arrived, albeit late, with the task assignment booklet in hand. His eyes seemed to contain a look of pity as his gaze swept across everyone in the room, pausing momentarily when it reached Zhou Yi.
Zhou Yi was only absent for a few days, but now that he had returned, Lu Gang could not help but detect a difference in his temperament. He seemed somewhat different from the other executioners.
"The Demon Slaying Department has destroyed a branch of the Black Lotus Sect, so today, there will be slightly more tasks as compared to usual. After you are done slaying the demons, remember to send all remains to the Monster Refining grotto as soon as possible."
"Ma San'er, prison cell number C9 and prison cell number B15."
"Sun Cai, prison cell number C17 and prison cell number B3."
...
Seeing how Lu Gang was assigning everyone else with an additional workload, Zhou Yi kind of gathered that he would also be getting more work. He speculated that he would either be assigned two tasks from the Class B and Class C prison cells or four tasks from the Class C prison cells.
"Zhou Yi, prison cell number A7."
"Shi Liu, prison cell number C10 and prison cell number B23."
When Zhou Yi heard that he was assigned to the Class A prison cells, his expression changed. The other executioners all looked at him with sympathetic looks, as if to tell him that he was a doomed man.
There were many executioners spread across nine branches in the whole Demon Slaying Department, and every year, only a handful would be assigned to a task in the Class A prison. On average, an executioner would be assigned to a Class A prison cell at most once a year.
"Silence!"
Lu Gang's voice rang out like a clap of thunder and subdued all the executioners' discussions. Then he continued to assign tasks with an expressionless face.
When he was done with his job, Lu Gang turned around and left. There was no preferential treatment for any executioner just because he was assigned to a Class A prison cell. Everything was kept status quo.
The Class A cell was situated next to the Demon Refining grotto and the Monster Refining grotto, where we're very deep in, so Zhou Yi had to walk further to get there. Zhou Yi was silent as he walked.
He was not feeling scared because he was assigned to a Class A prison cell. But he could not stop wondering about whether Lu Gang had assigned him such a task on purpose, or he was just unlucky.
The entrance of the Class A prison was made of dark steel, carved with inscriptions that he did not understand. It was said that the inscriptions were spells cast by immortal masters to make the dark steel even stronger and sturdier.
Walking through the double-door entrance, Zhou Yi was surprised to see that the interior was spotless and bright. There was a light on the roof, which made him wonder where it got the power to remain lit as the prison cell was really deep down underground. And this light was directed right at the prisoner in the cell.
Compared to the gloomy environment of classes B and C prison cells, this place looked more like a clean and neat single-room apartment rather than a prison cell.
The prisoner appeared to be an amiable older man, or at least, that was what Zhou Yi thought at first look. He had white hair and a youthful complexion, with a round face and portly figure.
"Young man, this old man's arms and legs are quite sore. Can you help me to massage them for a little?"
Zhou Yi subconsciously cast the aura-observing technique. And that was when he saw the dense congregation of sorrowful souls that died wrongful deaths hovering around the older man. He could also see that purplish-black evil aura surrounding the old man.
"Eh? Surprising. You're born with a spirit eye! This is potentially a waste of the seeds of cultivation. Help this older man loosen the ropes, and he will impart you the Magic of Holy Lotus. You can cultivate the spiritual eye of the Netherworld. Then your eyes can see everything, from what is happening in the heavens, to what is happening in hell…"
The older man's essential Qi was sealed, but his facial expression, choice of words, and the way he spoke were persuasive enough to tempt Zhou Yi.
So what if he learned the Magic of Holy Lotus first and then kill the older man later? It seemed that there would not be too much of a difference, right?
With an interesting look on his face, Zhou Yi slowly walked forward. On the other hand, the look on the older man's face also showed that he did think of Zhou Yi as a promising student.
Poof!
A torture instrument penetrated the older man's neck without warning, and he found himself incapable of speech all of a sudden.
The older man's face reflected his disbelief. He possessed the Holy Lotus Sect's secret method of reincarnation, which meant that he could leave a fragment of psychic thought in Zhou Yi's body before death. However, with his essential Qi being sealed, there had to be physical contact established between him and Zhou Yi for this method to work.
"Hoho… Hoho…"
Blood was gushing out from the wound on his neck, and he was gasping for breath. It seemed that he was struggling to talk—the look on his face was asking why.
"Old man, the younger ones like me, we are timid. I still think it is better to send such a powerful being like you away!"
Zhou Yi fetched a set of torture instruments comprising five daggers and nailed the older man at his five internal organs, respectively. Then he used another set of torture instruments comprising three steel nails and penetrated the older man's skull at three points. These were known as the Sancai points of a human head.
This was how the executioners handled the heretics and demons in the prison cells. Special torture instruments would be used to fix the five internal Qi's of their bodies and three "flowers" on their heads, allowing these to be maintained fresh and whole for as long as an hour after death.
Within that one hour, the remains would be sent to the Demon Refining grotto without a single trace of essential Qi wasted.
After the old man died, the Catalogue of Demons and Monsters flipped through hundreds of pages and eventually stopped at a page that revealed his true identity.
The portrait that the Catalogue showed did not depict a kind old man of great vitality. Instead, it was a monstrous demon with a green face and ferocious fangs. Black clouds were hovering about his head, demonic lotus flowers beneath his feet, and poisonous snakes around his arms. In one hand, he was holding a long white-boned streamer, while in the other hand, he was holding a string of prayer beads made out of skulls.
The Catalogue of Demons and Monsters kept records of all kinds of demons, evil monsters, and heretics.
And this was how Zhou Yi learned about the background of this demon. This was an Elder of the Black Lotus Sect, known as the Black Evil Demon King, and he had lived for more than 300 years.
The Black Evil Demon King's real name was Zheng Hua, and he was born in the Black Lotus Sect. His father was a deacon of the Black Lotus Sect but had raped a captured nun of a small clan who was a follower of the Righteous Path. He then forced her to bear him a descendant.
Since he was young, Zheng Hua had seen the cruel ways of the Demon. He grew up to become extremely cruel by nature, and amongst all who followed the Way of the Demon, he was a terrifying presence that would make people cringe at the sound or sight of him.
He had always been very decisive in his killings and even killed his own parents. After a long wait, he finally became one of the twelve elders of the Black Lotus Sect. He earned himself a paramount and powerful position that gave him great, mighty demonic powers.
A few months ago, Zheng Hua led his men on an expedition to infiltrate the Lushan County town. He planned to massacre the entire town of 200,000 people. He would them use their blood as a sacrifice to refine the most precious treasure of the Way of the Demon, the White-boned streamer of the Netherworld. But it ended up as an ultimate failure, and the entire branch of the Black Lotus Sect under his lead was wiped out in one fell swoop.
"Li Mu, a twenty-year-old young man, had surprisingly managed to break the array of blood sacrifice that the Black Evil Demon King had laid."
From the fragments of the Black Evil Demon King's memory, Zhou Yi found a whooping number of curses that the Demon King hurled at Li Mu. It could be said that Li Mu was the reason why the Black Evil Demon King failed.
"Whether he'd be the wind from North, South, East, or West, I will remain steadfast and unmoved."
The Catalogue of Demons and Monsters closed and then disappeared, leaving behind a scripture.
The Huang-ting Scripture.
Seemingly a method, and yet unlike any other method in general, it did not require one to devote time and effort into meditating and cultivating.
So long as one constantly recited the Huang-ting Scripture, even if it was recited silently to oneself, it would become a guide for the spirituality in one's body and enhance one's cultivation.