When he stepped onto the stairway of the Demon Sealing Tower, a dreadful chill immediately swept over him. That chill was so intense that even martial artists in the Pulse Condensation Realm found it difficult to withstand. However, neither Dongfang Zhao nor Shen Changqing were ordinary people; they remained indifferent to such coldness.
Upon reaching the second floor, Shen Changqing instantly stood frozen in place. In his sight, the second floor was far more expansive than the first. Iron chains were used to penetrate the flesh of each Demon Evil, securing them in place before separating them into cells akin to the Demon-Subduing Prison. The aura exuding from every Demon Evil made one’s whole body tremble. This feeling was completely different from what he experienced when encountering Demon Evils in the Demon-Subduing Prison.
Each Demon Evil appeared ready to burst out at any moment and tear him to shreds.
"Dongfang Zhao, you despicable worm! If you dare, release me for a fight to the death!"
"One day, my clan will break the Demon Sealing Tower, and I will surely wash the Human Clan in blood!"
Upon seeing Dongfang Zhao, all the Demon Evils went mad, cursing loudly and struggling to break their seals. However, they were unable to shatter their restraints, and every struggle caused their wounds to bleed profusely. It was evident that these Demon Evils harbored extreme hatred toward Dongfang Zhao.
Upon hearing this, Dongfang Zhao’s face remained indifferent. "Once you Demon Evils enter the Demon Sealing Tower, you will never again see the light of day," he said. "Even if the Demon Sealing Tower breaks one day, you will die before me!"
His words thoroughly enraged the Demon Evils.
"Our clan shall reign supreme over the world, and you of the Human Clan will be no more than livestock before us!"
"Dongfang Zhao, you deserve death!"
The expressions of various Demon Evils were ferocious as they roared angrily.
Shen Changqing gazed at the imprisoned Demon Evils, feeling as if he was in a dream. This was different from the Demon Evils in the Demon-Subduing Prison. Although the prison also held Demon Evils, those Demon Evils would never roar and bellow .
In my eyes, the Demon Evils inside the Demon Sealing Tower seem to have overturned my own understanding of them, he thought. Powerful Demon Evils can also roar ineffectively, just like ordinary people.
"Come with me!" Dongfang Zhao’s gentle voice sounded in his ear.
Shen Changqing turned his head to see that Dongfang Zhao had arrived in front of a cage containing a Demon Evil. Suddenly, the previously roaring Demon Evil immediately shut its mouth, its fierce face revealing a trace of fear.
"Inside the Demon Sealing Tower, including the floor below, there are nine floors in total, with eight sealing Demon Evils." As Dongfang Zhao spoke, he pointed to the cage before him. Following his gesture, Shen Changqing saw a tag hanging there. The word "Ding" was clearly written on it.
Dongfang Zhao explained, "The Demon Evils in the Demon Sealing Tower are divided into four tiers from highest to lowest: Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding, corresponding to Demon Saint, Great Demon, high-ranking Demon Evils, and mid-ranking Demon Evils. The so-called Demon Saint represents the pinnacle existence among Demon Evils, possessing extremely formidable strength. The might of the Demon Evil Clan is also related to the Demon Saint."
Demon Saint! Shen Changqing thought, then couldn’t help but ask, "Are there any Demon Saints imprisoned in the Demon Sealing Tower?"
He was aware of the classification of Demon Evils, but only to the extent of low-ranking, mid-ranking, and high-ranking; he was unclear about anything beyond that. Now, he finally understood from Dongfang Zhao’s explanation that above high-ranking Demon Evils, there were also Great Demons and Demon Saints.
"Demon Saints are very powerful. The emergence of any Demon Saint is tantamount to a cataclysmic disaster. There is no complete Demon Saint inside the Demon Sealing Tower, but some remnants of a Demon Saint’s body are sealed here, which the Demon-Subduing Division obtained after a great battle with a Demon Saint in years past," Dongfang Zhao said, shaking his head slightly.
After pausing for a moment, he continued, "Below the Demon Saint is the Great Demon. As long as the Divine Soul of a Great Demon remains unextinguished, even if its flesh is destroyed, it has the chance to escape and be reborn. In fact, although Demon Evils, in a sense, are nearly immortal beings, only Demon Evils of the Great Demon tier have the privilege to be truly near-indestructible. Those below Great Demons still have very apparent weaknesses."
Shen Changqing listened intently. These matters are not something I could find in the Scripture Pavilion,
"As for high-ranking Demon Evils, although they can’t achieve the state of an undying Divine Soul, they can regenerate from a drop of blood. Handling such Demon Evils must also be extremely careful; they must be completely destroyed to prevent any chance of resurrection.
"As for mid-ranking Demon Evils, regenerating limbs is fairly common. Furthermore, their flesh undergoes further transformation, capable of myriad changes, able to take the appearance of anyone. Such transformation is not something that can be compared to ordinary disguise; it is a true metamorphosis. Sometimes, the familiar person standing before you could be a Demon Evil in disguise. Discerning a disguised Demon Evil is difficult. How to expose one will depend on you.
"This is also why entering the Demon Sealing Tower requires a scan from the Demon Revealing Mirror, as it is an excellent tool for seeing through the manifold transformations of Demon Evils."
Blood Rebirth! Ever-Changing! Shen Changqing took a deep breath. The more he knew, the more wary he became of the Demon Evils. At the same time, his understanding of the strength of the Demon-Subduing Division became clearer. Look at this. Such powerful Demon Evils are now captured by the Demon-Subduing Division one by one, trapped inside the Demon Sealing Tower, utterly unable to break free, with nothing to do but roar powerlessly here.
Dongfang Zhao said, "Demon Evils below the middle rank don’t qualify to be imprisoned in the Demon Sealing Tower, so the Demon-Subduing Prison also holds some low-ranked Demon Evils."
"What if both the Demon-Subduing Prison and the Demon Sealing Tower are full?"
"Kill!" Dongfang Zhao’s voice was icy cold. "The Demon Evils that cause chaos in Great Qin should be killed. To let them languish in the Demon-Subduing Prison and the Demon Sealing Tower is already an extra mercy. Killing them afterward is nothing to hesitate about."
Indeed! Shen Changqing silently noted.
At this moment, the roaring Demon Evils also noticed Shen Changqing’s presence. Whenever Dongfang Zhao approached a cage, most of the Demon Evils didn’t dare to continue scolding, with only a few still hurling abuses incessantly. However, Dongfang Zhao didn’t care in the least, continuing to introduce each Demon Evil’s differences to Shen Changqing as if the two were in a market choosing livestock.
It’s hard to imagine,
It didn’t take long for them to walk through the second floor of the Demon Sealing Tower. Afterward, the two of them went directly to the third floor.
In every level, there were quite a few imprisoned Demon Evils. It was Shen Changqing’s first time seeing what higher-ranked Demon Evils actually looked like. Based on Dongfang Zhao’s words, he was also judging by the signs in front of the cages: Ding rank signified middle-ranked Demon Evils; Bing rank signified high-ranked Demon Evils; and Yi rank, on the other hand, stood for Great Demons.
But unlike the Demon Evils on the second floor, these others rarely raged. Every time the two men arrived, they would watch with cold eyes, as if choosing their prey.
By the time they reached the eighth floor, Shen Changqing was momentarily stunned. The eighth floor was different from the other places. There weren’t many cells here, just a simple prison room. Inside, an elegantly dressed man in white was sitting cross-legged, his body pierced by iron chains just like the other Demon Evils. Moreover, a Demon Sealing Nail was embedded in him.
Yi rank! Seeing the sign in front of the cage, he understood that the figure before him was by no means human, but a Great Demon.
"Brother Dongfang is here again! Oh, this time you have even brought a young friend over. It seems that the Demon-Subduing Division has a new successor!" The elegantly dressed man in white showed a light smile, not at all looking like someone trapped in a prison.
With a calm expression, Dongfang Zhao introduced, "From the top clans of the Demon Evil Clan, he once walked the world under the guise of a Great Confucian, later reverting to his true nature to slaughter the Human Clan. The culprit behind the Demon Evil scourge that struck Guangyuan Prefecture over two hundred years ago—that’s him."
Hearing this, Shen Changqing’s expression changed as he looked at the elegantly dressed man in white. The Demon Evil that caused turmoil in Guangyuan Prefecture over two hundred years ago... That means this adversary has existed for at least two hundred years and has been imprisoned in the Demon Sealing Tower for that long!
The man in white laughed. "What’s the use of bringing up the past? Besides, I have a name. Don’t keep calling me Demon Evil. When I walked the world in my day, my name was Wang Mubai. You, the newcomer, can just call me Wang Mubai."
Wang Mubai! Shen Changqing thought. The Demon Evil before me is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum from the Demon Evils I’ve encountered. If it weren’t for the iron chains on his body and the Demon Sealing Nail, I would have reason to believe that the person in front of me was truly from the Human Clan. The Human Clan aura on him is exceedingly strong.
Dongfang Zhao said, "Wang Mubai or Demon Evil, it’s all just a designation. Don’t be fooled by his refined appearance. The inherent nature of the Demon Evil Clan is hard to change. The number of humans who died at his hands is incalculable; even dying ten thousand times wouldn’t be enough."
"I understand!" Shen Changqing nodded. He naturally wouldn’t let Wang Mubai deceive him.
Upon hearing this, Wang Mubai, in the cage, sighed helplessly with a hint of resignation. "Brother Dongfang, your prejudice against me has always been unwavering," he said. "Every matter has two sides. You only see my slaughter of the Human Clan and fail to see the many I saved when I roamed the world. To tell you the truth, I have no prejudice against the Human Clan."
"A Demon Evil is a Demon Evil. No matter how much you argue, it remains a Demon Evil." Dongfang Zhao’s face was indifferent; he was not willing to exchange too many words with Wang Mubai.
Seeing this, Wang Mubai could only shake his head and sigh.
"One day, you’ll understand my true intentions. Speaking of which, the young friend you’ve brought looks talented. If nurtured well, who knows, he might truly become a formidable ally." He shifted his gaze back to Shen Changqing. That look made Shen Changqing feel as if he had been seen through completely.