Guarding the Prison for 100 Years, I Emerge to Overwhelm the Demon Venerable

As he spoke, monstrous flames erupted from the man in the black robe, and Demonic Qi surged around him!

All the light within the tofu shop seemed to be devoured by the Demonic Qi, plunging the room into utter darkness.

The Tofu Lady stood respectfully beside the black-robed man.

She murmured, "Master, you will surely reclaim the Demon Saber, reach the absolute peak, and unite the Demon Vein!"

The black-robed man laughed boisterously, his spirits soaring!

He failed to notice the sharp glint that flashed in the Tofu Lady’s eyes as she kept her face lowered.

Her mind was already racing...

’So be it. I’ll let this fool test the waters with that man first.’

After laughing for a moment, the black-robed man’s emotions subsided, and his expression quickly returned to its previous icy state.

He glanced at the obedient woman before him and instructed coolly, "Since you say the matter of the Tripod Furnace is not urgent, you can come with me for now."

"Yes!"

The Tofu Lady replied.

Then, she slowly raised her head.

It was unclear what Secret Technique she employed, but after spinning in place,

her entire appearance changed drastically.

Her once gentle and modest face became otherworldly and exquisitely beautiful.

Before, she might have been called a worldly beauty, but now, a single glance could prove fatal—a true femme fatale.

The rough linen clothes she wore had transformed into a sky-blue, gossamer palace dress.

After her transformation, she smiled and donned a black gauze veil, adding to her mystique.

And though the veil hid her features, it could not conceal her peerless radiance, which seemed to illuminate the small tofu shop.

The room was filled with splendor!

Seeing the Tofu Lady’s dramatic transformation, the black-robed man revealed a satisfied expression. He nodded slightly and said, "Let’s go."

With a wave of his hand, a dense cloud of True Essence enveloped the Tofu Lady, and they vanished.

In an instant, the two appeared high in the sky above the Xia Imperial City.

"KEKEKE!"

The moment they steadied themselves, a piercing, wicked laugh assaulted their ears.

Then, a figure appeared not far from them.

"Old Demon Xiang! So you’ve come after all!"

The Tofu Lady looked toward the source of the voice and saw a middle-aged man with a full head of crimson hair, ferocious eyes, and a powerfully built frame standing nine feet tall.

His build was rugged and imposing, but his face was rather lecherous, a wicked grin plastered upon it.

He had beady eyes, a hooked nose, and sharp teeth. His laugh was so grating it could frighten a crying child into silence.

’A full head of crimson hair, True Essence surging like the Demon Fire of a blast furnace! He must be from the Red Flame Demon Sect...’ the Tofu Lady guessed to herself.

Perhaps her gaze lingered on his face for too long, as he seemed to notice it.

The red-haired man’s eyes then fell upon her.

Instantly, his eyes lit up with a peculiar glint!

"Old Demon Xiang! Is this the Profound Celestial Saintess of your Soul-devouring Demon Sect?"

The red-haired man’s eyes were fixed on the Tofu Lady, unblinking, as he said, "Not bad, not bad at all!"

"I happen to be in need of a Tripod Furnace!"

"And I think your Saintess will do just fine."

"How about you offer her to me?"

He chuckled wickedly and, as he spoke, reached out to grab the Tofu Lady!

A blast of scorching True Essence shot through the air!

The powerful aura of the Dao Palace Realm bore down on the Tofu Lady, draining the color from her face and forcing her to retreat step by step.

But the black-robed man standing before her merely flicked his sleeve, shattering the red-haired man’s attack and forcing the power back upon him.

"Hmph!"

The black-robed man snorted, looking at the brawny, red-haired man who had taken a step back. He sneered, "You want to take my disciple as your concubine?"

"That can certainly be arranged."

"Just trade the Celestial Net Sword and the Mingfeng Saber for her."

The red-haired man, who had been forced back, narrowed his eyes, but before he could speak, another voice drifted to their ears.

This time, it was a sweet, feminine voice.

"Just for a little girl at the Spirit Transformation Realm, you have the gall to ask for two Sacred Artifacts, the Celestial Net Sword and the Mingfeng Saber?"

"What’s the matter, Xiang Wentian? Is your Saintess the reincarnation of the Nine Heavens Profound Lady or something?"

As the voice faded, a beautiful woman descended gracefully.

The woman looked to be only in her late teens, yet she exuded a mature and unique charm.

The woman glanced playfully at the Tofu Lady before turning her gaze to the red-haired man.

She said with a grin, "Red-haired Demon Monarch, rather than trade your precious Sacred Artifacts for a little girl who’s still wet behind the ears,"

"you might as well help me instead."

"I won’t ask for the moon. Just retrieve one of the Dual Sacred Artifacts for me,"

"and all three thousand Female Cultivators of my Celestial Yin Sect can serve as your Tripod Furnaces. How does that sound?"

The red-haired man stroked his chin, his eyes flashing. He chuckled. "Lady Xuan Yin, you drive a fair bargain. I’ll have to give it some serious thought..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Tofu Lady, standing beside Xiang Wentian, saw the figures of Dao Palace Realm Great Powers begin to appear one after another in the surrounding sky.

The situation grew increasingly tense!

...

「Meanwhile, inside the prison.」

Through the trace of Divine Thoughts he had left in the Tofu Lady, Su Bai was able to clearly witness the entire scene.

’Interesting. Could the Mingfeng Saber really be hidden in the depths of this prison?’ he wondered, his thoughts returning to the present.

But he had been in the prison for so long and had never discovered the so-called Sacred Artifact, the Mingfeng Saber.

Suddenly, he remembered the replica of the Venerable Emperor Tower deep within the cavern.

The last time, that nine-story tower had spat out a black statue.

This meant there might be other things inside it.

The Mingfeng Saber could very well be hidden within that tower.

Of course, this was only his speculation; he had no proof.

Compared to that, however, he was far more interested in the ever-increasing number of Demon Path Powerhouses gathering high above the Imperial City.

’Looks like this time’s harvest will be quite substantial,’ Su Bai thought, a hint of delight on his face, as he began his day’s work.

The task assigned by his superiors today was a simple one.

All they had to do was patrol the Imperial City and take any captured fugitives into custody.

As noon approached, Su Bai, Zhang Wei, and the others followed their superiors’ instructions and headed toward the city’s west side.

The west side was also a prosperous district, but it contained a small, rather unique area.

In the terms of his past life, this area would be called a slum.

Most of its residents were refugees, abandoned infants, and infirm elderly people.

Upon entering the area, Su Bai and his companions were struck by the visceral, naked poverty.

Pools of filthy, foul-smelling water were everywhere along the dilapidated streets.

Streaks of blood, stark and conspicuous, could occasionally be seen.

An old man in rags lay in a puddle, his breathing so faint it seemed he could pass away at any moment.

Children with missing limbs begged on the streets, their expressions heart-wrenching.

And more...

The scene unfolding before them caused Zhang Wei to frown deeply.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t known about this slum, but hearing about it was one thing; seeing it with his own eyes was something else entirely.

After about an hour of work, the group had rounded up several fugitives hiding in the slum. They bound them tightly with special chains and began escorting them to the prison.

Before they left, Zhang Wei couldn’t bear it and secretly tossed some broken silver to a few of the most destitute people.

A Martial Artist from the Prison Suppression Bureau who saw this couldn’t help but ask, "You’re that soft-hearted, kid?"

But Zhang Wei shook his head. "It’s not just because I pity them."

"I saw their plight, and it moved me. I just wanted to do what little I could."

"I’m no savior, but I want to have a clear conscience."

Hearing this, the Prison Suppression Bureau Martial Artist clicked his tongue.

Then he clapped Zhang Wei on the shoulder with a large hand and boomed with laughter. "I never would have guessed!"

"A little princeling like you actually has this kind of awareness!"

"Haha! Well then, count me in too!"

The men laughed and traded a few jokes.

Then they all took out some broken silver, activated their True Qi, and used it to quietly deliver the coins to those truly in need.

People like the teenage boys and girls in the slums who had to drop out of school to work because their families had no money.

Or the sewer worker who worked three jobs a day, from before dawn until midnight, just to support his family of four...

After doing all this, a smile appeared on each of their faces, and they felt a little lighter.

Even the gloom that had accumulated in their hearts seemed to dissipate.

On the way back, the men couldn’t help but start teasing.

"Haha! Zhang Wei! It’s all your fault, kid! Now my drinking money for the month is gone!"

"I don’t care! You’re paying for my drinks this month!"

"That’s right! Me too! My tobacco money for the month is gone! You’d better take care of it!"

"Count me in!"

"Huh!?"