The headquarters of the Demon Inspection Department was located on Sword-Hanging Mountain in Penglai Prefecture.
From a distance, it resembled a giant, inverted cauldron of black iron, casting a cold, hard matte glow under the sunlight.
The main gate was 9 zhang high, with the four characters “Suppressing Demons and Commanding Evil” inscribed upon it.
There were no guards in front of the gate, only two stone Bi’an statues. Spectral fire burned in their eyes year-round.
Anyone who met their gaze felt their soul sink slightly, as if being scanned by the cold eyes of an invisible entity.
Upon entering the front hall, one could see various jade slips and spirit charms, which served the same purpose as the paper files in a mundane yamen.
They hovered in mid-air in dense clusters, arranged in specific formation sequences.
Each one represented a case, a clue, or a spiritual power report that required approval through various levels. They rotated and flickered silently, resembling a sea of stars carrying endless responsibilities.
The air was permeated with the scent of mind-settling incense. Hundreds of civil service cultivators stood or sat, their cultivation levels ranging from foundation establishment to deity transformation.
Most were using their divine sense to review several jade slips simultaneously, while a few were conversing in low voices, their speech fast and clear.
“Urgent report from the Youzhou branch. A Rank 3 shadow demon is causing trouble. Squads 443 and 447 have been dispatched. The headquarters needs to approve thirty additional evil-slaying thunder talismans.”
“The seal of the blood pigeon on the seventh floor of the Demon-Suppressing Tower is fluctuating. The guards are requesting seven additional cultivators at the nascent soul stage or above for rotation. This is the budget proposal.”
“The recovery list has been updated. A new fugitive of the tide clan from the South Sea has been added. The bounty is 8,000 high-grade spirit stones. The image has been recorded on the image-reflecting wall.”
No one shouted or made loud noises; even coughs were muffled by spiritual energy beforehand. The entire hall operated like a massive and precise compound formation—efficient, cold, and dull.
Some wiped sweat from their temples and continued their work at their desks. Others rose to fetch distant scrolls, their steps hurried, their robes fluttering but raising no dust.
Yun Heng stood before a female cultivator at the golden core stage, withdrawing his gaze from his surroundings and shaking his head.
It had been a while since he last visited the headquarters of the Demon Inspection Department.
In his past life, Yun Heng had frequently dealt with the Demon Inspection Department because of Ling Yao, but he usually visited the seventy-two seats or the Chief Pacifier individually. He rarely entered the headquarters directly.
He could only say that the atmosphere was as oppressive as ever.
“Young Master Yun, I have finished verifying your identity information. This is the application form. Please fill it out and return it to me.”
The foundation establishment female cultivator, her hair neatly styled in a Taoist bun, politely handed a brush and paper to Yun Heng with a slight smile.
Cultivators were different from mortals. Except for certain eccentric weirdos, most cultivators did not have things like dark circles under their eyes.
However, cultivators were not made of iron; they also grew tired. The most obvious sign was the dullness of the spiritual light at the corners of their eyes.
Of course, unless one observed intentionally, it was difficult to notice.
“Thank you for the trouble.”
Yun Heng took the jade slip and used the brush to transcribe the draft he had already prepared in his mind.
The female cultivator took it, and after checking to ensure there were no issues, she skillfully marked the jade slip and tossed it into the air.
The formation flowed, delivering the jade slip to the next review station like an assembly line.
“Next is the talent assessment. Please follow me.”
The female cultivator bowed slightly to Yun Heng. “Although you possess an honorable status, Young Master, certain procedures must still be followed. My apologies.”
“It is no matter.”
To deal with the crisis brought by Xuan Sun in the future, what Yun Heng needed to do was obtain the golden verification of the Demon Inspection Department—in other words, join the organization.
There were many benefits to doing this, the three most important being:
First, as an official law enforcement agency, the Demon Inspection Department had strict internal discipline.
If Xuan Sun openly attacked a colleague, he would violate the organization’s iron laws and face the risk of demotion, punishment, or even expulsion. This was what Xuan Sun feared most.
Second, after becoming an internal member, he could consult the files. It was highly likely he could find a way to learn the details of the dragon race’s commission in advance.
Third, the current conflict was “Yun Heng and A Xiang” versus “Xuan Sun and the dragon race.”
Once he was hired, the titles would automatically shift to “Demon Inspection Department member Yun Heng” versus “Demon Inspection Department member Xuan Sun.”
The level of conflict would escalate, but the risk of violence would actually decrease because the higher-ups of the department would be forced to pay attention, mediate, and regulate the situation.
Furthermore, since Xuan Sun and Yun Wangji had a personal grudge, Yun Heng only needed to push things slightly to easily sway public opinion toward the narrative of “using public office to settle a private grudge.” This would buy him time to modify his plans.
After all, going head-to-head with Xuan Sun was no different from seeking death. Only through this tactic of “using the opponent’s shield to block their own spear” could he achieve the effect of using a small force to move a heavy weight.
After following the female cultivator for about 45 minutes, the two arrived at the boundary between the armory corridor and the battle merit wall.
There were far fewer people here than in the front hall, but the atmosphere was even more chilling.
Demon-slaying sabers, soul-locking chains, evil-breaking crossbows… various magical items specifically designed to counter demons were neatly arranged on both sides of the corridor, their cold light restrained and surrounded by an aura of blood.
Occasionally, teams returning from field duty walked past in silence, their robes marked with scorch marks or stained with dark spots.
Their expressions were mostly weary and cold, and the murderous aura and dust on their bodies had not yet been suppressed.
Upon meeting the guards, they merely nodded slightly before heading straight into the inner chambers to report.
And the battle merit wall, as the name suggested, was a wall that recorded numerous military achievements.
This crystalline wall, dark red as blood, stood at the end of the armory corridor. To the left were the training rooms for the younger generation, and to the right was the rest area for the seniors.
Names and achievements were inscribed with the finest golden liquid, which contained the soul aura of the person written. Paradoxically, the brighter the name, the closer the person was to the end of their life.
Yun Heng could see the burning passion in the eyes of the young people who stopped to look, as well as the complex expressions of the passing veterans.
“When I first arrived, I used to stand before this wall for a long time like those young people. I looked at the brightest names and felt they were symbols of glory and role models. I couldn’t wait to make my own name shine just as brightly.”
The female cultivator subconsciously looked at a certain spot on the battle merit wall and said softly, “Later, the senior who guided me died in battle. Only then did I realize that battle merits were never romantic. The light here isn’t a medal, but a scale for a life’s countdown.”
After speaking, she seemed to realize she had misspoken. She quickly composed herself and resumed her pace, her voice returning to its business-like calm.
“Apologies for wasting your time. The talent assessment room is just ahead. Please follow me.”
Yun Heng looked at the female cultivator’s back, then at the crystalline wall. After a moment of silence, he followed her.
He once had a close friend in the Demon Inspection Department, one of the future seventy-two seats. It was no exaggeration to say the two of them were kindred spirits.
Unfortunately, they had later gone their separate ways due to differing stances.
The good news was that his name was not on the battle merit wall.
‘I wonder where he is now… After I finish this busy period, I should take some time to inquire about his whereabouts,’ Yun Heng thought.
***
After another 15 minutes of walking, the two of them passed through the training rooms and finally arrived at the “Talent Assessment Hall.”
“Because the fighting styles of the demon race and ordinary cultivators are extremely different, we usually provide intensive practical training after one is hired.”
“In other words, the talent assessment has little to do with cultivation level. The focus is on your attainments in formations, your deduction skills, and your knowledge of the demon race’s habits.”
Hearing this, Yun Heng was slightly dazed.
“Please do not be nervous, Young Master Yun. These are all very simple foundational assessments.”
Seeing Yun Heng’s expression, the female cultivator couldn’t help but offer words of comfort. She was already 300 or 400 years old and understood the mindset of a newcomer very well.
“Uh… yes. My apologies.”
Yun Heng rubbed his nose, hiding his complex expression while grumbling to himself.
‘It can’t be… for the sake of getting an identity medallion, will I somehow end up becoming a high-ranking official of the Demon Inspection Department? No, I have to find a way to hold back a bit during the assessment later…’