222: Chapter 222 Trapped Beast, Trial

The Demon-Slaying Squad headquarters.

The pavilions were imposing, with eaves like swords piercing the sky.

The broad bluestone-paved corridors faintly exuded an aura of blood and malevolence that had lingered for years.

Chen Ran walked with his hands behind his back, his black robe fluttering gently in the chilly wind.

His expression was cold and calm, his pace steady and unhurried, as if he were taking a leisurely stroll.

Occasionally, members of the Demon-Slaying Squad in a hurry passed by, their bodies carrying the pungent scent of blood and an unyielding aura of slaughter.

The gazes they cast upon Chen Ran were filled with varying degrees of scrutiny and disdain.

Chen Ran ignored this, his heart calm and undisturbed, without the slightest ripple.

He had another purpose for this trip.

That was to seek out Yao Beasts to be recorded by the heavenly book of prison suppression in his Sea of Consciousness, thereby obtaining rewards to improve his cultivation.

Although the Celestial Prison was good, the number of Yao Beasts imprisoned there was ultimately limited.

And the Demon-Slaying Squad, as the frontline of the Demon Suppression Division facing demons, was undoubtedly the place where Yao Beasts were most concentrated.

Just as he was pondering this, a familiar figure suddenly turned out from the corner of the corridor ahead.

Warden Wen Ruoxu was leaning against the corridor. He scanned Chen Ran up and down, lowered his voice, and leaned in closer.

"I just heard that that fellow, Captain Xia An, wants to test you?"

Chen Ran nodded slightly, his expression unchanged.

"Captain Xia An mentioned that joining the squad requires a test."

"A test for the Demon-Slaying Squad? That requires hunting a Yao Beast."

"Hunting a Yao Beast?"

Warden Wen Ruoxu's lips curled into a playful smile.

He unfolded his folding fan again, waving it gently, and said:

"Brother Chen, do you think this test requires leaving the city to hunt demons in the wilderness or deep mountains?"

Chen Ran was noncommittal, his gaze as calm as water, waiting for what was next.

Warden Wen Ruoxu chuckled and said: "If it were a normal garrison, that would be the case, but this Demon-Slaying Squad is quite different."

"Brother Chen, you are new here and surely don't know the way. There is a whole world within the Demon-Slaying Squad. Come with me, and I will show you."

With that, he turned to lead the way.

His steps were quite familiar with the path.

The two passed through layers of courtyards, and as they walked deeper, the surrounding architecture became increasingly rugged and sturdy.

The originally intricately carved wood and stone structures were gradually replaced by heavy obsidian and refined iron.

The scent of blood permeating the air gradually thickened, even carrying a hint of nauseating stench.

"This Demon-Slaying Squad is the sharp blade of the Demon Suppression Division and the sturdy shield of the Great Wei Imperial Dynasty against demons."

Warden Wen Ruoxu said slowly as he walked, his tone rarely carrying a touch of solemnity.

"Fighting demons year-round results in heavy casualties. Therefore, the assessment for new members is extremely strict. If one's strength is insufficient or their Heart-Nature is not firm, they are just throwing their lives away on the battlefield."

Chen Ran listened quietly without interrupting.

He could feel that as they went deeper, the temperature around them was dropping sharply, and waves of cold aura were constantly surging from the depths.

"However, Brother Chen, you don't need to worry too much."

Warden Wen Ruoxu looked back at him: "This assessment is not meant to send you to your death. Within the Demon-Slaying Squad, there is a dedicated place to test the quality of newcomers."

The corridor gradually sloped downward, and the light dimmed accordingly.

On the walls on both sides, a fluorescent stone emitting a cold, dim light was embedded every ten zhang.

The pale halo stretched their shadows long, twisting and changing on the rough stone walls like ghosts.

Chen Ran's Divine Sense stirred slightly.

He could clearly feel that as they went deeper underground, waves of violent, bloodthirsty, and chaotic auras were faintly coming like a tide.

That was the aura of Yao Beasts.

And there were so many of them, complex and mixed, intertwined to form a heart-palpitating field of malevolence.

"We are here."

Warden Wen Ruoxu stopped and pointed his folding fan forward.

Chen Ran looked up, his eyes narrowing slightly.

What appeared before him was an extremely grand underground structure.

It was shaped like a funnel, surrounded by layers of circular stands, all built of hard black stone.

In the center was a wide circular open space, the ground covered with mottled dark red bloodstains.

Around the open space stood thick iron bars as thick as an adult's thigh.

On the bars, dense suppression runes were engraved, flickering with intermittent dark golden spiritual light.

This was clearly a place similar to an ancient Roman coliseum.

And in the endless darkness behind the iron bars, pairs of scarlet, dark green, and pale eyes were vaguely visible.

Accompanied by low roars, heavy panting, and spine-chilling chewing sounds, it echoed in this empty underground space.

Chen Ran's gaze swept across those dark corners, and his Divine Sense spread out like ripples.

He could perceive that there were hundreds of Yao Beasts imprisoned in those cages.

There were giant beasts as large as mountains, and strange species with hunched bodies emitting poisonous gas.

Their ranks varied, but without exception, they all emitted a strong aura of malevolence.

"This is the 'Coliseum' of the Demon-Slaying Squad."

Warden Wen Ruoxu walked to the edge of the stands, looking down at the field below, his tone filled with a touch of emotion.

"It is also the touchstone for all new members. Anyone who joins the Demon-Slaying Squad must go through this."

Chen Ran looked at the restless Yao Beasts in the darkness and asked indifferently: "Are these Yao Beasts all captured alive?"

"Correct." Warden Wen Ruoxu nodded, tapping the railing with his folding fan.

"However, most of them are semi-experimental subjects, kept here for a long time, never seeing the sun, and rarely fed. Their combat power is far from what it used to be, with less than one-tenth remaining."

He paused and continued: "The Demon-Slaying Squad keeps them, firstly to provide the alchemists and Formation Masters within the division with research Materials, extracting essence blood and Materials."

"Secondly, they serve as whetstones for new members to practice and get used to seeing blood."

"After all, talking about strategy on paper is always shallow. Only by facing the ferocity of Yao Beasts can one know their true worth."

Chen Ran nodded slightly, understanding in his heart.

For a true powerhouse, these Yao Beasts might not pose a threat.

But for a fledgling newcomer, that oncoming aura of malevolence was enough to make one's blood run cold.

"Brother Chen, wait here for a moment, and I will go and make arrangements for you."

After saying this, Warden Wen Ruoxu turned and walked to the management office nearby.

He had worked here in the past and had extensive connections, so arranging an assessment was a mere trifle.

Before long, many members of the Demon-Slaying Squad gathered on the stands around the Coliseum.

Apparently, the news that Chen Ran, this "connected person," was going to be assessed had already spread like wildfire.

People gathered in twos and threes, mostly men clad in black armor with cold, stern faces.

They carried a strong aura of slaughter, and the gazes they cast at the thin figure in the field below were filled with mockery and disdain.

"Is this the kid who got in through the back door? He looks delicate, like a scholar. I hope he doesn't wet his pants when a Yao Beast roars later."

A burly man with a scar on his face sneered, his voice echoing in the empty stands.

"Heh, it's not bad if he can stand firm the first time he faces a Yao Beast. I bet he won't last ten breaths before he starts crying and begging for help," another person chimed in.

"Captain Xia An is the same, letting that playboy Warden Wen Ruoxu arrange the assessment. Isn't that clearly going easy on him? If he lets out a first-rank sick cat, what's the point of this assessment?"

The discussion on the stands was not deliberately lowered and clearly reached Chen Ran's ears.

Chen Ran stood in the field, his black clothes fluttering slightly in the cold wind.

His expression was clear and calm, turning a deaf ear to the mockery around him.

His gaze just calmly stared at the heavy iron door slowly rising in front of him.

Behind the iron door, a heavy sound of footsteps came, accompanied by heavy panting, as if a small mountain was moving.

Rumble.

The ground trembled slightly, and fine gravel kept jumping on the ground.