Chapter 402: Mysterious Zone

Xu Qing’s rampage continued, and hell walked with him.

What the District D jailers witnessed was, in a way, both accurate and inaccurate. They were correct that Xu Qing’s expression remained calm throughout the slaughter. However, they were wrong to assume he was controlling his emotions. Having crawled out of piles of corpses countless times, repeatedly skirted the edge of death, and twice survived seeing gods open their eyes, Xu Qing no longer needed to control his emotions.

Killing was his instinct. If you sought to harm him, he would kill you. The initial malice and ferocity of these prisoners had already sealed their fate, regardless of whether they were inside or outside. Xu Qing’s attacks did not soften when the criminals’ resolve crumbled, nor did they pause at their pained screams.

He struck as he moved, pursuing one terrified, fleeing prisoner after another, finding their vital points and dispatching them according to the knowledge he had gained from his secret training. Of course, he still needed the Golden Cores, so piercing screams continued to echo throughout the process. Half an incense stick later, Xu Qing stood amidst a field of corpses, holding the head of a Two-Faced tribe cultivator in his left hand. Amidst the pervasive scent of blood, his expression remained calm as he looked up at the grim-faced jailers standing at the cell door.

“They’re all gone.” Xu Qing dropped the head in his hand and spoke softly.

The jailers’ expressions were solemn. After a moment, they simultaneously bowed to Xu Qing. The middle-aged jailer at the forefront spoke in a deep voice.

“Welcome, Brother Xu Qing, to the Penal Bureau!”

Behind him, all the jailers echoed in unison, “Welcome, Brother Xu Qing, to the Penal Bureau!”

Everywhere, the strong command respect. The Penal Bureau was no exception. Here, beyond personal strength, one also needed to convey a sense of camaraderie, making them feel as if “we are one of them.” Achieving this naturally earned their acknowledgment. Exceeding expectations, however, earned their profound respect. Xu Qing was precisely in this position now.

Xu Qing returned the bow, feeling his Fifth Heavenly Palace rapidly materializing within his body. He then asked, “Can I go to other cells to kill?”

Hearing this, the District D jailers showed various expressions of emotion and admiration.

“Xu Qing, while we are authorized to deal with prisoners in the Penal Bureau, killing too many is ultimately discouraged. This time, you’ve used up everyone’s quota for the entire month.” The middle-aged jailer spoke with a wry smile. “But there’s no need to rush. Many criminals are apprehended and brought in every month to replenish our ranks. Our unspoken understanding is that we can deal with roughly the same number of existing prisoners as new ones are brought in.”

As he spoke, the middle-aged jailer pushed open the cell door. As they exited, Xu Qing glanced at the spot where he had placed his storage bag earlier. The surrounding jailers cleared their throats, exchanged glances, and each produced some spirit stones, handing them to the middle-aged jailer. The middle-aged jailer sighed as he accepted them.

“I finally got to usher in a new recruit, and I thought I could make a fortune, but who would have thought…” He shook his head, distributing the spirit stones to three or five of the jailers. These jailers chuckled as they accepted them; they were the ones who had bet on Xu Qing’s success.

The middle-aged cultivator then kept a portion of the remaining spirit stones and gave the rest to Xu Qing based on a predetermined odds. Xu Qing’s earlier assessment had been correct: these individuals were following him for the sake of gambling. Most of them had bet that Xu Qing wouldn’t last long, with the middle-aged jailer acting as the bookmaker. Although some had bet on Xu Qing’s success and profited, Xu Qing himself received a considerable sum. After all, his odds had been very high. Holding the spirit stones, Xu Qing felt content.

The other jailers, each having cells to guard, clasped their fists and departed. Afterward, the middle-aged jailer took Xu Qing to the registration office. On the way, his demeanor was entirely different from before.

“Brother Xu Qing, I typically guard the thirty-fifth floor. If you have any questions in the future, feel free to find me. Now, I’ll take you to register, get your cell assignment, pick up your jailer’s robe, and record your aura. This way, you can enter independently when you come for duty.”

Xu Qing nodded. As they proceeded, he passed numerous cells, occasionally letting his gaze linger, a slight regret stirring within him. The middle-aged jailer noticed his expression and chuckled.

“Actually, there’s another option: if you can subdue District D-1 on the eighty-eighth floor, you’ll then be eligible for promotion to a District C jailer.” This time, his smile was not forced, but genuine. “As a District C jailer, you’ll have no restrictions on dealing with prisoners, and you’ll earn more military merits.”

“Below the eighty-ninth floor?” Xu Qing inquired, recalling the mention of District C earlier.

“Precisely. The Penal Bureau is divided into four zones: A, B, C, and D. Everything above the eighty-ninth floor belongs to District D. Below the eighty-ninth floor is District C. As for District B and District A, those are beyond our knowledge. In fact, District C itself is quite mysterious; I’ve never been there and don’t know how many floors it encompasses. All I know is that the weakest cultivators imprisoned there are at the Nascent Soul stage, and their brutality far surpasses anything in District D.”

As he spoke, the middle-aged jailer led Xu Qing to the registration office on the ninth floor. There, Xu Qing received the Penal Bureau’s black flame daoist robe and had his aura recorded. His assigned cell was also arranged.

“District D-132.” Upon seeing Xu Qing’s assigned cell, the middle-aged jailer appeared surprised and gave him a few extra glances.

Puzzled, Xu Qing looked at him and asked, “Is there a problem?”

“District D-132… well, it’s both incredibly auspicious and incredibly ominous. It’s on the fifty-seventh floor.” The middle-aged jailer shook his head, his gaze on Xu Qing complex.

Xu Qing frowned.

“It has nothing to do with the prisoners themselves, although the inmates there are indeed more malevolent than those in other districts, it’s still District D. It’s considered ominous because more than half of its previous guards met mysterious and unfortunate ends outside the prison walls, which is rather inauspicious. However, not all previous guards died; some were perfectly fine. It’s considered highly auspicious because our Palace Master, when he was at the Golden Core cultivation level, was once the guard of District D-132. And District D-132 hasn’t had a new guard for nearly a century.” Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed, and this piece of information immediately piqued his interest.

He then retrieved the jade slip containing the prisoner data for District D-132 that had been given to him and quickly scanned it with his divine sense. District D-132 held only fourteen prisoners, all of whom had been incarcerated for over five hundred years, some even for a millennium. During this time, no new prisoners had been admitted, nor had any of the existing ones died. However, due to the absence of a guard for the past century, they had no opportunity to leave their cells. For a hundred years, they had remained confined, receiving only a trickle of spiritual energy at fixed intervals to sustain their basic existence. Xu Qing studied the information extensively, until dawn, but couldn’t discern anything particularly unusual. If there was any anomaly, it was that the prisoners in District D-132 lived longer than those in other districts. Pondering this, Xu Qing decided to investigate personally.

Therefore, after dawn, he went to the Penal Bureau, directly to the fifty-seventh floor, and stood before the main door of the District D-132 cell. The dark greenish-black prison door exuded an aura of antiquity and weariness. Xu Qing stood silently for a moment, determination gleaming in his eyes. He raised his hand and slowly pushed open the cell door, a door that had remained sealed for a century…

A decaying scent wafted out from the slowly widening gap in the door, permeating the surroundings. Simultaneously, many jailers on other floors leaned over the stairwells, their gazes fixed on Xu Qing’s location.

“District D-132, it’s open again.”

*Tomorrow's updates will be suspended.*