Chapter 310 : Demon-Suppressing Tower
Chapter 310: Demon-Suppressing Tower
After Chen Ming resolved the “Celestial Master” who had been possessed by the Divine Soul Fragment of the Undying Demon Venerable, Heaven's Punishment Hall gradually returned from its violent state to calm.
Only then did he finally have the opportunity to carefully examine this legendary Heaven's Punishment Hall.
Through the Purple Mansion Secret Volume in his hand, he learned about the permissions he possessed.
To be precise, he could not yet be considered the true Master of Heaven's Punishment Hall. At most, he only possessed a portion of its authority.
The first reason was insufficient strength.
He had just broken through to the Yang Spirit Realm. At present, he could only control a small portion of the power of Heaven's Punishment Hall. When he was inside the hall, his strength would receive tremendous amplification.
Roughly speaking, it was equivalent to a Yang Spirit who had survived two Lightning Tribulations.
However, once he left Heaven's Punishment Hall, he would no longer be able to borrow its power.
The second reason was the lack of Merit Points.
If he wanted to obtain higher authority, there was another method—hunting demons, monsters, and ghost entities.
By killing these creatures that threatened the Human Race, he could gain corresponding Merit Points.
With enough Merit Points, not only could he gain higher permissions, but he could also exchange them for rewards in the Tower of Merits.
Within the Tower of Merits were divine weapons, powerful magical artifacts, spells, heavenly materials and earthly treasures, and much more.
After Chen Ming figured out the basic rules of Heaven's Punishment Hall, he found it quite interesting. The creator of this hall had actually designed such a reward system. It had to be said—it was extremely pragmatic.
Once someone reached the Yang Spirit Realm, they would understand their destiny. Simply using slogans about duty and responsibility was unlikely to motivate Yang Spirit experts to actively risk their lives fighting demons and monsters.
Every time they made a move, what they consumed was their lifespan.
The treasures within the Tower of Merits were precisely the driving force that compelled Yang Spirit experts to fight desperately.
After all, once someone reached the Yang Spirit Realm, further cultivation would become extremely slow. Over the tens of thousands of years, most treasures capable of increasing a Yang Spirit cultivator’s power had already become extinct.
Relying solely on self-cultivation was far too slow.
Even worse, once a Yang Spirit grew powerful enough, it would attract Lightning Tribulations. The second Lightning Tribulation was dozens of times stronger than the first.
Even someone who had cultivated the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder could not guarantee passing every Lightning Tribulation with absolute certainty.
Within the Tower of Merits, there were not only heavenly materials capable of increasing cultivation, but also magical artifacts that could resist Lightning Tribulations.
For the Celestial Masters, this provided sufficient motivation to hunt demons and monsters.
Chen Ming raised his hand and summoned over the Daoist robe left behind after the Celestial Master’s death.
This robe was no ordinary item. It was the Celestial Master Robe, a symbol of the Celestial Master.
Using the Controlling Artifact Art, he instantly grasped the robe’s functions and usage.
Its defensive power even surpassed the Formless Treasure Garment and could withstand attacks from experts of the Divine Repository Realm.
It also came with an innate spell—Lightning Escape Technique.
“As expected of the supreme treasure of the Celestial Master Residence.”
Chen Ming praised it as he put on the robe. Immediately, he felt a strong sense of security.
“Lightning Escape Technique!”
He activated the spell embedded within the robe. His figure flickered and instantly appeared dozens of meters away.
His expression lit up with excitement.
“It’s far faster than Phoenix Dances Across the Nine Heavens!”
Although it consumed quite a bit of magical power, he could still afford the cost for short-distance movement.
With this robe, his combat strength increased by another fifty percent.
Chen Ming then said to the Purple Mansion Secret Volume in his hand,
“Send me to the Demon-Suppressing Tower.”
The jade volume flashed with purple light, and he disappeared from the spot.
…
When Chen Ming opened his eyes again, he found himself inside a massive independent space.
He stood atop a high platform.
Beyond the platform stretched a vast desert. From somewhere unknown, a dark crimson glow illuminated the surroundings, creating an extremely oppressive atmosphere.
This place was the legendary Demon-Suppressing Tower.
The Demon-Suppressing Tower was located inside Heaven's Punishment Hall. This was the exit point connecting the Demon Domain, the Monster Realm, and Hell. Countless demons, monsters, and ghost entities were hidden here.
The duty of the Celestial Master Residence was to periodically eliminate these creatures.
It was said that the Demon-Suppressing Tower had a total of nine levels. If any demon or monster managed to break through to the ninth level, it could escape this place and enter the human world.
This was the ninth level.
The platform Chen Ming stood upon was the passage leading to the human world.
“Finally, someone has come again.”
Suddenly, a sharp voice entered his ears.
Chen Ming’s heart tightened as he turned toward the direction of the voice.
At the very center stood a majestic statue of the Hao Emperor.
The Hao Emperor was one of the Five Emperors of ancient times. According to legend, he had suppressed the Monster Realm and established immeasurable merit.
Beside the statue of the Hao Emperor lay a small green snake coiled on the ground.
Its body looked like emerald jade—crystal clear and translucent.
The voice had come from this little snake.
“So you are the new Master of Heaven's Punishment Hall? Your strength is far too weak. Heaven's Punishment Hall is truly declining with each generation.”
The little green snake’s tone carried obvious mockery.
A snake demon that could speak.
Chen Ming’s heart tightened.
A being like this must have at least condensed a Demon Core, only one step away from transforming into human form. That was equivalent to the peak of the Divine Repository Realm for humans.
The Icefire Phoenix he encountered earlier on Elysium Island had been at this level.
Even though Chen Ming had now reached the Yang Spirit Realm, he would certainly not be its opponent. The gap between their realms was simply too large.
However, Chen Ming did not fear it.
Inside the Demon-Suppressing Tower, demons and monsters were naturally suppressed.
At this moment, the little green snake was completely immobilized by the suppression. Otherwise, it would have already rushed over, killed him, and escaped from the tower.
Chen Ming said,
“Greetings, Senior. May I ask how I should address you?”
“I didn’t hear that wrong, did I? You called me Senior?”
The little green snake was stunned for a moment before bursting into loud laughter.
“Hahaha… Human boy, I have lived for so many years, and you are the first Master of Heaven's Punishment Hall who has called me Senior. Interesting. Truly damn interesting…”
Chen Ming waited for it to finish laughing before speaking again.
“Although we belong to different races, since we can communicate, we are both intelligent beings. Addressing you as Senior is only proper.”
“Intelligent beings?”
The little green snake seemed amused.
“Interesting. As the Master of Heaven's Punishment Hall, you actually say such things—placing the Demonkind and the Human Race on equal footing. You truly are an oddity.”
“Since Senior managed to reach the ninth level, your origins must be extraordinary.”
“If you are so curious, I might as well tell you.”
“You may call me the Azure Emperor.”
“That is quite a bold title.”
One had to know that the title “Emperor” was not something anyone could casually claim.
In ancient times, only those who possessed the strength of the Path Assimilation Realm and had achieved great accomplishments could be honored with the titles of Emperor or Sovereign.
The same applied within the Demonkind. A Demon Emperor was the ruler of all demons.
Throughout history, the few Demon Emperors had been dragons, phoenixes, white tigers, black tortoises, and other divine beasts. At the very least they were beings like Nine-Tailed Foxes.
There had never been a snake Demon Emperor.
This little green snake had clearly reached the ninth level and its cultivation must be extremely terrifying. But claiming to be a Demon Emperor was clearly exaggerated nonsense.
If it truly were an Emperor-level being, how could it possibly be trapped inside the Demon-Suppressing Tower?
The little green snake said,
“It’s only a name. Human boy, you dare to come here—truly ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth. With your strength, you probably couldn’t even defeat a demon that has just formed its Demon Core. If your luck is bad and you encounter a Ghost King, it will swallow your Yang Spirit directly. Then you will never reincarnate again.”
“Thank you for your concern, Senior. Since I dared to come here, I naturally have means to protect myself. Farewell.”
Chen Ming did not waste any more words.
Using the power of the Purple Mansion Secret Volume, he directly teleported to the first level.
…
When Chen Ming opened his eyes again, he found himself inside an old Daoist temple.
The temple was not very large, and it also worshiped the ancient Hao Emperor.
“Who goes there?”
A vigilant voice suddenly sounded.
Chen Ming looked up and saw a white-haired old Daoist walking out from the back hall.
When the old Daoist saw the Celestial Master Robe Chen Ming wore and the Purple Mansion Secret Volume in his hand, his expression changed immediately.
He quickly bowed.
“Yuwuzi greets the Hall Master!”
Both the Purple Mansion Secret Volume and the Celestial Master Robe were symbols of the Celestial Master.
And throughout history, every Celestial Master had also been the Master of Heaven's Punishment Hall.
When Chen Ming saw this old man, he was startled.
With his eyesight, he could not see through the old Daoist’s true cultivation.
He was at least a Yang Spirit.
Chen Ming slightly raised his hand in response.
“Senior Brother, there is no need for such formality.”
He was not a disciple of the Celestial Master Residence, so there was no need to follow their generation hierarchy. Since both were Yang Spirit cultivators, calling him Senior Brother was sufficient.
After Yuwuzi stood up, Chen Ming asked,
“Senior Brother, have you been guarding the Demon-Suppressing Tower all this time?”
Yuwuzi replied,
“Reporting to Hall Master, this subordinate has guarded this place for ten years.”
“To be honest, the previous Hall Master died unexpectedly, and I inherited the position in haste. Therefore I know almost nothing about the situation inside the Demon-Suppressing Tower. I will have to trouble Senior Brother for guidance.”
Yuwuzi thought to himself that this explained everything.
He did not doubt Chen Ming. Holding the Purple Mansion Secret Volume and wearing the Celestial Master Robe, he must unquestionably be the successor of the Celestial Master Residence.
“Hall Master may ask whatever you wish. This subordinate will tell everything I know.”
“Tell me about the situation on the first level.”
When speaking of this matter, Yuwuzi’s expression grew somewhat grave.
“The situation is not very good. The previous Hall Master had not cleared the first level for a long time. Now the number of demons and monsters inside the tower has grown increasingly large.”
“More worrying still is that these demons seem to have formed some kind of consensus. Some powerful beings no longer force their way upward. Instead, each occupies a territory. Judging from their actions, they intend to turn the entire first level into a paradise for demons.”
“This subordinate goes out every day to eliminate demons, but alone I am too weak. Killing one or two makes little difference. Now the demon nests have nearly expanded to the gates of the Celestial Master Temple.”
“Once the first level is completely occupied, they will certainly attack the second level. They plan to gradually devour the entire Demon-Suppressing Tower this way.”
After hearing this, Chen Ming also felt the situation was troublesome.
There were clever individuals among the demons as well. They had actually devised such a strategy.
Given enough time, they might truly succeed in breaking out of the tower. When that happened, it would become a great catastrophe for the human world.
He asked,
“Are you the only one on this level?”
Yuwuzi replied,
“There used to be three of us. Five years ago, Senior Brother Yucangzi died at the hands of that Demon King. Junior Brother Yulingzi then retreated to guard the second level.”
Chen Ming asked,
“Does each level of the Demon-Suppressing Tower have someone guarding it?”
“Only the first five levels.”
In other words, the Celestial Master Residence had at least five Yang Spirit experts.
Truly worthy of being the greatest cultivation sect in the world today. Their foundation was incredibly deep.
Chen Ming said,
“Senior Brother’s steadfast guard here and loyal dedication are admirable.”
“Hall Master praises me too much. I simply wish to earn more Merit Points. My second Lightning Tribulation is approaching. I must exchange for a powerful magical artifact if I wish to survive it safely.”
So that was the case.
This Yuwuzi was quite honest.
Chen Ming said,
“I plan to go out and take a look.”
“Hall Master must be careful.”
…
The Celestial Master Temple functioned like a safe zone.
Inside it, there was no need to worry about attacks from demons or monsters.
As soon as Chen Ming stepped outside the temple gates, he felt dozens of malicious gazes locking onto him.
The outside world was extremely dim.
The sky and earth were covered in a gray haze, making it difficult to see clearly.
In the darkness, only pairs of blood-red eyes could be seen.
“Demonic Creatures.”
Chen Ming had already guessed what lurked in the darkness.
These legendary demonic creatures could corrupt human hearts, drawing out the darkest desires buried deep within. They could cause people to lose their sanity and fall into demonic corruption.
Back when the Demon Realm invaded the human world, it had triggered a massive catastrophe. Only when the Hao Emperor appeared and swept across the world with unparalleled power—suppressing the Demon Realm—did the disaster finally end.
Chen Ming did not hesitate.
He raised his hand and unleashed the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder.
A massive bolt of lightning tore through the darkness, illuminating every hidden demonic creature.
Boom!
The lightning transformed into a web of electricity that engulfed dozens of demonic creatures.
【You killed a Level 90 Demonic Creature. You gained 50,000 Experience Points.】
【You killed a Level 80 Demonic Creature. You gained 10,000 Experience Points.】
【…】
A stream of notifications flashed before his eyes.
Chen Ming did not bother to examine them closely.
After reaching the Yang Spirit Realm, the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder finally revealed its true power as a monster-clearing divine technique.
With a casual strike, he wiped out dozens of minor enemies.
Of course, this was also because this lightning technique was the natural nemesis of demonic creatures.
Watching his Experience Points surge rapidly, Chen Ming felt extremely satisfied.
This really was an excellent place to farm Experience Points.
…
Not far away, at the entrance of the Celestial Master Temple, Yuwuzi saw the dazzling lightning and looked pleasantly surprised.
“So it’s the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder!”
The Nine Heavens Divine Thunder was the highest inheritance of the Celestial Master Residence and the most powerful spell they possessed. Very few people could cultivate it successfully.
Even Yang Spirit cultivators feared heavenly lightning.
This divine thunder technique was overwhelmingly powerful. The first prerequisite was that one’s Yang Spirit had to be able to withstand the force of the thunder itself.
If one was careless, they could injure themselves.
Therefore, throughout history, very few Masters of Heaven's Punishment Hall had successfully mastered this technique.
But once cultivated successfully, the benefits were enormous.
When facing Lightning Tribulations, there would be at least a seventy to eighty percent chance of survival.
More importantly, this thunder technique was the nemesis of demons.
If it were him facing those dozens of demonic creatures, eliminating them all would require immense effort. And before he could finish them, Demon King–level creatures would likely appear.
How could it possibly be as efficient as the Hall Master—wiping them all out with a single thunder spell?
With such efficiency, it might truly be possible to clear the first level of demonic creatures.
Just as Yuwuzi was feeling delighted, a sudden chill ran through his heart.
His face changed drastically.
“Not good… that Demon King…”
Whoosh!
In an instant, Chen Ming appeared beside him, his body wrapped in lightning.
It was the Lightning Escape Technique.
“Run.”
Without another word, the two of them rushed back into the Celestial Master Temple.
Bang!
The door slammed shut.