The stench of blood and gunpowder smoke from the ashes of Hong Tu Coc still lingered in the freezing night air.
Qin Yan stood silently amid the ruins, utterly unconcerned by the dried blood caking his armor. A terrifying silence blanketed the space that had just witnessed a massacre. The weak malignant spirits that had survived had fled long ago, leaving him alone to face the gloomy expanse of the Imperial Capital.
He raised his right hand and opened the interface of the Yin-Yang Judge System in his mind.
[Current Judge Points: 5,650 points.]
As he watched the dazzling number flicker, the corner of Qin Yan's mouth curled upward. The life-or-death battle at Hong Tu Coc had not only helped him wipe out a disguised demon lair, but had also provided a massive trove of resources to increase his strength. In this brutal, rotten world, power was the only true measure of status and order.
He skimmed through the exchange catalog and stopped at the weapon he had just obtained: [Soul-Locking Bone Chain (Soul-Locking Shackles)]—a Mystic-grade Suppression Weapon.
According to the inherited memories transmitted by the system, this was a type of iron chain forged from the bones of the most heinous criminals after a thousand years of refinement. It was specifically used to bind and seal souls and suppress the spiritual cores of evil demons and heterodox forces.
*Shing.*
With a thought, a length of ash-gray chain radiating bone-chilling cold appeared in Qin Yan's palm. Its links were carved with countless ancient runes, as if imprisoning ten thousand anguished cries within. When he gave it a casual flick, the chain twisted like a spirit serpent, wrapped tightly around a pillar, and gave a slight squeeze. The thick wooden pillar was instantly severed, crumbling apart like rotten mud.
“Now that's a good weapon.” Qin Yan drew the bone chain back into his brow, satisfaction flashing in his eyes.
However, time did not allow him to bask in the joy of victory. Hong Tu Coc had been reduced to a wasteland, and a Hundred-Household Commander of the Nightwalker Bureau had died horribly at the scene. There was no way to keep news of such a shock hidden for long. By tomorrow morning, when people from headquarters or nearby branch offices discovered what had happened, the entire Imperial Capital would be shaken.
He had to leave before the Nightwalker Bureau's countless troops sealed off the area.
That night, Qin Yan did not return directly to the East City branch office. Instead, he used [Painted-Skin Illusion Garment]—the invisibility cloak he had obtained from the Painted-Skin Demon—to disguise himself as a wandering merchant. He slipped past several layers of patrols formed by the imperial soldiers and quietly made his way back to the ramshackle tenement district beside the city wall, where the original owner had once lived.
Inside the cramped room, the dim candlelight cast his solitary silhouette against the wall.
Qin Yan stripped off his blood-soaked leather armor and soaked himself in a tub of cold water, washing the countless wounds covering his body. The cold water stung his skin, but his mind had never been clearer.
The death of Hundred-Household Commander Zhao did not mean the danger had ended. On the contrary, all he had done was kick away a tiny pawn on the outermost layer. The one who had ordered Hundred-Household Commander Zhao around—the figure known as the “High Priest”—was the real final boss. What was more, the sudden death of a Hundred-Household Commander would certainly draw the attention of Nightwalker Bureau headquarters. They might even send higher-level experts down to investigate. If they traced clues connecting him to the battle at Hong Tu Coc or the abandoned shrine, he would find himself besieged on all sides.
*I need to grind levels and become even stronger before the real storm hits.*
Qin Yan closed his eyes and connected more deeply with the system.
[The number of Judge Points has reached a major breakthrough threshold. Host, would you like to spend 3,000 points to break through from “Trainee Judge” to “Official Netherworld Judge”?]
“Break through!” Qin Yan answered without the slightest hesitation.
*Boom!*
A muffled explosion rang out inside Qin Yan's mind-sea. His enormous reserve of Judge Points evaporated, transforming into a surging stream of pure energy that poured into his dantian and meridians throughout his body.
The pain tearing through his body was ten times more intense than before. Sweat poured from him, soaking the front of his clothes. Qin Yan clenched his teeth so hard that they drew blood, both hands gripping the edge of the wooden table until deep cracks appeared in it.
But in exchange, a transformative change took place.
Every fiber of his muscles and every drop of blood in his body was reforged by pure yin energy. The wound on his left shoulder closed completely, leaving behind a firm layer of new skin. The cold, solemn true qi radiating from his body made the candle flame tremble, nearly snuffing it out.
[Breakthrough successful! The host has officially become: Netherworld Judge (Rank: Ninth Grade).] [New active skill unlocked: [Issue an Enforcement Order]—Allows the user to invoke the authority of a Judge to suppress the soul and will of targets at a lower level.] [New passive skill unlocked: [Netherworld Golden Body (Beginner)]—Increases the body's resilience and resistance to malignant energy and toxins.]
Qin Yan slowly opened his eyes. In the darkness, a razor-cold streak of golden light flashed through them before subsiding, leaving behind their usual depth and stillness.
He clenched his fist, feeling the surging power spread through every fiber of his flesh. Compared to when he had first been reborn as an injured Black-Clad Envoy, weak and helpless at the bottom of society, he now had enough capital to protect himself in this fantastical world crawling with demons and monsters.
*Knock... knock... knock...*
Just then, three rhythmic yet urgent knocks sounded from the other side of the battered wooden door.
Qin Yan withdrew his aura, and his gaze turned cold. He glanced outside. The third watch had just begun. Who would come all the way to this tumbledown hovel of his at an hour like this?
“Who is it?” Qin Yan asked in a low voice, his right hand secretly gripping the hilt of the [Soul-Severing Blade] hidden beneath his pillow.
A hoarse, soft voice came from outside the door, yet one he knew extremely well:
“Brother Qin... are you in there? It's me, Little Third from the Dong Thanh branch office. Open the door—something terrible has happened!”