At the founding of the nation, the first Emperor established the country with his iron cavalry. However, during the "Guiyou Demon Tide", he was shocked to realize that mortal weapons could not match the ever-changing demon tribes. A thousand-year-old demon claiming to be the Nine Hells Demon King led a beast horde that broke through three northern borders, with the vanguard directly threatening the capital. The imperial court suffered devastating casualties before barely repelling the attack. After the war, a wandering border sorcerer presented his handwritten "Introductory Analysis of Demon Suppression Talismans" and proposed the astonishing strategy of "using demons to control demons." The Emperor summoned him overnight for a secret three-day meeting. Following this, an imperial decree was issued to establish a demon-slaying agency directly under the Emperor's command at the "Evil-Suppressing Land" on a branch of the dragon vein in the northeast of the capital—the Demon Suppression Bureau (Zhenyao Si). That sorcerer, Yuan Tianfu, became its first Grand Commander.
Using the wealth of the nation, Yuan Tianfu took seven years to build the Demon Sealing Hall. Buried beneath its foundation are the bones of the Nine-Headed Demon King personally slain by the founding Emperor, symbolizing "suppressing our land with the bones of our enemies." The pair of stone Xiezhi (mythical justice beasts) statues at the hall's entrance are not dead objects, but living sentinels infused with the souls of submitted Xiezhi. They can distinguish loyalty from treachery, emitting a low warning growl if anyone with malicious intent steps onto the stairs. The underground of the Demon Sealing Hall is even more massive than the surface, featuring an impenetrable five-layer dark iron talisman dungeon. The deepest "Lightless Room" isolates all light and spiritual energy, specifically for imprisoning heavy offenders who refuse amnesty, rendering demons completely unable to gather their demonic power.
The greatest innovation of the Demon Suppression Bureau is the Blood Pact Amnesty System. Captured demons willing to submit can seal a wisp of their soul into a "Soul Talisman," from then on serving agents in battle to exchange service for reduced sentences. The first to sign were five shadow rat spies who stole the imperial seal; they were spared execution after revealing the demon intelligence network. Yuan Tianfu personally drew their Soul Talismans and granted them to his five disciples—who were later known as the "Five First-Generation Talisman Generals." Over the next century, successive Grand Commanders continuously perfected talisman arts and gunnery. The number of submitted demons registered in the Demon Suppression Codex exceeded three thousand, seven basic talismans became standard equipment, and the Demon Subduing Gunnery allowed even mortals to fight demons. During its peak, even the Sect Leader of Shushan had to unequip his sword at the entrance of the Demon Sealing Hall.
However, power inevitably bred corruption. Some high-ranking officials began secretly selling Soul Talismans; wealthy nobles flaunted Frost Fox talismans as status symbols without ever stepping onto a battlefield, and ambitious generals hoarded combat talismans to extort the court. Even darker, rumors said the eighth Grand Commander, Helian Xiao, hid a forbidden contract called the "Black Talisman" concerning an ancient evil entity that even Shushan refused to mention. These accumulated abuses finally detonated during the "Soul Talisman Rebellion" thirty years ago—a group of long-abused amnestied demons collectively tore up their blood pacts, destroying the top three dungeon layers and killing 67 agents. Subsequent investigations revealed high-level power abuses, infuriating the imperial court, which drastically cut their budget and transferred some powers to Shushan. The Demon Suppression Bureau declined from then on.
Today, the eleventh Grand Commander, Pei Shih-Hsiung, is cleaning up the mess with an iron fist, rebuilding the Demon Sealing Hall and purging corruption. Yet, the court's trust has never fully recovered; regional branch halls have been successively abolished, leaving only the capital headquarters barely maintaining its dignity. The relationship with Shushan is full of hidden undercurrents: nominally, the Bureau arrests and conducts preliminary trials, while Shushan's Demon Suppression Tower handles ultimate sealing. In reality, Shushan often bypasses the Bureau to deal with demons, viewing it as a dispensable government office. Consequently, the Bureau is split into two factions—the "Expansionist Faction" led by Deputy General Han Yueh advocates strengthening military armament to wrestle demon-slaying dominance from Shushan; the "Intelligence Faction" led by Codex Keeper Su Yen-Ching believes they must hold fast to the Demon Suppression Codex as their irreplaceable intelligence trump card. Pei Shih-Hsiung walks a tightrope between the two, fighting the court's power reductions while preventing internal tearing.
Recently, the northern demon tribes have shown anomalous movements again, and the folk cult Liansheng Sect has smeared the Bureau as "Demon Servants." Amidst these internal and external crises, a new batch of recruits steps through the doors of the Demon Sealing Hall. They will be handed the yellowed Secret Demon Suppression Scrolls—the four great chapters penned by Yuan Tianfu and supplemented over generations, the starting point for anyone wishing to become a Talisman Scholar. Because what the Demon Suppression Bureau truly demands is not talent, but a profound faith in "Order."
A gray-black stone yamen located in the northeast corner of the capital. In front of the door stand two stone Xiezhi holding swords in their mouths, beneath the imperially bestowed "Demon Sealing Hall" plaque. The entire building itself is a massive talisman array, capable of initiating the "Hall Lockdown Array" to seal the premises completely in emergencies.
All Apprentice Talisman Scholars must study this internal text for three years. It is divided into four main chapters:
Those who fail the Secret Scroll assessment are forbidden from touching talisman materials, firearms, and Soul Talismans.
🔫 Spear/Gun: Demon Subduing Gunnery
Uses a specially crafted matchlock gun engraved with cinnabar runes, with the inside of the barrel lined with microscopic talismans. Upon firing, the talisman effect on the bullet resonates with the barrel, unleashing power far exceeding ordinary firearms. The core technique is "Talisman-Bullet Synchronization"—using mental connection at the exact moment of pulling the trigger to ensure the talisman activates upon impact. Advanced practitioners can master "Flick-Shooting Talismans," directly flicking a paper talisman out of the muzzle propelled by gunpowder. This gunnery is highly lethal at range but extremely fragile in close combat, requiring coordination with movement skills and summoned beasts to maintain distance.
👆 Finger Technique: Spirit Finger
Initially just an auxiliary gesture to activate talismans—gathering a tiny amount of inner energy (qi) at the fingertip to lightly touch the talisman paper. In real combat, countless agents, unable to draw talismans in time during close-quarters struggles, were forced to thrust fingers coated with residual talisman ink into demon weak points, discovering an unexpectedly lethal effect. Since then, the Spirit Finger evolved into an independent martial art combining tactics and assassination. Practitioners refine talisman ink into their fingertip acupoints, making the finger itself act like a living talisman.
💨 Movement Skill: Paper Kite Step
Distributes inner energy evenly across the limbs, making the body as light as talisman paper, capable of gliding with the wind and moving ethereally, like a kite with a broken string. It allows for silent descents from heights and abrupt mid-air turns. This movement skill does not pursue straight-line speed but excels in unpredictable directional changes, making it difficult for enemies to lock onto the user's position.
🧘 Inner Cultivation: Cinnabar Heart Sutra
Does not emphasize physical conditioning, focusing exclusively on spiritual and talisman ink power. Practitioners daily soak their meridians in a "Cinnabar Soup" mixed from cinnabar and their own essence blood, infusing their inner energy with talismanic properties. Over long-term cultivation, talisman power increases, summoned beasts last longer, and one can faintly perceive demonic energy. The price is that their meridians gradually seep a dark red ink color, spreading upwards from the wrists. Grand Commander Pei Shih-Hsiung's hands are already pitch black, with only a tiny spot of cinnabar red left on his fingertips. Though the physical body remains fragile, the mental pressure alone is enough to intimidate low-tier demons.
Using a mixture of cinnabar and demon beast spiritual blood as ink, guided by the mind, inner energy and magical power are poured into the brush tip to carve the laws of heaven and earth onto talisman paper. Every stroke is an imprint of will upon order—there is no room for the slightest error between horizontal and vertical lines. When finishing a stroke, the spiritual power must be instantly sealed using the inner strength of the Cinnabar Heart Sutra. With a faint flash of light on the paper, a dormant command is born. Masters can draw talismans on the spot within a few breaths, or even dip their fingers in ink to write directly on walls or weapons during a fierce battle. The true essence of the Cinnabar Script Formula lies not in speed, but in the absolute precision of "One talisman, one command"—the mind must clearly visualize the scene of the talisman triggering as the brush touches the paper. If the will hesitates slightly, the runes will remain dull and lifeless. A century-old proverb of the Demon Suppression Bureau says: "One piece of talisman paper takes half a lifetime of effort."
Written personally by the first Grand Commander Yuan Tianfu and supplemented and revised by successive Codex Keepers, the "Secret Demon Suppression Scroll" is the foundational text for all skills in the Demon Suppression Bureau. The entire scroll is divided into four chapters: Talisman Arts, Demonology, Blood Pacts, and Gunnery. It is written in cinnabar ink on specially crafted demon-skin paper, the pages yellowed but untouched by moths over a millennium. The scroll itself is also a magical artifact—when flipped open by unauthorized persons, the runes within hide themselves, leaving only blank pages.
"Iron Wall Commander" Pei Shih-Hsiung
Rank: Level 10 Grand Commander
Having overseen the Demon Suppression Bureau for forty years, he was once the "Iron Wall" that terrified the northern borders. Now, his temples are frosted white, and his hands are as black as coal due to the Cinnabar Heart Sutra, save for a smear of cinnabar red on his fingertips. He personally cleaned up the mess after the Soul Talisman Rebellion and knows deeply that should he fall, the Bureau is highly likely to be dismembered by the court or swallowed by Shushan. He strictly suppresses internal corruption and secretly cultivates a younger generation free from the control of any faction. His greatest fear is watching his life's work become a mere bargaining chip for power.
"White-Clad Codex Keeper" Su Yen-Ching
Rank: Level 9 Codex Keeper
The only female Codex Keeper in the past century. Pale-faced and perpetually dressed in white, it is said the candles in the Codex Pavilion never extinguish. She thoroughly read the four chapters of the Secret Scroll at age fourteen and knows demon habits and Soul Talisman contracts by heart. She never fights on the front lines personally, yet she uses intelligence to leave targets nowhere to hide. Rumors say she keeps a separate "Private Codex" documenting ironclad evidence of collusion between high court officials and demons.
"Demon Sealing Barbarian" Chiang Po-Chen
Rank: Level 6 Hall Warden
Raised underground in the Demon Sealing Hall. Adopted by jailers after his father died in the line of duty, he learned to speak amidst the howls of demons. He has a burly physique and speaks crudely, earning the nickname "Chiang the Barbarian." He doesn't rely on torture for interrogations; instead, he reads minds by observing changes in demon pupils and the tremors of their scales.
"Frost Fox Boy" Pai Shuang
Rank: Level 5 Demon Suppression Captain
A taciturn eighteen-year-old boy. The claw marks running from his left eyebrow to the corner of his mouth were left by a Frost Fox when he was sixteen. After miraculously surviving, he voluntarily requested that the Soul Talisman of that very three-tailed white fox be issued to him. Since then, they have been inseparable—the white fox circles him in battle and curls at his feet while resting. Pei Shih-Hsiung observes him secretly, believing he might represent the future of the Demon Suppression Bureau: demons are not merely weapons, but partners.
"Soaring Eagle Deputy General" Han Yueh
Rank: Level 8 Demon Suppression Deputy General
Born into a military family, with handsome features and articulate speech, he is the Bureau's foremost negotiator, frequently attending banquets of the Six Ministries and the Ministry of War. He believes the Demon Suppression Bureau should break free from piles of talisman paper to become the empire's regular demon-slaying army, perhaps even replacing Shushan. Han Yueh firmly believes that one day, the authority over demon-slaying for the entire empire will rest solely in his hands.
With the Shushan Sect: Nominally a clear division of labor—the Bureau arrests and offers amnesty, while Shushan's Demon Suppression Tower executes the ultimate seal. However, Shushan views Blood Pacts as a compromise with the righteous path, while the Bureau resents Shushan overstepping its bounds to slay demons. Frictions over local cases are constant, and they covertly compete, making their relationship increasingly tense.
With Liaoyuan Spear Fort: On the northern border, the Bureau's Demon Patrol Camp and the Liaoyuan Spear Fort support each other. The Spear Fort provides military intelligence and gunpowder supplies, while the Bureau assists border defense with talismans and amnestied demons. Although they have a tacit understanding, the generals of the Spear Fort always remain vigilant against their demon reinforcements.
With the Six Ministries of the Court: The Demon Suppression Bureau answers directly to the Emperor and is not governed by the Six Ministries, thus frequently facing difficulties from the Ministry of War and Ministry of Revenue. To the low-ranking agents, the Golden Throne Room feels more like a true demon lair than the Demon Sealing Hall itself.