At dusk, the dim yellow daylight cast a hue over the buildings and streets of Tianan City.
Atop a twelve-story pavilion located in the East City, a middle-aged man stood by the window with his hands behind his back, gazing seriously at the mountains outside Tianan City.
This man was the Deputy Commander of the Xing Tian Division, named “Yue Xuanming.” He was currently at the Nascent Soul stage, second only to the Pavilion Master of the Xing Tian Division, making him the de facto head of the division.
Behind him, a disciple of the Xing Tian Division, dressed in golden Daoist robes, was reporting to him while holding a Jade Slip.
“Jiang He went to Yuanquan Town on official business and was attacked by someone known as the ‘Immortal Thief.’ He unfortunately perished. Subsequently, Xing Tian Division Constable Liang Zhu designed a trap and apprehended the Immortal Thief. Simultaneously, this Immortal Thief attacked the Xuan Xing Sect Young Master at Jade Pass, stealing Young Master Xiao’s Spirit Sword and several Talismans. These two cases can be concluded together.”
“Immortal Thief…” Yue Xuanming murmured, turning around. “Wasn’t the Heavenly Sword Sect also robbed by her before?”
“Yes. The Immortal Thief has been rampant outside for decades without being caught once. This time, she has fallen into the hands of the Xing Tian Division, and multiple cases will be concluded. We may need to wait for personnel from the criminal divisions of the Southwest regions to come before her sentence can be determined.”
“Heh heh… A Core Formation stage cultivator who has been rampaging outside for over thirty years was captured by someone at the Late Foundation Establishment stage? This matter is quite suspicious. The doubts surrounding this case are truly too great.”
“Then, what is Lord Yue’s intention? Is Liang Zhu lying?”
“Perhaps. But now, with the Demon Race invading the Central Domain, the Xing Tian Division is already short-staffed. I cannot possibly draw more personnel to investigate this matter in Yuanquan Town. For now, let’s close the case based on the deposition submitted by Liang Zhu.”
“Yes.”
Upon hearing this, the Xing Tian Division disciple cupped his hands in a salute and turned to leave the pavilion. However, Yue Xuanming, after a moment of thought, stopped him.
“Wait.”
“Yes, does Lord Yue have any further instructions?”
“Summon Liang Zhu here. I have some matters I wish to ask him about.”
“Yes.”
After watching the Xing Tian Division disciple leave, Yue Xuanming let out a long sigh. He turned to look at the twilight outside the window, feeling an undercurrent of unease churning within him.
—The Demon Emperor leading the Demon Race, rashly crossing the border and breaching Jade Pass.
—The sudden appearance of two Young Masters from the Xuan Xing Sect in Tianan City.
—The death of Pacification Commissioner Jiang He and the apprehension of the Immortal Thief.
These three events, at first glance, seemed completely unrelated.
However, the nearly century-long investigative intuition of the Xing Tian Division told him that something might connect these three events.
“What could it be?”
Yue Xuanming pondered for a moment and picked up the registration book left by Liang Zhu when he entered the Xing Tian Division from the desk. It contained Liang Zhu’s origin, former sect, cultivation level, and the reason for joining the Xing Tian Division.
“A Late Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Hundred Lotus Sect? I recall that a few years ago, the Hundred Lotus Sect obtained a Spirit Stone mine from the Xuan Xing Sect. Why isn’t he staying at the Hundred Lotus Sect and instead running off to the Central Domain?”
As he was pondering, two light knocks came from outside the room:
Bang bang—
Yue Xuanming put down the book in his hand and looked up at the door.
“Enter.”
Liang Zhu pushed open the door from the outside and walked into the room, then cupped his hands in a salute.
“Greetings, Lord Yue.”
Yue Xuanming observed Liang Zhu’s salute and examined his facial features, his brow furrowing slightly. He felt that the person before him was not from the Western Regions as stated in the registration book, but rather seemed like a cultivator from the northern part of the Central Domain.
After a moment of hesitation, he asked directly,
“Your registration book states you are from the Western Regions, but I wish to ask, where are you truly from?”
“… …”
Upon hearing this, Liang Zhu let out a slight sigh. He made a sword finger gesture and flicked his hand, producing four Talismans from his Storage Bag and casting them into the four corners of the room.
This action made Yue Xuanming slightly wary, and he immediately placed his hand on the hilt of the saber at his waist. However, upon seeing that they were Soundproof Talismans, he relaxed his grip on the hilt.
“Soundproof Talismans?”
Without further explanation, Liang Zhu looked up, meeting Yue Xuanming’s eyes. He took a deep breath and said,
“Lord Yue, do you still recall the incident of chaotic spiritual energy in the Central Domain over ten years ago, where the Emperor of the Central Domain sacrificed the Second Princess in a celestial offering to quell the chaos?”
“I naturally remember,” Yue Xuanming said, slightly puzzled and frowning. “Why bring this up? To ensure the stability of the Central Domain, the Emperor of the Central Domain did not hesitate to offer his own daughter as a stabilizing force, to pacify the vast lands of the Central Domain. All cultivators in the Central Domain know this.”
“Mm… But what if I told you that the chaotic spiritual energy incident was orchestrated by the Emperor of the Central Domain himself?”
“What?”
“The chaotic spiritual energy of the Central Domain back then caused the demonic transformation of demonic beasts, and more than half of the cultivators within the domain died. This incident was caused by the Emperor of the Central Domain, stemming from his failure in refining the Reverse Star Pill.”
“Reverse Star Pill?”
Liang Zhu nodded slightly and took out the “Reverse Star Pill” he had obtained from Yuanquan Town earlier from his Storage Bag, handing it to Yue Xuanming.
“This is the Reverse Star Pill, refined from the Spiritual Roots of cultivators. For decades, the Emperor of the Central Domain has ordered the Xing Tian Division to send countless children to the Pill Room, all for the purpose of refining this item.”
Yue Xuanming clasped the pill between his right thumb and index finger, narrowing his eyes and releasing his Spiritual Sense to scan it. He could indeed detect traces of Spiritual Roots. He then frowned and looked at Liang Zhu before him, gesturing with his eyes for him to continue.
“This item was obtained by us from the ‘Pill Room’ when I accompanied Jiang He to Yuanquan Town. Within the Xing Tian Division, you are probably the only one who doesn’t know about this matter.”
“Nonsense! Are you implying that His Majesty ordered the Xing Tian Division to capture ordinary cultivators and refine this demonic pill?”
“Yes, the Emperor of the Central Domain is not as you know him to be. For the sake of his own cultivation, he even went so far as to sacrifice his own daughter to refine this pill.”
Shua—
The Spirit Saber was drawn, and a flash of white light streaked across.
Yue Xuanming’s figure flickered, and he instantly appeared beside Liang Zhu, drawing the saber at his waist and placing it against his neck.
“The Demon Race has suddenly crossed the border recently. I was wondering why there were no demon spies in Tianan City. So, the Demon Race sent you? Are you telling me this to try and sow dissent?”
Liang Zhu looked at the Spirit Saber at his neck, deliberated for a moment, and replied,
“Lord Yue, you’ve only guessed half correctly. I have no connection with the Demon Race, but someone did indeed send me to tell you these things.”
“Who?”
Liang Zhu remained silent for a moment, then simply took out a broken, ancient jade token from his Storage Bag, which was only half intact.
“Does Lord Yue recognize this item?”
Yue Xuanming glanced at it, and his eyes widened.
“This is… the Second Princess’s Jade Pendant?!”
“Yes, it belongs to the Second Princess. I was the guard who escorted the Second Princess to the altar outside Tianan City back then and was entrusted by the Empress to rescue the Second Princess from the celestial offering ritual.”
“… …”
To be honest, Yue Xuanming still did not completely believe what Liang Zhu had said. However, the Jade Pendant he produced was indeed the Second Princess’s spiritual treasure pendant.
After a moment of hesitation, he looked at Liang Zhu’s face again and surmised,
“If what you say is true, then the Empress must surely recognize you.”
Liang Zhu hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
“I have not met the Empress, only her attendant named ‘Hong Yu’.”
Hearing this, Yue Xuanming paused for two breaths, sheathed the Spirit Saber in his hand, and then waved his hand to remove the Soundproof Talismans from the four corners of the room. He pushed open the door and walked out.
“Come with me to see the Empress.”
… …
