Outside of Time

The sixth hour of the Dawn Sun theft investigation.

It was already getting late, but there was no red cloud. The dark clouds made it seem as if dusk had come but not yet. Darkness had come to the world in advance.

The rain was still falling, along with the rumbling thunder, the depressing atmosphere and the presence of guards in the imperial capital filled the human capital with a sense of solemnity.

Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.

The investigation from the Fifth Palace of Shangxuan is very involved. In addition to the prince, there are more cultivators related to the prince.

Most of these people were taken away in these six hours.

Some are in the place of practice, some are in the sect, and some are at home. When facing the majesty of the Human Emperor, any party must choose to bow their head.

If there is any resistance, they will be killed without mercy.

The falling rain also washed away the blood, but the smell of blood could not be dissipated, gradually churning with the night.

In the heavy rain at night, Xu Qing wore a sword-wielding robe and walked on the way to the palace prison. His steps became hurried according to his mood and environment.

He participated in the entire investigation of the theft of Dawn Sun in the Palace of Swords, saw all the evidence that was found, and felt the undercurrents of various princes in the imperial capital.

"It shouldn't be like this."

Xu Qing raised his head and looked through the rain in front of him at the palace in the dark night.

Tianlao, in the palace, the entrance door is not the rainbow bridge, but the side door.

"None of these princes are ordinary. It is impossible for them to be found to be related so easily, unless... there is someone who weaves and promotes all this."

"National Master?"

"There is also the Human Emperor's self-certification, which is also a bit abrupt."

Xu Qing frowned. He always felt that after arriving in the imperial capital, there was a gap in the things he had seen. It was like a puzzle with a key piece missing.

"Is it possible that there are not two people playing chess..."

Xu Qing's footsteps paused, and a thunderbolt rumbled across the sky, reflecting the palace and the thoughtful expression on Xu Qing's face.

For a long time, Xu Qing closed his eyes. When he opened them, he looked as usual and walked into the side door of the palace.

With the decree of the Sword Holding Palace, he successfully passed the review and walked into the underground of the palace under the guidance of three black-armored guards.

Feeling the coldness of the surroundings, the astonishing auras, and the forbidden runes on every brick and tile, Xu Qing understood that this prison should be regarded as the strictest prison in the imperial capital.

Even if he had a law, he still had to go through layers of inspections until it was determined that there was no problem, and Xu Qing was taken to the prison where Ning Yan was imprisoned.

There are nine floors in the palace's prison. The lower the floor, the higher the status of the royal family members and the more mysterious they are.

Especially after the sixth floor, all visits are strictly prohibited.

Ning Yan was detained on the third floor.

The entire prison was shrouded in restrictions, and Ning Yan was covered with a ring of seals, making him as ordinary as a mortal, unable to fly. His expression was very complicated, and he sat motionless on the ground.

It wasn't until he noticed Xu Qing's arrival that he reluctantly raised his head and looked at Xu Qing outside the restricted protection.

"Boss..."

Looking at Ning Yan, Xu Qing sat down cross-legged and glanced around.

"The environment here is pretty good, not as dirty as I imagined."

Ning Yan smiled bitterly.

"And it's quite quiet. You can meditate here."

Ning Yan was silent.

"After meditation, you may be reminded of some things you have ignored."

Xu Qing stopped talking and looked at Ning Yan calmly. Ning Yan was instinctively nervous. He looked at Xu Qing with eyes a little evasive.

Time passes, and a stick of incense passes.

Ning Yan lowered his head and Xu Qing closed his eyes.

There was silence.

Until another stick of incense passed by, Xu Qing stood up.

"Since you have nothing to say to me, I'm leaving."

Xu Qing turned around and walked out. Behind him in the cage, Ning Yan looked at Xu Qing's back. The hesitation and confusion in his heart were mixed together. Until Xu Qing took five steps, Ning Yan gritted his teeth.

"Boss."

Xu Qing paused.

"Although there is a possibility that someone is pretending to be me in this matter, the greater possibility is... my brother, the eleventh prince."

Xu Qing turned around and looked at Ning Yan through the restriction barrier.

"The eleventh prince's tomb has been inspected and he is indeed dead."

Ning Yan had a complicated expression, touched the floor of the cage, lowered his head and spoke softly.

"Boss...my brother and I are brothers. We often played a game when we were young."

Xu Qing concentrated.

"This game is hide and seek."

"But every time, he could find me. No matter where I was hiding, he knew exactly where I was."

"I don't know why. I asked him about it at that time, and he told me that I would know when I grow up, but he was obviously only born a stick of incense earlier than me."

"To this day, after I was sent here..."

Ning Yan raised his head and looked at Xu Qing.

"I know the answer. No matter where I hid back then, he could actually sense it with the special connection between us."

"I felt it too."

Ning Yan pointed to the ground.

"There is my brother's breath down there."

As soon as these words came out, Xu Qing's mind immediately stirred up.

"This aura is abnormal. I can't describe it. The only feeling is that it is... familiar, yet strange, and contains something strange."

"I tried calling, but there was no response."

Ning Yan was bitter and had mixed flavors. This day was a huge shock to him.

Especially when he sensed his brother's aura in the prison, his thoughts were subverted. He clearly remembered that his brother and his mother died together.

But now, under this prison, he actually felt his brother's aura.

He didn't know the reason for this, or why it happened like this, but he was not a child, and he understood... there was a huge secret in it.

Xu Qing was silent, his eyes falling on the ground.

This is the third floor, and there are six floors below.

This place is the prison of the imperial palace, and only by order of the Human Emperor can people be imprisoned here.

"The dead person, who is suspected to be alive, appears in the sky prison where only the Human Emperor can order to be imprisoned... And the eleventh prince, who is suspected to be alive, stole the Sun of Dawn."

"The purpose is unknown."

"Life or death is unknown."

Xu Qing raised his hand and rubbed his eyebrows. His mind suddenly thought of the portrait of Ning Yan's mother. Looking at it now, it seemed that everything was inextricably related to the death of Ning Yan's mother.

And the Human Emperor has a big secret.

This is especially true for national teachers.

After a long time, Xu Qing left the Tianlao and returned to the Sword Holding Palace.

He told no one else about it.

The investigation of Ning Yan was fruitless, which also made it impossible for the case to continue, and it ended at the current result. Until late at night, after the eighth hour, Zhijian Palace submitted all the investigation documents.

The other four palaces were also handed over one after another.

When the results from different directions were summarized in front of the Human Emperor, as the Emperor flipped through the pages, the thunder in the sky roared more and more, as if he was furious and about to explode.

But in the end, the anger did not come, and the Human Emperor closed his eyes. After calming down for a long time, he seemed to be older.

But when he opened his eyes again, the majesty of the extremely domineering Human Emperor, who had suppressed all directions, returned with determination in his eyes, and he announced a heart-shaking imperial edict to the human race.

Outside the palace, from now on, there are twelve incense sticks built for the Prince, each ninety-nine feet high, ninety feet apart, and red in color!

In addition to the two princesses An Ran and An Bei, the twelve princes and princesses, including An Hai, each merged their soul blood into one to brand themselves as gods.

"Since you want to seize the direct heir, it is better to put it on the stage than to stir up undercurrents and bring trouble to the court."

"From today onwards, twelve incense will burn together. According to the performance of each prince and princess, the merit will be slow and the fault will be urgent. After one year, the person who burns the incense the slowest and retains the highest will be... the prince!"

As soon as this imperial edict came out, the hearts of the imperial capital roared, and all forces were moved. In fact, the human emperor was extremely decisive in establishing the crown prince. At the same time, he also tore apart all the undercurrents and formed a positive guide to the matter of seizing the heir.

In this way, everything is on the table. Whoever wants to be this prince must maintain his own incense and burn the slowest, so that he can finally stand tall.

It is impossible to achieve nothing without merit, so the incense burns all the time.

All of a sudden, all the princes in the imperial capital who were paying attention to the theft of Dawn had strong lights in their eyes.

And with the announcement of the imperial edict, the theft of Dawn Sun became an unsolved case and no one mentioned it again.

Ning Yan and Lao Jiu were also released. The palace doors were closed and they were not allowed to attend court for seven days.

Ning Yan, who returned to the mansion, changed his personality after experiencing this incident and locked himself in the ancestral hall.

Xu Qing knew that Ning Yan might prefer to be alone at this time, so he looked at the ancestral hall and recalled the experience of this day, and he got an answer in his heart.

"The one who makes the move wins the round."

At the same time, when the palace doors were closed, the curfew in the imperial capital was lifted, and everyone was shocked by the incident of Prince Xiang, a strong wind howled in the palace and Tongtian Pavilion.

The Human Emperor stood there with his hands behind his back, looking at the huge Ancient Emperor Star in front of him.

Behind him, nothingness twisted, and the figure of the national master appeared out of thin air, held his hands towards the Human Emperor, and smiled slightly.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, for finally making a decision and breaking the last link."

The Human Emperor's eyes were deep and he spoke calmly without looking back.

"Even though you are Prince Ziqing, you have not recovered yet, and you are in the stronghold of our human race. It will not be difficult for me to kill you."

The Imperial Master had a gentle expression and spoke softly.

"I'm just helping His Majesty realize his dream. Besides, Your Majesty naturally knows that I just pushed it, and there are others behind the scenes."

"As for who it is, His Majesty also has the answer."

The Human Emperor was expressionless.

"Your Majesty, the gods have paid attention to it, so since we have made a decision, we must do it as soon as possible. After all, this transaction... is unprecedented."

The Imperial Master smiled, and after speaking, his body blurred and he went away with the wind.

Inside Tongtian Pavilion, everything was quiet, with only the sound of the wind echoing.

In that wind, the Human Emperor's eyes seemed to penetrate the clouds and fall into the depths of the Ancient Emperor Star...