Chapter 430 - Twenty-Three Days Ago (1/2)

Leng Jin Yu soon found himself in front of the gates to the Justice Court. Qiang Yan didn't wait or say anything to the guards. He just stormed right in. Leng Jin Yu raised his brows. It seemed the situation was even worse than he had thought. He nodded at the two guards and followed the God of War inside.

Qiang Yan didn't slow down until he barged into a room in the deeper parts of the palace. ”Li Yin! Did anyone enter the repository in the last weeks? Maybe in the last month?”

The God of Justice looked up, his gaze traveling further to Leng Jin Yu before he leaned back. ”What happened?” He may have asked but he got up at the same time and stepped out of the study.

Qiang Yan and Leng Jin Yu followed him to a courtyard where an array was drawn on the ground. Leng Jin Yu's eyes traced the lines. This should be a portal, most likely one leading to the mortal realm. This was probably the place where they sent off those banished from the Nine Heavens.

Li Yin went past the array and walked down a small path. Another courtyard lay at the end with a red lacquered door leading into the building on the opposite side. The God of Justice took a dark red jade ornament from his sleeve and inserted it into the door. Something inside clicked and the God of Justice took the jade out and pushed the door open.

The three of them stepped into the building. It turned out to only consist of one room. Taking a look around Leng Jin Yu frowned. This looked like the place Zhong Jing Yi had described: A dark room, some sort of altar and a red dagger on top of it.

Li Yin went over to the altar but halted a few steps away, his gaze tracing the lines of the array drawn onto the ground. ”It doesn't seem like anybody was here.”

”Is there any possibility you're wrong?”

”Well, you also know that the arrays only work on someone with spiritual energy. If it was an honorary ascended deity … But there aren't many in the first place and most of them gain at least some spiritual energy here in the Nine Heavens if they didn't do so in the mortal realm. I'm positive that that servant girl that was banished last week was the only one we've had in some years. You'd need to check with the Goddess of Magnanimity on that though.

”As for other possibilities … It could also be that someone deactivated and then reinstated the array. But we both know that that isn't very likely. There are only a few people able to do something like that.”

Qiang Yan closed his eyes and suppressed a curse. Yes, there were only a few people able to do something like that. Unfortunately, his nephew just had to be one of those few people. He opened his eyes again. ”Do you know if His Highness came by in the last few weeks?”

Li Yin's brows raised and he once again looked at the array. ”Do you suspect the crown prince broke into the repository, deactivated the array and stole the soul-engraving dagger before putting it back?”

”Did he or didn't he?”

The God of Justice sighed and waved the other two men out of the room, closing the door behind them. ”He did.”

”Then did you notice anything … strange?”

”He asked about the mortal world. It didn't seem strange at that time. He told me that he would soon have to descend for his trial and I guess he just wanted to lay his mind at rest. Talking about it now he seemed a little pale.”

They went back into the palace and Li Yin motioned at a guard. ”The day the array around the prisons activated when exactly was that?”