Chapter 143: The Law Enforcement Hall

Chapter 143: The Law Enforcement Hall

When Ning Xiaochuan dragged his severely injured body out of the Heavenly Bridge, he saw that the area around the bridge was already crowded with students and instructors from the Emperor's Martial Palace.

This scene was not far from what Ning Xiaochuan had expected.

Blood still seeped from his back, his face was pale, and his long hair was disheveled. He swept his gaze over everyone present and forced a faint smile. "Is this the start of my trial?"

"Brother!"

Ning Xin'er rushed over and supported Ning Xiaochuan. When she saw the horrifying wound on his back, tears streamed uncontrollably down her face. Her delicate fingers overflowed with Martial Arts Profound Qi, which she channeled into Ning Xiaochuan's body to aid his recovery.

Ning Xiaochuan gently pressed her hand and said, "Xin'er, I'm fine. It's just a minor injury."

He straightened his back with effort, his aura still sharp, showing no sign of severe injury. He fixed his eyes on Zhang Linshan and grinned. "You lost."

Zhang Linshan sneered, a ball of white Profound Qi gathering in his palm. However, in the end, the energy slowly dissipated, and he did not strike.

A group of armored warriors emerged, holding long spears and exuding a chilling aura. They escorted both Ning Xiaochuan and Zhang Linshan to the Law Enforcement Hall.

The bloody incident that had occurred today had resulted in the deaths of forty-one students. Someone had to be held accountable for the massacre, and the main culprit would face severe punishment.

The Law Enforcement Team of the Emperor's Martial Palace maintained order throughout the Emperor's Ruins. It consisted of one captain and six deputy captains.

In addition, there was the Law Enforcement Elder Council, composed of three highly respected martial arts experts.

The bloodshed caused by Ning Xiaochuan and the Cloud Alliance, which claimed the lives of forty-one students, was a significant loss for the Emperor's Martial Palace. The captain of the Law Enforcement Team and two deputy captains stationed in Emperor's City would jointly conduct the interrogation.

Deputy Headmaster Hun Shi and Deputy Headmaster Yan would serve as observers during this trial.

Both Ning Xiaochuan and Zhang Linshan were renowned young talents in the Emperor's Martial Palace—one a freshman who had managed to pass the Fifth Level of the Heavenly Bridge, and the other one of the Imperial City's Ten Outstanding Youths.

News of the trial quickly spread throughout Emperor's City, causing quite a stir among the students.

Han Fu, the captain of the Law Enforcement Team, was nearly thirty years old. He had been the champion of the third class of the Emperor's Martial Palace and had now reached the Transcendent Realm, earning considerable prestige among the students.

Han Fu was currently in a foul mood. When the leader of the Cloud Alliance had approached him earlier to discuss martial arts, he had known it was because the alliance wanted to kill Ning Xiaochuan without interference from the Law Enforcement Team.

Out of consideration for his friendship with the Cloud Alliance's leader, he had turned a blind eye, thinking it was just a freshman—if he died, so be it.

But he had never expected things to escalate so drastically, resulting in the deaths of forty-one students.

Such a massive bloodshed was rare in the Emperor's Ruins. If responsibility were truly to be investigated, even he, as the captain of the Law Enforcement Team, would not escape blame.

"Those fools from the Cloud Alliance are all trash! They couldn't even kill a single freshman and instead got wiped out by one. Useless, absolutely useless!" Han Fu cursed inwardly.

Of course, he couldn't show any of this on his face and had to pretend complete ignorance.

"Boom!"

Han Fu's face turned livid as he slammed his palm fiercely onto the table. "This is outrageous! In nearly a hundred years, Emperor's City has never witnessed such a tragedy. Even the bloodiest clashes between the two major alliances never caused such heavy casualties. You all really know how to stir up trouble—do you want to bring the sky crashing down? Or do you simply have no regard for the Law Enforcement Team?"

"Captain Han, this matter..." Zhang Linshan stood below, exuding an air of composure, unlike someone being interrogated.

"Silence! Your Cloud Alliance grows more lawless by the day. Taking advantage of my closed-door cultivation, you actually besieged and attempted to kill a freshman in Emperor's City. If your alliance leader were to find out about this, even he wouldn’t spare you," Han Fu said.

Outside the Law Enforcement Hall, Murong Wushuang sat on the threshold, muttering under his breath, "This Law Enforcement captain is quite the actor. It’d be strange if he didn’t know about this."

Yue Mingsong, also seated on the threshold, shook his head and sighed. "Who dares to expose him? He’s the Champion of the third cohort and now the captain of the Law Enforcement Team. If he says he was cultivating, then he was cultivating; if he says he was sleeping, he can easily wash his hands of the whole affair."

Han Fu’s cultivation was profound—he could even hear ants fighting from 5 kilometers away, let alone the whispers of Murong Wushuang and Yue Mingsong. Yet his expression remained unchanged as he continued, "What exactly happened here? Who will explain it clearly?"

Just as Ning Xiaochuan was about to recount the events from the beginning, Han Fu interjected, "Zhang Linshan, you’re a senior student. You speak first."

A faint smirk curled at the corner of Zhang Linshan’s lips as he glanced sidelong at Ning Xiaochuan with a triumphant gleam. "Captain Han, this matter truly isn’t the Cloud Alliance’s fault. During the assessment at the Fire Demon Mountain Range, Ning Xiaochuan falsely accused my eighth junior brother of killing his sister and then brutally murdered him. Of course, the palace assessments are inherently competitive, with an extremely high mortality rate. Though I was deeply saddened by the news, I didn’t blame Ning Xiaochuan."

"But my sixth junior brother, Lu Huntian, was closest to the eighth junior brother—like brothers in arms. When he heard of his innocent death at Ning Xiaochuan’s hands, he was overcome with grief and swore to avenge him."

"Captain Han, you know my sixth junior brother too. He’s righteous, loyal, and as stubborn as an ox. Even I couldn’t stop him. He led the Cloud Alliance’s warriors to confront Ning Xiaochuan, demanding an explanation for his junior brother’s death."

"Of course, he was well aware of Emperor's Martial Palace’s rules and had no intention of killing Ning Xiaochuan—only to make him apologize for his wrongdoing."

"But he never imagined that Ning Xiaochuan was actually a Demon Sect member, having cultivated the Blood Devouring Demon Art. Ruthless and merciless, Ning Xiaochuan refused to reason and instead launched a violent attack. Before Lu Huntian could react, Ning Xiaochuan ambushed him, inflicting severe injuries and ultimately killing him."

"Ning Xiaochuan descended into madness, wielding the Blood Devouring Demon Art like a lunatic, slaughtering Cloud Alliance members left and right. By the time I received the news and rushed over, it was already too late... Alas!" Zhang Linshan clenched his fists, his grief palpable. "I implore Captain Han to severely punish this Demon Sect fiend!"

"A member of the Demon Sect actually dares to enter the Emperor's Ruins. Such audacity." Han Fu coldly glared at Ning Xiaochuan, his eyes brimming with intense killing intent.

Ning Xiaochuan had met shameless people before, but none as shameless as Zhang Linshan.

Han Fu declared, "Our Emperor's Martial Palace embraces all talents under heaven, but we absolutely do not accept members of the Demon Sect. Ning Xiaochuan, as a Demon Sect member, your mere entry into the Emperor's Ruins is already a capital offense. Moreover, you have committed such heinous crimes in Emperor's City. Even executing you ten times would not be enough. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

Ning Xiaochuan stood straight in the hall and replied firmly, "I am not a member of the Demon Sect, nor have I ever practiced the Blood Devouring Demon Art."

Han Fu barked, "Ning Xiaochuan, how dare you still deny it?"

Ahem. Deputy Headmaster Hun Shi coughed twice and interjected, "Captain Han, it is rather unfair to accuse Ning Xiaochuan of practicing the Blood Devouring Demon Art and being a Demon Sect member without evidence."

Han Fu gave a slight bow to Deputy Headmaster Hun Shi and said, "Deputy Headmaster, you are right. Zhang Linshan, you claim Ning Xiaochuan practiced the Blood Devouring Demon Art. Do you have proof? Aside from you, did anyone else witness it?"

Zhang Linshan smirked coldly. "Of course there is evidence. Ning Xiaochuan once used the Blood Devouring Demon Art on me. We only need to request the Spiritual Void Venerable to activate the 'Temporal Mirror,' and we will see what happened to me at that time."

Temporal Mirror.

Hearing these words, even Deputy Headmaster Hun Shi's expression shifted slightly.

In the entire Emperor's Ruins, there was only one person who could control the powers of "time" and "space"—the Spiritual Void Venerable.

This was not because her martial cultivation had reached an unparalleled level, but because she possessed a unique martial star palace—the "Chaos Heart Palace"—which allowed her to wield abilities unattainable by ordinary cultivators.

Within chaos, there is neither time nor space.

Precisely because of this, those who possessed the Chaos Heart Palace could escape from the material world, find a sliver of the space-time continuum, and ultimately grasp the powers of "time" and "space."

Requesting the Spiritual Void Venerable's assistance was no easy task, but this matter was of grave importance, involving the lives of dozens of students. Thus, Deputy Headmaster Yan and Deputy Headmaster Hun Shi personally went to invite her.

In the end, the Spiritual Void Venerable arrived at the Law Enforcement Hall.

She wore a white Daoist robe, her slender figure resembling a reflection on a lake. A layer of ethereal mist swirled around her, as if shrouded in starlight, adding to her mystique.

Even when Ning Xiaochuan channeled his Profound Qi to his eyes, he could not pierce through that mist. He could only discern that she was a woman—a very young woman, with long raven-black hair and a flawlessly sculpted face, radiating an otherworldly grace.

Ethereal. Mysterious. Transcendent.

The impression she gave was like that of a celestial maiden descending to the mortal realm—untouched by worldly desires, untainted by the filth of the red dust. One could only gaze upon her in reverence, never daring to reach for even the hem of her robe.

This was Ning Xiaochuan's first encounter with Xue Lingxu.

The Spiritual Void Venerable also cast a faint glance at Ning Xiaochuan before withdrawing her gaze and walking over to Zhang Linshan. Her voice was clear, melodious, and ethereal, like the murmuring of a mountain stream, as she said, "When the Temporal Mirror is activated, you must suppress the Martial Arts Profound Qi within your body and clear your mind of any distractions."

Zhang Linshan, who usually carried himself with arrogance in front of others, wore an expression of reverence in the presence of the Spiritual Void Venerable.

The Spiritual Void Venerable extended a finger as white as jade and lightly tapped the air, as if capturing a specific point in space.

"Whoosh—"

This point began to expand, transforming into a white mirror suspended within the Law Enforcement Hall.

Scenes appeared on the mirror's surface as time began to reverse.