Yue Qianmen was one of the top ten elders at the Center Sect, and was in the Lianxu State.
He had the highest Cultivation state among the participants of the meeting, as well as the highest generation; Monk Duhai was the only one who was his equal. As such, he asked the question with an authoritative tone.
State Duke Lu replied with no change in his expression, "Absolutely no one is allowed to enter the Fiend Prison. Even if you want to interrogate a prisoner, he is only allowed to be brought out by the puppets."
In fact, those prisoners brought to the Fiend Prison had usually been interrogated by the Pure Heaven Bureau and various sects as much as possible, so there was seldom a need for further interrogation.
Yet, it was difficult to kill those highly achieved swordsmen of the deviant sects and demons. They were sent to the Fiend Prison to wait for their eventual deaths.
Yue Qianmen sneered. "The situation that day was so desperate; couldn't you make it an exception?" he demanded.
"The rules are the rules. Even if the Immortal Tan came to the person, he wouldn't be allowed to enter the Fiend Prison, to say nothing of you."
State Duke Lu said emotionlessly, "In fact, if it wasn't for no one having entered the Fiend Prison for so many years, we would have known sooner that the Old Dragon ate the prisoners."
This statement sounded ordinary, but it was not.
The crowd thought that State Duke Lu was indeed the favored person of the Emperor, and that he could even maintain such a stout attitude toward the Center Sect.
Yue Qianmen yelled sharply, "The divine dragon had sacrificed so much for the safety of Chaotian. It was nothing to eat a few deviant devils in comparison. And moreover, it is included in the contents of the accord."
"There isn't an item in the accord about eating people alive, though; otherwise, the imperial court, the Fruit Formation Temple, and the Green Mountain Sect wouldn't dare agree to it."
State Duke Lu stared at him calmly and said, "I believe that your Center Sect…wouldn't dare sign such an accord either."
Yue Qianmen fell silent for a while before saying, "State Duke, please don't change the subject. This matter has to have an appropriate solution."
"The matter is simple and straightforward. What solution do you still want?"
State Duke Lu continued, "The Old Dragon violated the accord and wanted to eat the Underworld Emperor; as a result, his spiritual soul was controlled by the Underworld Emperor. In the end, they both died."
All of them knew this. It was what the Underworld Emperor had said before his death; and it was the only evidence so far.
Yue Qianmen laughed out due to his enormous anger, saying, "It's absurd. How can you believe in what the Underworld Emperor said? And what about the person who had escaped?"
Monk Duhai suddenly cut in, "The turmoil of the Fiend Prison had something to do with the person who had escaped in the beginning. What do the officials of Taichang Temple know about it?"
State Duke Lu felt surprised, because he didn't expect Monk Duhai to speak for the Center Sect.
"That's right," Yue Qianmen said. "Before the divine dragon's death, the Immortal Bai saw someone escape from the underground. Who was that person? Was it he who had released the Underworld Emperor?"
"Though the person who had escaped from the Fiend Prison had a high Cultivation state, it would be impossible for him to find the Underworld Emperor in Taichang Prison without being discovered the Old Dragon."
State Duke Lu said expressionlessly, "The immortal masters, do you know that there was a forbidding formation left by the great grandmaster Bai in Taichang Prison and that nobody but a swordsman of the Heavenly Arrival State could dismantle it?"
Yue Qianmen demanded, "But the person who had escaped was very suspicious. Why does State Duke insist on not letting us check the prisoners of the Fiend Prison?"
State Duke Lu retorted, "The imperial court and various sects have sent countless prisoners to the Fiend Prison over the years. Do you mean we have to check all of these prisoners?"
Yue Qianmen sneered, "Why not? We can check those brought in from last few days to a few hundred years ago, all without missing a single suspicious person."
State Duke Lu remained silent for a while before saying, "Now that Elder Yue wants to check the prisoners, go ahead then."
Yue Qianmen suddenly felt something not quite right and intended to ask more detailed questions, but Monk Duhai had already given the order to Taichang Temple to examine the files.
The turmoil of Fiend Prison had reduced Taichang Temple to ruins; but fortunately, those files were not written on the paper, so they were intact.
They were stored in a jade-like magic treasure. All the prisoners brought to the Fiend Prison had to pass through the Pure Heaven Bureau, and the records of transferring the prisoners from the Pure Heaven Bureau to Taichang Temple were all kept in it.
The Pure Heaven Bureau also brought a good deal of documents to verify the files.
The officials and the representatives of various sects looked at the words on the light screen with concentrated countenances.
To find out the person who had escaped from the Fiend Prison, they should check the most recent files first.
It didn't take long that they had discovered a file that was rather suspicious.
A barrage of noises suddenly burst out in the quiet Taichang Temple.
They were not the noises of talking in private. The noises came from the frictions of the legs of the chairs against the ground when the chairs were moved, and from the banging sounds when the teacups were slammed down on the tables.
The name of the person was Song Xin. He should be a mastermind of the Old Ones in one site according to the record of transfer; but the file on the person was obviously suspicious.
Monk Duhai called in an official of the Pure Heaven Bureau, and asked him about the details of how they had captured the person.
The official of the Pure Heaven Bureau was very nervous, since he had no idea whatsoever about this matter. All he knew was that the prisoner was brought to the Pure Heaven Bureau directly and interrogated by the chief commander personally.
Upon hearing this, the noisy Taichang Temple grew quiet again…deadly quiet.
By then, the records obtained by Taichang Temple from the puppets of magic gold were brought in. As State Duke Lu flipped the files to the relevant page, he frowned slightly.
"What's the matter?" State Duke He asked.
"The door of the cell where this prisoner Song Xin stayed had been opened."
State Duke Lu handed over the crystal ball of the puppets to Monk Duhai.
Monk Duhai used his spiritual awareness to perceive it, his expression grave. "Ask Chief Commander Zhang to come here," he commanded.
The place grew even quieter. Nobody could enter the Fiend Prison; who could have opened the cell door besides the puppets?
It didn't take long to have Zhang Yiai summoned to Taichang Temple. He had been in charge of coordinating various sects to rebuild Zhaoge City lately.
Hearing the questions by Monk Duhai, Zhang Yiai fell silent for a while. "I have some impression about the prisoner named Song Xin," he said. "He was indeed a remaining member of the Old Ones. As for why his cell door was opened, you should ask Taichang Temple."
State Duke Lu pulled his gaze back from the teacup, and said to Zhang Yiai, "The Pure Heaven Bureau's file on this person is suspicious."
Zhang Yiai said while staring into his eyes, "I don't understand what State Duke meant."
State Duke Lu lowered his head to look at the tea in his teacup again without uttering another word.
Monk Duhai asked evenly, "Where was this person captured? Who was the official of the Pure Heaven Bureau that did the capture?"
No matter how carefully a scheme was plotted, it would have some loose ends as long as it was checked closely enough. There must be some aspects of it that couldn't be explained adequately. That's why the saying "The most formidable thing in the world is the devil in the detail" was true in this case.
And moreover, the reason this person was sent to the Fiend Prison by the Center
Sect was because of the threat from the Old Ones. The matter was carried out in a hurry, so there were many loose ends that hadn't been tied up yet.
Yue Qianmen's face was sort of gloomy at the moment, saying, "Master, why don't you ask first…"
Monk Duhai raised his hand as a gesture for him to stop talking. Then Monk Duhai stared into Zhang Yiai's eyes, saying in a serene but stern tone, "The Old Dragon died tragically, and Zhaoge City was in turmoil. This isn't a matter merely related to the Center Sect. If there were some hidden secrets, I hope Master won't hide them from us."
Yue Qianmen suspected that this would lead to a bad turn of the matter. He looked at Zhang Yiai and hoped that his Young Brother would be able to think out a proper way to deal with the inquiry.
Zhang Yiai lowered his head slightly, looking at the newly placed green bricks under his feet; it was unclear what was on his mind at the moment.
State Duke He commented with a mocking tone, "The prisoner was named Song Xin…This is really an interesting name because it sounds like 'sending a message'. Was he sent by someone to the Fiend Prison to deliver a message?"
Witnessing the situation, the officials of Taichang Temple and the Pure Heaven Bureau and the representatives of various sects all felt nervous.
The chief commander of the Pure Heaven Bureau, Zhang Yiai, was a high ranking official at the imperial court, but he was speechless at the moment.
Zhang Yiai suddenly lifted his head and said, "All I know is that the prisoner was sent by the Royal Teacher Liang; and I know nothing else."
Having said that, his eyes displayed a hint of relief and relaxed emotion.
Yue Qianmen stared at the back of Zhang Yiai, the expression in his eyes cold.
…
…
It was deadly quiet in Taichang Temple, devoid of any sound.
A group of birds flew past the sky to return to the new Plum Garden from the outskirts of Zhaoge City; the chirping of the birds could be heard clearly.
The turmoil of the Fiend Prison was actually related to the Palace of Prince Jing Xin?!
Monk Duhai remained silent for a moment, and said, "I'd like to ask Master Zhang to stay in Taichang Temple a bit longer."
And then he turned to State Duke Lu and asked, "Should we stop here for today's interrogation?"
State Duke Lu nodded in agreement. He stood up and waved to the group in the hall, and then walked toward the outside of Taichang Temple.
Everybody in the hall knew that State Duke Lu was on his way to the Royal Palace to see the Emperor.
Yue Qianmen was one of the top ten elders at the Center Sect, and was in the Lianxu State.
He had the highest Cultivation state among the participants of the meeting, as well as the highest generation; Monk Duhai was the only one who was his equal. As such, he asked the question with an authoritative tone.
State Duke Lu replied with no change in his expression, "Absolutely no one is allowed to enter the Fiend Prison. Even if you want to interrogate a prisoner, he is only allowed to be brought out by the puppets."
In fact, those prisoners brought to the Fiend Prison had usually been interrogated by the Pure Heaven Bureau and various sects as much as possible, so there was seldom a need for further interrogation.
Yet, it was difficult to kill those highly achieved swordsmen of the deviant sects and demons. They were sent to the Fiend Prison to wait for their eventual deaths.
Yue Qianmen sneered. "The situation that day was so desperate; couldn't you make it an exception?" he demanded.
"The rules are the rules. Even if the Immortal Tan came to the person, he wouldn't be allowed to enter the Fiend Prison, to say nothing of you."
State Duke Lu said emotionlessly, "In fact, if it wasn't for no one having entered the Fiend Prison for so many years, we would have known sooner that the Old Dragon ate the prisoners."
This statement sounded ordinary, but it was not.
The crowd thought that State Duke Lu was indeed the favored person of the Emperor, and that he could even maintain such a stout attitude toward the Center Sect.
Yue Qianmen yelled sharply, "The divine dragon had sacrificed so much for the safety of Chaotian. It was nothing to eat a few deviant devils in comparison. And moreover, it is included in the contents of the accord."
"There isn't an item in the accord about eating people alive, though; otherwise, the imperial court, the Fruit Formation Temple, and the Green Mountain Sect wouldn't dare agree to it."
State Duke Lu stared at him calmly and said, "I believe that your Center Sect…wouldn't dare sign such an accord either."
Yue Qianmen fell silent for a while before saying, "State Duke, please don't change the subject. This matter has to have an appropriate solution."
"The matter is simple and straightforward. What solution do you still want?"
State Duke Lu continued, "The Old Dragon violated the accord and wanted to eat the Underworld Emperor; as a result, his spiritual soul was controlled by the Underworld Emperor. In the end, they both died."
All of them knew this. It was what the Underworld Emperor had said before his death; and it was the only evidence so far.
Yue Qianmen laughed out due to his enormous anger, saying, "It's absurd. How can you believe in what the Underworld Emperor said? And what about the person who had escaped?"
Monk Duhai suddenly cut in, "The turmoil of the Fiend Prison had something to do with the person who had escaped in the beginning. What do the officials of Taichang Temple know about it?"
State Duke Lu felt surprised, because he didn't expect Monk Duhai to speak for the Center Sect.
"That's right," Yue Qianmen said. "Before the divine dragon's death, the Immortal Bai saw someone escape from the underground. Who was that person? Was it he who had released the Underworld Emperor?"
"Though the person who had escaped from the Fiend Prison had a high Cultivation state, it would be impossible for him to find the Underworld Emperor in Taichang Prison without being discovered the Old Dragon."
State Duke Lu said expressionlessly, "The immortal masters, do you know that there was a forbidding formation left by the great grandmaster Bai in Taichang Prison and that nobody but a swordsman of the Heavenly Arrival State could dismantle it?"
Yue Qianmen demanded, "But the person who had escaped was very suspicious. Why does State Duke insist on not letting us check the prisoners of the Fiend Prison?"
State Duke Lu retorted, "The imperial court and various sects have sent countless prisoners to the Fiend Prison over the years. Do you mean we have to check all of these prisoners?"
Yue Qianmen sneered, "Why not? We can check those brought in from last few days to a few hundred years ago, all without missing a single suspicious person."
State Duke Lu remained silent for a while before saying, "Now that Elder Yue wants to check the prisoners, go ahead then."
Yue Qianmen suddenly felt something not quite right and intended to ask more detailed questions, but Monk Duhai had already given the order to Taichang Temple to examine the files.
The turmoil of Fiend Prison had reduced Taichang Temple to ruins; but fortunately, those files were not written on the paper, so they were intact.
They were stored in a jade-like magic treasure. All the prisoners brought to the Fiend Prison had to pass through the Pure Heaven Bureau, and the records of transferring the prisoners from the Pure Heaven Bureau to Taichang Temple were all kept in it.
The Pure Heaven Bureau also brought a good deal of documents to verify the files.
The officials and the representatives of various sects looked at the words on the light screen with concentrated countenances.
To find out the person who had escaped from the Fiend Prison, they should check the most recent files first.
It didn't take long that they had discovered a file that was rather suspicious.
A barrage of noises suddenly burst out in the quiet Taichang Temple.
They were not the noises of talking in private. The noises came from the frictions of the legs of the chairs against the ground when the chairs were moved, and from the banging sounds when the teacups were slammed down on the tables.
The name of the person was Song Xin. He should be a mastermind of the Old Ones in one site according to the record of transfer; but the file on the person was obviously suspicious.
Monk Duhai called in an official of the Pure Heaven Bureau, and asked him about the details of how they had captured the person.
The official of the Pure Heaven Bureau was very nervous, since he had no idea whatsoever about this matter. All he knew was that the prisoner was brought to the Pure Heaven Bureau directly and interrogated by the chief commander personally.
Upon hearing this, the noisy Taichang Temple grew quiet again…deadly quiet.
By then, the records obtained by Taichang Temple from the puppets of magic gold were brought in. As State Duke Lu flipped the files to the relevant page, he frowned slightly.
"What's the matter?" State Duke He asked.
"The door of the cell where this prisoner Song Xin stayed had been opened."
State Duke Lu handed over the crystal ball of the puppets to Monk Duhai.
Monk Duhai used his spiritual awareness to perceive it, his expression grave. "Ask Chief Commander Zhang to come here," he commanded.
The place grew even quieter. Nobody could enter the Fiend Prison; who could have opened the cell door besides the puppets?
It didn't take long to have Zhang Yiai summoned to Taichang Temple. He had been in charge of coordinating various sects to rebuild Zhaoge City lately.
Hearing the questions by Monk Duhai, Zhang Yiai fell silent for a while. "I have some impression about the prisoner named Song Xin," he said. "He was indeed a remaining member of the Old Ones. As for why his cell door was opened, you should ask Taichang Temple."
State Duke Lu pulled his gaze back from the teacup, and said to Zhang Yiai, "The Pure Heaven Bureau's file on this person is suspicious."
Zhang Yiai said while staring into his eyes, "I don't understand what State Duke meant."
State Duke Lu lowered his head to look at the tea in his teacup again without uttering another word.
Monk Duhai asked evenly, "Where was this person captured? Who was the official of the Pure Heaven Bureau that did the capture?"
No matter how carefully a scheme was plotted, it would have some loose ends as long as it was checked closely enough. There must be some aspects of it that couldn't be explained adequately. That's why the saying "The most formidable thing in the world is the devil in the detail" was true in this case.
And moreover, the reason this person was sent to the Fiend Prison by the Center
Sect was because of the threat from the Old Ones. The matter was carried out in a hurry, so there were many loose ends that hadn't been tied up yet.
Yue Qianmen's face was sort of gloomy at the moment, saying, "Master, why don't you ask first…"
Monk Duhai raised his hand as a gesture for him to stop talking. Then Monk Duhai stared into Zhang Yiai's eyes, saying in a serene but stern tone, "The Old Dragon died tragically, and Zhaoge City was in turmoil. This isn't a matter merely related to the Center Sect. If there were some hidden secrets, I hope Master won't hide them from us."
Yue Qianmen suspected that this would lead to a bad turn of the matter. He looked at Zhang Yiai and hoped that his Young Brother would be able to think out a proper way to deal with the inquiry.
Zhang Yiai lowered his head slightly, looking at the newly placed green bricks under his feet; it was unclear what was on his mind at the moment.
State Duke He commented with a mocking tone, "The prisoner was named Song Xin…This is really an interesting name because it sounds like 'sending a message'. Was he sent by someone to the Fiend Prison to deliver a message?"
Witnessing the situation, the officials of Taichang Temple and the Pure Heaven Bureau and the representatives of various sects all felt nervous.
The chief commander of the Pure Heaven Bureau, Zhang Yiai, was a high ranking official at the imperial court, but he was speechless at the moment.
Zhang Yiai suddenly lifted his head and said, "All I know is that the prisoner was sent by the Royal Teacher Liang; and I know nothing else."
Having said that, his eyes displayed a hint of relief and relaxed emotion.
Yue Qianmen stared at the back of Zhang Yiai, the expression in his eyes cold.
…
…
It was deadly quiet in Taichang Temple, devoid of any sound.
A group of birds flew past the sky to return to the new Plum Garden from the outskirts of Zhaoge City; the chirping of the birds could be heard clearly.
The turmoil of the Fiend Prison was actually related to the Palace of Prince Jing Xin?!
Monk Duhai remained silent for a moment, and said, "I'd like to ask Master Zhang to stay in Taichang Temple a bit longer."
And then he turned to State Duke Lu and asked, "Should we stop here for today's interrogation?"
State Duke Lu nodded in agreement. He stood up and waved to the group in the hall, and then walked toward the outside of Taichang Temple.
Everybody in the hall knew that State Duke Lu was on his way to the Royal Palace to see the Emperor.
