OUTSIDE OF TIME

1164 To Carry the South Pointing Chariot Is to Ensure One’s Clarity of Mind

After Xu Qing finished speaking, everyone remained silent.

Although they didn’t see this assassination with their own eyes, the essence of this assassination had already appeared with Xu Qing’s description.

This was especially so for the few suspicious points Xu Qing had mentioned. No matter how one looked at it, there was something very wrong.

“What kind of faction does it have to be able to carry out an assassination in the Imperial City without triggering the attention of the various forces and the array formations in the Imperial City? Or rather, what kind of faction can make everything in the Imperial City fall silent and slow?”

The captain suddenly spoke.

Xu Qing didn’t speak. Zi Xuan and Li Yunshan looked at the palace.

In the entire Imperial City, the Human Emperor was one of the people who could do this. Or perhaps, there were forces that even the Human Emperor was wary of. There was also the Sword Holding Emperor.

Xu Qing and the others lacked information about the factions the Human Emperor was wary of and found it difficult to analyze.

As for the Sword Holding Emperor, he was in a deep sleep. It was already a miracle that he woke up when Xu Qing arrived. It was impossible for him to maintain his awakened state, and there was no reason for him to do so.

“If… Little Qing had detonated the Sun of Dawn, what would have happened?” Zi Xuan suddenly asked.

“The human capital would have descended into chaos, countless casualties, all factions shaken. It would have been a loss of face for all, becoming a laughingstock for all races. Regardless of whose fault it ultimately was, we would bear the responsibility and lose control of the situation. The outcome would have been difficult to predict. At that time, the attitude of the Human Emperor would be crucial.”

Li Yunshan slowly answered and frowned.

“Interesting.” The captain sneered.

“That person indeed has a way to capture all of Little Qing’s whereabouts and has the ability to arrange this assassination. Also, it’s in his interest for Xu Qing to survive.”

“But when all the clues and suspicions point to that individual… I can’t shake the feeling that this matter isn’t so straightforward.”

“Is it possible that this is a case of sowing discord?”

“Or perhaps the mastermind’s goal is to make us suspicious, and every move we make from now on is just a piece on their chessboard.”

The captain’s gaze was deep and his voice echoed in the courtyard.

“Let’s change our analysis and ignore the person behind the scenes. We need to think about what we’ll do now.”

After the captain finished speaking, he looked at Xu Qing, then at Zi Xuan. Finally, he looked at Li Yunshan, who was in charge of the Sword Holders.

Li Yunshan answered in a deep voice.

“The first thing we’ll do is let the Sword Holders of Fenghai County enter the city. While protecting Xu Qing, we’ll also investigate this matter.”

“At the same time, we’ll report this matter to the Holy Wave Large Region.”

The captain shook his head.

“There’s nothing wrong with doing that but when there are too many people, it’s inevitable that it will look like we are overstepping our bounds. At that time, the matter of this assassination will be even more chaotic. However, we can’t do nothing… this assassination attempt on Xu Qing is a signal…”

Li Yunshan fell silent. After the captain finished speaking, he didn’t speak anymore.

The entire courtyard fell silent. Only the wind and rain whistled outside, stirring up raindrops. In the distant sky, behind the black clouds, the light of the sun gradually appeared.

Xu Qing didn’t speak from the start to the end. He also heard everyone’s analysis. Coupled with his experience, his thoughts spread. He thought of the State Preceptor that the clay fox had mentioned… and also the answer he had analyzed on the way.

After a long time, Zi Xuan retracted her gaze from the palace and calmly spoke.

“The Emperor, being recognized by the Great Emperor, must possess the demeanor of an emperor. It’s not easy to make a decision hastily. However, regardless of the circumstances, your decision, Xu Qing, is crucial in this matter.”

Xu Qing lifted his head and looked in the direction of the palace. After a long time, he nodded.

“Then, we’ll report this matter to the Human Emperor in the name of the Holy Wave Large Region. The results that we can analyze will naturally be analyzed by the Human Emperor and the other forces.”

“What the mastermind behind this seeks, we need not speculate. We shall wait to see how the Emperor handles the aftermath of this matter.”

Zi Xuan agreed. Li Yunshan thought about it and chose to silently agree.

As for the captain, he blinked and spoke in a low voice.

“Little Qing, do you remember when we first went to Fenghai County? Your decision is not wrong, but I feel we should still shed a tear and let people make some noise. It might be better this way.”

Xu Qing thought about it and his countenance gradually turned pale, looking like he was heavily injured…

“It’s not enough, Little Qing. Let me help you.”

The captain was eager to take action. Li Yunshan felt a little speechless and turned his head away.

Zi Xuan coldly glanced at the captain. The captain shrunk his head and laughed awkwardly, his heart filled with regret.

Just like that, time flowed by and dawn soon arrived. As for the matter of the assassination attempt on Xu Qing, it also spread like a storm. It was unknown if it was true or false. As the news spread, the various forces in the Imperial City were shaken.

Accompanying the news of the assassination was Xu Qing’s recent situation.

Xu Qing had endured the injuries. After he was escorted back to the residence, his injuries erupted and he fell unconscious. Fortunately, he still had a chance of survival and the people from Fenghai County were doing their best to protect and treat him.

The matter continued to spread and caused a commotion in all directions. Meng Yunbai and Huang Kun came to visit immediately. Although they didn’t see Xu Qing and it was the captain who received them, their nervousness and their performance of trying their best to clear their names revealed their shock from this matter.

The imperial son of the Star Emperor Supreme Sect also arranged for medicinal pills to be sent over to express his goodwill.

The ones who had been present at the immortal pool paradise and even the Mortal World Tower came to visit.

Old Master Seventh and the others in the Holy Wave Large Region also learned of this through the news from Li Yunshan. The entire Holy Wave Large Region immediately mobilized their troops.

In half of the Black Spirit Region, a large number of rituals began, causing the world to rumble.

What was even more astonishing was that in the direction of the Moon Offering, the heir’s aura erupted into the sky and the might of the Soul Accumulation enveloped the surroundings. Princess Mingmei and the Moon Rebel Hall where Grandma Five was at erupted with Soul Accumulation fluctuations.

There was also sword qi from Old Ninth that rose shockingly.

Their auras erupted from the Moon Offering. After these energies gathered together, they shook the surroundings. This was them using their own methods to express their anger about this matter.

At the same time, in the Imperial City, the jade token that everyone from Fenghai County submitted on behalf of Xu Qing had all the reports and sent to the Human Emperor.

The jade token described the incident, and was attached with that piece of black joss paper.

As for the Sword Holders who were stationed here, they weren’t summoned to the residence. They were still outside. Xu Qing and the others didn’t do anything and only reported this matter.

Regardless of who the person behind the scenes was and what their goal was, Fenghai County’s choice was to remain unchanged. The Human Emperor was the most suspicious, so… they would report it to the Human Emperor. The disposition of the other party is not just observed by Xu Qing and the others; all parties in the capital are watching.

Two hours after the jade token was sent to the palace, a dignified voice disseminate throughout the entire Imperial City.

“The Upper Mystic Sword Holding Palace, the Law Palace, and the Special Command Palace shall investigate together. There must be results within a month!”

This was the Human Emperor’s decree.

The moment it spread out, light erupted from the Sword Holding Palace, the Law Palace, and the Special Command Palace. They formed illusory tall figures that emitted terrifying auras and bowed to the palace.

“As you command!”

After that, a sacred pill from the palace was sent to Ning Yan’s residence. That pill was exquisite and translucent, filled with a strange fragrance. In fact, the pill bottle that contained this pill was also extraordinary. It was made from bones.

“Heaven Rejuvenation Immortal Pill!”

The moment he saw this pill, Ning Yan exclaimed.

“There aren’t many of these pills in the palace either. It’s said that some of its main ingredients have already gone extinct in Wanggu. Only the holy lands have them… The medicinal effects of this pill can be said to be astonishing in terms of healing. It’s even effective against the injuries of Heavenly Kings.”

“This one is infinitely valuable.”

The captain’s eyes also widened and he instinctively licked his lips. Xu Qing lifted his hand and brought it in front of him. After carefully identifying it, there were also waves in his heart.

With his understanding of the Dao of Medicine, this medicinal pill was extremely extraordinary. Moreover, the refinement method was something he had never heard of before. The most astonishing thing was that the moment this medicinal pill was taken out, the thin anomalous substances in the surroundings were actually suppressed.

In fact, the divine sources in Xu Qing’s body also circulated faster.

“This contains some mysterious elements.”

Xu Qing fell into deep thought. Under the captain’s eager gaze, he kept the pill.

The captain blinked and began to think of a way to hoodwink this pill out of Xu Qing… However, he felt that it was very difficult. He sighed and thought to himself that Little Qing had learned to be smart now and wasn’t easy to fool.

In the following period of time, the Human Emperor’s decree came into play. The Sword Holding Palace, the Law Palace, and the Special Command Palace were very attentive in investigating the assassination.

They even went to the Ghost Fiend Dark Sect.

The environment in the Imperial City was tense, and all the minor criminals were trembling.

There were naturally clues under such investigation. However, Xu Qing didn’t pay attention to them. Half a month later, his ‘injury’ recovered and his first public appearance was with Zi Xuan.

As for Zi Xuan, after Xu Qing experienced the assassination, she no longer went out to investigate the green lantern. Instead, she stayed by Xu Qing’s side. Even now that his injuries had healed, she still remained by his side.

Hence, in the following days, every time Xu Qing went out, he would be with Zi Xuan. The two of them walked through the entire Imperial City. Every time they went to a certain place, Zi Xuan would stop and sense the direction of the lantern.

“There are a total of nine locations with the fluctuations of that lantern. Three of them are in the palace, two are underground, and four are on the Ancient Sovereign Planet.”

“As for the exact location, I need some additional items to accurately investigate.”

“Xu Qing, among these additional items, I can refine the tools myself but I still need a special blood pill processed with my blood for activation.”

Zi Xuan looked at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing nodded.

“I’ll help you refine it.”

Just like that, after the sensing ended, the two of them bought a lot of materials from the Imperial City and returned to Ning Yan’s residence. One processed tools and the other refined the pill.

Because the refinement of the blood pill was special, it couldn’t be done overnight. It required a pill furnace as a carrier. At the same time, it also needed to be augmented by cultivation according to the degree of condensation of the blood pill and added to other medicinal herbs every once in a while.

Xu Qing was very concerned about this. Time flowed by and soon, another half a month passed. When he was only a few days away from the final refinement of this blood pill, a decree from the palace entered Ning Yan’s residence.

The content of this decree affected all parties because… the Human Emperor had finally summoned him!

“Summoning Xu Qing from the Holy Wave Large Region!”

“Summoning the 12th son, Guyue Ning Yan!”