Outside Of Time

It was the twelfth hour of the investigation into the theft of the Sun of Dawn.

The sky was already dark, devoid of the crimson hues of dusk. Instead, dense clouds loomed overhead, casting an eerie twilight that blurred the line between day and night, as if the blackness of night had descended prematurely upon the earth.

The rain continued, accompanied by rumbling thunder. The oppressive atmosphere coupled with the figures of the guards in the Imperial City caused the city to be filled with killing intent.

Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.

The investigation from the Upper Mystic Five Palaces revealed a vast network of involvement. Apart from the princes themselves, numerous cultivators associated with the princes were found to be involved.

In these twelve hours, more than half of these people were captured.

Some were in cultivation places, some were in sects, and some were at home. Any force had to lower their heads when facing the prestige of the Human Emperor.

If they resisted, they would be killed without mercy.

As the rain fell, it also washed away the blood. Only the odor of blood couldn't dissipate and gradually churned with the night.

In the heavy rain, Xu Qing, clad in the robe of a Sword Holder, hurried along the path towards the Imperial Palace prison. His steps matched the pace of both his thoughts and the environment.

He had participated in the Sword Holding Palace's investigation of the theft of the Sun of Dawn. He saw all the discovered evidence and also sensed the undercurrents involving the various princes.

"It shouldn't be like this."

Xu Qing lifted his head and his gaze passed through the rain in front of him, looking at the Imperial Palace in the dark night.

The gate to enter the Heaven Prison wasn't the rainbow bridge but a side gate.

"None of these princes are ordinary. It's impossible for them to be found out so easily unless… someone orchestrated and created momentum for all of this."

"State Preceptor?"

"Also, the Human Emperor's self-verification was somewhat abrupt."

Xu Qing frowned. He kept feeling that there was a gap in the things he had seen after coming to the Imperial City. It was like a puzzle that was missing a key piece.

"Is it possible that there aren't two people playing chess…"

Xu Qing stopped in his tracks. A bolt of lightning rumbled through the sky, illuminating the palace and the pensive expression on Xu Qing's face.

After a long time, Xu Qing closed his eyes. When he opened them, his expression was as usual as he walked into the side gate of the palace.

With the Sword Holding Palace's token, he successfully passed the inspection. Under the guidance of three black-armored guards, he entered the underground of the palace.

On the way, he sensed the coldness in the surroundings, the astonishing auras, and the restriction runes on every brick and tile. Xu Qing understood that this prison should be the most tightly guarded prison in the Imperial City.

Even though he had the token, he still had to go through layers of inspection. It was only after it was confirmed that there was nothing wrong that Xu Qing was brought to the cell where Ning Yan was imprisoned.

The heaven prison in the palace had a total of nine floors. The lower one went, the higher the status of the imperial family and the more secretive they would be.

After the underground sixth floor, all visits were strictly forbidden.

Ning Yan was imprisoned on the third floor.

The entire cell was enveloped by restrictions. Ning Yan was covered in sealing rings, changing him into a mortal. It was difficult for him to escape even if he had wings. His expression was very complicated as he sat on the ground motionlessly.

It was only when he sensed Xu Qing's arrival that he reluctantly lifted his head and looked at Xu Qing, who was outside the cell.

"Boss…"

Looking at Ning Yan, Xu Qing sat down cross-legged and swept his gaze across the surroundings.

"The environment here is not bad. It's not as dirty and messy as I imagined."

Ning Yan smiled bitterly.

"Moreover, it's quiet. You can calm your mind here."

Ning Yan immediately kept quiet.

Xu Qing no longer spoke and calmly looked at Ning Yan. Ning Yan instinctively felt a little nervous. He met Xu Qing's gaze and his gaze was a little evasive.

Fifteen minutes passed just like that.

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

There was complete silence.

After another fifteen minutes, Xu Qing stood up.

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

Xu Qing turned and walked out. In the cell behind him, Ning Yan looked at Xu Qing's back view. The hesitation and conflict in his heart mixed together. After Xu Qing took some steps, Ning Yan gritted his teeth fiercely.

"Boss."

Xu Qing stopped in his tracks.

"Although there's a possibility that someone is pretending to be me, there's a higher chance that it's… my brother, the eleventh prince."

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

"The Eleventh Prince's tomb has been investigated. He is dead."

Ning Yan's expression was complicated. He touched the ground of the cell and lowered his head. His voice was soft.

"Boss… My brother and I are biological siblings. When we were young, we often played a game."

Xu Qing focused.

"This game is hide-and-seek."

"However, every time, he would be able to find me. No matter where I hid, he would know it clearly."

"I don't know how he was able to do that, but I asked him at that time. He told me that when I grew up, I would know. However, he was clearly born only fifteen minutes earlier than me."

"Until today, after I was sent here…"

Ning Yan lifted his head and looked at Xu Qing.

"I know the answer. Back then, no matter where I hid, he could find me with his perception through the special connection between us."

Ning Yan pointed to the ground.

"There's my brother's aura below."

As soon as these words were spoken, Xu Qing's heart instantly stirred.

"This aura is abnormal. It's hard for me to describe it. The only feeling is that… it's familiar but unfamiliar at the same time, and is bizarre."

"I tried to call out but there was no response."

Ning Yan felt bitter and had mixed feelings. This day had an extremely great impact on him.

This was especially so after he sensed his brother's aura in the prison. It caused his thoughts to be overturned. He clearly remembered that his brother and mother had died together.

But now, in this heaven prison, he could actually sense his brother's aura.

He didn't know what the reason was or how it turned out to be like this, but he wasn't a child. He realized that… there was a huge secret contained in this.

Xu Qing fell silent and his gaze landed on the ground.

This was the third floor and there were six floors below.

This place was the Imperial Palace's heaven prison. Only with the Human Emperor's orders could people be locked here.

'The individual who died is apparently not dead, and instead is "I also sensed him."

in the heaven prison where you need the Human Emperor's order to imprison… Moreover, this Eleventh Prince who is apparently not dead stole the Sun of Dawn.'

'His motive is unknown.'

'His life or death is also unknown.'

Xu Qing rubbed his forehead. He suddenly thought of Ning Yan's mother's portrait. Looking at it now, everything seemed to be inextricably linked to the death of Ning Yan's mother back then.

As for the Human Emperor, he had a huge secret.

It was even more so for the State Preceptor.

After a long time, Xu Qing left the heaven jail and returned to the Sword Holding Palace.ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ Noᴠᴇlꜰire.nᴇt

He didn't tell anyone about this.

Due to this, the probe into Ning Yan yielded no results, which also meant that there was no possibility of further continuation of this case. It ended with the current outcome. Until late at night, after the sixteenth hour had passed, the Sword Holding Palace submitted all the investigation documents.

The other four palaces also handed over their respective results.

When the results from different directions were gathered in front of the Human Emperor, the lightning in the sky rumbled even more as he flipped through them, as though his anger was about to erupt.

In the end, this anger didn't descend. The Human Emperor closed his eyes. After calming down, he seemed to have aged a little.

However, when he opened his eyes again, the incomparably domineering Human Emperor had returned. Determination appeared in his eyes as he announced a shocking imperial decree to the human race.

Outside the palace, a total of 12 incense sticks for the position of the Crown Prince were erected. Each of them was 990 feet tall and separated by 90 feet. Their color was red!

Other than the two princesses, Anran and Anbei, the twelve royals and a princess merged their soul blood into the incense sticks each, branding them.

"Since you all seek to vie for the throne, rather than stirring up trouble in secret and disrupting the order of the court, it's better to bring it out in the open."

"Starting from today, all twelve incense will burn simultaneously. Based on the performance of each imperial prince and princess, those who excel will have slower burning incense, while those who falter will have faster burning incense. After one year, the one with the slowest burning incense will be… the Crown Prince!"

With this decree, the entire capital was abuzz with discussion. All factions were moved by the decisiveness of the emperor in choosing the Crown Prince, and he effectively shattered all hidden schemes, guiding the succession process towards a positive direction.

With everything now out in the open, whoever desired to become the Crown Prince must ensure that their incense burned the slowest, thus allowing them to stand tall in the end.

Merely existing without achievements was not acceptable as the incense burned constantly.

All of a sudden, the eyes of the various royals who were paying attention to the theft of the Sun of Dawn shone with intense light.

As the imperial decree was issued, the theft of the Sun of Dawn became an unsolved case and no one mentioned it again.

Ning Yan and the Ninth Prince were also released. The palace gates were closed, and court sessions were suspended for seven days.

After Ning Yan returned to his residence, his personality changed. He locked himself in the ancestral hall.

Xu Qing knew that at this moment, Ning Yan might prefer to be alone. Hence, he looked at the ancestral hall and recalled his experiences today. He then obtained an answer.

"The individual who placed the piece won a round."

At the same time, when the palace gate was closed and the curfew in the Imperial City was lifted, everyone was shocked by the matter of the crown prince incense. In the Imperial Palace, in the Heavenwatch Pavilion, a strong wind howled.

The Human Emperor stood there with his hands behind his back and looked at the huge Ancient Sovereign Planet.

Behind him, the void distorted and the State Preceptor's figure appeared out of thin air. He cupped his hands at the Human Emperor and smiled.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, for finally making a decision and breaking the last bit of tether."

The Human Emperor's gaze was deep and he spoke calmly without turning his head.

"Even if you're Crown Prince Purple Green, you haven't recovered yet and you're in our human race's territory. It won't be difficult for me to kill you."

The State Preceptor's expression was gentle as he spoke softly.

"I'm just helping His Majesty fulfill his dream. Besides, His Majesty naturally knows that I only pushed the matter. There's someone else behind the scenes."

"As for who it is, His Majesty also knows it."

The Human Emperor was expressionless.

"Your Majesty, there are already gods paying attention to this, so since you've made the decision, you have to do it as soon as possible. After all, this transaction… is unprecedented."

The State Preceptor smiled. After he finished speaking, his body turned blurry and he left with the wind.

The Heavenwatch Pavilion was completely silent. Only the sound of the wind could be heard.

Amidst the howling wind, the Human Emperor's gaze seemed to penetrate the skies and land in the depths of the Ancient Sovereign Planet…