Chapter 728: The Dawn Stolen!

Inside the Phoenix Bird Great Hall, there was an instant of silence.

Gazes fell one after another upon Xu Qing, and the expression of Princess Princess Anhai also shifted.

The truth was that the Great Bell of the Imperial Capital ringing nine times was the absolute limit, representing a matter of heaven-shaking importance with extremely grave consequences; yet at this very moment, the Human Emperor's personal guards had come to summon Xu Qing into the palace as their first priority.

It appeared to be an invitation, but from the grimness of these golden-armored guards, one could clearly discern a murderous intent.

Most importantly, if one were to be dragged into this vortex, thinking to the extreme, a single moment of carelessness could lead to a fatal disaster.

Even though Xu Qing had an astonishing background and sat upon a half-domain, if the matter at hand concerned the lifeblood of the human race, then in the Human Emperor's judgment, there was no need to speak of which was lighter or heavier.

Thus, Princess Princess Anhai's expression changed; she hesitated at first, but soon her eyes revealed decisiveness as she stood up and spoke with a cold face.

"Presumptuous!"

Once Princess Princess Anhai's words were out, those golden-armored guards remained unmoved, still looking toward Xu Qing, but one of them stepped forward and bowed to Princess Princess Anhai.

"Your Highness, this is the Imperial Decree."

"My aptitude is poor, I cannot speak well, I am not likable, and no one is willing to get close to me—these things, I do not care about!"

Trembling along with him was Ning Yan.

Under his gaze, those two guards remained silent, finally bowing and stepping back.

This sound surpassed heavenly thunder, shaking the plaza and causing everyone's minds to churn; it was the voice of the Human Emperor.

"As for the aura, it was extracted from time by the Imperial Capital's grand formation focusing on the Creation Palace."

Finally, if the Sun of Dawn had truly been stolen, the matter was even more absurd.

Time passed slowly, and the thunder grew louder and louder.

Xu Qing pondered; he thought of the Sun of Dawn, the only thing on his person that others might perceive as having a connection to the Creation Palace.

Seeing Xu Qing, hope rose in Ning Yan's heart, but he was also startled, and his sense of trepidation was incomparably intense.

Xu Qing looked at Ning Yan, nodded slightly, said nothing, and stood to the side.

He stood before the hall, looking down at the plaza below, his gaze sweeping over those kneeling, and after a long while, his low voice echoed.

That back view was similar to Ning Yan's, and just as the image was about to end and the figure about to dissipate, it paused slightly and turned, revealing a side profile.

"The guard just told me that he doesn't know much either, only that... the Creation Palace is sealed, suspected of theft!"

They were all cultivators of the Creation Palace, numbering nearly several dozen.

"What has happened that requires Lord Xu to enter the palace at this moment?" Princess Princess Anhai frowned, looking at the guard who had spoken; she wanted to help Xu Qing probe the reason, which was the only thing she could do for him.

If the reason were known in advance, it would facilitate Xu Qing's subsequent arrangements and handling.

These thoughts surfaced in Xu Qing's mind; his gaze turned gloomy as he walked toward the Imperial Palace, until he arrived at the Chengxian Plaza in front of the Great Hall.

Shattering his own timidity, in that rain, he let out a roar that had been suppressed in his heart for many years.

That was the Questioning Immortal Bell.

"This seems to be a spreading based on a lockdown."

"This is the image seen from the passage of time after the Heavenly King cast a spell to backtrack the time of the Creation Palace."

Xu Qing watched all this, his heart also pondering where the problem had occurred; although he could not think of it for the moment, his expression did not change because of it. At this moment, he calmly stood up, walked forward, and arrived among the group of golden-armored guards.

Xu Qing raised his head, looking at the Imperial Palace; he had seen the previous image, but there were too many doubts here. He did not believe the Human Emperor's side would be negligent about this, so he walked a few steps, stood beside Ning Yan, and was just about to speak.

The Sun of Dawn is a heavy treasure of the human race; how could it be easily stolen? It must be heavily protected, and there was no need for its storage place to be the Creation Palace.

At the same time, the Imperial Capital's formation had already been fully activated, shrouding the entire capital and completely sealing it—one could only enter, not leave.

Furthermore, thunder roared in the sky; the sense of suppression from the fusion of heavenly might and human might caused the falling rain to tremble.

And kneeling there was not only him, but many others.

There were many directions; Xu Qing pondered, but without accurate clues, he could not find a precise answer.

These golden-armored guards were scattered before and behind Xu Qing, appearing to be escorting him, but there was also an implication of taking him into custody as they walked toward the outside of the Great Hall.

"I know that in your heart, I, this twelfth son, am dispensable."

Ning Yan was even more shaken, his head raised with an expression of disbelief.

"During the process, under the Eye of the Emperor."

Thus, Xu Qing became the only one among this group who remained standing; the rain did not even fall upon him, dissipating above his head.

After speaking, the Grand Chancellor lowered his head, and from within the Imperial Palace, the cold voice of the Human Emperor came.

The journey also rapidly shortened in Xu Qing's thoughts; soon, as flashes of lightning streaked down, their group arrived at the Rainbow Bridge, and the distant Imperial Palace suddenly became clear under the light of the lightning.

"And today, with a groundless charge placed upon me, I... do not accept it!"

In the night of the Imperial Capital, the heavy rain continued, and thunder roared in the sky from time to time; normally, at this time and in this weather, there would be few people out, but tonight was different.

The answer was already clear: Ning Yan was involved in the theft at the Creation Palace, and the item lost must be incomparably important—the Sun of Dawn was the most likely possibility.

But he had already explained this matter clearly in the Imperial Palace earlier, so the entanglements arising from it should not have led to being summoned.

Until the sky was about to brighten, an aged figure walked out of the Imperial Palace's Great Hall; it was the Grand Chancellor.

"Rebellious son, what else do you have to say?"

This sentence, which outsiders could not hear, caused Princess Princess Anhai's body to shake, her breathing to quicken, and her expression to change drastically once more; then she looked at Xu Qing with a complex gaze and fell silent.

The golden-armored guard behind him was just about to raise a hand to press on his shoulder when Xu Qing turned his head and gave him a calm look.

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed; he saw another group of golden-armored guards escorting someone into the Imperial Palace gate.

The Grand Chancellor's voice echoed, and the last sentence was extremely severe; the moment it was uttered, heavenly thunder exploded, causing the surroundings to roar.

After all, based on his understanding of Chen Erniu, the possibility of the other party going to the Creation Palace to steal something was not small, although doing so was very irrational, and if the Captain did it, he likely wouldn't have left such large flaws for the investigation to trace back to him.

"Tonight, the Creation Palace was robbed; a Sun of Dawn, placed within a specific formation in the Creation Palace and used by the Creation Palace for research to enhance its power, was lost."

"Seal the Imperial Capital?"

Amidst the mist, a great bell emerged from thin air during the blending of night and day, hanging in mid-air over the plaza.

Xu Qing pondered, recalling Princess Princess Anhai's voice transmission, and thought about this matter in his heart; the first person he thought of was his Senior Brother.

But if that were truly the case, this matter had many suspicious signs.

Ning Yan was bewildered; he did not know about this matter, nor had he done it, yet that face and that aura pointed all the accusations toward him.

Ning Yan's voice was hoarse, his emotions fluctuating violently, echoing across the plaza, and his body slowly stood up from his kneeling position!

The significance of this act of standing was unprecedented for him; it meant he had suppressed the fear of his Imperial Father that was born with him, and suppressed his awe of the Human Emperor.

Xu Qing saw that in this rainy night, there were large numbers of guard shadows moving hurriedly, their destinations scattered; it was hard for an ordinary person to see the general picture, but Xu Qing, coming from the Homicide Investigation Department, gradually saw some clues.

This aura also belonged exactly to Ning Yan.

Xu Qing closed his eyes, his thoughts turning, verifying his guesses in his heart.

"Father, I know you do not like me!"

Ning Yan grabbed the corner of Xu Qing's robe and slowly raised his head, his expression somewhat twisted, his eyes filled with disappointment toward the Human Emperor and anger at this absurd matter, looking at the Imperial Palace and roaring.

"If you hadn't summoned me back this time, I would never have returned!"

The Grand Chancellor before the hall heard this, raised his right hand, and waved it; a jade slip floated out, landing in mid-air, shining with brilliant light to form a scene.

"You all are the suspects of the preliminary investigation."

In the scene, it was a secret location, somewhat blurry and distorted, only a back view walking away was very clear.

"This matter, I, Ning Yan, have not done!"

"Father, you are high above, like the clouds of the firmament, while in your eyes I am humble to the extreme, no different from mud; but so what? This is my home, and it is not my home. Compared to this place, I prefer Fenghai County; compared to this Imperial Prince surname of Guyue, I prefer the identity of Ning Yan!"

His heart was tense, his eyes filled with bewilderment; he did not know what had happened; he had been forcibly brought by palace guards while he was cultivating in his mother's ancestral hall.

Exactly the same as Ning Yan!

Subsequently, all the images disappeared, and through the Grand Chancellor's hand seals, they formed an aura.

The moment he was about to step out of the Great Hall, Princess Princess Anhai bit her silver teeth, her lips moved slightly, and she sent a voice transmission to Xu Qing.

Among them was also the Ninth Imperial Prince, who was likewise being pressed to his knees by two golden-armored guards, his head lowered and his expression bitter.

Around the plaza, golden-armored cultivators stood everywhere, their killing intent intense, making the overall atmosphere incomparably oppressive.

Secondly, with Ning Yan's cultivation base, how could he possibly accomplish such a major event, and after it happened, not flee?

Xu Qing's footsteps paused; he turned and bowed, then stepped out of the Great Hall and headed all the way toward the Imperial Palace.

From time to time, figures hurried in from outside, entering the Imperial Palace Great Hall ahead, and the hall was brightly lit, currently holding a meeting.

"Impossible, I have never been to the Creation Palace, I..."

"Then, after excluding this, what was stolen from the Creation Palace that would make the Human Emperor summon me immediately?"

At this moment, in the distant sky, the morning sun rose; although dark clouds filled the sky and the heavy rain continued, the light of the morning sun still released itself with all its might, spilling its radiance onto the human world and onto the Chengxian Plaza.

The guard hesitated, looked around, and then looked at the severity in Princess Princess Anhai's expression; he stepped forward a few steps and whispered a message.

And under the Questioning Immortal Bell, Ning Yan wanted to say something, but the ironclad evidence was like a mountain, and he had no way to argue, only able to smile miserably.

It was exactly Ning Yan.

He was just about to speak, but the next instant, a cold snort came from within the Imperial Palace.

He was currently being pressed by two golden-armored guards on his shoulders, kneeling on the plaza, letting the rain fall and drench his entire body.

"Grand Chancellor, take the evidence for this rebellious son to see!"

First of all, Xu Qing knew that Ning Yan had spent almost all his time cultivating during this period.

After all, he himself also possessed a Sun of Dawn.

"Especially the Twelfth Imperial Prince."

Xu Qing's arrival, the moment he walked into the Imperial Palace gate, gazes from the guards gathered, and he followed them to the side of those being held in custody.

"Then, is it someone around me who is implicated?"

Therefore, after this thought surfaced in Xu Qing's mind, he excluded it again.

"Take the Questioning Immortal as proof!"

Xiang Ningyan roared, stood up completely, and slammed fiercely into the Questioning Immortal Bell above.

The sound of the bell tolling, carrying a sense of profound depth, echoed across the plaza.

To prove what was said, to prove one's original heart.