“Haha, brat, kneel and beg for mercy or I’ll show you a fate worse than death.”

“You’re surrounded, be smart and surrender.”

Feiyun gained more than ten wounds after being attacked from all sides. They were top masters and could take down a sect.

Ning Jialin smiled while watching the battle, looking rather amused.

“Die!” Feiyun became agitated. Dragon scales appeared on his arm; the image of a ferocious black dragon appeared behind him and roared.

“Whoosh!” He pierced the chest of a second-level old man and clawed out his heart. He then crushed it and blood splashed everywhere.

The other masters became alarmed. How could he take down the defense of a second-level Heaven’s Emergence with his bare hand?

This was rather extraordinary. Cultivators of this realm had tenacious vitality. Their bones were harder than metal and their recovery speed was immense. Killing one was not easy yet he took one down.

He glared at them with his fiery eyes, causing them to be drenched in a cold sweat after seeing his true power.

He took out the badge given to him by the Divine Guardian. It had the runes of a pseudo-saint and emitted terrifying shockwaves.

This immediately alarmed the entire palace. Their expression soured as their blood was freezing up.

Ning Jialin became serious as he commanded: “A pseudo-saint badge, back off, right now!”

The masters immediately ran out of the palace and got away from Feiyun.

“How could he have a badge of that level?!”

“Shit, the entire palace might be destroyed!”

These arrogant masters turned pale from fear as if doomsday was incoming. However, none of this happened.

The aura of a pseudo-saint suddenly disappeared. They returned to the palace in confusion to only find Feiyun long gone.

“We got tricked, he didn’t have one.”

“No, his badge was most likely real but he didn’t use it. Azure Lord would have still killed him.” Ning Jialin shook his head.

“Second Prince, this- this is not good, he took the ruler’s seal with him!” A paragon from First Heaven became alarmed after looking at the pond inside the main chamber.

Jialin panicked and saw that it was indeed missing. This tripod was the symbol of authority in Sixth Central, a divine artifact. 

Azure Lord wanted to take over this position but now, the ruler’s seal was taken away? This was nothing short of a joke. If he were to find out, heads would start rolling on the ground.

An old daoist came out from the void and had a jade aura. His eyes resembled jewels while his hair was as snow as white.

“Greetings, Heaven Director.” Paragons bowed their head to show respect. The only exception was Jialin.

He was the leader of First Heaven, one of the three most capable followers under Azure Lord.

He glanced at the pond and saw the missing seal. A chilling air rushed out of his eyes.

“The lord wishes to ascend with the oath banquet yet there is a grave mistake like this tonight? Are you all tired of living?” He chastised.

The paragons trembled in fear, not daring to talk back. The second prince himself became afraid because he knew that given Azure Lord’s personality, he might execute his children depending on the mistake.

“We must keep this a secret. Whoever took it is certainly still inside the palace. You best find it before the banquet. Otherwise… no one will be able to save you. I must report this to the territory lord right now in order to prepare for the worst.” Heaven Director said before disappearing from the palace with extreme speed.

Those inside the chambers heaved a sigh of relief. Nonetheless, they looked rather dejected. They knew that if they couldn’t find the ruler’s seal in time, it would be over.

Ning Jialin was furious and clenched his teeth as he ordered: “Seal every entrance, no one is getting out. Mobilize every single soldier to dig up each inch of the palace. Bring me every suspicious soul, we will find this seal no matter what.” 

He paused for a bit and said: “Hold it, announce that Sacred Court Lord has been injured by an assailant, we are looking for them right now. If anyone of you dares to leak the loss of the seal, I will exterminate your clan, hmph.”

With that, he cut off one of Sacred Court Lord’s arm. The latter rolled on the ground in pain and issued pig-like screams.

The paragons immediately flew out of the chamber to find the intruder.

The news of the attempted assassination traveled quickly and alarmed everyone. The patrolling guards doubled in number. Everyone worried that something bad might happen to them because many were being captured and interrogated.

Captain Xiao Bailang also received this news. He could be punished due to the perceived lax protection.

“I heard the assassin is extremely powerful and killed Master Song. He’s also a capable puppet master and baited them with puppets made of roof tiles. That’s how he managed to sneak into Pinnacle Palace.” A guard reported to him.

Xiao Bailang stroked his chin and pondered, thinking that these masters were useless at a crucial moment. They deserved this for always acting arrogant.

“Moreover… I heard that this assassin might have been a guest or a traitor.” The guard said.

Only high-status officials were allowed entry into the palace. For example, those from First Heaven or Heaven Restoration…

‘Him?’ Xiao Bailang suddenly thought of a particular person. He then flew toward the palace named Propitious. 

At the same time, Ning Jialin and a group of soldiers were outside. He saw two guards at the entrance and asked: “What are you two doing here?”

The two got on one knee and said: “Honorable Second Prince, we are under the order of Captain Xiao to guard this place. There is an important official resting inside.”

“Important official, who?” Ning Jialin asked with suspicion in his eyes.

“Whoosh.” Xiao Bailang landed and bowed toward the prince: “Greetings, Second Prince.”

“Captain Xiao, do you know what has transpired today?” The second prince asked.

“Yes, the assassination attempt was shocking indeed.”

“Don’t tell me you brought the assassin here.” Ning Jialin glanced at the palace in front of them.

Xiao Bailang immediately got on his knees and said: “I do not dare to do such a thing. Inside the palace is Feng Feiyun of Heaven Restoration. Last night during the purge, he was busy interrogating prisoners all night. The lord wanted him to participate in the feast tonight so since it was already dawn, it would have been troublesome for him to leave and come back, that’s why I prepared this place for him to rest.”

In fact, Xiao Bailang also suspected Feng Feiyun. He immediately came up with a good excuse in order to not be dragged down into this mess.

“Feng Feiyun.” Jialin’s eyes flashed brightly: “I heard he is a good puppetmaster, it might be him then. Men, surround the palace, don’t let even an ant escape. Elder Ling, Elder Mu, Captain Xiao, follow me. We shall capture the assassin.”

Xiao Bailang looked as if he was at a funeral. If Feiyun was indeed the assassin, then it would be impossible for him to not be punished. He might be able to escape death but he would certainly lose his current position.

As they came closer to the entrance, they suddenly heard the groaning and moaning.

“Pl-please, I can’t… it’s, it’s been an hour… I can’t…” A girl sobbed and begged along with the constant creaking of a bed.