Chapter 42: The Nine Bureaus of Inspection!
“Buzz buzz buzz!”
Inside the main hall, Chao San faced the crowd. An ancient bronze mirror was drawn from his bosom.
Then, for the first time in his life, Lu Qingyang saw Chao San look someone straight in the eye.
No, he was looking straight at that bronze mirror.
“I respectfully invoke the sacred treasure, the Heaven-Watching Mirror!”
“Huala!”
Chao San tossed the bronze mirror high into the air.
The mirror expanded against the wind, instantly growing to about ten meters across, then suspended itself in midair.
“Boom!”
A piercing golden halo lit up around the bronze mirror, enveloping the entire main hall.
On the mirror’s surface, a hazy mist.
“Weng~”
From within the mist came faint, humming vibrations.
“Buzz buzz buzz…”
“Junior Brother, drip your essence blood onto the mirror’s surface!”
The low shout from Chao San made Lu Qingyang tremble all over.
He did not know what power the Heaven-Watching Mirror possessed, but from what Wei Xian had said,
this mirror seemed capable of seeing his past and present lives!
Though it should be the original owner’s past and present lives…
Lu Qingyang muttered to himself, bit his finger, and squeezed out a drop of blood.
Using spiritual power, he sent it floating toward that massive bronze mirror.
…
The blood bead merged into the mirror’s surface, instantly transforming into a red cloud of mist.
The red mist dispersed, revealing an infant dressed in rags.
That infant had been abandoned the moment he was born, then taken in by an old beggar.
From then on he wandered, drifting from place to place, until at seventeen he was fortunate enough to join the Chaotian Sect.
This is the original owner.
Watching the infant in the image, a sense of desolation welled up in Lu Qingyang’s heart.
He knew this was the original owner’s early life…
Then, the image on the bronze mirror shifted again.
Within an unknown estate, accompanied by the cry of a newborn.
Another infant was born. This child’s family circumstances seemed fairly decent — born into a mortal merchant household.
Looking at that face, slightly similar to his own, an indescribable feeling surged in Lu Qingyang’s heart.
This should be the original owner’s previous life. What a pity…
He never stepped onto the path of cultivation.
Lu Qingyang thought to himself. Suddenly, the bronze mirror’s image flickered.
It seemed to want to deduce the original owner’s life before that.
“Buzz buzz buzz!”
The bronze mirror’s red light flared brilliantly, yet no image appeared.
“Huh? Strange. This Heaven-Watching Mirror is a fourth-tier Nascent Soul Dharma Artifact. It can observe the principles of heaven above and the fate of men below.”
“Why can it not reveal this True Person Qingyang’s third life?”
As the True Monarchs discussed among themselves, the Heaven-Watching Mirror’s image flickered once more.
“Weng~”
A flash of red light.
A thin, gaunt silhouette appeared in the mirror.
The figure’s features could not be seen clearly, but his azure robe set off that form with an air of extraordinary transcendence.
And what truly shocked everyone was that the person in the mirror seemed to have sensed something.
“Huh…”
Accompanied by a soft “huh,” the image abruptly vanished.
“Weng~”
“Weng~”
Two soft hums rang out.
A silver marking appeared between Lu Qingyang’s brows.
The bronze mirror also returned to its original state, falling back into Chao San’s hand.
Watching this scene unfold, every True Monarch present had their eyes fly wide, their gazes filled with shock.
“What… what is going on here?!”
“Just what was this child’s identity in his past life before that?!”
“That person in the mirror could actually detect us?!”
The True Monarchs present all gaped in shock.
“You… how did you do that?”
Song He stepped forward, seizing Lu Qingyang by the shoulder in one go.
“Insolence!”
“Pa!”
Wei Xian flicked his sleeve, and a surging wave of spiritual power directly slammed toward Song He’s chest.
“Hm?”
Song He’s face darkened. He immediately released his spiritual power to block.
“Bang!”
The two forces of formidable spiritual power collided, instantly stirring up waves of qi that sent the main hall shaking without end.
“Pfft!”
Song He grunted, sent flying backward. He crashed heavily at the main hall’s entrance, spitting out a mouthful of blood, his face frighteningly pale.
“Sss~”
Watching Wei Xian injure Song He — a fellow Golden Core True Monarch — with a mere casual strike.
The faces of every True Monarch present changed drastically.
Wei Xian had indeed been hiding his true depths!
“Sect Master, calm your anger.”
Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, the other few quickly stepped forward to mediate.
“Sect Master is being far too overbearing.”
Song He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, killing intent blazing in his eyes.
“This Monarch is, after all, the head of one bureau in the Chaotian Sect. Today, if you do not give an explanation, I fear it will not be justified!”
Song He glared furiously at Wei Xian and coldly shouted.
“Oh?”
“Song He, what explanation do you want?”
“This seat was just about to ask the Song family for an explanation.”
As Wei Xian spoke, his gaze swept over Lin Longxiang and Wang Tiande.
His expression remained utterly indifferent, but the chill contained within made their hearts tremble.
“This…”
Song He’s face froze. He knew he was in the wrong and said no more.
Moreover, Wei Xian was the acting Sect Master of the Chaotian Sect. Though both were Golden Cores, his strength far surpassed Song He’s own.
To rashly act would only be self-destruction.
“Hmph!”
Song He let out a cold snort and stormed off with a flick of his sleeve.
Watching Song He’s departing back, the various True Monarchs present all felt somewhat uneasy.
After all, ever since Wei Xian had taken the post of acting Sect Master, there had never been such a direct confrontation.
“Disciple, come here.”
Wei Xian beckoned to Lu Qingyang.
“Disciple is here.”
Lu Qingyang walked up to Wei Xian.
“Today the Heaven-Watching Mirror observed your three lives. This strange phenomenon must be because your life before that was far from ordinary.”
“Perhaps you were a great cultivator in your own right.”
“Now that your three lives are proven clean beyond doubt, you should enter my Sun-Moon Peak.”
Having said this, Wei Xian turned his gaze, landing on Gong Yao, the head of the Law Enforcement Bureau.
“In recent years, there have been many strange occurrences within the sect.”
“The various families and bureaus have been forming cliques, fighting in the open and scheming in the shadows.”
“This seat holds this position. I absolutely cannot continue to indulge this.”
After Wei Xian finished speaking, he pushed Lu Qingyang forward before the crowd.
“Therefore, from today onward, True Person Qingyang, Vice Bureau Chief of the Sect Master Bureau, shall oversee the Nine Bureaus and Three Peaks.”
“The Law Enforcement Bureau shall assist from the side. Those who violate the sect’s laws and disrupt its discipline shall be severely punished without leniency!”
The moment Wei Xian’s words fell, Lin Longxiang, Wang Tiande, Gong Yao, and Zhao Kui were all stunned.
They had never expected that Wei Xian would promote a newly advanced True Person to oversee the Nine Bureaus.
This was practically handing him an immense authority in its entirety.
It seems… this time Wei Xian is playing for real.
Lin Longxiang’s thoughts churned. Watching Wei Xian, he felt deeply uneasy.
Only Lu Qingyang was somewhat dazed.
Didn’t they say he was just going to warn the others? Why is he having me oversee the Nine Bureaus?
Can I even oversee these Golden Core True Monarchs?
Lu Qingyang looked at the gathered True Monarchs in the hall, each aura more formidable than the last.
He suddenly felt that perhaps his steps were moving a little too fast.
It had only been a few years, and he could already contend with Golden Cores?
And that Song He — just now he had been so impulsive. However he looked at it, it did not seem like the composure a Golden Core True Monarch should have.
Could he be faking it?
But what is his aim? And just what is this vertical marking between my brows?