Otherworldly Affairs Office

Compared to the "heartwarming scene" of the sibling reunion of the Dragon Race, the interrogation process of Li Songtao was far more grueling. The personnel responsible for interrogation at the Immortal Palace arrived at the Investigation Hall almost simultaneously with the Dragon Race's Salafam. However, while rehabilitation for the dragon had been underway for over half a month, there had been no progress here.

Li Songtao was simply as stubborn as a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, refusing to yield to the Immortal Palace's bribes with sarcasm and disdain. Even when faced with the joint torture from two planes, he remained fearless. His Divine Sense had been set with a restriction by someone, making mental probes extremely difficult.

The longer the delay, the more disadvantageous it was for the Investigation Hall. Though only half a month had passed here, more than a year had already gone by in the Daoist Plane. The Immortal Palace was practically sending daily inquiries asking for results. Eventually, they directly stated that if there was no progress soon, the matter would be handed over to the Immortal Palace. The condition would remain the same, allowing Investigation Hall personnel to go to the Daoist Skill Interface with the Life-Banning Talisman and participate in the trial, considering time there resulted in quicker outcomes.

The Investigation Hall was under immense pressure to adhere to their principles. However, they could only maintain these principles for another half-month. If there was no breakthrough within this period, they would have no choice but to transfer the individuals to the Daoist Plane and proceed as suggested.

The personnel at the Investigation Hall looked at Li Songtao, who had long lost his previous arrogant demeanor and was now weak and feeble, with bloodshot eyes. This guy was truly tight-lipped!

Meanwhile, the remaining three individuals from the Daoist Plane who were brought back with him showed great adaptability, promptly revealing the events of that day upon witnessing the Immortal Palace personnel.

According to their account, these individuals were indeed unlucky. Each time a plane rift opened due to historical issues, cultivators from various sects would gather around its vicinity.

It's not that they all intended to cross the plane rift, but rather, during the opening of the rift, a large amount of pure Spiritual Qi would spill outwards, and these cultivators sought to absorb it to enhance their strength. Of course, the best positions were occupied by Immortal Palace disciples under the guise of preventing others from trespassing, while the rest could only stand on the periphery to absorb some stray Spiritual Power. Nevertheless, it was still a considerable gain for the disciples from minor sects.

Everything seemed so normal, with disciples from various sects who understood the rules safely occupying their positions. They had barely begun absorbing the Spiritual Qi for half a day's time (one day here equating to a month in the Daoist Plane, as mentioned earlier, and the closer one gets to the rift, the more the time between planes would gradually align, reaching an equilibrium point between the two), when Li Songtao appeared in front of them.

His appearance was nothing short of a nightmare for these scattered sect cultivators. Without announcing his name or reasoning, he immediately activated those bizarre individuals, launching a massacre among them.

Those who came to absorb Spiritual Qi were outer disciples from minor sects with low strength. Faced with these strange, oppressive beings, casualties quickly ensued.

Yet, compared to these foolish beings, the cultivators possessed intelligence and prowess in suppressing techniques. Under the leadership of the strongest individuals from varied sects, they swiftly succeeded in slaying seven or eight of the bizarre beings. Consequently, the outcome was known to all; every cultivator who personally slew a strange being was struck by black smoke and collapsed mysteriously.

Upon witnessing this scene, the minor sects were filled with panic, attempting to flee but were soon surrounded by the bizarre beings controlled by Li Songtao. At this moment, the disciples of the Immortal Palace, who had been watching coldly, finally intervened.

Being disciples of the Immortal Palace, their intervention was extraordinary. They had already noticed the anomalies of the bizarre beings during their observation, and once they took action, they aimed only to subdue rather than kill. Under the guidance of Immortal Palace disciples, the cultivators soon gained the upper hand once again.

And then, Li Songtao struck!

Crushing defeat, utter crushing defeat. The Immortal Palace disciples assigned to defense were entirely outmatched, toyed with in his hands. The leading Immortal Palace Steward Disciple, upon being struck by a black vapor, turned entirely black, standing motionless and allowing Li Songtao to easily sever his head, which soared high over the plane rift into another realm.

It was this head that alerted the others from various sects, facing unfavorable circumstances. The crowd ignored the fierce battle between the Immortal Palace disciples and Li Songtao and rushed across the plane rift in self-preservation.

This was what transpired in that world on the night in question.

After the Immortal Palace elder verified their account through Divine Sense inspection, the three were promptly escorted back to the Daoist Plane. As for what fate awaited them, it was beyond the concern of the Investigation Hall personnel.

On another front, experts in biology, genetics, and other fields at the secret research institute, along with Pill Masters, Puppet Masters, Talisman Masters, and others sent by the Immortal Palace, were steadily continuing their research on the bizarre beings. This was not something that could be rushed.

If there was any good news amidst all the chaos, it was that—following this incident—the relations between various interdimensional investigation organizations and conservative factions from other planes grew unprecedentedly close, dismantling the previous barriers of information blockade and achieving true mutual exchange. In a way, it was a blessing in disguise.

Meanwhile, Pei Yan was still not involved in these complex matters. Having just returned from a mission, he sat in the cafeteria, eating and looking up at the TV, which was broadcasting news. He was particularly interested because, for the first time, he saw a group of "acquaintances" on the news.

Zou Changxing, He Yue, Liu Yu, and others!

Watching the scene being broadcast on the news, several individuals dressed in prison uniforms and shackles stood in the courtroom, listening quietly as the judge read their verdicts. As one heinous crime after another was announced, the judge read the final sentence for them—multiple death penalties and life sentences. These criminals confessed to their crimes in court, willing to accept legal sanctions without appeal.

"Wow, didn't expect this group to be so well-behaved in court." After the news report ended, Pei Yan slurped on soup, sipping thoughtfully.

Facing him, Wang Wenze chuckled: "Behaved, my foot. Those people weren't themselves; it was our colleagues impersonating them for trial. Otherwise, do you think those ordinary flimsy handcuffs could restrain them? The real ones are locked away in the Secret Prison. This is just for show,"

"Is that even possible?" Having seen so much, Pei Yan was no longer surprised by anything, chewing on his spare rib indifferently.

"There's nothing impossible. The crimes they committed were verified, so it's not wrongful for them. But it's impossible to let them appear in court themselves, for safety reasons, not to mention who knows what bigmouths might spill." Ye Jiumu interjected.

"Oh, I just wonder how Qi Youting is doing now." Pei Yan recalled the girl from that night and smacked his lips somewhat regretfully. He hadn't seen her name on TV, nor did he know if what she said that night was true. Same origin but different paths—such is destiny.