Nine Heavens Inspection Department
The Nine Heavens.
Kirin City floats above a brocade woven from flowing clouds.
The entire city is arranged in the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Formation. The streets and alleys built of green jade meander like a coiled dragon, and the eaves are hung with Spirit Lantern that shimmer with starlight, illuminating the seventy-two wards and markets of the city as if it were daytime.
The East Market is filled with rare and exotic treasures, while the West Market is filled with the subtle fragrance of Spirit Medicine and Immortal Herbs and immortal plants. Cultivators from all directions travel between the market on auspicious clouds, their conversations and the humming of magical Magic Tool creating a unique rhythm.
Above the sky, Immortal Birds and Fierce Beasts carried cultivators back and forth in an endless stream.
The Vermilion Bird University, bathed in rosy light, raised its head and cried out, its wings leaving a trail of crimson in its wake.
The Chi Dragon, covered in silver scales, swung its long tail, causing clouds and mist to surge and gather around it.
There was also a female cultivator riding a seven-colored Luan Bird, her silk skirt billowing in the wind, and the tassels of the jade hairpin in her hair drawing a dazzling arc in the void.
These powerful figures swept past the city tower, causing the ordinary cultivators on the street below to stop and look up, exclaiming in amazement.
The giant square in the center of the city is like a dazzling pearl between heaven and earth.
At the center of the square stands a magnificent multi-story building— the Nine Heavens Inspection Department.
The entire building is based on Kunlun Mystic Iron and inlaid with Star-Patterned Glaze that can absorb and expel the essence of the sun and moon.
Each layer of eaves is engraved with ancient runes, which flow with golden light under the impetus of Spiritual Power, layer upon layer piercing the sky.
The building is surrounded by thirty-six Coiled Dragon Pillar, with lifelike mythical beasts entwined around the pillars. The mist they exhale condenses into cloud staircases for cultivators to pass through.
Every night, the Nine Heavens Lamp on the top floor of the Inspection Department lights up, its light piercing through nine layers of clouds and illuminating the surrounding area.
The sounds of bells and chimes could be heard from inside the building from time to time; it was the Inspector reading out the Heavenly Rules and Precepts.
The square remained bustling with activity, filled with the shouts of vendors, the sparring of cultivators, and the cries of rare birds and Mutant Beasts, all playing together to create an everlasting symphony of prosperity for Kirin City.
Passing through the Gilded Gate forged from black iron of the Inspection Department, one is immediately struck by the rich Spiritual Power fluctuations emanating from the ground floor hall.
Inspectors dressed in Cloud-Patterned Brocade Robe in four colors—red, blue, white, and black—moved back and forth. Some wore bronze Taotie Mask, while others were covered with half- Butterfly Wing Gauze. Occasionally, a cloak with gold embroidery swept across the ground, stirring up a series of tiny ripples of Spiritual Power.
In a corner, three inspectors wearing Frost Wolf Patterned Silver Mask huddled together, their Mystic Iron Token gleaming with a faint blue light.
They spoke in hushed tones about a Secret Realm in the Lower Realm that was experiencing frequent disturbances, and when they mentioned the dangerous parts, they would simultaneously let out low, pleasant chuckles.
At the service counter, a young girl dressed in a moon-white flowing cloud-patterned short jacket, with bells jingling at her waist as she moved.
She lightly tapped the Jade Slip Light Screen floating in mid-air with her fingertips, then suddenly took out a Token engraved with star patterns and handed it to the dusty cultivator in front of her, and then pushed a jade box full of Spirit Stone into the Teleportation Array.
When a burly cultivator with Flame Totem painted on his forehead handed over a blood-stained Demonic Beast Inner Core, her eyes lit up slightly. She condensed Spiritual Power at her fingertips, hovering it over the surface of the core for a moment to confirm its quality. Then, a jade Spirit Bracelet recording her achievements automatically popped out from her bracelet.
Ascending the spiraling Spiritual Power staircase to the forty-fourth floor, the heavy restrictions isolate the outside world from the noise.
The entire room resembled an inverted galaxy, with tens of thousands of Soul Lamp arranged on the circular steps, each one suspended in a crystal-clear glass lamp.
The Soul Lamp come in various colors and flicker unpredictably—blazing white represents vibrant life, light gray foreshadows depleted Spiritual Power, and dark red is a sign of severe injury.
An old man in a Raven-Green Robe stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over a Soul Lamp that suddenly began to tremble violently. A wisp of silver thread flew out from his sleeve and wrapped around the wick.
He muttered to himself, "The Ninth Patrol Team has been attacked..."
Before the words were finished, dozens of Soul Lamp simultaneously rippled with blood-red light, stirring up an invisible storm of Spiritual Power in the quiet room.
Pfft pfft!
These dozens of Soul Lamp suddenly went out at the same time, then exploded into countless particles.
The old man involuntarily took several steps back, gasping for breath, his eyes wide open.
The change in the Soul Lamp indicates that their Nine Heavens Inspection Department had dozens of inspectors who died and disappeared.
The old man vanished in a flash.
In room 8808 on the 88th floor, in front of a gilded screen with dragon patterns, the highest-ranking official of the Nine Heavens Inspection Department, the "Iron-Faced Judge" Emperor You — You Ming, sat upright in an executive chair forged from Meteorite Iron and Warm Jade.
In the teacup engraved with runes, the emerald green "Spirit Pivot Snow Chrysanthemum" slowly unfolded, each strand standing upright like a sword, with a translucent tea flower phantom condensing at its tip.
The rich aroma of tea intertwines with the surrounding icy chill, creating a unique atmosphere.
Youming's You Ming fingers gently caressed the edge of the teacup, his crimson eyes sweeping over the jade slip on the table, which recorded the recent strange events in the Three Realms.
Suddenly, a loud "boom" was heard, and the black iron gate was shaken open by an invisible force. The door panel crashed heavily against the wall, and the flying pebbles condensed into ice crystals in mid-air and fell down.
Xue Zangfeng, dressed in a dark blue robe, staggered in, his white hair disheveled and plastered to his forehead, the jade pendant at his waist askew to one side.
His usually composed face was now filled with panic, and cold sweat rolled down his forehead along the lines of his wrinkles.
"Sir! Something terrible has happened! A major incident has occurred in our Inspection Department!"
Before Xue Zangfeng could finish speaking, he began to cough violently, and the chaotic aura of Spiritual Power caused ripples in the room.
You Ming paused slightly, his well-defined fingers gripping the cup handle, and gently placed the teacup on the ice-patterned stone table.
He looked up at the elderly man with a sullen expression; his scarlet eyes were as deep as an abyss.
"What's the matter that you're so panicked?"
His voice was deep, yet carried a chilling pressure that sent shivers down one's spine. The surrounding temperature plummeted, and even the suspended aroma of tea condensed into frost.
Xue Zangfeng wiped away a cold sweat, his Adam's apple bobbing violently. "Just now... just now, dozens of Soul Lamp in the Soul Lamp Hall went out at the same time!"
Our Inspection Department... has dozens of inspectors who died at the same time!
"What?"
A chilling aura erupted from You Ming's body, his crimson eyes widened abruptly, and two tangible, icy glints shot out from the sky.
The air froze instantly wherever it passed, and thousands of ice crystals floated in the air, refracting a cold light.
He pressed his palm on the table, and the table, made of black iron, was covered with spiderweb-like ice cracks at a speed visible to the naked eye. The Spirit Pivot Snow Chrysanthemum in the teacup was instantly frozen, and the phantom of the tea flower was frozen into an exquisite ice sculpture.
Forced to kneel on one knee by this oppressive force, Xue Zangfeng felt the biting cold seep into his bones, making even breathing difficult.
You Ming suddenly stood up, his wide black robe fluttering in the wind, and the mist formed from the cold air around him gathered behind him to form a ferocious judge phantom.
A streak of light flew out from his sleeve and disappeared into the void, causing the entire Spiritual Power network of the Inspection Department to tremble wildly.
"Summon all inspectors and seal off all teleportation channels in the Nine Heavens!"
Anyone who dares to neglect their duties will be executed without mercy!
A chilling aura filled the room. Xue Zangfeng gazed at the You Ming killing intent emanating from Youming, and an ominous premonition welled up in his heart.