Yi Yang left the side hall of the Judgment Hall and stopped at a bend in the corridor.
He raised a hand to straighten his robe, then brushed the dust from Clearwind Ridge off his cuffs.
His confrontation with Xiao Zhengyan in the Judgment Hall had appeared to end with both men taking a step back, but neither had truly loosened his grip.
Xiao Zhengyan had preserved the Evil Punishment Office's dignity, while Pei Zongyue had detained the prisoners in the Judgment Hall, where neither side could take them away, buying Yi Yang some time.
As for Zhou Yang and the other two, Yi Yang saw it as nothing more than a few extra days of life.
A pack of old foxes.
Yi Yang cursed quietly to himself.
He had thought that becoming Commander of the Pacification Guard would give his badge enough weight to spare him many roundabout paths.
Only today had he seen things clearly. One hall, four offices, and one guard-each had its own territory and rules, and every Deputy Chief Inspector schemed for their own interests.
The higher the position, the more entanglements came with it.
Even an obvious case of leaked intelligence, once it landed in their hands, required them to consider whose dignity was at stake before discussing whether anyone had the authority to cut off heads.
What a nuisance.
Yi Yang stopped dwelling on Zhou Yang and the other two. Those three heads were only resting on their necks for the moment. They could not escape.
The altar beneath the Benevolent Temple was the truly deadly concern.
The underground altar had been maintained for years. Several True Astral Realm experts hid behind its three concealed doors, one of them already at late True Astral. Their strength was formidable.
The Nine Evil Sect would