Heavenly Venerable Taiyi of Salvation and the Thunder Patriarch exchanged a glance, unable to hide their shock. After a moment, Heavenly Venerable Taiyi of Salvation smiled. "Though this is not a Token of Command, it carries even greater authority."
After Lord Taibai departed, Heavenly Venerable Taiyi of Salvation immediately ordered another seat placed beside his own and the Thunder Patriarch's. The Thunder Patriarch said to Zhuang Yan, "Spirit Platform Divine Lord now bears the grave duty of inspection. This seat has been prepared for you. Within Hongming Garden, your authority is second only to mine and Fellow Daoist Taiyi's."
Heavenly Venerable Taiyi of Salvation instructed, "I hope you will faithfully fulfill your duties and not fail His Majesty's great trust."
Zhuang Yan solemnly accepted the order and took his seat, feeling an unprecedented sense of authority. Although power now rested in his hands, he was responsible only for oversight; the actual interrogations would be handled by others.
The first to be questioned were the thirty Heavenly Soldiers who had served wine. The Heavenly Court had its own divine methods of interrogation, and it was quickly determined that these soldiers had merely lost their composure from excessive nervousness, with no ill intent.
After True Lord Yisheng presented the results of the interrogation, Zhuang Yan reviewed them and reported to the two Venerables, "These Heavenly Soldiers' loyalty is beyond doubt. They merely lost their composure in the urgency of the moment."
After consulting each other, Heavenly Venerable Taiyi of Salvation and the Thunder Patriarch decided to release the Heavenly Soldiers and return them to duty. The Thunder Patriarch then asked about the Curtain-Rolling General. Learning that he was still unconscious, he ordered the continued investigation of the others and decreed that no one could leave Hongming Garden before the Curtain-Rolling General's investigation