The Judge's Office, underground Meditation Chamber.
Lu Pan reactivated all the sealing Formation Arrays, ensuring absolute security. He took out the specially made Heart-Soul Jade Slip, his expression grave. The Jade Slip was crystal clear throughout, containing a trace of his vital Soul Source. Only a specific person using a special Dharma Seal could read it, and if it were forcibly cracked, the Jade Slip would self-destruct, and the information within would be annihilated.
He needed to record all the alarming intelligence regarding the Netherworld Workshop, the Gear Mark, the improved Moon-Erosion Demonic Pattern, the Boundary-Breaking Cone, and the "Law Breaker," and submit it to King Qinguang. This matter was too significant for him to handle alone.
His Divine Sense sank into the Jade Slip, and he began engraving the information using his Soul Power. He meticulously and objectively recorded everything, starting from his discovery of abnormal Runes at Solitary Delusion Peak, to the disappearance of evidence in the Black Mountain Ghost General Case, the silencing of the vault clerk, the assassination attempt by the Shadow Fiend Guard, obtaining the stone slab from the Secret Vault, discovering the Gear Mark, and finally, all the intelligence obtained from You Ying in Remnant Soul Alley. He avoided excessive subjective speculation, but the direction pointed to by the facts was clear enough.
He emphasized the hidden technical mastermind, the Netherworld Workshop, and the potentially subversive threat posed by its "Law Breaker" ideology. Simultaneously, he pointed out the high Possibility of close cooperation between the Northern Ghost Emperor and the Workshop, utilizing their technology to enhance strength and create Chaos.
After finishing the writing, he checked it several times to confirm there were no errors. Information flowed within the Jade Slip, as if carrying an immense burden.
Next was the matter of safe delivery. Presenting it directly was the most secure method, but King Qinguang was extremely busy, and after the incident in the Council Hall, he vaguely felt that the Hall of Yama was not entirely unified. Rushing to seek an audience might not be beneficial. Submitting it through official channels required multiple procedures, making leaks hard to prevent.
He recalled the "Mother-Son Sound Transmission Shell" King Qinguang had once gifted him for emergency communication. The mother shell was with King Qinguang, and the son shell was with him. This shell could communicate over vast distances and offered some degree of interference avoidance, but it was usually reserved for transmitting extremely brief warning messages, insufficient for carrying such a large volume of intelligence.
Perhaps... he could send the Heart-Soul Jade Slip directly into King Qinguang's private study via some secret method? He knew of a Secret Tunnel leading to the rear hall of the Hall of Yama, known to very few. He had learned of it by chance during official duties years ago and had kept it strictly confidential.
Just as he was weighing the pros and cons, outside the Meditation Chamber, the warning Formation Array he had set up suddenly registered another fluctuation!
This time, the fluctuation was extremely faint, not a forced entry, but more like... someone was attempting to Peep into the situation inside the Meditation Chamber!
Lu Pan instantly became alert, immediately putting away the Heart-Soul Jade Slip and the Sound Transmission Shell. He retracted his Soul Power, and his Divine Sense spread outward like spilled mercury.
Outside the Meditation Chamber, there was no one. However, his Divine Sense keenly captured a trace of an extremely faint "Peeping" spell residue outside the Formation Array Light Screen, almost merged with the surrounding Yin Qi! The spell was highly sophisticated; if his mastery of Formation Arrays were not decent, and he wasn't fully focused, he would never have noticed it.
Someone was Peeping outside! Were they monitoring him? Or trying to confirm if he was inside the Meditation Chamber?
Was it someone from the Northern Ghost Emperor? Or... a spy from the Netherworld Workshop? Or perhaps... the eyes and ears of certain Existences within the Ten Halls?
A chill rose from the bottom of his heart. His actions had indeed been under their surveillance all along! This Judge's Office was likely no longer safe!
He suppressed the urge to rush out and investigate immediately. Since the other party was only Peeping and had not acted, it meant they did not yet wish to tear off the facade, or they were hesitant. If he acted rashly, he would only alert the enemy.
He pondered for a moment, having formed a plan. He deliberately created sounds within the Meditation Chamber mimicking the normal fluctuation of Soul Power during cultivation, then pretended to be weak and exhausted from lack of Soul Power, blew out the Soul Lamp, and lay down fully clothed on the stone couch, emitting steady "breathing" sounds （ simulating the exhalation and inhalation of the soul ）.
He wanted to see what this Peeping intruder intended to do.
Time slowly passed. Silence reigned inside and outside the Meditation Chamber. The feeling of Peeping came intermittently, faint and elusive, showing extreme patience.
About an hour later, just as Lu Pan almost thought the other party had left, the portal Formation Array of the Meditation Chamber suddenly rippled with extremely subtle, water-like waves! A faint gray phantom, almost invisible to the naked eye, silently permeated the Formation Array barrier as if passing through water, entering the Meditation Chamber!
This was absolutely not a brute-force breach, but rather an infiltration using a sophisticated method, similar to "phase shifting," indicating extremely deep knowledge of the Formation Array's structure and finding some kind of "backdoor" or weak point!
Lu Pan was horrified! He had great confidence in the Formation Array he set up, yet this person infiltrated so easily. Their skill and understanding of Formation Arrays were terrifying!
After entering the Meditation Chamber, the faint gray phantom did not approach Lu Pan but rapidly floated around the room like a Ghostly Phantom, seemingly searching for something. Their target was clear: they first swept past the desk, then the shelves holding the scrolls, and finally paused near the spot where Lu Pan had been studying the Moon-Erosion Demonic Pattern Stone Slab, carefully sensing the residual aura.
He was looking for that stone slab! Or searching for clues related to the Moon-Erosion Demonic Pattern!
Lu Pan held his breath, drawing his Life Force inward to the extreme, becoming like a lifeless stone. Through his slightly narrowed eyes, he carefully observed the phantom. The phantom was very blurry; its face could not be seen, only a rough humanoid outline. It bore no obvious identifying marks, and its Soul Power Fluctuation was extremely obscure, making it difficult to determine its origin.
The phantom searched for a moment, seemingly finding nothing, appearing somewhat agitated. It turned its gaze back to Lu Pan lying on the stone couch, hesitated, and then slowly floated over, as if weightless.
What did he want to do? Search his body? Or... silence him directly?
Lu Pan's heart leaped into his throat. The Judge's Brush was in his sleeve, ready to strike at any moment. But he was unsure if he could handle this mysterious intruder in his current state of severe injury recovery.
The phantom stopped before Lu Pan's couch and extended a similarly indistinct hand, seemingly intending to reach toward Lu Pan's chest （ the usual location for storage Magical Artifacts or important items ）.
At this critical juncture—
"Buzz!"
The Jade Talisman in Lu Pan's robe, used for receiving official announcements, suddenly vibrated at an inopportune moment! Although the vibration was slight, in the dead silence of the Meditation Chamber, it sounded like a thunderclap!
The faint gray phantom shuddered violently, clearly startled by the sudden noise! Without hesitation, its form retreated backward like a startled rabbit, flowing out of the Meditation Chamber's Formation Array barrier even faster than when it entered, disappearing without a trace!
The feeling of Peeping and infiltration vanished completely along with it.
Lu Pan shot up from the stone couch, Cold Sweat beading on his forehead. That was close! If that Jade Talisman hadn't vibrated exactly then, the consequences would have been unimaginable!
He immediately inspected the Meditation Chamber's Formation Array and found that the node that had been penetrated was slowly self-repairing, leaving almost no trace. The opponent's methods were truly masterful.
He took out the vibrating Jade Talisman. It was a joint investigation notice from the Department of Punishing Evil, concerning the Well of Reincarnation attack, requesting all departments provide records of suspicious personnel movements recently.
This ordinary notice had, by sheer coincidence, saved his life once.
Lu Pan gripped the Jade Talisman, his face as dark as water. The opponent's tentacles had already reached his core area. He could not stay here any longer. That Moon-Erosion Demonic Pattern Stone Slab absolutely could not remain with him either.
He had to relocate immediately, and he also needed to find a way to send out the intelligence, while preparing a "grand gift" for these Peepers hiding in the shadows.
A bold plan began to brew in his mind.