Having survived the terror of the previous night, Judge Lu deeply understood that the Judge's Office was no longer a safe place. If the enemy could infiltrate once, they could infiltrate a second time. He had to leave as soon as possible and lead the danger elsewhere.
As dawn faintly broke （ under the radiance of the Nether Sun ）, Judge Lu, as usual, donned his Judge's Robe and walked out of the Judge's Office with a calm expression. He first visited his office in the First Hall to handle some backlog of documents, maintaining a normal demeanor while conversing with his colleagues, occasionally expressing just the right amount of worry regarding the matter of the Well of Reincarnation.
All his actions presented him as a diligent and responsible ordinary Judge, yet one powerless against the deeper crisis.
However, in a corner unnoticed by anyone, he had already sealed the "Heart-Soul Jade Slip" containing the core intelligence into a specially made "Void Stone" box capable of blocking all detection. He did not choose to send it into King Qinguang's study via the Secret Tunnel; that was too risky, as the tunnel might also have been exposed.
He had a more reliable candidate—Meng Po.
Venerable Meng Po held an extraordinary status, an ancient Existence. Although she seemingly only guarded the Naihe Bridge Head, her seniority surpassed that of many Yama Kings, and she had an old friendship with King Qinguang. More importantly, she was situated at the crucial juncture of Reincarnation yet rarely participated in any power struggles. Having her deliver it would be both safe and unlikely to attract much attention.
On his way to the Sin Mirror Platform for a "routine" review of a case file, Judge Lu "happened" to pass by the banks of the River of Oblivion.
At the Naihe Bridge Head, souls continued to flow endlessly. Venerable Meng Po, stooped over, mechanically handed out bowls of soup, as if all the outside turmoil had nothing to do with her.
Judge Lu walked up and greeted her with a customary gesture: "Venerable Meng Po, I trust you are well."
Meng Po raised her cloudy eyes, glanced at him, and said hoarsely, "Judge Lu, your complexion is poor today. Are you burdened by official duties?" Her voice was flat, but Judge Lu noticed a subtle understanding in her eyes, different from usual.
"Thank you for your concern, Venerable One. Indeed, I am entangled in some trivial matters." As Judge Lu spoke, he seemingly casually brushed the edge of the large cauldron where Meng Po brewed her soup with his sleeve. The Void Stone box silently slipped into a highly concealed recess at the bottom of the cauldron. The temperature there was constant, and it was enveloped by the Power of Law from the Meng Po soup, making it an excellent hiding spot.
"All things in the world are like passing clouds. Drink this soup, and all worries will vanish," Meng Po said meaningfully as she offered a bowl of clear soup, then immediately returned to her tranquil state. "If Judge Lu has no other business, do not delay my work."
"This junior takes his leave." Judge Lu bowed deeply and turned to depart. The entire process was natural, arousing no suspicion from any Ghost Officer. He was confident that Meng Po would understand his intentions and deliver the Jade Slip to King Qinguang at the appropriate time.
Having settled a major concern weighing on his mind, Judge Lu felt considerably lighter. Next, he needed to prepare his own escape plan and set up an illusion for those who were Peeping.
He returned to the Judge's Office, but instead of entering the underground Meditation Chamber, he began "organizing" copies of residual case files concerning the Black Mountain Ghost General Case and the Solitary Delusion Peak incident right in his own office. He deliberately scattered some unimportant yet seemingly sensitive papers on his desk, creating the false impression that he was still obsessively investigating these cases.
Simultaneously, he took out the Moon-Erosion Demonic Pattern Stone Slab and, mixing his own vital blood with several common concealment runes, meticulously drew a layer of false Sealing Runes upon it. This layer of Runes appeared powerful but contained hidden mechanisms; if anyone forcibly broke it, it would not only trigger an alarm but also incite a backlash from the residual Moon Erosion Power within the slab. While not fatal, it would certainly leave the cracker embarrassed and marked with an indelible aura.
He hid this tampered stone slab in a compartment within his office that seemed secret but was actually discoverable with slight attention.
By the time he finished all this, it was near "sunset." Judge Lu summoned a trusted Ghost Clerk and instructed him, "This official has been mentally exhausted recently, and my old Soul Body injuries seem to be recurring. I need to go to a secluded place to meditate and heal for several days. If anyone asks, tell them this official has gone to the 'Place of Chronic Illness.'"
"The Place of Chronic Illness?" The Ghost Clerk was startled. That was a notorious area of intense Yin energy outside Fengdu, with a harsh environment rarely visited by ghosts. It was indeed a place for recuperating certain specialized soul injuries, but it was also fraught with danger. "My Lord, that place..."
"This official knows what he is doing. Just report as instructed," Judge Lu waved his hand, leaving no room for argument.
He deliberately spread the news of his departure to the "Place of Chronic Illness" precisely to mislead his watchers. His true destination was not there.
That night, Judge Lu changed into his night clothes again and silently left the Judge's Office. He did not head directly out of the city but first circled several colleagues' residences with whom he had past connections but not close ties, creating vague traces to confuse the trail. Finally, he detoured to the west side of Fengdu, relying on his familiarity with the city defense patrol patterns, found a spot where the guard was relatively weak, employed an Evasion Technique, and quietly slipped out of the Ghost City of Fengdu.
His target was an ancient ruin southwest of Fengdu, known as the "Abyss of Oblivion." It was one of the battle sites from the Ancient Times war between Gods and Demons. The Space structure there was unstable, filled with residual Chaos Law Fragments and Spacetime Traps. The environment was far more complex and dangerous than the Place of Chronic Illness, but precisely because of this, it was an excellent place to hide and shake off pursuit. More importantly, it was far from the sphere of influence of the Northern Ghost Emperor and not an area where the "Netherworld Workshop" might be active.
Less than an hour after Judge Lu departed, a faint gray phantom, like a Ghostly Phantom, infiltrated his office once more. The phantom easily located the compartment hiding the stone slab, sensed the "powerful" Sealing Runes on it, and let out an almost inaudible cold laugh.
The phantom did not attempt to break the seal but instead took out a precisely structured compass-like Magical Artifact bearing a Gear Mark. It recorded the slab's energy fluctuations and Rune structure before silently departing, without triggering any mechanisms.
He had not fallen for the trap but opted for a more secure method of information recording.
Meanwhile, another group of unidentified individuals, whose methods were far more violent, rushed toward the "Place of Chronic Illness" based on the false information Judge Lu had deliberately leaked...
The golden cicada has shed its shell. And the mist has only just begun to spread.