After reciting the full, three-hundred-character Dragon-Summoning Poem, Li Qingxian held the Holy Decree level, bowed to the water basin, and said, "Divine Dragon, I ask for your aid."
A sliver of bright yellow light flew from the Holy Decree, landing on the ten stacks of Yellow Talisman Paper.
RUSTLE RUSTLE RUSTLE...
Without any wind, the Yellow Talisman Paper stirred, linking together into a line like a long serpent before slithering into the water basin.
SPLASH...
A sound like a colossal creature bursting from the water exploded outward. The Fifth-Grade Deputy Disciplinary Officer whipped his head around. The narrow prison cell was gone. He felt as if he were sitting on the surface of the ocean, surrounded on all sides by a boundless sea.
The sky was clear in all directions, except in the east, where endless white clouds churned like a towering celestial wall.
Within the clouds, countless Yellow Talismans could be faintly seen rising, forming an immense body.
As they rose, the Yellow Talismans gradually transformed into individual azure scales.
Before long, a faintly visible Azure Dragon was slowly swimming through the layers of white clouds. One could only catch glimpses of its scales and claws, never its full form.
He turned to look at Li Qingxian, who was staring blankly at the eastern sky.
"You... You’re really an Eighth-Grade Fate Master?"
Li Qingxian nodded.
"This is ’Room Birth Four Seas’!"
"You’re mistaken. It’s just an Illusion Skill."
Having said that, Li Qingxian bowed to the great dragon in the east. "Thank you for your assistance, fellow Daoist."
Then, Li Qingxian took a single step, vanished from the illusory sea, and walked out of the prison cell, heading for the Divine Capital Prefecture.
Upon arriving at the Divine Capital Prefecture, he once again took a Senior Fifth-Grade Cultivator to a hidden location and performed the same ritual, but this time, he summoned a Divine Dragon from the west.
Afterward, Li Qingxian visited the Ministry of Rites, the Dali Temple, and the Daoist Record Department, summoning all five directional Divine Dragons.
Finally, Li Qingxian returned to the Night Guard headquarters, built a temporary Magic Altar in the backyard of Chunfeng Inn, and began the final casting.
When the casting was complete, he pushed his hands forward, and the Holy Decree fluttered down onto the Magic Altar.
As the Holy Decree settled, the faint roar of a dragon echoed from high in the sky.
His Magical Power exhausted, Li Qingxian sat cross-legged on the spot and performed Mind Guarding Spirit Platform to recover.
When he opened his eyes, the assembled Night Guards were watching him, their faces full of questions.
Li Qingxian stood up and smiled. "The Five Dragons Sea Suppression Fate Skill is complete. The tides of fortune are already shifting and will continue to build each day, peaking on the fifth day. At that time, all parties can make their move."
"Then we’ll wait a few days," Zhou Chunfeng said with a nod.
The Ministry of Justice continued to cause trouble for the Patrol Bureau, but the Patrol Bureau held its ground and did not react.
Once the five days of accumulating fortune were over, Li Qingxian, dressed in his Seventh-Grade Official’s Uniform, stood before the temporary Magic Altar. He held a Hundred Talismans Wrapped Seven-Star Steel Sword and looked toward Zhou Chunfeng, Han Anbo, and the others.
"Uncle Zhou, for this first strike, who—or what part of the Ministry of Justice—is your target?"
"Anywhere I want?"
"Anywhere."
"I want the Celestial Prison in chaos again!"
Li Qingxian chuckled. "Bold, Uncle Zhou. But aren’t you afraid of causing trouble with the higher-ups?"
"The higher-ups were already in a difficult position the moment the Ministry of Justice escalated things," Zhou Chunfeng said.
"Very well!"
Li Qingxian activated a Technique. White clouds swirled in his eyes as he gazed toward the Ministry of Justice.
High above the Ministry of Justice, a pair of invisible eyes materialized.
Previously, when Li Qingxian had looked toward the Ministry of Justice, it had been shrouded in a heavy fog.
But now, five massive, distinctly colored dragons were positioned at the four corners and directly above the Ministry of Justice, dispersing most of the fog.
What little fog remained was as thin as gauze.
Li Qingxian looked toward the Celestial Prison within the Prison Department. He began Stepping on the Stars and Treading the Dipper, chanting an incantation.
"A flaw in the heavens brings collapse; a flaw in the earth brings subsidence! A flaw in the Ministry of Justice brings chaos; a flaw in the Celestial Prison brings unrest to its prisoners! From five directions, the wind is called; by Divine Dragons, the rain is summoned! Uproot!"
Li Qingxian slashed down hard with the Seven-Star Sword. CRACK! A fracture appeared on the blade.
The Ministry of Justice appeared unchanged, but in Li Qingxian’s eyes, a massive fissure had split the entire Celestial Prison, with thick black energy billowing out from the rift.
"Sever the flow!"
Li Qingxian slashed again, and a second crack appeared on the sword.
"Disrupt fate!"
BOOM! With a flash of lightning and a roar of thunder, the Seven-Star Sword erupted in sparks. Half the blade exploded, leaving Li Qingxian holding only the broken remainder.
"Death’s fortune!"
The rest of the Seven-Star Sword exploded. Shrapnel tore into Li Qingxian’s right hand, covering it in wounds from which blood flowed freely.
Everyone’s heart tightened, but as it was a critical moment, they didn’t dare interfere and could only watch in silence.
Li Qingxian’s expression remained unchanged. He looked toward the Ministry of Justice and saw its Celestial Prison cut into several pieces by four great fissures, its fate utterly shattered.
While watching, Li Qingxian shook the sword fragments from his hand, used his Magical Power to seal the wounds, swallowed a pill, and applied a Healing Ointment. A moment later, only faint red marks remained on his hand.
Li Qingxian glanced at the sky, then let his gaze sweep naturally over Zhou Chunfeng and the others. "Tonight, we get to watch a good show. If you’re feeling particularly ruthless, Uncle Zhou, you could station some men outside the Celestial Prison. You might catch a few escapees. This information must not be leaked, to prevent outsiders from arranging a pickup."
"How will this compare to the Mud Layman’s prison break?" Zhou Chunfeng asked.
Everyone looked at Li Qingxian curiously.
Li Qingxian smiled. "That depends on whether the Mud Society and Nether Mountain dare to make another move. It depends on whether the enemies of the Demon Sect have the appetite for it. I’m just a minor Fate Master; this has nothing to do with me. Let’s disperse. Everyone, back to your duties."
Everyone dispersed. Li Qingxian headed back with Yur Ping and Zheng Gaojue, recovering from his injuries and waiting for news. At the same time, he meticulously reviewed the entire casting process, looking for any flaws or areas for improvement.
’I’m still not ruthless enough. If I’d been more vicious and used the complete Great Fate Skill—one Holy Decree for each dragon—the Ministry of Justice would be in even worse shape. But that would have triggered a much stronger backlash. The Demon Sect must have a Great Fate Master in their pocket. It’s just that, unless it’s a critical moment, they have no reason to act. For a Divine Dragon Suppresses the Sea of this scale, one backed by various government offices, it isn’t convenient for them to make a move...’
’Using a regular Fine Steel Sword was the right choice. If I had used a Magical Artifact, the power would have been greater, but it would have certainly blown my hand off at the end. There are advantages to being weaker...’
’Also, the accumulated fortune of these government offices is truly formidable...’
Li Qingxian reviewed and reflected on it again and again.
In the predawn hours, the watchman’s clapper echoed through the streets.
Suddenly, flames shot toward the sky from the Ministry of Justice’s Celestial Prison, accompanied by incessant rumbling.
Li Qingxian slapped a Spirit Talisman, bounded across the rooftops, and landed atop a large pagoda tree. Standing on a high branch, he gazed toward the Ministry of Justice.
Figures were stirring all across the Divine Capital, with more and more people appearing on rooftops and in treetops.
From the direction of the Celestial Prison, pillar after pillar of divine light and strange phenomena shot into the sky, their glow growing ever more intense.
Looking from afar, Li Qingxian saw that half of the Ministry of Justice had collapsed—damage that far exceeded the minor assault from the other day.
Wave after wave of vast auras surged skyward, revealing that an unknown number of Upper-Grade masters had joined the fray.
Then, Upper-Grade phenomena flared up across the Divine Capital. Streams of pure light illuminated the sky as great experts from all over were forced to rush to the Ministry of Justice’s aid.
Most of them moved at a leisurely pace, giving the impression of a kind rescue effort, but without any actual sense of urgency.
Suddenly, an angry roar echoed from the direction of the Celestial Prison.
"The Ten Poison Elder is escaping! What are you all waiting for?!"
The great experts everywhere suddenly transformed into streaks of light, arriving above the Ministry of Justice’s Celestial Prison in the blink of an eye.
In an instant, blossoms of light and pairs of suns and moons materialized above the Celestial Prison. A terrifying aura swept across the sky, causing entire sections of the Ministry of Justice’s buildings to collapse.
A single glance was enough to leave Li Qingxian breathless.
A few breaths later, a flash of Divine Light swept through. The area around the Ministry of Justice was plunged into pitch-black darkness, and all fell silent.
Everyone knew the Ministry of Justice was using a Magical Artifact to conceal the phenomena.
Li Qingxian smiled and leaped down from the pagoda tree.
A crowd of Night Guards had gathered at the base of the pagoda tree.
After they had all discussed the events for a while, Li Qingxian said, "Go back to sleep, everyone. We’re going to have a busy day tomorrow."