At this moment, the third prince and the fourth prince stood by the bank of the Time River, the air was thick with water vapor formed from time. Their cultivation powers were challenged to stand here.
Both of them moved upstream together, facing the vast expanse of the Time River. Each droplet represented a time span from a specific region. Finding a specific droplet within the Time River was like searching for a dream in a fool's mind. Fortunately, they were in Qingcheng, and their familiarity with the area lowered the difficulty of locating the droplet. Ultimately, they found the droplet from ten days ago and saw the clan leader and the former city lord plotting to send men under the cover of night to sabotage the time-space node.
They moved further upstream and found the droplet of time when Jiang Yixing sacrificed children in blood rituals. However, due to their limited mana, they could only witness events from three years ago. Anything before that was hard to see clearly.
In these three years, Jiang Yixing performed blood sacrifices annually. He progressed from the late stage of the Nascent Soul to its peak, and the piles of bones beside the altar spoke volumes.
It was clear now - that Jiang Yixing practiced the demonic path and, after the event, the clan leader and the former city lord worked together to cover up the evidence.
From the moment they entered the Time River, the external world's time was frozen for them. From the spectators' perspective, the two princes disappeared and reappeared instantaneously without any interval.
"I've looked into this matter. Jiang Yixing did not practice the demonic path, and the former city lord did not tamper with the evidence. Are you two satisfied with this conclusion?" The third prince hovered in mid-air, looking down at Jiang Li and Yuan Wuxing. The fourth prince stood quietly beside him without uttering a word.
As supervisors, their silence meant they agreed with what the third prince had said.
The clan leader and others realized that the matter had been decided when the third prince spoke those words. They began to consider ways to retaliate against Jiang Li and Yuan Wuxing. The two almost brought doom upon them - torturing and then killing them wouldn't even begin to assuage their hatred.
Jiang Li pointed at the trembling figure in the black robe with a carefree tone, "It doesn't matter whether we are satisfied or not. But it seems like our friend here doesn't really agree with your conclusions."
Seeing imminent signs of a rage storm from the figure in the black robe, Yuan Wuxing quickly hid behind Jiang Li.
Seeking protection was not a shameful act.
"You two disgraceful fools, get down from there now!"
A grand and overpowering aura radiated outwards from the man in the black robe, engulfing everyone around. There were quite a few Adepts of Divinity Transformation present, but none could discern the depth of this aura.
A familiar voice resounded in the ears of the two princes; it was like a shocking thunder on a clear day, startling them to the point that they almost failed to control their spiritual energy and fell straight to the ground.
Fortunately, they reacted quickly and promptly knelt before the man in the black robe.
"Your son pays his respect, Father."
Emperor Ji Zhi of Zhou silently lifted his hood with a sneer: "So, you finally remember me, your father."
Seeing this, everyone kneeled and called out mighty praises. Yuan Wuxing hesitated for a moment before also kneeling.
The kneeling clan leader and others were trembling with fear, cold sweat pouring down their backs. Why was the Emperor here? Why was he standing by Zhang Li's side? Why was his tone so harsh?
All the signs pointed towards a situation that didn't seem favorable to them.
Aside from Emperor Ji Zhi of Zhou, the only person still standing was Jiang Li. The audience were puzzled, but no one dared to speak. The third prince, feeling guilty, attempted to shift the attention of Emperor Ji Zhi.
"How audacious, Zhang Li! You dare not to kneel upon meeting your father!"
"Shut up! Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough?" Emperor Ji Zhi roared angrily. The third prince was instantly silenced. The Emperor then turned to the audience and ordered, "You may rise."
"What did you two see in the Time River?" Emperor Ji Zhi asked.
The third prince hesitated and said nothing. The fourth prince was slightly less fearful and replied, "Father, there are many prying eyes here. Could I report back to you later?"
"There's nothing to hide. Say it all now, in front of everyone. You always beat about the bush, trying to show off your profundity. I never taught you to be like this!"
The fourth prince stuttered a bit, then said, "My brother and I saw Jiang Yixing practice the demonic path by performing blood sacrifices of children. The clan leader and the former city lord conspired to cover up the evidence."
"Why would you lie? Do you realize that if Jiang Yixing is set free, these two will face endless retaliation, and they might not even have their corpses left?" Emperor Ji Zhi pointed at Yuan Wuxing who was kneeling on the ground and Jiang Li who was watching as though it was a play, presuming that Jiang Li was only at Nascent Soul Stage.
"My concern was that this incident would involve Emperor Jiang Li. This could be detrimental to the Empire and Emperor Jiang Li himself. I opted for concealment considering the greater good."
"Oh, the greater good. I had no idea your vision had surpassed mine." Emperor Ji Zhi scoffed, "Tell me, what's this 'greater good' that led you to risk the fate of the nation?"
The fourth prince divulged all that he knew and guessed.
"The Emperor practicing the demonic path – that's what you inferred? Your conjecture about Emperor Jiang Li's personality is completely off track."
Having nothing to lose, the fourth prince asked something he usually wouldn't dare, "Father, how can you be so certain that Emperor Jiang Li hasn't practiced the demonic path?"
On the matter of faking a journey through time, the third prince realized that from today onward, he had no chance for the throne. He chimed in, "Jiang Yixing is the Emperor's cousin. Would he dare to practice the demonic path without the Emperor's permission?"
"Why can I be so certain? Because Emperor Jiang Li himself captured Jiang Yixing and handed him over for us to judge!" Emperor Ji Zhi was both amused and angered by the ridiculous statements of his two failsons.
If only they'd consulted him, the truth would've been revealed. Yet, these two insistently made rash decisions in an area they knew nothing about.
"Emperor Jiang Li has faith that Zhou is a nation ruled by law, where any crime would receive a just trial. But what have you two done? You deceived your superiors and underlings, formed cliques, and tried every trick in the book to bury this case. Do you realize that Emperor Jiang Li has been watching Zhou's monkey business for ten whole days!"
Emperor Ji Zhi's final words were practically a roar. The mystical beast formed by the nation's fate shimmered in and out of sight, roaring silently. The third and fourth princes had never seen their father so enraged.
Wait, Emperor Jiang Li caught Jiang Yixing?
The spectator's suddenly realized that the Emperor's words were loaded with crucial information.
"Brother Ji, calm down. These issues over the past few days are indeed worth retrospection, but I never took the entire affair lightly," said Jiang Li as he revealed his true face, leading to an uproar amongst the onlookers.
The people revered Emperor Ji Zhi, while they respected Emperor Jiang Li.
The people of Qingcheng were too familiar with this face, as they would see the bronze statue of its likeness the moment they entered the city.
The third prince was dumbfounded - all the arguments he prepared to refute his father were washed away.
Based on Yuan Wuxing's ability, it was impossible for him to discover Jiang Yixing. The fact that Jiang Li was the one who caught Jiang Yixing and delivered him to the authorities indicated that he was oblivious to this affair and has definitely not practiced the demonic path.
It turned out that what they thought was covering for Emperor Jiang was just a figment of their imagination.