Chapter 315: Realm Of Traces

Ding Longao, the commander of the Liuhe Base City garrison, could not conceal the anger and shock on his face.

"I have led the Liuhe Base City garrison for sixteen years. I won't claim to be spotless, but I have always been fair and just. And yet, you present this absurd arrest warrant, accusing me of corruption and unjust killings?"

He glared at the young officer before him as he continued, "Young man, do you even realize what you're saying?"

The officer replied coolly, "Every officer we arrest under military law says something similar, yet barely one in ten can prove their innocence. Commander Ding, if you truly believe you're the exception, then please cooperate with our investigation."

Ding Longao took a deep breath. This sudden blow had caught him completely unprepared. Faced with officers from the Northwest Military District’s Supervisory Department, he had no choice but to raise his hands.

A pair of specially made handcuffs was snapped onto his wrists.

"Please.” The young officer gestured toward the massive armored truck nearby.

Ding Longao was escorted away. The news of his arrest was strictly sealed off. The public was simply told that Ding Longao had entered temporary closed-door cultivation. In the meantime, his position as garrison commander was taken over by Mai Zixiong, a Five Spirits Realm general who had been parachuted in to temporarily assume control.

The heavy truck sped along, but it didn’t leave the base city. Instead, it silently entered a secret military installation within Liuhe Base City. Wearing a helmet that blocked all his senses and with his wrists shackled, Ding Longao was led into an underground facility, arriving at a highly classified interrogation room.

The moment the helmet was removed, Ding Longao's eyes fell on an emblem hanging on the wall, and his face instantly changed. Though he had remained relatively composed, his body now trembled uncontrollably.

A white magnifying glass hung in front of him. The handle, shaped like a long sword, was connected by two black chains to the square magnifying glass itself. Its artistic design stood out sharply from any ordinary decoration.

Realm of Traces! One of the three major institutions under the umbrella of the Inquisition. The Inquisition was a brutal and bloody authority established by the Star Council and tasked with investigating, locating, capturing, judging, and sentencing heretical individuals.

It had three distinct branches: the Realm of Traces, responsible for investigation and arrest; the Hand of Judgment, in charge of interrogation and sentencing; and the Blade of Verdict, which carried out executions and assassinations.

Each of these institutions represented the supreme authority of the Inquisition. The mere mention of these three branches birthed terror in every nation and political party, causing knees to buckle.

Once someone was caught by these institutions, one was guaranteed not to leave unscathed, even if they avoided death. If someone was ultimately declared a heretic, the outcome was always the same. Execution of all nine generations.

No heretic was allowed to exist on the planet. Any heretic, along with their family, friends, and supporters, would all be put to death. Even the most powerful individuals, whether in the Dao Union Realm or Divine Realm, were not exempt.

When he saw the emblem that represented the Realm of Traces, even someone as hardened as Ding Longao, a military man who had survived countless battles, couldn’t help but feel a wave of terror.

A fine layer of sweat beaded on his forehead. Ding Longao’s mind raced as he quickly went through his actions. After reassuring himself that he had no connections with any heretics, he finally allowed himself a shaky breath of relief.

He now realized that his arrest wasn’t truly about corruption or unjust killings; those charges were just a cover. The Military Supervisory Department was merely cooperating. The real investigation was being conducted by the Realm of Traces.

The silence in the room was suffocating. After what felt like a full ten minutes, the door to the interrogation room finally creaked open.

Ding Longao turned his head to look. A tall, burly man with blond hair and a serious expression entered the room. He was dressed in a black suit with white trim and exuded an air of authority. He was followed closely by two others.

To his left was the pale-faced young officer from before, while a blond, blue-eyed woman, also a foreigner, stood to his right. Judging by her appearance, she also seemed to be from the Yiggs Union in the Americas.

The three took their seats.

"Ding Longao," The young officer began, "this is Mr. Edward, Chief Investigator of the Realm of Traces under the Star Council. Beside him is Deputy Chief Investigator Miss Clove. The interrogation that follows represents the will of the Realm of Traces, and we hope you will cooperate fully and withhold nothing."

After this introduction, the young officer introduced himself, "I am Lei Yinuo, an intern investigator for the Realm of Traces in the Northwest District, and I am responsible for support work in this operation. The interrogation will be led entirely by the two chief investigators."

He sat down at the side, opened up a light core device, and began recording and documenting the entire interrogation process.

“Mr. Ding Longao,” Edward began, his voice steady and authoritative. “We are here investigating a matter related to the heretical organization known as the Wilderness Free Sect, specifically a terrorist attack. Can you tell me where you were ten days ago, on the morning of January 10th?”

Ding Longao felt his heart jump. He paused for a moment before responding, “I was in the military camp.”

“Can you provide evidence?” Edward asked.

“The surveillance system at the command center’s light core, along with my adjutant and several battalion-level officers, can all vouch for me.”

“Good, we will verify that.” Edward nodded before continuing, “Second question. On that day, how many Five Spirits Realm experts were stationed in Liuhe Base City?”

Ding Longao thought for a moment and quickly answered, “According to the military’s records, there were eight permanent Five Spirits Realm experts.”

Edward pressed further, “Specifically, who were they?”

Ding Longao replied, “There’s myself, Ye Liuying, Xiao Bidao, Tan Zhenwei, the one assigned to Miss Tan, and some others from the school...”

He listed several names in succession.

Edward nodded again and then asked, “Why didn’t you mention Li Xiaofei?”

Ding Longao explained, “The young man has the combat ability of a Five Spirits Realm expert, but not the actual cultivation level.”

“Combat strength counts as well,” Edward replied.

“In that case, there would be ten in total. There’s also that Jiepeng girl who, after awakening the Golden Lizard King bloodline, has the combat ability of a Five Spirits Realm expert,” Ding Longao added.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

“As I understand, there’s also a criminal known as Ghost Slayer Zhong Kui, who also has the strength of the Five Spirits Realm,” Edward reminded him.

Ding Longao responded, “That individual’s identity is shrouded in mystery. He hasn’t appeared before, so the authorities haven’t officially counted him among the permanent residents yet.”

"Alright." Edward then asked, "What about Golden Body Realm?"

Ding Longao responded, "Only Ye Liuying has recently broken through her bottleneck and entered the Golden Body Realm."

“At noon on January 10th, there was a significant energy fluctuation to the east of the base city. You dispatched a power armor unit to investigate. What did you find?” Edward pressed.

“All the video footage and documents were submitted to the military. You should be able to access those reports with the authority of the Realm of Traces. If that’s not enough, we have backups in the camp that can be submitted for your review,” Ding Longao replied.

“No, no, that’s not what I mean...” Edward adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses. “Outside of what you reported, was there anything... unusual?”

Ding Longao shook his head and replied, “As a soldier, I wouldn’t withhold any information from my superiors.”

A faint expression of disappointment crossed Edward’s face.

“You may not know this,” Clove, the blond deputy investigator, suddenly spoke, “but Tan Zhenwei was killed in that heretical explosion. We found his DNA at the scene.”

“What?” Ding Longao was shocked. “City Leader Tan... he was killed?”

The news hit him hard, filling him with an uncontrollable wave of grief. He and Tan Zhenwei had worked as a team in Liuhe Base City for many years. Their partnership had been seamless and full of mutual respect. Who could have foreseen this...

Clove continued, “We also found traces of the Wilderness Free Sect at the scene, and evidence of a battle involving at least three Golden Body Realm experts and nine Five Spirits Realm experts. Based on current information, one of the Golden Body Realm experts was Ye Liuying. Yet in the report you submitted to the Northwest Military District, there is no mention of her involvement.”

Ding Longao froze, his mind racing as he asked, “What are you implying?”

Clove's tone became sharp as she revealed her true intent, “We suspect that Ye Liuying is a heretic of the Wilderness Free Sect.”