...
Qin Feng followed the three silent members of the Judicial Court, passing by countless Canaan Students whose gazes were filled with awe and curiosity. Finally, he arrived at a place he had never set foot in before.
—The Supreme Council Hall of Canaan Star Martial Arts University.
It was a magnificent and solemn circular hall, large enough to accommodate several million people.
However, the hall, which should have been empty, now held several figures.
Dozens of terrifying auras, powerful enough to make the very stars tremble, saturated every inch of space here!
Led by Master Yu Han, their gazes were like the sharpest of blades, locked firmly onto the three members of the Judicial Court who had just stepped into the hall!
How terrifying was that immense, unified, and hostile presence?
It was almost enough to completely crush space itself!
Faced with such a terrifying display, the three Stellar-level experts from the Judicial Court couldn’t help but halt their steps.
For the first time, a trace of an emotion called "astonishment" appeared on their helmet-covered faces.
Meanwhile, at the silent direction of Master Yu Han and the other masters, Qin Feng walked straight to an empty chair at the very front of the hall and sat down.
He bore no shackles, nor was he bound in any way.
He just sat there, perfectly calm and steady.
The three members of the Judicial Court exchanged a glance.
In the end, they steeled themselves and walked over to a high judicial platform at the far end of the hall, one specially prepared for them.
The leading member cleared his throat and spoke in a deep voice to the hundreds of masters below, all of whom were exuding terrifying auras.
"Masters, we of the Imperial Court of Justice are merely following regulations by bringing a relevant student in for a few questions. You... there’s no need to make such a big fuss and all gather here, is there?"
His tone was thick with incomprehensible confusion.
Hearing this, Yu Han, who was sitting at the very front, just smiled.
His smile was gentle and refined, yet it carried a pressure that sent a chill down one’s spine.
"We just want to assist with your investigation."
"After all, the emergence of an Evil God’s Follower is a dereliction of duty on Canaan’s part."
"There’s no problem with that, is there?"
"...Fine."
The member of the Judicial Court grunted and nodded.
He could only interpret this as the masters of Canaan Star Martial Arts University showing extreme concern over the matter of the "Evil God’s Follower."
He no longer dwelled on it, instead turning his cold gaze back to Qin Feng, who was seated below.
"Qin Feng."
His voice echoed throughout the solemn hall.
"According to the intelligence we’ve gathered, you first met the traitor, Shi Dang, during the intercollegiate tournament on Morning Star. After coming to Canaan Star Martial Arts University, you engaged in a private duel with him. There are also communication records between you on the Subspace Network, and you held multiple gatherings at the Food God Residence."
"Furthermore, on July 12th of Year 30, you personally warned your four teammates—Tiemu, Lei Meng, Shi Potian, and Xiong Yanfu—to be wary of Shi Dang."
"This is enough to prove that you discovered something was wrong with Shi Dang long ago!"
His voice suddenly became incredibly severe!
"—Why did you only inform your close brothers and not report it to the Imperial Court of Justice?! Do you have some kind of secret dealings with the traitor Shi Dang that we don’t know about?!"
This was the most common tactic used by the Judicial Court during interrogations.
They would apply immense, intangible pressure on the subject right from the start!
Without any substantial evidence, they would use the most severe and leading questions to pressure, probe, and trick the subject into giving them the information they wanted!
If they got something, great. If not, it didn’t matter.
"..."
The member of the Judicial Court let out a furious roar, as if trying to completely shatter Qin Feng’s mental defenses!
"Bring me the—Memory Extraction Device!"
This was another classic move from the Judicial Court’s playbook.
Using the "Memory Extraction Device," a legendary interrogation tool full of intimidating power, they would apply the final, fatal pressure on the subject.
Of course, with the Spiritual Technology of this era, the Memory Extraction Device wouldn’t cause any side effects to a Martial Artist’s body or soul.
It was merely the most efficient means of obtaining intelligence.
Of course, there were serious personal privacy issues. The members of the Imperial Court of Justice were also Martial Artists; they were living, breathing people, too.
An incident once occurred where members of the Imperial Court of Justice were chatting after a meal about the interesting sexual fetishes they’d seen while viewing memories. They spread the stories, which led to the socially-ruined prodigy transforming into a Great Demon of Slaanesh thousands of years later, slaughtering an entire star system, and brutally torturing every member of the Imperial Court of Justice in that system to death.
"KLAK! KLAK KLAK—"
The moment he finished speaking, a Judicial Court member beside him stepped forward. From his Subspace Storage Unit, he took out a menacing, helmet-shaped device. It had a cold, metallic texture and was covered with countless complex runes and probes that crackled with arcs of electricity.
He brandished the device and prepared to walk toward Qin Feng.
"Is that really necessary?"
Just then, a calm and nonchalant voice slowly rang out.
Yu Han smiled.
He just casually waved his hand.
An invisible, yet irresistible, and terrifying power descended in an instant!