Chapter 172: Clouds Falling at the End of the World
Ning Zhuo had obtained the Fire Burial Prajna Spirit-Resolving Sutra for quite some time.
Just by looking at the title of the scripture, its meaning was clear: through the purification of flames, one could liberate sentient beings from the shackles of the mundane world and extract the spiritual nature of Prajna.
The Fire Burial Prajna Spirit-Resolving Sutra indeed possessed such power.
Ning Zhuo had once relied on it to enhance and replenish Yuan Dasheng’s spiritual essence, pushing it to ten percent, achieving a qualitative change.
From that moment, Yuan Dasheng’s spiritual essence was fully restored and able to recover on its own.
At that time, Ning Zhuo had used the Fire Burial Prajna Spirit-Resolving Sutra only to add spiritual essence to Yuan Dasheng.
Now, he had unexpectedly grasped a deeper understanding of the Fire Burial Sutra, and immediately realized that he had made great progress in his mastery of mechanical arts as well!
He released more floating clouds and immediately tried his hand at them for the first time within the clouds.
He succeeded on his very first attempt!
Ning Zhuo had created a mechanical long whip; it moved like a snake, capable of slithering on the ground by itself.
However, after moving for a while, the long whip stopped, as if it had died.
It wasn’t because the mana within the mechanical long whip had been depleted—it still had plenty.
Rather, it was because the spiritual essence Ning Zhuo had refined had run out!
Ning Zhuo tried several more times.
There were both successes and failures.
Overall, failures outweighed the successes, with success being quite rare.
This made Ning Zhuo clearly see the limits of his ability.
He evaluated himself privately: “So far, although I can create some mechanical constructs with spiritual resonance, the spiritual resonance is quite thin.”
“The more complete the mechanism, the higher the failure rate, and the shorter the duration of the spiritual essence.”
“But if I only make mechanical components, or even accessories, the duration of the spiritual essence significantly increases.”
“I should invest in higher-quality raw materials.”
“No, it’s not just that.”
“I need a lot of practice.”
“My understanding and mastery of the Fire Burial Prajna Spirit-Resolving Sutra also have a lot of room for improvement!”
This unexpected progress excited Ning Zhuo greatly.
Because once he fully mastered this spell, he would be able to craft spiritual resonance mechanisms in the preparation room after entering the Soul-Entering Immortal Palace.
As for raw materials, he could use the various beasts and sentient beings from the Buddha Sect’s coffin chamber.
Anyway, with the Buddha Heart Demon Seal, Ning Zhuo could freely come and go within the Lava Immortal Palace.
“All this time, I’ve been unable to bring external resources into the Immortal Palace during my soul entry.”
“The only ones that can freely come and go are the Golden-Blooded Battle Ape Dasheng and the Netherworld Envoy Qi Bai.”
Qi Bai, with his spiritual essence nearly exhausted, had been sealed away by Ning Zhuo.
Relying solely on Yuan Dasheng, the mechanical creation, it had become increasingly difficult to fend off more and more trial disciples. Among them, Meng Chong posed an ever-growing threat to him.
Ning Zhuo’s control over the trial stages of the Lava Immortal Palace was rapidly declining!
Now, with the help of the Fire Burial Prajna Spirit-Resolving Sutra, Ning Zhuo found new hope, regaining his former level of control.
Ning Xiangguo and Ning Xiangqian both came to report to Ning Zhuo.
This group of Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Ning family had been overseeing the black market for several days.
They had captured many cultivators who caused trouble, openly fought, or severely deceived others in the black market.
Ning Zhuo carefully reviewed the jade slip and, after a moment, said, “Interrogate these people and ask about their backgrounds.”
“Those whose crimes are less severe can leave after paying their ransom.”
“Keep the last group and hand them over to Lord Fei Si of the City Lord’s Mansion. He’ll appreciate it.”
Ning Xiangguo and Ning Xiangqian immediately looked over, both noticing that all the cultivators to be handed over to Fei Si were notorious criminals wanted by the Southern Dou Nation.
Ning Xiangqian frowned and asked, “Should we transport them in secret?”
Ning Zhuo shook his head. “There’s no need for that. We’ve done a good deed, shouldn’t we publicize it widely?”
Ning Xiangguo and Ning Xiangqian exchanged glances, both realizing that Ning Zhuo had already reached some private agreement with Fei Si!
As expected, when Fei Si received the wanted criminals, he was filled with joy.
To him, these were all political achievements!
“It’s worth it that I voluntarily reduced my share to thirty percent.”
“Ning Zhuo, you’re quite considerate.”
“I wasn’t wrong about you. In this regard, even Sun Lingtong back then wasn’t as thoughtful as you.”
Fei Si was full of admiration.
After some thought, he personally wrote a letter and asked Ning Xiangguo to take it back.
When Ning Zhuo opened the letter, he found it was an invitation, arranged by Fei Si, for him to meet the Booklord.
The Booklord was a Golden Core cultivator from the All-Book Pavilion.
The All-Book Pavilion was a super sect, and in terms of scale, it was much larger than the Soul-Devouring Sect and the No-Void Sect.
The first Pavilion Lord who founded the All-Book Pavilion was deeply troubled by the selfishness of many in the cultivation world. In his early years, he struggled to find suitable and excellent cultivation methods, which delayed him for many years and caused him to take many detours.
So, after achieving success in cultivation, he devoted himself to collecting as many cultivation methods, spells, and other techniques as possible.
Since its founding, the All-Book Pavilion had always maintained neutrality. They profited by selling cultivation methods, spells, and other books, using the profits to acquire more methods and techniques.
Ning Zhuo immediately realized that Fei Si had written this invitation as a subtle, small gesture of goodwill, expressing an unspoken gratitude.
Ning Zhuo set off at once.
Not long after, with the help of the invitation, he met the Booklord.
The Booklord, a Golden Core cultivator, personally received Ning Zhuo purely out of respect for Fei Si, asked a couple of questions, gave Ning Zhuo an identity token, and then let him leave.
With the identity token in hand, Ning Zhuo went to the shopkeeper responsible for selling books.
Although the branch of the All-Book Pavilion in Huoshi Immortal City hadn’t been built yet, Ning Zhuo’s identity token gave him the privilege of special treatment.
The shopkeeper asked him what kind of books he wanted to buy.
Ning Zhuo wasn’t in a hurry and instead asked if the All-Book Pavilion was willing to purchase the first three layers of the Five Elements Qi Regulation Art.
The shopkeeper informed him that the All-Book Pavilion had already collected over two hundred versions of the first three layers of cultivation methods. These had been sent to other branches, where powerful cultivators would compare and revise them to eventually produce a more universal and simplified version.
Ning Zhuo marveled at the wealth and efficiency of the All-Book Pavilion.
He then displayed spells like the Ice-Embracing Technique to the shopkeeper.
This immediately caught the shopkeeper’s attention.
After all, when the transmission bell transmitted the methods, the entire city knew about it. As a result, the All-Book Pavilion had easily collected the first three layers of the city’s citizens’ cultivation methods.
But spells like the Ice-Embracing Technique were only possessed by the Qi Refining geniuses of the four major factions and members of the modified cultivation team.
There were very few such people.
Moments later, the shopkeeper appraised these spells and offered a price to Ning Zhuo.
“In the All-Book Pavilion, there are generally two ways to conduct transactions for books.”
“The first is through spirit stone transactions.”
“The second is through exchanging for equivalent pavilion credits.”
Ning Zhuo did not hesitate: “I choose pavilion credits.”
Pavilion credits were the currency of the All-Book Pavilion, with no physical form, merely a numerical record.
Using spirit stones wasn’t cost-effective. Pavilion credits could be exchanged for more books.
The All-Book Pavilion had deliberately set up these two transaction methods to compare and highlight the superiority of pavilion credits, encouraging more people to use them.
Ning Zhuo sold spells like the Ice-Embracing Technique and Fire Grasping Technique, gaining his first sum of pavilion credits.
He didn’t hold onto them and instead asked the shopkeeper what good books he could exchange for.
The shopkeeper responded, “Young Master Ning, our All-Book Pavilion has an extensive collection. While your pavilion credits aren’t much, you can still exchange them for thousands of books. What exactly are you looking for?”
Ning Zhuo thought for a moment. He already had a main cultivation method, and he had so many spells that he didn’t have time to practice them all, especially the Five Elements Interactions and Counteractions Technique.
“What mechanical-related books can I exchange for?”
However, during the selection process, Ning Zhuo’s attention was drawn to another book.
In the end, he purchased a book titled Clouds Falling at the End of the World.
This book was a travelogue, with the author’s name unknown, only self-styled as Falling Cloud Master.
There were many books on mechanical arts, but this one was rare, as it involved the concept of fate.
“I have the mechanical arts left behind by my mother, and the content is excellent. Given my current pavilion credits, it’s basically impossible to exchange for something on the same level as my mother’s legacy.”
“Some of these books would help me, but it’s hard for me to choose.”
“I might as well take a look at something related to fate.”
“The Life Hanging by a Thread divine ability involves fate, so perhaps this will help me in comprehending the complete divine ability.”
Ning Zhuo had a premonition: once the embryonic form of the Life Hanging by a Thread divine ability broke through, he would experience a terrifying boost!
At that time, even though he was only in the Qi Refining stage, he would be able to master a divine ability.
Most Golden Core cultivators couldn’t accomplish such a feat.
The Life Hanging by a Thread divine ability would become one of his powerful trump cards!
Ning Zhuo took Clouds Falling at the End of the World and got on a carriage, reading it all the way, but the embryonic lotus form of his divine ability didn’t show even the slightest tremor.
Ning Zhuo had read about thirty percent of Clouds Falling at the End of the World, and the story in the early part left the deepest impression on him.
In the story, a villager saved Falling Cloud Master, who was on the verge of dying from thirst and hunger.
To express his gratitude, Falling Cloud Master offered to perform a ritual to change the villager’s fate, allowing him to enjoy wealth and prosperity.
The villager didn’t believe him. The reason was simple—Falling Cloud Master was too pitiful, and since the villager had saved him, what abilities could he possibly have?
Falling Cloud Master then introduced himself: “I am a man of the idle clouds, my nature rising against heaven and falling into the mortal world. I once cultivated in Tian Gui Mansion, but misfortune plagued me, and I wandered the four seas.”
Faced with the impressive display of Falling Cloud Master, the villager reluctantly agreed.
The villager followed Falling Cloud Master’s instructions, making purchases and arrangements as requested.
In the end, the ritual was completed, and the villager began to accumulate wealth rapidly. Within half a year, he became quite wealthy.
Before leaving, Falling Cloud Master warned the villager: First, your good fortune will last for twelve years, so seize the opportunity. Second, after you become rich, do not show any mercy. No matter how pitiful or destitute someone may seem, do not help them, or you’ll face the consequences.
The villager, with a kind heart, couldn’t bear to see others suffer. He held out for a few years, but during a famine, he threw Falling Cloud Master’s warning aside and helped many poor people, saving their lives.
His own body grew weaker, and he often felt exhausted. During the day, he was constantly sleepy, his energy drained. At night, he had frequent nightmares, in which countless ghosts clung to him like mountains, making it difficult for him to walk in the wilderness.
By the time Falling Cloud Master sensed something and returned to the village, the villager was on the verge of death.
With his last breath, the villager asked Falling Cloud Master, seeking answers.
Falling Cloud Master sighed and said, “You’ve encountered little ghosts and evil spirits.”
“I told you not to act out of kindness and save people.”
“Your kindness was well-intentioned, but it gave these resentful spirits a chance to cling to you.”
“There are many souls in this world who, due to resentment and greed, cannot find peace. They use your kindness to fulfill their needs.”
“To be rich and heartless is wrong, but excessive kindness can be even more damaging to oneself.”
“Once you fail to help others properly, these evil spirits and little ghosts will cling to you, dragging you down to the underworld!”
“Being a good person is always harder than being a bad one.”
After hearing this, the villager grew agitated and asked, “Then how can I deal with these evil spirits and little ghosts? What’s the right way to help people?”
Falling Cloud Master replied, “You need to transcend them.”
The villager smiled bitterly. “But I’m just a mortal.”
Falling Cloud Master said, “Transcendence isn’t limited to spells. Mortals have their ways too. You can give them tasks, make them work.”
“Labor can save souls.”