Chapter 314: The Five Tails of Taiqing
The sound of the Transmission Bell resounded in Ning Zhuo’s mind.
The contents of the Foundation Establishment section of the Three Sect Supreme Arts imprinted on his divine sea and dantian.
Ning Zhuo’s main focus was not on the Three Sect Supreme Arts.
He took a deep breath, feeling the wonders of the Foundation Establishment stage.
Divine thoughts condensed and merged into spiritual sense, which could leave the body for scouting, controlling magic tools, and more.
Using spiritual sense to control mechanical constructs was also one of the mainstream methods of manipulating mechanisms.
In his qi sea, his mana had liquefied, no longer the true qi of the Qi Refining stage. As his cultivation deepened in the future, the mana accumulated in his qi sea would also increase.
The upper limit of his reserves had increased significantly, and casting spells now consumed liquefied mana directly, resulting in a natural surge in the power of his spells.
In his essence sea, his blood energy had also expanded considerably and similarly liquefied.
During the Foundation Establishment process, his essence sea had also undertaken the task of cleansing his marrow and muscles, enhancing the essence of his physical body.
Even without using mana, he now had the strength of a thousand catties and the speed of a galloping horse, breaking free from the limits of ordinary mortals.
More importantly, every breath Ning Zhuo took now had the same effect as his breathing exercises during the Qi Refining stage. His body had also become more adept at absorbing spiritual energy.
This led to one result — fasting.
After his body’s ascension, Ning Zhuo could fast by absorbing spiritual energy and no longer needed to eat. Eating ordinary food would accumulate impurities in his body, hindering his cultivation, so from now on, it would be best to consume only spirit food.
“And there’s also lifespan.”
“Cultivators who successfully reach the Foundation Establishment stage will have their lifespan extended, ranging from two hundred to three hundred years.”
“How much my lifespan has increased needs to be calculated. But with the Three Sect Supreme Arts, the increase in lifespan is bound to be significant!”
Ning Zhuo stretched his body.
His foundation was so solid that breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage was practically effortless.
He didn’t experience any decline in condition after the breakthrough; instead, he felt an overwhelming sense of comfort, as if every inch of his body had been thoroughly cleansed by spiritual energy.
The significant increase in strength made him feel incredibly powerful.
His five senses had also become more acute, especially his perception of spiritual energy, which was far beyond what it had been in the Qi Refining stage.
Ning Zhuo was eager to try things out. For the first time in his life, he felt immensely strong!
But soon, he shook his head slightly and reminded himself: this was just the excitement from advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage, a qualitative improvement in power that caused a floating sensation — it was merely an illusion.
Ning Zhuo recalled Zhu Xuanji’s majestic combat figure, and the sense of being carried away instantly disappeared.
He was well aware that although he had advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage, he still wouldn’t be a match for Zhu Xuanji.
In the previous battle, Zhu Xuanji had demonstrated three divine abilities, each of which was simply unstoppable!
“Perhaps, there is still some hope with the Night Rain Demonic Weapon in Zheng Jianlian’s hand.”
“Or maybe I could use the divine ability *Life Hanging by a Thread* to try planting it on Zhu Xuanji and gain control over him.”
Ning Zhuo had already mastered the complete divine ability.
Back in the Qi Refining stage, he had sensed through the divine ability that once he advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage, he would be able to use it to influence Golden Core-level beings.
This wasn’t surprising.
Divine abilities and innate talents inherently contained principles of the Dao and the truth, allowing cultivators to challenge opponents of higher levels.
But now that Ning Zhuo had experienced Zhu Xuanji’s power, he began to doubt: could the *Life Hanging by a Thread* divine ability really deal with Zhu Xuanji? Even if he succeeded in planting it, how much influence could he exert after activating it?
“It’s too difficult for me to deal with Zhu Xuanji on my own.”
“Fortunately, winning the position of the Immortal Palace Master doesn’t necessarily mean I have to eliminate all my competitors.”
“Moreover, I’m still hiding in the shadows. I can wait for the right moment, let Zhu Xuanji and the others compete fiercely, and exhaust each other.”
“As long as I haven’t been eliminated, there’s still hope. Even if it’s a slim hope, I will never give up!”
Ning Zhuo’s gaze was resolute.
In this, he was very grateful to Zhu Xuanji. It was the experience at Ciyou Garden that had solidified Ning Zhuo’s resolve to fight.
“Rudie Maiden, hang on just a little longer.” After saying this, he immediately began repairing the Golden Core-level mechanical ape.
In addition, there was also the Nether Envoy, Qi Bai.
The interior of the Golden Core-level mechanical ape had suffered devastating damage. Although its exterior bore many fist marks and palm prints, it remained relatively intact.
Ning Zhuo took out the mechanical parts he had replaced earlier and skillfully reinstalled them.
These mechanical parts were obtained from the trial checkpoints and were originally part of the set for the Golden Core-level mechanical ape.
Once installed, the mechanical ape regained its combat capabilities.
“The pity is that the Golden-Blooded Battle Ape, Dasheng, is still in the hands of Old Man Sun. If I had Yuan Dasheng’s spiritual parasitism, it would save me a lot of effort in controlling the mechanical ape.”
As for the Nether Envoy, Qi Bai, his injuries were severe. In the previous battle, Zhu Xuanji had slashed him in half with a palm strike.
After examining him, Ning Zhuo quickly decided on an emergency repair plan.
He would use suitable materials to first fuse the two halves of his body. Then, using his talent, the Ice Jade Hand, he would employ the technique of Ice Jade Hand to meticulously and perfectly repair the fine details of Qi Bai’s body.
This greatly saved Ning Zhuo’s time and energy.
Clack, clack, clack...
The sound of mechanical gears resounded again.
After the major turning point earlier, the number of mechanisms in the Turning Secret Pavilion that the cultivators had passed reached thirty-six, triggering another mechanism.
This time, it was a minor turning point.
The cultivators who had been relatively close were pulled apart by the minor turning point.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit had long awaited this moment. As soon as the turning point ended, it would immediately send a message to Meng Chong, telling him the correct path so he could be the first to rush out and enter the main hall of the Immortal Palace.
The Lava Immortal Palace.
While the mana hand entangled with the three-headed Nascent Soul-level scarlet flame monster, a five-tailed fire fox suddenly appeared.
The fire fox was as small as a puppy and was inconspicuous in the raging sea of flames.
It wasn’t until it suddenly cast a spell that its Nascent Soul-level majestic aura was revealed!
Its mouth remained tightly shut, while its five tails swayed behind it. The ends of its tails were like brushes, painting mysterious talismanic symbols in the air.
The talismanic symbols immediately dispersed, and the sea of fire surged, with fire tongues twisting in the air, condensing into enormous fireballs as large as hills.
The fireballs shot out with a roar, smashing into the Lava Immortal Palace.
Boom, boom, boom...
Scorching flames ravaged the Immortal Palace, and explosions caused the palace to shake violently again and again, burning countless mechanical constructs in the sea of fire.
The flames even spread to the main hall.
Amidst the intense burning, countless mechanical cubes soared into the sky.
Each of these cubes was as large as a house, and they were connected to each other by purple and blue electric currents.
The originally normal space was altered due to the appearance of these mechanical cubes.
The raging flames were temporarily isolated by the chaotic space created by the mechanical cubes!
“That’s the Turning Secret Pavilion?!” The cultivators who saw this scene were stunned and cried out.
At the summit of Huoshi Mountain, high in the clouds.
Meng Hu suddenly stood up straight upon seeing this. His tiger-like eyes were fixed on the five-tailed fire fox.
Sensing something, the fire fox glanced up at the sky, looking tense.
Its small figure quickly became blurry in the sea of flames and plunged into the lava, disappearing from sight.
Meng Kui snorted coldly, his expression darkening.
Huoshi Mountain wasn’t devoid of fire foxes and similar demon beasts, but their numbers were small, and their habitat was entirely dominated by Fire Fusion Demon Apes, Fire Serpents, Flaming Lizards, and other creatures.
With such a small demon beast population, how could there possibly be a Nascent Soul-level five-tailed fire fox?
Meng Kui calculated with his fingers: “It’s indeed from the Taiqing Palace!”
He immediately deduced the exact location and signaled Meng Hu to take action.
Meng Hu received the order, let out a roar, and shot out of the clouds like a meteor, crashing into a mountainside about a mile away.
The small mountain trembled violently, smoke and dust billowing, almost being shattered in half.
A beam of blue light rose, revealing a young cultivator with beast patterns on his face.
“Demonic Dao scoundrel, I’ve been tracking you all this way!” Meng Hu shouted.
The young cultivator’s eye twitched
. He was a beast-taming cultivator and had just controlled his spirit pet, the five-tailed fire fox, to viciously sabotage the Lava Immortal Palace.
Unexpectedly, he hadn’t been able to gloat for long before Meng Hu found his true body.
“I am from the Taiqing…” The young cultivator was about to state his identity but was interrupted by Meng Hu’s loud roar.
Meng Hu charged forward, exuding an imposing and fierce aura.
The young cultivator could only retreat repeatedly, releasing various demon beasts from his beast-taming pouch to defend himself.
Lava Immortal Palace.
In the central main hall.
The Turning Secret Pavilion had been struck out, forced to defend against the burning sea of fire, and the corresponding restrictions had once again greatly diminished!
Inside the Secret Pavilion, Zhu Xuanji and the others had simultaneously recovered their Golden Core-level cultivation.
Moreover, their spiritual senses extended, penetrating the Secret Pavilion they were in, allowing them to observe the outside situation to varying degrees.
Some sharp-sensed cultivators quickly used spells to discover that the communication between the inside and outside had become smooth again.
Even cultivators at the Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment stages could enter the Secret Pavilion, as long as they avoided the streaks of purple-blue electric currents!
Zhu Xuanji’s spiritual sense spread far and wide, discovering the specific locations of the Meng Family cultivators, Zheng Jianlian, and others.
A Golden Core body cultivator from the Meng Family pushed Meng Chong forward: “Young Master Meng Chong, according to your grandfather’s plan, you go first. We will hold off Zhu Xuanji!”
With a solemn expression, he moved towards the Secret Pavilion where Zhu Xuanji was.
At the same time, Zheng Jianlian was also heading towards Zhu Xuanji.
Meng Chong didn’t look back and crashed through a portal, following the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit’s guidance, heading straight for the correct exit.
“Sun Lingtong seems to be hiding, and Meng Chong… troublesome.” Zhu Xuanji’s spiritual sense pierced through the Secret Pavilion, covering a vast area. After sensing Meng Chong’s movements, he immediately set off to intercept him.
Suddenly, Zhu Zhen’s voice came through: “Brother, as per your instructions, I’ve managed to excavate some bricks from the ruins of the Golden Furnace.”
“I’ve already extracted some materials from them, and I can confirm they came from Golden Furnace No. 3!”
“Should I send them to you?”
Zhu Xuanji pondered for a moment: “Send them over.”
In the next instant, both of them cast spells simultaneously.
The official technique—Guandu!
The mass of waste materials in Zhu Zhen’s hands disappeared and reappeared in Zhu Xuanji’s hand.
Holding the waste materials, Zhu Xuanji’s eyes flashed with sharp golden light.
His innate talent—Golden Eyes.
The spell—Trace Back to the Source!
(End of Chapter)