< Chapter 34: Phoenix Soul Fragrance >
Ning Zhuo was filled with a sense of urgency. He did not know when the next competitors would be summoned by the soul-calling to enter the Lava Immortal Palace and face the trials.
It was entirely possible that at any moment, Meng Chong could enter the palace, breeze through the challenges, reach the preparation room, and discover Ning Zhuo’s name.
“The opponent possesses superior immortal qualifications!”
“What can I do to at least double the foundation of my soul essence in a short time?”
Ning Zhuo’s brow furrowed deeply as he opened several drawers stuffed with jade slips. Each jade slip had a simple label on it. After searching through them, he pulled out one and pressed it against his forehead.
He then diverted his spiritual sense from his upper dantian’s sea of spirits into the jade slip to browse the information.
Since he began earning spirit stones, he had developed a habit of collecting intelligence from outside sources—a habit that had persisted for over a decade.
It was this accumulation of information that gave him a deeper understanding of the Puppet Immortal City. Otherwise, how could he, a mere Qi Refining stage cultivator, know about practitioners in the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages?
Although much of the intelligence was superficial, Ning Zhuo’s decade-plus of consistent collection, comparison of events over time, and analysis had proved invaluable. He flipped through several jade slips, mainly searching for information related to soul essence.
Eleven years ago…
Outside Puppet Immortal City, a demon cultivator named Hua Qianhun arrived. She planted flowers in a valley near the city, creating a sprawling sea of blooms that spread rumors of miraculous flowers emerging.
Many were drawn to the flower sea, where their souls were extracted and turned into fertilizer for the plants. Eventually, a rare flower named the Soul Essence Flower did indeed emerge.
Hua Qianhun promptly picked it and swiftly fled.
Eight years ago, news about the appearance of the Seven Stars Lamp spread widely in the cultivation world, and Puppet Immortal City also learned of this. The lamp was made by Kong Riyue, a famous minister from Qing Mountain Country, who aimed to defy fate and change destiny.
He created this lamp intending to use the power of the stars to replace part of his soul with a heavenly soul.
Ultimately, his plans were thwarted by the internal sabotage of Dai Yan from the Overlord Instrument Country, and his efforts ended in failure.
The emergence of the Seven Stars Lamp caused turmoil in several countries at the time, inciting countless cultivators to vie for it and nearly triggering a war between Qing Mountain Country and Overlord Instrument Country.
Five years ago, a Golden Core cultivator from the Saint Ape Sect roamed the world and arrived at Puppet Immortal City.
During his stay, a mishap in his cultivation practice led to demonic possession, causing his soul to merge with his spirit pet, the Furious Heart Monkey.
This caused considerable damage to Puppet Immortal City at the time, and it took several Golden Core cultivators working together to kill him.
Four years ago, the graveyard at the foot of Puppet Immortal City’s mountain saw a surge of ghost fires, sparking a fad for collecting them.
Three years ago, seven hundred li away from Puppet Immortal City, a dry mountain appeared with a valley of death containing a pool of Yellow Springs, attracting many cultivators to fight over it.
Two years ago, a Jiuyou Black Death Cat was born near Puppet Immortal City. The city’s lord personally battled it for three days and nights before finally driving it away.
The aftermath of the battle deeply affected the forests and mountains for hundreds of miles around. Many of the mountains were shrouded in a deathly aura, and ghosts roamed freely at night.
Puppet Immortal City was also affected.
The city lord ordered a large number of cultivators to continuously leave the city to clear the area around the Immortal City and restore the natural vitality of the land.
It was only through disaster relief funds allocated by the Southern Dou Court and the distribution of a large amount of materials that the natural vitality of the surrounding areas was gradually revived.
One year ago, Sun Lie, a master of the Pill Dao, came to Puppet Immortal City to visit friends and was commissioned by the Zhou family to refine the Phoenix Soul Blood Fragrance Pills using the souls and refined blood of phoenix-type birds.
On the day the pills were completed, the sound of a phoenix echoed around the beams for three days without end, considered a miraculous sight in the city.
Eighteen pills were made; twelve were handed over to the Zhou family, and the remaining four caused a fierce competition among the cultivators, resulting in one death and three injuries. The perpetrator, Han Ming, is still at large…
“Phoenix Soul Blood Fragrance Pills.” A sharp light flashed in Ning Zhuo’s eyes.
He knew of this pill—bright red like blood, with a heart-penetrating fragrance, and possessing strong soul-nourishing and revival properties.
Ning Zhuo took out a token and threw it into the air.
The token disintegrated mid-air, rapidly transforming into a set of armor—the Cang Tie Han Armor.
After the operation to storm the Immortal Palace, the armor had suffered considerable damage, especially at the back. An even greater loss was inside it. The Foundation Establishment Pill, a crucial component of the armor’s mechanism, was now down to just ten percent of its capacity.
“No choice, I must act now!”
Ning Zhuo stepped into the Cang Tie Han Armor, bent over, and picked up a walking stick.
After a series of light and shadow changes, the armor’s faceplate transformed into the visage of an old man—weathered, with dark purple under-eye bags and deep wrinkles. He draped himself in a tattered leather cloak, and his Chui Tou Guest whip unfurled, disguised as hair, hanging from his head down to his feet.
Chui Tou Guest once again made his appearance.
Ning Zhuo stood in the corner, activating the teleportation array.
The next moment, he entered the depths underground.
He exited the teleportation room, passing by a huge cauldron used for cremating corpses, his hunched figure gradually disappearing into the dark underground passage.
In the black market of Puppet Immortal City, a courtyard scene unfolded.
A cultivator knelt on the ground, his body trembling. With a bruised and swollen face, he looked up in fearful submission, clasping his hands in plea: “Elder Brother Sun, I will definitely repay the money I owe. I can surely pay it back! You must believe me, I…”
In an instant, a flash of blade light, and the kneeling cultivator’s arm was cleanly severed.
“Ah—!”
Stunned for a moment, the cultivator then began to howl in agony, his voice filled with despair.
Clutching at the stump of his arm, he collapsed to the ground, writhing in excruciating pain.
The big wound spewed blood outward, and soon, a pool of blood had formed.
Elder Brother Sun began to laugh gleefully, taking pleasure in the gruesome scene before him.
He had short, jet-black hair, plump cheeks tinged with a rosy blush, giving him an endearingly cute appearance.
His eyes were large and clear, distinctly black and white. His skin was tender and smooth, resembling that of a three or four-year-old child.
This was all because, as a baby, he had accidentally consumed a Pill of Preserving Youth and subsequently cultivated a special technique.
Sun Lingtong, a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage, scoffed dismissively, “You think you can deceive me? I’ve managed the black market for so long, relying on these very eyes. I have the sharpest eye for people; you can’t fool my spiritual gaze.”
As he spoke, he flicked a dagger between his fingers. The blade was exceptionally sharp, flipping and fluttering through Sun Lingtong’s nimble wrists and fingers like a butterfly dancing in the moonlight.
Just then, a cultivator approached respectfully, whispering into Sun Lingtong’s ear. Sun Lingtong’s smile faded immediately, and a cold gleam flashed in his eyes.
“Clean up, we have a distinguished guest arriving,” Sun Lingtong commanded, waving his hand. Two burly cultivators with faces full of scars hurried over. One of them twisted the neck of another cultivator with a broken arm, lifting the corpse and walking away. The other used a spell to clean the courtyard.
Moments later, Chui Tou Guest was led into the courtyard.
Sun Lingtong opened his arms and walked towards him with a broad smile, “Little brother, what brings you here on this wind?”
Chui Tou Guest’s voice was hoarse, his expression indifferent, “Sun, I indeed need your help this time.”
“I’m planning to make a move against Sun Lie.”
Sun Lingtong’s pupils contracted sharply.