< Chapter 42: Who is the Devil that Carries the Staff? >
“Hehehe. You’re trying to deceive a ghost!” Han Ming mocked.
Ning Zhuo’s voice grew cold: “Since you don’t want to cooperate nicely, I’ll have to force it.”
With that, Ning Zhuo pulled out a tool from his bosom.
It was a set of mechanical needles, varying in length and thickness.
“What are you going to do to me?!” Seeing the young puppet master approach step by step, Han Ming panicked.
Ning Zhuo said as gently as he could: “Bear with it, some of the needles are quite thick and might hurt a bit.”
A dozen mechanical puppets, each carrying a few needles, climbed all over Han Ming’s body.
“You old thief, just kill me… Ah!”
Han Ming’s body shook with electric tremors, and she threw her head back in a scream. Her agonizing cries echoed in the cell, chilling to the bone.
Moments later, several needles were distributed all over her body, at every joint, vital points, and even around her head, embedding more than a dozen mechanical needles.
Some of the thinner needles were still fine, but blood was gradually trickling out from the punctures of some of the thicker needles.
Ning Zhuo took a deep breath and used a secret technique to manipulate the mechanical needles.
The needles, large and small, moved up and down on Han Ming’s body in response to his control, some stirring inside her flesh while others rotated outside.
“Ah—!”
Han Ming’s screams once again filled the air, almost piercing the ears of anyone who heard.
The intense pain caused her to involuntarily twist her body, her slender fingers clutching tightly onto the cold, thick chains. Her fingertips soon bled from the force of her grip.
However, this agony was nothing compared to the pain brought by a needle prick.
Ning Zhuo was fully focused, beginning to activate the magical treasure within his divine sea dantian, the Buddha Heart Demon Seal!
The seal, massive like a mountain, settled within the divine sea, with one end’s demonic figure starting to emit a red demonic light.
This demonic light quickly manifested on various mechanical needles, permeating throughout Han Ming’s entire body.
In the next moment, a pink heart seal shot out from Ning Zhuo, directly piercing into the depths of Han Ming’s heart.
Han Ming’s screams gradually subsided, as a strong sense of terror fiercely gripped her.
She felt her body moving beyond her control, unexpectedly beginning to operate the Nine-Turn Soul-Devouring Art!
“Don’t, please don’t!” Han Ming’s pupils shrunk to the size of pinpoints, yet she was unable to stop.
Soon, the technique progressed to a certain extent, starting to draw out the essence of Han Ming’s soul.
Ning Zhuo timely released his hold, flipping open the Soul Capturing Shuttle.
The Soul Capturing Shuttle didn’t crash to the ground, but was controlled by Han Ming, slowly floating in front of her.
Then, the very tip of the Soul Capturing Shuttle gently pierced into her chest.
The Soul Capturing Shuttle activated.
Han Ming never would have expected that she would face such a day!
Her weapon of massacre, the Soul Capturing Shuttle, which had slaughtered thousands and caused harm to countless, was now turned against its master.
And the one wielding the Soul Capturing Shuttle was none other than herself!
The Soul Capturing Shuttle trembled slightly.
The elite essence of Han Ming’s life-long accumulated soul was thoroughly purified and gradually infused into the Soul Capturing Shuttle.
As the essence of the soul approached the carrying limit of the Soul Capturing Shuttle, the shuttle itself began to emit a faint cold light.
Moments later, the Soul Capturing Shuttle, now fully loaded, was recaptured by Ning Zhuo.
Han Ming’s face was deathly pale, and her whole body seemed as if the bones had been drawn out, collapsing limply. Only the iron chains locked around her wrists and shoulder blades, with hooks piercing through, kept her upright.
“What have you done to me?”
“What kind of method is this?”
Han Ming looked up, her eyes filled with terror as she stared at Ning Zhuo.
“Are you a disciple of the Shadow Sect? Was that the Enthralling Soul Technique?!”
“Or are you from the Bewitching Sect? Did you use a Gu on me?”
“No, none of those…”
Her entire body was trembling, and her heart was shaking as well; all her previous confidence and self-assurance had vanished completely.
Beneath the Cang Tie Han Armor, Ning Zhuo had already bled from his nose.
The Buddha Heart Demon Seal, turning oneself into a Buddha, turns others into demons.
Using the Buddha Heart Demon Seal alone could influence targets of the same level, but usually only momentarily. If facing a target of a higher cultivation level, the influence was even more limited; it required guiding along the target’s thought process rather than directly altering it.
However, as was the case now, using additional mechanical needles as aids could amplify the effect.
Just now, Ning Zhuo had used the heart seal to issue a command to Han Ming—to operate the Nine-Turn Soul-Devouring Art and transfer her essence to him.
With the help of the mechanical needles, Han Ming did just that.
Even though she was utterly unwilling!
'Ning Zhuo’s mother, a puppet master in her own right, left behind a detailed manual on puppeteering. It includes various control staff heads like the cross staff, the ‘Gan’ character staff, and the ‘Wang’ character staff, but unfortunately, my cultivation level isn’t high enough to use the more powerful ones.”
'For now, I can only use this single-line staff head.'
Most of Ning Zhuo’s skills in puppeteering came from his mother’s detailed puppeteering manual. Like puppet strings, the staff head is one of the main methods to control mechanical creations.
Just now, Ning Zhuo treated Han Ming as a puppet, controlling her as such.
Of course, even using the most powerful ‘Wang’ character staff head, achieving such control wouldn’t be possible unless Ning Zhuo’s cultivation was far superior to Han Ming’s, or his puppeteering skills increased hundreds of times.
The real game changer here was the Buddha Heart Demon Seal!
The combination usage was something Ning Zhuo had gradually figured out himself.
The advantage of this method was obvious, but the downside was that the target of the technique would not live long, becoming merely a consumable.
Ning Zhuo didn’t rush to absorb the soul essence; instead, he carefully examined Han Ming’s injuries.
“Your dual cultivation techniques are quite good, your body has successfully undergone partial zombification. This will allow you to last longer, very good, very good.” Ning Zhuo couldn’t help but praise.
Upon hearing this, Han Ming could no longer hold on and passed out in anger.
Meanwhile,
Meng Chong hurried back to the city lord’s mansion.
He went straight to the training room, not wanting to waste a moment, and began to dissipate his cultivation.
Exceptional talent—Wild Sprint Thunderclap!
Lightning flickered around him, and his spiritual essence rapidly declined.
The lightning greatly enhanced his ability to dissipate his powers, with stunning effects!
Meng Chong’s eyes sparkled with electric light, and he exclaimed joyfully, “At this rate, by tomorrow, I will have completely dissipated my magical powers and can start cultivating anew!”
“I’ve learned, I understand now!” Meng Chong exulted, realizing that his greatest asset was the ‘Wild Sprint Thunderclap.’
“From now on, I will be brave and fearless, going all out, charging forward without any hesitation!”
Immersed in the joy of his breakthrough, Meng Chong found that the more single-mindedly he charged forward, the stronger the effect of the Wild Sprint Thunderclap became, and the better he could control it.
“Indeed, as long as I continue to express my nature, my talents will become more apparent and enhanced!” he exclaimed with a laugh, praising the elderly Sun Lie.
In the underground dungeon, Ning Zhuo ignored Han Ming, who had already passed out. He moved to the adjacent room, opened his battle armor, and held the Soul Capturing Shuttle in his hand, gently touching its other sharp end to his skin.
The next moment, a cool, gentle stream of pure soul energy flowed from the Soul Capturing Shuttle, infusing his soul. Ning Zhuo stepped back, his pupils dilated with an immensely comfortable sensation overwhelming his entire being, akin to diving into a lake during the hot days of summer.
His soul’s foundation soared rapidly, quickly doubling the growth accumulated over sixteen years. Yet, only half of the Soul Essence in the Soul Capturing Shuttle had been used.
After a few breaths, the Soul Capturing Shuttle was empty, and the faint cold light it emitted completely vanished. “Comfortable, so comfortable,” Ning Zhuo felt revitalized as never before.
Then, he noticed something unusual. His left arm was slightly warm. “What’s this?” he wondered, both alarmed and excited. “Is my innate talent being triggered? Is it starting to manifest?”
Ning Zhuo became eager. If he could identify the trigger, he could continually activate and nurture his talent until it fully manifested. “What could be the reason? Is it because I absorbed the pure Soul Essence? Or is it because I dealt with a demon cultivator, punishing evil and upholding the righteous path of humanity?”