"So, we need to self-seal our cultivation."
"These peaceful days are really unbearable. Give me a challenge, so I won't be so bored!"
At this point, Sun Lingtong stopped walking, looked at Ning Zhuo, and said seriously, "You can understand, right? You're just like me, after all."
Ning Zhuo raised his eyebrows and exclaimed, "How is that possible?! Such reckless actions are plain stupid."
"Ah, did you just call me stupid, leader?!"
Ning Zhuo quickly waved his hands, "I accidentally spoke the truth, no, leader, leader, listen to my explanation!"
Sun Lingtong leaped up and screeched, "Take this, you little brat!"
Another scene from memory floated up.
Under the moonlight, two boys washed their hands by a small river in the Immortal City.
That was the first time Ning Zhuo took a life.
Blood flowed down the river quickly, then got diluted so much that by the time it reached a stone bridge forty steps away, it was barely noticeable.
Sun Lingtong told him, "Every time I go out to steal, I tell myself that this time I might not come back, I might die."
"If that's the outcome of my life's gamble, I accept it."
"I am always ready to accept my death, even if it's in the next second."
"That is my resolve!"
"What is your resolve?"
The leaves on both banks slightly swayed with the night breeze.
The silver-white moonlight shone on the river, creating glistening waves, like countless tiny diamonds dancing on the surface of the water.
The shimmering waves reflected in Ning Zhuo's eyes.
When he came back to his senses, he was still sitting high on the stage; below, countless elite cultivators watched, while on stage, the Fang Qing puppet was still bathed in pure white flames.
Silent tears streamed down Ning Zhuo's cheeks.
"Oh?" Zhu Xuanji keenly noticed this scene and immediately showed a gratified expression.
"Ning Zhuo! Ning Zhuo!!" The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit roared in Ning Zhuo's ear.
How strange.
Just now, he had completely blocked out the sound.
But, in fact, he had heard all of the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit's roars.
The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit told Ning Zhuo everything that was happening inside the Magma Fairy Palace.
"Elder Sun." Ning Zhuo contacted Sun Lingtong through the life-hanging thread.
Sun Lingtong was surprised and delighted, "Little brother, you finally responded!"
"The battlefield situation is like this right now..."
Ning Zhuo interrupted him, "I know."
Sun Lingtong: "Should we act?"
Ning Zhuo: "Leader, thank you."
Sun Lingtong: "What?"
Ning Zhuo smiled silently, "I mean, let's act."
Sun Lingtong's eyes lit up abruptly, "Alright!"
In the furnace, Ning Xiaohui gradually calmed her emotions.
"I didn't die, I survived!"
"Heh heh heh, hahaha!"
"The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit has limitations, it can only borrow external force, it can't kill me directly."
"After this, I will go to the Golden Pill Ancestor for help, I will expose the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, I will expose Ning Zhuo!"
"I want... what is this?!
Bang.
A light sound, flames suddenly surged up inside the furnace.
Ning Xiaohui's pupils shrank to pinpoints!
She quickly dodged and rushed toward the furnace door.
She pushed with all her might.
The furnace door did not budge.
Faintly, there was the sound of Buddhist scripture chanting.
"Who, who's outside?!"
The temperature rapidly rose, turning the inside of the furnace a fiery red.
"Spare me, spare me, I beg you, spare my life."
"I'll give you anything you want!"
"I can't die, I've just discovered the truth."
"I don't want to die, I really don't want to die!!"
Ning Xiaohui begged and struggled in despair.
She desperately activated her Talent Ice-jade Hands, creating huge blocks of ice inside the furnace to prolong her life.
At the Historical Records Pavilion, it had reached a critical moment.
Mechanism artifacts drove at full force, a massive tide of Red Flame Demon Beasts raided, overwhelming the cultivators' array.
The array shielded the Historical Records Pavilion!
"Young master Ning Zhuo, now is the time!" the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit roared.
Ning Zhuo's eyes turned cold as he performed the duties of the turret commander.
The Five Elements Turret rose again, its cannon charged and then fired, directly hitting the mountain of demon beasts.
Boom!
Countless demon beasts were obliterated, reduced to ashes in the explosion of five elements mana-condensed cannonballs.
The array shattered.
"We can't hold it anymore!"
"We can't hold it!!"
"Retreat quickly."
The Golden Core cultivators, helpless, had no choice but to retreat to save themselves.
Boom boom boom!
Continuous cannon fire covered the array, covered the Historical Records Pavilion.
The Red Flame Demon Beasts were nearly wiped out, the former site of the Historical Records Pavilion had turned into ruins.
What historical records?
Nothing left but dust!
"I succeeded!!" The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit howled with immense excitement.
The next moment, a guillotine formed of flames descended from the sky, slicing down along its neck, beheading it instantly!
Gourd Fire Furnace Forest.
Amidst the terrifyingly high temperatures, the ice blocks created by the Ice-jade Hands lasted only a dozen breaths.
Ning Xiaohui's body turned to ashes in the flames, leaving behind flecks of spiritual nature, dancing like fireflies.
No more geniuses from the main line of the Ning Family, no more Talent Ice-jade Hands.
The entire furnace returned to calm.
The flames, like a silent dancer, gently stretched their soft figure.
The red-orange firelight filled the furnace, radiating warmth and tranquility.
On the stage, Ning Zhuo's expression also became serene.
The pure white flames reflected in his eyes, burning away his hesitation, his luck, his fear, his humility.
The play "Fang Qing's Exoneration" entered its finale.
Fang Qing stepped out of the flames, bringing the pure white fire to the corrupt official.
The corrupt official retreated repeatedly, yet remained engulfed by the firelight, turning to ashes in an instant.
"I, too, yearn to be illuminated by the flames."
"If one day, I inadvertently play with fire and end up burning myself..."
"Then, I hope that flame is one I ignite with my own hands!"