"Why are these words... so small?"
Zhu Xuanji furrowed his brow.
He strained his eyes, but his vision remained blurry. After all, flames were blazing at the time, blocking a lot and distorting the view.
Ning Xiaohui's handwriting was so small and embedded within the ice, making it unclear, which was quite normal.
This was tricky.
For Zhu Xuanji, if he had a physical object in front of him, he could easily get to the truth with a sweep of his divine sense.
But all he saw was an effect produced by combined talent and spells.
He couldn't do better!
"Couldn't she have written it larger?"
"Ning Xiaohui knew she was certain to die and used all her strength to make ice bricks, hoping they would be preserved."
"This is possible."
"After all, Ice-jade Hands specializes in turning despair into hope."
"But in the end, the ice bricks didn't remain."
"Talent is not divine skill..."
Thinking of this, a glint of sharpness flashed in Zhu Xuanji's eyes.
"Ning Xiaohui seemed overly cautious."
"And if she wanted to leave a clue, why didn't she directly speak the truth when facing Zheng Shuanggou's mana avatar?"
"One possibility exists: Ning Xiaohui discovered some crucial detail after saying goodbye to Zheng Shuanggou, or she suddenly figured something out."
"Another possibility is that Ning Xiaohui, driven by a desire for revenge before her death, twisted her mind, attempting to frame her enemy out of spite."
"And another possibility..."
"In Ning Xiaohui's view, Zheng Shuanggou was not trustworthy!"
"Or, she preferred to report to me directly rather than inform a Golden Core cultivator first."
Zhu Xuanji's thoughts raced, various possibilities flitting through his mind.
There were too many possibilities. After considering for a while, he dismissed his chaotic thoughts.
"It can be confirmed, Sun Lingtong is the murderer of Ning Xiaohui."
"And he also possesses the Cremation Prajna Spirit Liberation Sutra!"
Zhu Xuanji saw this scene clearly in the second vision.
"The Cremation Prajna Spirit Liberation Sutra! As recorded in the royal secrets, this Buddhist scripture can be used to free spirits, refining spirituality."
"Sun Lingtong mastering this scripture is a profound proof of Bukong Sect's deep infiltration into the Magma Fairy Palace!"
"Bukong Sect..."
Zhu Xuanji gritted his teeth. Due to today's events, he felt unprecedented hatred towards Bukong Sect.
"Calm down, stay calm."
"Anger is useless. The wisest decision now is to find Meng Kui!"
Zhu Xuanji forced himself to stabilize his mood, waving his arm to collect all the silver furnace fragments on the scene.
Even though he couldn't clearly see Ning Xiaohui's last testimony, it didn't matter; he had other methods!
"You clean up the battlefield and gather as many clues as possible."
"I need to leave the palace and talk with Meng Kui!"
Before leaving, Zhu Xuanji noticed Ning Zhuo looking at him eagerly: "Oh, right. Protect him!"
"He was a pawn arranged by Bukong Sect. Now he has repented and turned over a new leaf."
The three Golden Pill Ancestors: ?!
Zhu Xuanji: "Ning Zhuo is a very important witness. Make sure to protect his life at all costs!"
The three Golden Core cultivators quickly nodded in agreement.
In the next moment, Zhu Xuanji soared into the sky.
Leaving Ning Zhuo to face the stares of the Golden Core cultivators alone.
Ning Zhuo, being sensible, immediately ran to Ning Jiufan: "Ancestor, Ancestor!"
Ning Jiufan snorted coldly: "Tell us everything you know."
Though his expression was stern, he still extended his arm, pulling Ning Zhuo to his side.
Ning Zhuo had already prepared his speech, a carefully crafted one, originally meant for the second line of defense.
Now, with slight modifications, he could present it to the three Golden Core cultivators.
The Golden Pill Ancestors pricked up their ears, listening intently.
Zhu Xuanji hadn't heard it yet, but they already knew.
Now, Zhu Xuanji flew away, once again leaving the Immortal Palace.
Outside the palace, the Red Flame Demon Beasts raged, their attacks becoming more frantic, but with Meng Kui's assistance, Zhu Xuanji left smoothly.
Zhu Xuanji flew straight towards Meng Kui.
"Meng Kui City Lord, I have important information regarding the recent upheaval in the Magma Fairy Palace," Zhu Xuanji said directly.
Meng Kui: "Lord Zhu, please enlighten me."
Although he was of Nascent Soul level, Zhu Xuanji represented the royal family, thus they spoke as equals.
Zhu Xuanji then informed Meng Kui about Ning Zhuo's confession and his speculation that Bukong Sect was the mastermind.
Meng Kui was shocked, remaining silent for a while before speaking: "What a Bukong Sect! Infiltrating the Magma Fairy Palace right under my nose with malicious intentions, inciting a Golden Core brawl. Now, they've murdered Ning Xiaohui and destroyed the Historical Records Pavilion to eliminate evidence."
"If they could bombard the Historical Records Pavilion, then the sudden assault on Fire Persimmon Mountain by the Five Elements Turret, which triggered a horde of demon beasts, must also be their handiwork!"
"Risking the lives of thousands in the city, indeed they are an evil sect and demon cultivators!"
Zhu Xuanji: "This is just my conjecture, with no solid evidence."
Meng Kui smiled: "Lord Zhu's case analysis is naturally trustworthy to me."
Zhu Xuanji looked deeply at Meng Kui, expressing his intention: "Since Bukong Sect is the disruptive third party, acting so outrageously, it is only sensible for us to fully cooperate and remove them first!"
Meng Kui nodded: "Of course. Lord Zhu, what do you propose?"
Zhu Xuanji spoke eloquently.
Meng Kui smiled: "Lord Zhu makes a good point."
"If Bukong Sect actually succeeds in stealing the Palace Master's position, both the royal family and my Meng Family will lose all face."
"I will also reaffirm my sincerity—I promise, regardless of who among us ultimately becomes the Palace Master, all of our current positions within the Magma Fairy Palace will remain unchanged! Once the matter of the palace is settled, any changes in positions will follow court rules. What do you say?"
Zhu Xuanji's pupils contracted, his heart jolted!
"Good Meng Kui! This is blatant manipulation."
"No, perhaps someone within the three families has already secretly contacted Meng Kui..."
Zhu Xuanji could entice the Zhou, Zheng, and Ning Families. As the city lord, backed by the Meng Family, Meng Kui naturally had similar means.
It was merely tit for tat.
In this situation, Zhu Xuanji had no choice but to agree and go with the flow.
Soon, they reached a cooperation agreement.
Both Zhu Xuanji and Meng Kui belonged to the Southern Bean Country, part of the same faction.
Previously, although they considered each other primary rivals, they maintained their competition, always keeping it from breaking into open conflict.
Therefore, teaming up at this moment was without obstacles.
Zhu Xuanji and Meng Kui both hoped to eliminate Bukong Sect, leaving the position of Palace Master between their factions.
If Bukong Sect succeeded, both the royal Zhu Family of the Southern Bean Country and the influential Meng Family would become laughingstocks, thus deeply humiliated...
This was something they both couldn't accept!
After signing the agreement, Zhu Xuanji took out a jade slip and handed it to Meng Kui.
The contents of the jade slip were the evidence, clues, and speculations he had gathered.
The most critical part was the three scenes Zhu Xuanji "saw" at the site of the silver furnace ruins.
Meng Kui held the jade slip, slowly closing his eyes as the Nascent Soul level aura surged, beginning to fully perform the calculation method.
For a moment, secrets overflowed, and smoke billowed.
Some of Meng Kui's hair instantly turned white from frost, and when he opened his eyes, exhaustion showed on his face.
Calculation often consumed the most precious resource in the world—life.
This time, Meng Kui's calculations were no exception.
However, Zhu Xuanji had already promised to compensate for the lifespan consumed in Meng Kui's calculations using life-lengthening Ganoderma from the royal treasury.
Zhu Xuanji: "Did you find anything?"
Meng Kui nodded slightly: "I found four clues: Ning Zhuo, Sun Lingtong, Zheng Danlian, and the Golden Furnace."
For a moment, Zhu Xuanji frowned deeply.
He could fully understand the appearance of Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong.
But why were Zheng Danlian and the Golden Furnace there?
Zheng Danlian was one of the two Golden Core cultivators in the Zheng Family, and the Golden Furnace was the highest-grade artifact refining furnace in the Magma Fairy Palace.
"Why would these two clues be mentioned by Ning Xiaohui before her death?"
Meng Kui interrupted Zhu Xuanji's thoughts: "Of the four clues, Ning Zhuo is the easiest to investigate. In my opinion, grab him and perform a soul search!"
Ning Zhuo was only in the Qi Refinement Realm, easy to handle. The only complication was Ning Jiufan's thoughts.
Zhu Xuanji did not hesitate, directly shaking his head to refuse: "Inappropriate."
"Ning Zhuo is indeed involved with Bukong Sect, but I have already made him confess voluntarily."
"He is my man and will be of great use in the future."
Meng Kui smiled slightly, not annoyed by the refusal: "Lord Zhu is a Divine Hunter, naturally more adept at solving cases and chasing down enemies than I am. I shall wait and see."
Zhu Xuanji then parted ways with Meng Kui.
Watching Zhu Xuanji's departing figure, Meng Kui's eyes turned cold.
"Zhu Xuanji seems unaware that the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit has already developed a rebellious heart."
"However, it won't be long now!"
"Bukong Sect? Hmph!"
Meng Kui didn't pay much attention.
After all, only one Golden Core True Transmission and one Foundation Establishment Stage outer disciple from Bukong Sect had been deployed.
If a Nascent Soul level cultivator from Bukong Sect appeared, it would be a completely different matter.
Therefore, although Meng Kui noticed Bukong Sect as a third-party force that had been lurking, he remained calm and did not hasten to act personally.
"Subdue with calmness."
"Let Zhu Xuanji investigate Bukong Sect. Taking up some of his time and energy is also good."
With that thought, Meng Kui sent a message to order his cultivators in the palace to strive for as many key positions as possible.
At the same time, he ordered his trusted subordinates to contact the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit at all costs!
Zhu Xuanji flew back to the Magma Fairy Palace.
Along the way, his brows furrowed, his gaze deep.
If Ning Zhuo hadn't confessed voluntarily, in the current situation, he would have considered it and hesitated—whether to perform a soul search on Ning Zhuo.
But now, Ning Zhuo had just turned over a new leaf and was immediately subjected to a soul search?
The consequences of a soul search were severe, ranging from memory loss to insanity.
Anyone with a bit of political acumen wouldn't do such a foolish thing. Let alone Zhu Xuanji.
"Now, I have formed an alliance with the three families, creating a rift with the Zheng Family. If I perform a soul search on Ning Zhuo, it will alienate the Ning Family as well."
"Meng Kui suggesting a soul search on Ning Zhuo... He is merely a low-level Qi Refining cultivator and an outer pawn recruited by Bukong Sect. What can he possibly know?"
"Moreover, Meng Kui himself is suspicious!"
Zhu Xuanji calculated the time.
When the hole appeared in the Magma Fairy Palace, Meng Kui did not immediately intervene.
Although the three Golden Core cultivators sent urgent flying messages for help, without Meng Kui's protection, the messages would be attacked and destroyed by the ever-present Red Flame Demon Beasts as soon as they left the palace.
"So, Meng Kui deliberately suppressed the spread of the message and did not immediately safeguard it, causing me to receive it very late."
"The Meng Family's ambition to seize the Magma Fairy Palace is too strong."