Fire Persimmon Immortal City.
Dungeon.
Han Ming looked at Fei Si, a chill rising in her heart, she sneered, "You're delusional!"
A dim light flickered in Fei Si's eyes as he spoke deliberately, "If you refuse to cooperate with this official's investigation, don't blame me for resorting to torture."
"Just the branding punishment alone will be more than you can bear."
"From now on, your face will bear the criminal record. As long as you move within the boundaries of Southern Bean Country, people will identify you by this record, revealing your presence at all times."
"This criminal mark will also suppress your cultivation level, making your practice extremely difficult."
"To remove this criminal record, you will need to find someone of at least Nascent Soul Level."
"Do you want to give it a try?"
The chill in Han Ming's heart deepened, but outwardly she appeared undaunted and boldly said, "What's the use of saying all this?"
"Come on, bring on whatever punishment you have."
"Since I chose to turn myself in voluntarily, I was prepared for the worst."
"Fei Si, do you want me to serve you and help your practice? Hmph, dream on!"
Fei Si chuckled, "Since you've been used by Luo Shang as a pawn and sacrificed here, why be stubborn?"
"I am well aware of the ways of your Demon Path."
"What, do you really want to die for Luo Shang?"
"Let's see, I'll give you two choices. The first is to help me enhance the essence of my soul. The second is to disclose Luo Shang's whereabouts."
"Think about it."
For a moment, Han Ming hesitated.
But she quickly toughened up again, "Fei Si, you call yourself a cultivator of the Righteous Path and a Golden Core! I choose neither option. Whatever tricks you have, just bring them on."
Fei Si snorted coldly, his hand like a knife, slicing down.
Instantly, a spell shot out, like a sharp blade, aimed straight at Han Ming's neck.
Han Ming immediately felt a strong threat of death, alarms ringing in her heart, yet she was bound in place, unable to move.
"Am I going to die?!" In that moment, Han Ming roared in her mind.
She didn't die.
At the critical moment, a ghostly hand extended from her body, grabbed Fei Si's spell, and crushed it.
The Ghost General then shifted out of Han Ming's body, emitting Luo Shang's voice, "Alright, Fei Si, stop scaring the junior."
"Luo Shang! When did he place his measures in me?" Han Ming was shocked.
At the same time, she felt relieved.
She had made the right choice!
She had not tried to escape earlier but had come to the City Lord's Mansion, facing the consequences head-on. She also had not succumbed to Fei Si's tyranny, never giving Luo Shang any chance to eliminate traitors from the sect.
Fei Si, seeing the emergence of the Golden Core Ghost General, showed no surprise on his face.
The Golden Core level Ghost General, speaking as Luo Shang's mouthpiece, slowly floated into the air, "Alright, Fei Si, with such an attitude, you must have wanted to force me to intervene. What do you want?"
Fei Si indeed changed his demeanor from before and stroked his beard with a smile, "Luo Shang, your sending Han Ming to report is merely to stir up trouble and create chaos, hoping to benefit amidst it."
"Let me tell you, my side and Zhu Xuanji's side have already united secretly and formed an alliance."
"Our Southern Bean Country won't easily let outsiders like you exploit it!"
"But..."
"We also know that: your sect's purpose is not the Lava Fairy Palace, but the rich Soul Storage beneath Fire Persimmon Mountain. As long as you don't interfere with Lava Fairy Palace, we actually have a basis for cooperation."
This piece of intelligence came from prying open the mouths of the Hawk Nose and Triangular Eyes, two disciples of the Soul Devouring Sect.
Even without this information, guessing their past actions, objectives, and plans wasn't difficult.
Luo Shang paused for a moment before asking, "How do we cooperate?"
"And how can I trust you? You, the so-called Righteous Path, want to cooperate with a Demon Path cultivator like me?"
"I won't be used as a tool by you!"
Fei Si stroked his beard, a calm and composed demeanor emanating from him, "Let me tell you, recruiting you and other heretics isn't just the intention of City Lord Meng Kui, but also the attitude of Zhu Xuanji."
"As long as you assist us wholeheartedly in defending the city, we are willing to covertly and secretly collaborate with the Soul Devouring Sect to jointly exploit the vast Soul Storage beneath Fire Persimmon Mountain!"
Luo Shang fell silent again.
After a long contemplation, he finally said, "I am indeed very interested in this cooperation!"
His visit to Fire Persimmon Immortal City this time bore responsibilities for his sect. On one hand, he sought justice for the death of Qi Bai to uphold the sect's prestige. On the other, he aimed to continue Qi Bai's unfinished business and explore how much Soul Storage truly lay beneath Fire Persimmon Mountain.
If at this moment, he could cooperate with the City Lord's Mansion and Zhu Xuanji's side, it would greatly aid in achieving both tasks!
Luo Shang's stance made Han Ming secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
She realized she was saved!
Immediately, Luo Shang and Fei Si began preliminary negotiations.
This news reached Meng Kui's ears, also allowing the current City Lord to relax.
Currently, he presided over Fire Persimmon Mountain Summit, feeling immense pressure.
The terrifying Demon Beast Tide seemed endless.
The Lava Fairy Palace had shown trials, with numerous cultivators vying for the position of Palace Master, bustling like a raging fire.
Additionally, the revelation of the Bukong Sect, a major cult of the Evil Sect that had entrenched for years.
Including the rogue Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit...
Meng Kui had devoted his main energy and time to dealing with the issues mentioned above.
If the Soul Devouring Sect were to cause more trouble, Meng Kui's pressure would be even greater!
There was another point that others might have forgotten, but Meng Kui would never forget—the fact that Zheng Danlian had failed and killed a Golden Core True Disciple of Taiqing Palace.
Taiqing Palace would surely come looking for trouble.
Yet Taiqing Palace had remained silent.
Did they no longer want to make a move?
Haha, how could that be possible?
Without needing to calculate, Meng Kui knew by just using his mind that the best time for Taiqing Palace to act was right now!
This was because various powers were all competing around the Lava Fairy Palace. Once these powers were worn out, Taiqing Palace's sudden intervention would undoubtedly catch everyone off guard.
The key point was that this time Taiqing Palace had a justified reason.
Although it was not Meng Kui who killed the person, the Zheng Family, as a major cultivating clan of Fire Persimmon Immortal City, had their existence and safety tied to some of Meng Kui's responsibilities.
Therefore, this time the City Lord's Mansion lowered its stance and proactively sought cooperation with Luo Shang. Essentially, this was a precaution and also a last resort.
Meng Kui needed to lighten his own burden!
Although he was at the Nascent Soul Level, facing super sects like Bukong Sect, Soul Devouring Sect, and Taiqing Palace simultaneously was still quite pressurizing.
If he could convert some enemies into his own combat power, the effect of this in and out was quite obvious.
"As for the Lava Fairy Palace, Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit..."
"Hmph!"
Meng Kui sat with a calm demeanor deep in the clouds, his eyes filled with cold light.
He lacked the corresponding skills in mechanical artifact crafting, thus he could not enter the Immortal Palace.
"But what of it?"
"I just need to restrain my strength and maintain the Demon Beast Tide. Let this wild tide of demon beasts continue to damage and erode the Immortal Palace."
"There will come a moment when the mechanisms of the Immortal Palace collapse, allowing me to intervene directly!"
Meng Kui never thought he would be led by the nose.
To some extent, he had allowed the Demon Beast Tide to damage the Lava Fairy Palace.
Once the Lava Fairy Palace was weakened to a certain degree, he could use the power of the Nascent Soul to directly disrupt the trial examination and become the final winner.
If Meng Kui did not take action, all was fine, but once he truly exerted his full strength, it would be earth-shattering!
Lava Fairy Palace.
Ning Zhuo held the Jade Slip "Ice Carving Secret Scripture" in one hand while watching a small ice carving that he had just crafted on the table in front of him.
His eyes were bright and spirited.
"This Ice Carving Mechanism Technique is quite unique and distinctive."
"Ice carvings are done on a huge piece of raw material, sculpted in one piece, rather than assembled from normal mechanical parts."
"To carve out the desired form, one needs to master one of the Hundred Skills of Cultivation—carving."
"Not just external carving but more importantly, internal carving."
"It requires engraving all the array patterns and talismans within the enclosed space inside the ice sculpture."
"Come to think of it..."
"This Ice Carving Mechanism Technique and our Ning Family's Ice Attribute Talisman are indeed a perfect match!"
After briefly studying the "Ice Carving Secret Scripture," Ning Zhuo had already gained quite a lot.
This unique mechanism technique greatly broadened his horizon and let him know that the mechanism techniques he currently mastered were only a small part of the wider world.
At the same time, he also sensed a clear intention of cultivation from Ning Jiufan through this jade slip.
"This Golden Core Ancestor of the Ning Family..."
As Ning Zhuo pondered, a message entered his mind—the second round of the palace examination officially began!
Bright light erupted in front of Ning Zhuo and immediately transformed into a ring.
The ring of light quickly expanded to a size that allowed Ning Zhuo to step into it.
Without any hesitation, Ning Zhuo briskly adjusted his attire and stepped forward, vanishing from the room and instantly returning to the plaza.
The main plaza of the Lava Fairy Palace now had ten fighting platforms raised.
Like the other nineteen cultivators, Ning Zhuo appeared directly on one of the platforms.
On the plaza, only three remaining cultivators stood with their arms crossed, watching.
It was unclear.
The scene on the platform was blurry, seemingly preventing spectators from watching.
New information continued to flow into their minds, informing everyone about more detailed rules of the competition.
The remaining twenty-three slots would take turns going up to the platforms for one-on-one contests. Not until everyone had competed against each other would the second round of the palace examination end.
For each victory, one would earn a battle achievement. A tie would score zero, and a loss would score negative one.
Each contest on the platform had a time limit.
The platform contests would primarily focus on competitions between mechanical artifacts! The specific content would slightly change with each round.
Cultivators were not allowed to attack each other's bodies, and violators would be eliminated!
Items from the trial stage could be used directly in the second round of the palace examination.
Ultimately, the battle achievements would be aggregated to form the rankings for the second round of the palace examination.
The new ranking list would be adjusted based on the battle achievement rankings, and the ten lowest placed cultivators would be eliminated!