Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master

Ning Zhuo’s subordinates were in a state of panic, but Ning Zhuo no longer had the energy to worry about these trivial matters.

He was the only one left in the room.

The young man’s face remained pale, without a trace of blood.

His brows were tightly furrowed, his eyes closed, and his eyelids occasionally twitched as countless thoughts churned in his mind, desperately trying to make sense of everything.

Ning Zhuo was racing against time!

This time, he was trapped in a life-and-death situation, and every second of effort might influence the final outcome.

He tried his best to recall everything that had just happened, thinking back to Zhu Xuanji’s questions, as well as his demeanor and actions.

“Zhu Xuanji first asked if Yuan Dasheng had been killed by me, and then he asked where the demonic true scripture was.”

“Following this order…” Ning Zhuo worked hard to infer Zhu Xuanji’s line of thought.

“In Zhu Xuanji’s view, Yuan Dasheng should have had the demonic true scripture.”

“The true scripture…”

Ning Zhuo knew about this thing.

This was common knowledge in the cultivation world.

It was a scripture written with true meaning. Even if someone didn’t know how to read, they could comprehend all the profound meanings within the scripture just by coming into contact with it.

True scriptures had a self-propagating nature. When the carrier had a problem or if there was a better host available, the true scripture would transfer from the old carrier to the new one.

“Generally speaking, if something carrying the true scripture is damaged, the scripture is highly likely to transfer elsewhere.”

“But Yuan Dasheng died right in front of me, and no true scripture was transferred.”

“So what demonic true scripture is Zhu Xuanji looking for?”

“Could it be the *Demonic Blood Tendon Technique*?”

Ning Zhuo inevitably thought of the *Demonic Blood Tendon Technique*.

He also thought of Yuan Dasheng.

All along, he had never understood why Yuan Dasheng possessed the cultivation of the *Demonic Blood Tendon Technique*.

“Since Zhu Xuanji asked me in this way, it’s highly possible that Yuan Dasheng mastered the *Demonic Blood Tendon Technique* because of this demonic true scripture.”

“Zhu Xuanji came to find me precisely because Yuan Dasheng’s corpse ultimately ended up in my hands.”

This made Ning Zhuo’s emotions fluctuate slightly.

He originally thought that Zhu Xuanji’s investigation had already passed. Unexpectedly, Zhu Xuanji followed the clues on Yuan Dasheng’s body and found Ning Zhuo again.

Ning Zhuo calmed his mind and continued to ponder.

“The question now is, how did Zhu Xuanji learn of this clue?”

“Something important must have happened during this time.”

Ning Zhuo was unaware of Zhu Xuanji leading the three Golden Core families deep underground for a battle.

His intelligence network was limited, and much of it relied on the investigations of the Turtle Breath Gang.

The strongest intelligence gatherer around him was Sun Lingtong.

However, even Sun Lingtong found it difficult to obtain information at the Golden Core level.

Especially after Zhu Xuanji and the others returned and kept their actions secret, with everyone working hard to maintain confidentiality, only Meng Kui knew a little about it.

Ning Zhuo had voluntarily submitted a letter of apology to Ning Jiufan, the Ning Family’s Golden Core ancestor, partly to seek help and partly to probe for information.

In his opinion, Ning Jiufan, being at the Golden Core level and having close ties with Zhu Xuanji and the three families, should know something.

Ning Zhuo had indeed asked the key figure!

But clearly, Ning Jiufan was not going to publicize his own affairs.

When Ning Zhuo received Ning Jiufan’s reply, he found it contained only a few short lines.

Ning Jiufan told him to cooperate well with Lord Zhu Xuanji and to reflect on himself over the next three days, ultimately giving Zhu Xuanji a perfect explanation.

“Damn it!” Ning Zhuo gritted his teeth in frustration.

He hadn’t received any information and felt as if he had been abandoned by the Ning Family’s ancestor.

At this critical moment, even the slightest bit of key information would be an enormous help to him.

But he gained nothing from Ning Jiufan.

“Wait, there’s also the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit!”

“Yuan Dasheng’s corpse was refined in the Lava Immortal Palace, eventually becoming the Golden-Blooded Battle Ape.”

Ning Zhuo activated the Floating Cloud Handkerchief, and his body was once again enveloped by layers of floating clouds.

Just as he was about to send his soul into the Immortal Palace to try to contact the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, he heard a message from the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit.

It was the token of the Medical Pavilion’s master!

In his astonishment, Ning Zhuo immediately realized that the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit’s message had been conveyed through the token.

“Little… Little master.” The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit pretended to be weak.

It was about to report on the life-and-death crisis caused by Ning Xiaohui.

Ning Zhuo directly interrupted it: “Say nothing more, Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit. First, tell me where the true scripture on Yuan Dasheng is?”

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit paused.

It had already prepared for Ning Zhuo to demand the true scripture right away.

Without any hesitation, it answered directly, “Little master, that true scripture related to the *Demonic Blood Tendon Technique* is indeed on Yuan Dasheng’s body.”

“But it cannot be extracted anymore because it has completely become part of Yuan Dasheng’s spirit.”

Ning Zhuo frowned and quickly asked, “Why is that?”

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit explained, “There are many furnaces in the Lava Immortal Palace, and the highest-grade one is the Golden Furnace.”

“The Golden Furnace was personally arranged by the Three Sect Lords, with a total of eight. Now, only three remain.”

“One of them was destroyed because it was used to refine Yuan Dasheng.”

“Only the Golden Furnace is capable of refining exceptional talents like him.”

“And at that time, the true scripture of the *Demonic Blood Tendon Technique* was dormant within Yuan Dasheng’s bones.”

“The Golden Furnace refines everything, using all of Yuan Dasheng’s essence as fuel, fusing everything into one and eventually turning it into the Golden-Blooded Battle Ape mechanism.”

“It can be said that the true scripture has been destroyed, but it can also be said that the true scripture has become part of Yuan Dasheng.”

Ning Zhuo was still puzzled and continued to ask, “But why didn’t the scripture get transferred when Yuan Dasheng died?”

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit explained that Yuan Dasheng’s immortal talent was the *Righteous Bone Gold Frame*, and his bones were an excellent carrier for the true scripture.

Even in death, his bones wouldn’t decay, making them capable of bearing the scripture.

Unless a better carrier appeared, the true scripture wouldn’t transfer.

Ning Zhuo thought for a moment and asked, “Where was the true scripture before this? Why did it transfer from the Lava Immortal Palace?”

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit didn’t want to reveal this secret, but since Ning Zhuo asked, it had no choice but to answer.

After all, it needed Ning Zhuo’s help!

So it replied, “The Lava Immortal Palace has three Golden Core-level combatants, all mechanical puppets.”

“They are the Buddhist Doctor, the Daoist Master, and the Demon General.”

“Unlike other mechanical creations, these three were personally refined by the old master.”

“The old master placed three true scriptures on them, corresponding to the *Mirror Platform Spirit Technique*, the *Five Elements Qi Regulation Art*, and the *Demonic Blood Tendon Technique*.”

“During the long suppression of Mount Huoshi, the Buddhist Doctor and the Demon General were both lost.”

“Now, only the Daoist puppet remains, guarding the Lava Immortal Palace.”

Ning Zhuo immediately had a guess: “So, Zhu Xuanji must have found the mechanical Demon General and obtained a key clue from it, which eventually led him to Yuan Dasheng.”

“Yuan Dasheng must have encountered the mechanical Demon General in Mount Huoshi, which is how he obtained the true scripture…”

Suddenly, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit said urgently, “Little master, my condition is not good, and I’m about to lose contact with you.”

“This time, I contacted you because of a sudden major crisis.”

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit quickly informed Ning Zhuo about Ning Xiaohui’s movements and the existence of the History Pavilion.

Ning Zhuo frowned deeply, feeling as if a heavy stone had been placed on his heart.

It was truly one disaster after another!

He had personally destroyed the Immortal Palace, and there must be records in the History Pavilion.

If Ning Xiaohui really took up a position in the History Pavilion, Ning Zhuo would be completely exposed.

The trouble was, in the path of entering the Immortal Palace, only Ning Xiaohui had the status of a trial disciple.

Only trial disciples had the chance to obtain positions in places like the History Pavilion or the Medical Pavilion. Others, even Golden Core cultivators, were treated differently.

This meant that no one could compete with Ning Xiaohui.

Ning Xiaohui becoming a member of the History Pavilion, even if not its leader, was inevitable.

While Ning Zhuo was racking his brains to deal with Zhu Xuanji’s investigation, he was hit with yet another devastating blow.

Undoubtedly, Ning Xiaohui brought him another life-and-death crisis!

Ning Zhuo

asked the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit, “As the spirit of the palace, can’t you stop Ning Xiaohui’s actions?”

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit answered truthfully, “I cannot do that.”

“I am unable to disclose any information about trial disciples.”

Ning Zhuo immediately sensed the contradiction and asked, “Then how were you able to reveal Ning Xiaohui’s actions to me?”

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit continued to speak honestly, “I can only say, this is your destiny!”

“Ning Xiaohui is your subordinate; she is a physician in the Medical Pavilion, and you are the pavilion master.”

“It is because of this relationship that you have the right to know about your subordinate’s actions.”

“Little master…” The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit ended the communication on its own.

No matter how Ning Zhuo called its name afterward, it refused to respond.

During the short conversation with Ning Zhuo, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit was already trembling with fear!

Ning Zhuo was so sharp that even at the edge of life and death, he remained calm and composed, effortlessly detecting the flaws in the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit’s words.

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit didn’t dare continue talking.

“A little monster like Ning Zhuo has already gained enough information from me.”

“Now, it’s up to him to act.”

“Go and stop Ning Xiaohui, don’t let me down!”

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit had never imagined that one day, it would pin its hopes of regaining freedom on Ning Zhuo.

With the great forces converging, the situation in the Lava Immortal Palace had spiraled out of its control as the palace spirit.