Advent of Immortal Truth

Huoshi Immortal City.  

Dungeon.  

Han Ming looked at Fei Si, her heart filled with fear, and sneered coldly, "You are delusional!"  

Fei Si's eyes flickered with a ghostly light as he calmly said, "If you refuse to cooperate with this officer's investigation, don't blame me for resorting to punishment."  

"Even the branding punishment alone will be enough for you to suffer."  

"From then on, your face will carry the mark of a criminal. As long as you operate within the territory of Southern Dou Country, this mark will expose your identity at all times."  

"This mark will also suppress your cultivation, making your cultivation progress extremely difficult."  

"To remove the mark, you'd need to find at least a Nascent Soul stage expert, and only then would there be a possibility of removal."  

"Do you want to try?"  

"Come, bring on whatever punishment you have."  

"I, your old mother, have already anticipated the worst when I turned myself in."  

"Fei Si, you want me to serve you and assist in your cultivation? Hmph, dream on!"  

Fei Si chuckled, "Since you've already been used as a pawn by Luo Shang, sacrificed here, why remain so stubborn?"  

"How could I not know the ways of you demonic cultivators?"  

"What? Do you really want to die for Luo Shang?"  

"How about this? I'll give you two choices. First, assist me in strengthening my soul foundation. Second, reveal Luo Shang's whereabouts."  

"Think carefully."  

For a moment, Han Ming hesitated.  

But soon, she steeled herself again, "Fei Si, you're unworthy of being a Golden Core of the righteous path! I choose nothing. Do whatever you want."  

Fei Si snorted coldly, his hand slicing down like a blade.  

Immediately, a spell shot out, like a sharp blade, aimed at Han Ming's neck.  

Han Ming felt an intense threat of death, alarms blaring in her mind, but her body was bound in place, unable to move.  

"Am I going to die?!" In this moment, Han Ming roared unwillingly in her heart.  

But she did not die.  

At the critical moment, a ghostly hand reached out from her body, grabbing Fei Si's spell and crushing it.  

The ghostly figure then emerged from Han Ming's body, speaking in Luo Shang's voice, "Alright, Fei Si, stop scaring the youngster."  

"Luo Shang! When did he plant this method on me?" Han Ming was shocked.  

At the same time, she felt a sense of relief.  

She had made the right choice!  

She hadn't fled before, had come to the City Lord's Mansion to surrender, and just now had not given in to Fei Si's threats, never giving Luo Shang a chance to eliminate the sect traitor.  

Fei Si was not surprised to see the appearance of the Golden Core-level ghost general, acting as Luo Shang's spokesperson.  

The ghost general floated into the air and said slowly, "Alright, Fei Si, you did all this just to force me out. What do you want?"  

Fei Si immediately changed his previous attitude, stroking his beard with a smile, "Luo Shang, you sent Han Ming to report us only to sow discord and create chaos for your own gain."  

"Let me tell you, our side and Zhu Xuanji's side have long been united, having reached a private agreement."  

"We, the Southern Dou Country, will not allow outsiders like you to take advantage easily!"  

"However..."  

"We also know that your sect's goal is not the Lava Immortal Palace, but the vast soul reserves beneath Mount Huoshi. As long as you don't meddle with the Lava Immortal Palace, we actually have the basis for cooperation."  

This intelligence was extracted by the City Lord's Mansion from two Soul-Devouring Sect disciples, the hooked-nosed and triangular-eyed ones.  

Even without this intelligence, given the Soul-Devouring Sect's past actions, goals, and plans, it wouldn't be hard to guess.  

Luo Shang was silent for a moment before asking, "How do we cooperate?"  

"And how can I trust you? What could you righteous people want with demonic cultivators like me?"  

"I won't be used as a tool by you!"  

Fei Si stroked his beard, exuding a calm and confident demeanor, "Let me tell you, recruiting you demonic outsiders is not only Lord Meng Kui's intention but also Zhu Xuanji's attitude."  

"As long as your side helps us defend the city with all your might, we are willing to secretly cooperate with the Soul-Devouring Sect to jointly develop the massive soul reserves beneath Mount Huoshi!"  

Luo Shang fell silent again.  

He thought deeply for a long time before saying, "I am indeed interested in this cooperation!"  

He had come to Huoshi Immortal City with two sect missions. One was to seek justice for Qi Bai's death and maintain the sect's prestige. The other was to continue Qi Bai's unfinished task of exploring the soul reserves beneath Mount Huoshi.  

If, at this moment, he could cooperate with the City Lord's Mansion and Zhu Xuanji's side, it would greatly help him accomplish both tasks!  

Luo Shang's statement made Han Ming secretly breathe a sigh of relief.  

She understood that she was saved!  

Immediately, Luo Shang and Fei Si began preliminary negotiations.  

This news soon reached Meng Kui's ears, making the current City Lord let out a breath of relief.  

At the moment, he was stationed at the peak of Mount Huoshi, feeling immense pressure.  

The terrifying tide of demonic beasts seemed endless.  

The Lava Immortal Palace had already begun its hall trial, with cultivators fiercely competing for the position of Palace Lord.  

Adding to that, the No-Void Sect had been discovered, revealing that this demonic sect had been scheming for years.  

Not to mention the disloyal Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit…  

Dealing with all of this had already consumed most of Meng Kui's energy and time.  

If the Soul-Devouring Sect caused any more trouble, Meng Kui's burden would only increase!  

There was one thing others might forget, but Meng Kui would never forget—it was Zheng Jianlian's failure, resulting in the death of a Golden Core disciple from the Taiqing Palace.  

The Taiqing Palace would surely come looking for trouble.  

But the Taiqing Palace had remained quiet.  

Had they decided not to act?  

Haha, how could that be possible?  

Meng Kui didn't need to calculate, just using his brain was enough to know that the Taiqing Palace's best time to strike was now!  

The reason was simple—various forces were currently competing for the Lava Immortal Palace. Once these forces were exhausted, the Taiqing Palace's sudden intervention would surely catch everyone off guard.  

The key was that this time, the Taiqing Palace had a legitimate reason to act.  

Although Meng Kui hadn't killed the Taiqing Palace's disciple, the Zheng family, as a major cultivation clan in Huoshi Immortal City, bore some responsibility, and so did Meng Kui.  

Thus, the City Lord's Mansion took the initiative to seek cooperation with Luo Shang, in essence, preparing for the worst and doing so out of necessity.  

Meng Kui needed to reduce his own burden!  

Although he was at the Nascent Soul stage, facing super sects like the No-Void Sect, the Soul-Devouring Sect, and the Taiqing Palace all at once would be overwhelming.  

If he could turn some enemies into allies, the balance of power would shift significantly in his favor.  

"As for the Lava Immortal Palace and the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit..."  

"Hmph!"  

Meng Kui sat in the clouds, his eyes filled with cold light.  

He lacked expertise in the mechanism arts, so he couldn't enter the palace.  

"But so what?"  

"All I need to do is conserve my forces and maintain the demonic beast tide. Let this tide continuously damage and erode the palace."  

"There will come a moment when the palace's mechanisms collapse, allowing me to intervene directly!"  

Meng Kui never intended to be led by the nose.  

In a way, he allowed the demonic beast tide to wreak havoc on the Lava Immortal Palace.  

Once the palace was sufficiently weakened, he could unleash his Nascent Soul power and disrupt the hall trial, becoming the final victor.  

If Meng Kui acted, it would be nothing less than earth-shattering!  

Lava Immortal Palace.  

Ning Zhuo held a jade slip, "Ice Sculpture Secret Codex," while observing the small ice sculpture he had just created on the table.  

His eyes shone brightly with excitement.  

"This ice sculpture mechanism book is very unique and innovative."  

"The ice sculptures are carved from a large block of material, formed in one piece, rather than being assembled from separate mechanism components."  

"To carve out the desired form requires mastery of one of the hundred arts of cultivation—sculpting skills."  

"It's not just about external carving, the internal carving is even more important."  

"One must inscribe all the formations and talismans on the inner walls of the ice sculpture within a sealed space."  

"That said..."  

"This ice sculpture mechanism technique truly complements my Ning family's ice-based talismans!"  

After studying the "Ice Sculpture Secret Codex" for a short while,

Ning Zhuo had gained considerable insights.  

This unique mechanism technique broadened his horizons greatly, making him realize that the mechanism techniques he currently knew were only a small part of the vast world.  

At the same time, he also sensed Ning Jiufan's clear intention to nurture him through this jade slip.  

"This Ning family Golden Core Ancestor..."  

As Ning Zhuo was lost in thought, a message entered his mind—the second round of the hall trial had officially begun!  

Before his eyes, white light burst forth, then spread into a circle.  

The light circle quickly expanded, large enough for Ning Zhuo to step through.  

Without hesitation, Ning Zhuo tidied his clothes slightly and took a step forward, disappearing from the room and reappearing in the plaza.  

In the main plaza of the Lava Immortal Palace, ten platforms had already risen.  

Ning Zhuo, along with the other nineteen cultivators, appeared directly on the platforms.  

In the plaza, the remaining three cultivators stood with folded arms, watching.  

The scene on the platforms was unclear, seemingly impossible to observe.  

New information continued to enter their minds, providing more detailed rules for the competition.  

The remaining twenty-three participants would take turns stepping onto the platforms for one-on-one duels. The second round of the hall trial would end only after everyone had dueled everyone else.  

For each victory, one would receive a battle record. A draw would result in a record of zero, while a loss would deduct one from the record.  

Each platform duel had a time limit.  

The duels focused primarily on mechanism creations, with slight variations depending on the match.  

Cultivators were forbidden from attacking each other's bodies; violators would be disqualified!  

Items obtained from the trial stages could be used directly in the second round of the hall trial.  

Finally, the battle records would be tallied, forming the rankings for the second round.  

The new ranking list would reflect the battle records, and the bottom ten would be eliminated!  

(End of Chapter)