Mysteries Of Immortal Puppet Master

Ning Zhuo slowly shook his head, "Why would I seize the Immortal Palace? It’s for my mother. If there are monstrous sins to bear, I will bear them alone!"

"You can’t bear it!" Zhu Xuanji roared in fury, his body entwined by a mechanical serpent. "For your selfish desires, you’d slaughter millions! Such a demonic path, I will never forgive you if you go through with it!"

"Little Zhuo..." Sun Lingtong's face was full of concern. He knew Ning Zhuo's true nature very well.

If the end result was the city being overrun by beasts, Ning Zhuo’s future would be dark. Worse, he would be consumed with endless guilt.

This was because, from beginning to end, Ning Zhuo firmly believed he was a righteous person!

The throne melted more than halfway, and the flames were rapidly weakening.

Seeing this, both Zhu Xuanji and Sun Lingtong’s expressions eased.

However, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit burst into loud laughter, staring at the space above Ning Zhuo’s head, "Ning Zhuo, you can’t do it! You can’t do it!"

"Even though you’re the city lord, you’re just one of the three powers."

"You’re endangering the Lava Immortal Palace and going against the intentions of the three masters who left it behind. The lives in the palace hang by a thread, stopping you!"

"Stop now! This is the design of the three masters. We are mere ants, how can we compare to them?"

Ning Zhuo's seven orifices bled as he widened his eyes.

"Why not?!"

He shouted fiercely, raising his head to the sky.

"I refuse to be a puppet on this stage!"

"Do you know how much I loathe this puppet show called the Lava Immortal Palace? Even if it brought me power, I’d trade it all for just one more day of life for my mother..."

Ning Zhuo’s voice was hoarse, and his eyes were bloodshot.

With a sharp pull, he grabbed the lifeline thread above him.

He yanked with all his might, distorting the thick lifeline thread into an unnatural shape.

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit gasped, but soon realized the thread, though heavily distorted, remained unbroken.

With a sneer, it mocked, "Ning Zhuo! You’re too naive. You think a mere mortal can sever the thread of life?"

But Ning Zhuo, stubborn as ever, continued pulling with all his strength.

Inside his spiritual sea and dantian, the white lotus, as pure as jade, glowed brilliantly. Its green leaves sparkled with vitality, and the pink lotus petals bloomed like the dawn.

The lotus, formed by the divine powers of the lifeline thread, trembled slightly, releasing profound light.

This light surged upward, piercing through the skies and beyond, eroding the lifeline thread attached to the Immortal Palace above Ning Zhuo's head!

In that instant, Ning Zhuo was enlightened.

His hair hung wildly, his face covered in blood. He let out a sinister laugh and chanted loudly:

"Five breaths nourish the soul, blood connects to life,

Three sects combined form the foundation.

Through sixteen winters and summers, my heart has endured bitter suffering,

After ten thousand trials, my will has grown stronger.

Emotions and reason entwined pull the strings,

The world bows to the ruler of ages.

Demonic roots sink deep—who needs salvation?

With unyielding perseverance, I aim for the summit of the heavens!"

I will never let go.

I insist on holding on!

Who can control me? Even the three masters cannot!

I am the one destined to wield emotions and reason, making all beings bow to my will!

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!"

Ning Zhuo roared loudly, like a madman.

His willpower surged!

He held the lifeline thread with all his might, pouring his body, strength, and spirit into it.

Even Zhu Xuanji and Sun Lingtong, who couldn’t see the thread, heard a faint snap.

In the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit's vision, the lifeline thread had broken in two!

"!!!" The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit’s mouth hung open, its eyes bulging as if they were about to pop out of its skull.

Shocked beyond words, it suddenly recalled a scene from hundreds of years ago.

That afternoon, when it encountered the three masters.

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit had been compressed into a tiny size, looking up at the three masters like an ant before towering pillars and gods.

One of the masters had spoken slowly, "In eight hundred years, the calamity of the heavens will sweep through the world, blood will flow like rivers, and corpses will cover the land..."

"You’re a serpent born into sin."

"From now on, you will serve as the palace spirit, guarding the Fire Persimmon Mountain."

"As long as the mountain enjoys good weather for the next seven hundred and twenty years, with no unnecessary slaughter or harm, you’ll be freed from your sin and can leave the tortoise shell, truly becoming a dragon."

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit had trembled violently, communicating its thoughts secretly to the masters. It had roared, "Seven hundred and twenty years?! Too long! It’s too long! I’d rather you kill me!"

One of the masters had sent a message, "Seven hundred and twenty years is not a fixed number."

"During that time, if you encounter someone who can sever their own lifeline thread, follow them."

"Because..."

"If they can sever their own, they can sever yours too!"

Hundreds of years later.

At this very moment!

The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit looked up at Ning Zhuo and sensed the same majestic aura as the three masters!

Flames surged fiercely, even more violently than before.

Only thirty percent of the throne remained.

Burn! With a low growl, the Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit dove into the flames, letting its body be consumed.

"Ning Zhuo, stop!!" Zhu Xuanji couldn’t hold back anymore. He temporarily abandoned his efforts to suppress the Buddha Doctor, Meng Yaoyin, and turned the mirror towards Ning Zhuo.

A white light burst from Ning Zhuo's body, protecting him.

It was the protective talisman given to him earlier by Ning Jiufan and the others!

In the next moment, the Buddha Heart Demon Seal suddenly flew out, hovering by Ning Zhuo’s side for a moment before diving into his spiritual sea.

A layer of Buddha light emerged, blocking the mirror light aimed at Ning Zhuo.

This time, it was Zhu Xuanji's turn to be shocked, his eyes wide.

"The Buddha Heart Demon Seal?!"

He had never forgotten the words left behind by the late emperor in the royal capital.

"The Buddha Heart Demon Seal is no ordinary object; its karmic ties are immense!"

"The Lava Immortal Palace is not something the three masters casually left behind..."

Zhu Xuanji remembered well the warning the current emperor of the Southern Bean Kingdom had given him.

"In their later years, the three masters set up the Lava Immortal Palace in Fire Persimmon Mountain with profound intentions, beyond anyone’s understanding. On this journey, you must not act rashly, and let things take their course. Do not disrupt the masters’ painstaking plans."

Zhu Xuanji's heart trembled, "The Buddha Heart Demon Seal recognized Ning Zhuo as its master? Could Ning Zhuo be the successor the three masters had planned for?"

He was able to wield the Golden Phoenix Mirror because the mirror originated from the late emperor of the Southern Bean Kingdom. Though he had once offered it, it had never been fully refined and still answered to him.

But the Buddha Heart Demon Seal?

In Zhu Xuanji’s view, this was Ning Zhuo’s first contact with it!

Even if Ning Zhuo was in the same situation as Zhu Xuanji, obtaining the Buddha Heart Demon Seal was already a monumental event!

High atop Fire Persimmon Mountain, hidden in the clouds and mist, Meng Kui's face was ashen, his voice grim, "Finally, it’s time."

He had painstakingly manipulated the situation, borrowing the strength of three Nascent Soul-level beasts to continually weaken the Lava Immortal Palace. Now, at last, it was time for him to make his move!

Since the palace’s emergence, Meng Kui had waited at the cloud’s peak.

Months passed as he sat in place.

Now, he had waited long enough!

He stood up, descending gracefully from the peak.

He pulled out a seal and smashed it down on the head of the Flame-Stepping Lizard.

Boom!

With a loud noise, the lizard’s skull was shattered, brains splattering everywhere. Though not yet dead, it fled in panic.

Meng Kui’s sleeve emitted a terrifying suction, capturing the rampaging fire snake, temporarily subduing it.

Then, with a powerful slap of his magic-infused hand, he sent the Nascent Soul demonic ape flying.

Before he could deliver the final blow, Ning Jiufan recklessly intervened, seizing the ape first.

Meng Kui had no time to argue, the situation was urgent.

The next moment, Zhu Xuanji, as if driven by some unseen force, turned the mirror towards Meng Kui.

Meng Kui cast aside the roof of the main hall with a wave of his hand.

"This farce should end now!" His face dark, he descended once more.

The throne had completely burned away, and all its spiritual energy had been absorbed by the Buddha Doctor.

Meng Kui snorted coldly, directing his magic-infused hand towards Ning Zhuo.

"Hmm?" Meng Kui turned his gaze toward Zhu Xuanji, his expression growing colder by the moment.

Sun Lingtong, in a panic, grabbed Ning Zhuo's hand, preparing to use a spatial technique to flee. Even though he knew that using such a minor technique to escape a Nascent Soul cultivator was nearly impossible, it was his only option.

However, Ning Zhuo gently patted Sun Lingtong’s hand, a calm smile on his face. "Brother, don't be anxious."

"Don’t forget, I am a righteous man."

With that, he shook his sleeves, then turned toward Meng Kui, bowing deeply and respectfully.

"City Lord, I, Ning Zhuo, am willing to relinquish the position of palace master!"

Zhu Xuanji’s head whipped around to look at Ning Zhuo.

Sun Lingtong’s eyes widened, staring at Ning Zhuo in disbelief.

Meng Kui paused in his descent, his gaze locking onto Ning Zhuo.

Silence fell over the entire scene.

Ning Zhuo broke the stillness, speaking once more, "With my weak cultivation and limited ability, I can do little to avert this crisis. Only you, City Lord, can save us from disaster and restore peace to the people!"

"This Lava Immortal Palace... no one is more suited to the position of palace master than you, City Lord."

Sun Lingtong looked at Ning Zhuo, then at the throne—or rather, the pit where the throne had once been. He then glanced at Meng Kui.

Meng Kui’s gaze drifted between Ning Zhuo, the remains of Meng Chong’s body in Ning Zhuo’s hands, and the sealed soul of Meng Chong held by the Underworld emissary, Qi Bai. Finally, his eyes fell on Zhu Xuanji.

Zhu Xuanji, as if awakened from a dream, straightened his posture, adopting a solemn expression. "Ning Zhuo has answered the call of the recruitment order and is stepping down of his own accord, making him a hero of the Southern Bean Kingdom."

"In the current crisis, even I am powerless to turn the tide. Only you, City Lord Meng Kui, with your Nascent Soul power, can subdue the beast tide and protect the citizens."

"This is, after all, your responsibility as the city lord of Fire Persimmon Immortal City!"

Meng Kui’s eyes twitched.

At that moment, he remembered the prophetic verse he had calculated—"Right and wrong are but a thought apart, the new master will fill the old pit."

So this is what it meant by "right and wrong are but a thought apart!" And this is what "the new master will fill the old pit" meant!

Damn it!!

Meng Kui cursed silently.

(End of Volume 1)