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The Soul-Devouring Sect\'s sect master’s gaze slightly darkened. "The Three Sect Lords…"

"This person was extraordinary, possessing a cultivation of the Void Refinement stage but capable of contending against someone of the Body Integration stage."

"He practiced the techniques of the demonic, Daoist, and Buddhist sects simultaneously, which indeed demonstrated his talent. However, in his later years, he faced misfortune, seemed to have gone mad, and committed suicide."

The sect master thought for a moment and looked at one of the sect elders, asking, "Elder Luo, what do you think should be done in this matter?"

Elder Luo pondered and said, "Since our sect’s direct disciple has fallen, we must investigate the true culprit and punish them severely! However, since the Lava Immortal Palace is located within Huoshi Immortal City, sending elders might cause unnecessary misunderstandings."

"This old one believes it is more appropriate to dispatch one or two competent Golden Core stage cultivators, along with a few ghost generals to escort them."

"We should first investigate the true culprit and then discuss how to proceed."

The sect master smiled. "This is the wise counsel of an experienced statesman. Then, Elder Luo, which direct disciple do you think is most suitable?"

Elder Luo, knowing the sect master’s intention in asking him directly, immediately said, "I recommend my nephew, Luo Shang."

"Very well, Luo Shang it is." The sect master immediately gave the order, sending Luo Shang to Huoshi Immortal City to investigate, and assigned a Nascent Soul stage ghost general to protect him on his journey.

This was already the operational limit under normal circumstances.

For a large demonic sect like the Soul-Devouring Sect, its elders were at least of Nascent Soul cultivation. Dispatching an elder would undoubtedly make the Southern Dou Country uneasy and could possibly lead to unnecessary conflicts.

If a misunderstanding escalated, causing the Soul-Devouring Sect to provoke a massive power like the Southern Dou Country, it would be quite unwise.

In the cultivation world, great power often resided in one individual.

A Nascent Soul-level figure could defend a region, just like how Meng Kui guarded Huoshi Immortal City. Likewise, a Nascent Soul cultivator could invade a region.

Such individuals at this level could not be moved lightly.

Therefore, when the Soul-Devouring Sect previously sent someone to investigate the soul reserve within Mount Huoshi, they had only dispatched the Golden Core direct disciple Qi Bai. It wasn\'t because the Soul-Devouring Sect lacked Nascent Soul cultivators, but because under normal circumstances, sending Qi Bai was the most appropriate choice.

Now that Qi Bai was suspected to have died in Huoshi Immortal City, the Soul-Devouring Sect had a valid reason to send a stronger figure to investigate.

This figure didn’t necessarily have to be a Nascent Soul cultivator, but they at least had to possess Nascent Soul-level abilities. Therefore, dispatching a ghost general with Nascent Soul-level combat power to protect Luo Shang was still within the bounds of accepted norms.

As for why a mighty demonic sect like the Soul-Devouring Sect needed to abide by rules, the reason was simple.

With stable resources comes a stable mind.

The Soul-Devouring Sect controlled vast territories and numerous cultivation resources. Being a large, established power, it naturally had many concerns to consider.

After receiving the order, Luo Shang immediately set out for Huoshi Immortal City.

Not long after he left, a disciple of the Soul-Devouring Sect secretly sent out a message.

The message passed through several intermediaries, eventually arriving in a certain town.

The leader of the town then forwarded the message to the nearest sect’s secret base.

In that base, several cultivators were discussing and analyzing various pieces of intelligence.

"A direct disciple of the Soul-Devouring Sect died? This is a big deal!"

"The Soul-Devouring Sect has tentatively determined that he died in Huoshi Immortal City of the Southern Dou Country."

"Isn’t there a rumor that an Immortal Palace has appeared over there?"

"The Lava Immortal Palace? That\'s just one of the twelve palaces of the Three Sect Lords, indeed buried within Mount Huoshi. This has been confirmed."

"Wait a minute, doesn’t our No-Void Sect have disciples in Huoshi Immortal City?"

"Yes, there\'s Sun Lingtong, who manages the black market in Huoshi Immortal City, and he’s quite well-informed. However, he hasn\'t confirmed whether the Immortal Palace has really appeared, only reporting some strange movements."

"Sun Lingtong… Isn\'t he the only disciple of Xu Wuyan?"

"Yes. Many years ago, Elder Xu got trapped in the Lava Immortal Palace. Sun Lingtong has stayed in the city ever since, always believing that his master isn\'t dead, just trapped inside the palace. The sect once considered bringing him back because of his talent, but he refused."

"Haha, what a fool."

"I actually think this kid’s mindset is admirable! Even if he returned to the sect, it might not be a good choice. Don’t forget, Elder Qing is Elder Xu’s old rival and is now very powerful within the sect."

"Enough gossip. Let’s report this matter first."

"Whether it’s the Soul-Devouring Sect or Huoshi Immortal City, we should send our sect’s disciples to investigate further."

Several days passed.

The No-Void Sect’s secret base had gathered a lot more information.

Once again, the cultivators of the No-Void Sect began discussing.

"Strange, the number of reports about the appearance of Huoshi Immortal City has suddenly increased dramatically."

"We’ve confirmed the source. It’s from the Meng family of the Southern Dou Country."

"The Meng family?"

"Meng Kui, one of the four generals of the Meng family, is the city lord of Huoshi Immortal City. Why would he be spreading such news so widely?"

"It is indeed strange."

"Has the upper echelon of the sect decided to send any elite disciples to investigate Huoshi Immortal City? I feel there might be an opportunity."

Just as they were discussing, a voice suddenly came, "I’m already here."

In the secret room, the cultivators were startled and scattered in fear, rapidly channeling their mana, ready for a fierce battle.

A female cultivator slowly revealed her figure, flashing her identification token, causing the others to lower their guard and greet her with respect.

The female cultivator acted swiftly, and after appearing, she demanded all the information related to Huoshi Immortal City and immediately set out for Mount Huoshi.

"It’s the direct disciple Yang Chanyu."

"The sect actually sent her!"

"Yang Chanyu is Elder Qing’s beloved disciple. This time, her purpose is definitely not simple. Sun Lingtong is going to be in trouble."

Huoshi Immortal City.

Ning Zhuo reviewed the recent intelligence, frowning slightly. "The atmosphere in the city seems a bit off recently!"

Without access to the black market, Ning Zhuo had to rely mainly on street gossip for gathering information, which significantly reduced the quality of the intelligence.

Even so, Ning Zhuo still sensed a subtle change in the atmosphere. "There seem to be many more unfamiliar faces in the city recently. The inns’ businesses have improved. Fights and accidents have frequently occurred in certain areas, and when you look closely, you’ll notice that these areas are all near important locations or key buildings in the city."

For the past few days, he had been staying at the Ning family’s residence, hardly stepping out. He was either diligently cultivating or tinkering in a temporary workshop he had set up.

The Tree Martial Fighting Ape had been destroyed, and the remaining skeleton had become fragile after bearing the weight of the Righteous Bone Gold Frame in the aftermath of the battle.

Ning Zhuo had no choice but to start over and rebuild the Mechanical Ape.

This time, however, it wasn\'t as convenient as the last time, as Ning Zhuo lacked many materials.

Last time, he had been at the Zheng family’s place, and with Zheng Jian’s support, he had used many precious materials to create the Tree Martial Fighting Ape.

This time, Ning Zhuo wasn’t so lucky.

During his cultivation, a messenger arrived with an order to assemble.

Ning Zhuo obeyed the order and secretly met with Zheng Jian and the others.

"Brother Ning Zhuo, we finally meet." Zheng Jian greeted him cheerfully with a hearty laugh.

Ning Zhuo not only saw Zheng Jian but also Zhou Zhu and Zhou Zhenshen.

"Congratulations on your recovery!" Ning Zhuo smiled sincerely.

Zhou Zhu remained silent, while Zhou Zhenshen said, "I heard you and Ning Xiaohui explored the Immortal Palace and encountered Meng Chong?"

Ning Xiaohui snorted coldly.

"Shameful." Ning Zhuo sighed deeply, a look of fear appearing on his face. "The gap between us and Meng

Chong is too big. We had no power to resist at all."

"To be honest, I’ve felt heavy-hearted these past few days, unable to feel at ease."

"With Meng Chong in front of us, how could we possibly be a match for him?"

Zhou Zhenshen nodded, his expression becoming more somber.

Zheng Jian patted Ning Zhuo on the shoulder and encouraged him, "Together, we might not necessarily lose. It’s still too early to talk about failure, Brother Ning Zhuo."

Ning Zhuo forced a smile, his demeanor that of someone deeply discouraged after being severely beaten. "To fight against Meng Chong, I can’t do it. I’ll have to rely on all of you!"

Ning Xiaohui snorted again, "Ning Zhuo, with that kind of mentality, how can you still bear the surname Ning?"

"Defeat and humiliation should drive you to hold your head high and fight with all your might to wash away your shame."

"Just follow behind me and watch carefully!"

Thus, in the following action, Ning Xiaohui was the first to have her soul extracted by the Netherworld Envoy, Qi Bai. Amidst her screams, her soul was on the verge of collapse, triggering the Immortal Palace’s mechanisms and returning her soul to her body.

Zhou Zhenshen continued, "This operation is critical. We must clear as many checkpoints as possible and catch up to Meng Chong."

Ning Zhuo satisfied him.

During the subsequent action, Ning Zhuo communicated with Sun Lingtong and deliberately let the three-family alliance team reach the preparation room.

The cultivators from the three families were all shocked when they saw the leaderboard.

"Meng Chong is indeed in first place!"

"There are so many people from the city lord’s renovation team on the leaderboard."

"Outrageous! Meng Chong must have made great progress while we were recovering!"

"Just as we suspected, the city lord’s team is far ahead of us."

Zhou Zhenshen was the second to have his soul extracted.

Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong’s planned attack order made sense.

The first to be attacked was Ning Xiaohui, as her talent could not only counter various mechanisms but also freeze wounds for treatment.

The second was Zhou Zhenshen, whose intelligence and command skills were formidable. Leaving him on the battlefield for too long would be a liability.

"I’ve heard that Meng Chong is so powerful. I’d like to fight him personally. Even if I lose, it’s no big deal. I can see the gap between us and him and then work twice as hard later," Zheng Jian said with anticipation.

Ning Zhuo satisfied him twice over—by letting Yuan Dasheng focus his attention on him.

"I’m going to die! Going to die! Going to die!" Zheng Jian’s talent activated, frantically warning him as Yuan Dasheng charged toward him.

Zheng Jian became the third to have his soul devoured.

Zhou Zhu, who was always silent and withdrawn, was left for last. Seeing how slow-witted he seemed, Ning Zhuo chose him to be the witness, allowing him to see with his own eyes Ning Zhuo’s "death."